-- Aster 8 days ago --

"Now what do I do with this?" I stared down at the 2 artifacts I acquired, grimacing seeing the dried filth covering it. I had made it back to my room, and attempted to wash the items by taking them into the shower with me, while I attempted to wash away the entire day.

After a much too short cleaning session, I had removed as much of the vile gunk as I could, before getting out of the shower in order to figure things out.

Knowing the entire process could blow up in my face, I had made my way to the guild's hidden crystal. It was rare for anyone to be down there, so I knew I wouldn't be disturbed for the next couple of hours.

Sitting below the gem, I began fiddling around with the artifacts attempting to figure out if they even still worked. I was excited to at least try the gun, but no matter what I did nothing would happen. It was not boding well. At one point I had found the safety, thinking that may be the problem, until I turned it off and it made no difference.

'Rotten lands it's probably an activation phrase or something. I don't have time to try every fucking thing.'

Finally, after too many hours of messing with the gun, I started to take the gun itself apart.

The gun was a lot more complicated than I thought, taking another hour just to break it down into its own component pieces. I now sat, staring at a bunch of different materials, "Mhmm...ok...yeah...I have no idea what any of these are." I shook my head at this realization. 'I've destroyed an artifact and have no idea what to do with any of it."

I was just getting more and more frustrated before bursting out. "Fuck it! Mystical bullshit time." I began to push a layer of my power out over all the pieces on the ground to see if I could get some type of reaction. Slowly, the energy began to permeate into each piece, sharpening their detail. The only thing I could tell was that this hadn't been used or touched in a very long time. This cursory glance gave me nothing until, I pushed a little more power out and I finally saw one of the pieces starting to glow.

"Interesting." I pushed more power into the newly blooming piece, the light steadily increasing in brightness. 'This must be the nuclear battery that the website mentioned.' I stared dumbfounded. "Did I have to charge it first?" I shook my head in disappointment. "Too late to shoot it now."

I continued pushing in energy, studying the battery as I did. "Hmmm...I don't think it will work unless I were to charge it for years." There was no way just this was going to work, so I turned to the ax. "Your turn."

I picked up the artifact to examine it. "This is an ax. Yup." I was looking down at a stereotypical ax. Redhead with a wooden handle. Dirty with years of grime and dirt, but an ax.

"I'm going to die." I hung my head.

"How is this a Sonic ax?" I asked the air, deciding to try mystical bullshit first, channeling into the ax. I was surprised to find the wood wasn't wood, but an ornate metal made to look like it, and on the inside held lots of different mechanical parts. The ax head in contrast was just a solid chunk of metal with something that looked like a tuning fork inside.

"Must be used for the sonic portion."

Out of curiosity, I hit the axes head against the ground, it began to vibrate releasing a pleasing tone.

"Neat." The vibration was contained to the head as I felt nothing through the handle. When the sound faded, I experimentally hit the ax again, harder this time. The tone was a lot louder this time accompanied by a glow along the edge of the weapon.

I looked at it curiously. "Is that how you activate it?"

To test the theory, I hit the ground again before the tone faded, and the edge glowed brighter yet oddly the sound level stayed the same. I hit it again and again the ax edge began to grow larger and larger until it even began to float a few inches away from the blade.

'So it was real. Why was it not guarded then? Seems like the ax should have been guarded instead of the gun.'

I set the thing down. "Ok. They're real, now what do I do with it?"

I ended up pacing back and forth, attempting to figure out something to do with this information. "Let's review. It takes energy to level." I began to tick things off with my fingers. "There seem to be records of someone using lightning to level, although that might have been a side effect of what he was trying to do. And finally, the ax can create a lot of sonic energy while the gun is running on empty.

"How do I get the axes energy into me in...12 hours...FUCK!!!!" I screamed

"Ok, don't panic yet. What else? The lightning struck the guy's body so it must have saturated him completely... What if I smacked the ax until the blade was massive and...hug? It?" I paused... "That might work? Or cut me in half."

"Uuuuuugggg!" I screamed in frustration.

Even if it works how would my body absorb it? Vibrate me until I somehow get the kinetic energy? Would that even work? Can I even absorb kinetic energy?

I sat back down staring over the ax it was still slightly vibrating. Picking it up I glared at it. "How do I use you?"

Absentmindedly, I began to wave the weapon around above the broken gun pieces, trying to think. I was just waving it around when I noticed the battery glowing brighter, and the ax head shrinking.

I looked at the 2 and smacked the ax against the floor, and then brought it up to the light. It glowed a lot brighter than when I charged it with my own power, and it seemed to give off its own energy, as I felt something on my skin.

I smiled then frowned. "This is still probably going to kill me."

I spent the next hour testing things out, to finalize a plan. I found the harder I hit the larger the blade, and the battery would quickly siphon off the power growing brighter. It was after a few hard strikes that I learned the energy radiating off the battery was hurting me. At first, I felt it as heat, but then I noticed parts of my skin, and even my organs starting to...essentially melt. I think if I hadn't been so close to the crystal, just my experiments would have killed me. 'I don't know if I should be excited or not.'

Knowing that the power was pretty dangerous I was a little more cautious finding the range for the siphon, which turned out to be about 2 feet. I continuously fed more and more energy into the battery to the point I could barely bring the ax in range to be drained, the heat being too intense. Even sitting at the crystal I could feel the radiation causing damage to my cells. 'This is the kind of power I need...I think.'

Once the battery was at a point I thought I could barely survive, I started step. I grabbed the battery my hand burning and catching fire. Like all extreme pain, it seemed far away, allowing me to hold the item while it burned my hand away. I had no time to think or second guess my plan as I swallowed the battery, it began to burn and melt my insides as the re-spawn gem constantly healed all the damage. If I hadn't long ago learned to separate the pain there would have only been death waiting for me.

With all my focus, I grabbed everything I had and began step 2, guiding my will on what I wanted, and channeling everything into what was a complete culmination of all my words. "Your power FALLS into my POCKET FASTER becoming a LIE to BLOOM within."

Whether or not those words were spoken I don't know, but as I recited the spell, I felt multiple portals open inside my stomach sucking the energy away into my pocket dimension. I could feel the foreign power inside the portal changing and transforming into something else. The converted new energy began to soak into each, and every cell within my body. If it was just that, I think it would have been pleasant but it was a small cup of water in an inferno, compared to the inferno from the battery itself.

The temperature of my physical form raised hotter and hotter, starting to melt and cook my organs, to the point I was forced to divert some energy into protecting my brain. I couldn't afford to lose myself and the tentative control I had.

Eventually, I was able to find a balance, but with that, I realized that at this rate the amount of power being absorbed wouldn't be enough. It would work, but it would take days.

I didn't panic. I didn't have the energy, nor the brainpower to panic. The only reason I was even alive was thanks to the constant healing from the gem. There was only one idea I had left, I had already eaten the battery. What if I pulled the battery directly into the pocket? At that thought, I pulled the battery directly into the portal. Instantly the amount of energy increased exponentially.

My body no longer was melting, the energy was too hot, I was directly crumbling away. My entire being was falling to dust as I fought to keep the skill going to saturate my cells.

When I thought of the pain I couldn't help but think...is this. All??? This is nothing compared to my brand. I would have laughed if I could have.

I sat in a cycle of destruction and life, my body drawing on stores of nothing as my body wasted away as it began to immolate itself to keep my everything functioning.

I could feel the power soaking into every cell of my body as it burned away but it wasn't enough. Something was holding it back, if I kept going at this rate, it would still take another day in a cycle of reconstruction, and I didn't have that kind of time.

I tried to turn inward knowing that this kind of power should easily level me up. It felt like something was holding the energy back. The more I examined the blockage I began to understand, and I was afraid.

It had been 2 years of constant moving, no time to rest, no time to recover, no time to heal, and I knew exactly what was holding me back.

I began to laugh uncontrollably as tears evaporated as they fell. "Would death be worse?" I didn't know but it was the only thing left, and if I couldn't do this now then I wouldn't ever.

After 2 years...no longer. I looked down at my decaying body "This is going to hurt".

After so long I found the wall within myself separating out a part of myself. I stared at it, knowing I put it there to protect myself. I never thought I would take it down, but now if I didn't...there was no other option. I began to tare it down, but as soon as I started I could no longer stop it from flooding out. I finally let myself feel, and I screamed.

I screamed so loud and long my lungs burst and healed and burst again. This pain wasn't physical, but a soul-deep pain, an exhaustion born of years, a hatred for what was done, a fear for what may be, and an anger for those who didn't help. The power tore through me amplifying everything. My soul itself was burning and it had nothing to do with the power now flooding through my body.

I could so easily just end this. All I have to do is roll away and there would be no way for my body to be healed. A dark thought entered my mind, it was the first time I truly thought about giving up, it was just too much to feel. "I don't want this." But it was too late. The door had been opened, and I could no longer run as the world went pink.

"Nuclear powered leveling. That's a new one." A cat suddenly appeared in front of me.