The Paladin's soul didn't look like a ghost.
As Jax stood over the impaled soldier, his new violet-tinted vision saw the world as a series of cascading data-streams. The dying man wasn't a person anymore; he was a [Biological Asset: Failing]. From the Paladin's chest, a tether of shimmering, white code drifted upward, vibrating with a high-pitched hum that set Jax's teeth on edge.
[EXTRACTION IN PROGRESS: 12%... 45%...]
[NEW SOUL DATA DETECTED: PALADIN CLASS (RANK 1)]
[WARNING: SYSTEM OVERHEATING. INTEGRATION RECOMMENDED.]
Jax gasped, his knees buckling. The world felt too loud, too bright. The "Legacy System" wasn't just a screen; it was a parasite feeding on his nervous system.
"Stop," Jax groaned, clutching his head. "Too much. Show me... show me the tutorial. What the hell is this?"
The violet screen flickered, and for the first time, a voice whispered directly into his mind—cold, synthetic, yet hauntingly familiar. It was the voice of his father, but stripped of all warmth.
"Welcome, Jaxon. If you are hearing this, Korthos has fallen, and my flesh has returned to the star-dust. Do not mourn. A King does not weep; he rebuilds."
The screen expanded, showing a blueprint of Jax's own body.
[TUTORIAL: THE THREE PILLARS OF THE BONE THRONE]
EXTRACTION: Convert the fallen into raw Data-Wraiths.
OPTIMIZATION: Use 'Essence' to upgrade your physical Hardware and magical Software.
COMMAND: Bind the dead to your 'Neural-Net' to create an autonomous Legion.
"You were born a 'Null' because your body could not hold the old magic," the voice continued. "So I built you a new one. I replaced your core with a Bio-Processor. You don't cast spells, Jaxon. You run programs."
The Paladin let out one final, wet rattle. The white code snapped away from the body and flew into Jax's chest.
[EXTRACTION COMPLETE]
[GAINED: 1x BLESSED SOUL-FRAGMENT]
[GAINED: 50 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! 0 -> 1]
[STAT POINT ALLOCATION AVAILABLE]
PROCESSING (Mana/Speed)
DURABILITY (Health/Armor)
SYNCHRONIZATION (Minion Count/Control)
Jax leaned against the rusted freighter, chest heaving. He looked at the impaled Paladin, then at the glowing stats in the air. This was the "Legacy." His father hadn't just been a necromancer; he had been a Technomancer, hiding his greatest invention inside his "weakest" son.
"Synchronization," Jax whispered. "If they're coming for me, I need an army. Even an army of one."
[POINT ALLOCATED: SYNCHRONIZATION]
[NEW COMMAND UNLOCKED: RAISE THRALL (TIER 0)]
[TARGET DETECTED: PALADIN CORPSE]
[REQUIREMENT: 10% PROCESSING POWER]
"Do it," Jax said, his voice gaining a sudden, hard edge.
The bone spikes that had killed the Paladin began to vibrate. They didn't retract. Instead, they shattered into thousands of tiny, needle-like shards that burrowed back into the Paladin's armor, stitching the wounds shut with ivory thread. The dead man's visor flickered, the holy blue light turning a sickly, digital violet.
The corpse stood up, its movements jerky and robotic.
[THRALL CREATED: UNIT-01 (CLASS: ZOMBIE ENFORCER)]
[STATUS: LOYAL]
[BATTERY: 100%]
Jax looked at his new servant. It was a monster made of holy armor and dead flesh, powered by his father's cursed code.
"Unit-01," Jax s
aid, a dark smile tugging at his lips. "Pick up your sword. We're leaving."