OP Sister Chapter 542: Natal Dao Treasure

-----

“Kindling Nova…!”

Anna had finally reached Rank 3, just like that!

Gilgamesh smiled and nodded.

“Good, you’re strong enough not to die. Let’s begin.”

“Wait, it’s not over yet?!”

Anna was terrified as Gilgamesh laughed merrily and tapped the formation with his foot, activating it once more.

The runes gathered and compressed around her body, targeting her chest with a beam of golden light.

“Ah!”

Anna cried out, feeling a deep, excruciating pain piercing her soul, where her Dao Root, now solidified into a proper form rather than a phantasmal one, was injected with a spark of light.

This ignited her entire body!

“W-What…?”

Anna burned. The Mythic Flames, born from blending narrative energy with cosmic essence, enveloped her completely.

However, she quickly realized the pain wasn’t physical!

Her Spirit Body was burning painfully.

The searing golden, red, and yellow flames danced around her, scorching her Dao Root.

The roots trembled and burned as the flames penetrated deeply, reaching the core of her Dao Root.

There, Gilgamesh smiled, touching half of Kronos’ Heart and sending it directly to that spot.

“Now, Anna, accept Kronos’ Heart as your Natal Dao Treasure! Hahahah!”

As he sent the giant crystal into Anna’s Spirit Body, it traveled through rivers of Mythic Flames toward her Dao Root’s Natal Root. Suddenly…

“Hm? What…! What’s this?!”

Gilgamesh was astounded, spotting something shocking within Anna’s Natal Dao Root.

Something was already there.

“It’s already occupied... How come…? Wait, this is…?”

A strange silver cube, spreading metallic roots across Anna’s Dao Root, shimmered faintly.

The silver cube appeared heavily damaged, burning with multicolored flames and emitting buzzing electric sounds.

“Anna, did you know you already had a Natal Dao Treasure?”

“…I did?!”

Anna was shocked. She couldn’t recall ever refining or placing such a thing inside her Dao Root.

She paused, trying to recall any such occurrence.

Had her adoptive parents in Bestia given her such treasure?

No, upon reflection, she had never received a “silver-colored cube” as a gift.

Not even from Zero One or her sisters.

It was a completely alien item she had never seen before.

“Your Majesty, can you discern its name or purpose?”

“It’s… some kind of Seed.”

“Seed?”

“It’s broken, though. It seems to have received considerable damage on your journey here. Have you not noticed anything unusual?”

“…!”

Anna connected the dots together.

She knew what it was!

“That is probably… my System Seed!”

“…System? Wait, you mean the Astral Records? You possess a personal prototype of the Astral Records? H-How did you even…? Where did it come from, Anna?!”

“I… Well, I know its origin,” Anna said. “When I awoke from my coma… my brother helped me with an Elixir. I received sponsorship from a Jester Constellation that gave me this. Back then, I recall reading a message stating a System Seed had been successfully planted within my soul.”

“Hoo…” Gilgamesh rubbed his chin. “It’s an incredible treasure, but they likely didn’t anticipate you’d endure such cosmic turbulence. What does this Seed do?”

“It helps me learn and develop skills, titles, and stats, among other things, while managing privileges and quests…” Anna explained. “It has accelerated my growth immensely. I believe my brother has another, created by Fenrir.”

“Fenrir? You mean that dog from Helheim can craft such treasures? Hah! Don’t make me laugh, Anna!” Gilgamesh chuckled. “There’s no way that creature could master the creation of a System Seed! Anna, do you not realize how extraordinary this is?”

“Eh?” Anna was confused. “But doesn’t everyone have access to the Astral Records?”

“Yes, but this is akin to granting a mortal VIP Admin Privileges for the Astral Records! You have access to powers others can only wield after ascending to the Great Beyond and becoming Constellations!” Gilgamesh said, laughing. “This is absurd!”

“Ahh, wow…” Anna was stunned. “Ugh, but it’s broken now, and the skills are glitchy. Do you think it can be repaired?”

“I don’t know… but we can try! Actually… I’ll extract it from your Natal Dao Root and place Kronos’ Heart there and then position the System Seed on top. How about that?” Gilgamesh asked.

“B-But won’t that hurt? Will I lose my skills and powers?” Anna asked.

“No, the progress of a Dao Treasure cannot be lost when removed,” he said. “Making Kronos’ Heart your Natal Dao Treasure would be ideal, as its potent energies could help you forge a stronger Fable. The immense Narrative Energy would greatly enhance your foundation.”

“But the System has helped me the most…” Anna sighed.

“Don’t worry. The System and Kronos’ Heart will merge, so both will effectively be your Natal Dao Treasures. I just need to extract the Seed first to ensure it functions properly,” he explained.

“Are you certain it’s safe?” Anna asked nervously.

“Hm, you doubt this great king who has lived for hundreds of thousands of years?” Gilgamesh laughed. “You’re in capable hands! And if I fail and somehow worsen things, I swear all my treasures will be yours permanently.”

“W-What?” Anna was shocked at Gilgamesh’s confidence.

“So, is that sufficient assurance, my Apostle?” Gilgamesh asked with a charming smile.

“I suppose so~!” Anna giggled greedily.

“Also, I’ll know if you try to sabotage the ritual, so don’t you dare,” Gilgamesh said, pointing his fingers at her eyes.

“I-I wasn’t going to do that…!” Anna muttered nervously.

She had considered it, however.

“Then let’s begin,” Gilgamesh said. “It will be quicker than you think. Your pain tolerance is strong, so that’s good!”

“Why can’t you just put me to sleep or something?” Anna asked. “Don’t you have anesthesia?”

“Sleep? You can’t sleep through this pain,” he said. “Anesthesia? No such thing exists for pain originating from the Root of your Soul, my foolish Apostle. Part of being a Constellation is enduring pain. Lots and lots of pain!”

“Eeeuk!”

Anna groaned as the formation activated its second form. The runes shifted, taking a new shape, as dozens of sharp golden roots emerged around her and pierced her soul.

While Anna groaned, resting on the cold floor, Gilgamesh delved into the depths of her soul, gazing upon the mysterious, half-broken treasure that had been her Natal Dao Treasure all along.

“Hm, I see… Let’s remove it.”

With his Spiritual Hand, Gilgamesh swiftly tore it out and healed the damage. In the background, Anna screamed in excruciating agony.

Fenrir comforted her, and the Eye of Nirvana activated. A spell from Buddha eased her mind, while the Seven Cursed Seals from her father activated, absorbing most of her pain and suffering.

“Haaa…”

For a moment, Anna could not sense the System at all.

It was completely gone.

The feeling was strange.

The skills she had relied on all this time were gone!

Yet, at the same time, Myriad Self remained.

So did her Titles, or at least some of their effects.

Her stats also persisted, and through Myriad Self, she felt a connection.

Fragments of her most-used skills, which had formed into Egos, were still there, usable… to an extent.

With hard training, she might even surpass their original power.

In that moment, Anna realized something.

“I don’t even need the System anymore, huh? I’ve built such a solid foundation… I can stand on my own… hahah…”

She felt a surge of pride.

As someone who loved LitRPG novels, she had always dreamed of having her own System. Yet, her overreliance on it frustrated her, making her feel her efforts were insufficient and her power wasn’t truly hers.

Now, she felt proud.

All the power she had forged and trained for remained!

“I am strong…”

Anna smiled faintly. Though the weakest being on this planet, she felt relieved knowing she was “strong.”

The System was gone, yet she remained powerful in her own right.

Remarkably so!

Her parents’ teachings endured, granting her immense strength.

Even her class powers stayed imprinted in Myriad Self. With enough practice, she could solidify them further.

The arm crafted by Zero One and her sisters remained, its nanomachines still reinforcing her body, fully functional.

However, the System was a powerful treasure, as Gilgamesh himself had said.

Thus, she didn’t want to lose it!

Even if it was slightly broken.

With her System Seed’s power, she could sponsor others and strengthen them, after all.

She also wanted to learn more Skills, Privileges, and Titles to “imprint” into her Myriad Self Arts.

Since her Myriad Self Arts were still in their early stages, they required much growth to become truly robust!

Above all, without the System, Anna could see.

Her Myriad Self Arts… could evolve.

Within the depths of the imprinted information and powers tied to each Ego, she glimpsed something beyond everything.

Something… enormous.

Yet it was merely a phantom, not yet real.

“A Record…?”

It resembled a giant scroll, recording everything.

Then she understood why every Constellation she met instantly deemed her Myriad Self Arts a “Bizarre Radiance.”

It recorded parts of her powers as elements of her Story and Fables, embedding artificially granted abilities into her existence.

This explained why she could sense the power of frequently used skills within Myriad Self Arts.

“Actually… Maybe I could even reproduce Heracles’ Sword Axe…”

She felt it now, somehow.

With the System temporarily gone, she could sense many “fragments” of skills not fully imprinted.

Before, she couldn’t detect them because the skills were ever-present, but now she felt them clearly.

By channeling her power, she could likely summon weakened versions of those skill effects or powers.

She could train that power repeatedly, refining it through cultivation.

She could even combine effects multiple times, unrestricted by skill fusion limits, to create truly unique abilities.

“Very well, I’ve purified Kronos’ Heart with my Mythic Flames,” Gilgamesh said.

“Purified?” Anna asked.

“To ensure no lingering Consciousness remains,” Gilgamesh said. “It wouldn’t do if Kronos tried to seize your mind, right?”

“Eh? Wait, are you certain he’s gone, Your Majesty?” Anna grew nervous again.

“I’m certain. Stop doubting this great king!” Gilgamesh sighed. “Now, Anna…! Accept this treasure!”

“Nnnggh!”

Anna gritted her teeth as Fenrir licked her forehead. The glowing crystal was placed deep within her soul, reaching her Dao Root.

“Now…!”

Gilgamesh used his Aura to burn a new Dao Root Aperture, where the giant crystal was carefully placed.

Gradually, the Natal Dao Root opened enough for the crystal to settle inside.

Ethereal roots of cosmic energy and fables intertwined, slowly growing around the pulsating crystal, brimming with ancient energy.

“Ahhh!”

Anna’s senses flared up as immense power surged through her being.

Then, visions of ancient times appeared.

A titan born from sky and earth.

A great lord who governed time itself, traversing ancient worlds and realms.

Kronos.

-----