The "Dead Zone" of the coal pits was silent, save for the crunching of stone.
Nox, the Void-Eater, was not a polite eater. The shadow-beast tore into the pile of high-grade Spirit Coal with a voracious hunger, grinding the Earth-Vein Essence into pure energy.
[Companion 'Void-Eater' is consuming Spirit Essence.]
[Passive Effect Triggered: Soul-Link.]
[Sharing 10% of consumed energy with Host...]
Aris gasped as a surge of heat rushed through his bond with the creature. It felt like liquid copper was being poured into his veins. He fell to his knees, his small body trembling as the energy forcibly expanded his meridians.
[Body Tempering Progress: 95%... 99%... 100%!]
[CRITICAL BREAKTHROUGH!]
[Host is now Rank 3 Body Tempering (Copper-Skin).]
Aris felt his skin tighten. For a second, his flesh shimmered with a metallic, bronze hue—evidence that he could now deflect ordinary iron blades with his bare skin.
"Shadow-Veil," Aris hissed through grit teeth.
The system obeyed. The bronze shimmer faded, replaced instantly by his usual pale, sickly complexion. He couldn't let anyone see this strength.
"Nox," Aris whispered. "Enough."
The beast paused, licking coal dust from its lips. It sensed something before Aris did. Its ears flattened, and it dissolved instantly, slithering into Aris's shadow to hide.
[Warning: World Boss Detected!]
[Level: 55 (Nascent Soul Stage)]
[Identity: General Thorne — Your Father.]
The temperature in the mine shaft plummeted. The moisture in the air froze instantly, turning into diamond dust that glittered in the gloom. The crushing weight of a Nascent Soul cultivator descended upon the pit, making the wooden support beams groan in protest.
Aris froze. To a "Player" like Aris, General Thorne wasn't a father; he was a high-level Mob whose aggro range he had just stepped into.
He quickly threw a handful of coal dust over his face to hide the glow of his violet eyes and slumped his shoulders.
A moment later, a figure emerged from the darkness.
General Thorne did not walk; he glided, his boots hovering an inch above the filth of the mine floor. He wore crimson armor that seemed to bleed smoke into the air. He stopped ten feet away, his gaze falling upon Aris like a physical weight.
[General Thorne is using 'Spirit Scan'.]
[Detection Probability: 100%]
Aris's heart hammered. He's scanning me. If he sees the Copper-Skin physique... if he sees the Void Meridians... he won't pat me on the head. He'll dissect me to find out how a 'trash' son broke the laws of cultivation.
"You," the General's voice boomed, echoing off the damp walls. "The Matron says you haven't died yet. Why?"
It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.
Think, Aris commanded himself. My Shadow-Veil is good, but against a Level 55 scanner? It might falter.
He pulled up his interface. He had 25 AP remaining.
Option 1: Beg for mercy. (Result: Death). Option 2: Show potential. (Result: Scrutiny/Enslavement). Option 3: The "Glitch."
"System," Aris thought, his mind cold and calculating. "Option 3. Purchase the 'Death Curse Mask'. Burn the AP."
[System Warning: Cost is 50 AP.]
[Current Balance: 25 AP.]
[Loan Extension Approved. Balance: -25 AP (Interest Rate: 20% Hourly).]
[Activating 'System Glitch - Death Curse Mask'...]
The General's Spirit Scan hit Aris like a tidal wave of fire.
But as the psychic energy washed over the boy, the System intercepted the signal. It rewrote the data packet. Instead of seeing Aris's dense muscle fibers and refining bones, the General saw a horrific "error" in the spiritual code.
He saw a boy whose soul was rotting.
"Tch."
General Thorne recoiled slightly, taking a half-step back. A look of pure, unadulterated loathing twisted his handsome features.
"So that's it," the General sneered. "I felt a disturbance in the Qi here. I thought perhaps a beast had awakened. But it is just... you."
To the General's eyes, Aris appeared to be riddled with a "Wasting Death Curse"—a dark, necrotic energy that looked like it was slowly eating his soul from the inside out.
"You aren't 'surviving,'" the General said, his voice dripping with disgust. "You are just a walking corpse being kept alive by lingering resentment. You have no Qi. Your bones are brittle. You are a stain on the Thorne name that simply refuses to fade."
Aris stayed on his knees, head bowed, hiding the smirk that threatened to break his facade. Hook, line, and sinker.
"Forgive me... General," Aris rasped, feigning a cough that rattled his chest.
The General turned his back, the heavy pressure lifting as he withdrew his aura. He couldn't bear to look at the "rotting" thing anymore.
"Don't bother sending him to the coal pits anymore," the General commanded to the empty air, knowing his guards were listening from the shadows. "It's a waste of resources to watch a dead thing. Throw him into the Shattered Pagoda."
The General glanced back one last time, his eyes cold.
"Let the curse finish its work. I don't want to hear his name again until his funeral."
With a blur of crimson light, the General vanished.
Aris remained motionless for a full minute, waiting until the last vibration of the General's Qi faded from the tunnels. Only then did he stand up.
He wiped the soot from his face. His Abyssal Eye glowed with a fierce, violet hunger.
"He thinks I'm a corpse," Aris whispered.
From his shadow, Nox chirped—a sound of amused victory.
"Perfect."
[Quest Update: The Shadow's Sanctuary]
[Objective: Survive the General's Gaze.]
[Rank: S (Impossible Difficulty)]
[Reward: 220 AP]
[Debt Repayment Auto-Deducted: -25 AP + Interest]
[New Balance: 195 AP]
Aris checked his status as he began the long walk toward the western edge of the estate.
[Abyssal Nexus: Updated Status Panel]
Host: Aris Thorne Level: 7 Title:The Living Curse (Effect: High-level cultivators will now perceive you as "dying/worthless" and ignore your presence.)
[Attributes]
Strength: 35 (Human adult peak: 10) Agility: 28 Intelligence: 48 Luck: -15 (Calamity Karma increasing)
[Physique: Abyssal Sovereign Body]
Grade: Copper-Skin Realm (Rank 3) Effect: Physical damage reduction by 25%. Can shatter ordinary iron with bare hands.
Aris reached his destination an hour later.
The Shattered Pagoda stood on a lonely cliff at the edge of the estate. It was a crooked, lightning-scarred tower that leaned precariously over the abyss. Dark, poisonous vines crawled up its sides, and the air smelled of sulfur.
To the rest of the world, this was a graveyard. It was built over an ancient, forgotten "Yin-Spring" that leaked toxic energy. To live here was to die a slow, painful death.
But Aris smiled.
[System Note: The 'Toxic Yin-Spring' is rich in Negative Energy.]
[To the Abyssal Sovereign Body, this is an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet.]
He kicked open the rotting wooden door. Dust motes danced in the moonlight.
"This isn't a prison," Aris said, stepping into the gloom. "This is a Player Base."
He looked at the empty, expansive hall.
"System," Aris commanded. "Open the Creation Forge. It's time to build a weapon that can kill a General."