After adding many functions to the system by killing more animals, he discovered that the system could not have a function that affected the holder himself.
"But it's safer now to go back to the village. I have prepared and made the most effective functions in the system that can help."
He sat on the big trunk of a tree lying on the ground while eating raw boar meat.
He was in the deepest part of the Sacred Forest, which was one-fourth the size of the dry land.
It was the second day.
While eating, he was also reading everything about the system.
> [A dangerous soul bearer is approaching!]
The alert startled him.
As he read it, he dropped the meat and quickly grabbed his wooden spear, scanning his surroundings.
"Where?! Where!!!"
He looked left, right, and up into the trees.
His heart raced.
"Who could it be?
I thought no villagers were allowed to enter here.
And most importantly—how could they arrive this deep into the forest?
There are so many poisonous plants here that could kill someone just by touching them."
He asked aloud, his eyes darting everywhere, gripping the wooden spear tightly.
He took slow, careful steps.
"I should've added a function to locate them," he regretted.
Sweat formed on his brow from nervousness.
He wiped his face and continued searching for the dangerous person the system had warned him about.
"Hey! System! Are you joking?
There's no one around at all—"
Ackkkk!!!
A hooded person suddenly attacked him from nowhere with a black blade. They struck, but Albert managed to block it with his wooden spear, though the impact sent him flying back into the fallen trunk he had been sitting on, his back slamming hard against it.
"That man...
H-he's the one.
He's the reason for Lessa's death!!"
His blood boiled, his teeth clenching.
Struggling to stand as the hooded man approached slowly, holding a small black knife, Albert glared at him.
The man laughed like a hyena.
Hyenas were large wolf-like creatures from the mountains that laughed when they met their prey.
"Albert is your name, right?
It's a great mystery that I can even recall it.
I think you're the perfect prey I can have,"
he said, his voice rising, laughter mixing with a wide, dark smile.
Albert pushed himself upright, leaning on his wooden spear.
"Oh my, how spectacular this is!
That blow was enough to cut down a tree, but—wow! That stick of yours is not ordinary,"
the man mocked, clapping his hands sarcastically.
Albert's body suddenly healed—broken bones, his back, even his skull fully regenerating.
He didn't hesitate. Charging forward with blinding speed, his form became a blur.
"I will kill you!!!"
he roared.
The hooded man dodged easily, stepping to Albert's left.
Carried by his own momentum, Albert had to force himself to stop, dust rising around him.
He pointed his spear again.
"Fight back! Don't just dodge if you intend to kill me!!!"
he taunted.
"Huh?"
The hooded man felt insulted.
He attacked—but instead of moving normally, he appeared instantly behind Albert, as though he could predict and skip time.
Albert was shocked and couldn't react in time.
"What?!
Oh no…
I forgot—he has teleportation ability, and that knife… it's dea—"
Before he could finish the thought, the man's blade sliced across his back.
Albert tried to put distance between them, but the hooded man stayed close.
"Now!! Who's the scaredy-cat?"
The man laughed at Albert's struggling face.
He slashed again and again. Albert blocked some strikes but not all. His body weakened, his eyes growing heavy.
Albert countered with swift attacks, so fast they were almost invisible, but the man dodged every one with a smile, intrigued.
As the fight dragged on, Albert dropped to one knee in pain. Every nerve in his body went numb.
"What is this pain?
So this is the power of his artifact?
"This is what...
Killed Lessa."
His vision blurred, lungs tightened, and his body felt light—until he collapsed.
But his final thought was not of failure, but success.
"This is your end, abnormal murderer!!"
His body fell limp.
The hooded man stood over him.
"Hahahahah!!!"
He laughed maniacally.
"And now… let me savor every piece of your meat."
He crouched and stabbed Albert's body repeatedly, blood splattering across his face.
"Mmmmmm… This feels good!!!"
He grinned ear to ear, cutting deeper and pulling off the skin of Albert's back, revealing muscle and spine.
"My knife kills not only the body but also the soul.
My master told me you could regenerate, but you won't be doing that without your soul."
Laughing again, he gouged out Albert's eyes and tossed them aside.
He didn't notice the artifact floating above them, where words began to appear:
[The holder cannot regenerate]
[Auto Operation: Activated]
[Auto Processing: Activated]
[No Soul!]
[Detecting Soul Bearer Nearby]
The hooded man finished peeling off Albert's skin, folding it neatly like garments, leaving only a reddish, muscle-covered body. His hands were drenched in blood.
He stood, panting heavily.
"Ahahahah… what a great meal."
Then he noticed a glowing blue light above him. Looking up, he squinted to read it.
[Collecting Soul]
"Is that his artifact?"
He looked down at Albert and laughed.
"A paper? His artifact is a paper? How unlucky… hahahah!"
[A nearby Soul Bearer]
[Launching Soul Extractor]
From the paper, a glowing blue hand formed, slowly reaching toward the hooded man's head.
He was too busy mocking Albert to notice as it touched him.
[Extraction Started]
A black smoke-like essence was pulled from his body into the paper.
The hooded man stumbled, feeling his strength drain, his mind fogging.
"L-Looks like I'm… very full…"
he muttered with a faint smile, trying to move toward Albert.
But in seconds, his knees buckled and he collapsed, unable to speak. His fingers twitched toward his knife as he lay next to Albert's skinned body.
[Extraction Complete]
[Soul Collected: 1]
[Auto Spell Creation]
[Soul Type: Positive]
[Spell Created]
[New Spell Name: Undying Soul]
[New Spell Effect: The soul of the holder will never leave the container no matter what happens]
[Adding New Spell]
[Finished]
Albert's body began regenerating again—flesh restored, skin pure and unmarked.
He lay unconscious beside the dead hooded man.
The forest fell silent—no birds, no wind, only the thick scent of blood.
Albert's old skin lay scattered, some carried away by silent crawling creatures to feed on.
[The Holder's State Is Now Stable]
[Auto Operation: Disabled]
[Auto Processing: Disabled]
[Auto Extraction: Disabled]
[Holder Authority Is Now Max]
[New Parts Added]
[System Upgrade]
[The System Can Now Identify The Holder's Needs]
The hooded man's artifact dissolved into particles and merged with the paper.
[New Functions Unlocked]
[System Morphing]
[Language Fitting]
[Longer Words Writing]
[Upgrade Complete]
Hours passed as the sun sank lower.
Albert's eyelids twitched. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
He lay flat, staring at the sky.
"So… I've won?
Hahahah…"
He chuckled, then fell silent, glancing at the hooded man's face.
At first, he expected to see an old man.
"What?
I thought you had died!!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why?... big b—"