The Soulmancer’s Ascension

Zephyr snapped out of his delusional thoughts. Sherine patted his shoulder as though she could sense his turbulent emotions.

“I’m fine… Treasure Vault, sort the list by the weakest to the strongest.”

The list refreshed, and the items that came out looked basic even without comparing them to the god-like weapons from the last list.

[White Sword]

[Grade - Unsouled Tier 1]

[A standard warrior sword.]

[Equip requirements: 10 Strength, 5 Agility]

[Equip bonus: Strength+4, Defense +2]

[Unique Skill: Warrior Strike]

[Black Greatsword]

[Iron Daggers]

…

[Obsidian Scythe]

[Grade - Unsouled Tier 1]

[A scythe bathed in the dark light of the night gems.]

[Equip requirements: 7 Strength, 10 Agility, 5 Magic]

[Equip bonus: Agility +4, Strength+2]

[Weapon Skill: Poisonous Edge]

A scythe would look cool with his soul stealing abilities. An impractical weapon for normal people but an awesome and unpredictable weapon in a world with skills and levels.

“What is Unsoul Tier 1?”

Though Zephyr had a guess, having a solid explanation would eliminate any misgivings.

[The weapons forged by great blacksmiths develop a consciousness after being infused with the user's mana for a very long time. The weapons who have the potential to develop this consciousness are called Unsouled. They are ranked in three tiers. Afterwards, they evolve into Soul Armaments, which have their own ranks starting from Sacred Armament to Divine Armament.]

“Sheesh. I guess I’ll take all of the Unsouled weapons. I’ll stick with the one which suits my style.”

The ground in the center of the room split open and a white wooden box came out. A gift box.

[Unsouled weapons delivered.]

Zephyr lifted the cover to find his stash. “Jackpot.”

A tug at his sleeve brought him face to face with a troubled Sherine. “Can you ask the vault to show some gauntlets?”

“Of course.”

At Zephyr’s commands, another list surfaced. Sherine intently stared at the weapon list. As a half dragon and half goddess, she could roll over most of the demigods with her brute strength. She could walk unhindered even with the world limiting her strength.

Why did she feel compelled to become more overpowered?

Zephyr shook his head at the meaningless questions. Having a more powerful ally will help him in case some endgame boss popped out of nowhere.

‘Her beauty is gonna be problematic.’

He could already imagine some ugly bastard trying to get his hand on her.

‘Slapping those fucks should be fun. I guess I’ll try the weapon while she is busy.’

Zephyr scoured the box for the scythe. And what a scythe he found. The extremely curved blade of the scythe carried a silver glint, mounted on a jagged, black handle. The scythe really looked like something a grim reaper would wield.

He took a deep breath and lifted the scythe.

[Obsidian Scythe equipped.] [Agility +4, Strength +2]

“It’s heavy.”

It might be the heaviest thing he ever lifted. He hesitated from swinging the black scythe. The fear of his old life reared its head. He was, after all, forbidden from physical activity.

‘Not good. I can’t chicken out.’

He took a deep breath and drew an arc with a slash of his scythe. The clumsy action was unrefined. Complete amatuer. That didn’t stop him from slashing some imaginary monsters with his scythe. He closed his eyes and repeated the same slash over and over until he got the hang of the scythe’s weight.

After that, he tried every set of moves he possibly could with a scythe. Using a scythe wasn’t just about swinging the weapon. He could hook his target’s arms, slash their neck, or even cripple their legs all anytime. The variety of attack styles made the weapon less predictable than a sword.

Soon he entered a trance. The weight of the scythe disappeared and his movements flowed fluently.

[New skill learned: Scythe Combat. Agility+1]

[New skill learned: Enhanced Focus. Agility+1]

A sharp pain assaulted his arms, forcing him to let go of the scythe. His back was drenched in sweat, and he was out of breath. He forgot the passage of time the very first time he lifted a weapon as if it was the most addicting feeling.

“I can say I’m a man of focus, determination… I don’t deserve the last part yet.”

With the scythe bonus and now skill bonuses, his agility reached 16. He was rather extraordinary when compared to any average Level 1.

‘I’ll also try to learn magic.’

The new world will have sorcerers and witches. He could use the chance to enter some sorcerer academy. After dropping out in the third grade, he had never been to school, only home-schooled. Now that he had a chance, why not experience the busy school life for once?

He fixed his breathing before walking up to Sherine. She gazed up and down at the screen with a frown. She couldn't decide what to choose.

‘I should help her… or no. She looks cute like this.’

He left her to her own device until she cried out for help.

“Zephyyyr, help me…”

“Hahaha. Let me check it.”

[Ice Calamity]

[Grips of Cosmic Destruction]

[Space Cutter Gauntlets]

…

Zephyr felt dizzy. Sherine’s struggle wasn’t for naught. Anyone would be stuck when offered a vast number of choices.

“Treasure Vault, can you show gauntlets that Sherine can equip?”

[Understood!]

[Wrath of Tiamat]

[Grade - Sacred Armament]

[Equip requirements: 200 Strength, must be a mother.]

[Equip Bonus: +50 Strength]

[A pair of gauntlets imbued with the primordial salt that contained the fury of the primordial Goddess Tiamat.]

[Soul Skill: A Mother’s Fury]

Zephyr and Sherine shared a silent glance.

“Have you—”

“No, I did not!” Sherine denied before he asked anything. “I will not have any children before I get back my voice.”

“Okay… the A.I can’t be perfect. That trap made it, after all.”

Zephyr scrolled through the weapon list and finally found a perfect match for Sherine.

[Fenghuang Duality]

[Grade - Sacred Armament]

[Equip requirements: 150 Strength, 200 Health, Adaptive Martial Arts Skill]

[Equip Bonus: +100 Health, +50 Magic]

[A pair of gauntlets forged by a phoenix couple who respectively mastered the yin and yang harmony. The yang side unleashes destructive flames to devastate spiritual life forms. The yin side releases yin flames that heal and apply nature protection.]

[Soul Skill: Harmony of the Nature]

Sherine pointed at the Fenghuang Duality gauntlets. “I’ll take it.”

“That was fast.”

“I can heal you when you are hurt…”

“Thank you.”

Sherine shook her head. “It’s the least I can do for my champion.”

After taking the gauntlets, Zephyr returned to the so-called Dark Dimensional Door.

“Sherine, how much do you know about the world?”

“As much as you.” Sherine tilted her head before her lips curled into a grin. “I wanted to go in blind and do the exploration myself. Learning things about the world by experiencing it with my flesh and blood.”

“You are an adventurous spirit.”

Zephyr unfortunately couldn’t agree with her idea. He wanted to train, become powerful, and have fun, all without risking his life. By being in control, he could live a longer life.

“Riven, come here for a second.”

The god of afterlife manifested on a throne. “What?”

“What’s on the other side?”

“The Hydralae Continent.”

“I mean where exactly? A town, village or some forest.”

Riven tapped the armrest of his throne. “I didn’t think of that…”

“...”

“There is no absolute safe place in Hydralae. The human land is one tenth of the land in the Brood Queen’s possession. I’ll set it to a forest. You’ll have to fight some weak monsters and reach the nearest town. From then, you can choose to explore at your own pace.”

Sherine gripped Zephyr's hand. “I’ll protect you if monsters are too strong.”

“Alright, let’s depart.”

He stepped into the door with Sherine.