"What?
I thought you had died!!"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Why?... Big brother Seth!!"
Albert couldn't believe that his friend, whom he treated like a brother—who had gone to war and was reported dead six years ago—was alive. Alive, yet the very hooded man who killed the chief and caused Lessa's demise.
"Why? You are too kind to do these things."
He muttered as he slowly stood up.
His clothes were torn. He threw them aside, leaving himself with nothing above or below.
And there he stood over Seth's corpse, his heart unable to accept the reality.
"Why? Of all people... why you?"
His face was filled with sorrow as he clenched his fists, his head bowed toward the earth.
Seth's body was pale as snow, his lips dry. His eyes were open, lifeless.
As Albert tried to process what happened, realization dawned on him—something about humanity itself.
"And now I know...
No matter how good, how kind, how generous, how perfect they seem...
There is no guarantee they will die that way.
As long as they walk in this broken world... they will gain things—money, power, and position—and their kindness will slowly sink into the deepest part of their soul until their kind heart disappears."**
His expression darkened. He clenched his fists so tightly that his palms began to bleed.
He couldn't control his anger and unconsciously shouted.
"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!"
Then he swung his leg and kicked Seth's body.
"You idiot!!
You devil!!!
Why?!!!"
He continued to kick.
His mind drifted to their last interaction, back when he was only thirteen.
(The village had been peaceful then, and his life was still full of people he loved.
Seth had been preparing to set off into the Wetlands as an elite soldier to fight those under the rule of the Wielder of Life—the wielder who had started the war and declared he would become king of the world.
Seth walked toward a cart when Albert came running, shouting.
"Big brother!!!
Wait!!!"
His voice was sharp.
Seth turned, smiled, and waited.
Albert stopped in front of him and said,
"Promise me you'll come back alive and read all the remaining books in the library for me and Lessa."
He raised his hand, waiting for Seth to clap it.
Seth stepped closer and replied,
"Of course!! I will never die!!
I am the top student of Merry, the Maiden of War, who killed thousands of bandits to protect the Kingdom of Wenthoriz, which was on the verge of a deadly pandemic."
Then he clapped Albert's hand.)
---
Albert dug a grave for him, using a wide, flat piece of wood.
"And now I am finished with you.
It's time to find out what you were hiding."
He placed a dark flower above the grave.
"Soul System!" he shouted.
His artifact appeared with a new look—not a plain piece of paper anymore, but a long scroll.
"Whoah!
You look good now."
He gave it a thumbs-up and began to read.
---
[Soul System]
[Showing the list of all functions]
Albert was impressed. He hadn't even commanded it to show the list.
He clapped his hands twice.
[Function: The system will alert the holder if any hostile being is approaching.]
[Function: The system will scan enemies to detect hidden weapons.]
[Function: The system now stores all used soul information and names.]
[Function: The system will turn invisible to anyone but the holder when others are nearby.]
[Function: System Morphing – the holder can decide what the system's appearance will be.]
"Kinda scary, though," he said, imagining many possible faces, including Lessa's.
[Function: Language Fitting – the holder can choose how the system explains things: casual, friendly, mature, brotherly, motherly, fatherly, lover-like, childish, or overly dramatic.]
"That's lame," Albert muttered.
[Function: Longer Words Writing – the holder can request longer explanations.]
[Special Function: The System Can Now Identify the Holder's Needs]
"Phew...
I thought I was dreaming when I added these functions. But more importantly, the function to know my victims' backgrounds."
He was relieved, especially since his memories had been fuzzy when he woke up.
"System, I want—"
His words were cut short as the system predicted his command.
[Soul Records]
[Lessa (Touch to know more)]
[Seth (Touch to know more)]
Albert touched Seth's entry.
[Seth's Information]
[Age: 29]
[Height: 187 cm]
[Secrets]
[Has a crush on Madam Merry]
"Ohhhh..." Albert reacted in shock.
[Escaped from the war]
"What?... Liar!!!"
Albert sat down, reading further.
[Exchanged his emotions to use the Artifact of Death]
"So that's why he was heartless.
Now the real question is—who made him kill the chief?"
[His master commanded him to kill the descendants of the hero]
"Who?" Albert wondered aloud.
[He requested the doctor to take the chief's and Lessa's lives in exchange for protecting the village from other wielders]
"The doctor? I knew it... but is he his master?"
Albert stroked his chin.
"System, how about the list of my spells?"
He thought back.
"Thanks to that rule, I was able to defeat him... I would've been powerless against his absurd teleportation and soul-killing blade without my artifact."
That rule: when the holder dies, the system enters auto-mode, gathers souls if the stock runs out, and revives the holder.
[Soul Collection: 0]
[Semi-Soul Collection: 3]
[Spell List]
• Auto Regeneration
• Undying Soul
"What? As I remember, souls with positive final emotions become spells that only affect internally...
Hahahah... What? I thought it would be negative!!!"
He couldn't believe Seth's final emotions weren't grief or anger.
"Show me the reason!"
[Seth]
[Soul Type: Positive]
[Reason: His emotions were tied to his artifact and hard to determine, but his behavior—judged as part of his emotions—was positive and happy, full of joyful expression.]
"Ohhh, makes sense.
I should've expected more,"he said, disappointed.
"It's been hours, I think. Maybe I'll use those remaining Semi-Souls. Also, I'm a bit curious about these new functions... especially that morphing one."
The system identified his desire with its special function.
It showed him exactly what he wanted:
[Function: System Morphing]
[Function: Language Fitting]
"Uhhh!!
That special function is so convenient, but... I feel like my privacy's being trespassed."
"Now, let's see what you'll turn into."
He thought of Lessa but decided it would be disrespectful. The only person he could think of was Seth—even though he couldn't forgive him. The system wasn't Seth, so it was okay.
"System! Morph into Seth, with a brotherly and friendly approach."
"Two types for the approach isn't forbidden, I think. So it should be fine," he thought.
After his command, the glowing scroll above him began forming into a body. Small orbs rotated around it, each one entering the figure.
Albert's eyes stayed fixed, awe-struck.
He swallowed nervously, considering the possibility the system might attack him now that it had a body.
The floating figure slowly descended in front of him.
Albert gripped his spear tightly.
"I know this is my artifact, but I must not be reckless," he muttered.
The face formed, the eyes appeared, and all of Seth's features—height and build—took shape.
Albert forgot he was naked until he remembered, and then he got an idea.
The morphing process slowed as the lower part of the body developed.
"Umm, System, can you cancel it and morph into fancy clothing instead?"
The almost-complete body dissolved into tiny blue particles that swirled around Albert, covering him.
"Whoah, this is so cool!!"
But guilt soon clouded his excitement.
"Don't be happy, Albert! Don't!!... You're carrying lives in your soul!"
He yelled at himself.
The blue particles faded, revealing a perfect robe—black and blue, with wide sleeves, a high collar lined in blue and gray, and an unknown symbol on the back.
"This is perfect..."
He smiled gently, touching the fabric.
Dropping his wooden spear, he prepared to return to the village.
"And now, Doctor... I'll expose your true nature!!!"
He declared, walking forward with a serious, calm expression.