It didn't take him even a moment to make up his mind, although the second option really appealed to him with his current fighting style. However, it only helped him out in the moment and couldn't provide him with something he needed for the long term. Looking at the first option, he considered that it might assist him in his next stage after body building, depending on what path he chose. The last option, however, made his eyes sparkle with interest. It emphasized jumping, but the main focus was strengthening his legs, which would enhance his offensive capabilities, or allow him to escape more swiftly if needed.
A solid kick from enhanced legs would probably do a lot more than what they could do now. With a frown, the lazy voice in the back of his mind complained that he would have to learn how to fight from scratch. This was all speculation since it didn't provide exact numbers, but he decisively chose the third option.
There was a flow of energy, and he pulled up the description of the spider armor.
'Conceals your presence, suppresses your power, and masks your killing intent, growing stronger with each soul point invested in its creation.
Enhances climbing, and jumping ability and triples grip strength through the subtle adhesive properties of the armor. Offers moderate protection against piercing and slashing weapons.'
There was only a two-word difference between the original and the enhanced one, but he could feel a warm current coursing through his legs. He hopped in place for a moment, giving small experimental jumps with just his toes lifting about half a foot. He felt like his legs had been enhanced, mostly in terms of their explosive power rather than overall growth, so he didn't need to adjust his walking at all.
"Well damn, how far can jumping spiders go in a single jump?" Silver marveled at his legs, flexing them under the bodysuit. He felt a slight itch, missing his phone so he could ask a search engine to ease his curiosity. "Either way, it must be far if a simple jump without bending my legs can take me so high."
Unable to resist, he kept exerting more force with each jump, eventually landing on the largest building in the area. The jumping ability wasn't the only thing that had changed. He discovered an ability that the armor never even mentioned. His steps were quiet before, but while jumping around, he found that his landings were almost silent now, and he could descend from larger heights without experiencing any discomfort.
A sudden panic ran through him, though, making him question if he had gained ADHD or something when he was placed in this body, as he had completely forgotten about the dead body sitting outside of his house. Jumping down beside it, he examined the wounds, then glanced at his knife, which was bent and broken from hitting hard bone. Most of the stabs had hit the ribs. Peering into the man's eyes, he noticed the telltale signs of using unsavory methods for advancement. The dilated pupils indicated sensitivity to light, and the expanded blood vessels made them appear red.
Curiously, he wondered if they were like vampires. Opening the man's mouth, he searched for fangs, but found none, which disappointed him. Standing up and kicking over the body so he couldn't see the mess he had made, he reached for the fragments of souls floating through the air. Unable to consume them since he was full, he decided to sell them.
'Balance: 27 soul coins.'
With so many deaths, he couldn't keep this body quiet. There was no way that someone hadn't noticed over twenty people dying in such a short time. Hiding this body would only raise suspicions that there was another one like him hiding there. His eyes narrowed as he began to check his pockets, emptying them of everything he could find. Among the unexpected gains were a few silver coins and a small black ring that made him salivate. Rolling it around in his palm, he stared at it, wondering what attracted him so much, but a window appeared, clearing his thoughts.
"Would you like to sell the soul of a greater demon trapped in a ring?"
Without thinking, he immediately nodded. He didn't want to be caught with this, no matter what happened. He watched his balance jump up in one massive increase.
'Balance: 3897 soul coins.'
Silver stared at the prompt, his heart racing, but before he could celebrate, another screen appeared.
'First time reaching over 500 soul coins, they will be used to unlock the next feature of the Market.
Enhance: Use a soul as a sacrifice to a main soul, the sacrifice has to be equal to or stronger than the main soul you're using it on.
First time reaching over 1000 soul coins, they will be used to unlock the next feature of the Market.
Soul Gear slot purchase.
First time reaching over 2000 soul coins, they will be used to unlock the next feature of the Market.
Combine: Use 10 souls to create a soul of higher power.'
'Balance: 397 soul coins.'
"What the fuck…" Silver let out a curse looking at how far his balance went down, he didn't even look at the things that the Market unlocked for him before he could clear his disappointment. With a sigh he looked over at everything the window was saying, focusing on the second one pulling it up, and seeing the price he immediately bought it.
'Soul Gear Slot: Cost 100 -> Cost 500'
Looking down at the corpse in front of him, he reached out to touch it, attempting to extract the soul out of curiosity.
"Warning!
Taking souls from sentient bodies will subject them to judgment. If they are morally upright according to the system, you will be punished." The text appeared before he could hear it in his mind, as if to let him know this process held great significance.
A scale materialized out of the ethereal mist, its ancient metal gleaming faintly in the ambient light. With reverence, a single feather descended, as if guided by unseen forces, and settled gently upon one side. Time seemed to slow as the scale of judgment balanced the delicate weight of morality.
Then, with a whisper of unseen currents, the soul of the deceased murderer manifested, its spectral form pulsating with hues that danced between ethereal blues and ominous shades of crimson and black. The air around it crackled with arcane energy, and a sense of profound significance filled the space, stirring Silver's senses.
Thirty more feathers descended in a cascade, their descent accompanied by the soft hum of mystic forces at work. The small bar along the top, a conduit between worlds, held the delicate balance of souls in equilibrium, its arcane properties allowing glimpses into the cosmic dance of right and wrong.
As the scale bore the weight of the murderer's soul, a palpable pressure emanated from its depths, sending ripples of anticipation through Silver's being. The soul's hues shifted and swirled, revealing the intricate tapestry of its deeds while alive.
Finally, as if the very fabric of fate had reached its verdict, the scale settled into place, the murderer's soul suspended in a delicate balance between light and darkness but it was slightly heavier than the feathers themselves. The solemn toll of a bell echoed through the chamber, signaling the conclusion of the judgment.
"Soul judged, alignment acquired: Lesser Evil."
The words hung in the air, resonating with the weight of cosmic decree. A profound sense of awe enveloped Silver before he blurted out, "Isn't it supposed to be weighed against one feather according to mythology?" A window popped up ignoring his question.
'Would you like to sacrifice this soul to create a lesser good soul gear, or use it to create a lesser evil soul gear? These gears may influence how individuals of either alignment perceive you. The sacrifice for this soul is judged to be 10 soul coins.;
"If I obtain an evil soul, will that mean individuals who take advantage of or harm others will view me favorably? How will it affect me?" He pondered for a moment, hesitant to part with the soul coins. However, given the individuals he had to interact with and his lack of soul gears, he realized it was a necessary step for now.
Choosing to sacrifice it to the system and spend the soul coins, he watched as his soul coins dwindled even further. The soul on the scale squirmed as if attempting to escape, small white chains emerging from the platform to wrap it up in moments. The scale then twisted, becoming a tight cage enveloped in chains as it dragged the soul down into the ground. In front of him, another soul slowly began to materialize, slamming into his chest.
'Soul Gear Gained:
Chef's Holster: (Soul Item)
Once wielded by a military chef on the front lines, his legs rendered disabled during the initial war against the invading goblins in his homeland, he refused to stand idly by while his nation's people perished. Positioned at the rear, he understood that should the front line falter, escape would be impossible, thus ensuring each soldier was well-fed and healthy for the impending battles against the horde. His holsters bore witness to a hundred battlefields, facilitating the creation of millions of meals and touching the lives of countless individuals, even if he remained unnoticed.
Any knife housed within this holster inherits the chef's determination and resilience, becoming more resistant to dulling or breaking. With each knife sheathed within, its power amplifies, especially if it bears the blood of foes vanquished in battle. Furthermore, each slot within the holster adapts to accommodate knives of varying sizes, provided they retain their classification as such when grasped.
Your loyalty to your knives will be rewarded over time, becoming the most trusted tool for any true chef.'
He tried to summon the equipment but received a warning from the system telling he didn't have enough soul points. He had forgotten that his body only produced one per day, and he wouldn't give up the armor for now, he needed to find a way for his body to produce more.
Still if the soul gear slots all required five times as many soul coins each time he would be very limited in gear for a while so he hoped he could figure that out before he needed to gain enough soul coins to buy that third slot since he wouldn't give up his protection to be more powerful.
"This gear is also classified differently as an item, its description seems to be more vague too not giving out its effects completely. I wonder how I can make this soul happy to enhance it, or if it can be enhanced the same way as the armor?" Silver had too many questions for the system but it didn't seem upfront about answering his questions most of the time.
Putting back on his outer clothes, he added the small amount of coins to his pocket before moving away from the body looking for one of the representatives of the guild to not only tell them about his tempering but also to report his killing of the kid that attacked him. "One person that was destined to be a servant will probably be ignored in favor of the person who tempered their body. A little bit of limelight will protect me for now."
Looking back at his shack not sure if this would be the last time he sighed in regret wishing that this murderer didn't force him to show his hand so early, the graveyard here was perfect for his advancement and he didn't think that there would be as many deaths in the main parts of the guild. Having killed someone didn't weigh heavily on him since he knew that this boy had murdered so many other children.