After exiting the dungeon, Tessa seemed to notice my distracted behavior, and she gave me a concerned look. "Are you okay? You've been really quiet since you killed the Grudge."

"No, yeah, I'm fine," I waved a hand dismissively. "Just taken aback at how easy it was."

That wasn't completely a lie. I was more than prepared for things to go south had it come to it, but the ease at which I killed the Grudge was still surprising. No, it was more so that the Grudge had been able to speak this entire time, and it was related to my Title- or rather, a being that seemed to have connections with me. Along with the fact that it shared the same master as the Soultaker, I was extremely perplexed about the entire situation.

Even so, I couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. At this point in time, I was now living through a new stage of Last Stand, beyond the 30th floor. Everything I'd encounter from here on out would be unfamiliar, and it was something that I was looking forward to. Literal threat of death aside.

"If you say so," Tessa didn't seem like she was convinced, but left it at that. "What are you going to do now?"

"I've got dinner plans with Tommy," I replied as we walked out of the simulation room. "You?"

Tessa shrugged, giving me a look. "Probably just drink alone at my place."

If not for the fact that I had already made plans with Tommy, I would've offered to keep her company. Hey, if the chance arose, I wasn't going to let it slip away from me. I fidgeted awkwardly, unable to meet her gaze.

"Er, I guess I’ll see you around," I waved to her stiffly.

"Well, hope you enjoy your dinner, then. Thanks for the EXP farm, Luquier," Tessa winked at me, then turned to leave. A part of me wondered if I should’ve canceled on Tommy,

[Honestly, maybe you should've gone with her instead...]

"Shut up. Tommy seems like he needs the company of his best friend," I scowled at Sephera's message.

[You say you don't want others to have a certain image of you, but then you say things like this that seem questionable. First the sadist sword, and now another man-]

I ignored her messages as I exited the GPA building, flying back to my apartment.

----------------------------------------

After washing up and getting ready, I checked my phone, seeing a couple of texts from Tommy. Scanning through, I sighed with disappointment. Seems like he canceled, saying that there was something else he had to take care of.

[Oof. Rejected.]

I tossed my phone onto my bed, irritated at Sephera's jab. I wasn't upset by Tommy's last-minute change of plans, but it did suck since it was probably too late to join up with Tessa. Oh well. I had something else I could do.

Besides waiting for the rewards from my Achievement to kick in, I was eager to use up the Stat Points I had gained from the dungeon resonance. Since I had more than doubled my death count, I hoped that I would gain that much ‘something useful’ stuff.

Opening up my Status Window, I smirked at the vast amount of Stat Points sitting there. It would cost around fifty-five million points to upgrade both the ring and the cloak, which would still leave me with more than one hundred million.

I took out the Soultaker, which shivered in my hands, as if it could tell what I was up to. I transferred the points to Risk, then to it, and finally pulled out the ring and cloak, setting them on the bed.

"Ohh, such power... I feel so–"

"How do I use you to upgrade these items?" I interjected, tapping the sword against the items.

"A please would suffice," the Soultaker grumbled, as if it was a spoiled child. "I'm not quite sure, but maybe tap me on the items?"

I rolled my eyes, but did as it suggested. I tapped the ring and cloak with the tip of the Soultaker, and a strange, ethereal energy began to flow from it, enveloping the two items. The cloak seemed to melt and reform itself, becoming a much darker blue and more menacing, while the ring's appearance shifted slightly, growing more intricate and twisted.

[Name: Realmwalker]

[Traits: Bound | Shifting | Unyielding | Burdened]

[Description: An upgraded cloak of the one who walks between worlds.]

[Shifting: Allows user to alter tangibility, becoming immune to all contact and draining Risk every second.]

[Unyielding: Upon taking damage, the wearer may choose to ignore the damage completely, taking no effects, and instead transferring the same amount of damage to Risk points.]

[Burdened: Stores a copied portion of half the damage user takes. When activated, user is able to either heal the stored amount, or add/transfer the damage to an attack. The more damage stored, the slower the user becomes.]

Holy shit?! This was unbelievably stronger than its previous form, Speed debuff aside.. While it did mean that I would have to watch my Risk points from now on, it didn't seem like I was in danger of running out of them anytime soon.

I eagerly watched the ring complete its transformation, wondering what kind of abilities it had compared to its previous form.

[Name: Ring of Collected Souls]

[Traits: Bound | Resurrect | Graveyard]

[Description: An upgraded ring of the one who claims the deceased.]

[Resurrect: Allows user to summon specters of opponents slain. Requires Risk to summon. Each unique specter can only be used once per day.]

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

[Graveyard: Allows user to use the souls of those slain in place of own life. Permanently removes ability to summon the sacrificed specter.]

I stared at the cloak and ring in amazement. If I wasn't truly immortal before, these items practically made it so if I didn't want to, I would never die.

[...Holy shit.]

I had the same reaction as Sephera's message. These items were incredible. I felt a surge of excitement and power course through me as I imagined the possibilities of what I could do with them.

A thought suddenly crossed through my mind. Technically, these were items that the Soultaker's master supposedly had. If that was the case, then just how strong- or dangerous- was this master of it?

"Hey, Soultaker," I said, my voice lowered. "Can you tell me more about your master? Like, what they're like, or what kind of powers they have?"

"Well, like I said before, his name was ******, and he was...different. He was one of the very first beings in existence, a god of sorts. He was powerful beyond measure, capable of destroying entire universes with a thought. But he wasn't interested in conquest or domination. He was...curious. He loved to experience all that existence had to offer, and he created us, his creations, as a way to experience the world through a different perspective. We were his playthings, his tools, and his companions. And we loved him for it."

Based on what the Soultaker said, at first glance, its master definitely didn't seem evil. But as I digested its words, I realized that it did describe a being that was interested in the intricacies of life and death. In other words, someone that would be related to my Title and its abilities.

"If that's the case, then why did the Grudge boss seem so hurt and angered by your master? It sounded like it was abandoned by him."

"I can't say for sure, but my master's other creations weren't as benevolent as us. The Grudge, for example, was twisted and angry, constantly seeking vengeance against those it deemed unworthy. It seemed to resent my master for not giving it the purpose it craved. As for the other creations, they were more like reflections of their master's darker aspects. They were born of his curiosity, but they were also products of his loneliness. They wanted to experience the world as he did, but they could never truly understand him."

[Just who is this master of yours? How do I not know of him?]

Damn. If even Sephera wasn't sure who this being of great power was, then it must mean that he was older than she was. Speaking of which...

"Hey Sephera, how old are you?" I asked without thinking.

[??? Why would you ask a lady such as myself that? It's rude. I don't go around asking why you're a masochist >:c ]

"What? Yeah, you do! You do it all the time!" I fired back.

[Well, it doesn't matter. I told you that I don't remember the beginning of my existence, so I couldn't tell you my exact age even if I wanted to... why'd you even ask? :\ ]

"I was just gauging how old the Soultaker's master was. Judging by what you and it said, I think it might be older than you."

[You could've just asked that instead of my age...]

"Sorry," I said, feeling a little embarrassed. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Anyway, at the rate you're going, I'm sure you'll be able to become strong enough to reunite me with my master," the Soultaker continued. "But in the meantime, I'll help you however I can."

I grunted approvingly, taking a closer look at my new cloak and ring. The Realmwalker was definitely a massive upgrade to my defenses, at the cost of using my Risk points to tank damage. It also didn't have a limit on how much damage I could store, which would be perfect to recover all my Health in one go if I needed it. I guess the only downside was that my Speed would be severely hindered the more damage I stored, but I figured after using my points, I'd still be one of the fastest Players.

Moving onto the Ring of Collected Souls, I was ecstatic at the fact that it basically gave me Necromancer abilities at the cost of Risk yet again. Serving as extra lives for me as well, it was a huge boost to my survivability.

Obviously, it was a bit unfortunate that both items required Risk points to use their powerful abilities, but I guess that was the system's way of balancing. Not that it mattered, since I was always stacked on Stat Points and Risk points.

"Well, guess I'm going to have to test out these items tomorrow," I muttered, reluctantly putting my new gear away in my Inventory. I planned to distribute the rest of my Stat Points later, when I had a chance to rest and think about my next goals. The rewards from my Achievement hadn’t triggered yet, but I chalked it up to the sheer amount of deaths I had accumulated causing it to drag the processing period.

Then, as I was pondering on what to eat, my phone buzzed with a text message.

Curious, I glanced at it, feeling a mixture of anger and surprise.

[:O Isn't that-]

"Yeah," I scowled, reading what my sister had texted me. "I don't know how she got my number, but she's asking if we could meet for dinner."

[Are you going to?]

"Why?" I frowned at Sephera’s message. "I'd rather not if I can help it. Besides, we're not exactly on the best of terms right now."

Another buzz from my phone. I glanced at it again.

"Never mind, she said she'd pay."

----------------------------------------

Truth to be told, I didn't really want to have dinner with Aurora. Obviously, it'd be a bit of an awkward tension, but I figured she'd want to talk if she was willing to let me choose where to eat and she was paying.

The place I chose was a small, cozy Italian restaurant just a few minutes from my apartment. Aurora was already there, waiting at a table for two, when I arrived. She looked up as I walked in, her eyes widening slightly when she saw me. "Hey," she said, trying to sound casual as she motioned for me to join her.

"What do you want from me?" I scowled at her. "Just get to the point."

Aurora winced at my harsh tone. "Look, I know I haven't been the best sister, and I get that I've hurt you," she said, taking a deep breath. "But I just want to talk, okay? I miss you, and I want to try and fix things."

"Couple years too late for that," I muttered as I sat down.

Aurora sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I want to try. I want to be the sister I should've been all along."

"So?" I prompted after our waiter took our orders. "Start by explaining why you did what you did. Why you thought it was such a good fucking idea to take things into your own hands and leave me to deal with the aftermath."

Aurora winced again. "Straight to it, huh? I guess I deserve that." She slightly spun her glass around, watching the wine swirl. After a while, she set it down, avoiding my eyes.

"I know our parents were pretty shitty. I know they took out a lot of their anger or whatever physically on you. We were in a lot of debt, and it was because they were addicted to whatever they could get their hands on," she quietly began. "But... Lu, how do you think they were able to get the barest amount of money for the stuff they were addicted to?"

I stared at her, feeling a cold chill run down my spine. "What do you mean?"

"Obviously they didn't have jobs or the means to acquire money. But at the time, I was healthy. Considered beautiful," Aurora still wouldn't meet my eyes.

My mouth went dry. "No," I whispered. "No, you can't be serious."

Smiling weakly, my sister finally met my gaze, a haunted look in her eyes. "I know it doesn't really excuse the fact that I've been such a shitty sister, but I guess I was just afraid of reliving those memories if I saw you before I was ready. Our parents took everything from me, including you. Guess that's why my Title fits me so well, huh?"

It started to make sense now. Aurora and I weren't the best at communicating our feelings through words. We'd always try to ignore things, pretend everything was fine. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt in my chest.

"Not to say what I did was justified, or that I had it worse than you," Aurora made a face. "The only other person who knows this is Gigi, and she's the one who started helping me through it. To put it short, I just want us to start over. It's... I'll try to explain everything, but there might be some parts that'll be hard for me to... you know."

"That's... fine by me," I finally said, my voice hoarse.

****

[Updating…]

[Stat Points: 106094215]

[Items]

[Realmwalker]

[Ring of Collected Souls]