Owen lay there, completely slumped on the grass like a sad puddle of water, his jelly-like form spread thin with no motivation to bounce back into shape. Axelius sat down again beside him, brushing off his hands as if he’d done sothing troubleso.
"Tsk... How co it was that easy?" Axelius muttered, looking at his hand and then at Owen with a tired expression. "All I did was drip a bit of my blood and let you absorb so of my life essence. Shouldn’t there have been a bit more drama or sothing? You didn’t even shine brightly like in the stories."
Owen slowly bubbled back into his usual ball shape, trembling slightly as if he were crying—though it was hard to tell with a sli.
"I feel... used," Owen whimpered softly, his usual energy nowhere to be found. "You’re a monster. A psycho."
Suddenly, bright glowing words appeared right in front of Axelius like a system notification.
Congratulations!
[Owen, a Faint Sli, has been added to your Companion Catalog. By clicking his na above his head, you can view his full information.}
Axelius blinked and tilted his head. He turned to Owen—and sure enough, floating above the sli’s head in glowing blue letters was the na
"Owen."
"...Heh. So this actually worked," Axelius said, reaching up with one finger and lightly tapping the na in the air.
A transparent screen appeared before him.
Na: Owen
Species: Faint Sli
Description:Faint Slis are known to be the weakest and most forgotten species among all sli types. They are so harmless that they are used as food by other, more evolved slis.
Axelius stared at the screen, then slowly turned his head to look at Owen, who was still sulking and mumbling complaints.
He let out a soft sigh, shaking his head. "...So it’s probably because of that you didn’t get eaten, huh."
Owen didn’t respond. He just wobbled slightly, curling into himself in sha and muttering sothing about dignity and how unfair evolution was. Axelius raised an eyebrow as another section of the screen appeared.
New Companion Skills Unlocked!
Owen has received the following abilities:— Mimicry— Shapeshifting— Inventory
"Oh?" Axelius leaned forward with interest, reading the new list. "Mimicry, shapeshifting... and inventory? That last one’s convenient. What, are you a backpack now?"
"Don’t talk to ..." Owen sniffed, slowly oozing away from him. "You forced a contract on like a villain..."
"Well," Axelius said, "you’ve officially beco useful to now."
As Owen sulked beside him, still flattening himself like a squashed pillow, Axelius waved his hand again and another panel opened in front of his eyes now, and Axelius raised a brow as he read through them slowly.
[Cycle Advancent - 3-Star Unlocked]
Accumulated Essence Absorbed:— Goblin Variants: 27 (including 2 Hobgoblins, 1 Goblin Shaman)— Wyverns: 33 (including 1 Crimson Scale)
Core Reaction Triggered:Absorbed mana patterns were incompatible with standard one-star limitations. Forced evolution initiated by Veil Instinct.
New Title Gained:→ "Predator of the Weak-Skinned"
Title Effect:— Low-intelligence goblinoid monsters will instinctively fear your presence.— Lesser wyverns may avoid conflict unless commanded.— Increased intimidation chance during first contact with F-Rank and E-Rank monsters.
Note: Title may evolve if more mid-tier creatures are consud.
"Hmm, Whatever" Axelius slowly stood up, brushing off a few blades of grass from his clothes while glancing around the quiet garden. The breeze was gentle, and the sunlight filtered softly through the leaves above him. His eyes were thoughtful, his lips moving slightly as he muttered to himself.
"I know how to do the ditation thod... and Direct extraction is done" he said, "Now the last one is...Life convergence."
He opened his eyes again and scratched his head with a small frown. "What should I do again? How does that one even work?"
Owen, who had been quietly floating beside him in his small sli ball form, let out a long, tired sigh. "I knew you’d forget."
Axelius raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t forget. I just... didn’t morize it."
"Sa thing," Owen muttered, bouncing once before speaking again. "Life Convergence is the thod where you absorb the leftover life essence from dead beings. Not mana, but life traces. Stuff that’s already left their body, but not completely gone."
Axelius blinked. "Dead beings, huh... So what? I go around and sniff for corpses now?"
"No, you idiot—I an psycho," Owen corrected himself, voice firm. "You need to find sothing recently dead. The essence fades fast. You can’t just dig up a skeleton and expect it to work."
Axelius frowned a little, thinking. "Then how do I do it?"
"You sit down, like in ditation," Owen said with a bit of pride in rembering. "But instead of reaching inside your own body like the other thods, you open your core outward and pull from what’s left in the corpse. You need to ’feel’ the death energy and let it co to you."
Axelius raised his brow again. "Sounds like sothing from one of those creepy books you read."
"Hey! That one was good. The necromancer queen arc was the best one," Owen argued, puffing up proudly.
Axelius looked away. "It was okay."
"So, do you want to try it?" Owen asked.
As he shifted his gaze downward, sothing small caught his attention beside the roots of the nearby tree.
"...Huh?"
There, half-buried in the dirt, was a tiny creature—no larger than his clenched fist—with soft, bluish-gray fur and a nose that twitched faintly even in death. Its claws were long, and its fur shimred like mist in the sunlight. It looked sowhat like a mole, but Axelius recognized it right away.
"Just like in the book It’s A Mistburrower...Isn’t I’m lucky, I don’t have to find corpse its just right here"
He reached out and poked the creature. It didn’t move, completely still and cold. The Mistburrowers were small garden creatures, harmless and often unseen, known to live underground in spiritual areas. They absorbed small amounts of mana from roots, which made them slightly magical—but not dangerous. This one looked like it had died recently, maybe from old age or stress.
Axelius looked to his left. Millie was standing straight, arms behind her back, eyes focused on the outer path. Elias was on the other side, adjusting his gloves and scanning the treetops like a proper guard.
"...I don’t think they’ll care if I touch a corpse," Axelius muttered with a sly grin.
He knelt beside the dead Mistburrower and lowered his hand again, this ti with full focus. "Gonna do this fast."
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