The Third Return of the Necrotic Magic Swordsman

As One sorted through the treasure trove of items to offer Evan, he remained blissfully unaware that, within mere minutes, the seed of betrayal had already been sown. The catalyst? A mysterious message tied to a relic that had subtly guided Evan toward an unknown fate.

"So, what's next, man? Also… is everything okay outside? Feels like we’ve been in here for hours," Evan asked, stretching his arms. Unseen by him, Grim smirked.

"Ah, don't worry," Grim replied casually. "Our associate here—Tick, the time expert—has put this space under a time freeze. Only a few minutes have passed outside, even if it’s felt like hours in here."

Evan turned and saw Tick give a cheeky two-finger salute in confirmation.

"Alright then... what’s the next item, One?" Evan asked, turning his focus to the curator of his upgrades.

"Ah, yes. The fifth item might catch your interest," One said, tapping a floating orb. "It's a degraded dragon bloodline... but not just any dragon. This one comes from a species that once ruled the void. Chaos infused their blood. Behold—the Serpent of the Chaos Void."

Gasps and applause erupted from the other nine figures, as though One had just revealed a god-tier relic.

"...A serpent bloodline?" Evan raised an eyebrow. "You’ve got to be kidding me. Why not just give me a black dragon bloodline? It’s a million times better than that."

"Tsk. Don't be short-sighted," One replied. "This isn't just about prestige. This bloodline holds two high-tier elements—[Void] and [Chaos]. Your precious black dragon only offers [Darkness], which pales in comparison."

Evan clicked his tongue but relented. "Fine, I’ll take it. But tell me—where did this come from?"

"Your second encounter," One explained. "When you tamed that beast in the second expanse. Somehow, its essence fused with this bloodline. It may end up helping you even more than... her."

Evan didn’t press further. He approached the artifact and began the absorption.

A few minutes later, he staggered back slightly. The artifact had consumed a significant portion of his soul space.

"How do you feel?" Soul asked, narrowing her eyes. Her domain was the soul, and she noticed a frightening increase in his soul’s capacity.

"I'm not full yet," Evan replied with a calm grin. "I can take in more."

"...Let’s get you more things then," Soul corrected herself quickly after nearly calling him a 'resource'.

"Alright, before we move on to the final tier items, let's touch up your arsenal a bit," One said, motioning to another artifact.

"This one’s a bit unique. It's a mutated ability formed by combining four elements—Fire, Earth, Lightning, and Ice. It’s called Elemental Manipulation. Not flashy, but it grants control over all four."

Evan’s eyes gleamed. Exactly what I wanted.

Without hesitation, he began the absorption.

The process took thirty minutes—and when it was over, power buzzed under his skin. Four elements now danced to his will.

"Now that that’s done... got anything else interesting?" Evan asked, eyes drifting toward a floating orb surrounded by class orbs.

"You thinking of taking a class?" One asked.

"Yeah. I choose you," Evan said dramatically, grabbing the <Mage> class orb.

An hour passed. He successfully absorbed the class—but before anyone could stop him, he grabbed four more orbs and absorbed them in quick succession.

"Evan, STOP!" someone yelled—but it was too late. Evan collapsed.

A few hours later...

When he woke up, all ten were gathered around him with expressions ranging from anger to horror.

"What... what's up, guys?" Evan blinked innocently. "Did I do something?"

"You absorbed FIVE classes!" Soul shrieked. "You could've DIED. No one absorbs that many at once!"

"But I’m fine," Evan said, brushing himself off. "They didn’t even take up that much space in my soul."

The others exchanged bewildered glances.

"You’re saying... you’re not maxed out?" One asked.

"Nope. I can handle it. Wanna know what I got?"

He held up a hand. "Mage. Blacksmith. Alchemist. Rune Enchanter. And... well, I meant to pick Poisonmancer, but I accidentally grabbed Weapon Master."

"...Seriously?" someone muttered.

Evan scratched his head. "It feels... weak. Mage and Weapon Master seem like low-tier classes. Bare-bones knowledge."

"Then that's your fault for rushing," One said flatly.

Evan sighed. "Still, Weapon Master might come in handy. I’ll probably be able to use a wide range of weapons, yeah?"

Nobody responded. They simply floated away in disappointment.

"Hey, wait! Where are you all going?" Evan called out, chasing after them.

As he ran, something caught his eye—an orb floating alone, far from the rest.

"What’s that?" he asked.

Grim followed his gaze. His eyes widened.

"Don't touch that, Evan," he warned. "It can’t be stored in your soul right now."

"Just let me look!" Evan pleaded. "I won’t absorb it, promise."

"...Fine. Just look."

The orb descended. It was pitch-black, filled with swirling darkness.

Evan held it. Something inside him whispered. It begged him to claim it.

"Evan. Stop," Grim said sternly.

But Evan had already absorbed it.

He dropped instantly, screaming in agony.

"WHAT DID HE DO?!" one of them shouted as everyone rushed over.

His body writhed, black tar-like substance oozing from every pore.

"Where were you when he did this?!" One barked at Grim.

"I... I tried to stop him!"

"You told us not even to touch that orb," Soul said. "What even was it?"

"...It wasn’t just any item," One said grimly. "It belonged to a Tier 3 powerhouse Evan killed during his second life. Even that man couldn’t absorb it."

"...Then how—?"

"It’s not a talent. It’s something greater," One whispered. "A singular miracle in an entire species."

"The Physique... of a Monarch."

They all went silent.

"I had planned for him to try it before he chose his classes. Now... we can only hope he survives."

They all stared in silence as Evan convulsed violently, his body undergoing a transformation that would either destroy him—or make him something the world had never seen.

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