With Atraxia’s Wrath, Keith severed the legs off of a serpent-like monster with legs. It had the body of a human. But its neck was extremely elongated by nearly three feet. The neck and head were that of a snake. This creature was nearly two times the size of even the largest of humans.

Nearly fifteen minutes had passed since he encountered this thing. It could not speak English. Nor did it appear docile. It attacked him on sight. What it was, he didn’t know. But its sword reminded him of the curved swords that the Ancient Egyptians used thousands of years ago. It also didn’t wear armor, but instead some type of cloth toga. For defense it had what looked like a tower shield made out of wood, and reinforced with metal strips.

Had he not been striving to his strength the past couple days, he would not have even been able to run away from it. However, the biggest reason he could survive was due to his new sword. He knew nothing about fighting with swords. He was barbaric, and had no finesse or grace.

Only when the creature was wounded and tired from the poison coursing through its veins did Keith gain the upper hand. He suffered minor cuts on his arms, but they were nothing new to him. Especially since he came to realize something, when he devoured souls it healed his wounds at a level where he could see the flesh stitching back together.

However, this wasn’t without its limitations. The amount he healed was dependent on how strong his opponent was before death. Also, if he was injured, the degree to which his body and soul was strengthened was weaker because energy was diverted to healing his wounds.

If he wanted to grow stronger faster, he needed to learn to fight without getting injured against an opponent that was his level of strength. This was tricky. The Kavala Wastelands mutated. He couldn’t tell what a creatures rank was anymore. They were all random. What used to be harmless rabbits instead became vicious beasts that were almost larger than he was. Also, what governed whether something mutated? Why didn’t he mutate during the time the realm changed?

With the creature kneeling immobile on the ground, Keith approached it and stabbed its chest. With its death rattles, the creatures finally breathed its last breath.

[Soul Absorbed: 145 Soul Points]

‘Ah, that’s the most I’ve gotten in one kill now. I should have roughly 1,500 now. Maybe that is enough.’

Opening the [Soul Store] Keith chose a new tab. The System he had was definitely not the same as the one that the Silvermoon Family had. It seemed to be evolving to suit his needs. More than once, Keith had the instinctive feeling that a part of every soul he absorbed didn’t go to strengthening himself and Elena but instead to The System, allowing it to evolve.

Apparently it knew his inner desires and thoughts. For the past week, he had done nothing but kill. There were countless new types of creatures that he had never seen before. Some of them even spoke. At that time, he wished that he could speak the language of the inhabitants of the Kavala Wastelands, as well as learn all the information about the new mutated realm.

Now, he could do so. Entering the new tab called [Akashic Records]. There was only one thing for sale in the entire tab, choosing [Kavala Wasteland’s] he purchased it for 1,300 Soul Points.

…

…

…

“Thank you for your purchase. Please brace for impending headache in 3…2…1.”

As the robotic voice said, Keith was assaulted with stabbing pain in his head. Countless images flashed through his mind, foreign words entered his ears. Sitting on the ground, he waited until the aching subsided.

This was the newest evolution to the [Soul Store]. As long as he used enough Soul Points, he could purchase the general knowledge of the realm he was in. As long as his intellect attribute was high enough, and as long as he could bear the pain, he could gain information. Although versatile, it was not omnipotent. The System, although he didn’t know how it did it gathered all the general information, legends, language, currency, and countless other information types. It didn’t go into extreme detail, so if he wanted in-depth knowledge he still had to speak to intellectuals or read through books. But it was enough to get by. It seemed Elena was affected too, since she complained about a bunch of useless knowledge being shoved into her mind.

Looking at the corpse beneath him, Keith now understood what it was. They were called the Kysansha. They were an isolationist species that lived in the depths of the desert wastelands. Although they were skilled in warfare, they weren’t normally violent, and exceptionally docile. They preferred to pursue knowledge over military might.

“Strange, why did it act so strange? Surely the realm mutating wouldn’t change their behaviors right?” Keith said.

“It is possible. Who knows…? I would suggest you leave. If they are violent, then you’re in trouble. What is stranger is why it is alone out here? They are supposed to travel in groups of three or four, right?”

“Yeah, I guess I will head to the North. Apparently it is home to the Vahar’Gal Dwarves. Maybe they can help me. They are supposedly the nicest of the races here in terms of interacting with humans. Even if they are hostile, at least it’s not orders of killing on sight.” Keith said cheerfully.

However, his face appeared quite stoic. It was almost as if he had facial paralysis, and it was driving him crazy. His perpetual frown would give others a bad impression of him. Well… the scar on his right eye would probably always leave a bad impression. Having such an injury usually meant that one didn’t know how to dodge and weave. If only someone saw all the scars on his body, they would think he had a death wish…

“Whatever you say…” Elena said dryly. She retreated into her own personal space, cutting off their connection. Keith was going to get them killed with his casual remarks. If a Vahar’Gal Dwarf was to hear Keith call them hostile, then no doubt they would try and kill him. They were impulsive.

As night was about to fall, Keith took the ancient scroll out of his inventory. This time, he was hoping that he would be able to read the words upon it now that he knew the general language of the Kavala Wastelands.

The Earth is hard, yet soft. The earth is the land which breeds life. It is also a barren wasteland of death. Remain as unmoving as a sentinel, weather through the sands of time. Crush with overwhelming might, but also bear the burdens of everything. A solitary mountain, a vast desert, fertile lands, the earth is both a Saint and a Devil. The earth grants boons, the earth takes lives. What you choose to do is up to you. Remain firm, stand your ground with your decisions, and protect that which is worth protecting. Your spirit is your mountain, remain unshakeable. Build your foundations, and nothing will be able to remove you. To the one who is worthy, my gift will create unshakeable foundations for you. If you wish to accept my gift, survive my trials. Bow before the sentinel, and your trials will begin.

The previous gibberish had suddenly turned into what felt like advice. As for whether he was worthy or not, Keith did not know. If he were to take some trial left behind by a Divine Ruler, then he was most certainly not ready. But for now, he would just have to gather strength. The scroll was interesting. But more importantly, there was something wrong.

It was only a gut feeling, but he felt that something greater was at play. It wasn’t just the realm mutating. He would have to be an idiot to assume that there wasn’t something going on in the shadows. A scroll left behind by a Divine Ruler, the realm mutating, the Kysansha becoming violent and seemingly without any intelligence despite their thirst for knowledge, and now a trial. Keith couldn’t shake the feeling that he was dancing in the palm of someone’s hand, and this unnerved him.