Jax's brow furrowed in concentration. A creeping certainty took hold as he indeed added the mermaid's soul to his collection. In his haste, he even displaced a full stack of previously saved souls, eager to claim the mermaid's skill for his arsenal.
After all, the Royal Skill she wielded would satisfy Jax. He was certain it'd be a worthwhile trade.
But for assurance, Jax ran a quick internal check. Vessel of Countless Souls let him store three distinct soul types, with a stacking capacity of up to nine identical souls. Stacking more souls amplified the chosen skills.
Jax's mind dove into his consciousness. There, he landed in a place he called Soul Space, a realm he could access at will. He had discovered this inner sanctum while deciphering his new skill, Vessel of Countless Souls, back when King had been hunting monsters for him in the Forbidden Land.
The place was a small island. The island was barren, dismally devoid of life. No trees, grasses, animals, or any other living thing broke the stark silence.
Jax strolled forward at an unhurried pace. At the island's center stood a hill. And standing atop was a strange yet familiar obsidian black statue he found too mesmerizing to look away from. His steps gradually halted as he fixed his gaze on the statue from a distance. Its allure was undeniable, its presence shrouded him in regret he couldn't shake.
A sigh slipped out.
''Too bad, I can't get a closer look. What even is that statue?'' Jax's voice was laced with a pang of disappointment. Unfortunately, he couldn't get close to the statue — more precisely, he couldn't climb the hill. His strength failed him as the hill seemed to have some kind of unseen force weighing him down when he tried climbing it, making each step a laborious effort.
Eventually, he ended up stuck at the foot of the hill, circling it instead.
Jax's gaze swept the perimeter. Below the hill, three massive red cages stood sentinel. Their unknown metallic alloy exuded an aura of resolute guardianship, as if shielding a treasure within.
"Here it is..." Jax muttered, homing in on a specific cage as his gaze subconsciously peered inside.
"As expected, it's here." Jax nodded, his eyes confirmed his expectation.
Inside the cage was a semi-transparent being, hovering with eerie poise and unsettling tranquility. Its diaphanous mer-form aglow with surreal luminescence, bathing its delicate contours in dreamlike radiance. It was the soul of a mermaid Jax had desperately tried to collect.
Jax scrutinized the entity, deducing its dormancy. It appeared inert, its ethereal vitality held in abeyance.
''Fortunately...'' Jax's smile flickered, relief washing over him like a tide. His worst fear had dodged him. The mermaid's soul was indeed in his grasp.
With that assurance, Jax quickly summoned his consciousness back to reality. His hand clasped the precious Deep Sea Black Pearl, as his gaze lingered on the Scroll floating in front of him. The contents of the Inventory were revealed on the surface.
____________________
[Inventory]
• Weeping Boltcaster {equipped}
• Whimpering Repeater
• Wailing Siegebow
• Primal Element
• Small Bag Of Silver Coins (×242)
• Mermaid's Tears of Anger (×24)
• Mermaid's Reverse Scale (×3)
• Royal Mermaid's Soul
Silver: 0 | Gold: 0
F Coin: 0 | S Coin: 0
____________________
"Royal Mermaid's Soul..." Jax muttered, oblivious to his own words. A pensive silence ensued, before he shook off the reverie. "Why the deep dive, Jax Jabat?" he quipped, a wick of amusement curling his lips. "Take out, Royal Mermaid's Soul!"
Poof!
A wisp-like creature, shrouded in a faint, otherworldly luminescence, coalesced before him. The moment Jax laid eyes on it, his heart jolted — a jarring rush akin to rekindling a forgotten flame.
After a moment, the wisp morphed into a humanoid form, its semi-transparent body unfolding with eerie elegance. This was the mermaid soul the Scroll had spoken of.
But something was off.
No shimmering tail graced her lower half, but human-like legs ended in fin-like feet instead. Scales rippled across her form, and her slender fingers tapered into razor-sharp claws.
Jax's gaze drifted over her form. Her eyes remained shut, lost in a deep, worry-free slumber. The memory of events prior lingered sharp in his mind.
He'd seen this mermaid before!
"The mermaid princess..." Jax's breath caught, a tumult of confusion, fear, and excitement tumbling from his lips. "The mermaid in her Royal Skill incarnate."
Jax was stunned to find the ethereal being identical to the one entwined within his Soul Space, yet jarring in its disparity. This was her Royal Form, a state where her power surged beyond mortal bounds, amplified tenfold.
Jax's mind retraced those moments. That skill was his coveted prize, the impetus behind his pursuit of the mermaid's soul.
Now face-to-face with the mermaid's soul, Jax was awash in confusion. How was this possible? Did mermaids harbor dual souls? Had he absorbed one, only to be gifted the other?
Or was this a case of a fragmented soul? The mermaid's essence split in two, birthing an anomaly.
Jax's mind was a maelstrom of excitement, confusion, and curiosity, as if a vortex of questions with no answers in sight.
To make matters stranger, the mermaid seemed dormant. It was lifeless, almost, her presence reduced to mere ornamentation.
What should he do with this thing? The prospect was tempting. If this dormant soul mirrored the one in his collection, stacking it could exponentially amplify whichever skill he would choose later.
But if he seized this opportunity, would regret follow? There had to be another purpose for this mermaid's soul, right?
"Damn, just what should I do..." Jax's uncertainty hung in the air as if a whisper of vulnerability. He knew little about the new and mysterious world he'd just stumbled upon. He was a stranger in that bizarre world, where monsters and mermaids were the common thing, and the rules were yet unknown.
Jax was convinced he'd return to that kind of world, and the thought fueled his urgency. He needed to get stronger fast and prepare for whatever lay ahead. The weight of his decision hung heavy. And Jax knew his choices now would shape his tomorrow.
He craved guidance. He needed a beacon that could cut through the chaos.
And if there was one person who could tell him enough information about all the things that troubled him, only one name came to his mind.
"Right! I've got King!" A grin broke across Jax's face, the words spilling out in a rush. Only then did he recall he still had someone to rely on.
"But where the hell is he now?" Jax's grin vanished, replaced by a frustrated scowl. He scanned his surroundings, dismayed to see no sign of King. Like he'd vanished into thin air.
Questions swirled within Jax. Did King bail early, or were they split up during the teleport? The latter seemed more likely.
After all, when he got teleported back, he remained seated in the same spot. There was no King in sight. He'd even forgotten about him momentarily, as he quickly checked his Scroll upon arrival. His eyes couldn't help but widen at the rewards piled up from the perilous journey he'd just gone through.
But now that Jax remembered King, worry crept in as King's absence hit him. His face tightened, as he muttered, "Damn, this is trouble. Where the hell's that bastard..."
''Uggh...''
Jax's curses died on his lips as a familiar sound cut through. King's raspy voice had him snapping back to excitement.
He sprang to his feet and spun around. King must be right behind him the whole time. No wonder he hadn't seen him.
To his dismay, the spot was still empty. Desolate forest stretched out, wind whipping bushes and branches.
"Am I hearing things?" Jax wondered, his doubt swirling. Maybe grief over King's absence was driving him nuts.
"Ge... Get... Off... You..."
A voice cut through again — no doubt about it this time. Jax frowned, straining to pinpoint the sound. He listened intently, hoping it'd speak again
"This fucking brat... Get off me!!!"
Weak but fierce, the voice was back. Jax's eyes snapped down, and there was King. Beneath his feet, he was flat on his belly on the rough ground. His frown twitched into a smirk. Guess he wasn't missing after all.
"What the hell are you doing down there?!" Jax laughed dryly as he scratched his cheek with his forefinger, "Why would you sleep so soundly on the ground? Have you gone insane?!"
He thought he was just sitting and standing on some trunk earlier. No wonder it felt so comfortable. It appeared that it was King who was beneath him.
With almost tender haste, Jax reached down, lifting King as if cradle-bound. The man didn't resist. Too drained to muster even the slightest defiance.
But when their eyes met, Jax's instincts screamed retreat. King's gaze pinned him, pure malice, like Jax had butchered his whole clan. What now? What did he do to deserve that death stare?
"Fuck you, kid. I'll kill you," King spat, words finally finding clarity.