Isaac stepped into the apartment, shutting the door behind him with a tired sigh. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Maya and Jake sitting on the couch, facing each other with unusually serious expressions.
Maya's voice carried through the room.
"Uncle, I swear he was with a girl."
Jake frowned.
"Maya, don't be silly... that's impossible."
"But Uncle Jake, you read the note he left. He said he was going to meet a friend."
"Exactly. A friend," Jake replied flatly.
"But I heard the cake shop worker say something about them being a couple!" Maya insisted.
That was the moment Jake noticed Isaac standing there, a cake box in hand and a faintly deadpan expression on his face. He cleared his throat quickly and tried to change the subject.
"Oh—! Welcome home, Isaac."
Isaac stared at them for a moment, unimpressed. Then he walked to the table, set the cake down, and crossed his arms.
"Just for the record, I can hear you two plotting my love life like it's a crime scene."
Maya blinked. "We weren't plotting—
Jake chuckled awkwardly. "We were just—"
Isaac held up a hand, stopping him.
"Uncle Jake, I brought sugar. Not answers."
He waved at the cake.
"Here's your distraction. I'm going to my room before you two start planning the wedding."
He didn't wait for a response—just turned and walked off with his usual sarcastic aura trailing behind him.
As the door to Isaac's room shut with a soft click, Jake looked at the cake, then at Maya.
"You should start preparing," he said with a grin. "I think you're getting a sister-in-law soon."
Maya smirked, grabbing a slice of cake.
"I can't wait to meet her," she said as she stuffed the first bite into her mouth.
Then, after chewing thoughtfully, she added with mock seriousness:
"I have to admit—she has great taste."
Jake arched a brow.
"You mean Isaac?"
Maya smirked. "Nope. I meant the cake, obviously."
They both burst into laughter.
---
Meanwhile, in his room, Isaac collapsed onto his bed with a groan.
"Finally... silence," he muttered.
He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling, then lazily raised a hand.
"Status."
A familiar blue glow shimmered to life above him.
---
STATUS WINDOW
> Name: Isaac
Class: (Corrupted — Cannot Decide)
Class Rank: ??? (Cannot Decide)
Sanity Index: 63%
Strength: 31
Dexterity: 30
Vitality: 28
Perception: 32
Willpower: 30
Skills:
Blood Mist – Transmute your blood into crimson mist capable of forming objects, weapons, or barriers. Drains health with use.
Hunter's Vision – Grants night vision and highlights weak points in living targets.
Insanity – The lower your sanity, the stronger your attacks. Effects intensify with blood loss.
---
Isaac frowned, staring at a new section he hadn't seen before.
"Sanity...? That's a thing now?"
As if on cue, the screen glitched.
A sharp tone rang in his ears.
---
[NOTIFICATION – WARNING]
> SECOND SOUL CORE DETECTED
ERROR. ERROR.
Adjusting…
Stats recalibrating.
Skills adapting.
Titles acquired:
▸ The One Who Holds the Key
Adjusting…
---
The window blinked red, then began rewriting itself line by line, faster than he could follow.
Isaac sat up slowly, eyebrows raised.
---
STATUS WINDOW [UPDATED]
> Name: Isaac
Class: (Corrupted — Cannot Decide)
Class Rank: ??? (Cannot Decide)
Sanity Index: 41%
Strength: 58
Dexterity: 56
Vitality: 53
Perception: 60
Willpower: 59
Skills:
Blood Mist [Evolved] – Your blood can now take complex forms and animate briefly. Mist is denser, stronger, and can harden like steel.
All-Seeing Eye – Grants total environmental awareness, magical energy detection, and weak point identification.
Crimson Aura – Releases a red aura that enhances physical power.
Insanity [Enhanced] – Power further amplified. Sanity drop + blood loss unlock new abilities... but risk full mental collapse.
???????????? – [Unreadable]
Item Acquired: Familiar Egg – Dormant. Status: Awaiting Bond.
Titles:
The One Who Holds the Key
Second Chance
Disciple of Calamity
---
Isaac tapped on the corrupted skill—nothing but a black square and garbled text.
As soon as his finger made contact, the status screen jolted.
The room trembled slightly.
Static.
Vibrations.
A piercing sound shrieked through his skull.
---
[SYSTEM ALERT]
> • ????????????
Status: ████
Description: ⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
Warning: ENTITY WITHIN CORE MAY BECOME ACTIVE
Protocol: LOCKED
Containment: UNSTABLE
---
Then everything stopped.
The window froze mid-error, glowing faint red. A slow, pulsing heartbeat-like throb came from the corrupted skill icon.
Isaac blinked once.
Then again.
He leaned back on the bed, sighing like he'd just been told his entire existence was an overdue library book.
"Great. I was worried I might be normal."
He waved a hand dramatically.
"Turns out I'm a walking biohazard with a soul parasite and a UI that needs therapy."
He stared at the black square again.
"Wait—did that thing say 'entity'?"
The icon pulsed again, faint but alive—like something behind the screen was breathing.
Isaac exhaled slowly and rolled onto his side.
"Yeah. No way this ends badly."
The glow faded as the screen shut itself down.
But the thumping pulse didn't stop.
Not entirely