Chapter 172: Gain And Loss
He had spotted the item while gathering gear for the brood. He'd hesitated at first, indecision hovering over the purchase, but in the end he couldn't ignore the timing. With the quest he still carried for Grimm, it fit too cleanly to pass up.
[Name // Lantern of Necrutis]
[Type // Artifact]
[Rank // A]
[Evolve // No]
[Sub-Category // Demonic Relic]
[Description]
[A black iron lantern recovered from the third layer of Hell, Necrutis. The frame is warped and pitted, sealed with red-glass panels etched from the inside. No wick or fuel is present. When dormant, the lantern is cold and inert.]
[Artifact Effect]
[Type // One-Time Use]
[Category // Soul Capture]
[Rank // A]
[Effect]
[On activation, attract and bind the souls of the recently deceased within a 40m radius. Captured souls are prevented from passing on and are contained as ghosts inside the lantern for 24 hours. After the duration ends, all stored souls are released and the artifact is destroyed.]
[Soul Capacity]
[The lantern can contain a total soul value equal to 1 S-Rank soul.]
[Soul value conversion:]
[1 × S-Rank soul]
[2 × A-Rank souls]
[4 × B-Rank souls]
[8 × C-Rank souls]
[16 × D-Rank souls]
[1 soul of exceptional purity or innocence (e.g., a pure, untainted virgin soul) is treated as S-Rank regardless of combat strength]
[Restrictions]
[Only souls deceased within the last 30 seconds can be captured.]
[Excess souls beyond capacity are not affected.]
[Durability // 1 / 1]
[Requirements to Use // None]
["The Light was lifted, and the dead remained."]
Holding it close, he peered through the red-glass panels. The iron felt heavy in his palm, still warm. He couldn't hear Liao Tzu's voice, but he felt the emotion inside the lantern, sharp spikes of fear, bursts of anger striking against the containment. The sensation throbbed against his grip. It was almost distracting enough to keep his attention off the distant sounds of slaughter. Almost.
He still had a brood to lead.
With a flicker of system light, the lantern vanished into storage. He stepped forward over cracked stone and drifting debris as his flesh lightened in tone, horns retracting smoothly back into his skull. He returned to human while traces of blood dispersed in the current around him.
He moved through the chaos without slowing, water parting around him. Prisoners and vent bugs alike scurried away from his path, giving him a wide berth as if proximity alone would end them.
Bodies floated in every direction, limbs turning slowly in the churned water. He had ordered the broodlings to leave the corpses intact. After this, he would need to replenish the lesser ranks. It didn't take long to push through the field of drifting dead until he reached the bubbling mass that was Pain, still burning hot, still caught in his own mess.
'You've been a big pain in my ass, you know that?'
The flames around Pain dimmed.
'I am ashamed.'
A lesser broodling's severed head drifted between them, eyes dull and spinning. Seo-jin flicked it aside, clearing his line of sight. He studied the swelling mass of fire and flesh, weighing options. When he reached out, heat flared instinctively, the reaction sharp enough to force his hand back before it could touch.
He could already picture the growths trying to swallow him. They'd probably rupture before finishing.
'I need to suppress his flames somehow, any ideas?.....hello! Talkin to you.'
There was no response. The silence stretched just long enough to make something tighten in his chest. Then the familiar voice finally cut in.
[Use your aura.]
The answer was clipped. Dry. Seo-jin felt the tone even without inflection.
'What's up with you?'
[Nothing. Would you like your UI back?]
Seo-jin narrowed his eyes.
'Sure.'
A sharp spike of pain flashed behind his eyes. His vision flooded with data, panels snapping back into place. Notifications blinked in rapid succession, pulsing at the edge of his sight. He ignored them for now and focused on the core display.
[Level // 23]
[Exp // 24142/24161]
[HP // 1908/3100]
[SM // 52/52]
[Demonic Will // Active]
[Stacks // 5]
'Didn't realize I was so close to leveling again.'
He waited for the usual comment, something insulting. Nothing came. The silence felt dense this time. Frustration edged in. He had expected at least a remark, maybe even acknowledgment. Instead, the system remained distant.
He exhaled slowly through his gills. There would be time to address that later. Right now, he had more pressing issues.
The brood was taking too long.
He turned slowly, and the reason was clear the moment his vision settled. The prisoners were no longer a factor. Every one of them floated lifeless in the water, limbs drifting, eyes vacant. Only the vent bugs and the brood remained locked in combat.
The lesser broodlings, even those directly under broodling command, were struggling to do more than harass. Their strikes glanced off hardened shells with dull thuds, barely cracking the outer layers. When a bug managed to retaliate, the impact sent the lessers spinning, health too thin to absorb more than a single hit. They served as noise, not execution. That left the commanders carrying the weight of the fight.
Still, none of them were in real danger. Feed kept their vitality cycling, wounds closing almost as quickly as they opened, and their synergy layered over that like armor. No one was close to falling. The issue wasn't survival. It was volume. The enemies kept coming, pouring in from the dark fractures of the cathedral. The broodlings couldn't cut them down fast enough to thin the tide.
'Guess I'll finish leveling.'
He reached for Butcher's Wrath—then a deep horn call rolled through the water.
It wasn't just sound. It carried weight. The vibration passed through stone and bone alike, rattling loose fragments across the ruined floor. Even through the current, Seo-jin felt it hum along his spine. The Vent Bugs reacted first, their bodies twitching mid-attack, antennae snapping toward the source.
When the long note finally faded, the shift was immediate. Every bug disengaged at once. No hesitation. No retaliation. They broke formation and fled, scrambling into cracks and open vents, others simply drifting backward into the dark water beyond the city. Within a minute, the ruins were empty of living bugs. Only shattered shells and floating corpses remained.
Panic drifted up beside him, shoulders slumped, arms hanging loose as the adrenaline bled off. He tried to lift one hand in emphasis, but it dropped back down.
'What the heck? Why they stop fighting?'
'I'm not sure, but...'
Seo-jin scanned the dim perimeter, spotting Widow through the thinning cloud of debris.
'Toss me your javelin for a second.'
Widow grinned wide and hurled it without pause.
Catching the weapon cleanly, he felt its weight settle into his palm. He raised it and locked onto one of the last faint auras retreating into the distance. His arm thickened as muscle tightened, then he threw.
The javelin vanished into the murk.
[+662 Damage Dealt]
[+76Exp]
Crimson system light flared around him as the weapon snapped back into his grip.
[Exp // 24142 -> 24218/24161]
[Level Up +1]
[+1STR / +1VIT / +1WIL / +1SM / +3AP]
[Spawn Limit +1]
[New Commander Skill // Cull the Weak // Unlocked]
Growth hit like a spike of heat through his limbs. Bone tightened. Muscle packed on in subtle increments. Seo-jin threw the javelin back to Widow with a short nod. New stats. More AP. A higher spawn limit. That surge always felt good, clean and immediate, but what caught his full attention was the last line.
A new skill. Technically not his, but he'd take it.
He pressed a finger against the notification and began reading.
When he finished, he lifted his head slowly. The remaining lessers hovered nearby, still recovering from the horn's shockwave. His gaze passed over them, steady and assessing. Several instinctively drifted back.
'This changes everything.'
He read it again, slower this time.
[Commander Skill // Cull the Weak]
[Type // Active (Command)]
[Category // Dominion / Growth]
[Rank // D]
[Description]
[Issue a command forcing subordinate units to consume one another, converting mass and essence into ranked growth. Survival determines worth.]
[Effect]
[Designate one Lesser unit as the recipient.]
[All selected Lessers immediately engage in forced consumption.]
[Upon meeting the required threshold, the recipient ranks up.]
[Rank Conversion Requirements]
[F → E : 50 F-rank Lessers]
[E → D : 100 E-rank Lessers]
[D → C : 250 D-rank Lessers]
[C → B : 500 C-rank Lessers]
[B → A : 1,000 B-rank Lessers]
[The recipient cannot exceed one rank below the Commander's current rank.]
[Cost // None]
[Cast Time // Instant (Command Issued)]
[Cooldown // None]
[Restrictions]
[Only Lesser units under direct command may be selected.]
[Failed or interrupted consumption results in permanent death of all involved.]
[Command cannot target the Commander.]
["Only one survives. That is the command."]
Standing beside his father, Panic kept his head low, shoulders drawn in, still disapointed from the end of the battle. Then the water around him shifted suddenly as a surge rolled outward from Seo-jin's body. It prickled across Panic's skin and tightened along his spine, forcing him to take an instinctive step back.
The Broodfather began to laugh.
The sound carried oddly through the water, warped and heavy, vibrating through bone more than ear. Around him, the brood instinctively lowered themselves, claws curling inward, bodies angling away.
Widow drifted closer to Hex and leaned down, her voice lowered.
'Is that music? If it is I don't like it.'
She had heard the broodfather laugh before, brief and sharp, but this was different. This one lingered, stretched thin and wrong in the water.
Hex tilted his head, then shook it.
'Not music. Thankfully he only laughs like this when he's really happy.'
Bile swam up beside them, his bloodmask rippling faster than usual.
'Is he happy with us?'
Hex gave a short laugh.
'Doubt it.'
Feeling good, Seo-jin let the last of his laughter taper off. The sound thinned in the water and faded. His eyes sharpened, light, steady, and clear. His muscles felt loose, gills pulling in slow, even rhythm. A level of confidence he hadn't felt in a while settled in his chest. He'd returned to basics, achieved satisfying gains along the way. Now, only one piece was still missing.
He looked up at his notifications and pressed into them, scrolling.
His brows drew together.
'Huh?'
He scrolled again. Up. Down. Back. The light from the interface flickered across his face as his fingers moved faster. What he was looking for wasn't there. His swipes grew sharper, more abrupt, until the system's voice cut in, flat and dry.
[It won't be there. What you did didn't involve me.]
He stilled, jaw tightening.
'Is that why you're acting like this?'
[I'm not acting like anything.]
He rubbed at his temples as a faint pulse throbbed there. He was starting to question how many children he actually had. Now even the system was sulking. Not something he needed while the high still lingered in his blood.
Annoyed, he set it aside. The system wasn't going anywhere. Instead, he brought up Butcher's Wrath's profile and scanned it...
Nothing.
No new entry. No new skill. Just the same lines as before. He had expected something. Anything. But if the system was telling the truth, the silence in the profile confirmed it. The way he had bent his aura, shaped it, hadn't come from his shard. That left him with a heavier thought.
'Does this mean I can develop other abilities on my own? It makes sense. Just because I have a shard doesn't mean I'm not a demon. Demons can learn, right?'
The water shifted slow around him as the reply came.
[Talking to me?]
His lip curled.
'Oh fuck off! Stop acting like a child. Are you really that upset?'
[I'm not upset.]
'Fine! When you want to grow up and tell me what's going on, talk to my shit instead. Sure you can find some.'
[Won't be hard, you're full of it!]
'Uh—Broodfather?'
'What?!'
Panic went pale and rigid, spine locked.
'B-big b-b-brother?'
His arm shook as he pointed, fingers trembling. Seo-jin followed the gesture, and the vein at his temple throbbed harder.
Feeling the agitation leaking through the broodlink, Pain assumed it was because of him. The weight of that shame pressed down until it was unbearable. He would not be a burden. If he could not overcome this weakness, then he had no right to drag the brood with him.
From the outside, it looked like a small sun had ignited beneath the ocean.
The heat rolled outward in waves. Stone under Pain's feet began to soften and drip. The water churned and flashed, light distorting in violent ripples. Seo-jin didn't know exactly what Pain was attempting, but the sight made it clear, he was pushing toward collapse, forcing himself against the crushing mass of the Vent Cathedral.
Seo-jin tried to send thoughts through the broodlink, but even his focus felt scorched, the connection fuzzing as if burned at the edges.
The link blurred. Distance crept in, widening by the second. The only clear signal left was Pain's will...either break free or burn out trying.
And from the look of it, he would burn out.
The instant those flames died, the full weight of the ocean would slam back in. The rebound alone would crush him flat. With how hard he was forcing it, he would have nothing left to resist.
'Everyone back away!'
The brood obeyed without hesitation, retreating fast as they shoved themselves backward from the rising heat.
Seo-jin had planned on cutting Pain off from the water with his aura, but the temperature climbing off his son made that thought pointless. He wasn't sure he could endure that heat long enough to matter. And even if he did, he would still have to consume Pain afterward.
There was no clean answer.
He forced himself to retreat with the others, jaw tight, eyes locked on the burning figure. The water trembled around him as he watched.
From where he floated, it didn't look like control.
It looked like a death sentence.
Pain was more than likely going to die.