Chapter 22—Ritual
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[ —Masteries—
—Fist Mastery—
—Tier One
—Proficiency: 2/100
—Fire Magic Rune—
—Tier Zero
—Proficiency: 98/100 ]
’Finally... finally.’ The young sli felt tears swell in his tiny eyes just seeing that Fist Mastery moveagain.
Death by kick.
He’d long gone numb to dying.
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"Fire," the young sli muttered, activating the fla magic rune.
A red circle flashed on his tiny palm as a spark of fla appeared. The spark grew slightly, becoming the size of a coin.
Gzz!
The fla burned vigorously, and the young sli played with it—shapingit into a fist, a spear, a pen, a sword—different forms one by one.
[ Ding! Fire Magic Rune Proficiency 1 ]
[ Ding! Fire Magic Rune tiered up to Tier One! ]
"Finally..." He burst out laughing as the panel shimred in front of his eyes. He quickly opened the Masteries panel.
[ —Masteries—
—Fire Magic Rune—
—Tier One
—Proficiency: 1/100
—Increases the fire-type spells’ power by 500%
—Reduces the mana cost of fire spells by 5% ]
’Good... finally another mastery tier up,’ he grinned and activated the magic rune again. "Fireball!"
A basketball-sized burning sphere surged into existence.
"What an incredible heat..." He could feel the trendous increase in its power just from the air temperature rising around him.
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"They’re coming," Elder Sli warned, pointing at the entrance.
Thud! Thud! — A bulky man stepped into the farm.
"Rock Spike!" Mama Sli bellowed, activating her spell. A brown rune shone in her tiny palm, and a sharp, one-ter spike of rock materialized from the earth and—Whoosh!—The spike pierced the man from below, and he collapsed—Thud!—dead.
"Fire Lance!" Old Sli yelled, hurling a flaming lance at the next man charging in.
Thud! — He fell instantly, lifeless, with his face lted.
"Fireball!" the young sli yelled, activating his rune and slinging the blazing sphere at the red-haired woman as she jumped in.
’Co on... work this ti,’ he begged internally.
Gzz!
The woman’s red aura—shimring like fire around her body—cracked slightly, but the fireball itself was snuffed out instantly.
’All that flash... just a crack? You’ve got to be kidding ,’ he thought, grimacing in disappointnt over the fire rune mastery.
Puk!
Death by sword again.
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Nothingness!
’Great....what now?... To reach the next tier will take... hundreds of loops,’ he sighed hopelessly.
Even if he’d grown numb to dying, the painwas still real every ti.
He felt lost for minutes in the dark void until Mama Sli’s gentle smile and Elder Sli’s strict yet patient face flashed through his mind.
’Yeah... I can do it. They have to survive. I’ll save those sweet creatures,’ he vowed quietly, rembering Mama Sli’s soft hugs and Elder Sli’s tough love for teaching him relentlessly.
’Yes... I’m coming next loop...,’ He tapped —Y— to begin the next tiline.
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"Elder, any way—any way—to getstronger?" the young sli pleaded instantly after so discussion over the intellect.
If anyone could know the answer, it was Elder Sli.
’Please, old sli... tell there’s one,’ he hoped desperately.
If there wasn’t, he would be stuck looping for hundreds of lives, pushing his masteries to Tier Two just to maybe stand a chance against her.
And watching Mama Sli and Elder Sli die hundreds of tis wasn’t sothing he could take.
"Hmmm, there is indeed one..." Elder Sli said, voice turning heavy, and this ti his tone lost all its usual kindness. His eyes hardened—grim and serious.
"What is it?" The young sli leaned closer, impatient.
’One day, in a distant future, after you have reincarnated, one of our kin will co to you requesting power. Then, teach him the forbidden path....’ Elder Sli’s body trembled as he recalled an ancient mory. ’He will have the ability to withstand that unholy power.’
It was an order he still rembered, and he had to, as it was his destiny—told by the Seventeenth Demon King Remora himself.
"The Path of the Unholy Ritual..." Elder Sli muttered bitterly.
"Unholy..Ritual?" Sli#47 tilted his head in confusion.
"Ritual magic—and forming contracts with unholy creatures... like those in the sky." Elder Sli glanced upward, his expression cold and heavy.
"Wait... Eldritch ritual?" the young sli blurted out in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Elder Sli to even know about such beings.
"Eldritch?... Yes, I’ve heard that na. So otherworlders use it," Elder Sli nodded, his eyes dim with mory. "You’ve t one of them—otherworlders; haven’t you?"
"Yes, I t one," Sli#47 nodded. His body wobbled slightly.
He’d explained that he had a trait that let him return to his birth point every ti he died—but he didn’t ntion being an otherworlder or a being bound by ti loops. He didn’t risk speaking of Ti God, fearing that the Eldritch might appear if nad.
"Spider... octopus..." Elder Sli murmured, clicking his tongue. "That’s it. Child, we’ll use ritual magic tonight."
Despite his burning curiosity, the young sli could only wait until nightfall.
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The sky turned purple, ten blood-red moons hanging high. Crimson light bathed the world in haunting radiance.
In the language training area of the farm...
"What weird symbols..." the young sli murmured, watching the elder carve magic sigils into the soil with a thin wooden stick.
The sigils were drawn in connected circles, centered around a large emblem shaped like a droplet.
"Done," Elder Sli said, patting his tiny hands together.
"What’s next?" The young sli leaned closer, eyes gleaming with excitent, his body wobbled.
"This is ritual magic—used to form a contract with the moon in the sky and gain its power," Elder Sli said gravely, glancing upward with dread.
’I swear if it’s an insect...I’m out,’ Sli#47 mused as he felt spooky.
Even in his previous life, he’d hated insects—especially spiders, scorpions, anything that crawled. Just thinking of them made him creepy, and he’d feel itchy. He had an uncontrollable urge to stompthem flat.
"Now, follow my words and complete the ritual," Elder Sli instructed, pointing for him to stand near the circle while he stepped back.
"Is there a risk with this, Elder?" the young sli asked warily. It was called ’forbidden’ and ’unholy’ for a reason. Surely there was sothing truly dark about it.
"Yes... First, your body will be tainted by the aura of unholy beings. Without enough willpower, you’ll be enslaved by them forever." Elder Sli’s voice fell heavy. "And no one should believe that their will is unbreakable..."
’Wait... that curse—the Holy Purification—but how does this old sli know I had them to overco it?’ Sli#47’s core quivered as he realized sothing startling, so he wanted to confirm.
He asked sharply. "Why teach this if it’s forbidden? Do you think I can withstand it?"
"Soone long ago ordered to," Elder Sli said quietly.
The words made Sli#47’s thoughts explode.
’What... who the hell? They knew I’d survive it? They know about the loop and holy purification?!’
His mind spun like crazy, too many questions slamming into him at once—soone might have planned his arrival to their advantage!
End of the Chapter.
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