Hadeon was searching the core inside the corpse with his intense gaze, peeking through the hole in the shell.
Without a doubt, there is a soul core inside the shell.
’Damn! My senses seem to have grown dull. Can’t believe I missed a soul core.’ He sighed.
This time he carefully studied the shell and the wound. If Hadeon was right, the hole might have been dealt by a pointy, sharp, heavy weapon, possibly a spear or a war pick-hammer. The inside of the creature was heavily burnt, boiled from inside.
’Whoever killed this thing probably used a flame ability and a heavy weapon.’
The corpse was intact from inside, not even a single tissue missing; probably didn’t kill it for eating.
’But why is it that only his head is gone?’ Hadeon wondered, trying to think of a possible reason.
But then he dismissed his thoughts; after all, it was hell, and applying his human logic wouldn’t help him in any way.
"Or maybe the killer was a picky eater!?" Hadeon laughed, thinking maybe he should really stop creating new theories about whatever killed it.
’Whatever, I should first look for something to dig the core out,’ Hadeon murmured as he walked away and found a black tree in the distance.
He could have just used his hands to dig the core out but decided to use something like a stick instead. he really didn’t want to smell like rotting meat for days.
Who knows when he’s going to get water to wash his body?!
Even collecting drinkable water is going to be a hard job in this barren land.
Hadeon looked at the stick that he had just picked up from the bottom of the obsidian tree. Hadeon had named the tree because its bark exactly resembled the obsidian stone.
It didn’t look like wood at all, but something made entirely of obsidian stone.
"This thing should do the work." Hadeon examined the black wood carefully.
His fingers caressed the rough texture of the bark. It felt weird holding it— light yet somehow much more durable than anything on Iris, maybe even rivaling the strongest steel alloys ever made by man.
He even tried to break it using all his might, but it barely even bent.
’Truly magnificent, I can even use this as a club!’ Hadeon thought as he swung it a couple of times.
He returned near the corpse, and he started to carve out the decayed, burnt meat slowly. The smell grew even stronger, unbearable, yet he kept carving the flesh.
’Shit! This is hell!’ Hadeon cursed as he took a large breath from his mouth, not even daring to open his nose, and instantly grimaced; it still felt like shit.
Time flew by slowly...
- - 2 hours later - -
The ground near the corpse was now stained with thick black viscous fluid, with chunks of rotten meat lying in it.
A young man was lying a few hundred meters away from a white hollow shell. His whole body was drenched in sweat, and he was panting like a dog, tired, his throat dry, and of course his nose numbed.
There lay a white pristine jade-like stone resembling a tortoise shell in his right hand. Surprisingly, it was clean and pure with not a single grain of blood and filth.
On the other hand, though, the obsidian stick still emitted an odour even after Hadeon had cleaned it by rubbing with ash no less than ten times, but a small amount of filth and odour still lingered on it.
After resting for an hour or so, Hadeon finally decided to absorb the soul core.
He sat straight in a lotus position and brought the white jade near his chest, and in the next second, shattered it— thousands of ghostly particles emerged and started to enter his soul core.
A warm sensation appeared in his chest that flowed throughout his body, sending waves of comfort, making his every cell vibrate with the new energy.
He felt like a baby who has drunk his mother’s milk for the first time.
A teenager who has experienced his first orgasm.
The weakness and the numbness in his hands slowly started to disappear.
The next moment, the voice of the system echoed in his mind.
< Absorbing the soul essence.>
[ You have absorbed an extraordinary grade soul core of a Lvl. 22 Zade Carapace Tortozard.]
< Congratulations, Host! You have cleared your first objective.>
[ You have been bestowed a status window, open for more information.]
A large smile appeared on Hadeon’s pale face as he called for his status window, a golden screen popping in front of his face.
"Status." He said lightly.
Before he looked at his talent and unique flame, another message appeared on the golden screen.
ERROR.
[ Detected an anomaly!]
’Huh? What does that mean?’
ERROR.
ERROR.
Suddenly, the screen started to glitch; the texts and voices cracked beyond his understanding...
[ Foreign.... material.... detected!]
[ Analyzing... the damage.... Analysis Complete!]
[ Damage: Huge!!]
[ The system has detected a problem in Host’s soul!]
[ Waiting.... for Greater Will decision...
Ding!
[Terminating Host’s Soul!!]
A cold, distorted voice echoed in his mind.
"What? Wait... Wait, you—’’ Hadeon shouted.
"What the fuck is going on!"
"Status? Reply!" He called for the window once again, fearing the status may kill him without any explanation.
He hadn’t faced anything like this before; the system was meant to help humans survive hell, not kill them!?
[ Termination failed!!! ]
Hadeon paused, his face now covered with beads of sweat.
"What now—"
The tension on his face grew, his hopeful eyes were fixed on the golden screen.
In the next second, crimson lights started to emit from the glitchy golden screen as it started to crack like glass.
Slowly replaced by a red one.
Ding!
Hadeon felt as if something has been taken from his inside, an empty feeling he can’t put his fingers on, something unexplainable... suddenly his mind felt much lighter than before.
( You have lost connection to Greater Will!)
(You are free from the grasp of Golden Order!)
( Hello, master! I am Glitch. Your new servant!)
A cheerful, female voice echoed in Hadeon’s mind; jolted, he looked around, then finally realised it was inside his head.
"W-Who? Who are you?" He asked, his voice low and cautious.
He had never heard this voice in his entire life.
The voice almost felt human, not like the mechanical sound of the system he used to have.
’It can’t be Greater Will, right?’
( Don’t fear, Master! I am your new servant!)
The voice repeated itself.
"Who said I am fearing you?" Hadeon declared.
"...."
( You were afraid, my master.)
The voice stated again after a moment of silence.
( You were afraid to die!)
"I wasn’t!" Hadeon lied as he looked at the stick lying on the ground.
The voice was telling the truth, he was really scared!
Only a mad man wouldn’t fear his death.
( Even now you are afraid my lord, and back then you were— )
"Say that again, and I will beat you with this filthy stick!" Hadeon said as he picked the stick again.
( Sorry, Master! I should behave.)
(Hahaha....)
The voice laughed nervously.
*Sigh*
’What’s going on...’ Hadeon sighed as he slowly walked away.
Then a series of notifications rang in his mind, freezing him in place.
’This....’ Hadeon stared at the red screen, his eyes popping out of the sockets.
( Glitch applied! You have gained 2× soul essence.)
[ Your soul is growing stronger!]
[ Your flame is getting stronger!]
<You have gained a new level.>
<You have gained a new level.>
<You have gained a new level.> ×5 times.
He had leveled up five times in a row!
( Congratulations on leveling up, Master!)
The voice rejoiced, cheering for his new master.