Sure enough, the moment the metal touched his skin, a flood of information surged into his mind, clear and structured.
[Name: Soul Ring] [Category: Oddity ]
[Skill 1 — Soul Siphoning]: Steal the soul of a designated target.
[Skill 2 — Soul Devouring]: Consume stolen souls to enhance the user's power. Note: Devouring too many souls will lead to cognitive impairment and accumulated madness, eventually causing the user to lose control and devolve into a monster. Current Souls Devoured: 1
[Skill 3 — Soul Herding]: "Herd" stolen souls, turning them into wraiths to be commanded. Max capacity: 5. Current: 0/5 (Replaceable).
[Skill 4 — Pride Judgment]: Upon successful judgment, amplifies the target's internal Pride.
[Skill 5 — Envy Judgment]: Upon successful judgment, amplifies the target's internal Envy. ... [Skill 9 — Lust Judgment]: Upon successful judgment, amplifies the target's internal Lust. Note: Judgment success rate is 100% against targets of a lower Sequence. 50% against targets of the same Sequence. 25% against targets one Sequence higher, decreasing further with each rank.
[Skill 10 — Abomination/Object Shift]: Freely switch between a biological life form and an inanimate object state.
[Usage Price]: The wearer will gradually be corrupted by the Oddity, eventually transforming into a monster hungering for flesh and life. Note: Usage Price can be exempted (due to current ownership/authority).
[Description]: A juvenile Oddity that was lucky enough to obtain a one-ten-thousandth share of the Authority over Souls.
After digesting the "manual," Eros blinked. It even comes with a spec sheet?
Beside him, Barbara seemed to read his thoughts. She lifted her chin slightly and gave a proud little huff. "You should thank me. I’m the one who appraised and extracted that data for you."
So that's how it is. Eros had actually thought Oddities were just user-friendly enough to provide their own instructions. But on second thought, that was impossible. A thing that dealt in Original Sin was more likely to dissolve your brain than give you a tutorial.
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Seeing the "praise-me" look on Barbara’s tsundere face, Eros gave her a warm, appreciative smile. "Barbara, you're the best!"
Barbara let out a dismissive hum, pretending not to care, but the irrepressible spark of joy in her beautiful eyes betrayed her. Eros chuckled; he knew her well enough by now. She really is adorable.
With the Oddity dealt with, Eros turned his attention to the phantom of the World Tree behind him and the surrounding environment. "What exactly happened here?"
He knew his vitality was immense—that was likely why the eldritch girl had targeted him, hoping to "milk" him dry. But this was overkill. A forest and meadow stretching as far as the eye could see?
In a place as corrupted as a Sin-Domain, creating such a scene was infinitely harder than doing so in the outside world. He began to doubt if his life force alone was capable of this.
Barbara, however, spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "The phantom of the World Tree behind you was drawn using the blood of the Elven Goddess herself."
"What's more, at the end of your baptism, She sealed nine drops of Her own blood within that phantom to act as anchors."
"Normally, these would only unlock once you reached the Mythic level. However, when that Oddity tried to drain you, she accidentally agitated one of those drops. Just a tiny leak of that aura was enough to turn the wasteland into... well, this."
Eros was speechless. A single leak of aura from a drop of blood caused this? This was the true power of a Great One—frightening beyond human imagination.
"Try communicating with the World Tree phantom," Barbara interjected while he was still reeling. "See if you can reclaim the scattered energy."
Eros followed her instructions, reaching out with his consciousness to touch the towering phantom behind him.
The change was instantaneous. Countless specks of emerald light drifted out from the plants, converging toward him. Within heartbeats, Eros was standing in the center of an ocean of green starlight.
Five minutes later, the endless forest withered and crumbled into dust. Eros stared at a warm, glowing green orb floating before him.
"The Elven Goddess’s aura has been filtered through the plants and is now completely gone," Barbara explained calmly. "What you have now is a sphere of pure, distilled life force. It carries no contamination; even a regular human could use it."
Eros tucked the Life Orb away, delighted. He was already imagining building a bathhouse in his backyard and dropping this orb into the water. Daily soaks would improve his constitution, keep him young, and extend his lifespan. He didn't need it, but Estelle and the others would love it.
"Can you sense where the Ancestral fragment is?" Eros asked, getting back to business.
"Right beneath our feet," Barbara said, her eyes turning deep and unfathomable as she stared at the crimson soil. Suddenly, her expression shifted to one of surprise.
"This area is actually a point where two Sin-Domains overlap. And... it seems someone has attempted to assimilate this fragment before."
Irina, standing quietly nearby, felt a jolt of alarm. Someone tried to take the Ancestor’s fragment? That fragment was essential for the Ancestor’s return. If it had been corrupted or tampered with, the consequences for the clan would be catastrophic.