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The six orbs lay before Evan, who watched them with anticipation.
"What are these things?" Evan inquired, to which One nodded like a true scholar and stepped forward to share his knowledge.
"The first two items are an Armor and a Weapon, the third contains a title that will occupy minimal space in your soul, the fourth is a pass allowing you to compete with other candidates, the fifth is the bloodline of a serpent—not an ordinary one but possessing a highly destructive and unique combination of elements. The sixth is the power of manipulation," One elaborated as Evan nodded and approached the first orb, the Armor.
If his senses were accurate, he was about to acquire a growth-type armor, as he had read in novels.
"So, is it a growth-type armor that evolves with its owner?" Evan questioned, since One had not specified its capabilities.
"It's not quite like that; it lacks the glow of growth, so it may not be a growth-type. Nevertheless, it's still valuable. He was quite enraged after you defeated him and returned to reclaim his possessions, but we had already secured them, so he couldn't retrieve anything. He raged like a maniac, destroying everything in his path, even reducing your corpse to pieces. Yet, he remained furious, demolishing cities to recover it, as if it had been stolen. We surmised it must be something significant," One explained, piquing Evan's interest as to why someone with so many possessions would obsess over a mere growth-type item.
"Okay, let me absorb it and check what it is," Evan said, squeezing it between his hands.
It was absorbed into his soul, and he waited to see what would happen, but nothing did. He felt that the armor was not affecting his limit value.
"Did something new happen?" One asked, noticing Evan's confused expression.
"Oh no, it's just that I don't feel like it's increasing the weight value of my soul's limit. It doesn't feel like it," Evan replied. When he tried to look inside, he was shocked to find the armor missing.
"Hey, where the heck did that armor go?" Evan exclaimed, realizing he couldn't see the armor.
"Is there something wrong with the armor inside you?" One inquired, as Evan seemed like a child who had lost his favorite toy.
"It's just that the armor disappeared when I absorbed it, and now I can't find it," Evan explained, wondering if he had lost or destroyed it.
"Oh, that's okay. We also doubted you could acquire it since it has a soul bond pact with that guy, and I think it returned to him," one remarked as Evan, realizing he couldn't obtain them, suddenly feared he might not be able to secure that weapon either.
"Okay, let me try to get it," Evan said, holding the orb next to him, which was the weapon.
The orb wasn't particularly attractive, but the thing was, the weapon's image kept shifting from one form to another, leading him to believe it might grant him a multi-weapon.
"Alright, let's hope everything goes well," he said and began the process.
It was absorbed within minutes, and at first, he felt nothing, but this time, before he could assess what happened, his entire body suddenly collapsed on the floor, shaking violently as if in a washing machine.
He trembled like an old man, feeling immense pain as if being stretched from the inside out.
"What happened to him?" one asked Soul, who was proficient in souls.
"I can't sense any danger in his soul, but it is expanding its limits, growing stronger by the second. It has already doubled in size from before," she said, puzzled by the phenomenon.
"Is it bad? Will he be able to absorb more or is his life in danger?" another inquired, to which Soul nodded, ready to explain.
"His soul may be undergoing a change right now, so I can't be certain. However, it might be a good sign, so let's allow it to continue. I don't believe anything bad is happening," Soul remarked as she observed Evan's trembling form on the ground.
A few minutes later, Evan ceased his snail-like wriggling and lay quietly on the floor.
"Hey, are you okay, Evan?" Grim asked. Evan, who had been dazed, snapped out of it, stood up, and checked his body—or perhaps his soul—only to find that nothing had changed.
"I'm fine, as usual. Nothing has happened to my talents or anything, but those two things are missing from inside me. What just happened to me?" Evan asked, prompting Soul to begin her explanation.
"Oh, it's just some mutation in your soul. As far as I can see, your soul is now 1.5 times stronger than before," Soul replied, careful not to admit her lack of understanding and stoke his curiosity.
"Evan, I think I now know where those things went," One said as Evan and Soul looked at him.
"Where? Didn't they return to their owner?" Evan asked, recalling One's earlier words, still unable to sense them.
"No, Evan, perhaps your soul devoured the items and upgraded to the next level," One suggested, as confusion then realization dawned on Evan's face.
"Oh, so maybe those things were sacrificed to enhance my soul strength, huh?" Evan mused, feigning understanding to reassure them.
"Yes, and that's why they vanished inside you. It's good news because now you might be able to choose that thing," One said, glancing at something floating high above.
"Okay, let me finish them first before I choose more," Evan declared, curious about what One had in mind that he hadn't yet revealed.
He approached the third item, which was difficult to discern as it seemed to be a title.
"What is this thing, a title? But where did I get this from?" Evan pondered, unsure if a person could drop a title or not.
"It's yours after you defeated a tier 3 opponent while being tier 2, so the expanse granted you this as your reward," One explained, and Evan nodded, not wanting to hear another implausible story.
He compressed it and absorbed it within himself. This time, however, nothing happened; he felt no different after absorbing it, but its presence was reassuring.
"Okay, now bring me another one," Evan called out, energized by the prospect of selecting more items.
Grim nodded as he presented an indescribable object, eager to escape the orb that was heavily sealed with unknown letters and symbols, its glass much thicker than that of any ordinary item.
"Hey, what is that? Some kind of crazy soul or something that you're trying to put inside me?" Evan asked in horror, not wanting to become a host for any sort of ghost.
"No, it's not. This is the key for you to compete with those guys. It's the authority they possess, and now you will have it too, albeit a minor part of it, so don't be delusional," one of them said as he began to remove the seals.
"But what is it, and why do you have it here?" Evan inquired.
"Listen, Evan, this is an authority that we ordinary people can't wield. It can elevate your strength to its peak. It's a small fragment of the system they all use, called the
"So hurry up and absorb it before this thing gets away; we won't be able to catch it again if it escapes," he said, tossing the orb at Evan, who caught it instantly and began the absorption process.
The entity entered him and tried to escape, but Evan, persistent, didn't allow it and absorbed the tyrannical, bull-like system which, after some time, settled within him.
"Okay, so did you absorb it?" one asked in anticipation as Evan stood dazed.
He was in his own world now, as words of some kind began to appear before his eyes.
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<1...2...5....7...9...16...17.......19.....25....26...29....35...42......47...51....57......64......77......82........88....91...93...96...97...98...99...100%>
<"Don't tell anyone about thi...">
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Evan was shocked by the events that had unfolded in just a few minutes, and he wondered where on earth the relic had come from.
And what was it that he was told not to tell them? Was it about the system or the relic? Perhaps these ten would try to take it for themselves.
"Evan, what happened? Why did you black out?" one of them asked.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that the system connected with my soul, that's all," Evan replied with a forced smile.
One decided not to probe further, as it never occurred to him that Evan could lie to those who had given him so much. Who would betray or deceive someone who has been so helpful?
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What will happen next, and will Evan manage to conceal the truth about the system and the origin of the relic he acquired?