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Chapter 145: The First SSS-Rank Skill (3)
My soul body died 100 times in a single night.
Still, by the time I hit around the 50th death, I started getting used to the combat.
I cut down enemies in the forest and ascended the mountain.
Things were going well until I fell into a trap and got instantly killed several times.
Since death in Asura’s Path results in immediate sealing at the point of death, when the seal is broken, I resumed from the exact moment I died.
As I crawled out of the trap, the enemies were already lying in wait above, slaughtering me repeatedly.
Again and again, this cycle repeated.
After dying over ten times, the enemies eventually grew exhausted and fled, only for me to fall into yet another trap.
Throughout the day, I waged countless brutal battles.
And in the process, I cut down a significant number of foes, climbing to rank 1,974.
Prior to hitting 2,000th place, my rank hadn’t been displayed—it seemed only the top 2,000 were counted.
“A third arm, huh…”
The arm I obtained after investing ten million SP.
Time to test it out.
I activated the skill [Three Heads and Six Arms – Asura’s Path].
Immediately, an image formed in my mind—a visualization of a human arm and hand.
It resembled my right arm.
Maybe because I’m right-handed, my mind instinctively shaped it after my dominant hand first.
[Would you like to form the third arm? Please specify its location.]
As I imagined different ways to use the new limb, the system message popped up.
Oh.
It seemed I wasn’t restricted to attaching all three arms on one shoulder like Asura.
In that case, there was no need to place them all on one side.
Where would it be most useful?
If it could go anywhere, I could even place it on my head or chest.
Hmm…
Since I already had arms on both sides, placing it in the center seemed practical.
And since I could remove it at will, there was no harm in experimenting.
“Form it on my chest.”
A crimson light swirled at my chest.
Then, the light tore apart, and a new arm extended outward.
It ripped through the center of my clothing, emerging alone and upright.
It moved as naturally as my original limbs, showing no signs of restriction.
But… the sight of it felt uncanny.
I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror.
It was utterly grotesque.
While my regular arms were at least covered by my shirt, the pale, bare third arm drooped from my chest.
When I flexed it, the limb shot upward, standing stiffly on its own.
I moved it around.
Swish. Swish.
It moved with precision and ease according to my will…
But…
Ugh.
It was disturbing to look at.
So what if it looks weird?
What matters is how well it performs in combat!
Logically, I knew that.
Yet, the sight still repulsed me.
Can I change its form somehow?
The limp, dangling arm on my chest.
When I left the bathroom, the hand kept brushing against my groin.
Ugh.
It was giving off some perverted vibes…
As I pondered how to modify it, I strolled into the living room.
Out of curiosity, I used the third hand to pick up the remote and turned on the TV.
A documentary about sea creatures was playing.
When did I change the channel to this?
The screen showed a squid.
It snatched a passing fish with its tentacle, then devoured it whole.
The squid’s attack left an impression.
It lay camouflaged on the ocean floor, then suddenly lashed out with its tentacle to seize its prey.
“Hmm… What about something like that?”
The third arm…
Rather than leaving it as an awkward, dangling human arm, why not transform it into a tentacle?
A sharp, piercing tip for attacking.
And if I infused it with soul energy, it could become a formidable offensive weapon.
I could keep it hidden most of the time and extend it suddenly to catch enemies off guard.
[Would you like to transform the third arm?]
The system message responded to my thoughts.
But the next message wasn’t so welcome.
[Not a humanoid form. Soul form efficiency will significantly decrease.]
Hmm…
Since my fundamental soul form was human, using a tentacle-like shape would result in a performance penalty.
Tch.
Never mind, then.
I’d just deal with the awkward human arm.
But the next message made my eyes widen.
[You are a Soul God. You are exempt from the soul form penalty. Efficiency reduction is negligible.]
Oh.
So as a Soul God, I could transform my soul body without suffering penalties?
If the efficiency remained nearly the same, I might as well customize it.
I began conceptualizing.
There was no need to keep the tentacle exposed all the time.
It could remain hidden and lash out only at decisive moments.
I also wanted the ability to relocate it freely.
As for the length… hmm… what would be optimal?
I activated the [Three Heads and Six Arms – Asura’s Path] skill and began adjusting the limb, testing different configurations.
Since this was a third physical extension, I took my time refining it.
Then, a thought occurred to me.
Would this new form apply to my soul body in Asura’s Path as well?
“Asura-nim. I have a question.”
I connected with Asura through communication.
He appeared with one of his arms missing, welcoming me with a grin.
[Oh! There you are. Your soul body is already infamous in Asura’s Path. Because you're a god, they have no choice but to seal you. But when they do, you just keep reviving endlessly. How much SP are you burning through?]
“I spent ten million SP yesterday.”
[Heh! Ten million… The Soul God’s capital is truly boundless.]
“Hahaha. Well, as a result of that investment, I gained a new arm. By the way, if I create it here, will it also appear on my dispatched soul body?”
[No. You’ll need to recall it and dispatch it again. How many times has your soul body died?]
“A hundred times. One hundred thousand SP per death.”
[Then you should summon it back and reabsorb it. If it keeps dying like that, its hatred toward your main body will grow exponentially. It will try to separate from you. If that happens, you won’t be able to reabsorb it—instead, it’ll challenge you to a life-or-death battle. A hundred deaths is a good benchmark for recalling it.]
So my dispatched soul body could potentially rebel against me?
Damn…
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It had been cursing me like crazy the entire time it was dying.
If I summoned it here, it might attack me on sight.
Better to summon it somewhere isolated.
I left the house and flew toward a secluded area.
Eventually, I arrived at a clearing on the side of a small mountain.
There, I activated the [Three Heads and Six Arms – Asura’s Path] skill once again, summoning the soul body.
[Summoning the dispatched soul body from Asura’s Path.]
[Summoning will consume 300,000 SP. Proceed?]
Summoning cost SP too, huh?
I selected Yes, and a crimson portal gate opened before me.
From the gate, a figure leapt out—me.
“Urgh… Main body…!”
The other me glared at me with murderous intent.
His entire body was tattered and covered in wounds.
The only weapon he carried was a crude iron sword scavenged from Asura’s Path.
Compared to my current self, he was in a pitiful state.
I had experienced the same deaths he had, but he must have suffered even more.
After all, he died a hundred times in a single day.
That hatred of his—I understand it, but still...
“You bastard... I’ll kill you…!”
Kim Jiho, having lost all reason, lunges at me.
With nothing but an iron sword, he charged straight at me.
But his attack—it’s far too slow.
The difference in soul power between us is a hundredfold.
It seems he’s been reaping souls through his struggles in Asura’s Path, but even so, the gap between us remains vast.
“Tsk. Sorry, but find your peace in being reabsorbed.”
Scarlet tendrils shot out from my chest.
Their tips are razor-sharp.
As I unleashed Soul Energy Emission, the tendrils turn a brilliant white.
“W-what the…?!”
The tendrils stretched out and sliced Jiho’s iron sword clean in two.
Then, with a swift thrust, they pierced through his chest.
The barbed spikes tore into him, and his soul form began to unravel.
His soul was drawn into me, gradually dissipating.
Before he fully disappeared, he let out a final, grief-stricken gasp.
“Ugh... If I’d had just a little more power... I could have used Heimdall’s Return….”
And with that, he was completely absorbed.
Hearing those words sent a chill down my spine.
Damn it.
If he had used Heimdall’s Return to escape, it would have been a real pain.
Next time, I’ll need to either subdue him instantly or prevent him from activating that skill altogether.
As his soul merged with mine, his memories became part of me.
Memories far more brutal and harrowing than the ones I glimpsed in my dreams.
His combat sense, honed through countless one-on-one and one-against-many battles, is now mine.
The experience is nothing like the fragments gained from dreams—it’s far more substantial and refined.
Even his hatred for me.
Every time he died, he rekindled his loathing for me.
Even as he recognized the overwhelming power difference, he clung to his burning desire for revenge.
Feeling every ounce of that fury firsthand makes me feel a twinge of guilt for my clone.
But still…
“Three Heads and Six Arms – Asura’s Path.”
The deployments will continue.
Until I reach rank 44 in Asura’s Path.
Zeus could make his move at any moment, and I can’t afford to let sympathy for my clone hinder me.
This time, I equipped the clone with a tendril, so it should fight even more effectively.
The tendril—about the thickness of a finger and capable of extending up to ten meters—was specifically crafted for my soul body.
Its synergy with Soul Energy Emission makes it highly efficient.
If needed, I can even bind a soul sword to the tendril for more flexible attacks.
While I could extend the tendril’s length even further, the efficiency of soul power would drop beyond this range, so I decided to keep it at this optimal length for now.
Alright.
With this new addition, my clone should perform much better in battle.
“I’ll be counting on you.”
I detach another 1% of my soul body and dispatch it once again, then return home.
The TV is still on, displaying endless news coverage about my meeting with Asura from the day before.
Online, people are still arguing over whether or not I’m truly a god.
[Is he really a god?]
[C-rank hunters are freaking out. The Daehyun Guild officially vouched that he’s divine.]
[Whoa… can a human really become a god?]
[He seems super close with Asura.]
[He even gave him one of his arms.]
[But honestly, he doesn’t really look like a god. Asura was drop-dead gorgeous in human form.]
[Right? If he’s supposed to be S-rank, he looks more like A-rank.]
Hah.
I guess people are used to seeing gods with flawless, stunning features on TV.
So now they’re mocking my appearance?
Pfft.
As if they have room to talk.
They fail to realize that this appearance—the face of an ordinary human turned god—is proof of my ascension.
It seems Asgard and Heaven won’t be making any announcements today either.
Satisfied, I head to bed once more.
During the ten hours of sleep, the number of deaths my clone suffered decreased significantly.
The newly deployed soul body restarted from scratch, but this time, it fought with far greater skill.
The clone handled both one-on-one and group battles with remarkable efficiency, making excellent use of the tendril.
By the time it moved from the forest to the mountains, it began dying again, but even then, the death count was far lower than before.
The accumulated combat experience clearly paid off, but the tendril’s support also played a significant role.
“Thirty times, huh….”
Only thirty deaths to climb back into the top 2,000.
A drastic improvement from yesterday.
I considered recalling the clone, but Asura advised me to aim for around a hundred deaths before pulling it back, so I decided to follow his suggestion.
Still…
Whip!
A tendril shots out from my shoulder and effortlessly snatched my phone.
It retracted, delivering the phone back into my hand.
“This thing is pretty handy.”
With my clone making good use of the tendril, I should get into the habit of practicing with it regularly.
Gotta master it quickly.
Suddenly, I noticed a message from Kang Shia that arrived while I was sleeping.
[Jiho-nim, Asgard and Heaven are about to make their announcement. Both sides are requesting your participation.]
And a message from earlier than that:
[Tomorrow, Asgard and Heaven will jointly reveal the truth about Zeus’s Thunder. If you participate, it’ll greatly solidify your presence in the world.]
[We’ve scheduled the announcement for tomorrow. If you show up in person, even C-rank hunters will start believing in you.]
Ah.
So they were asking me to attend today, huh?
I was so caught up in the brutal battles of Asura’s Path that I didn’t even notice the messages.
I glanced at my phone again.
There are multiple unread messages from Loki.
[Hey. What the hell are you doing? Why aren’t you responding? We went out of our way to arrange the announcement at the Seoul Hunter Headquarters just for you. Are you not planning on making your debut?]
[There’s not much time left. If you don’t reply, we’re going ahead without you.]
[Seriously, only an hour left.]
Tch.
Why the hell is he spamming me?
I fire off a quick reply.
[Got it. I’m coming.]
[Good. You’ve got 20 minutes left.]
I glanced at the clock—9:40 AM.
The announcement starts at 10:00 AM.
I pushed myself up from the bed.
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