Volume 2 Chapter 14: "Royal Shadows and the Choice of Path"
Cheap bikes: a guild challenge
Romulus stood before a rough wooden frame reinforced with thin iron strips, as if he were a soldier ready for battle.
- "Not perfect... but five times cheaper," he muttered, testing the strength of the design as if assessing the warrior's potential.
Nearby, the blacksmiths and carpenters looked around nervously, as if expecting a thunderclap.
- **"Young master, the guild has already *threatened* to cut off our coal supply... "**
- "Let them try," Romulus slammed the frame, instilling confidence. - **"We'll use charcoal. And **melt down the old armor," as if declaring war on tyranny.
The system blinked approvingly:
[🔧 **Poor People's Bicycle Project** ] ]
■ Progress: 65%
■ Remains:
- Strength test
- Finding **cheap tires** (alternative: **woven cables**?)
Talking to my father: the truth about the spy
The dungeons of the castle smelled of iron and fear, like the lair of a beast.
Count Lucian was wiping his hands with a bloody handkerchief when Romulus descended the steps as if approaching the heart of darkness.
- "Did he confess?" - Romulus asked, trying not to look at the captive's pain-stricken face, as if afraid to see the reflection of hell.
- **"The king *did* know about the revolver. But he didn't send this jackal, "** the earl threw the dagger into the table as if striking an enemy. - **"The customer is the *Grand Master of the Trade Guild*. He wants a monopoly on your inventions."
Romulus swallowed, tasting betrayal.
- **"So the **King doesn't know yet..."
- **"We don't have much time. When *this* one doesn't come back, they'll send the next one, "** the earl stood up, as if preparing for battle. - **"Did you **choose a class?"
[⏳ **Class selection: 3 hours left** ]
Path selection: hidden class
In his workshop, Romulus looked at the three options one last time, as if gazing into a mirror of fate:
A master of mechanics - creating complex devices but without magic, like a genius limited by the laws of physics.
A genius tactician - improving technology but dependent on resources like a warlord shackled by supply chains.
??? - shimmering blood-gold text, like the call of dark forces beckoning with power.
He touched on the third option.
[⚠️ WARNING: Reality Architect Class ]
■ Only for reincarnates chosen by fate itself.
■ Gifts:
Epiphany of the Abyss: Seeing flaws in the fabric of creation, gaps in the laws of being.
Creator of Matter: To transform the essence of things, endowing them with inconceivable properties (wood is stronger than mace? So be it!).
Echoes of Past Lives: Blueprints from the memory of ages, knowledge that can drive you mad.
■ Price:
Wrath of the Ancients: Their hatred of any change will become your shadow.
▶ Accept? (Yes / No)
Romulus closed his eyelids, drowning in thought.
"I've already reshaped this world... Should I back out now?"
- "Yeah..."
A blast of agony split his skull. He collapsed to his knees, and a cry of horror burst from his chest.
A kaleidoscope of eerie visions descended upon the mind:
Schematics of infernal nuclear reactors spawned by mad genius.
Formulas that blur the line between the possible and the impossible.
Shadow-colossi with branching fingers trailing from behind the edge.
And then... emptiness. A chilling silence.
[🎉 **Class changed: "Reality Architect "** ] ]
[✨ **New Skill: "Seeing Beyond the Fringe "** ] ]
■ Behold the **hidden essence** of things, the true nature of things.
Romulus stood up, and the world appeared before him in a new light.
The tree pulsed with emerald streams of life.
The metal shook with sapphire waves of power.
And in the air... flickered golden threads of magic.
- **"What have I... **done?"