SWNOVELXO Chapter 140: Loss
He was staring into nothingness. These were the kind of moments when a man wasn't thinking about anything at all — just sitting still in one place, doing absolutely nothing. Arthur's eyelids blinked, and he shifted slightly, only to fall back into that same stillness, a faint frown settling on his face.
Five days had passed since the second event came to an end. During those days, Arthur had felt strange, as if something deep within his soul had changed. He felt much stronger, and in a way, it was as if he had become a different person, even though he knew he was still the same. It was hard to explain, but that wasn't the most important part — he felt like something was missing.
"System," he muttered to himself.
"…"
The system, as he had once known it, was gone. The moment he had opened his eyes, an inhuman wave of pain had hit his entire body. It was a crushing blow, but it wasn't as devastating as it could have been, thanks to Seraphine's help. A terrifying experience, to say the least — but survivable. What came afterward, however, was the truly terrifying part: the realization that the system was gone. That was, without a doubt, the worst pain someone like him could feel.
*****
Friday [Imperial Calendar, Year 2801, First Month, Day 27]
[Name: Arthur][Nephadrel: Superior Hybrid Creature][Vitality: 10 Years][Age: 17 Years]
Existence Level: Superior Hybrid
Skills:[Seduction] [This skill causes others to feel a strong attraction toward you. The more interested the target is, the easier it will be to influence their mental state.][Persuasion] [Able to convince and manipulate people through a combination of arguments, evidence, and emotional tactics.][Cold Mind] [Able to suppress emotional impulses.][Mana Control] [Manipulates mana with a high degree of mastery.][Magic Hands] [A secondary skill from the Sin of Lust! The host's hands are more skilled over the bodies of any race.]
Legacies:[Blue Flame] [The Flame of Life was once a beautiful creation of God for existence itself. It was once the most glorious flame to ever exist, shining even among the Seven Heavens. Now it's merely a vestige of what it once was, waiting for the moment to reunite with its other half — the divided Rune of Life.]
[Corruption] [The moment Lucifer laid his hands on the Rune of Life, it shattered into fragments.][The Legacy of Corruption is capable of corrupting everything in its path — even the bearer.]
Defect:[You will burn eternally throughout all existence.]
Primordial Seals: 1/7
Seraphim:[Leslie Violet Rose (The Fourth Seraphim)] [Status: Sealed][Corruption Level: 10%] [Fourth Seraphim: Sealed (3%)]
[Evelyn Red Rose (Third Seraphim)] [Status: Sealed][Corruption Level: 20%]
[Daniela Von Benedetto (The Masochistic Saint!)][Corruption Level: 15%]
*****
Arthur stared at the beautiful, black, glowing words floating beside his soul. They were familiar, but at the same time, a little different. The system — or rather, what used to be the system — no longer responded when he called it, as it once did. The only way to see it now was by entering his soul directly, something only possible for those with vast and unfathomable souls. Very few beings in the world possessed such a thing — among them, of course, the Seven Seraphim, the Seven Sins, and a few individuals who had long ceased to simply exist.
Arthur frowned, both annoyed and deeply disappointed. The system, as he had known it, no longer existed. He had no idea where to begin.
[Nephadrel: Superior Hybrid Creature]
This was what caught his attention the most. He had never known what he was — but at least now, he knew the name of his species, so to speak.
Existence Level: Superior Hybrid
Yes, the old stats had completely vanished — or rather, the level system the old system created based on his memories had disappeared. Now, the information was written according to the power hierarchy of this world. For example, in the demon hierarchy, the ranks went from lowest to highest: Lesser Demon, Superior Demon, Great Demon, Demon Lord, Archduke Demon, Demon Prince, and Primordial Sin.
To put it simply, he was currently at the rank of Superior Demon, just one step away from Great Demon, at least based on his own observations while looking into his soul.
During the time he had spent going back and forth within his own soul, he had noticed something else — something he still hadn't fully confirmed. His soul was divided into four colors: white, black with red hues, gray, and blue. He could see how a certain energy was constantly surging, as if it was trying to break free. The closer he got to his soul, the more his body felt distorted by the fluctuations.
The reason he felt so confused was simple: before, he relied on the level system to determine his strength — just like in the original story, where the system always accompanied the protagonist. Now that it was gone, he had no way of measuring how strong he was. Still, he had a vague feeling he was at least on par with Leslie and Evelyn in terms of strength, mana, and soul. Maybe that's why he felt so powerful. But to confirm it, he'd have to ask the girls.
Arthur thought for a moment. Now that he reflected on it, he didn't even know the full extent of the human power hierarchy, either, which only made him frown more.
He turned his gaze to something else, letting out a long, deep sigh.
[Blue Flame][The Flame of Life was once a beautiful creation of God for existence itself. It was once the most glorious flame to ever exist, shining even among the Seven Heavens. Now it's merely a vestige of what it once was, waiting for the moment to reunite with its other half — the divided Rune of Life.]
The skill [Blue Flame] had become unique — but that wasn't all. Its name had changed as well; now it was listed as a "Legacy." What truly left Arthur speechless, however, was that instead of a typical skill description, it now came with a short piece of history. There were no longer any detailed instructions about what the skill could do, but strangely, Arthur wasn't disappointed. The words, glowing in black, had left him breathless. And speaking of which...
[Corruption][The moment Lucifer laid his hands on the Rune of Life, it shattered into fragments.][The Legacy of Corruption is capable of corrupting everything in its path — even the bearer.]
The same thing had happened with this other Legacy. It had changed, too. A short history was now attached to it, although, unlike [Blue Flame], it still retained a brief description of its effects.
It was worth noting that both abilities had something in common: the progenitor demon, Lucifer, and the Rune of Life. Arthur didn't dwell too much on it for now — it wasn't his top concern — but he still made a mental note to ask Seraphine or Lilith about it later. It was better than giving himself a headache over wild theories.
And finally...
Seraphim:[Leslie Violet Rose (The Fourth Seraphim)] [Status: Sealed][Corruption Level: 10%] [Fourth Seraphim: Sealed (3%)]
[Evelyn Red Rose (Third Seraphim)] [Status: Sealed][Corruption Level: 20%]
[Daniela Von Benedetto (The Masochistic Saint!)][Corruption Level: 15%]
This part hadn't changed at all. Arthur assumed it might be because his [Corruption] Legacy was rooted inside the souls of the three young women.
In short: the system was gone. He had no idea why or how it had happened. He had evolved into a Superior Hybrid without even realizing it, and several things within his soul had changed — names, descriptions, even their nature. He didn't quite know what to do next to grow stronger, but he assumed the method would be similar to before: perhaps using potions with fragments of Sins or something along those lines... though, he wasn't fully convinced.
Arthur frowned and took one last look at the glowing black words floating in his soul before exhaling deeply and allowing them to fade away.