Before Lucien could begin his training, two familiar figures approached. His life and death slis, Spryn and Drayn.
The pair looked unusually excited. It seed they had finally dropped sothing valuable.
Lucien sighed with faint amusent. ’It took them long enough.’
After all, the two couldn’t simply die and respawn infinitely. If slis could do that, they would never have gone extinct in the Big World.
They had to replenish their essence by devouring or absorbing from other creatures, and only after gathering enough could they continue their self-destruction cycle for loot. Perhaps their new transformation... their ability to channel divine energy... had also influenced the rarity of their drops.
Curiosity flared in Lucien’s eyes as he examined what they had brought.
***
LIFE SLI DROPS
Epic:
• Healing Drone – A small dical drone that follows allies, auto-healing them.
Legendary:
• Cryogenic Chamber – Can place a dying person in stasis, keeping them alive until proper treatnt.
DEATH SLI DROPS
Epic:
• Reaper Drone – A combat drone that marks enemies for execution-style attacks.
Legendary:
• Deathcore Reactor – A portable generator fueled by death energy. Capable of sustaining advanced gear indefinitely.
***
But then... sothing even greater caught Lucien off guard. There are more surprising drops that made Lucien’s eyes wide.
Through their ntal link, he understood what had happened.
Spryn and Drayn’s essences had combined during one of their deaths. Life and death fused into sothing greater.
***
Unranked Drop:
• Twin Orbs of Genesis and Requiem - One radiant erald, one void-black obsidian. The two orbs eternally orbit each other. Unlocks mastery over both Laws... but only when the wielder maintains emotional equilibrium.
• Samsara Crown - When worn, it grants the ability to exchange one life for another. To sacrifice one to revive another, or to give up one’s own years to defy death itself.
***
Lucien’s pulse quickened.
’Perfect.’
He needed to master a Law to ascend to the higher realms and he had been worrying about this very step.
He could perceive the Laws of the world... but perceiving and comprehending were entirely different matters. Yet now, with the Twin Orbs of Genesis and Requiem, the path ahead grew clearer.
It ant one thing. The Transcendent Realm was now within reach.
Still, Lucien knew better than to rush. Shedding the mortal husk could not be forced. Doing so prematurely would only destabilize his foundation.
It was like drawing a blade from the forge before the tal had cooled. The form may hold but the strength would shatter in ti.
He cald himself, turning his gaze to the slis once more. Two new skill cards had also dropped from them.
***
• Genesis Command – Grant or restore life at will. Resurrect the fallen, regrow limbs, or create living constructs from mana.
(Warning: Each use drains the user’s life force. Must master the Law of Life to ease side effects.)
• Requiem Command – Command the very essence of decay. You can age, rot, or annihilate any living being or construct. Warning: Repeated use attracts the attention of Death itself.
(Warning: Repeated use may draw the attention of Death itself. Must master the Law of Death to ease side effects.)
***
Lucien gulped, equal parts thrilled and wary. These skills were terrifyingly powerful, enough to twist the balance of life and death itself.
But every gift had a cost. To wield them without consequence, he would need true mastery over both Laws.
He patted Spryn and Drayn affectionately.
"You two must be exhausted from killing yourselves just to drop these for . Rest for now. Go enjoy Lootwell for a while."
The twin slis hopped joyfully in unison, bouncing away toward the settlent like playful children. Lucien couldn’t help but smile as he watched them greet the townsfolk.
Then, he rembered sothing. is eyes turned toward the remaining unopened drops.... the ones from the Mimic Sli.
***
Mimic Sli Drops
Epic:
• Formless Armor – Armor that automatically changes its shape, color and structure to match the wearer’s body and disguise. Provides stealth and defensive bonuses.
Legendary:
• Echo of the Self – Summons a temporary clone (weaker by 30%) of the user that mimics their movents and spells in delayed rhythm.
Unranked:
• Orb of Imitation - Grants the user mastery over the Law of Reflection.
***
Lucien fell silent. ’Another Law...’
"Phew," he muttered. "What a hard choice."
In truth, only one Law could be mastered to ascend to the Transcendent Realm.
At that stage, the Law you master becos your essence, not just your power.
To master many Laws at once is to divide the soul’s foundation among conflicting truths. Each Law is an absolute. Fire burns, ice freezes, ti flows, void consus. When one seeks to embody multiple absolutes, the soul fractures under their contradictions.
Mastering one Law allows complete resonance. Your will and existence align perfectly with a single principle of reality. That unity is what opens the gate to the Transcendent Realm.
’A river that tries to flow in every direction finds no path to the sea.’
The Transcendent Realm is that sea... the destination of every current. But to reach it, one must follow a single course of truth. Splitting your flow among many streams leaves you shallow and lost.
Still, the Laws of Life and Death were a special case... two halves of one origin. The Primordial Sli had once told him that they were fragnts of a single greater Law: the Law of Eternity.
But the Primordial of Eternity had been betrayed. Its essence was torn apart and its divinity was scattered.... What remained beca Life and Death.
That was also the true origin of the Life and Death Slis. The Primordial Sli has saved Eternity’s remaining essence and turned them into Life and Death Slis.
The Law of Reflection, however, tempted him deeply. Its nature resonated with his fighting style.
Lucien could imagine himself imitating the lives he had lived in the Mural World... and using all the abilities he had learned there with precision and purpose.
Yet even temptation had to yield to discipline...
He had to choose carefully, for his foundation would decide his fate forever.
He then turned his gaze to another drop. The Skill Card.
***
• Origin Rewrite - Rewrite your body and soul’s structure to integrate another creature’s power, race traits, or skills.
(Warning: Using this skill will cost a part of your identity. Must master the Law of Reflection to ease side effects.)
***
Lucien exhaled slowly. The skill was incredible and dangerous... but full of potential.
If mastered, it might even allow him to replicate Miasma itself... perhaps gaining resistance or control over the Chaos Magic Attribute.
His mind raced with possibilities.
But there was no rush. He decided to consult the Primordial Sli at a later date.
Lucein then picked up another card in his hand.
"Summon."
The Monster Card: Mimic Sli dissolved into light and struck the ground. A simple, unassuming sli appeared, quivering with awareness.
The Primordial Sli had said this creature was among its earliest creations. One of the purest reflections of its will.
Lucien smiled faintly. "You’ll be called... Morphy."
The sli responded with a soft ripple as if pleased.
Next, Lucien summoned the guardian beasts.
Byakko, Seiryu and the newly hatched Genbu, the Black Tortoise. He gave each their orders with clarity.
Byakko would guard the West.
Genbu, the North.
Seiryu, once the protector of the East, would now defend the South.
The East had Lucien himself. No guardian was needed.
"Report to through our ntal link if anything goes wrong," he said.
"As you will, Master," Byakko replied.
"We will not fail again," Seiryu added.
"No traitor shall walk another day," Genbu vowed.
Lucien smiled warmly. He handed them magic bags filled with decade-long supplies and their favourite items. Their eyes lit with joy.
"You may return anyti to visit or replenish your supplies," he said.
They bowed deeply before vanishing into the skies.
Lucien watched them go as pride swelled in his chest. He had baptized them too. Their loyalty and strength were assured.
At last, he stood alone beneath the steady hum of ley currents.
"It’s ti," he murmured. "To shed more of my mortal husk."
•••
Twelve months lted together, leaving behind only the sense of what had changed...
During this ti, Lucien divided his days between training and baptism.
Within Lootwell, every original inhabitant from the very first Chapters now wielded divine energy.
He had personally baptized the Four Sovereigns as well.
Pope Augustus was overjoyed. The divine vessel within him pulsed with renewed vitality. It extended his lifespan by at least a decade. The other three rulers shared similar blessings, especially Leo who arrived bearing gifts... The drops collected by Byakko from the Beast Tribes.
Yet progress in his own cultivation proved difficult.
This world’s ley lines were too thin. Its energy was too weak for his cultivation now. Even after a full year, Lucien had only reached the sixth stage of tamorphosis.
The next step demanded more.
He sought the Primordial Sli’s wisdom many tis. So answers were given, others were withheld.
"It wants to find my own path," Lucien realized.
So he did.
During his training, Vivian would often visit him. She brought him food and shared updates about important events in Lootwell.
Since Lucien hadn’t fully shed his mortal husk yet, he still needed to eat to sustain himself.
Vivian also spent ti with Luke and Cienna inside Lucien’s Divine Energy Core. To keep them entertained, Lucien recreated fragnts of his past life. Gas, mangas/manhwas/manhuas, novels and other things from modern Earth.
Luke and Cienna rejoiced at the familiar sights and even Vivian grew fond of them.
During these tis, his friends... especially Edric, Maxim, Ellen and Sylvia... would often co to visit.
Ellen usually ca to see Vivian. The king had recently changed the academy’s policy, making attendance voluntary rather than mandatory. Still, many nobles continued to enroll, viewing it as a matter of prestige.
Ellen and Vivian would often spend ti with Cienna, learning new spells together inside Lucien’s Divine Energy Core.
Edric and Sylvia had also proudly introduced their newborn son... Lucian. Nad in honor of him.
Lucien laughed, relieved they hadn’t given birth to a girl. Otherwise, Edric might have forced him into marriage.
anwhile, in tis of peace, Lootwell prospered.
Its population flourished. Many began families, and Lucien rewarded every couple who brought new life into the world.
Even Sinep and Aginav had twins, a boy and a girl nad.. .Xes and Lana... Their birth gave joy and laughter to the settlent.
Lucien joined in the celebration, watching the joy spread throughout Lootwell. Families were growing, laughter echoed in every corner and life itself seed to thrive anew.
He smiled faintly and raised his cup in amusent.
"Go and multiply for ," he said half-jokingly though his tone carried a deeper intent. A wish for the world to grow stronger through the lives they built.
...
In these past months... Lucien also made a life-changing discovery. No. He actually felt dumb for trying it just now.
He could actually store dungeon monsters within his Divine Energy Core.
This allowed him not only to harvest drops but also to preserve their bodies as valuable materials...
...or even to dosticate them.
Within his inner realm, an unusual ecosystem took shape. Monsters road, pets multiplied and... habitats ford.
He had also countless slis from the Lootwell Dungeon residing within his Divine Energy Core now. The Lootwell dungeon functioned much like the ones inside him. It’s born from a fragnt of the Primordial Sli’s essence. Though only a fraction of the original’s power, that single trace was enough to sustain the dungeon for decades... perhaps even centuries.
When the Primordial Sli heard of this, it seed genuinely pleased. Its core pulsed with satisfaction as though Lucien’s actions aligned with a long-awaited purpose.
The Primordial Sli had always been intent on restoring the existence of slis to the Big World... but it knew the ti was not yet right. For now, their revival had to remain hidden.
Lucien watched over this growing world within himself.
So many possibilities, yet one truth remained clear...
His journey was far from over.
After reviewing all that had changed, he exhaled softly.
"It’s ti," he said. His eyes glinted toward the horizon.
"To travel the world and find the place where I can finally shed my mortal husk completely."
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