By the end of the month, Kai stood atop the manor’s highest spire, looking down at the city he had conquered.
The corpses he commanded, the souls he bound, the power he wielded. It was all his.
No longer a re apprentice and no longer struggling in the shadows.
He felt like one. Like a necromancer.
The mana in his body flared.
He felt his mastery ascend. Not that he needed to, as the usual chi echoed in his mind as the screen appeared before him.
[Rank 7 Necromancer.]
And yet, deep in his chest, a question lingered. A doubt, a whisper, a fear.
Suddenly, a mory resurfaced. His mind burned with fragnts of the tis he t with her.
A goddess. A champion. So many questions. None answered.
What had Deris ant? Had it truly happened before? And if so, how many tis?
Kai headed back down into the manor. As he opened the door to the main lobby, the blinding light of divine teleportation magic overwheld Kai. As if to answer his question, he was summoned to another realm.
"Deris? Fine, you better tell everything I want to know now."
"As you wish, little Kai." Her voice dripped with amusent, and her golden eyes glead with mischief as she crossed her arms. The air around them shimred, charged with unfathomable power.
Kai narrowed his eyes. "What is this place? You brought here before, but I don’t really understand. I’m not here physically, am I?"
"No, only here ntally. You could even say a portion of your spirit has been summoned here. This is Eternal Space, my private domain. A fraction of existence removed from the rest of reality." She waved a hand dismissively. "Not that you’d understand, of course."
"So, why am I in this world? Why am I a necromancer? Why do I have to deal with all of this? Isn’t a second life supposed to be better?"
"Because, Kai, you wanted to live a aningful life helping others, and after hearing about this world’s truths, you decided that out of all specialisations, you could work necromancy best, especially since the world hasn’t had to fight against it for centuries."
"That sounds like ... Especially since I wanted to be better and do better after dying."
"The Eidolon System was designed to monitor and keep track of otherworlders. I tried to edit your specific program so that it would hide your abilities and as much of your actions as possible."
Kai narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because you asked to." Her smirk faded. "One of the side effects of eting one of the gods for the first ti is that you won’t rember your interaction with them. Just processing our existence requires more data than the human brain can withstand."
Kai folded his arms, considering her words.
"That also sounds like ." Kai exhaled sharply. "Let’s say I believe you this far. It feels like there’s a catch."
Deris rolled her eyes. "I did have to try and communicate with you through the system at tis. Any ti it opened up without you prompting it, that was ."
Kai clenched his jaw. "So, everything about my necromancy was told to through the system from you?"
"Yes, and you have no idea how annoying it was." She groaned dramatically. "Requirent this, unlocked that, life essence nonsense, blah, blah, blah."
"Sorry about that?"
"It’s over, and that’s the thing... There was just one hiccup."
"A hiccup?"
"Yes, a problem, an issue, a bug, an unexpected outco. More literally, a hiccup is-"
"I know what a fucking hiccup is. Get to the point. Are you saying a goddess of all people fucked up my second chance at life?" Kai asked, snappy.
Kai watched as an enormous amount of mana swirled around them. The goddess’s emotions controlled all existing mana in the space as if it were the air in her lungs or blood in her veins. She breathed deeply.
"I did not fuck anything up, as you so crudely put it. When altering your specific Eidolon program, it limited the scope of its abilities. Now that we don’t need to hide you, I can unlock the rest of that, but the other gods will be able to find you more easily."
Kai tensed. "What other features are missing?"
"Well, since we are in my Eternal Space, I can give you a little sneak peek."
[RESTRICTIONS UNLOCKED]
[Hidden Information has been Revealed]
[Awakening Requirents: Sacrifice 100,000 Life Essence. Consu a soul of Sovereign rank or higher.]
[Mortality Deviance: 4/10]
[At higher deviance levels, a necromancer loses humanity and steps closer to the immortality of lichdom.]
[Souls Absorbed: Winfried Drummond (Greater), Angelica Trunsdale (Greater), Naless Guards (2, Petty), Naless Inquisitors (3, Lesser), Arcane Wolf (51, Lesser), Iron Bear (13, Greater)]
Kai stumbled over the information in his head. "So, souls have ranks?"
[Yes. There are 8 ranks for souls and are as follows:]
[Petty Soul - Weak, fragnted soul with little energy. Often from animals or weak-willed individuals. Minimal necrotic energy. Used for minor undead, fuel, or short-term enhancents.]
[Lesser Soul - A basic human soul with average strength. Most common type. Used for standard undead reanimation.]
[Greater Soul - A soul of a strong-willed or talented individual. Contains refined essence. Creates powerful undead (e.g., Death Knights, Wraiths). Contains a weak will. Stores unique abilities.]
[Grand Soul - A soul with imnse strength, belonging to champions, legendary warriors, or high-ranking mages. Used to create Liches, Warlords, or Undead Kings. Contains a strong will. Can be used in powerful rituals.]
[Sovereign Soul - A transcendent soul that carries significant authority or divine influence. Rare and coveted. Used to create Lords of the Dead, spectral monarchs, or near-immortal beings. Contains an almost-impenetrable will.]
[Primordial Soul - An ancient or godlike soul, either from a primordial being or a transcended existence. Can reshape reality, forge powerful phylacteries, or challenge the fabric of life and death.]
[Abyssal Soul - A corrupted, incomprehensible soul tainted by the abyss or eldritch horrors. Warps reality and existence. Can create nightmarish beings beyond comprehension or fuel forbidden sorcery.]
[Eternal Soul - A soul that exists beyond the cycle of death and rebirth. Cannot be destroyed, only repurposed. Grants godhood, ultimate resurrection, or the ability to defy fate itself.]
Kai’s fists clenched. "What. The. Fuck? I haven’t been taking any souls from people this whole ti, and I could use them for all of that?"
[Rank-up Requirents: Rank 6 - Command 1,000 dead. Kill 100 humans. Achieve Spellcasting Level: Moderate.]
’Oh, so the system expects to kill humans? A necromancer will never be seen as soone who has a positive class. I might as well try to be a demon lord or sothing.’
Deris tilted her head. "Tell , now that you’ve seen the full effects of the system, do you feel satisfied? Do you want to keep it, or should I seal it back up again?"
Kai exhaled slowly. "No, don’t seal it back up. Keep it as it is. I’d rather fight at full strength."
Deris frowned. "If you do, the gods will be more aware of your existence. Any ti you cast necromancy magic, they will feel your approximate location."
Kai nodded. "I don’t care. I’m keeping it."
Deris sighed. "Then you will have one very important decision to make when you return."
Kai’s brow furrowed. "A decision?"
"Yes. One that will defy a law set by the gods themselves. After doing so, if you choose to, you must hide yourself away from their prying eyes. Now, goodbye, Kai. I may see you again, but I have a feeling the others will have much to say to about this."
A huge thud ca from the edge of the seemingly endless space. White shimrs rippled from the point of impact.
"What’s-"
"They’re here. It’s ti for you to go."
"Wai-"
Kai was pushed back into his body and Orlin sat before him in the living room.
"That’s so interesting lingering magic. If they’re involved, I understand why I can’t say much, nor see much when it cos to your information."
"What do you an?"
"There isn’t anything more I can say, but you’ve ranked up. Good. Very good, my disciple."
"I know you’re deflecting... You can see that, though?"
Orlin’s eyes lit up. "See what? Don’t tell you can see your own changes in the system. You intrigue more every day, Kai Tensen."
Kai hesitated. "I can."
Orlin clapped his hands. "Marvellous! And now that you’re Rank Seven, I have a request. Potentially my final one."
Kai t his gaze. "You want to destroy your soul."
For the first ti, Orlin was silent. No quip, or smart remark. Just a blank stare.
"Y-yes," he finally murmured. "Why, you are smarter than I give you credit for, Kai Tensen."
Kai exhaled. "I’ll do it. But I have a few questions first."
Orlin grinned, or at least his eyes did. "Of course! You wouldn’t be my disciple if you didn’t."
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