Author Of Worlds: I Reincarnated Into My Novel As A Random Character
Chapter 14: SSS-Grade Awakening! Such A Terrifying Ability...

Chapter 14: SSS-Grade Awakening! Such A Terrifying Ability...

Matthew felt the cleansing sensation in his soul slow drastically, nearly coming to a complete stop.

The grotesque shadow had already separated from him, and his body had grown ice-cold, nearly indistinguishable from a corpse.

His consciousness was fading, slipping away like grains of sand through fingers.

Even a single second more, and Matthew knew he would have died.

Then, a final line of runes flared brightly before his dimming eyes.

[Detected an abnormality in passing the trial.]

The trial had always been mercilessly lethal.

To overcome it, Matthew had relied on a variety of unconventional tactics.

Though he had succeeded in the end, the consequences of his choices remained unknown.

The runes shifted again, glowing with a pale, ominous light.

[Reevaluating performance.]

[Congratulations on successfully completing the Trial of Decay.]

[You have fused with parts of the decay.]

[At the final moments of your fragile life, you have become one with decay.]

[Reward: Ability.]

[Ability upgraded to the maximum potential.]

[Instead of the standard A-grade Decay ability, you have received the SSS-grade Decay.]

[Trial has concluded. You may now return to the real world.]

As each line of text flashed before him, Matthew remained unconscious, unaware of the profound changes occurring within him.

In an instant, his body slowly faded from the trial space.

Once he vanished, a new line of words manifested mysteriously in the now-empty realm.

[Detected corruption is at 100%.]

[Destruction of the Hollow Sphere initiated.]

As the words appeared, the entire Hollow Sphere exploded with a thunderous crack and imploded into itself, leaving only void behind.

...

Back in the real world, Matthew lay motionless as time flowed onward.

After what felt like an eternity, his eyelashes fluttered open.

"No!" he screamed, jolting upright.

Cold stone pressed against his back. Harsh white light poured down from above, forcing him to squint.

The disorienting brightness and icy surface beneath him immediately told him he was no longer inside the Hollow Sphere.

"I passed the trial?"

His voice trembled slightly. His eyes widened in disbelief, then shifted into a stunned grin.

"Fortunately, my gamble paid off." Relief swept over him.

His plan had been uncertain at best.

Only now did he begin to take in his surroundings.

When he noticed his bed was gone, Matthew’s brows furrowed in confusion.

"Where am I?"

He looked around.

Despite the bed’s absence, he recognized familiar equipment scattered around the space.

"This is my room... but where is the bed?"

He slowly rose to his feet, feeling a strange lightness in his limbs.

Then, he saw it.

A thin trail of dust, almost like grey ash, was scattered across the floor in loose patches.

"What? What is this?"

Startled, Matthew knelt and reached toward the particles.

As he picked up a handful of dust, a sharp pulse of energy surged from his fingertips.

His expression changed instantly.

Right before his eyes, the patch of floor he touched began to decay, disintegrating inch by inch into a fine powder.

His eyes widened in horror, and he recoiled instinctively.

"What... is that?"

He stared at his trembling fingers.

Confusion turned into realization as the memory of the trial returned.

"I should have received an ability. Is this it?"

Matthew felt a chill travel down his spine.

He certainly didn’t recall creating any ability capable of decaying things with a simple touch.

"Another plot alteration? Why do I keep receiving powers I never designed?"

Matthew felt a frustrated feeling settle in..

The increasing deviation of his story from his control weighed heavily on him.

Shaking the thought away, he focused on the situation at hand.

"I need to understand what this ability really does."

Traditionally, completing the Trial of Decay rewarded one with the Corruption ability, which inflicted sicknesses and allowed mastery over various toxins and poisons.

But now, Matthew had something far more volatile... Decay.

Without hesitation, he walked over to the nearby table and eyed the book placed neatly on top.

After a brief pause, he extended his hand and touched it.

The instant his skin made contact, he felt his origin energy surge from his body in an uncontrollable wave.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the book began to crumble at a visible rate.

In a blink, both the book and the table had turned to dust.

Matthew’s eyes widened once again, this time tinged with fear.

"What kind of ability is this?"

He dared not assume anything prematurely.

Every Origin Realm rank nine Esper possessed one hundred points of origin energy.

After that single activation, he could feel that five points had been depleted from him.

He didn’t dwell on the cost just yet. His attention remained locked on the effect itself.

He walked over to another table and reached for a second book.

With no hesitation, the book disintegrated in the same way, collapsing into grey dust.

Another five origin energy points vanished.

"This... this..."

Matthew was speechless.

The power was overwhelming, terrifying even.

"It seems I can decay anything I touch. That must be why the bed vanished."

He looked again at the scattered ashes on the ground and frowned.

Although the ability was powerful... far more so than anything he had imagined, it came with a steep downside.

Because of this power...

"I can no longer touch anything."

Unless his origin energy was fully depleted, his touch could destroy.

Matthew recognized the cost of this uncontrollable decay at once.

Just then, a knock came at the door.

He moved to answer, but midway, he paused.

His hand hovered near the doorknob.

"Who is it?" he asked instead, raising his voice so the visitor could hear him.

"Axel’s come to find you again. Are you still skipping or just crying?" came the reply.

The voice was familiar... the same youth from before.

Matthew took a breath.

"Please, just tell him to come."

If there was anyone who could help him right now, it was Axel.

There was a brief silence outside the door, followed by a soft response.

"Alright."

At Origin Academy, visitors from other dorm rooms were allowed, though not everyone welcomed it.

Soon, Matthew heard the sound of fading footsteps.

He began pacing, mentally preparing himself for what to tell Axel.

Since Axel truly had the ability to help, Matthew needed him now more than ever.

Then, from the other side of the door, a voice called out.

"Matthew? Is something wrong?"

Matthew exhaled in relief. Fortunately, he had been too exhausted the previous night to lock the door.

If he had, he would have been forced to decay the door just to let Axel in.

"Come in."

The door creaked as Axel stepped inside.

He froze as his eyes scanned the empty room, the walls bare, the furniture gone, and the air thick with lingering energy.

His gaze snapped to Matthew.

"Tell me you have a good explanation for whatever this is. If not, you’re definitely reporting to the school authorities."