Chapter 7: curse
Felix's eyes slowly opened from the misty shores of consciousness. The first thing he noticed in the twilight filling the room was the weight of his own body.
He tried to get up.
Instantly, a sharp pain spreading from his bandaged hands to his shoulders nailed him back to the bed. His battered body refused even the slightest command. Every attempt to move felt like a scream of protest.
"Ah..." he groaned. But what mingled with his voice was deep disappointment rather than pain.
"Now," he thought, with a realization bitter as poison, "I understand why the original Felix died."
It was not just because of the beatings. His soul had long been crushed and shattered under the weight of years of neglect and indifference.
Brutal memories revived in his mind: Jaxar's mocking laughter, Eirak's bone breaking punches, and his mother's... that cold, bottomless indifference.
And then, his refusal to stop until he left Jaxar bloody on the floor. The raw, savage feeling of crushing that arrogant face was still at his fingertips. Although this brief victory sparked a glimmer of pride, it did not change the reality.
Jaxar would not forget this.
And next time, Felix would not be this "lucky".
"No," he thought, resisting his pain stubbornly. "It cannot continue like this."
He gritted his teeth. He struggled to hang his feet off the bed. While his messy white hair fell over his face, his crimson eyes shone with a threatening determination. His gaze fixed on the floor seemed to challenge his destiny.
He took a deep breath and whispered: "I guess... I have no other choice, huh?"
He stood up. He stumbled to the closet in the corner of the room and took out a small, sharp dagger. This was his last resort, left over from that 'game' in his memory. The hope of obtaining a blessing from a normal god was exhausted. Making a deal with a demon was suicide.
There was only one option left: The forbidden. The forgotten ones.
He crouched in the middle of the room. He tore off the bandages furiously and looked at his bruised, wounded hand. Without hesitation, he pressed the dagger into his palm. Not too deep, but enough for blood to flow.
This was a risky call reaching out to those outside the mortal realm. At best, it would attract a weak, parasitic entity that would grant him a damaged blessing. At worst... the process would backfire and instantly destroy his self.
He pressed his bloody palm against the cold wooden floor. He began to pour the runes from his memory one by one. First he drew eight circles, carving intricate symbols into each one with his blood. His consciousness was blurring due to blood loss and the mental effort he was expending.
His eyes shone with hope when the runes began to glow with a faint, dim light. It was working.
He did not stop. He drew four more large circles between the circles and drew the lines connecting them. The glow intensified. The final step... He drew a single circle right in the center and carved the final runes.
The circle suddenly glowed red and an ominous black. Felix swallowed in the face of the forming power and stepped into the center of the circle.
And... nothing happened.
The brightness faded. The runes darkened. Felix stood alone in the middle of the bloody circle.
Minutes passed. Silence was the only sound in the room.
"Pathetic," he thought. "Do even fallen gods find me this pathetic? I am weak, yes... but not enough to be unable to host a soul!"
His desperation turned into anger. "Hey!" he shouted to the empty room. "You useless gods! I am offering you a chance to return to life! Drop your stupid arrogance and accept me!"
Only silence.
"I understand," he whispered, his shoulders slumping. "You have already given up on yourselves..."
Accepting defeat, he took a step out of the circle.
AT THAT MOMENT.
The circle exploded like a supernova. His eyes were filled with blinding light. His entire body convulsed as if struck by lightning of thousands of volts. His eyes turned white. While trying to protect his mind with one last effort, he collapsed to the floor with a metallic 'DANG' sound echoing in the room.
When his consciousness returned, he saw that the runic circle on the floor had faded into nothingness.
"Did it work?" he thought. "But... the circle was not supposed to disappear... What... what did I bond with?"
Right at that moment, a cold and mechanical voice, different from his own thoughts, echoed inside his head:
∆ System updated
∆ New system "Fallen Deity System"
∆ STATUS WINDOW ∆
∆ Name: Felix Crossfield
∆ Race: Human
∆ Age: 14
• Level: 4
• Rank: F
• Elements: Fire Awakened
• Resonance: 3% {63%}
[Attributes]
• Strength: 4 (F) 4/10
• Agility: 6 (E Minus) 6/10
• Stamina: 3 (F) 3/10
• Mana: 7 (F) 17/100
• Intelligence: 59 (C)
• Luck: 0
• [Bloodline: Locked]
• [Blessing: Greed]
Fallen Angel of Greed
True Name: Seraphine Lux Avaritia
Title: Angel of Greed
✧ Origin:
Once one of the High Angels of Heaven, Seraphine was responsible for the Balance of Souls.
Her duty was to judge the souls of the dead and send them to the cycle of Heaven or Hell.
But one day... Seraphine encountered a soul:
A mortal, a man who challenged God even while dying.
His soul was so intense, so bright and alluring that Seraphine could not resist.
And she stole that soul out of reality and imprisoned it in her inner world.
From that moment on, greed rotted her wings.
Heaven cursed her as the "Soul Thief".
Her wings turned black, her eyes burned, and she was cast down from heaven forever.
Skill: Curse of Equilibrium
Type: Passive / Activates 1 vs 1
When fighting one on one with an opponent, the system analyzes the opponent's power level and provides temporary power boosts to "equalize" you with them.
Effects:
Dynamic increase in physical and magical power based on the opponent's total power level.
The greater the power difference, the "higher rate" the system supports you.
However: You are exposed to divine burden during the duration of the buff.
Skill: Dominion of the Crownless King
Type: Field Skill
User opens the "Domain of Authority".
Effects:
25% physical, 40% magic damage reduction
User reaches the peak of their form:
Physical skill level increases by 1 stage (example: F to E, E to D)
Mana capacity increases by +50
Enemy morale is suppressed while inside the Domain
Duration: 3 minutes
Cooldown: 2 weeks
Dark Eye
Type: Passive / Short term active
See with the eyes of a god, but never fully open your eyes.
Because the light of truth burns even the brightest lie.
Effects:
User intuitively notices lies and deceptive words.
Illusions and magical camouflages appear as "flickering shadows" in the eye's range.
An aura known as "divine mark" appears on divine, demonic, or undead entities.
(When the user sees this aura, they can sense their origin, but not their full power.)
Active (Short Term Opening):
When the "Dark Eye" is fully opened:
User clearly sees the target's weak points, mana flow, and hidden intentions.
Soul Reaver
Type: Passive / Post Battle Active Effect
Every death strengthens you.
Because for you, life means only an unharvested soul.
Effects:
Soul Point System
User earns "Soul Points" from the system based on every living thing they kill:
Entity Rank: Earned Soul Points
SSS: +10000
SS: +1000
S: +300
A: +100
B: +40
C: +20
D: +10
E: +1
These points can be used by the system for power, stat increases, or special skill exchanges.
(Soul Points are also the currency of the "dark shop" within the system.)
[Rank Progression (Total Cost)]:
F to E Rank: 200 points
E Rank to D Rank: 500 points
D Rank to C Rank: 1,000 points
C Rank to B Rank: 5,000 points
B Rank to A Rank: 10,000 points
A Rank to S Rank: 30,000 points
S Rank to SS Rank: 50,000 points
SS Rank to SSS Rank: 100,000 points
Life Energy Absorption
With every kill:
5% to 15% life energy is drawn from the killed entity.
This energy instantly regenerates the user's HP and mana.
If the target is a "conscious entity", echoes from their memories may also mingle with the soul.
Felix held his breath as he read the story of this overwhelming entity. He had not summoned a fallen god.
He had chained one of Heaven's greatest sinners, a High Angel, to himself.
The system began to pour new information into his mind as if confirming its existence. "Curse of Equilibrium", "Dominion of the Crownless King", "Soul Reaver"...
Felix looked at his bloody palm. A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"This," he whispered. "This changes everything."