The battlefield lay silent for a brief moment as the world seemed to pause, the winds dying down as if holding their breath for what was about to unfold. Amidst the charged tension of the looming war, Aarav stood holding the evolved artifact in his hands—the Book of Mysteries. Its cover shimmered with iridescent patterns, resembling constellations forming and dissolving in rhythmic pulses, as if the book was alive, breathing in sync with the universe itself.
"Finally... You've evolved, huh?" Aarav said, his voice a mix of relief and anticipation.
A soft voice echoed from the book, laced with an eerie playfulness. "My name is ——&^%&^—."
Aarav squinted, frowning. "Ha? What did you say?" The name twisted and glitched in the air, incomprehensible like some forbidden ancient tongue.
"Ara, Ara~ It seems you don't have the power to know my full name yet," the voice giggled, and with a soft glow, the figure of Rani appeared once again. Her ethereal body floated gently to the ground, her pink kimono swaying with invisible winds. "For now, my name is Rani."
"Rani, huh? What a name! Fine. I'll get used to it," Aarav said with a faint smirk. "So? Now that you've evolved into a soul weapon, what exactly can you do?"
"Oh dear~ You can't even wait to enjoy my presence, can you?" Rani teased, spinning slowly in the air, her robe's silken sleeves trailing like tendrils of starlight.
"Ha? Stop messing around and do your job, will you?" Aarav's brow twitched in irritation. The situation was dire; they didn't have the luxury to banter.
"Ara, Ara~ No fun! You're so impatient, dear me! Well then…" Rani slowly floated down, and it seemed for a moment as if she was about to kneel down before him. An alarming sense of danger hit Aarav's instincts.
"What are you doing?!" he barked, stepping back, his soul energy flaring slightly. "Just tell me what you can do!"
Rani stopped mid-air, puffing her cheeks like a sulking child. "Hmph, you're no fun! But fine. I can do many things now. Like serving my beloved master, devouring souls, or... perhaps you'll like the other functions better."
Suddenly, holographic texts floated in front of Aarav's vision.
[Book of Mysteries…]
[Functions Unlocked....]
[Appraisal] [Story Book] [Daily Reward] [Fusion]
Aarav crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Just these? I thought with evolution, you'd have a dozen more flashy skills. This feels... basic."
He glanced at the floating panels.
"Appraisal: From the name, I assume it works the same way as those games from my previous world. Scans objects, beings, skills, right?"
Rani clapped her hands together. "Correct, my dear!"
"Story Book is probably for writing stories. Self-explanatory. Daily Reward? I assume it's for daily bonuses or something. Fusion—" Aarav's eyes narrowed. "What does Fusion do in this context?"
Rani's eyes gleamed mischievously. "You're right about the first three, my dear. But Daily Reward isn't just a simple freebie. It's something far more... intriguing. But that's a surprise you'll have to discover on your own. As for Fusion—now that's where the real fun begins."
She floated closer, her breath tickling his ear. "Fusion allows you to create World Key Cards."
"World Key Cards?" Aarav echoed, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you mentioned Character Cards before evolving. Now it's World Cards? Make up your mind."
"Ara~ You're so adorable when you're flustered. But yes, World Key Cards are different. You see, dear, by sacrificing stories, you can create these cards. They are the key to open doors to new imaginary worlds."
"And how does sacrificing a story create a new world?" Aarav asked, though he already suspected the answer.
"It's simple," Rani replied, twirling a finger. "Imagine you take multiple storylines—say a modern world and a ghost-dominated world—and merge their essence. What do you get? An Urban Paranormal World. A unique realm shaped by your stories. The World Key Card will grant you access to that world... but not for you."
Aarav tilted his head. "What do you mean 'not for me'?"
Rani's tone dropped to a more serious note. "You, dear, cannot enter these worlds yourself. But... you can send people there. Souls. Soldiers. Kin. Whoever you send, they'll awaken within the rules of that world's system. If you send people into a world designed around ghost cultivation, they'll adapt and grow stronger in that environment."
Aarav's mind raced, already weaving scenarios. "And what's the catch? There's always a catch."
Rani nodded, amused at his cautiousness. "Very perceptive. The first limitation is that the individuals must willingly enter the world at the moment the card is activated. You can't forcefully send them. Second, the time ratio between worlds is different. For every single year here, a hundred years will pass in that world. Meaning, the people you send will have a century's worth of growth while only a year passes here."
Aarav's eyes widened, his heart pounding. "That's... that's insane. I can build an army in a fraction of time... But I suppose there's a cost to creating these World Cards, right?"
"Indeed, my dear," Rani said, floating in a languid spin. "To create a World Key Card, you need to sacrifice existing storylines. For example, right now in your book, you have three core stories: a Modern World Story, a Cultivation World Story, and a Ghost-Dominated World Story. To forge a new world, you'll have to offer up at least two of these. Once sacrificed, they will be deleted. Erased from existence."
Aarav frowned, feeling the gravity of the decision. "So if I sacrifice two, the remaining story will define the base of the new world?"
"Correct. The combined essence of the sacrificed stories will shape the laws, rules, and environment of the new world. But there's still one last condition."
"What now?" Aarav muttered, his patience wearing thin.
"The stories must be completed before they can be offered," Rani said with a sly smile.
Aarav felt a cold bead of sweat roll down his temple. "But do we even have the time to write full stories?"
"Who said anything about writing every detail?" Rani giggled. "You just need to describe the plot, the outline. The grand strokes of the narrative. The finer details... well, leave those to me, dear. I am, after all, the Book of Mysteries."
Aarav took a deep breath, clenching his fists. "Alright then. Let's begin. Where did we leave off in the current story?"
Rani's voice shifted into a more mechanical tone as text floated in front of them.
[YAMA AND KAL ENTERED THE DUNGEON. YAMA CLOSED THE DUNGEON BY KILLING ITS UNKNOWN MASTER.]
Aarav nodded. "Right. So based on the rules of that story, Yama should have become the host of a parasite ghost after winning the dungeon game, right?"
[THAT WAS IF HE WON THE GAME. BUT HE KILLED THE DUNGEON MASTER INSTEAD.]
"So... what now?" Aarav mused aloud. "Since the Dungeon Master is dead, what becomes of the dungeon? What reward should Yama get?"
[THE DUNGEON SHOULD NOW BE FULL OF GHOSTS.]
"Why's that?" Aarav asked.
[THINK ABOUT IT. EVERY TIME SOMEONE WON THE GAME, THEY RECEIVED A COMPANION GHOST. BUT WHERE DID THAT GHOST COME FROM?]
"The souls of those who died inside the dungeon, right?" Aarav said, realization dawning.
[YES. THOSE WHO LOST BECAME GHOSTS. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE WINNERS WHO WENT INTO THE GAME WITH OTHERS? IF ONLY THE WINNER RETURNED, THAT MEANS THEIR COMPANIONS DIED AND BECAME GHOSTS, TRAPPED INSIDE.]
Aarav grimaced. "So... now that the Dungeon Master is dead, those ghosts are just... lingering aimlessly inside."
[PRECISELY. THAT'S WHY, AS A REWARD, WE SHOULD GIVE YAMA THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THOSE GHOSTS.]
Aarav smiled. "That's a good idea. But rather than a simple skill, how about a Class? A unique one."
[CLASS, HUH? I LIKE THAT. BUT REMEMBER, THE DUNGEONS EXISTED BECAUSE OF EARTH'S SAFETY PROTOCOL AGAINST DEMON INVASIONS. WHEN A DUNGEON IS CLEARED, IT SHOULD GIVE SOMETHING SPECIAL, RIGHT?]
Aarav nodded. "Yeah. But I don't want to make Yama too overpowered too quickly. Let's not give him demon powers just yet. Maybe a sealed object?"
[PERFECT. A SEALED ARTIFACT THAT HOLDS THE ESSENCE OF A LOW-RANK DEMON. YAMA MUST UNDERGO TRIALS TO UNSEAL IT.]
"That works," Aarav said, cracking his knuckles. "Alright. Let's proceed with this setup."
[STORY LOCK-IN: WORLD KEY CARD CREATION AVAILABLE.]