"Conversely, the Undying must face death once every sixty years, only to be reborn anew from their corpses."
[Sequence 4: Undying. Detected residual spiritual imprints within the Beyonder characteristic. Confirm eradication?]
'Yes.'
The hazy, distorted light shattered before Don's eyes. The pulsating heart gradually materialized, soon enveloped by mystical symbols.
[Purging residual spiritual imprints of former high-sequence entity. Time remaining: 03:59:52.]
Closing the Artisan interface, the spiritual glow dissipated, leaving the room ordinary once more.
"Four hours."
Don muttered to himself, deciding to deal with the purified characteristic after some sleep.
High-sequence entities—demigods—left behind traces of their consciousness in their Beyonder characteristics. This was why using such materials for potions often led to loss of control during advancement.
The System, however, could spend time thoroughly cleansing these residual imprints.
Though his father had already processed it, the System's "sterilization" was more thorough, eliminating any lingering risks.
"I'll handle the rest once it's done."
Yawning, Don collapsed onto his bed and surrendered to darkness.
[Understood, Host.]
The night passed dreamlessly.
By morning, Don checked the System's progress. The now-purified characteristic floated serenely in the Artisan Module, still throbbing but free of contaminants.
[Spiritual imprints confirmed eradicated.]
Rubbing his head, Don drew the curtains. The rising sun bathed the landscape in golden light, gilding the edges of the world.
[Host, current standard time: 06:21.]
[Today's agenda: Marionettist acting practice.]
[New tasks updated.]
Task One: [Marionettist Performance]
"Having summarized preliminary acting principles, further refine them to accelerate potion digestion."
[Progress: 3%]
Task Two: [Red Light, Green Light]
"A Marionettist is nothing without puppets. Acquire suitable sentient candidates—quality matters."
[Marionettes crafted: 1/3]
Main Quests:
Advance to Sequence 4: Bizarro Sorcerer.
Retrieve Sequence 1 characteristics and Uniqueness of the Hermit and Savant pathways.
Task: [Marionettist's Trial]
"As one of the most enigmatic pre-demigod abilities, master the manipulation of Spirit Body Threads."
[Progress: 100% (Completed)]
[Rewards issued:]
*- Appraisal count +5 (Total: 144)*
*- Artisan Module uses +1 (Remaining: 13)*
*- Knowledge fragments +100 (Total: 10,025)*
[PS: Consider switching to Mystery Scholar/Alchemist at Sequence 4? ✔️YES/✔️YES]
'No... Don't you have a 'never remind me again' function?'
[None whatsoever, Host~]
Yawning, Don washed up and settled cross-legged on his bed, reopening the Artisan Module.
"Now, what form should this take?"
He pondered. "A weapon? But the Undying's traits don't suit Owen's combat style."
"A charm? Armor? Something portable... Maybe I should just ask him. At the Artisan Module's current speed, demigod-tier items take six to eight days."
As for the abilities to imbue—Don scanned the System's proposals:
[Available abilities for imbuing:]
Option A: Undying's Spirit/Underworld Access
- Grants free passage between the Spirit World and Underworld.
- Rapidly summons spirits/undead with enhanced power due to Underworld corrosion.
Option B: Undying's Death Authority
- Inflicts mental trauma akin to glimpsing a demigod's mythical form.
- Low-sequence: Instant death.
*- Mid-sequence: "Deathly stillness" (1+ minute paralysis).*
*- High-sequence: 5-second immobilization (1 second for angels).*
Option C: Undying's Immortality
- Drastically boosts damage resistance.
- Slowly regenerates via Spirit/Underworld energies.
[Negative effects to imbue:]
Option A: Death's Erosion
- Gradually decays the user's body and spirit.
Option B: Memory Fragmentation
- Induces progressive amnesia, reversible but worsening with use.
[Rules:]
*- Maximum 3 abilities (each at 70% strength).*
*- Minimum 1 negative effect (100% potency if single).*
(End of Chapter)