Chapter 45: Upgrading Yuna’s Abilities, Making A Binding Vow With A Cursed Item, Species Evolution Potion
"We can use Soul Shards to increase the level of my abilities, Lord of Shadows.
"It works for everything except Inspect, which is already at the highest level.
"We can also use Soul Shards to unlock new abilities for me," she explained.
I pointed at one of the lines on her screen. "It says Gacha for new abilities. Does that mean the new abilities are random?"
"Yes, Lord of Shadows," she replied. "Unlocking random abilities might seem wasteful, but I would still recommend it.
"My abilities get stronger every time you go up a rank, and unlocking new ones could help with that growth. Also, each time you rank up, I get one random additional ability," she said.
"So even without using Gacha, you’ll still get more abilities as I grow stronger?" I asked
"Yes," she nodded, then asked, "Should I use Gacha now?"
I shook my head. "No. Let’s use Soul Shards to increase the level of your Heal and Enchant instead."
She tilted her head. "We are not unlocking new abilities?"
"Having too many abilities isn’t always a good thing. If all of them are weak, they won’t help much. Right now, your Heal and Enchant are what we need most. Random abilities can wait."
Yuna thought for a moment, then nodded. "Understood, Lord of Shadows."
I leaned back on the bed.
"Enchant is useful for me," I added. "Earth doesn’t have many alchemy materials, and the ones we have are expensive. But with your Enchant, you can turn cheap materials into good substitutes. That’ll help me create potions and relics."
She smiled slightly. "So that’s your plan."
"Yeah. I’m planning to make a Bloodline Evolution Potion soon. It’ll help me grow stronger faster."
In my past life, I was the best assassin.
I had learned how to brew poisons and rare concoctions for my work. Then, I started to delve more into alchemy as I liked it.
That knowledge could help me grow faster now. All I needed was expensive and rare materials, which Earth did not have.
Only by using Yuna’s Enchant could I use cheap materials for substitute for the expensive ones.
As for Heal, there wasn’t much to say.
It had already proven its worth.
Without Yuna’s Heal, I would not have survived my fight with the Cursed Spirit, Elicoras Arena.
"There’s no rush to unlock new abilities. We’ll get to it once we have more Soul Shards," I said.
"Understood, Lord of Shadows," she said, raising her hand.
Light flickered around us.
[200,000 Soul Shards Consumed.]
[Heal: Level 1 → Level 3]
[300,000 Soul Shards Consumed.]
[Enchant: Level 1 → Level 4]
Yuna’s aura brightened slightly.
She looked more confident now, like her very presence had grown stronger.
"Alright. Now, it’s time to make a Binding Vow with the cursed item," I said.
I picked up the black katana lying beside me, the one X’Lhaur had given.
Its name was Keth’Ruun.
I glanced at my class panel.
...
Class Exorcist
Rank 0
Grade: First Grade Exorcist
Perk: [Binding Vow] — Slot 0/1
Effect: Make a Binding Vow with a Cursed Item to unlock its special ability.
...
I held the sword tightly and focused.
Normally, making a Binding Vow wasn’t simple.
A cursed item would always resist it.
The wielder had to subdue its will first, like pokeemons.
But this Cursed Item was different.
It had been given to me willingly as a ’gift’.
That meant it would accept my vow easily, because it was meant to help me. That was part of its narrative.
[Binding Vow formed.]
[Slot: 0/1 → 1/1]
A faint pulse ran through my arm.
I could feel the sword’s presence in my mind, like a quiet heartbeat.
The mental attack from the sword increased exponentially.
This was the danger of using Binding Vows.
It made it easier for Cursed Items to attack your mind.
But the Mind Protection Amulet glowed faintly and neutralized it.
"Yuna, check what ability was unlocked."
She nodded and activated Inspect again. A new screen appeared.
...
Cursed Item: Keth’Ruun
Rank: 1
Narrative: Forged from a dying star’s core. It contains the will of a blacksmith who longed to be a warrior but had talent for blacksmithing only.
Ability: Bond of Souls — Can create a thread that connects two people if both hold opposite ends.
Upgrade Cost: 2,000 Soul Shards
...
"...Huh?" I was surprised.
"Uh... huh?" Yuna blinked in confusion.
We both stared at the screen.
’This is...’
"Jackpot! You’ve struck gold, Lord of Shadows!"
I raised a brow, and acted clueless. "How is this jackpot material? It’s just a string."
"It’s more useful than it sounds," she said, floating closer. "In many Cursed Spirit domains, people get separated even when they’re walking side by side. That thread can stop that from happening. It keeps you and your allies linked no matter how the domain shifts."
I nodded slowly. "I see. That makes sense."
"It can also help you locate the other end instantly. And, of course, the sword is still a weapon."
Some Cursed Spirits’ domains killed anyone who got separated from their group.
This ability could prevent that.
It might even save my life one day.
I did not consider upgrading the sword yet.
The upgrade cost was small—only two thousand Soul Shards—but the problem wasn’t the price.
It was the rank.
If I upgraded it, the weapon would become Rank 2.
And as an Exorcist, I could only maintain a Binding Vow with Cursed Items that were the same rank or lower than me.
Since I was Rank 1, I couldn’t bind with a Rank 2 Cursed Items yet.
That was why I had used all of my Soul Shards to strengthen Yuna instead of the sword.
I placed both the cursed sword and the Mind Protection Amulet into the Inventory Rune carved into my palm.
They shimmered and vanished, absorbed into the glowing mark.
Being inside the Inventory Rune meant they stayed connected to me.
The amulet’s protective effect would still shield my mind even while stored.
"Lord of Shadows, now that you’ve checked your rewards, you should sleep," Yuna said gently.
"Not yet." I sat up on the bed and rubbed my temples. "Dad and the other exorcist guards are not home tonight, so it’s the perfect time to do what I’ve been planning."
Yuna tilted her head.
"You plan to act now?"
"Yes." I stood and stretched my arms. My body still ached, but it was manageable. "I’m tired, but resting now would be a waste. I need to use this time."
She floated closer, her expression softening as she realized what I meant.
"You’re correct, Lord of Shadows."
My plan was simple.
Earn money.
Use that money to buy alchemy materials and rank up my Dragon Blood.
That was the path that would allow me to grow fastest right now.
The race I was aiming for—Draconis Excitari—was a Rank 2 Species unlike my current Rank 1 Species, Draconic-Blooded Human.
It had incredible adaptability, strength and, more importantly, it opened up the path to countless future evolutions.
’After becoming a Draconis Excitari, my talent in both magic and martial arts will increase by at least ten times.’
’I’ll be able to grow much faster with the same amount of training.’