ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟚𝟞: 𝔖𝔬𝔲𝔩 𝔸𝕀 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Merging with a║Soul A.I║involves splitting a small portion of your soul to create a personalized Soul A.I. However, once this is done, you will no longer be able to access any Tamer-type Skills. ﴿

﴾ Upon merging, the Soul A.I will be bound to you for life. Do you wish to proceed with the merge? ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Jay hadn’t worried much when he learned that merging with the║Soul A.I║would strip him of the ability to use Taming-type Skills. Such a sacrifice seemed a small price, a ripple in the vast ocean of changes he anticipated.

What truly troubled him, though, was the part that gnawed at the edges of his mind—the part about splitting a minor portion of his soul.

He found himself weighing the pros and cons, as he often did when faced with decisions of that magnitude. His mind wandered back to the rewards he had gained from causing Universe-level Achievements. The║Harmony║skill and the║Centauri Kavach║came to mind, each arriving at critical moments when he needed them most.

The first time, after entering║INVERSE║mode, his stats had spiked beyond his control. The sudden increase in the attributes of his║LOOTED STATUS║had left him vulnerable, unable to adapt quickly enough.

That’s when the Rare Grade Skill,║Harmony║, had surfaced. It had been precisely what he needed—a stabilizing factor that eased the erratic surges in his stats, granting him the control he desperately needed in that situation. Without it, Jay would have had a hard time during his clash with the Dire Wind Wolf.

Then came the║Centauri Kavach║, the Growth-type armor that appeared when he had lacked any significant defensive capability. Moreover, its potential was vast, capable of evolving to even greater heights. Both rewards had aligned perfectly with his weaknesses, showing how those Universe-level Achievements seemed to provide exactly what he required in that situation.

Reflecting on that pattern, he considered the pain that would accompany the soul-splitting process. Pain was not foreign to him. He had endured it in spades when he first triggered║INVERSE║.

The agony had been near unbearable, compared to that, whatever suffering awaited during the merge with the║Soul A.I║felt manageable.

With that decision made, he accepted the inevitable, but in that moment, he realized how deeply he had underestimated the agony awaiting him. He had dismissed it, assuming it would be tolerable compared to the physical pain he'd endured in the past. He was wrong—terribly wrong.

The pain wasn't physical. It went beyond the body, manifesting as a torment that clawed at his mind, twisting through his very consciousness. It felt like a headache, but amplified to an unbearable scale.

It wasn’t a sharp, stabbing sensation; it was a relentless, crushing pressure, as if something inside his skull was being slowly and methodically torn apart.

His knees buckled beneath the weight of it, and he collapsed to the ground with a heavy, resounding thud. His body, bolstered by an Endurance Attribute in his║LOOTED STATUS║that had reached 62 Stats, weighed nearly half a ton, and the force of the impact of his fall sent cracks spider-webbing across the floor beneath him.

A low, primal growl tore from his throat, uncontrolled, as the mental pain continued to rise in intensity. It was like a wave, cresting higher and higher, threatening to drown him completely. His hands shot to his head, fingers gripping his skull as if he could somehow contain the agony. But there was no escape. It wasn’t the kind of pain that could be stopped by physical means.

His vision blurred as he felt his consciousness fraying at the edges, each second stretching into an eternity of torment. Every breath became a battle, shallow and ragged as his body fought to stay grounded amidst the chaos in his mind. Yet, even as he writhed in agony, something else stirred—a flicker of awareness through the haze of suffering.

Notifications began flashing before his eyes, each one announcing a new Resistance forming within him. It was as if the very act of enduring this mental torment was reshaping him, forging a new layer of resilience in the crucible of his suffering.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

﴾ Lv.1║Mental Pain Resistance║ ⧼Common⧽ obtained ﴿

﴾ Lv.1║Mental Pain Resistance║ ➟ Lv.2║Mental Pain Resistance║ ﴿

* Increases resistance to mental pain by 2%, allowing you to endure greater emotional or psychological stress without losing focus.

* The enhanced resilience improves mental clarity and decision-making under intense mental strain, helping you stay composed and effective in high-stress scenarios.

* As this skill levels up, your ability to withstand mental anguish will grow, reducing the impact of psychological pressures and maintaining stability in difficult situations.

…

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…

﴾ Lv.14║Mental Pain Resistance║ ➟ Lv.15║Mental Pain Resistance║ ﴿

﴾ Lv.15║Mental Pain Resistance║ ➟ Lv.16║Mental Pain Resistance║ ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Once the║Mental Pain Resistance║reached Lv.16, the torment finally reached a saturation point. The searing agony that had torn through his mind no longer escalated and instead began to fade, slowly retreating into a dull ache.

Relief washed over him like a wave, though his body bore the signs of the ordeal. His complexion had turned noticeably pale, and his breaths came in ragged, shallow gasps. Trembling slightly, he rose from his kneeling position, legs weak but holding steady beneath the weight of his still-heavy form.

Even with all he had endured, the║Mental Pain Resistance║had only climbed to Lv.16. The thought gnawed at him, prompting a reflection on past experiences.

‘Just how intense, how utterly excruciating had the physical pain been for his║Physical Pain Resistance║ to have reached Lv.50?’

The comparison left him momentarily silent, the echoes of past suffering mingling with the fading remnants of his current ordeal. It made him realize just how deeply his body had been tempered by pain over time.

But his thoughts were abruptly interrupted as something strange began to happen. The light in the room, which had seemed stable moments before, started to shift. Rays of illumination converged from every corner, coalescing into a concentrated yellowish glow.

The light pulsed and flickered, gathering in the center of the room until it formed a ball, growing rapidly in size. In just a second, it expanded to the dimensions of a basketball, hovering in the air, bright and vivid.

He watched in quiet fascination as the ball of light reached its peak size and then, with a blinding flash, burst apart. The room returned to its usual state, the brightness dimming back to normal, yet something had changed. In the place where the yellowish orb had floated, there now hovered a tiny figure—a chubby baby, no older than one year, floating in midair.

The baby’s eyes fluttered open, and upon seeing him, the child's face lit up with pure joy. Its wide eyes sparkled with delight, and a squeal of glee erupted from its small lips: "Master!!!" The sound, high-pitched and cheerful, echoed through the room.

Jay blinked, momentarily taken aback, but not by the baby’s sudden appearance. What startled him was how eerily identical the child looked to him when he had been that age. The resemblance was uncanny—the same round cheeks, the same wide, curious eyes. It was as though he was staring at a mirror of his own infancy.

Back when he was just a year old, he'd been chubbier than most babies—round, rosy-cheeked, and overflowing with an infectious cheerfulness. His family would often gather around their old photo album, reliving those early memories, and whenever the picture of his infant self surfaced, his younger sister, Qew, would burst into uncontrollable laughter.

She had always found his chubby baby form utterly amusing. In fact, whenever she was on the verge of losing an argument with him, she would slyly bring up that photo, knowing it would momentarily disarm him.

So when the baby materialized before him, hovering in midair with that same innocent, chubby face, it was impossible not to make the connection. The resemblance was uncanny, a perfect reflection of his joyful younger self. It struck him immediately—that was his Soul A.I.

Before he could ask a single question, the baby seemed to understand his unspoken curiosity. It started to introduce itself in a familiar, high-pitched voice brimming with cheer, "Master, I am your Soul A.I. I was created by the System using a part of your soul. That is why my appearance looks like Master's younger self."

The baby spun joyfully in the air, its excitement palpable as it continued, "With me being a part of Master's soul, my emotional state and attitude also resemble Master's younger self." It giggled, floating in playful circles around him, the voice so reminiscent of his own youthful exuberance that, under any other circumstance, he might have facepalmed at the ridiculousness of it all.

The sight of his 1-year-old self—chubby, wide-eyed, and overly cheerful—was both bizarre and amusing. But the harmony he felt within himself helped him maintain his composure, allowing him to take in the scene with calm acceptance.

The Soul A.I. didn’t stop, though, continuing to babble on in its baby-like tone, "As an Epic Grade Soul A.I., I have access to Tier-4 System Information! And right now, in the Trial Program, information is the most useful aspect!" It puffed up, as if proud of itself, the tiny version of himself radiating excitement at its own capabilities.

Suddenly, its tone shifted, more urgent but still retaining that childlike enthusiasm, "Master, prepare yourself! There are 3 seconds left before the duration of║INVERSE║mode ends."

The warning came just in time. He braced himself mentally, not well aware of what would follow. As the Soul A.I. counted down, he felt the change sweeping through him.

In an instant, his body gave way to the unfamiliar feeling of depletion. A wave of steam burst from his skin, hissing and whistling, much like the first time he had entered║INVERSE║mode back in Trial World. His silver-colored eyes dulled, fading back to their original black, and the same happened to his hair, the vibrant energy of his enhanced form slipping away.

The sudden shift felt like having the strength ripped from his limbs, leaving behind a wave of weakness and exhaustion that threatened to buckle his body.

The familiar║LOOTED STATUS║tab appeared in his mind, and as he glanced at it, he saw the word 'Primary' revert back to 'Secondary.'

With a simple mental command, the tab flipped to reveal his regular║STATUS║, now returning as his 'Primary' tab. Along with it came a flurry of notifications, each detailing the aftermath of his time in║INVERSE║mode.