But then a question popped into Alex's mind.
"Will the Heartstone even stay with me inside the game?"
As if in response, a new system prompt appeared—outside the usual game interface:
{Heartstone is bound to host. Unless the host dies completely—physically and spiritually—or willingly transfers the Heartstone, it remains bound to the host's soul. It will travel with the host across all worlds.}
Alex stared at the message.
That confirmed it.
The Heartstone was still with him. Even inside this game.
And that changed everything.
He wasn't just another ghost-type player anymore.
He was a Spirit—a soul carrying the most powerful relic ever known to humanity.
Without hesitation, he clicked "Spirit" and selected it as his race.
Suddenly, the white hall around him shifted.
The human side of the army vanished, leaving behind an endless tide of monsters.
Then, as if unveiling the world he was about to enter, the game's lore appeared before him:
Long, long ago, in the silent dark of space stood a massive tree—Yggdrasil—holding countless worlds on its leaves.
But one day, from outside the void, came a serpent: Nidhogg, the World-Gnawer. It devoured worlds one by one, until only nine leaves remained.
From the ruins, survivors forged powerful relics called World Items to drive it back. Though the serpent was repelled, it could not be destroyed.
Now, Nidhogg waits beneath the roots… watching.
A new prompt appeared:
Please select one of the Nine Realms as your starting point:
Asgard, Álfheim, Vanaheim, Niðavellir, Midgard, Jötunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, or Múspellsheim.
(Note: As a Heteromorph race, buffs or debuffs will apply based on your chosen realm.)
Debuff Realms: Asgard, Álfheim, Vanaheim, Niðavellir, Midgard — All stats -5%
Buff Realms: Jötunheim, Niflheim, Helheim, Múspellsheim — All stats +2%
Alex considered his options carefully. In the end, he chose Múspellsheim.
Why? Because of the Heartstone again.
One of its hidden abilities was something akin to danger sense—but in reverse.
Good Luck Sense: the ability to feel where great fortune lies.
And right now, every fiber of his being told him that Múspellsheim held something important.
As soon as he confirmed his choice, a system window popped up again.
(Character creation in progress...)
1%... 50%... 75%... 98%...ERROR.
(System Error: External item detected on player.)(Item parameters unidentified...)(Requesting permission to categorize item within game systems...)
(Permission request sent...)(Permission granted by item.)
(Updating data... New character path detected.)(Restrictions are being applied to balance gameplay.)(Requesting approval from the item...)
(Permission denied.)(Adjusting benefits... Sending request again...)
(Permission denied.)(New character model being designed. Restrictions eased.)(Sending request again...)
(Permission approved.)
Character model creation resuming...98%... 99%... 100%
Character creation complete.
Two options appeared in front of Alex:
[Path Forward]
Play as a Normal Spirit Character - You will retain access to Heartstone's powers. - Cannot copy the abilities of other beings.
Play as a New-Model Character (Mutated Spirit) - You won't have access to the Heartstone's powers in-game, but... - You can create and possess other avatars. - You will inherit their abilities.
Example: If you possess a level 1 monster and survive the initial soul battle, you gain full control of that avatar.
(Soul Battel - New concept introduced by the game, for Mutated Spirit user, when a character possesses any being, the battle between both beings souls will take place If the mutated spirit wins battle it will gain full access tothe other party's body, or mutated spirit dies and reduce in level will take place)
Restrictions:
- Only one avatar can be possessed at a time.
- You can switch avatars only if the current one dies or reaches max level.
- If the avatar dies before reaching level 100, you lose all its progress.
- Each species can only be chosen once. If you lose that avatar, you can never create one of the same species again.
Please select.
Alex stood frozen.
In just a few minutes, everything had changed.