After Samuel finished reading the introductory pages, he took a moment to ponder the new information he had received. The Grimoire boasted a myriad of features, and under different circumstances, he would eagerly delve into experimenting with its capabilities, his innate curiosity piqued. However, practicality prevailed.
"I need to focus on whatever increases my chances of survival now, whatever helps me reach my family safely, and possibly protect them," Samuel resolved with a determined nod.
His thoughts turning towards the gem, he examined it under the bright light for the first time. It wasn't merely grey; it shimmered with a metallic, almost silvery hue. Yet, it seemed tainted, as if a subtle impurity marred its surface, tarnishing the silver with an unsettling hint of grime.
"The Grimoire mentioned unlocking more knowledge and features with Power Crystals or by some other methods... How does that even work? Honestly, at this point, nothing surprises me anymore," Samuel mused aloud, standing up from the toilet with the Grimoire in hand. He moved towards the washbasin, which stood to his left, the room's cold tiles pressing against his bare feet, a stark reminder of his precarious situation.
Approaching the gem, he placed the Grimoire on a cabinet beside the washbasin and began flipping through its pages. "I better look up how to store these gems inside the Grimoire for now," he decided. No sooner had he spoken than the book emitted a soft, ethereal glow. Samuel felt a gentle tug, as though the book sought to free itself from his grasp, only to cease just as quickly. The pages flipped rapidly on their own, halting abruptly on a specific entry.
"Don't tell me that's..." Samuel's eyes scanned the page, confirming his suspicion. "...the page I was looking for." He marveled at the book's magical responsiveness. "All I have to do is think about what I want to know, and the book does the work for me."
He sighed in admiration, reading the entry:
──────────────────────────────
10. Holding Bags
The Bearer can store specified items by simply holding them—physically or in any other way—and willing them to be stored within the Grimoire. Once this is done, they will be placed in a small interdimensional holding bag. Each specified item type has its holding bag with allocated space, though some need to be unlocked first through varying methods.
Currently Unlocked: Power Crystals, Doran Coins.
For a list of unlockable holding bags and their corresponding prices or requirements, refer to Senyavis Guidance or wish to open the corresponding page in the Grimoire.
──────────────────────────────
"Alright, I guess I'll just give it a try."
Samuel placed the Grimoire back on the cabinet and took the silvery gem into his right hand. His right eye glinted with determination. "Get inside!" he commanded silently. When it didn't work initially, he repeated the command several times before the gem finally vanished from his hand.
"Yes! Success!" Samuel celebrated, only to ask himself, "So, now what?" He turned once more towards the Grimoire, instinctively sensing that he could now use the gem to his advantage. Given the Imp's strength, he hoped the gem's value would be significant. As he prepared to turn the pages, something caught his eye.
"That..." On the next page, previously blank, a small drawing appeared within a box. The box was labeled "Power Crystals," and below the drawing of the white gem was the nametag "Silver Grade Soul Crystal" with the quantity marked as "one."
Out of habit or instinct, Samuel tapped the drawing with his right index finger. He felt silly for reacting this way and shook his head, but was startled when he felt the paper shift. Looking back at the book, he saw a postcard-sized piece of paper had appeared on top of the page.
He picked it up and read the information written within.
──────────────────────────────
Item: Silver Grade Soul Crystal
Quantity: x1
Grade: Silver
Type: Power Crystal
Description:
A crystal with a rough texture and silver color. If harnessed correctly, it has many uses. Improper handling can cause injuries to the soul, therefore letting the Grimoire handle these processes is highly suggested. Power crystals of this grade are usually obtained by slaying creatures of the mortal rank, with purity determined by the creature's class. Higher class creatures yield purer crystals.
Estimated Purity: 45%
Uses:
• Can be sold or traded in ■■'■■■■■.
• Required to unlock specific features of the Grimoire.
• Can unlock knowledge about specific resources.
• Can increase rank by—[redacted], Please unlock more information.
Rarity: Common
Value: Low
──────────────────────────────
"This seems more and more familiar. Was this purposefully designed this way?" Samuel pondered, his eyes scanning the delicate paper that disintegrated into dust within his hand.
While contemplating his recent musing, Samuel heard a distinct "psssst" sound, followed by the faint scent of lavender from a nearby air freshener.
Despite the gravity of his situation, the room felt like a haven of order amidst chaos.
With the realization that he could summon specific information about the items stored within the Grimoire, Samuel's thoughts began to crystallize into a coherent plan, but he knew that he still needed to do more research. The room's brightness seemed to reflect his growing clarity, illuminating not just his surroundings but his mind as well
He directed his attention back to the Grimoire, commanding it to display information about himself. The book responded with remarkable speed, the pages fluttering as if eager to reveal their secrets. "I guess I'm starting to get the hang of this thing," Samuel mused, feeling a lift in his spirits as he read through the detailed entries. The light around him seemed to brighten further, casting a warm, almost encouraging glow on the pages.
──────────────────────────────
3. Bearer's Status
Name:Samuel Cromwell
Age:21
Rank:Rankless
■■■: ───────
■■■: ───────
────Abillities────
────Physique────
Vitality: 4/11
Strength:6/12
Dexterity:5/12
Stamina: 3/11
????: ─────
───Mind───
Intelligence:9/14
Wisdom: 7/11
Perception: 8/14
Presence:4/8
????: ─────
───Soul───
Fortune:1/6
Soul Essence:70/93(In use)
───────────────
────Comment────
By me Father's beard and his father's grand mustache, ye are, with all due respect, the worst of the lot.
───────────────
Talents:Perceptive
────Comment────
At least ye're good at observin' yer surroundings, lad.
───────────────
Skills:Soul stride (inactive), Soul bind (bound), Soul Dominion
────Comment────
These be yer only redeeming qualities, lad. Make good use of 'em
───────────────
Physical afflictions: Several lacerations, Several abrasions, Disabled eye (left), multiple puncture wounds
────Comment────
Nothing but a scratch, eh? Right, let's press on.
───────────────
Mental afflictions:PTSD, Severe case of Thanatophobia, mild case of claustrophobia, depression, denialism
────Comment────
Ye seriously need some counselin', lad. Don't be takin' yer mental health lightly
───────────────
Ailments of the Soul:Fractured Soul, Shattered Soul
────Comment────
Havin' just one o' these curses would mark ye as the unluckiest soul in yer world.
But ye've got both.
Lucky fer ye, ye can recover from the shattered soul state by ■■♦ ■■■■.
The other one, though, remains beyond yer grasp to fix
───────────────
Blessings:Soul mending (currently active),
────Comment────
Guard yer life better, lad.
Sapping yer soul to mend yer wounds is dafter than dying, though it seems even that ain't possible no more.
───────────────
Overall Evaluation
At the bottom of the food chain.
The runt of the litter of my pet squirrel newborns would squash you to death accidentally.
Survival:Improbable
──────────────────────────────
"..."
Samuel stared at the Grimoire, his eyes blazing and his grip tightening as he tried to stifle his mounting rage.
"YOU—YOU BLOODY STUPID BOOK! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME!" he bellowed, hurling it to the ground in a fit of rage.
"I'M THE WORST?" he continued, stamping on it furiously. "I'LL TELL YOU WHO'S THE WORST! YOUR FATHER IS THE WORST!"
His face flushed with exertion as he continued to stomp on the Grimoire with increasing intensity.
"And don't even get me started on your MOTHER," he yelled, letting off steam. "She's the BIGGEST TROLLOP in the entire BLOODY CITY!" he roared, now audibly wheezing.
"And y-you know what's funny about it?" he gasped for air between his words. "She ain't even good at it. In fact, SHE'S THE BLOODY WORST!"
Panting heavily, Samuel noticed his stamina was nearly depleted.
"Y-You haven't seen the worst of it yet! THERAPY!? Who needs therapy? Probably the one INVADING someone's PRIVACY like that! THAT'S WHO! EVER HEARD OF THE GDPR, CCPA, OR DSGVO YOU NOSY BLOODY SOD!"
In the aftermath, Samuel leaned against the wall, chest heaving, as he slowly came back to reality, a bemused expression creeping onto his face at the absurdity of his outburst.
Visibly drained from his tirade, Samuel slumped to the ground, wheezing and gasping for air.
He was about to continue his irrational outburst when he noticed something.
His bloody footprints on the Grimoire's cover snapped him back to reality.
For a fleeting moment, it had felt as though the Grimoire's rude remarks were his biggest problems.
But the bloody footprints starkly reminded him of the grim reality.
He had died, Twice.
Sophie was dead, savagely murdered.
He was surrounded by corpses and monsters, literally caught in a death trap.
He had no clue about his family's whereabouts.
Also, the promise of finding Sophie's brother weighed heavy on his Mind.
Before she died, she had mentioned someone called Dean. Was that him?
If so, he had to find him.
Although it felt cathartic to blow off some steam, he neither had the time nor the luxury to do so.
He also realized how quickly his stamina waned, a worrying sign of his weakened state, and according to the Grimoire, there was more to it than just that.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of fluttering paper.
Looking towards the Grimoire, he saw it flipping through its pages on its own once again.
Too tired to stand up, Samuel leaned over and reached for the Grimoire, intending to check out whatever it wanted to show him.
Surprisingly it was the same page displaying his Status again.
After looking at the Page, he saw something different quickly.
───Soul───
Fortune:1/6
Soul Essence:69/93 (In use)
────Comment────
Truly pitiful, indeed. This scant amount of Soul essence is downright alarming.
───────────────
──────────────────────────────
Samuel nearly burst a blood vessel from sheer vexation as he read the comment. Someone was clearly getting their kicks from belittling him!
Yet, a niggling thought crept into his mind: there must be some truth to it.
Was his Soul Essence genuinely that low compared to others?
He had been fretting about his physical attributes, but now even his Soul Essence appeared to be a source of disappointment.
His current Soul Essence had dipped from 70 to 69.
Noice
"Am I losing Soul Essence?" he mused. "Could it be due to 'Fractured Soul' or 'Shattered Soul'? Or maybe one of my 'currently active' skills?" Samuel rifled through the pages, quickly pinpointing the likely culprits.
" 'Soul Bind' and 'Soul Mending' are the likely suspects," Samuel concluded, although on second thought, he wasn't entirely certain about 'Soul Bind.'
An idea sparked in his mind. "Let me try something..."
He placed his index finger on 'Soul Bind,' hoping to glean more information from the additional info card, and sure enough, a postcard-sized sheet of paper materialized beneath his finger, offering detailed insights into 'Soul Bind.'
After perusing it, he pieced some things together.
"So, 'Soul Bind' refers to my ability to permanently bind my soul to a body, essentially making it my soul's 'home.' What a peculiar notion.
Does that imply my actual body is merely the 'main vessel' for my soul now?" To maintain his sanity, Samuel decided not to delve too deeply into the unsettling implications.
Next, he turned his attention to 'Soul Stride.'
This time, he found answers to a question that had been nagging at him for some time.
──────────────────────────────
Skill Name:SoulStride
Rank: A
Type: Active
Source: Soul
Status:Currentlyunavailable
Level: 1/?
Description:
Soul Stride empowers the caster to sever his soul from his physical form. Through this arcane mastery, the caster can elude death, provided the soul detaches before being consumed by other entities.
Once detached, the soul must quickly find an intact vessel to inhabit. If it fails to do so, the soul will eventually start gradually dissipating into nothingness after a period of time.
The soul's endurance without a vessel is influenced by factors such as its inherent strength and the intensity of surrounding mystical energies. Various artifacts, both natural and crafted, can contain souls for this purpose.
This potent ability cannot be activated while Soul Mend is in effect.
──────────────────────────────
This revelation finally clarified why he was no longer able to separate his soul from his body. The situation was as he had suspected: Soul Mend was indeed the culprit behind his current predicament.
"It stopped working The moment my body started healing," Samuel noted with a touch of realization, his gaze drifting as he slowly began to rise from his seated position.
"I remember feeling like I lost something important when I died—and then I got it back, plus more when I took down that nasty Imp." he recollected, starting to pace back and forth with Grimoire in hand.
"After coming back to life, though, I lost some of it again… It feels like parts of my soul were drained during those times,"
Samuel theorized as he stood still for a while "Or was it my Soul essence?"
he wondered, examining his wounds, most of which were almost healed. "Will I be able to separate my soul from my body again once I'm fully healed?"
Realizing that trying to figure this out on his own might not get him very far, Samuel knew he had the perfect tool to get answers. He had the Grimoire right there, which was made to help with such questions.
"I should check out Soul Mend next," Samuel decided, feeling a renewed sense of purpose.
──────────────────────────────
Skill Name:Soul Mend
Rank: S
Type:active (activates automatically)
Source: Soul
Status:(currently active)
Level: 2/?
Description:
A soul's Innate skill.
As long as a soul is not consumed by another being after its vessel succumbed, it will revive the Vessel after some time passes and mend its wounds, this process takes time and is affected by the strength of the soul and the amount or purity of its Soul essence.
Activating this Skill requires Soul Essence
TREAT CAREFULLY!
If one were to fully exhaust their Soul it would be forever obliterated, gone from the world!
This Fate is worse than death and should be avoided at all costs.
Even letting your soul get consumed would be a better choice.
Your Soul is not your's to waste.
currently, it cannot be manually activated or deactivated at will.
──────────────────────────────
Samuel paused. "What..."
The revelations and implications of what he found out in the description of this skill were even more far-reaching than anything that had come before it.
"A soul's innate skill," Samuel thought. "doesn't this imply that it's not just me? Does everyone's soul have this ability then," Sam continued pondering "or am I reading too much into it?"
But even more than that, the description of the skill seemed to imply that death is not the end. He had already suspected as much, but furthermore, just like the otherworldly voice that had thundered throughout the heavens and the earth before hat implied, this skills description hinted that all souls belonged to someone else as well... "Nonsense!"
Samuel thought "Or is it?" he relented.
He was utterly confused.
He decided to heed the warning for now though, especially considering that his life seemed to not be bound to his body anymore in the first place. Now, more than ever, he was literally a free spirit.
"I will just have to make sure my body doesn't die again then." Samuel decided.
"However, that is easier said than done..."
Samuel felt a rising headache. Before delving any further into complicated territories he resolved to remain pragmatic.
"Right now, this means that my soul can passively heal my body's wounds and even revive it, but the description made it seem like my soul's lifespan gets exhausted in the process." Samuel theorized.
"This may not be a huge issue normally, however, my Soul essence seems to be..." he looked towards his Status description within the Grimoire as he thought
"Pitiful." He clenched his teeth as he said this.
"If this skill is truly inherent to all Souls, then I must be at a huge disadvantage right now, so I will have to use whatever gives me an edge over others to improve my Odds of survival. I can not allow myself to die again" Samuel resolved himself.
He had to be even more careful from now on.
"Now that that's done with, I need to check out my last skill..." He said as he moved his finger toward 'Soul Dominion'
──────────────────────────────
Skill Name: Soul Dominion
Rank: S
Type: Active
Source: Soul
Status: Available
Level: 1/?
Description:
Grants the caster the ability to possess chosen vessels using ethereal powers. When combined with Soul Bind, it allows the caster to shift their soul's anchor point.
At its current level, Soul Dominion can possess deceased bodies but offers no regenerative benefits beyond restoring basic bodily functions. It is advisable to avoid vessels that are excessively damaged.
Upon activation, the caster takes control of the body and can utilize skills and talents related to their Physique and occasionally Mind. Skills tied to the Soul remain inaccessible.
Can only be cast when in the Soul Strider state.
──────────────────────────────
"Alright, that's decent," Samuel muttered. "This probably means I was unconsciously using Soul Dominion when I possessed the dead Imp's body," he realized.
He took a moment to strategize with the information he had gathered and devised a plan he considered clever. "The best course of action is to hide my body in one of the Mortuary chambers for now," Samuel said aloud to help organize his thoughts. "Then, I should use Soul Dominion on the Imp I possessed earlier and start gathering resources to get stronger through Doran's Grimoire." He looked at the weapons he had brought. "These should be useful. I'll leave one with my body, just in case, and take the rest with the Imp's body." His plan was gradually taking shape.
"When facing enemies, I must minimize losses. I can't let the Imp's body sustain too much damage since it won't regenerate beyond basic functions. However, if the Imp's body becomes unusable, I can possess other creatures. I just need to ensure they're killed in a way that allows me to use them effectively."
Samuel continued to brainstorm ideas to improve his chances of survival. "Next, I need to gather more resources and unlock additional knowledge to grow stronger." Currently, Samuel was rankless. He knew Imps were first-rank creatures, far superior to him. The only reason he wasn't killed immediately was because the Imp had been toying with him. He was fortunate another Imp was lying dead and in good condition while the murderous imp was busy with...
"Sophie!"Samuel exclaimed, suddenly realizing something crucial. "If souls can revive and heal their bodies, does this mean Sophie might still be alive?" His heart raced with hope. "The Grimoire mentioned that a soul can only revive if it isn't consumed by another being... but she was still alive when I killed the Imp! She could still be alive!"
Just as Samuel's excitement peaked, he heard loud clattering and yapping outside. The sounds were different from those the Imp had made but still familiar.
"DAMN IT! Why now?" Samuel cursed.
He checked the Grimoire to confirm if Soul Mend was still active. He had intended to use Soul Stride, but Soul Mend was still healing his wounds, though he would be fully healed soon.
"I have to be patient," Samuel reminded himself. "I can't afford to overestimate my abilities again. Even with a weapon, this body of mine is weak and slow."
"I have to wait!" Samuel spoke, worry written on his face.
Remembering the face of that innocent child sent pangs of sorrow to his heart. The mere thought of what she endured at such a tender age was almost unbearable.
If she were still alive, the trauma would likely haunt her for the rest of her life.
He had imagined her life's light extinguished, snuffed out like a flickering candle in the tempest of the imp's relentless onslaught.
Yet, that light might still burn stubbornly, bravely facing the storm, just as she had faced her tragic fate with undeniable courage.
If she were to perish, it would not simply be one more light dimming in a sky of countless stars.
She was more than a beacon of hope for Samuel; she mirrored his own fears and failures.
He had been paralyzed with fear, contemplating hiding in the mortuary chamber at first, while this brave child, barely half his age, had dared to confront the monsters outside to protect him—when he had failed to protect her.
Her bravery was indelibly marked in his memory.
If her light was faltering, struggling to remain lit, he was determined to fight alongside her this time.
He owed it to her to try to protect her, even if it meant risking everything.
"Who cares if she dies?" a sinister voice echoed in his mind. "You've witnessed countless deaths on the roof! Did you help any of them? No! You had no reason to. Do not mourn, who cares if one more light goes out?"
Samuel was jolted by these thoughts.
He knew they were not his own, but rather the manifestation of his fear, trying to rationalize his cowardice.
Shoving aside these paralyzing thoughts, he resolved himself with unwavering determination.
"I do!" he declared resolutely.