NOVPUB
Chapter 61: 61:Someone Want To Die
A horse-drawn coach galloped down the rough patch street followed by a massive procession of knights.
Along the way, they passed across various merchant groups and townsfolk.
The sight immediately caught everyone’s attention, and whispers spread like wildfire.
"That’s the Veydrin insignia! But how?"
"Princess Adele just left. There’s no way he’d come back, right?"
"Could it be Young Master Kael?"
Inside the coach, the air was suffocating. Chris, Baret, and Gare were too afraid to sit properly, their bodies trembling with unease. They weren’t the only ones.
Ramos, sitting across from Kael, felt sweat drip down his back. His eyes darted to the young man in simple grey robes, silvery grey hair falling over his hollow gaze. But it wasn’t his appearance that terrified him, it was the aura around him.
It was deep, unfathomable and sharp, emitting an immense murderous intent.
Ramos couldn’t even meet Kael’s eyes. Every time he tried, it felt like something was staring back at him like deep void of abyss.
’What the hell happened there?’ Ramos thought, clenching his fists. ’This isn’t the same Kael. It’s like something... replaced him.’
The air around Kael felt razorsharp, like even getting close to him would shred Ramos apart. He had only sensed this kind of presence from absolute monsters—the ones at the top of the warrior chain.
Apex predators.
Predators who were labeled as Gods among men who always had an unapproachable aura around them.
But Kael? He wasn’t even twenty.
The thought made Ramos’ blood run cold.
Kael, meanwhile, stared blankly out the window, his mind replaying the same moment over and over.
It was Nina separating from him.
He focused some keywords going over it
First was Nina managed to shed her mortality, and became a spirit to live longer.
It was difficult but not impossible.
It means he can connect with her but he doesn’t know how. Summoning spirits is an entirely different matter as only those with summoning class can do it.
The second was about identity.
It was the result of using devour to absorb divinity and monsters in his past life that accumulated into his soul and were carried over here.
The Akashic record reads your soul record and presents a suitable pathway for you.
He didn’t knew how but he was sure this power could come with great surprises but with a fatal downside.
As for how Nina managed to enter the space.
The only thing he could think of was her tracing his soul and leaving a part of her in his soul. Also, before parting she left a few words.
[Get to inner Circle of the Heretic Sect. All answers lie with them.]
’FUCKK!This is so complicated...I am losing my mind.’
He wanted to forget it but he wasn’t able to.
It lasted only a second. But to him, it felt like forever. An eternity of waiting, pain, and longing condensed into that single moment.
His fingers curled into a tight fist.
’They’re waiting for me.’
’They have been waiting for me.
’As long as they live, I will find them.’
With a deep sigh, he decided to check his stats and his new pathway class.
.....
Name: Kael Veydrin
Species: Human Lv 28
Pathway: Malefic Aberrant
Rank: D-
[Stats]
Strength: 25
Agility: 23
Constitution: 24
Vitality: 25
Mana: 30
[Talents/Blessings]
Devour [D+]
Comprehension [D+]
[Titles]
Lunatic of Veydrin, Cursed Devour
[Skill Slots]
Swordsmanship D+, Hexbrand D+, Maledict Counter D+, Curse Resistance D+
........
Kael’s gaze locked onto his pathway. The name was different.
[Malefic Aberrant]
The Malefic Aberrant Pathway is a descent into madness, darkness, and corruption. Those who walk this path are labeled as heretics, for they have the potential to become eldritch beings of distortion. They embody curses, devour the world’s essence, and twist reality itself. Their existence spreads error and misfortune.
Kael read the words carefully. His fingers twitched.
What the fuck was this?
His lips curled into a twisted grin.
"Heh... AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Everyone inside the coach flinched. Ramos nearly jumped out of his seat. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
Kael grabbed his face, his fingers digging into his cheeks as his shoulders trembled with laughter.
"Ohhh, this is insane. This is completely fucking insane."
He scrolled down to check the skills that came with it—
And then he froze.
His laughter stopped. His face twitched.
His pupils shrank as he stared at the screen.
"HUH?!"
"Stop screaming, brat!"
Ramos shouted, covering his ears. "Why the hell are you screaming like you saw a ghost?"
Kael’s eyes twitched as he stared at his status screen. His lips curled in disbelief. "Old man!"
"Yeah? What is it now?" Ramos huffed.
Kael gulped. "I don’t know if this is some kind of sick joke or reality, but—" He took a deep breath. "I seem to have a curse that stops me from getting stat points when I level up."
"Huh? What did you say?" Ramos asked, rubbing his ear. "Say that again. I don’t think I heard you properly."
"I said I can’t get stats on level up!"
There was a moment of silence. Then—
"CAN’T GET STAT POINTS ON LEVEL UP? OH, THAT’S— I... WHAT?!"
Ramos jumped from his seat, grabbed Kael by the collar, and shook him violently. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Do you think Ramos Veydrin—who has roamed the world and battled countless foes—is some kind of fool?!"
Kael shoved his hands away and snapped, "I’m not joking! It literally says I can’t level up!"
A cold chill ran down his spine as he stared at the description again.
[Lunatic of Veydrin]
Increases stats by 1-10% depending on mood
[Cursed Devourer]
Due to possessing a power that violates the natural order, you do not gain stat points from leveling up. Instead, you must absorb the stats of others using your talent.
Kael’s expression distorted as he absorbed the meaning of those words. He slowly looked up and saw Ramos wearing an equally stunned, dogshit expression.
Ramos blinked. "Just... what did you gain?"
"Sorry, I can’t say that." Kael shook his head.
Ramos’ lips parted as if he wanted to curse but was too dumbfounded to speak.
Ignoring him, Kael scrolled down to check his new skills.
===================
[Skills]
[Hexbrand]
Marks a target with a minor curse of misfortune, slightly increasing their bad luck. The longer the mark remains, the stronger its effects, leading to accidents, missed attacks, and decreased resistance to further curses.
[Maledict Counter]
Absorbs a portion of incoming damage and stores it. The next attack releases the stored energy, amplifying the strike based on the absorbed damage. Higher proficiency increases efficiency and storage limit.
[Curse Resistance]
Provide a certain degree of immunity against dark curses and poisons.
====================
Kael whistled as he read through the descriptions.
"Damn. This was worth it."
Just as he was about to rejoice, he felt a sudden shift in the air. His grin vanished. His eyes turned sharp.
Across from him, Ramos stiffened. His body tensed like a seasoned predator sensing danger.
"You feel that?" Ramos asked, his voice unusually serious.
Kael chuckled darkly. "Oh, I sensed it, alright."
A wide grin stretched across his face as he cracked his knuckles.
"Some motherfuckers are too eager to die."
