Reyn's heart pounded wildly, and only after walking about a hundred meters from the store did his anxiety finally recede, giving way to overwhelming euphoria.
He lowered his gaze to the two glass jars in his hands. The black gold-devouring ants inside looked utterly ordinary, but one of them harbored three soul elements!
"Ha-ha, what luck!"
Reyn barely contained his elation: a casual visit to the Demon Souls Market had turned into such an incredible acquisition. The demonic soul of this gold-devouring ant, even if he didn't use it himself, promised tens of thousands of gold shields upon sale—or more.
Ten thousand gold shields—that was ten million copper yuan! Enough to sustain a commoner's family of ten for life!
Compared to that, the dozen gold spent to throw off the shopkeeper seemed trivial.
Reyn happily imagined the trader's face upon learning the ant's true value. He'd probably have a stroke from regret?
"Too bad I won't get to see it."
Wealth isn't flaunted. Though no one could discern the gold-devouring ant's true value, Reyn bought a canvas sack from a roadside stall to hide his prize and avoid attention. He also spent a gold shield on a pair of soul stones, planning to kill the ants immediately upon returning home.
His stomach twisted with hunger, but Reyn had no time for food—all his thoughts raced homeward.
He quickened his pace. Passing the main gates of the Demon Souls Market, he noticed the feathered serpent was gone.
"I wonder who was perceptive or lucky enough to buy it?" Reyn thought with mild regret. If he'd acquired the feathered serpent, he could've resold it for about a thousand gold shields profit. Missing that deal stung.
Without further incidents, he left the market, hailed a carriage, and told the driver to head to the Los district.
The carriage rolled off down the streets.
Seated inside, Reyn couldn't tear his admiring gaze from the gold-devouring ant. He sensed its three elements again and again, sighing contentedly.
How could such a weak demonic soul produce three such powerful elements? How had this gold-devouring ant's soul even formed?
Usually, strong elements arose only in strong souls, but the rule wasn't absolute.
The "Book of a Thousand Souls" stated that all living beings' souls were mysterious and unpredictable, with true miracles sometimes occurring.
Remarkable elements didn't arise solely in mighty souls; any soul could produce elements ranging from the weakest to the strongest, even legendary ones. The probability was simply minuscule, and few encountered such phenomena.
This gold-devouring ant was that rarest miracle, and he'd been fortunate enough to find it.
"It's like winning the grand lottery prize—three times in a row!" Reyn mused smugly.
He then pondered how to use the ant's demonic soul.
His first thought—sell it for cash—was quickly dismissed.
Selling such a valuable item wasn't easy. It'd be like a child parading gold through a crowded market. Buyers able to pay tens of thousands of gold shields either wielded immense power themselves or backed by influential factions. Eliminating a mere human like him would be effortless for them.
Among his current acquaintances, only Viola from the Violet House or Kenji from the Mechanics Guild could afford it, but he wasn't close enough to either for a safe deal.
If not selling, then using it himself.
"But how exactly?"
Reyn frowned, facing a dilemma.
Originally, he'd planned to become a mage, choosing between the School of Seals or the School of Soul Management.
The School of Seals didn't fit, as its adepts dissected demonic souls to extract secret elements for magical seals, which they integrated into their own souls. Only secret elements worked; others dissipated irretrievably during processing.
The gold-devouring ant's three elements weren't secret. A School of Seals mage would leave no trace of them.
The School of Soul Management, conversely, preserved the demonic soul intact, using it as a core soul for fusion or turning it into a summoned soul guardian.
Of its three specializations, the Thousand Spells Mage, focused on spellcasting, was out—unless Reyn wanted to use the "Steel Body" element for defense, which would be wasteful. The All Souls Mage, relying on numerous soul guardians, didn't suit either. Only the Shapeshifter Mage, specializing in transformations, could best utilize this gold-devouring ant.
However, developing that soul would require a Shapeshifter Mage to invest massive spiritual power, without making it their core.
A Shapeshifter Mage's core soul was always the Demon Shapeshifter, or they'd lose transformation ability.
Moreover, the gold-devouring ant's demonic soul was weak itself; its value lay solely in the rare elements, with poor combat power. Transforming into it would grant impressive defense but weaken offense—and look utterly hideous.
Reyn vividly imagined battling as a giant ant and shuddered.
"No, I won't turn into an ant."
He decisively discarded the idea.
In truth, the best way was fully integrating the gold-devouring ant's demonic soul into his own. This would offset its weakness while perfectly unlocking the three elements' potential!
After all, he was only preparing to become a superhuman; fusing with a weak demonic soul early on mattered little. The key was gaining its elements—and it was safer.
Yet Reyn didn't want to abandon the mage path.
In that case, Battle Mage seemed optimal!
Using "World Tree Meditation" to fuse with the gold-devouring ant, he'd absorb its three elements, sharply boosting his power while remaining a mage. Later, fusing with demonic souls bearing secret elements would grant magical abilities.
The only drawback: until those later fusions, he'd resemble an Iron Guardian more than a mage—and a mighty one.
But compared to the potential, it was an advantage. A mage with monstrous strength, impervious to weapons, whose close-combat prowess outshone magic— the thought was odd yet thrilling!
Plus, the gold-devouring ant had the "Metallic Touch" element. Perhaps it could let him double as a partial mechanic?
When refusing Kenji, he'd thought perfect solutions didn't exist—but now one appeared.
"Am I destined to become a Battle Mage?"
Reyn had doubts. The Battle Mage path was unpredictable; even with the Eye of the Soul, success wasn't guaranteed.
But no better option existed—unless abandoning the ant.
That would be peak folly.
How many Level 1 superhumans boasted three elements, one excellent?
Such a high start offered boundless possibilities!
A Battle Mage inherently had immense potential. Properly developing it, fusing optimal demonic souls, what heights could he reach?
Just envisioning the prospects made Reyn's heart race with excitement.
Even a few mistakes, and he'd still outpower other superhumans!
"High risk—high reward."
"You'll never know unless you try."
"Since I'm in this world, I'll play big—risk it all!"
Reyn's gaze hardened. Casting aside hesitation, he resolved to become a Battle Mage.
The carriage gradually left the Silverstar district, crossed the bridge, and entered Los district.
Reyn watched the streets flashing by, his excitement gradually subsiding. He relaxed, closed his eyes, and habitually activated the Voice of All Things. Streams of sound waves flooded his ears, weaving a world of sounds in his mind.
He constantly practiced this ability, identifying every sound and tracing its source.
"Hm?"
Reyn's eyes snapped open, surprise and alarm on his face.
He heard rapid footsteps—someone running fast. Pinpointing the source, he realized the pursuer was over a hundred meters behind, speeding up and slowing down, occasionally changing direction into alleys but always returning to course.
"I'm being followed!"
Reyn listened for another half-minute and confirmed: someone tailed the carriage, maintaining distance.
"Who? When did the tail start? What's the goal?"
Questions swirled in Reyn's head. He mentally cursed himself: after getting the gold-devouring ant, he'd grown too complacent, showing unforgivable carelessness.
He took a deep breath, calming down. Glancing at the ant's jar, he was certain the pursuer wasn't after the prize—no one else knew its value.
Only one answer remained: this person was a follower of the evil god Loki, sensing the Discord Seal on him.
The realization made Reyn frown.
He'd only left home once and already encountered an evil god follower. Was his luck that bad, or were Lungsand's cultists so numerous they lurked everywhere?
Reyn didn't know the Discord Seal's detection range or sensing distance. Was simply passing in a carriage enough?
Likely, he'd crossed paths with this person at the Demon Souls Market, and they'd tailed the carriage since.
Reyn turned in the carriage but couldn't spot the pursuer. Sticking his head out the window would give him away.
But shaking the tail was simple.
Reyn quietly spoke to the driver through the front window. The man was surprised at first but nodded upon seeing the bills Reyn offered.
At the next intersection, the carriage veered off course, no longer heading to his apartment.
Reyn focused on the pursuer's footsteps. When the man cut through a narrow alley, Reyn signaled quietly; the forewarned driver slowed slightly. Reyn leaped out and ducked into a roadside grocery store.
It happened in seconds, out of the pursuer's sight. The carriage accelerated onward.
From inside the store, Reyn heard the footsteps fade after the carriage. Only then did he emerge slowly, climb a few porch steps, and activate the Eye of the Soul to peer into the pursuer's soul from afar.
"Level 2 fighter. Evil god follower or Shadow Blade assassin?"