The armaments displayed in Shin's field of vision, even after filtering, were still overwhelming in number, nearly covering his entire view when expanded.
Among them was "Access Rule," a default armament in the system from the start, which he could summon and use immediately upon birth.
All system-generated armaments could be carried or stored in a personal subspace. The Access Rule had always been in that subspace.
It was highly effective at deflecting energy-based attacks, but a simple brick could still knock him out, so he'd never had a chance to use it.
Though he could've exchanged for "No Access" earlier, its defensive limit depended entirely on his own strength.
For someone as weak as he was, his real goal was —
[Do you confirm the exchange for Apocrypha: Light Lance Matrix?]
As he stared at the Light Lance Matrix, a mechanical, emotionless female voice echoed in his mind—or rather, his consciousness.
Despite being long accustomed to the system's monotonous tone, Shin felt a surge of excitement and replied without hesitation,
"Of course I'm sure! I've been waiting for this day for nine years! Do you know what I've been through these past nine years?"
[Understood. Now executing: Apocrypha: Light Lance Matrix—transmission initiated.]
The moment the voice's last syllable faded, the grand projection of the armament Shin had imagined didn't appear.
No dazzling pillar of light, no radiant divine glow—just... a flood of new memories pouring into his mind.
"... So it's just knowledge? Couldn't you have given it to me from the start?"
[Some Apocrypha lack physical armaments and only require a pseudo-neural circuit supplemented by relevant data to operate directly.
However, operation has a minimum threshold. Forcing usage would place an immense burden on the final individual, potentially draining their strength entirely. Starting from weakness and insignificance provides a degree of assistance in overcoming the strongest beings.
Therefore, this unit must avoid excessive aid to the host.]
Faced with Shin's exasperated grumbling, the system responded faithfully, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, always referring to him as the "final individual."
According to the system, his rebirth seemed to involve the hand of Altshiu, making him a unique kind of Flügel, hence the odd title.
Though he lacked wings or a halo, his pupils bore the cross symbol characteristic of the Flügel—a basic, constant spell formula they all possessed.
Normally, it wasn't very noticeable, but when he fully channeled magic or activated it, his eyes would glow, enhancing his vision, dynamic perception, night vision, and even allowing him to see energy flows in the air, living beings, and underground.
This made him stop complaining about the somewhat ominous cross in the eyes of a supposed "ghost."
... Ignoring the familiar "final individual" label, he frowned and thought for a moment before asking,
"So, in simple terms, I need to reach a certain level to be qualified to use it, right?"
[Correct.]
"Then where's all the extra energy going? Did you siphon it off?"
[There is no excess energy. All power from negative emotions is absorbed by the Divine Essence.
Even when the system creates armaments, it consumes energy from the final individual's body or draws from surrounding energy via the horn. Thus, energy points are defined as "credits."]
"I get that credits are a record of what's spent, but I still can't quite accept it... Ugh, fine, I'll just study the Light Lance Matrix seriously."
Negotiating with a mindless machine was pointless, a fact Shin had learned all too well over nine years.
Sighing, he gave up on the futile conversation, sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and delved into studying the magical data now embedded deep in his memory.
He wasn't a true Machine Kai or a machine, so he couldn't instantly "read" and perfectly replicate the magic as it appeared in his memory.
He had to work hard to understand it, internalize it, and then execute it accurately.
While studying, he resolved that once he mastered this magic, he'd leave the village and explore the outside world.
Though the village was a great place to farm points—everyone was strong, making it easy to gain decent credits—he wasn't a masochist. After years of enduring discrimination, he was eager to see the world beyond.
Out there, he could use his modern knowledge to make money, hire a group of powerful mercenaries as bodyguards, and return to confront those who'd bullied him.
That would stir even stronger negative emotions, letting him farm points faster.
Of course, this depended on the Light Lance Matrix, a carefully selected Machine Kai Apocrypha with greater value than this world's standard magic, being strong enough—and on things going smoothly.
... Life in the Ghost Tribe village remained uneventful, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Every night, under the system's guidance, Shin practiced the Light Lance Matrix. He'd become fairly proficient at using it for attack and defense after entering "ghost transformation."
"Just a bit more practice, and I can leave this ghost village, right? But how exactly do I get out of this sealed-off place..."
Muttering to himself as he pushed open the door to his home, Shin didn't pay attention to his parents chatting on the wooden sofa, treating them as if they didn't exist.
Normally, speaking to them would only earn their displeasure, but today... the middle-aged man, dressed plainly but exuding a refined air due to the Ghost Tribe's superior lineage, suddenly spoke to him.
"Carlos, why are you back so late again?"
"Out foraging, stocking up on some emergency food."
"Emergency food?" The man frowned, about to say something but quickly giving up.
Instead, he said, "I spoke with Edgar at noon, and we've arranged it. You're getting married next year."
"Oh, sure, marriage is great. I can mooch a big meal..."
Casually nodding, Shin, thinking about the rare chance for a feast, froze mid-sentence and mid-step toward his room.
He whipped around to face his father, who was smiling at him for the first time ever.
"Huh, wait? What did you say? Who's getting married? Me?!"
"Of course, you, Ram-sama, and Rem."
"No, no, no, hold on! Details, please! Why?! I'll only be ten next year!"
The bizarre declaration that a nine-year-old would marry next year left Shin dumbfounded, but his father slammed the armrest and scolded sternly,
"Ten is old enough, and don't forget your position!"
"Even if I'm a single-horn, what's that got to do with marriage?"
"Originally, I just wanted you and Rem to contribute to the tribe, at least by having a child to prevent our Ghost Tribe's extinction. Single-horns might produce a normal ghost.
But at noon, Edgar spoke with Ram-sama and Rem, and since Ram-sama doesn't want to be separated from her sister, they decided to marry together.
You must seize this opportunity! No matter what, you have to marry Ram-sama!"
When mentioning that Ram was willing to marry alongside Rem, the man looked like he wanted to cheer, barely stopping short of saying their ancestral forest was ablaze with luck.
He sternly warned Shin to build a good relationship with Ram, or he'd be kicked out of the house for good.
***