The roulette in front of me spun relentlessly for several minutes before finally slowing.
I watched it in anticipation as the pointer hovered over a line of ancient inscriptions before the entire construct disintegrated into a dazzling array of blue light.
The light gathered together and coalesced into another tangible screen.
My breath caught in my throat as my gaze fell upon the information displayed before me.
[Congratulations on awakening the cursed nebula physique.]
[Grade: ???]
[Please note that the majority of the functions of this physique are currently locked, as your body is too weak to wield them in its present state. As your strength grows, the sealed abilities will gradually unlock.]
[Present traits]
—Automatically adapts to any cursed technique and weapon, granting rapid mastery and a deeper understanding in a fraction of the time required by others.
—Your mind is a fortress. All mental attacks directed at you are completely nullified.
—Enhanced stamina and perfect control over the potency of your seed. At the moment of climax during sexual intercourse, you may subconsciously decide whether conception occurs.
—Enhanced sensitivity to all forms of cursed energy. The world contains countless variations of cursed energy, and you possess the ability to sense them all.
Please explore the other effects of the cursed nebula physique…
I read through the glowing lines slowly, the corners of my lips gradually lifting.
'Such an overpowered reward!' I exclaimed inwardly.
With something like this… how could I possibly fail to dominate this world of curses?
But just as that thought surfaced, my expression froze.
Suddenly… my eyes widened.
A scream tore out of my throat.
"Arrrrghhhhh!"
Under normal circumstances, I would have been able to restrain myself.
After all, I had managed to remain calm even while absorbing the memories of my predecessor.
But this time… it was completely different.
It felt as though the very structure of my DNA was being forcibly rewritten.
My bones began to crack.
Then crush.
Then grind.
If someone were able to peer inside my body at that moment, they would see my entire skeletal structure collapsing into powder before being reshaped again.
My flesh lost its rigidity entirely, turning into a strange jelly-like mass before gradually reforming back into a human structure.
The first time my bones were crushed, the powder that remained was a dull grey-white color, faintly tainted with streaks of black.
The second time it happened, something changed.
The fragments of bone began to shimmer faintly… as if tiny stars had started forming within them.
And with every subsequent reconstruction, the transformation deepened.
The framework of my bones slowly took on a structure so intricate that it defied comprehension.
If someone looked closely, they would discover something astonishing.
The patterns etched across my skeletal frame looked identical to galaxies, nebulas, and massive clusters of distant stars.
It was as though the universe itself had been carved into my bones.
By this point, Aristarkh had long since lost consciousness.
From the moment the guttural scream escaped his throat, his body collapsed, his mind unable to endure the overwhelming changes tearing through him.
The transformation continued regardless.
Hours passed.
And completely unknown to Aristarkh…
The door to the room quietly opened.
A flawless, delicate beauty stepped inside.
Her expression was cold as ice as her gaze settled upon the unconscious young man lying on the bed.
Her silver eyes shifted slowly across his body, taking in the subtle yet terrifying changes occurring beneath his skin.
"Interesting."
The woman spoke softly, her voice calm and emotionless.
A faint glimmer of curiosity flickered in her silver pupils.
Despite witnessing something completely unprecedented, her expression remained utterly unchanged.
She simply stood there like a silent statue.
Waiting.
…
Time dragged on slowly.
Several hours passed before faint golden hues began to spread across the sky outside.
Only then did Aristarkh finally begin to stir.
…
My eyes snapped open.
The moment consciousness returned, my entire body reacted violently.
I gasped for air.
"Food… I… need food!" I muttered hoarsely as I forced myself upright.
My body felt unbelievably stiff, like a log of wood that had been left out in the cold.
But the unbearable hunger devouring my stomach left me with no room to care.
My stomach rumbled violently.
Without thinking about anything else, I hurried toward the nearby table and began searching desperately for something to eat.
I barely even noticed the subtle yet miraculous changes my body had undergone overnight.
But just as I was about to rush out of the room—
A chill crawled down my spine.
My body froze instantly.
It felt as though some terrifying predator had fixed its gaze directly upon me.
The dreadful monster I had encountered in the final moments of my previous life…
It was nothing compared to this.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I turned my head.
And my gaze landed on her.
A cold, flawless beauty stood silently nearby.
The moment I saw her, my heart trembled violently as fragments of memories exploded within my mind.
The first realization struck me like lightning.
This woman…
She wasn't my real mother.
My predecessor had never known that.
But as the memories surfaced one after another, beginning from the moment I was left behind in that orphanage as a child, the truth became impossible to ignore.
I wasn't her son.
The clan I belonged to was the Targaryan clan.
Also known as the clan of dragons.
One of the most powerful clans in this cursed world.
Feared and respected for their ruthless efficiency in hunting cursed creatures, the Targaryans had built their reputation through relentless bloodshed.
The woman standing before me…
Elizabeth Targaryan.
The female head of the clan.
Three years after her marriage, she gave birth to twins.
A boy and a girl.
Both children were hailed as future rulers of the era.
But one of them died during birth.
A truth the Targaryan clan could never allow the world to discover.
That very night, they began searching.
Orphanages.
Villages.
Abandoned homes.
Anywhere a suitable child could be found.
And eventually…
They found me.
My parents had abandoned me not long before that night.
And because I had bright silver hair and eyes identical to hers…
I was the perfect replacement.
No one would ever suspect the truth.
Without hesitation, they discarded the corpse of her real son and replaced him with me.
From that moment onward, I became Aristarkh Targaryan.
But despite the title…
There had never been any real relationship between us.
She had never shown affection.
Never shown concern.
Never treated me as her child.
In fact…
She was the reason I had never become a cursed fighter until now.
She had personally restricted me from absorbing cursed energy.
Feeling her cold gaze resting upon me now, a shiver ran unconsciously through my body.
"Who knew you had such a secret…"
She whispered quietly.
Her silver eyes studied me like one would observe a strange and fascinating specimen.