Chapter 292: Eye of Fate (Level 1)

[New Skill Gained!]

[Eye of Fate (Level 1)]

[Description: See the bond you share with people around you, from family to friends to strangers. The closer they are, the stronger the bond, and the more visible their fate is to you. At level 1, you cannot interfere with their fate (not recommended; fate is a Bitch).]

’Language, bro.’

[My bad.]

Before Silas could reply, the skill activated on its own.

[Important Info!]

[The Eye of Fate is a passive-active skill. You cannot control its activation and deactivation until you are at Level 60, probably]

"Probably?!"

"What are you shouting for, you idiot?"

"... Uh, hello everyone..."

Silas was shocked as his vision changed, showing him glowing screens above everyone. The screens showed details like relationship, attraction, and impression. He stared at the glowing information floating above the nearest hostage, and his expression slowly changed.

"What..."

Another window appeared above the woman.

[Name: Unknown]

[Relationship with Host: Stranger]

[Attraction toward Host: 7%]

[Impression: Grateful]

He looked at another person.

[Relationship with Host: Stranger]

[Attraction toward Host: 3%]

[Impression: Relieved]

Another.

[Relationship with Host: Stranger]

[Attraction toward Host: 0%]

[Impression: Confused]

Silas slowly looked around the entire supermarket. Everyone had one. It was like someone had suddenly ripped away a curtain that had always been covering the world.

"That’s..." Silas swallowed. "Actually kind of creepy."

Alpha looked at him.

"What are you talking about?"

Silas turned toward him. The moment he focused on Alpha, another panel appeared.

[Target: Alpha]

[Race: ???]

[Relationship with Host: Best Friend / Distant Cousin]

[Attraction toward Host: 0%]

[Impression of Host: Very Good]

Alpha frowned.

"What?"

"Nothing."

They stared at each other, but Silas shrugged in the end.

"Fate probably knows something we don’t."

Alpha’s expression darkened.

"I don’t like that sentence."

"Neither do I."

Silas looked at the attraction percentage and nodded.

"At least that’s normal."

Alpha’s eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Silas immediately turned away, while Alpha stared suspiciously at him.

"What did you see?"

"Nothing."

"Silas."

"Your relationship status is healthy."

"That’s not an answer."

"Congratulations."

"Silas."

Silas walked away. "Next!"

Alpha followed.

"You can’t just say something like that and walk away."

"I just did."

The system hovered silently.

[Host’s Best Friend: Currently Annoyed]

Silas glanced at the notification.

’You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’

[...]

"Thought so."

He began checking the others.

"Two?" He looked thoughtful. "That’s lower than I expected."

Then he noticed something. Someone was standing near the back of the supermarket: a golden-haired woman, and she was trying very hard to look ordinary. There was something strange about her.

She was dressed casually, and nothing about her appearance suggested she should stand out among the hostages, but Silas could feel it: a powerful aura. It was deep, dense, and carefully suppressed.

It wasn’t the aura of an ordinary awakened person. It was far stronger.

Silas turned toward her, and the moment his gaze settled on her, the Eye of Fate responded. The world seemed to slow as the glowing lines around her became brighter. Unlike the other people, her fate threads were unusually thick.

Silas’s eyes widened. "What the hell?"

Alpha noticed his expression.

"What?"

Silas didn’t answer as the information panel appeared.

[Target: Unknown]

[Race: ???]

[Relationship with Host: None]

[Attraction toward Host: 100%]

[Impression of Host: Deep Fascination / Obsessive Admiration]

"..."

"What?" Alpha asked, noticing his expression.

Silas slowly raised one finger.

"Don’t."

"Don’t what?"

"Don’t talk."

"Why?"

Silas continued staring at the golden-haired woman, his brain struggling to process it.

’What the hell kind of first impression did I make?’

He hadn’t even spoken to her, and he hadn’t even known she was here, yet the system was telling him this woman was completely captivated by him. And then there was that impression: Deep Fascination and Obsessive Admiration. Silas’s expression became increasingly uncomfortable.

"System."

[Yes?]

"Are you sure?"

[About what?]

"That."

[The information displayed by the Eye of Fate is based on the target’s current emotional and fate-related state.]

Silas looked at the woman again.

She was pretending to be frightened. Her shoulders were slightly hunched. Her eyes occasionally darted toward the unconscious robbers. She looked like any other hostage.

Except her gaze kept drifting toward him. Every time their eyes nearly met, she looked away. Then back. Silas noticed it. She was definitely watching him.

’Oh no.’

His instincts were screaming, not because she was dangerous, although she probably was, but because something about this situation felt incredibly familiar.

He slowly rubbed his forehead. "Why me?"

Alpha heard him.

"What happened?"

Silas turned toward him.

"Nothing."

"You look disturbed."

"I’m fine."

"You said that earlier."

"I was lying earlier."

Silas pointed subtly toward the golden-haired woman.

"Look at her."

Alpha glanced over.

"What about her?"

"Do you know her?"

"No."

"Does she look familiar?"

Alpha studied her.

"No."

Silas sighed.

"Great."

He looked at the system again.

[Important Info!]

[The Eye of Fate allows the Host to perceive relationship and emotional connections that may otherwise remain hidden.]

Silas frowned.

’That’s not helpful.’

[Would you prefer a pie chart?]

"..."

Alpha looked at him.

"What did it say?"

Silas ignored him.

’System.’

[Yes?]

’Can I turn this thing off?’

[No.]

’Can I hide individual information?’

[No.]

’Can I stop seeing people’s attraction percentages?’

[No. I already told you that, you dummy.]

’Can I uninstall the skill?’

[No.]

Silas closed his eyes.

’Can I die?’

[Technically.]

Silas opened his eyes.

’You’re becoming increasingly unhelpful.’

[Thank you.]

’That wasn’t a compliment.’

[I know.]

Silas sighed and looked toward the golden-haired woman again. The Eye of Fate immediately highlighted her. Her expression remained innocent, but those golden eyes were locked on him.

Silas suddenly felt a chill. It was something closer to the sensation of walking into a room and realizing someone had been waiting for you for a very long time.

The woman smiled. It was small, almost shy, but Silas’s instincts screamed.

’Why is she smiling like that?’

The system answered before he could ask.

[Target’s emotional state is unstable.]

’Unstable?’

[Correction.]

[Target’s emotional state is extremely focused.]

[...]

[Correction.]

[Target’s emotional state is... complicated.]

Silas frowned.

’Can you explain?’

[No.]

’Why?’

[Because I am also confused.]

Silas stared at the system.

’You made the skill!’

[You gained it from your ancestor.]

’I gained you too!’

[... This and that are totally different things.]

Silas inhaled deeply.

’Wonderful.’

Alpha looked between him and the woman.

"Silas."

"Hm?"

"Who is she?"

Silas’s expression became increasingly serious. "I don’t know."

The golden-haired woman suddenly smiled wider, causing Silas’s eyes to narrow. Then she slowly raised her hand and waved at him.

"She can see us?" Silas asked, freezing in place.

Alpha’s expression changed as he looked at Silas as though he had gone senile. "Are you sure you are okay?"

He didn’t retort because something dangerous was happening. As Silas stared at her, the Eye of Fate responded, hundreds of golden threads suddenly erupting around her, and every single one was twisted toward him.

Silas’s face went blank.

"...Oh."

"What?"

Silas took a slow step backward.

"I think..." He swallowed. "We may have found the reason the fucking system decided to send me this mission."

The woman smiled again, and somewhere deep within Silas’s mind, the system quietly chimed.

[Ding!]

[Hidden Fate Connection Detected!]

Silas’s eye twitched.

[Target: Unknown]

[Classification: ???]

[Connection Probability: Extremely High]

[Warning...]

Silas stared.

"Warning?"

The system paused- then displayed one final message.

[Host...]

[You might want to run.]