Lumirock. It was also known by its other name - “Blood of the Divine”. It was the most magical material in the world, each gram being worth thousands of gold. Rumours said that Lumirock Mountain was the last resting place of a long-forgotten god, each drop of its blood creating veins of the previous material.

Elythria made its fortune by mining and refining this precious mineral. They had built their nation around it, crafting magnificent, impenetrable cities manned entirely by golems. They had not lost a single war yet, and even Viv found it best to infiltrate the nation rather than fight it head-on. Such was the power of lumirock.

It was this exact material that Viv was staring at, deep within the puppet’s body. Barely bigger than a fingernail, the colour of gold with pulsating red veins. This minuscule amount of lumirock made the puppet a B rank creature, and it would soon be the perfect vessel for his soul.

He had theorised a hundred different methods to escape the dungeon, but at the end of the day, he was constricted by his core. While it allowed him to rise, it also limited his options. Would he die if the core shattered? Would he die if he moved his soul? Not even Pecan could answer these questions.

And thus, he hesitated. It was when he first saw Kael and his golems that a plan had slowly wormed its way into his brain. It wouldn’t be optimal, and it certainly wasn’t safe, but it was better than the alternatives.

He had spent years mastering demonic spells. For thousands of demonic spells were passed down to him from the greatest mage to ever exist. And that was only a fraction he knew, a fraction that survived the wrath of gods. Now, he was re-learning a spell that he already knew, offering every little detail for the fairy king to examine, add to his system.

He had finally figured out what caused him so much trouble. Neither the system nor the Auberon was forcing him to forget. He was battling against his soul, desperately trying to resist giving up information. It was the Demon Lord’s inheritance locking up his memories, making sure that the horrible secrets contained within weren’t stolen by anyone. Not even gods.

The process was still difficult, but made easier now that Viv recognized the defence mechanisms. Time passed, though this time, Viv vigilantly observed everything that happened in his dungeon. His obsession had led him to almost die, and it wasn’t the first time either.

Adventurers started flocking to his dungeon a day later, each proclaiming their surprise at how the inspector had spared it. Everything gradually returned to a semblance of normality, bar a few new changes. Three days after the battle, Kael and Noe returned to the third floor, escorting ten different men hoisting pickaxes over their shoulders.

“We’re adventurers. We shouldn’t be paying a toll to whatever this thing is,” Noe said, though his hands betrayed his true intentions. He gripped his shaking swords, excitedly looking for any new threat.

“Be quiet. We can’t guarantee the safety of the miners if we piss it off. This is my big chance,” Kael said, motioning to the ground. The rough-looking bunch had already broken off a few pieces of quartz, examining them carefully.

“Yesss. I guarantee your safety. Nothing will attack you as long as you keep your end of the bargain.” A black snake flicked its tongue, staring at the adventurers with its pure white eyes.

“Here. She came of her own volition after we explained everything. I trust that you will follow your end of the bargain,” Kael said, beckoning to an old woman. She was past her hundred, her back hunched and her fur completely grey. She wore clothes worn by age and spectacles all too big for her. Her cane clicked with each step as she hobbled over to the serpent.

“Excellent. A snake always keeps its promises. She will be back in one piece. Follow me.” The snake slithered away, a hiss lingering in the air from its words.

The miners got to work soon after, each of the pickaxe’s edges glinting orange when it struck the ground. The broken pieces of obsidian were soon picked up by gloved hands and tossed into a magical backpack that didn’t bulge no matter how much obsidian it collected. As for the old woman, she followed the snake to the other side of the volcano.

“The adventurers should have explained to you, but there’s always a catch. I will grant your every wish, but in exchange, you will offer your soul to me.” The old woman’s eyes popped wide open.

“But... I need that. How else will I climb Lumin’s stairs? How will I reach his eternal light?” She spat out the words one after another.

“The afterlife is much more magical than you think. You don’t need your soul to bask in his light. After all, he is a kind and merciful god. He brings salvation to all those that live their lives truthfully and fully believe in him. Do all of your years devotedly praying to him mean nothing?” The snake whispered, its white eyes meeting hers. She stood there, quietly.

“I believe in Lumin. I’ve recited his teachings every night before bed for my entire life,” she said, dropping to her knees. “I’ve always been selfless and kind, so let this old woman have one moment of weakness.” Her head touched the cold obsidian. She drew the symbol of a dove above her head before standing up.

“My grandchild. He’s contracted a terrible disease,” she said, her voice growing sombre. “I’ve gone to our physician, and he tells me it's too late. I visited the witch, who told me the child had done terrible things in his past life.

“But, he’s just a child. Why does he deserve to suffer for something he didn’t do?” Her face twisted in anger, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“We wanted to visit the cleric, but they rejected us. Our family doesn’t have the money to pay them. I saw the way they looked at us. Even those worshipping him were corrupted by money. May Lumin cleanse their sins.” She balled her fists, but sighed soon after, hunching her back even further.

“Please, help my grandchild. You’re the only hope we have.” Once again, she dropped to her knees, staring at the black snake through the haze of tears.

“Of course. I’m happy to help.” The serpent hissed at her, a smile appearing on its face. A hand emerged from a pile of ash nearby, grabbing at her chest. A golden orb the size of her head glimmered in the devil’s hand. The serpent’s mouth opened up and greedily swallowed the soul, shuddering in delight.

Then, the devil began to weave a spell, using the remnants of her soul. An inferno melted golden dust, the devil’s breath acting as bellows, his words the hammer. He whispered dark secrets to the fire, and from it emerged a dark amulet shaped like a coiled serpent. Its two eyes glittered like rubies, looking at the world around it curiously.

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The devil’s hand reached over, dropping the necklace in the old woman’s palm. “With this, the deal is done. Your grandson will recover in a few days, and as long as he wears the necklace, he will know illness no longer.” The snake’s whispers pierced the air. The old woman held the necklace with a trembling hand, thanking Lumi for the miracle.

A few hours later, the miners left with bags full of obsidian, and for the first time everyone left the dungeon happier than they entered. As for what happened to the grandma and her grandson - that was a completely different story.

Viv looked at the scene with keen interest. He would have to take note of every deal the devil made. The last week was so hectic he had forgotten Kvatar could do much, much more than just fight. As long as he brought no trouble to the dungeon, Viv was fine to let him be. Another week passed by in silence. He finally succeeded.

Spell Gained - [Demonic Possession] (tier 5)

With that, he was done with the quest. As soon as he decided to absorb the crystal armour, he would meet the fairy king and talk to him face to face. He had confidence, but no more than when his dungeon was tested against Lilia.

“Set up the ritual. Bring the human from the cells.” The new influx of adventurers meant more prisoners for wicked rituals, but this one was special.

“Let go! I curse you. I curse your family. May a hundred adventurer’s blades tear through your eyes over and over again! May you suffer for all of eternity, screaming for help in hell’s flames.” The witch muttered curse after curse, damning it to every god she knew.

Lyn broke another one of the witch’s fingers, but it only fueled her rage.

“You may kill me, but I will haunt your every dream. Every night I will show you visions of your horrible future. You will die a thousand deaths each time you close your eyes!” The witch’s spit hit Lyn’s face. The witch smiled through her broken teeth, struggling against her bindings.

The two of them headed deeper into the plains. Deep red grassland that surrounded the gate spread out before them, the chimera nowhere to be seen. The shambling zombies turned to Lyn as one, but one scowl from him made them reconsider. In the middle of the field was a pile of dead bodies, both human and animal.

Lyn dropped the woman on the mound, crushing a dark crystal in his hands. It let out a dark miasma that descended on the woman, making her choke and squirm. Not wasting any time, Lyn impaled the witch, his athame running through her heart.

For a few seconds, everything was still. Then, her soul rose from her body, turning dark and grey. It twisted and stretched until it resembled the witch, or what she might have looked as an abomination. It was an ethereal wraith, faceless save for a mouth, contorted in an eternal scream. It let out a horrible screech before lunging at Lyn. In response, he pointed his staff at its mouth, letting a fireball explode point-blank. It was torn asunder, dissipating into the wind.

Creature Gained - Wraith (C)

Immediately, Viv summoned another one. This one would be loyal and follow his every command. Without hesitation, he started pouring mana into the creature. Its mouth widened in an attempt to scream, but no sound emerged. The necrotic mana surrounding them rushed into the wraith, shredding it to pieces. Moments later, it reformed.

Every time it screamed, and every time it got torn apart until nothing of the original wraith was left. When the torrent of mana faded, a ghastly, harrowing figure appeared before him. The only thing reminiscent of a human was its skull, two bright orange eyes staring at the world with malice. It let out blue mist with every breath, its body a swirling phantasm with no form.

Creature Gained - Soul Snatcher (B)

Soul Snatcher (B)

Once a wraith brimming with malice, it evolved to forever haunt those who would dare cross its path. It wears the bodies of its victims, merging their souls with its own, forever making them suffer in misery.

Abilities - Intangible form, Demonic Possession, Absorb Soul.

“All it took was a few thousand mana. The most important part is coming up,” Viv spoke to Lyn, his soul twisting in his core with anticipation.

It was a lengthy process to unearth the dancer puppet from the deep, deep underground. Runes had to be erased, chains untangled, and magic removed. When it was over, Lyn retreated to the surface, peering down as the soul snatcher dove for the puppet like a moth to a flame.

Minutes passed, but before long, a puppet leapt out of the hole, its movements fluid. Its joints were leaking blue light, and its eyes overlapped with the wraith’s. Its blue hair was even more prominent now, emitting a trail of mist. The puppet sprinted across the plains with incredible speed, equalling that of the lightning hyena.

A cracked orb was waiting for it deep in the forest. Tremors shook the pedestal as Devourer moved underneath, and a single white feather fell from the sky, Zagon keeping a vigil watch. In one swift motion, the puppet grabbed the orb. It held still for a moment, and when it started moving again, it put the orb against its chest, aligning it with the lumirock core.

“Begin,” Viv said, commanding the wraith.

The soul snatcher reached out through the puppet's body, engulfing his core in an ethereal mist. Almost immediately, a powerful force began to tear at his soul. It pulled and yanked and ripped, and when that didn’t work, the mist deepened, trying to weaken his soul with time. Of course, it was like a small kitten biting an adult’s hand - no threat whatsoever.

Collapsing his soul form, Viv allowed the creature to pull at it. No matter how hard he had tried on his own, he couldn’t move out of the orb without shattering it in the process. Now, with the help of the wraith, parts of his soul slowly seeped out of the cracks, joining the wraith’s body.

It tried to absorb his soul, but even a small fragment was too much for it to handle. More and more of his soul joined the wraith, which was now crackling with purple electricity. After half of his soul split from the dungeon core, he used the other half to order the wraith.

“Stop,” he bellowed, but after waiting several seconds, the wraith had no intention of following his orders. Its form was struggling to contain Viv’s enormous soul, and no matter how many times Viv repeated it, the wraith ignored him.

“You pathetic creature. One taste of power and you go mad like a crazed beast. Let me teach you one of the reasons they feared me so.” No longer restrained by the dungeon core, his soul rippled with anger, assuming his real form.

“After I became the Demon Lord, I learned how to shape my aura. This is my soul weapon - Laevius.” Viv conjured an intricate black spear that twisted and writhed in his hands, changing its form every second. It had no spearhead, instead, purple lightning crackled and tore the air.

“My Ego is simple. I crave nothing more than pure destruction, such that it would frighten even the gods.” A cracked crown manifested on his head, holding within it contempt towards the world.

A domain of black and purple lightning appeared, centralised within the puppet's body. The soul snatcher covered and hid, but there was no escape. A thousand lightning bolts fell from the sky, devastating everything within the sphere, leaving scars in the air that would decimate anyone that approached them. As the lightning faded from the air, the blue wraith was nowhere to be seen, its soul eradicated forever.

Viv looked at the lumirock core that was caught in the blast. Even though it was only a soul projection, it was powerful enough to kill any regular creature caught in it, but true to its name, it had godly endurance. Instead, it had absorbed some of the lightning, gaining a purple tint to it.

Viv laughed with reckless abandon, focusing his soul on the lumirock core. The two merged through the sheer force of Viv’s will, his soul spreading to every corner of the doll’s body. Like a beating heart, the core sent ruined lightning through his soul and body, energising his body. He moved his soul, and the puppet moved with it. His laughter echoed through the cavern. He had finally acquired a body.