From Human to Skeleton: Revived with Infinite System Crystals

John's eyes widened in surprise. "Excuse me?" he retorted. "You don't know anything about me. How can you possibly tell me I'm wrong?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Ty thought to himself, "The only time a power system doesn't align with someone of this world, they are either aligned with Erebos or they are from outside the world itself. He could be aligned with the Titanis higher ranks. I should tread this idea carefully."

Ty stated, "You're hiding something from me. I don't know what it is, but every time you speak, I feel my hair standing up. You're more dangerous than you are leading on."

John just smirked. "I don't owe you anything, I fear. So, regardless if your claims are true or not, I will not be divulging any information to you. But I do wonder about you. Do I have permission to read your memories?" He finally opened his eyes, still sitting in his meditative pose.

Ty considered for a moment. "What do I have to lose by having my mind read?"

As Ty spoke, John smirked. "See, no one is okay with—"

Ty interrupted. "Sure, you can see every memory I have to offer. In return, I want to see yours."

John, a bit shocked, stated, "You're lying. Everyone has dark secrets or things in their mind they will never share with anyone."

That is true. Ty stated, his tone mixed with a hint of introspection. "I am not a saint, and I have plenty of bad memories, but something about you is unsettling."

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"Tell me, what do you know of the Titanis?" His gaze fixed intently on John, searching for any tell.

John, visibly perplexed and slightly defensive, furrowed his brows. "What kind of follow-up question is that? First, you question my abilities as a lie, and now you're diving into questions about the Titanis? What exactly are you after?"

Ty stood up, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "For now, that will suffice. Interesting that you refer to your skills as 'abilities,' though—quite the odd choice of words."

Without waiting to gauge John's reaction, Ty continued, "Your 'skill' will indeed prove useful, being able to read minds. Can you link multiple minds together, allowing a collective access to what each person is thinking?"

John nodded reluctantly. "Yes, but it's draining. I can't maintain physical coordination while doing it; it gets all jumbled up."

"I see," Ty noted, then turned to walk away. As he moved, he spotted Kern wiping his blades with a towel, the black grease staining the fabric.

"He walked up to him and stated "So got any plans on how we should handle the task? I imagine, we use Rosana and Gisorn as scouts and then move off the information they are able to gather, but 24 hours can move fast. So the sooner we finish the objective the sooner we can plan on our next move."

Kern finished wiping his blades holding them both up above his eyes as he inspected them "Perfect, these will cut anything... Honestly, I will go for the King's head if the opportunity shows itself, killing him will end all of this anyways and then we can move on to the next Arena."

True, but he will likely have a defense force much like our own, so I think we should try an assassination shot on the King if possible."

Kern nodded and stated "We will see, for now just leave me alone alright, I like to be alone with my blades as I think about the last few hours."

Ty nodded as he looked around and saw Gisorn asleep perched along a tree.

Moments later, a savory aroma of roasted pork wafted through the air as a cart laden with food creaked forward, guided by a couple of guards. With a nonchalant shrug, one guard announced, "By order, we must offer you food before the Arena starts. Dig in if you want, or don't—it's all the same to us."

Approaching the cart with a raised eyebrow, Ty asked, "You're not planning to poison me this time, right?"

One guard let out a low, mocking chuckle before replying, "Find out for yourself." As they sauntered away, Ty mused quietly, "It's unlikely they'd risk the same move, especially now that the prisoners are mixed with the so-called nobles—those rich kids and idealists dreaming of a better world."

Eyeing the cart warily, Ty lifted the tray's lid to reveal a massive hunk of glistening meat. Beside it lay a smooth puree of potatoes and crisp, orange carrot sticks, all releasing an inviting, earthy aroma.

As the rich aroma of roasted pork filled the air, Ty's stomach growled audibly. His hand instinctively reached for the knife embedded in the meat, but he was swiftly rebuffed, feeling a sudden chill up his spine as Rosana's hand shoved him aside. "I have been hungry for HOURS!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of frustration and hunger.

With a determined grunt, Rosana elbowed Ty out of the way and seized the large knife, using it as if it were a fork. She tore off a hearty chunk of meat and devoured it hungrily. "Hey, you know there's a small food station at the other end of the court, right?" Ty remarked, an edge of annoyance in his tone.

Rosana, her fur bristling with excitement, retorted between bites, "But this smells so much better! I bet they killed the game just recently and cooked it up with some delicious sauce!"

Ty's annoyance bubbled over as he pushed her back, causing her to stumble and roll across the dirt ground. Snatching the knife, he scolded, "Well, at least grab a plate and don't smear your dirty mouth germs all over the food!"

Ty gripped the knife, slicing effortlessly through the meat and an assortment of accompaniments he couldn't quite identify. With a plate piled high, he grabbed a fork and began eating as he walked over to where Rosana was still enthusiastically devouring a large chunk she had managed to rip off earlier.