In a blink, the house above him was gone, devoured by a silent, hungry void. The gnawing cold returned, seeping into his bones, but an inexplicable warmth ignited within him, chasing the chill away. His pulse hammered in his ears, a frantic drumbeat of raw excitement. A wide, unrestrained grin split his face, a testament to the thrill of what was to come.
"This…" he breathed, the words a low hiss of anticipation, "…is going to be fun."
The wind bit harder against his clothes, but Yggy barely noticed. His attention was consumed by a faint, yet distinct, current of energy flowing into him. It was a subtle warmth that settled deep in his bones, a nascent power that hummed just beneath his skin. "Just one house… and this is the effect?" he muttered, clenching a fist as if to grasp the newfound, intangible strength.
As if in response, the Book of Greed fluttered open in his hands. It stopped on a new page, where a rough sketch of the now-vanished house was burned into the parchment. Below it, numbers glowed faintly in blue ink:
Str: 6Dex: 4VIT: 11Int: 3
His mind reeled. My stats, he commanded silently.
Guided by his thoughts, the pages flipped back to the very front, displaying his own status in the same glimmering ink. The change was staggering.
Name: Yggy Medas
Aether Rank: (F) (Looter system Activated)
Aether Proficiency: level 1 (new) (Looter system Activated)
Class: Criteria not met
Str: 1 (+5) (looter system Activated)
Dex: 1 (+3) (looter system Activated)
VIT: 1 (+10) (looter system Activated)
Int: 1 (+2) (looter system Activated)
Luck: 1 (level dependent looter system Activated)
"Looter System Activated…" Yggy's eyes narrowed, fixing on the goblin still prowling the edge of the neutral zone. Just you wait. Strength coiled under his skin like a loaded spring; his steps felt lighter, his senses sharper. This was a power he had never touched, never even dreamed of.
He tightened his grip on the book. "Greed," he commanded, "explain the stats."
The Book of Greed rustled, pages flipping to a stop. A faint blue light bled from the parchment as ink swirled, forming words with an invisible hand.
[STR] – Force[DEX] – Speed & Evasion[VIT] – Endurance & Healing Rate[INT] – Precision & Ability[LUCK] – The Odds
The definitions were stark, simple. Too simple. "Elaborate," Yggy muttered.
The words on the page shimmered, then rearranged themselves into a single, final line.
That is beyond me to explain.
"What?" Yggy's brow furrowed. The blue light faded, leaving him with more questions than answers. He flexed his fingers, feeling a warmth spread through them that defied the biting cold. It didn't matter if he understood the how. The buff was real, a tangible heat against the snow-laced wind. That was enough.
His gaze shifted from the book to the rest of the settlement—four more rundown houses, half-buried in the snow, waiting. A predator's smile touched his lips.
"Looter Domain."
A pulse of Aether erupted from his feet, a silent, shimmering ring that rippled through the frost. He watched it expand, noting with satisfaction that the radius had grown—its shimmering edge now licked the foundation of the second rundown house.
Perfect. He sidestepped, centering himself precisely between the two structures.
"Loot."
The word was a quiet command, yet it bent reality. Both houses twisted, wood splintering and stone groaning, not in collapse, but in deconstruction. They folded in on themselves, vanishing into the pages of Greed, which now bore two new, perfect black sketches.
Below it: Str: 5 Dex: 2 VIT: 0Int: 0
Then the stats on First page update his stats
[UPDATE]Str: 6 → 11Dex: 4 → 6VIT: 11 → 14Int: 3 → 3
He didn't hesitate. Two houses remained.
"Looter Domain."
The pulse swept out again, easily engulfing both targets. The very air inside the zone seemed to bend toward him, a tangible pressure waiting to be unleashed.
"Loot."
They collapsed, gone in the space of a breath.
Same as before as he turned to page 1 thinking the growth of his stats
[UPDATE]Str: 11 → 13Dex: 6 → 7VIT: 14 → 16Int: 3 → 4
At first, he thought it was his imagination. The wind still screamed across the snowfield, a desolate howl, but the biting edge was gone. There was no sting on his exposed skin, no creeping numbness in his fingers. His damp jacket, chilled moments ago, now felt warm against his back, and the soaked lining of his shirt clung with a comforting heat.
Then, the Book of Greed pulsed in his hands, a soft, internal rhythm. He looked down as golden letters etched themselves across a blank page, each stroke glowing like molten metal.
[Special Objective Unlocked — Warmth of a Home]Effect: Immune to environmental effect as long as the Book of Greed holds 5 or more looted structures.
Yggy flipped to the back panel. The reward sat there—Warm Felt Inside a House Lv. 1/10—the only visible entry among hundreds of locked objectives, all hidden under question marks.
Level one of ten… so it can grow? he thought. The book gave no answer, only flipping a single page before stilling.
He scanned the settlement—
A well stood near the southern edge, its rim iced over. Food stands lay scattered, firewood stacked in uneven piles. On the northern side, merchant stalls slumped under snow, their faded canopies barely holding. A weathered sign creaked at the entrance… just beyond it, goblins waited. Ten now, down from twenty.
"Book of Greed," Yggy muttered, "why is my Looter Domain's range increasing?"
The book flipped on its own, stopping halfway. Blue letters bled into the page:
Looter Domain is shaped by your INT — the finer your Aether control, the farther and cleaner you can claim.
No cooldown. No usage limit.
The only limit… is what you can see.
Yggy's lips curled into a sharp grin. "Nice."
Another pulse burst out—bigger than ever—Looter Domain swelling until it nearly brushed the neutral zone's edge.
"Loot," he said, letting the wind carry it.
The well, the food stands, the firewood—gone in a blink.
[Update]
Str: 20
Dex: 12
VIT: 25
Int: 10
The Book of Greed's pages flipped rapidly, The pages pulse like it has eaten something yummy, each sketch a silent trophy.
And somewhere behind those question marks, Yggy knew—Greed was holding back.
The more he fed it, the more it would give.
Yggy lifted his gaze to the goblins at the gate, their movements slow, waiting and uncertain.
"Time to clear floor two," he murmured, stepping forward, "and go home."