Alex's head rang as several notifications came one after the other, flooding his mind without pause or mercy. In such a situation, the only reasonable thing he could do was to completely ignore them to the best of his ability, pushing them aside with as much focus as he could muster.
After a few heartbeats the notifications finally stopped, leaving behind an eerie silence that almost felt louder than the sounds themselves.
Sighing, he let his back fall onto the bed, eyes closed. After a while, and feeling that the previous exhaustion he had felt was now gradually waning, his eyes shot open with a sharp glint.
The first thought that came to his mind at that precise moment was, 'Does the soul have some kind of unique energy of its own?'
After the blob that the double-headed scythe had become disappeared into his chest, he had felt his soul being drained, as if something was being pulled away, causing him to feel weak and unstable. But now, for some reason, he was feeling his soul slowly regaining some of its former strength, piece by piece, which clearly meant that it was being refueled. That observation alone led him to wonder whether the soul possessed its own type of energy—and whether, by forcing its way into his body, that cursed blob had stolen or consumed a part of his soul's power.
It seemed like a fascinating subject to ponder on, and one worth exploring more deeply later on. But since he was now feeling significantly less tired than before, Alex cast that train of thought to the back of his head, setting it aside for another time, and finally turned his attention to the notifications he had previously ignored.
'Bonded with what? What the heck even is a soul weapon?' Alex thought, feeling the overwhelming urge to pull his hair out. 'And when the fuck did I agree to bond with that cursed thing? Did I even have a choice in the matter?!!' he wanted to cry out in frustration and disbelief.
After what felt like an eternity of him staring blankly at his notifications, Alex sighed in defeat, his voice low and resigned. "Well, what is done is done. I just hope that this damned soul weapon is worth all this trouble."
He had lost a weapon that contained the essence of a level 7 to that cursed thing, so it better be something truly useful, or he might very well cry in anger and frustration at the absurdity of it all.
'Status,' he called out mentally, and soon, the translucent screen in front of him shifted, changing to reflect the new information he sought.
[Name: Alexandre Eswald
Age: 60
Level: 4
Strength: 700
Agility: 700
Stamina: 700
Defense: 700
Mana Points: 90
Abilities: Soul Linkage, Smoke sovereign;
Soul weapon : Marnak (cursed)
Harem: Lilia Eswald, Annaline Maxwell, Amelia Eswald, Freya Drazen;
Soul Points: 5000]
Looking at his status screen, Alex immediately spotted the new string of text about his soul weapon. Clicking on it, additional information unfolded before him.
[Soul Weapon: Fragment of Saraphiel's Armament, Marnak.
Description: Once the favored armament of the archangel Saraphiel, one of Heaven's most feared warriors, this armament was later stolen and cursed by the Tenth Ruler of Hell, the devil ¤#λΨ. The original armament was divided into five parts, each carrying a fraction of its former power. Marnak is one of those five fragments.]
After reading through the description of the soul weapon, Alex now had a perplexed expression on his face. 'Heaven, hell, archangels, devils… these exist?' he thought, genuinely confused.
Judging by the description provided by the system, though, it seemed they did exist.
'Well, the gods exist, so I guess it kind of makes sense that these ones do too,' he rationalized to himself.
The goddess of lust had also mentioned succubi once, and if he wasn't wrong, they were usually classified as a type of demon.
'But why is the name of the supposed Tenth Ruler of Hell hidden?' he wondered, frowning as his gaze returned to the glitched portion where the devil's name should have appeared.
Unfortunately, the system didn't seem interested in answering him, so he let the matter drop for now. He had other things to focus on anyway.
The description of Marnak alone was already giving him a lot to think about, but there was still more information provided by the system.
[Unique Abilities of Marnak: Shapeshift, Assimilation]
[Assimilation Ability:
This particular fragment of Saraphiel's armament possesses the power to absorb and merge with magical, spiritual, soul-based, and similar types of weapons, inheriting one hundred percent of their qualities and abilities.
Note: Since the weapon is incomplete, Marnak can currently assimilate up to 5 different weapons.
Current Assimilated Weapons: 2]
[Shapeshift Ability:
To fully take advantage of the properties of each assimilated weapon and effectively use their skills, Marnak will alter its shape to match the exact form of the weapon it has absorbed.
Note: Marnak can only access and utilize a weapon's skills once it has taken on that weapon's form.
Current Available Forms: 2]
Reading the description of the two abilities of his soul weapon—whose name was apparently Marnak—Alex froze for a moment, before a wide grin slowly spread across his face.
It wasn't certain yet, but if the descriptions were accurate, then there was a very good chance that his level 7 weapon hadn't been completely lost. Just that single possibility was enough to calm the lingering frustration within him.
'What forms can Marnak currently take?' he asked the system.
[There are currently two available forms.
First Form: Double-headed Scythe
Second Form: Longsword]
With this single answer, Alex was now convinced. The treasure he had bought for the astronomical sum of ninety million gold coins wasn't entirely gone.
"Wait… If there are two available forms, doesn't that mean the double-headed scythe is the result of Marnak having already assimilated another weapon?"
He was merely thinking aloud, but to his surprise, the system responded.
[Correct]
'If that's the case, does it mean that the ability Marnak possesses in the form of the scythe actually comes from the weapon it assimilated?'
[Correct]
[You can access the characteristics and skills of each form of Marnak if you wish,] the system added in its usual monotonous tone.
'Show me,' Alex requested, feeling a flicker of excitement rise in his chest.
[Marnak — First Form: Double-headed Scythe]
[Skill: Mana Slash
Skill Description: By channeling mana into Marnak, the user can generate a condensed arc of pure mana that can be launched forward as a cutting attack. The more mana is infused, the faster, wider, and more destructive the slash becomes]
Seeing the description of the skill, Alex was now certain that it was the same one he had been using since his fight against the dungeon boss. But it also brought up another thought entirely.
"If I can see through the system what skills the weapons assimilated by Marnak possess, that means that, just like with the first form, I should be able to access the skills of the longsword as well."
Previously, he couldn't even sense what abilities the weapon had, since he hadn't been able to form a proper connection with it. But now—
"Wait, can I use the second form now? I mean, the weapon was assimilated by Marnak, and Marnak is now a treasure… or maybe a cursed weapon? Either way, I'm linked to it now, so it should work, right?" he asked expectantly.
There was a brief pause before the system interface shifted, giving him a clear answer to his question.
A wide grin broke across Alex's face, and he chuckled lowly to himself.
"Now we're talking," he said, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Within just a few minutes, the system had provided him with everything he needed to know—details about Marnak, its forms, and the abilities tied to each.
All that remained was to test it all in practice—and Alex had no intention of wasting time.
Nearly an hour later, just as he was still immersed in exploring the depths of Marnak's potential, a knock echoed through the room, interrupting his focus and his ongoing experimentation.
Letting out a small sigh, Alex stood up, a faint weariness in his eyes, a result of intense concentration. He pulled the familiar smoke mask over his face, and, not even bothering to put on a shirt, walked toward the door.
The moment he opened it, his jaw nearly hit the floor.