Now Kevin’s turn—talk about a tight spot. He’d dumped everything into this draw, and pulling a dud would suck hard.

  He jammed his hand into the portal, and it felt off—muffled, thick. Like shoving your fist into a hazy-ass cave or some weird crap.

  His fingers grazed something—sword maybe? Adrenaline kicked in as he lunged, but it slipped right outta his grip. Shit. Back to groping blind. Then he hit something solid—round, hard to pin down in the murk.

  He just wanted to yank it close and see what the hell it was.

  Omnispace cut in: “Draw concluded. Rewards allocated.”

  “What the hell is this?! I just wanted a look!” Kevin snarled.

  A rock? What am I gonna do, chuck it at some asshole’s head?

  The portal blinked out like a shady street hustler—takes your cash, drops some knock-off junk, then splits. Kevin muttered a curse. He’d bet it all and got stuck with a damn rock. Raw-ass deal.

  Mallow, nosy as ever, craned from behind. “Yo, boss, let me peep that rock.”

  It was a creepy-ass bastard—round as fuck, black as midnight. Toss it in a coal heap, and it’d vanish like a ghost. Kevin, pissed and done, flicked it over his shoulder without a glance.

  “Whoa, hold up!” Mallow hollered. “Boss, that ain’t no regular rock!”

  “Yeah, no shit,” Kevin grumbled. “What, it sings? I’ll start a damn circus then!”

  “Nah, it’s floating!” the chubby little bastard yelled.

  Kevin snapped his head around. Sure as hell, there it was—hovering midair right in his face. Weightless. As he stared, faint glowing words started carving themselves around it, like some magic scribble shit.

  Eternal Soulstone:

  Grade: Unknown Wonder (65%); Unique Item in Omnispace.

  Nature: Eternal Soul Sanctuary. The souls of warriors under Odin’s divine protection can be permanently stored in this stone, preventing their dissolution.

  Origin: Any Earth-based storyline dimension where Norse gods may exist.

  Materials: “Grip of the Allfather”—the first armrest stone from Odin’s throne.

  Equipment Slot: Any inventory slot; requires soulbinding.

  Description: A dense, pitch-black stone levitates effortlessly, nearly weightless to the touch. A divine strike has fractured it two-thirds from its core, leaving unmelting frost across its surface. Its inscriptions remain partially obscured.

  Backstory:

  Valkyries, Odin’s daughters, known as “battle maidens,” number twelve in total. Each is charged with escorting the souls of fallen warriors to the Norse divine realm.

  Odin, favoring the souls of the bold and fearless, forged twelve Eternal Soulstones and entrusted them to his Valkyries. This fragment belongs to Brynhild, his eldest and most cherished daughter—a chief goddess of guidance and formidable shieldmaiden.

  For eons, Odin’s right hand rested upon this armrest stone, imbuing it with near-infinite divine energy. Brynhild wielded this revered artifact to shepherd countless valiant souls into Valhalla, the hall of heroes in Asgard.

  In the cataclysm of Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods, Brynhild stood as Asgard’s defender under Odin’s command. She clashed with Hrym, commander of the Frost Giant army—a warrior nearly equal to Odin in might—and emerged victorious. Yet triumph bore a grave cost: Brynhild fell to her wounds, entering eternal slumber.

  The Eternal Soulstone, embedded upon her chest, shattered under Hrym’s final strike, its fragments dispersing across the mortal realm.

  Details: This shard bears inscriptions of the Requiem Song, a chant for guiding warriors’ souls:

  Mortals of Earth, hear the call,

  You never knew the gods at all.

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  The sky, a canvas, wide and bright,

  Clouds our pillows, dreams take flight.

  The ocean’s waves, our joyful play,

  Earth our stage, where we hold sway.

  Icebergs break when we command,

  Thunder and storms at our hand.

  The World Tree stands, so proud and high,

  Gladsheim’s halls beneath the sky.

  Asgard’s flame, our rightful throne,

  Where gods rule free, all on our own.

  Giants, our foes, in endless fight,

  Humans below, their fleeting light.

  Helheim’s gates, a dark embrace,

  Where lost souls find their resting place.

  Odin’s chosen, hearts aflame,

  To Valhalla rise, eternal fame.

  Warriors bold, in glory rise,

  Their stories sung beneath the skies.

  Fight for the heavens, realms above,

  Write your saga, claim your love.

  (Due to damage, the inscription below is lost.)

  Unique Skill in Omnispace: Odin’s Summon.

  By expending the requisite Soul Crystals, the user may summon potent Warrior’s Souls from the Eternal Soulstone to engage in combat on their behalf for a limited duration via Odin’s Summon. The potency of these Warrior’s Souls may vary according to the storyline world’s difficulty.

  Their presence in the plot world persists for (Summoner’s Intelligence + Wisdom + Charisma) × 10 seconds. With mastery of appropriate skills, the Warrior’s Souls may be enhanced by the Summoner’s attributes and abilities.

  Collection of Warrior’s Souls:

  Warrior’s Souls may originate from any plot characters or creatures, including Worldhoppers. To acquire plot characters, specific conditions must be fulfilled:

  1. High favor and compatibility: Should a plot character’s favor rating exceed 80 and compatibility surpass 90, they may elect to become a Warrior’s Soul, guarding you eternally—provided their death was not caused by you, directly or indirectly.

  2. Defeating hostile characters: For an antagonistic plot character, inflicting at least 80% of their total damage offers a chance for their Warrior’s Soul to acknowledge your valor. Upon paying a cost, you may subdue them, securing their eternal service as a Warrior’s Soul.

  3. Worldhopper sacrifice: Should a Worldhopper perish, they may opt to become a Warrior’s Soul—contingent on their consent. Once chosen, this status is irrevocable, barring resurrection in Omnispace via any means. They will possess full awareness of this consequence, rendering deception or coercion ineffective.

  Note 1: This item is damaged, significantly restricting the collection and summoning of Warrior’s Souls. Should additional shards be recovered, they may be fused to restore it. Full restoration could reawaken its divine power, unlock advanced skills, reduce Warrior’s Soul collection thresholds, amplify summoning effects, or elevate it to a true divine artifact from Valkyrie Brynhild’s era. Relevant information may be uncovered in any Earth plot dimension featuring Norse gods or giants.

  Note 2: This item demands soulbinding for activation. Once bound, it cannot be traded or dropped. Upon the owner’s death, Omnispace will reclaim it. While bound, it remains undetectable by any detection skills.

  Additional Note: The sole reason this item emerged from a six-time-mutated Walker King is its faint lineage tracing back to ancient giants. After the Eternal Soulstone shattered under Hrym’s strike, an ancient giant retrieved and ingested a shard. It lay dormant within the giant’s soul, transmitted through generations of its bloodline, until you vanquished its last distant descendant.

  ***

  “Whoa, that Walker King’s got giant blood in it?” Mallow muttered, eyes wide. “No wonder it heals faster the more it’s messed up, and chows down on folks to juice back up… Man, this description’s long as hell. Pretty badass, right?”

  Kevin, voice half-dead, shot back, “Mallow, real talk—say you’re stuck in a desert, dying of thirst and starving, and you’ve got two crates: one’s food and water, one’s gold. Which you picking?”

  “Food and water, no brainer. Gotta keep kicking, yeah?”

  “Damn right, staying alive’s the game. So here I am with this thing—some Valkyrie-soul-artifact mashup that might turn into a crazy-ass weapon. Sounds dope as hell. But here’s the kick: we don’t know shit about Soul Crystals, got zero Warrior’s Souls. Where do we even dig these up? How do we work this thing? We’re clueless as hell. Is this even worth a damn for staying alive?”

  Kevin sighed hard and kept going, “We’ve blown every damn thing. Ten grand in survival points, all our team stash, and a fat pile of skill points. The payout barely covers the mess.”

  Mallow’s voice broke rough. “T-Bone’s toast, and we lost damn near all our crew.”

  Kevin slapped Mallow’s back. “Let’s bail this hellhole. Gotta link up with Rikk and the rest.”

  Zone C squad got smashed flat. They were done—mission’s a lost cause. Pulling out was all they had left. Whole deal was a damn disaster.

  Kevin and Mallow didn’t give a shit anymore. Screw the mission—everyone’s dead anyway. All they wanted was to hit the sack and sleep this crap off.

  Five days in, and tonight, the walkers were set to mutate again—third round. Might even be a full-on walker siege.

  Why’s staying alive gotta be so fuckin’ savage? Kevin roared in his head.