'Let's see if I can improve my essence generation first. I'm more used to absorbing energy from the surroundings, but a cultivation skill should help.'

Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing. He imagined each of the hundred-and-eight pressure points throughout his body opening and closing with each breath, flushing them with essence and energy from his lungs.

This required immense concentration, but it was something Nova had done thousands of times before—at least in one of his lives.

[You have learned the skill: Crashing Waves Meridian Cleanse (Master - 23%) {Grade 2}]

[Your breathing technique invigorates your soul, increasing its essence generation and purification rate by 500%.]

[You have discovered a new skill. Bonus mastery applied: Master - 53%]

'Oooh! That's going to come in handy! And it's a skill they don't know in this world, judging by the bonus. But even with that, it's slower than I expected. I should figure out how to increase the aspects…'

[Aspect values are decided by your soul power and the natural talent you have in each aspect. Increasing soul purity will also improve efficiency.]

'So… Just increase my soul power? Can I use a different skill for that? Let's try some magical invocations…'

Once again, Nova started manipulating his essence, leading it to his core and creating a circle of complex symbols. The essence flowed into it freely, creating a glowing effect that seemed to reinforce the small core in the center.

[You have learned the skill: Inner Blossoming Invocation (Expert - 64%) {Grade 2}]

[Your essence invigorates the soul through the complex invocation, naturally increasing the Soul Power by spending essence. Efficiency decreases as Soul Power increases.]

[Your Soul Power has increased by 1.]

[You have discovered a new skill. Bonus mastery applied: Expert - 84%]

'...Okay, that's pretty good. It consumes ten essence points to increase the soul power by one. Now I'm down to twenty-three. I'm sure the cost is going to increase very quickly, though. Are there other ways to increase Soul Power?'

[Soul Power can be increased by absorbing souls, granting a percentage of the soul power stored within. The resulting increase will depend on compatibility and purity. There is also a chance of receiving a trait from the absorbed soul.]

A chill ran down Nova's spine as he started understanding something fundamentally wrong with this world. In a world where you could grow stronger by killing, where pure souls were worth more than others, and where everyone completed their souls by age five…

What would those who hungered for power do?

'Fuck… So this place isn't some madman's insane project. It's the logical conclusion of evil. Harvesting souls at the most efficient time, and growing new… Ugh, this is making me sick.'

"Nova!" Millie yelled from the courtyard, running toward chamber seven. Her voice was more panicked than expected, so he opened his eyes and stared at the open door.

She appeared with wide eyes, pointing back to the courtyard. "People, flying people, like birds!"

'What? Are they people looking for the assassin? They can fly, then…'

"I'm coming!" Nova replied, putting on his childlike persona. He didn't feel a need to use it around the children, but the adults couldn't know how he usually acted.

He ran out, down the narrow hallway, and into the courtyard, staring up at the open sky with wide eyes. Sure enough, people were flying in the air with giant wings on their backs—black wings that beautifully reflected in the sunlight.

'Hmm, how do they get wings? Is it a different race or some kind of skill? Or perhaps they equip the souls of flying beasts?'

Nova wondered secretly, but on the outside, he was staring at them all in wonder, not giving them any reason to suspect him. They were clearly searching for something, flying around the courtyard.

'...Maybe I can…'

[You have learned the skill: Assess (Novice - 72%) {Grade 2}]

[Your ability to understand the ability of others has heightened, making it possible to see their Soul Power as long as it is lower than 200% of your own.]

'Only novice? Is it due to my low aspects? Or does it have to do with my lack of knowledge?'

He looked at one of the closer guards flying in the air, seeing if he could learn anything from them.

[???]

'Yeah, nothing at all. It makes sense for those who can fly to have soul powers far greater than my own.

"Nova, how they fly? We can grow wings?" Millie asked, looking up with dreamy eyes.

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All the children were staring up with her, looking with amazement. They had never seen anything like it before; even Nova's stories had never talked of people who could fly. After all, he didn't know this world had powers until the day before.

"Maybe? If they can, why not we?" he replied, trying not to get their hopes up too much. But he knew many would dream of flying in the following days, either way.

Millie grinned and started waving at the guards, jumping in excitement. It wasn't certain if that was the cause, but two guards suddenly descended toward them, sending gusts of air in every direction.

The kids either squealed in excitement or wailed in fear, all covering their faces from the dust kicked up by the wind.

They landed with a thud, kneeling to lessen the impact, then standing up. The wings on their backs shrank down, leaving only two tiny wings like those of a crow still attached.

They were both women, dressed in similar armor to the ones Nova had seen in the hallway the night before. But one seemed more decorated, with a golden symbol on her chest. She had long red hair, a pretty face, and an expression of discomfort, looking around at the children surrounding them.

The other woman seemed more relaxed, scouting the stone walls attentively. She had dark hair, piercing blue eyes, and a scar from her right ear to her nose.

"Ahh! The wings turned small!" Millie said, still studying them with large eyes.

The red-haired guard stared at Millie in confusion. "The children can talk here? Is that normal?"

'Oh, Millie, don't do anything stupid now!' Nova thought, grabbing her ragged tunic from behind as a silent signal.

"Yeah, not all of them are born here," the dark-haired guard said, still searching the surroundings. "Some are taken from orphanages or raids, so they might bring some simple language along. We should check the chambers, Captain."

"...Right. I'll go first, then. Children, stay here in the courtyard, okay?"

Everyone old enough to understand her nodded, including Nova. He didn't want to stand out here unless he had to.

The guards walked through the hallway, entering each of the chambers as they passed them, looking for anything suspicious. What they likely were looking for was the assassin. Little did they know they had already found him.

'I didn't expect something like this, but it makes sense that the caretakers would be afraid to enter before the place has been searched.'

"Nova?" Millie asked, looking at him nervously.

He put a hand on her head and brushed a strand of blonde hair from her face, looking deep into her blue eyes. "Don't worry, Millie. They'll be gone soon, and then we'll get food. I think."

Nearly everyone in the courtyard looked at him once he spoke of food, so he had to temper their expectations somewhat.

The guards eventually reached the end of the hallway without finding any hidden assassins, so they turned around and walked back to the courtyard. "... should have brought keys," Nova heard one of them mumble.

One of the boys in the courtyard, Kovu, stood next to the hallway as they walked past, looking like he wanted to ask them something. "Carl is gone. Did he find good home?"

"Oh lords, they even give each other names…" the red-haired guard said weakly, looking like she was about to cry.

"Yeah, he found a good home, kid. Once you grow old enough, you will too," the other guard said to Kovu, not changing her expression.

It was a kind lie, but Nova doubted there was much kindness behind it. He had seen eyes like hers before, cold and calculating, only caring about efficiency. Children were easier to handle if they were hopeful and happy, which seemed to be this place's policy—as long as it didn't cost anything, at least.

'But the other one… She seems new to this, and fairly disturbed by it. I wonder why she's the captain of the two… Is she the same captain the guards were running for yesterday?'

The simplest way to solve this problem, or at least figure out what could be done, was likely to find someone who sympathized with their situation. But, as a child, how much could he do?

'If I had strength… I need to reach a hundred Soul Power. Then my second fragment will become available, which should be a thousand times stronger than the previous one. From my life as a master assassin…'

"Will food come?" one of the children asked, seeing the guards getting ready to leave. "We hungry…"

The captain nodded firmly in response as her wings started growing again. "Yes, we will send the food soon! Don't you worry!"

Nova could tell she was struggling to keep her face straight. It was nice to see an adult reacting normally to the horrible situation. At least it meant the people in this world were still human.

"Will you come back for us, pretty angel?" he asked her, trying to sound as childlike and innocent as possible. He wanted to see her reaction and ensure she wasn't acting.

Sure enough, her head turned to him with a heavy mix of emotions. Her clenched jaw and shaking lips told him everything he needed. "... I… I'm no angel, child. But perhaps."

They took off with a few flaps of their wings, leaving the small courtyard behind. The children looked on in amazement, forgetting their hunger for a few more moments.

'I can ask that captain for help once my next fragment appears. I should look into absorbing the souls I have, but… What do I do with Carl's?'

Absorbing the soul of a child didn't sit right with him. But he didn't know much about souls, especially in this world, so there wasn't much else he could do with it.

"They were angles, Nova?" Millie asked, looking confused.

"Heh, no. Angels. It's someone with wings who usually comes to save people. But I'm not sure they exist."

"...They were pretty. Red hair looks pretty!"

"So does blonde! But you need to wash it more often."

"The water is cold! I don't wanna!"

Nova smiled. It was a futile attempt to make her wash more often, like he had tried many times before. "Fine, then. Stay in the sun instead; that will keep it bright and shiny."

"Oh, I need to count rocks!" She hurried off, suddenly reminded of his promise to tell stories once the sun hit the tenth stone.

Nova had already made sure he had another hour or so, so he walked back to the chamber in silence and sat back down on the bedroll. Keeping the children entertained wasn't quite as crucial as getting stronger. After all, he didn't know how long he would need to hit a hundred soul power.

'It can't take more than two weeks, right? And besides, I don't want to let anyone from the other sections be taken either. Full speed, if possible.'

With eyes closed, he focused on his soul, trying a more indirect approach than constantly listening to the system. The soul was hard to pinpoint, but he sensed it was near his heart.

After a while, he could also sense three other points of light nearby, slowly circling his soul. One was bright white, another had a darker shade, and the last was grey.

'...Show me the soul of Carl.'

[Soul of Carl]

[Core Stats] [Soul Power: 24] [Soul Purity: White] [Compatibility: 76%] [Time Limit: 57 min]

[Essence] [72/72]

[Aspects]

[Physical Force: 17] [Physical Control: 15] [Physical Resilience: 16] [Mental Force: 6] [Mental Control: 5] [Essence Generation: 7] [Essence Capacity: 8]

[Soul Traits]

[Blessed Physique] [RARE]

The results surprised Nova, making him wonder why the aspects were so much higher than his own. But then he recalled the purity of the soul having an effect on aspects. And with the added trait, it was no wonder the physical numbers were higher.

[Would you like to equip the Soul of Carl?]

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