the next day. I walk out into the street Naia not using a new form smalwas her Apostle form sitting on my left shoulder like a small statue, he appear before the quest location border my pack was ready I had my bat on the ready and I entered, 10 unholy-rank Soul Cores here I come
The border of the Essence Grove looms before me - a line of ancient standing stones carved with glowing runes that mark the safe boundary. Beyond them, the forest thickens into a maze of massive trees whose bark shimmers with faint magical light. The air here is thick with raw Soul essence, so concentratedIi can almost taste it on my tongue.
Naia, in her Apostle form, sits comfortably on my left shoulder, her tiny hands gripping the fabric of my shirt for balance. "The energy here...It's so rich. I can feel the unholy-rank monsters moving through the undergrowth. They're like discordant notes in the symphony."
I step past the boundary stones. The temperature drops slightly, and the sounds of Valdris fade away, replaced by the rustling of unnatural leaves and distant chittering.
I summon my baseball bat feel solid, its weight familiar and reassuring. It's a simple weapon, but I've learned that sometimes simple is Best, coated in a black-like substance that is harder than normal metal. It can tank a strong hit, but weighs as much as only a small stick on the ground.
path winds between trees with silver bark. After about fifty yards, we spot your first targets: four small, lizard-like creatures the size of large dogs. They have multiple eyes that glow red, and they're tearing at something on the forest floor. Unholy-rank monsters - the lowest threat level, but still dangerous to an unprepared novice.
Naia's tiny form tenses on my shoulder. "They haven't noticed us yet. I can help, but I need you to give the command. My Sea Storm abilities are strong, even in this Apostle form, but they'll drain your stamina."
She looks up at me. "What's your plan? Do you want me to unleash a small storm to weaken them, or would you rather engage them directly with your bat first?"
The unholy-rank lizards tear into their meal, unaware of your presence. We're about twenty feet away, hidden by foliage.
```
Weapons: There are different types of weapons: Normal, souls, and treasured. The soul weapons are made of a type of soul, unlike Naia, who's a spell-type ghost; these can turn from a simple stick to a war machine. As for the treasured these one that becomes part of the usuer, like essence the more a person get attached to the weapon it becomes his second nature to the point the user can summon and unsummons it at well, the treasured weapon's simply go by the most basics F to SS but despite the Rankin being lower then souls still a SS weapons can be as dangerous as a demigod soul. For the iuo case his bat rank at A he been using it since he was 13 years old
```
I grip my bat before borrowing some power from Naia. I swing my bat hard, and it makes a strong gust of wind.
Naia's eyes narrow with focus as she channels power through our bond. "Wind Slicer! Release!"
I feel the energy flow from her into my arms as I swing the baseball bat. The motion creates something impossible - a focused gust of wind that screams forward, catching all four lizards in an instant. They're lifted off their feet, trapped in a miniature tornado that spins violently.
The creatures shriek as razor-sharp gusts of wind slice through them. It's over in seconds - the tornado dissipates, and four lizard bodies fall to the forest floor, cleanly bisected. Blue-white Soul Cores roll from their remains, each about the size of a fist.
The unoly soul's got stuck in it, and in the small tornado, they get sliced in half. Only 2 cores were dropped; there's a 50/50 chance it drops or not. I collect the cores and feed them to Naia who got some essence from it was basically exp orbs like in the video games I got a notification on my phone and saw that I had fed Naia the cores they were labeled as counted so no need to go all the way back to the guild it can register automatically using Naia's badge. "Nice! That makes it easier"
Naia bounces excitedly on my shoulder. "Perfect execution! The Sea Storm aspect works beautifully with your natural combat instincts." Her essence read 4/200
A rustling in the undergrowth draws attention. More movement - these ones are larger, carrying more essence. "Another group," Naia whispers. "Five this time, slightly stronger. Still unholy-rank, but closer to Awakened threshold."
She tightens her grip on my shoulder. "Shall we continue? At this rate, we'll have the cores by midday."
I smirk, "Let's do it! Naia lighting!" Suddenly my body is coated in lightning unlike the normal energy coating with essence this was enchanted my body and Senses I dash forward sound like struck on lighting in a blank I appeared before the beast, I swing my bad then with a roaring explosion from lighting there were swept away I turn to the three survives and then pointe my fingers as three water ball form they speen until they got very thin and then they were shot killing the remaining beast with a head shot, the coating was gone and I look at my palm I didn't feel tired of fetige if not I feel awesome "three elements that most people dismissive for fire man they are stupid'
In the end, I ended up collecting 37 more cores, I went to the guild and sold them, and got my quest rewards the leftovers I gave all to Naia her essence grew from 4/200 to 112/200 thanks for the more threshold cores
Back in Valdris, the Adventurer's Guild is bustling with midday traffic. The registration desk chastity from yesterday - the purple-haired woman with the inkwell Soul - looks up as we approach.
"Back already?" Her eyes widen as you place the collection of Soul Cores on the counter. "That's... that's thirty-seven cores. All Devil-rank. And you completed the quest today?"
She taps her crystal orb, scanning your badge. The display updates instantly:
[Quest Complete]
Collect 10 unholy-rank Soul Cores
Rewards Claimed: 15 Gold,
Bonus: Overdelivery acknowledged
She pushes 15 gold coins across the counter, then pauses. "Guild policy for exceptional performance... here's an extra 5 gold bonus. You're making quite the impression, Iuo."
I smiled "it's was nothing Mrs. Chastity it's not my first time fighting untamed souls–" I quickly got quite almost slip
Chastity who wasn't hearing, looked up "Hmmm?"
I told her it was nothing and she smiled. Then I asked her something, "Hey, Mrs. Chastity, how do I get more slots?"
sighs, having heard this question countless times. She pulls out a small reference card from beneath the counter, her expression a mixture of sympathy and practiced response.
"Multiple Soul contracts... everyone asks about this eventually. The answer is complicated and expensive."
She leans forward, lowering her voice slightly. "Officially, the Empire limits each person to one contract per year through licensed shops. That's the law - and it's a good one. Soul Masters who try to contract multiple Souls too quickly often suffer spiritual fractures. The human soul can only handle so many bonds."
"Legacy Inheritance - If you come from an established Soul clan, you can inherit additional contracts. These are passed down bloodlines and don't count against your annual limit. Of course, you'd need to prove lineage."
"Wild Soul Contracting - Found in the Essence Groves or other untamed places. Wild Souls demand personal prices - lifespan, emotions, specific services. They don't use the official system, so the annual limit doesn't apply. But they're dangerous. Some demand things you can't give back."
"Black Market - Underground dealers sell stolen or cursed contracts at half price. Risky. Illegal. High chance of getting scammed or ending up with a hostile Soul. The Guild cracks down hard on these."
"Accredited Quests - Complete certain high-level Guild quests and you can earn 'Soul Contract Tokens.' Very rare. Usually requires Ascended-rank missions or higher."
"Clan Marriage - Marry into a Soul clan and you might gain access to their legacy contracts. But... that's a whole different path."
She gives you a knowing look. "Most novices think they want multiple Souls right away. But one strong, well-developed bond is worth more than five weak ones. Your Sea Storm aspect already proves that."
I nodded "I see thanks Mrs. Chastity I'm glad you told me before I end up in trouble...Then what happened if, like, someone made a giveaway and I ended up with a gold-tier gold core soul in it? Do I just keep it until next year? Or do I use it right away?" I ask as the clerk thought about my quest before pulling out a rule book from her desk and starting to flip through it
"Hmmm it says here if you win a soul by any legal contest then you have the right to make a contract with it basically yes you can" she say closing the book and smiling. "Just be lucky enough ok?"
I sighed "ok, thanks, that's really helpful... Say, Naia, what happened if I feed you that type of core? Like, let's say I find a very rare type of core, but I can use a contract, and instead I feed it to you? Do you just break through mutable awakening or just awaken once?"
"That's... actually really smart," she says finally. "And the answer is complicated."
She holds up one tiny finger. "First, Souls can only absorb Soul Cores that match their current rank or lower. An unholy-rank core works for me now because I'm awakened. If you fed me a wretched -rank core, it would be like trying to pour an ocean into a cup - too much, too fast. I'd probably explode."
She holds up a second finger. "Second, the essence from cores goes toward the 'progress bar' for our current rank. When I hit 200/200 for Awakened, I'll need to perform the Mist Blade ritual to ascend to Ascended. The cores alone won't trigger that - I need specific ritual components."
She pauses, then smiles. "But here's the interesting part: If you fed me a Gold-tier core - which contains essence from a Legendary-aspected Soul - it would give me a massive boost. It wouldn't skip ranks, but it could push me from 112/200 to... maybe 180/200 in one go. And it might imprint some of that Legendary aspect onto my own abilities."
She hops back onto my shoulder. "Think of it like this: I'm a Sea Storm now. Feed me a Dragon-aspected core, and I might gain 'Dragon Storm' qualities. Feed me a Phoenix core, and my storms might gain rebirth flames."
Chastity nods in agreement. "Your Soul understands the system perfectly. It's called Aspect Infusion. The higher-tier the core, the more dramatic the bonus. But it's still just bonus essence - doesn't replace the ascension rituals."
--
Later at a restaurant, I sat on a chair eating a burger, which cost me 2 silver coins for this meal. Naia, now in her awakened form, sat beside me, kicking her legs under the table. She didn't need food as she only fed on cores. On the TV, it was the news about the people with rare rank souls basically the celebrities or heroes, or whatever people call them they are mostly known as anima domini basically the celebrities of the soul world they are mid tiers masters but they still strong
The restaurant is a cozy establishment with wooden tables and a large magical screen mounted on the wall, displaying news broadcasts. The place smells of roasted meat and fresh bread. Your burger cost 2 silver - a reasonable price for a decent meal.
Naia sits beside me in her Awakened form, looking like a normal young girl to anyone who doesn't look too closely at her eyes. Her legs swing under the table, showing her youthful energy despite her power. She rests her chin on her hand, watching the screen with interest.
The news anchor, a woman with silver hair and a Soul resembling a small owl perched on her shoulder, speaks with professional clarity: "...and in celebrity news, Anima Domini Kaito Stormborn was seen in the capital with his newly supreme Phoenix Soul. The pair have been invited to the Emperor's Gala next month. For those unfamiliar, Anima Domini refers to Soul Masters who have achieved significant fame and recognition for their Soul partnerships."
The screen changes to show footage: a handsome man with flame-red hair, standing beside a human-sized phoenix Soul with golden feathers. "Alexander Phoenix, 'Blaze,' reached Ascended rank last week, making him one of the youngest Masters to achieve this milestone."
Another segment follows: "Meanwhile, Anima Domini Seraphina Vale continues her crusade against Fallen-rank monsters in the northern territories. Her Angel Soul, 'Grace,' has been featured in several heroic rescue operations."
Naia hums thoughtfully, kicking her legs. "Anima Domini... 'Soul Masters of Note.' It's a prestigious title. You need to have an Ascended-rank Soul at minimum, plus significant public achievements."
She leans closer, dropping her voice. "They get special privileges: tax exemptions, noble invitations, access to exclusive Soul resources. Some even get their own territories when they reach Supreme rank."
A waiter passes by, refilling your water. He glances at Naia, then at us. "First time seeing Anima Domini on the news? Pretty impressive stuff. I heard there's a new one being announced tomorrow - someone with a Sea Storm aspect that broke the Bronze tier."
Naia's eyes widen slightly, and she looks at you with a 'can you believe it' expression.
"Does the soul world know about the anima domini?" I asked
Naia tilts her head, considering my question while absentmindedly pushing a stray crumb around the table with her finger. "The Soul world? You mean the Souls themselves - the ones still waiting in nature, not yet contracted?"
She nods slowly. "Yes, they know. Souls are connected to the world's essence, which means they're aware of significant events. When a Master-Soul pair achieves Anima Domini status, it creates ripples through the Soul network."
She leans forward, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "Think of it like... a signal. When someone reaches that level of fame and power, Souls in the Groves and wild places feel it. It makes them curious about humanity. Some are inspired to seek Masters. Others become more cautious."
"So like the moment we make contract you get some of my memory?" She nodded to my question
A man at a nearby table, eating alone with a small wolf Soul, overhears our conversation and speaks up without looking. "First-timer, huh? Don't worry about the Anima Domini stuff yet. Focus on getting your Sea Storm to Awakened. The rest comes naturally."
His wolf Soul yips in agreement, then returns to chewing on a bone.
I nodded to the old man finish My food and went out as the sun was seating creating a beautiful huu of gold light