CHAPTER 43: RITUAL

And so, Boss Ford began describing the boy, estimating his age to be around seven or eight.

He told everything without daring to add or omit a single detail, even mentioning to the city lord that the boy had said the plate was being sold for only ten Nature Spirit in Night Valley City—and that was why he ended up selling it for five.

The usually calm city lord staggered when he heard this, calling Boss Ford an idiot before leaving without giving him the chance to ask what the plate really was.

Of course, Ford finally realized he had been deceived by that boy.

Slumping back in his chair, his mind replayed everything that had just happened—how the boy had entered, how he had studied the plate, and how Ford himself had approached with the gaze of a predator looking for profit.

BANG!

He slammed the table hard as the memory struck him again.

"Damn it, I’ll kill that brat!" he roared, his voice carrying across to the neighboring shops.

***

Richard had no idea that the item he had just bought was also being sought by the city lord.

Right now, he was focused on resisting the gusts of wind generated by Athena’s speed.

If he didn’t hold on tightly, he would have been thrown off entirely.

Only when they arrived at Red Wheat Village did Athena finally slow down.

They passed through the village at a leisurely pace, and Richard couldn’t help but glance at Old Bear’s house. It stood silent.

There might not even be corpses left. So how could the other villagers ever realize that Old Bear and his family had been slaughtered?

Richard shook his head. He could only say Old Bear’s fate had been truly unfortunate.

After passing the village, Athena picked up her speed once again.

In the sky, Richard noticed many birds flying back toward the mountains.

They seemed like migratory birds returning now that their territory was safe again.

By the time Richard reached his village, the sky had already turned dusky. After greeting Sister Lisa briefly, he hurried straight toward his ancestral hut.

As night fell, the old man was busy lighting bonfires and torches around the hut, roasting a massive fish that looked freshly caught.

Seeing Richard arrive, he said, "You look quite spirited..."

"Of course, I’ve collected one criminal’s brain and ten pairs of eyes," Richard replied.

"Now I can start the ritual. How about the old woman’s blood, Grandfather?"

"Don’t worry, I’ve already taken it..."

Aldric showed Richard a tightly sealed jar.

"Excellent..."

Richard couldn’t be happier, forgetting the plate-like artifact for now.

He stepped up onto the porch of the ancestral hut and pulled out the brain and all the eyes he had collected.

"So, you already have a Storage Artifact..." Aldric said, slightly surprised.

"Yes, I took it from the owner of this brain. He’s the one who planted the beast eggs to massacre the village. His brain should qualify," Richard replied.

"Your luck can be said to be rather high," Aldric nodded.

"Alright, I’ll be watching. You can begin the ritual. If something goes wrong, I’ll stop you."

"Yes..."

Richard sat down.

He knew exactly what needed to be done.

At this moment, Aldric placed the jar in front of him and removed its lid.

Inside, Richard saw a clear, crimson liquid—it looked less like blood and more like water dyed red.

Its scent even surprised him; strangely fragrant, despite being blood.

"This is the blood of the second greatest beauty of the previous era," Aldric remarked.

Richard rolled his eyes at that.

From his guess, his ancestor must have been a playboy, though clearly he had never managed to capture the most prestigious targets.

Richard then placed each pair of eyes into the jar, which was fortunately large enough to contain them all.

If he also put Damon’s brain inside—along with its dark element—it would transform into something capable of summoning malevolent souls.

Taking a deep breath, Richard began releasing his dark element. The jet-black energy seeped into Damon’s brain until it too turned dark.

He then mixed the corrupted brain into the blood already mingled with the ten pairs of eyes.

Boom!

Suddenly, a plume of black, evil smoke erupted from within the jar.

At the same time, Richard saw shadowy humanoid figures emerging. They looked like silhouettes, but their glow was crimson, as if made of blood, their faces endlessly distorted.

In Richard’s imagination, such beings could only be called wraiths—feral specters.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

They suddenly lunged at him, straight into his chest.

Yet instead of an attack, they merged with him—slipping directly into his chest.

Immediately, Richard felt something gathering within his heart, making his chest unbearably heavy, an utterly uncomfortable sensation.

The only good thing was that there was no pain.

Even so, the heaviness grew and grew.

He could feel hatred and malice seeping into his heart, spreading into his mind.

For a moment, his thoughts grew chaotic—he nearly lost himself—but just as quickly, another force cleared the corruption away.

Minutes after minute passed and Richard could feel a kind of change in his heart.

Buzz!

A black light suddenly radiated from him—not ordinary light, but his very soul.

The black radiance expanded, swelling larger than Aldric’s hut.

When it reached its limit, it began to take shape—forming a massive black dragon with icy red eyes, clad in shadowy armor that seemed made to fit its body.

Richard stared in shock.

A special soul was different from an ordinary one. A special soul could take form, but it wasn’t something one could simply shape at will.

Its form had to correspond to a person’s inherent power.

Richard had merely thought fleetingly of its shape, and it had manifested instantly.

Then the dragon’s mouth opened wide.

ROAR!

The deafening roar shook the land and space itself, rattling trees, scattering animals, and snuffing out every flame.

Even Aldric leapt in surprise.

The roar echoed all the way to Purple Rose Village, extinguishing the torches the villagers had just lit.

From such a distance, they couldn’t be sure whether it was a roar or thunder. But one thing was certain—it was the most terrifying sound they had ever heard.

DING!

(Your soul has transformed into the Black Heart Soul, turning your heart into the Black Heart, capable of storing the hidden power of wrath and resentment!)

(Status:

[Name: Richard]

[Magic Realm: Aether Will]

[Aether: 144/10,000 Tier 3]

[Aether Accumulation: 2144 Tier 3]

[Soul: Black Heart Soul]

[Black Heart Hidden Power: 0/10,000]

(Notice: Black Heart Hidden Power can be used to increase your Aether Accumulation when activated!)

DING!

(Your Black Heart Hidden Power has increased from 0 to 1!)

(Your Black Heart Hidden Power has increased from 1 to 2!)

(Your Black Heart Hidden Power has increased from 2 to 3!)

[Black Heart Hidden Power: 3/10,000] +3

Richard, "..."

How was he supposed to know that the System would even increase the hidden power of his heart—something he thought could only be obtained through slaughter?