Darkness. Silence.
Then—a flash of blue.
YOU DIED
The words floated in mid-air, glowing cold and sterile. A man in his thirties stared at them, pale and frozen in disbelief.
"...What?"
More text appeared beneath the first line, mechanical and unfeeling:
Years Lived: 36
Lovers: 0
Children: 0
Achievements: 0
Friends: 0
Novels Published: 47
Novels Finished: 0
He blinked.
"Wow... I really sucked, huh?"
The screen pulsed.
Calculating Soul Score...
+36 points for Years Alive
+47 points for Novels Published
–470 points for Unfinished Works
+10,000 points for Enemies Made (Reader Hatred Multiplier Applied)
Total: 9,613 Soul Points
He let out a low whistle. "Guess pissing off readers does have perks."
The display shimmered again.
Initiating Next Life... Enter Character Creation Mode
The blue screen warped, twisting into a familiar RPG-style menu—sliders, stats, traits, perks. Just like the games he'd wasted years playing.
His grin widened. "No way…"
Without hesitation, he started spending.
[Traits Purchased]
> Mana Fiend (2,500): Vast mana pool. High regeneration.
> Magic Prodigy (2,000): Halved mana costs. Accelerated learning.
> Eidetic Memory (800): Perfect recall of spells, visuals, and rituals.
> Scion of the Necroline (500): Undead minions deal +100% damage and durability.
Soul Points Remaining: 3,813
"Alright, let's go—"
He stopped mid-celebration.
At the bottom of the menu, one trait glowed dark red. Locked. Untouchable.
Necroforge – 8,000 Soul Points
Forge custom undead. Modular. Evolutionary. You are not a summoner — you are a creator.
Sacrifices traditional EXP. Growth now tied to harvested souls.
His breath caught. This... this was it.Necroforge. A creator's engine. A soul-shaper's dream.He clicked.[Insufficient Soul Points.]"Dammit."
The screen blinked.
Would you like to view Negative Traits to balance the cost?
He paused. Then smiled.
"Yeah. Show me what I've got to give up."
[Negative Traits Taken]
Bound to the Chair (+1,000): Paralyzed from the waist down. Requires mobility assistance. DEX locked at 0
Glass Body (+1,500): Fragile health. Reduced physical resistance. Cannot wear heavy armor. STR & CON locked at 1
Cursed Bloodline (+2,000): Cannot be healed by natural or divine means. Feared by holy factions.
[Warning: Physical stats will not increase through level-up while these traits are active.]
Bonus Soul Points Gained: 4,500
New Total: 8,313
With renewed excitement, he confirmed the purchase.
[Trait Acquired: Necroforge][Soul Points Remaining: 313][System Note: Summon limit starts at 5. Additional slots scale with INT.]
"Might as well spend the last bits," he muttered.
[Additional Traits]
Darkness Affinity (250): Enhanced control and resistance to dark-based magic.
Blood Manipulation (50): Grants limited control over blood within and around targets.
[Unused Soul Points: 13][Optimized Distribution Detected — Magic Prodigy Bonus Applied]+13 INT
Character Creation Complete Initializing Soul Transfer...
A pulse of arcane light surged through the void.
Thus was born: Lucien Vaelthorn, Scion of Death.