I never thought the goddess would be unaware of what happened just because Darkness was absorbed.
I only assumed that since she hadn’t seen it, she wouldn’t be able to apply the system rules properly.
So far, that assumption seemed correct.
No sight meant no penalty, and no sight meant no reward.
‘But there’s no penalty, yet a reward is given?’
‘Isn’t that like turning a blind eye to the bad and only giving out the good?’
‘Could it be…?’
“Does the goddess like me?”
That plausible deduction was met with Furnel’s cold voice.
“Enough already. Think about the ghost who has to listen to this.”
“It’s weird. Unless she’s favoring me, how does it make sense to give rewards but overlook penalties?”
“Since when do I know the goddess’s thoughts? Just take what they give and be grateful.”
That’s certainly true, but still, it’s hard to shake off this uneasy feeling.
The reason lies with one of the reward items.
The achievement reward tucked inside the Pocket of Subspace.
The Catalog of Endurance.
“Look at this. Even after all this, you’re still saying it’s not favoritism?”
He took the item out and held it in his hand.
A small book-shaped item.
The cover was adorned with childish drawings and a crooked font spelling out the title.
[Catalog of Endurance – Patience is Bitter, But Its Fruit is Sweet!]
‘…Well, I guess the goddess’s sense of aesthetics is clear.’
“No, look at the item description, not the drawing.”
「Catalog of Endurance (Unique)」
「A catalog created for a specific purpose. Remarkably detailed artwork.」
「When held, all ‘Patience’-related stats increase rapidly.」
An item that drastically boosts Patience stats.
For others, it would be as useless as a stone on the road.
But for Hio, it’s an insanely valuable item unmatched by any Legendary Artifact or Legendary Equipment.
Even Hio, who prides himself on knowing almost every item and artifact, had never seen an item like this.
After all, who else but Hio would have stats related to ‘Patience’?
This was a perfectly tailored item that was absolutely necessary—and given as a reward.
That’s why the claim that the goddess favors him sounds so convincing.
“But honestly, the reward is objectively insufficient compared to your achievements, right?”
“That’s… true.”
What Hio accomplished was no small feat.
No one in the game had ever single-handedly repelled that monster wave before.
Besides, the community wouldn’t allow one player to monopolize such a great event, and by the time someone was strong enough to clear the wave solo, the world had already descended into chaos.
‘The player with the highest contribution… was that guy?’
He remembered the commotion when the player ranked second received a unique item reward for clearing the monster wave.
Considering the level of players back then, it was a pretty good reward.
But Hio swept it all alone and got only two items plus Reputation Points.
Of course, the Catalog of Endurance was a top-tier item beyond comparison…
Also, the other item is completely useless to you, isn’t it?
The strange item given as the other reward:
「Book of Skill Evolution (Intermediate)」
「A book that evolves a skill below mid-level by one tier.」
「Be careful when opening; it activates immediately upon unfolding.」
The Evolution Book would have been welcomed with open arms by anyone else.
But for Hio, it was utterly useless.
No need to evolve skills that would vanish with a single act of violence…
‘Who would even want a one-tier upgrade now?’
He had grown to only be satisfied with top-tier skills.
“So I don’t get it. One item is worthless to others but precious to me. The other is useless to me but good for others.”
If they were going to give something, why not fill the rewards with only the essentials?
There was no logic to it.
If I had to guess, I think the goddess did favor you.
The Catalog of Endurance—that’s just way too obvious.
“…Right? Plus, the reward notification popped up way late. Normally, no reward would be given, but they went out of their way to give it.”
Still, she probably couldn’t just hand out all good stuff at once.
I’m no expert in theology, but I’ve often heard that divine law is strictly bound by causality.
“Causality…”
A principle where every cause inevitably brings about an effect.
No cause, no effect.
‘If you want a good reward, you must provide the proper cause.”‘
‘So, in a way, this whole thing broke causality.’
You eliminated the cause but gained only the good result.
‘Then… are you saying the goddess broke causality to give me this reward? Why on earth?’
‘If I knew that, would I be here playing ghost? I’d have climbed higher and become a god myself by now.’
As many thoughts rapidly crossed his mind, Furnel continued.
“Of course, this could all be wrong. We don’t really understand gods. There are too many variables and unknowns. Maybe there was some problem with the Darkness magic in the first place.”
“…Can’t you look into it at the Tower of Mages?”
“My access is limited. How many high-tier mages studying gods do you think there are? Finding a dark mage researching Darkness magic was already a miracle. If you want advanced info, you’ll need to raise your circle and travel via portal.”
Furnel was right—nothing would be solved by brooding in a corner.
Everything so far was just speculation and assumptions, with no solid answers.
“Right. I’ll just do what I can for now.”
If he worked through it step by step, the answer would surely come.
For now, he would fully claim the rewards he had received.
“Point Shop.”
「Point Shop」
「Health +1: 10pt」
「Strength +1: 10pt」
「Agility +1: 10pt」
「Mana +1: 10pt」
「Spirit Power +1: 10pt」
「Remaining Points: 807pt」
He had earned a decent amount of points after all.
It was time to bolster his weak stats.
“Except for Mana, I should raise them evenly.”
Thanks to the magic gear obtained from the Tower of Mages and the occasional practice of Mana Breathing, his Mana stat was much higher than the rest.
Other stats barely grew, so this was a chance to balance them out.
But one thing puzzled him.
“Should I raise Spirit Power too?”
A newly acquired stat had appeared in the Point Shop: Spirit Power.
It was a bit of a mixed blessing.
Sure, raising Spirit Power had many benefits.
He wasn’t entirely sure about the effect of Trait – Ghost’s Eye, but at least Trait – Spirit Form had been incredibly useful.
The more Spirit Power increased, the more the effects of Ghost’s Eye and Spirit Form would reveal themselves.
“But back then, points were overflowing. I could invest in Spirit Power without hesitation.”
During the Supreme Heavenly Demon era, points had been abundant, making investment easy.
But now, basic stats were also lacking.
Hio’s gaze was joined by Furnel, who chuckled with fascination.
“It’s amazing. Everyone who comes from your world can see and manipulate such things. The world is truly interesting.”
“Personally, I recommend raising Spirit Power. A stronger soul power is more useful than you might think.”
“Soul power? You mean like increasing one’s rank or something?”
“It’s different from rank. Soul power is… hard to explain. Just raise it. When you learn Necromancer Magic, you’ll especially use Ghost’s Eye a lot.”
“Right. A disciple should trust their master. Let’s do it.”
“Well, you never really treated me like a master before.”
「Purchasing ‘Health’ stat for 200pt」
「Health stat increased by +20」
「Purchasing ‘Strength’ stat for 200pt」
「Strength stat increased by +20」
「Purchasing ‘Agility’ stat for 200pt」
「Agility stat increased by +20」
「Purchasing ‘Spirit Power’ stat for 200pt」
「Spirit Power stat increased by +20」
「Remaining Points: 7pt」
Since the points divided perfectly, he distributed them evenly.
“Wow! Amazing! I want to dissect your body and study it right now!”
Crazy Necromancer, seriously.
At last, he felt things were coming together.
Though he started far behind other possessors, the effect of his insanely strong Hidden Trait made up for it.
He would now rise quickly.
“Hio Pavlenko. I’m going in.”
***
Teordo’s familiar voice came from outside the door.
The door opened, and Teordo and Sylvia entered together.
The meeting was about to start, so both wore attire brimming with formality and dignity.
In contrast, Hio’s clothes remained the same.
A loose robe and a large staff, topped with a wizard’s hat.
But now, no one would dare mock him for it.
“Should I just go to the meeting room now?”
Hio gathered his staff and stood, but Sylvia shook her head.
“No, I wanted to talk a bit before the meeting.”
“Okay.”
Hio and Sylvia sat facing each other, and Teordo naturally stood behind Sylvia.
“Teordo, why don’t you sit too?”
Teordo gave a curt reply after glancing at Hio.
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Come on, sit here. It’s just the three of us.”
“Very well.”
But when Sylvia insisted, Teordo quickly took a seat on the sofa.
“Ate your friend yesterday and now acting so strict.”
“Huh? You two decided to be friends?”
“It’s more like Hio Pavlenko unilaterally…”
“Yeah. They even had some secret talks and decided to be friends since yesterday.”
“When did I ever…”
“Well, good!”
Sylvia beamed happily, causing Teordo to pause.
“It’s good that you two get along! Keep it up from now on!”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Watching Teordo’s helpless expression, Hio chuckled and turned his gaze back to Sylvia.
“Did you want to say something before the meeting? We’ll have to persuade the Eastern Alliance to raise an army.”
“Yes. Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you about that.”
“Another favor? Just say it comfortably.”
It was a request before the meeting.
Not surprising at all.
Hio Pavlenko’s existence was firmly imprinted on the Eastern Nobles.
Witnessing the disastrous power of the mage, they couldn’t ignore Hio.
So if Hio stepped in, it would be easier for the Eastern Alliance to lend their strength to Sylvia.
But…
“Could you stay quiet during the meeting?”
Sylvia’s request went against Hio’s expectations.
“Stay quiet? If I step in, I could persuade the nobles quickly.”
“That’s exactly why. It would be meaningless otherwise.”
Sylvia’s determined eyes never wavered.
Yohn Torno had said the same.
This was something Sylvia had to do herself.
‘How could a candidate for emperor hide behind others, scared of the nobles?’
At least when asking for support, she couldn’t rely on someone else’s words.
So Sylvia told Hio, “Please. I want to handle this without depending on you anymore, Hio. I need confidence that I can do it myself.”
Sylvia had grown up under the watchful eyes of two princes.
An environment that naturally stifled her.
Unspoken, she lacked confidence and self-esteem.
But how could she become emperor like that?
Sylvia’s request was a vow to overcome her own weaknesses.
Hio nodded readily.
“I will. You can do it.”
He had many ways to pressure nobles without Sylvia knowing in the meeting.
If things got rough, a simple glare from him would make them uneasy enough.
Between Sirbert’s plan, the empire’s future, and the deepening Abyss, there was too much at stake to rely on romantic words alone.
Yet Hio nodded without worry because he already valued Sylvia’s potential highly.
Though sorry to say, Hio’s presence alone was overwhelming.
No matter what Sylvia said, the nobles would watch Hio’s reaction.
Not out of belief in Sylvia’s ability, but out of belief in Hio’s power and the hope for victory that it brought.
Only one thing remained.
“…Thank you! I’ll make sure to pull it off!”
Seeing Sylvia burn with such fierce determination pricked a certain part of Hio’s heart.
‘I guess there’s no choice. Making her emperor is the top priority.’
It couldn’t be helped.
There was too much at stake to entertain romantic ideals.
‘First, I have to do something about the deathly energy in her body for her to have any meaning as an emperor.’
‘What use was Sylvia as emperor if she died?’
Because of her special ability to see souls, the accumulated energy had to be dispelled somehow…
‘Wait a minute.’
A sudden thought struck him.
‘The energy built up because of Sylvia’s ability.’
Everyone in this world had traits and skills.
But unlike possessors, there was no way to check them.
‘Sylvia’s ability is a skill too.’
When Sylvia used her power, Hio sensed a trace of mana usage.
That meant her ability was a skill, not a trait.
And the deathly energy accumulating was likely a kind of penalty tied to a powerful skill.
Like Hio’s Hidden Trait, an overpowered skill naturally came with a penalty to maintain balance.
Putting aside whether Sylvia’s skill was that powerful…
‘If the skill is low rank and she can’t offset the penalty yet?’
His mind accelerated with new momentum.
Among the two rewards given by the goddess,
The Catalog of Endurance was clearly a perfect fit for Hio.
But the other item,
The completely useless Book of Skill Evolution…
‘What if that was the way to save Sylvia?’
What if it was given not for Hio, but for Sylvia?
Then everything would fit perfectly.
“What do you think?”
***
Sounds plausible.
And when it comes to skills, you know more than I do.
As Furnel said, if it were magic, maybe—but for skills, no one knows better than you.
And to Hio, this idea was quite possible.
Yeah.
It was common for penalties attached to skills to weaken or disappear as the skill evolved.
“Sylvia.”
Hio opened the Pocket of Subspace and handed her a book.
Sylvia accepted it with a puzzled look.
“What’s this?”
“A spellbook to strengthen your ability.”
“My… ability?”
The soul-seeing skill.
According to Furnel, it wasn’t just about viewing souls—it was closely tied to death.
‘What kind of power would it unleash if enhanced?’
“You said your body gets worse the more you use it. So try strengthening your ability. Control the deathly energy inside you or reduce its accumulation.”
“But… I’ve never heard of a book that strengthens skills before.”
Sylvia’s confused question was met with a simple shrug from Hio.
“It’s magic.”
With just that, Sylvia was convinced.
She had already witnessed miracles right before her eyes; a book that evolves skills wasn’t so unbelievable.
Sylvia looked down at the book in her hands.
“It will activate as soon as I open it?”
“What happens when your skill is strengthened?”
“I don’t know.”
‘Come to think of it, were there any soul-related skills?’
Ventair had countless unique skills.
But at least in Hio’s memory, there was none directly mentioning the soul.
There were similar ones, but none explicitly about souls.
There was no guarantee it would improve things.
It could even get worse. The choice was hers.
“You have to decide, Sylvia.”
Silently, Sylvia stared at the book.
Skill enhancement didn’t always mean penalty reduction.
It could worsen as much as it improved.
After some time passed…
“I’ll do it.”
Sylvia resolutely reached out toward the book.