Bell stared at the magic circle, which was complex enough to make his scalp tingle, and fell silent.
Densely packed runes twisted and squirmed across the paper like insects. Every line was terrifyingly precise and eerily unsettling.
He couldn't understand it.
Not a single word.
“This is the basic circuit of the soul.”
Antinoia Milia pushed up her glasses, her voice as flat as if she were reading from a textbook.
“If you want to construct a stable soul container, you must first understand this.”
“It is called the Anchor.”
“A soul is a pure energy entity with no form and no boundaries. You must first give it an Anchor so it knows where it should stay.”
Bell’s fingers lightly brushed the page.
A cold sensation traveled from his fingertips.
“How long will it take?”
He looked up, meeting Antinoia’s eyes.
“How long will it take to learn this?”
Antinoia remained silent for a few seconds.
“For a genius, three months.”
“For an ordinary person, three years.”
“For a fool, a lifetime.”
Bell’s throat tightened.
Three months.
He didn't have three months.
He didn't know when Cecilia Lucas would return.
She could appear outside his door tomorrow, carrying that angelic face and that demonic smile.
“Is there a faster way?”
Bell’s voice was low, carrying a hint of suppressed madness.
“Even if... even if it's a shortcut.”
Antinoia’s gaze changed.
She stared at Bell as if scrutinizing a dangerous object.
“A shortcut?”
“You want to take a shortcut?”
She suddenly laughed, a cold sound.
“There is one.”
“Use the soul of a living human directly.”
Bell’s pupils suddenly contracted.
“What?”
“A living human soul is born with an Anchor.”
Antinoia’s voice was soft, yet it cut into Bell’s nerves like a knife.
“You only need to strip it from the body and force it into your dirt puppet. You can skip all the construction steps.”
“Simple, fast, and effective.”
“But the price is—”
She paused.
“You will become a true monster.”
Bell’s fingers curled inward.
He didn't immediately argue.
Antinoia watched his expression, a flash of disappointment flickering in her eyes.
“I knew it.”
“You’re no different from all those other madmen.”
She closed the book, preparing to take it back.
“Wait.”
Bell pressed his hand down on the book.
“Is there any other way?”
“One that doesn't involve living people.”
Antinoia arched an eyebrow.
“You still have a moral line?”
“I thought you were already prepared.”
Bell grit his teeth.
“I won't kill innocent people.”
“But I won't just sit here and wait for death either.”
Antinoia stared at him for a long time.
Finally, she sighed.
“There is.”
“But it’s difficult.”
She flipped to another page of the book and pointed to a densely written annotation.
“Use the soul of a magic beast.”
“The soul structure of a magic beast is simpler than a human's, but their aggression and instincts are stronger. You need to strip the soul while simultaneously erasing their consciousness, leaving only the purest energy core.”
“Then, using your own mana, you reconstruct its Anchor bit by bit.”
“The success rate is less than ten percent.”
“And—”
She looked up, her gaze sharp.
“You need to kill that magic beast with your own hands.”
“At the moment of its death, you must capture its soul with mana.”
“A second too late, and the soul will dissipate.”
“A second too early, and it will lash back at your mind.”
Bell’s breathing hitched.
In his mind, images surfaced of the dirt puppets he had crushed over and over on the training ground.
A hundred times.
A thousand times.
He couldn't even make a stable dirt puppet.
And now, he was supposed to capture the soul of a magic beast?
“I know what you’re thinking.”
Antinoia’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“You think you can’t do it.”
“You think it’s too hard.”
“You think you’ll die.”
She stood up, looking down at Bell.
“Then don't learn it.”
“Go back to sleep and be the failure you are.”
“The world has plenty of failures anyway.”
Bell’s fists clenched.
His nails dug into his palms, the stinging pain crystal clear.
“I’ll learn it.”
He looked up, his eyes burning with a near manic persistence.
“Tell me where to find magic beasts.”
Antinoia blinked in surprise.
Then, she smiled.
“Interesting.”
“You’re even crazier than I thought.”
She pulled a piece of parchment from the shelf and quickly wrote down a few lines.
“The Rune Mountains, the Shadow Forest on the north side.”
“There is a low tier magic beast there called a shadow wolf. Their soul structure is relatively stable, making them suitable for beginners.”
“But don't underestimate them.”
“A single shadow wolf can easily tear apart three grown men.”
She handed the parchment to Bell.
“Also.”
“Capturing a soul requires a special container.”
“I have one here.”
She pulled a palm sized crystal bottle from her pocket, its surface covered in complex runes.
“This is a Soul Bottle.”
“Use it to temporarily seal the magic beast’s soul.”
“But remember, it can only hold it for three days.”
“Within three days, you must complete the soul reconstruction, or the soul will dissipate completely.”
Bell took the crystal bottle.
A cold sensation emanated from his palm.
“How much?”
Antinoia raised an eyebrow.
“You actually have a head for business.”
“No charge.”
“But you must promise me one thing.”
Bell’s heart sank.
“What is it?”
“If you succeed.”
Antinoia’s expression turned serious.
“Give me all of your experimental data.”
“I want to know how you did it.”
Bell was silent for a few seconds.
“Fine.”
Antinoia nodded with satisfaction.
“Then I wish you luck.”
“Don't die in the forest.”
Bell turned to leave.
Tia Astane had been standing nearby the whole time, her face as pale as paper.
“Junior Bell...”
Her voice was soft and trembling.
“Are you... are you really going?”
“It’s very dangerous there...”
Bell stopped walking.
He turned back and looked into Tia’s worried eyes.
“I have to go.”
“Why?”
Tia’s eyes grew red.
“Why are you pushing yourself so hard?”
“You clearly could... could...”
“I have no way out.”
Bell interrupted her.
“If I don't get stronger, I will die.”
“And I won't be the only one.”
Tia was stunned.
“Then... is there anything I can do to help?”
Bell shook his head.
“You’ve already helped a lot.”
“Take care of Lilian.”
“If her fangs... if they can grow back, remember to tell me.”
With that, he walked away without looking back.
Tia stood there, her tears finally falling.
Shadow Forest.
Bell stood at the edge of the forest, the Soul Bottle gripped in his hand.
Night had already fallen.
The forest was pitch black, with only the occasional roar of a beast echoing through the darkness.
He took a deep breath.
He stepped into the dark.
The shadow wolf den was deep within the forest.
Bell moved forward cautiously, following the map Antinoia had given him.
With every step, he could feel countless eyes watching him from the surroundings.
Finally.
He saw it.
A massive shadow wolf was crouched on a rock, licking blood from its claws.
Its fur was as black as ink, and its eyes glowed with an eerie green light.
Bell’s heart hammered against his ribs.
He raised his hand and began to gather mana.
“Earth Wall.”
A thick wall of earth rose abruptly behind the shadow wolf.
The shadow wolf whipped its head around and let out a low growl.
It saw Bell.
The next second.
It lunged.
Bell’s pupils dilated.
Fast!
Too fast!
He didn't have time to react.
The shadow wolf’s sharp claws were already in front of his face.
Thwack!
A wind blade descended from the sky.
It sliced precisely into the shadow wolf’s neck.
Blood sprayed.
The shadow wolf let out a shrill howl and crashed heavily to the ground.
Bell was stunned.
He turned his head.
He saw a familiar figure.
Leovet Victor stood on a tree branch, a green wind blade forming in his hand.
“Fool.”
Leovet jumped down.
“You dare charge in here without even basic vigilance?”
“Are you trying to die?”
Bell opened his mouth but couldn't find his voice.
Leovet walked over to the shadow wolf and knelt down.
“It’s still alive.”
“But it’s dying.”
He looked up at Bell.
“You want to capture its soul?”
Bell nodded.
Leovet smirked.
“Interesting.”
“Then hurry up.”
“It won't last much longer.”
Bell took a deep breath.
He walked over to the shadow wolf and raised his hand.
Mana began to condense in his palm.
The shadow wolf’s breathing grew weaker and weaker.
Its eyes slowly lost their luster.
Now.
Bell slammed his hand onto the shadow wolf’s forehead.
Mana surged instantly.
He could feel the dissipating life force drifting away from the shadow wolf’s body.
The soul.
He had to catch it.
Bell grit his teeth and pulled out a stack of rune array papers that were as thin as cicada wings.
These were one time consumables.
He had spent fifty gold stones to buy them from the most remote magic black market in the royal capital.
Once used, they were gone.
“First layer: Lock.”
Bell pressed the first rune array onto the shadow wolf’s chest.
The runes lit up instantly, turning into a faint blue ring of light that enveloped the shadow wolf’s body.
The shadow wolf’s body jerked.
The eerie green light in its eyes began to flicker violently.
“Second layer: Strip.”
Bell pressed the second rune array onto the shadow wolf’s throat.
The runes exploded into countless tiny points of light that burrowed into the shadow wolf’s skin.
The shadow wolf let out a shrill scream.
The sound didn't seem to come from its throat, but rather ripped out from the depths of its soul.
Bell’s hands were shaking.
He could feel the shadow wolf’s soul struggling.
It didn't want to leave the body.
It was resisting.
“Third layer: Suppress.”
Bell pressed the third rune array over the shadow wolf’s heart.
The runes burst into a chain that tightly bound the light orb trying to escape the shadow wolf’s body.
The shadow wolf’s body convulsed violently.
Blood sprayed from its mouth and nose, splattering across Bell’s face.
Bell didn't wipe it away.
All of his focus was concentrated on the light that was becoming clearer in his palm.
That was the soul.
The shadow wolf’s soul.
“Fourth layer: Purify.”
Bell pressed the fourth rune array onto the shadow wolf’s forehead.
The moment the runes exploded, the shadow wolf’s body arched like a fully drawn bow.
The green light in its eyes vanished completely.
In its place was a deathly grayish white.
Bell could feel the shadow wolf’s consciousness being torn apart bit by bit by the runes.
Its memories, its instincts, its anger, its fear.
Everything was crushed into powder.
Only the purest energy core remained.
But that wasn't enough.
“Fifth layer: Seal.”
Bell pressed the fifth rune array onto the shadow wolf’s spine.
The runes exploded into a dense net of light that firmly trapped the orb of light.
The shadow wolf’s body finally stopped twitching.
It was dead.
But its soul was still struggling in Bell’s palm.
Bell raised the Soul Bottle.
The runes carved on the bottle glowed faintly under the moonlight.
He had to get the soul inside.
But just as he was about to open the stopper—
The light orb suddenly exploded.
“What?!”
Bell’s pupils shrank.
The soul had lost control.
Like a rampaging entity of energy, it tumbled violently in his palm, trying to break through the rune constraints.
The palm of Bell’s hand burned with agonizing pain.
He could smell his own skin scorching.
“Sixth layer: Forced Compression!”
Bell bit the tip of his tongue and spat blood onto the sixth rune array.
The runes lit up instantly, turning into a blood red pillar of light that slammed into the rampaging soul.
“Aaaagh!”
Bell let out a roar.
His mental energy was being consumed at a frantic rate.
Veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat poured down like rain.
Under the pressure of the red light, the soul finally stopped struggling.
It shrank into a light orb the size of a fist, trembling slightly in Bell’s palm.
Bell panted heavily, his trembling hand opening the Soul Bottle.
He had to be fast.
This thing wouldn't last much longer.
“Get in!”
Bell shoved the light orb into the mouth of the bottle.
The orb struggled fiercely, like a trapped beast.
Bell grit his teeth and pressed the seventh, eighth, and ninth rune array papers all onto the bottle.
The runes exploded into countless chains that locked the light orb inside.
Thud!
Bell forced the stopper into place.
The light orb inside the bottle tumbled violently, hitting the walls with muffled thuds.
But it couldn't get out.
Bell slumped to the ground, gasping for air.
The palm of his hand was a bloody, charred mess.
But he had succeeded.
He had captured the shadow wolf’s soul.
“Fool.”
Leovet’s voice came from the tree branch.
He jumped down and crouched in front of Bell, looking at the Soul Bottle in his hand.
“Thirteen rune arrays?”
Leovet raised an eyebrow.
“Do you know how much one of those costs on the black market?”
Bell didn't answer.
He just stared intently at the struggling orb of light inside the bottle.
Leovet suddenly smiled.
“Interesting.”
“Most people would give up out of fear the first time they tried to extract a soul.”
“You didn't.”
He reached out and patted Bell’s shoulder.
“Go back.”
“You only have three days.”
“If you don't complete the soul reconstruction within three days, this thing will vanish completely.”
Bell nodded.
He struggled to stand up, carefully tucking the Soul Bottle into his clothes.
Just as he turned to leave—
Leovet spoke again.
“Bell.”
Bell stopped.
“Do you know?”
Leovet’s voice was very soft.
“Once a soul is extracted, it can never go back.”
“It will forever remember the pain of being stripped away.”
“Forever.”
Bell’s body stiffened.
Leovet didn't say anything else.
He just stood there, watching Bell’s back disappear into the depths of the forest.
After a long time.
He whispered to himself.
“You and your sister are truly alike.”
“Both of you are mad.”
By the time Bell returned to the academy, dawn was nearly breaking.
He dragged his exhausted body to his room and pushed open the door.
The room was pitch black.
He didn't turn on the light.
He walked straight to the desk and placed the Soul Bottle on it.
The light orb in the bottle was no longer struggling violently.
It just trembled slightly, like a flame about to go out.
Bell stared at it for a long time.
Then, he took the heavy book, Soul Construction, out of the drawer.
He flipped it open.
The first page.
“Step one of soul reconstruction: Constructing the Anchor.”
Bell’s fingers lightly traced the page.
He knew this would be hard.
But he had no way out.
He had to succeed.
Just as he was about to start studying—
The door was suddenly pushed open gently.
Bell whipped his head around.
A petite figure stood in the doorway.
The moonlight spilled in behind her, outlining her silhouette clearly.
Cecilia Lucas.
She was wearing a pure white nightgown, her feet bare as she stood at the door.
On her face was that familiar, angelic smile.
“Brother~”
Her voice was soft and sweet.
“Where did you go?”
“I missed you so much.”
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