As evening came, Light quietly moved to the rooftop. The city was calm, with a soft breeze carrying the scent of the sea. Yet, tonight was different. The Little Loach Pendant, which usually rested silently around his neck, was acting strangely. It emitted an eerie radiance, its green glow illuminating the darkened rooftop.
Light furrowed his brows as he stared at it. The peculiar behavior of the pendant was not new, but this time, it felt more intense, almost alive. "Why are you being so noisy? Not only are you not asleep in the dead of the night, but you're also letting out some strange, green light…" Light muttered, tilting his head as if expecting a response.
The Little Loach Pendant had always been a mystery. If other Magicians wanted to collect Soul Remnants or Soul Essences, they needed specialized Undead Tools forged by Undead Magicians. But this pendant… it defied all logic. It was a Meditation Tool, yet it functioned as an Undead Tool, a combination unheard of.
Just where did the Little Loach come from? Light often pondered this question, but tonight, the pendant's unusual activity compelled him to delve deeper into its secrets.
---
Light sat cross-legged, closing his eyes to focus his intent. The green glow intensified as his mind reached out to the pendant. He felt a strange pull, as though the pendant was inviting him into its mysterious void. The Underground Holy Spring, stored within the Little Loach Pendant, was nearly completely digested, yet its aura lingered faintly.
As his intent wandered further, Light discovered something he had never noticed before. The void inside the pendant wasn't vast, but it was far more intricate than he'd realized. In its center lay an incredibly clear river, shimmering with an aura eerily similar to the Underground Holy Spring. A soft murmur echoed from it, soothing and enigmatic.
Above the river hovered thousands of tiny green lights, like fireflies in a midsummer night. They danced gracefully, their radiance reflecting on the pristine waters below. Light's breath hitched. These weren't ordinary lights; they were Soul Remnants.
---
The sight triggered memories. In the very beginning, when Light had killed the Spirit Wolf belonging to Instructor Bai Yang, the wolf's soul had been absorbed by the pendant. Since then, every demon creature and Black Vatican member he'd defeated contributed to the growing number of these green specks.
Light had assumed these Soul Remnants were mere fodder for the pendant, consumed and forgotten. But now, seeing them here, floating serenely above the river, he realized they were preserved—transformed into something ethereal.
The difference between a Soul Remnant and a Soul Essence was as vast as sand and gold. Yet, as Light watched, something incredible happened. The scattered green lights began to condense, their glow intensifying.
---
The pendant trembled violently, snapping Light out of his reverie. He opened his eyes, and the rooftop seemed brighter, illuminated by the concentrated green light emanating from the pendant. The scattered Soul Remnants had vanished, replaced by nearly a hundred radiant orbs.
"These… these are Soul Essences," Light whispered, his voice tinged with awe. But confusion followed quickly. He hadn't fought or killed anything recently, so how could the pendant produce such a concentrated amount of Soul Essences?
He probed the pendant again, and the realization hit him. The countless Soul Remnants hovering above the river had been refined, transformed into Soul Essences. It was a phenomenon he'd never imagined possible.
---
As dawn broke, Light couldn't contain his curiosity. He knocked on his mentor Qiu Yuhua's door. The old teacher opened it, yawning. "You're up quite early. What's wrong?"
"Sir, I was reading a book regarding Undead Magic Tools. It mentioned that some tools have a unique ability beyond collecting Soul Essences. Do you know anything about that?" Light asked eagerly.
Qiu Yuhua's sleepy eyes narrowed in thought. "Where did you read such a book? It must be an ancient one. I've come across some old materials with similar records…"
"There's a rumor," the teacher began, "about an Undead Magic Tool capable of refining Soul Remnants into Soul Essences. Such tools are incredibly rare, their origins shrouded in mystery."
Light's heart raced. The Little Loach Pendant wasn't just rare; it was extraordinary.
---
"You should already know that Soul Essences are incredibly valuable," Qiu Yuhua continued. "Their primary use today is in creating Meditation Tools. But originally, before Necromancy delved into Stardust Energy and Nebula Energy, Soul Essences were used to strengthen Stars directly."
Light's eyes widened. "If they strengthen Stars, does that mean the magic spells formed from those Stars also get stronger?"
"Naturally," Qiu Yuhua confirmed.
"Strengthened Stars amplify the power of the spells they form. For a Basic Magician, feeding a Minion-level Soul Essence to each of his 7 Stars could elevate his spell strength by 2 times."
Light's mind raced. Strengthening his Stars with the Soul Essences seemed like a no-brainer. The thought of his spells growing exponentially stronger was tantalizing.
"But, it is an inefficient method. As Soul Essenses are worth a ton if sold. So, wasting them on strengthening stars doesn't sound efficient." Qiu Yuhua told Light.
---
Returning to the rooftop, Light stared at the pendant. The Soul Essences hovered above the void river, their glow mesmerizing.
Light tried to take out Soul Essense refined by Little Loach Pendant but was unable to. He was dreaming of becoming richest man by selling Soul Essenses as Soul Essense were hard to drop by a demon beasts as it required heavenly luck.
This realisation of not being able to take Soul Essenses refined by Little Loach Pendant hit him like a truck.
"Let's continue to study it. If I can't take them away, I'll use them to strengthen my Stars. It will increase my spells powerful. Combined with my Innate Talent of 5x base spell power, my 4th level basic spell will be as powerful as Intermediate Stage Level 1 spell with same energy requirement of Level 3 Basic spell. Strengthening stars may be inefficient for others but not me." Light thought.
The decision was clear. While the Essences made the pendant's void beautiful, they were far too precious to remain as mere decorations.
Light felt a surge of determination. His journey with the Little Loach Pendant was just beginning, and its secrets promised unimaginable power.