[You have accepted the power of the Lord of Evernd. All reted Evernd Dominion skills acquired.]

  [Your css has changed to Dark Magus. You are now cursed.]

  [You can no longer gain magic power or arcane authority through normal means.]

  [You are hated by spirits and holy entities. You are unfit for permanent pacts.]

  [Monster battle experience reduced by 50%. Ritual experience increased by 250%.]

  [Your soul will not be accepted into Heaven. Upon death, it will be condemned to Hell.]

  The messages flowed into Fethan’s thoughts. A Dark Magus couldn’t make contracts with spirits or gain experience and magic like other csses. He was bound to walk a different path.

  [Lord of the Evernd]

  [Glory: LV1]

  [Territory: 10,000 sqm]

  [Popution: 1]

  [Soul Coins: 0]

  [Tax: 1 Soul Coin per month (Increase popution to collect more taxes)]

  [Special Structures: 0 (Build to expand your domain)]

  [Service Fee: 100 Soul Coins (Due on the 13th of each month. Failure to pay results in death and eternal servitude to the King of Death)]

  "So this is SSS-tier system power?" Fethan examined the unique strength granted to him. All humans could access the System and develop their abilities, but only a rare few were granted Original Powers.

  Fethan had never heard of anyone receiving power above rank-S. That meant he was the only human with limitless potential.

  And he couldn’t help but hope.

  "If I keep developing this power, maybe I can find a way to save her." Fethan had heard of resurrection—the ultimate dark art that could return the dead to the living. He gently closed Lumi’s lifeless eyelids, sensing her soul now tethered to him in another pne.

  But before he could reflect further, he heard a rasping sound. Looking up, he saw the Reaper’s form become clearer. Its body reeked of death and misfortune. It held a massive, filthy scythe. Hollow eye sockets stared through him. Decayed teeth rasped a curse-like nguage.

  "What’s your problem? Are you pissed I took Lumi’s soul first?" Fethan guessed. The Reaper unleashed soul-crushing pressure, trying to force his surrender. His face paled, the voice felt like it was crushing his skull.

  "No way. Lumi belongs to me now. Even if Satan himself stood before me, I wouldn’t let her go. You’ll have to kill me first." He met the Reaper’s stare. At that moment, the System responded.

  [Main Quest (1): The Undying Sovereign You are the bearer of the Evernd Dominion power, destined to defy death. But you ck the most critical qualification. Transcend the cycle of rebirth and prove to your ancestors that you are their rightful heir. Reward: Unlock all Dominion functions. Penalty: None.]

  [Side Quest: Servant of Death A servant of the King of Death seeks the soul you possess. It will not stop until it recims what’s his. Your only escape is to ensve it. Kill it before the Hollow Gate closes. Reward: Reaper’s Scythe, Ring, and Cloak. Penalty: Death.]

  "Quests?" Fethan muttered. The Reaper screeched louder, pointing its bony finger at him. The sound was worse than nails on gss.

  "Go to hell! You want it? Come take it, you damn undry ghost!" Fethan’s taunt enraged it. Its unholy voice echoed through the twisted woods.

  Dozens of glowing eyes fixated on him. Muffled steps emerged from beneath the bck foliage. Long snouts, gleaming fangs, thick reddish-brown fur—creatures twice the size of normal wolves.

  Fethan instinctively grabbed Lumi’s white sword. Data flooded his mind:

  [Hellhound] [Level 30] [Race: Infernal Wolf] [Strength: 12] [Endurance: 11] [Speed: 17] [Intelligence: 10] [Perception: 14] Skills: [Pack Hunt] [Savage Bite] [Keen Nose]

  "Figures they’d show up in a red Hollow Gate. Did the Reaper summon them? And why can I see their data?" Normally the System didn’t show enemy stats. It must be the Deathseer Eyes letting him see life and death.

  But when he looked at the Reaper—

  [Unable to Scry]

  "Why can’t I read it?" He had no time to dwell. The Hellhounds surrounded him, salivating, eyes hungry. For Lumi, they weren’t a threat. But Fethan? A novice, unprepared, with no proper weapon.

  He checked his skill window, scanning for anything useful.

  "Woof!" One hound lunged. He rolled away on instinct and sshed at it.

  "Magic Bullet!" He channeled mana through Lumi’s sword. It amplified magic and acted as a conduit. But the bde rejected him violently.

  [Phoenixfang refuses you. It only obeys its true master.]

  "Damn it, I forgot! It only listens to Lumi!" His panic surged. He wasn’t a magic swordsman—his swordsmanship was shallow. He didn’t carry gear like Lumi. This was his only weapon—and it was useless.

  Phoenixfang was forged by master artisans of the Sterling family, famed exorcists. They’d sin countless Dark Magi. Their fallen enemies could form an isnd.

  Lumi was the house’s noble heir and a prodigy with the bde. Since childhood, she treated the sword like a 79th organ. Its magic outcssed normal wands and could damage souls directly.

  "Even if I brought a wand, my mana’s too weak to kill them!" He cursed himself. The Hellhounds closed in. He sshed with awkward form, more swinging iron than swordpy. One bit his leg.

  He struck back, aiming for the head, but it dodged. Focusing too hard on one hound left him open. Wounded, back to a tree, sweat ran down his face. One bite to the neck, and he’d be dead.

  "Woof! Woof woof!" The pack circled him, barking to shake his nerves. Just then—a golden window appeared.

  [Luminus Sterling requests Soul Fusion.]

  "Lumi?" Her full name blinked on the screen. The fear in his eyes faded. He felt her soul trying to link with him. He wasn’t alone anymore.

  No longer powerless. He had an SSS-rank System.

  "Even if I must wield dark arts, I have to survive. I have someone to return to." A cold, powerful energy flooded him. Gray aura enveloped him as a spell surfaced in his mind.

  "I, sovereign of the Eternal Dominion, summon Luminus Sterling, my loyal retainer. Grant me your strength and wisdom. Help me bring eternal glory to these wretched beasts." He recited the chant as if he’d known it for millennia. A gray circle fred at his feet. A silver stone gate opened behind him, revealing Lumi’s spirit in a trance.

  "Soul Fusion! Luminus Sterling!" Her spirit flew into his chest and merged with him. His silver left eye turned red. Confidence repced fear.

  "Lumi... you’re here, aren’t you?" He touched his chest. Their thoughts and senses had merged.

  [Sync Rate: 10% | Soul Power Cost: 1/sec | 49/50]

  [Phoenixfang temporarily recognizes you as its wielder.]

  [Phoenixfang: Effect: +50% Magic Amplification, +10% Soul Damage, +15% Melee Magic Damage Special: Directly damages souls Attack Power: 120 | Magic Penetration: 5%]

  The sword no longer resisted him. It felt natural in his hands.

  "GRR!!" A Hellhound charged, cws raised. His senses exploded. The bde sliced deep into the creature’s nerve clusters. Killing intent fshed from his eyes, halting the others.

  [You acquired a Green-Grade Soul: Unnamed Hellhound.]

  The System updated instantly. He sensed the soul relocate into his Dominion. He ignored the mystery and focused.

  The remaining Hellhounds attacked. Fethan danced across the battlefield, his movements graceful and sharp. Even injured, he dodged like he saw the future.

  "This is Lumi’s strength. I’m moving with her instincts and experience... and this is only 10%. What happens at full sync?" He felt his body straining. His stats were a fraction of Lumi’s. He cked training. It hurt to match her movements. If he didn’t finish it soon, he’d colpse.

  Still, he fought. But he stumbled—an opening. The Hellhounds lunged to end it.

  Blue fme lit his sword. Fox runes fred. He inhaled and struck.

  Eastern Guardian Sword Style: Form One – Demon Severance.

  Phoenixfang howled. A white fsh severed a hound’s artery. Fethan didn’t stop, unleashing a flurry of cuts. His wounded leg never slowed him.

  [You acquired a Green-Grade Soul: Unnamed Hellhound.] [You acquired a Green-Grade Soul: Unnamed Hellhound.]

  Five messages appeared. The surviving Hellhounds saw death in human form. Their pea-sized brains couldn’t fathom the change. The cowardly prey had become a predator.

  Fethan gred at them. Realizing he wasn’t easy prey, they howled.

  "AWOOOO—" Their cries echoed through the vile forest. They fled, leaving their dead.

  Fethan colpsed, soul power nearly gone.

  [Congratutions. You leveled up. Gained 1 stat point.]

  "Seven level 30 monsters... and just one level-up. What a joke. Even with this effort, I barely gain anything. Normal grinding’s off the table. I’ll need 3–4x the effort."

  He was grateful they fled. They didn’t know once fusion ended, he’d be helpless again. He opened his status window. Level-ups granted 1 point to any core stat.

  He added it to Strength.

  He was a mage with trash-tier magic. Novices had 20 mana on average. Fethan, after ten years, had 5. Always had. Even basic sword techniques needed 1 mana per use.

  Normally, the Demon Severance technique needed more, but Phoenixfang reduced its cost. Instead of boosting his already high Intelligence, Fethan chose Strength—to st longer.

  The Hellhounds would return, stronger. His leg was bleeding; hiding was hopeless. He limped away, looking for shelter to recover before the next fight.