The words hung in the cold air like a sentence passed down from the Tower itself. His breath plumed in front of him, his fingers curling into fists.
Yggy scrolled down.
Looter System Activated
Telekinesis → The Sight of Looter: Control any object marked with your Aether, guided entirely by your mind.
Storage → Dimensional Storage: You have activated the Book of Greed. All items stored will be transferred into the Book.
To activate, simply think of it—it will manifest.
He stopped mid-scroll.
Alright… let's see.
He thought of it—just once.
A ripple shimmered in the air beside his right hand.
With a soft pop, a black-covered book floated into existence, hovering just above the snow. Its edges glowed faintly, as if lit from within.
Yggy reached out, fingertips brushing the cover.
It was cold, solid—real.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. No more notebooks. Just this… and it's mine.
The book's pages fluttered open on their own, as though it were showing off.
Every sheet inside was clean—plain paper-like in color, untouched and waiting—except for the very first page.
The fluttering wasn't random. The pages turned in steady, rhythmic flips, like fingers tapping in sequence… counting.
One… two… three… and on, until the last page was reached—then it snapped back to the beginning.
On that first page, glowing blue lines began etching themselves into existence, curling like ink poured into water. His name appeared first. Then rank. Then every stat. Each letter and number burned bright before settling into place, the script pulsing faintly as if alive.
Name: Yggy Medas
Aether Rank: (F) (Looter System Activated)
Aether Proficiency: Level 1 (new) (Looter System Activated)
Class: Unspecified
STR: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
DEX: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
VIT: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
INT: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
Luck: 1 (Level Dependent — Looter System Activated)
Below it something is written
To Store an Item: As long as it's marked with your Aether, it will be stored at will.
To Manifest: At your will, it will appear as you will it
The Book of Greed can be seen by others, but cannot be touched or destroyed by anyone—even you. Page count is determined by your Aether Proficiency.
The soft hum coming from the book made the hair on his arms rise. It wasn't threatening—just alive… and aware.
Yggy continued to scroll.
Aether Zoning.— Looter Domain: Aside from increasing your ability to harness Aether within your body, the zoning will mark all areas touched by your Aether.
"A new level of zoning…" Yggy muttered.
He knew the basics—Aether Zoning was a beginner's technique, a way to increase Aether absorption and delay exhaustion. But this?
Aside from harnessing… he could mark with it.
His eyes drifted back to the floating book, the first page still glowing in the cold air.
He wondered—when his stats changed, would it rewrite itself before his eyes?
The thought alone made his grip on the future tighten.
Yggy continued to scroll, like a kid tearing through wrapping paper to see what else was inside the present.
New Ability — Looter System:
All Stats have been reset to: 1
You will not gain stat points as you level up.
Any negative effects or conditions will not affect you.
The words didn't just display—they resonated, vibrating in his bones like the Tower itself had spoken them. For a second, he could almost hear the low chime of a bell deep underground, the kind you feel in your chest rather than hear in your ears.
His breath fogged against the screen. His hands felt heavier.
"...So I'm locked. No growth. No help. No—"
The thought cut off as he forced his gaze away from the panel, toward the ice goblins still waiting beyond the safe zone. They stared back, patient and unblinking.
He ducked into the nearest run-down house inside the neutral zone, shoving the door until it groaned closed. Snow crunched under his boots as he dragged a half-broken chair into a corner and sat, pulling the holographic panel back up.
Scrolling further, his eyes caught on a section shrouded in faint distortion—like the words were hidden behind a curtain of static. As his finger neared, the shimmer broke apart.
All looted items have stats and attributes depending on their value.
He scrolled again—
The Book of Greed floated beside him, and without warning, its pages snapped open. The hum in the air deepened, resonating through the room like a quiet growl. The first page's blue glow flared, bright enough to throw faint shadows against the wall.
All stats and attributes from items stored within the Book of Greed will be added to your personal stats and attributes.
The hum became a steady pulse—almost a heartbeat. For a moment, Yggy had the unsettling feeling the book was pleased.
Yggy's lone good eye widened. Despite the blur in the other, something caught his attention—a small stone half-buried under his boot.
He bent down, brushing off the frost. The moment his fingers touched it, a faint tag blinked into view above the stone's surface.
[Frostbitten Pebble]
Curiosity flared. He willed Aether into it—just a trace.
The tag pulsed.
His mind processed the next step automatically: Store it.
The Book of Greed, still floating by his side, snapped open mid-air. Pages whipped forward until one stopped. The pebble vanished from his palm—reappearing as a hand-drawn image on the page, rendered in precise black ink.
Below it, glowing blue text appeared:
Stats: STR: +0.1 | VIT: +0.1
The moment the words finished forming, the book gave a low hum. Blue light bled from the page, rippling outward in a slow wave before washing into Yggy's chest.
It wasn't just visual—he felt it. A faint tightening in his muscles. A subtle steadiness in his stance. And deep in his skin, the biting cold lost just a fraction of its edge.
Yggy flipped to the first page. The glowing script shifted before his eyes, rewriting his status in real time:
Name: Yggy Medas
Aether Rank: (F) (Looter System Activated)
Aether Proficiency: Level 1 (new) (Looter System Activated)
Class: Unspecified
STR: 1 (+0.1) (Looter System Activated)
DEX: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
VIT: 1 (+0.1) (Looter System Activated)
INT: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
Luck: 1 (Level Dependent — Looter System Activated)
He stared at the numbers, the faint hum of the book still resonating in his chest.
It was small—laughably small—but real.
If a single pebble could change his body, then… What would a weapon do?
Armor?
Something legendary?
His lips parted, half in awe, half in hunger.
For the first time since stepping onto this floor, the cold didn't feel like the only thing sinking into his bones.
Now, it was greed.
Yggy continued to scroll on the panel.
Note: If an item is taken out of the Book, its stats and attributes will be removed from your status.
Curious, Yggy willed the Frostbitten Pebble back into existence. It popped into the air beside his palm, cold and solid. He flipped to the first page.
Name: Yggy Medas
Aether Rank: (F) (Looter System Activated)
Aether Proficiency: Level 1 (new) (Looter System Activated)
Class: Unspecified
STR: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
DEX: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
VIT: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
INT: 1 (0) (Looter System Activated)
Luck: 1 (Level Dependent — Looter System Activated)
The boost from before was gone.
"So that's how it works…" he muttered.
A grin pulled at his lips. Then all I have to do… is keep everything inside.
The panel shimmered, new lines etching themselves in deliberate, glowing strokes:
All information can now be accessed through the Book of Greed.
Your sight and mind control everything.
I wish you the best.
Show me how greedy you are.
The words pulsed once—then zap. The panel vanished, leaving only the faint afterimage in his vision. The Book of Greed hovered at his side like a loyal shadow.
"Looter Domain," Yggy muttered.
Aether burst from him in a circular wave—faintly blue, rippling outward like water disturbed by a single drop. It spread through the ruined house in seconds, coating walls, ceiling, and floor in a barely visible sheen.
Wherever the wave touched, a thin lattice of light formed—marking the exact outlines of every object in range. A cracked mug. A bent iron nail. A frost-stiff scarf.
They all pulsed once, the same color as his Aether—marked.
The floating Book of Greed flared in response, pages flipping rapidly as if impatient.
Yggy's voice was sharp, almost eager.
"Loot!!!!"