Chapter 38 - 38: The 30th Generation’s Oath
Chapter 38: The 30th Generation’s Oath
Translator: 549690339
A man and a bound spirit stared at each other in the dark corridor for a long time.
It took Noland just five minutes for his brows to relax from their furrowed state.
He thought of a method to perform a live exorcism on the bound spirit’s original master.
That was to draw a “Mark of Resentment” on the opponent’s body, and see what kind of effect this mark had, perhaps it could just exorcise the lost souls.
Noland stepped gently, bypassing the bound spirit and came to the place where the black tornado disappeared.
After squatting down and searching for a few moments, Noland secretly sighed in relief and picked up the intact Rune Staff from the ground.
This thing was worthy of being a military-grade alchemical tool, having “survived” the Death Storm…
Noland gripped the Rune Staff and stood in front of the bound spirit.
He took a deep breath, raised his arm, and pointed the tip of the Rune Staff towards the chest of the bound spirit.
If he touched the bound spirit with any part of his body, he would be hurt by its “Soul Sacrifice” skill.
Only by using the contact point of the Rune Staff as a medium could he avoid the effects of “Soul Sacrifice” while still etching the “Mark of Resentment.”
The contact point slowly approached the bound spirit, and eventually touched the green light-emanating surface of the soul.
From the feedback of touch from the Rune Staff… the soul’s body was similar to jelly, with a bit of elasticity when poking it…
Noland focused his mind, banishing stray thoughts, and gradually moved the contact point to draw the “Mark of Resentment.”
In the process of drawing, Noland could feel his energy seeping away.
This energy flowed from his body up his arm, onto the Rune Staff, and merged into the mark.
Just as Noland was secretly speculating about the effects of this mark, the bound spirit suddenly floated forward a few centimeters.
The contact point inadvertently pierced into the bound spirit, bringing the nearly completed mark drawing to a halt.
Noland’s heart skipped a beat.
Without waiting for him to withdraw the Rune Staff, the bound spirit rushed towards him, straight and rigid.
Noland immediately let go of the Rune Staff in his hand and retreated, but the bound spirit showed no sign of wanting to let him go and chased after him directly.
Could it be that the act of drawing the mark was regarded as an attack signal by the bound spirit?… Noland’s heart sank slightly as he realized that the situation was somewhat bad.
He dodged left and right in the corridor, retreating quickly, and the bound spirit always chased after him.
What was strange was that Noland found the bound spirit’s flying speed not very fast.
The opponent did not give full power and instead slowed down, like a mud truck with the accelerator pedal to the metal, chasing the target with a relatively gentle and slow attitude.
Noland was puzzled, but his footsteps never stopped.
Finally, he retreated to the end of the corridor, hitting the stone wall that appeared out ot thin air.
The bound spirit stopped in front of him.
Noland swallowed and said:
“Brother, what do you want? If you want to beat me, just do it. Don’t just look at me without saying anything… listen to me, what happened between us is an accident…”
Silent, the bound spirit accelerated in an instant and drilled into Noland’s body.
Noland was caught off guard by the opponent’s move.
His body stiffened suddenly, and he could only rely on the stone wall behind him to maintain his balance.
It turned out that the bound spirit did not want to fight!
Noland did not feel the cold touch, nor the intense pain at the soul level.
On the contrary, in his own eyes, scenes of the past in the original master’s memory surfaced.
Father Richard Jarvis, a graduate of the Business Specialty at Bowerthain City College.
Mother Bagley, a laundry worker who learned to read only after meeting her husband.
Starting from the year he stepped into society, his father joined an affiliated dealership of the Weston Group, working diligently and sincerely from an ordinary salesman.
The mother, on the other hand, made ends meet by doing odd jobs.
For the original master, they were not qualified parents.
They did not stand up for the original master when he was treated unfairly, and they rarely bought birthday gifts for him during his childhood.
The original master’s fate was inevitable.
His birth and growth coincided with the most difficult stage of his family. His parents worked day and night to make ends meet, enduring their bosses’ abuse, while the mother had to endure her employer’s exploitation.
After a day of work, both were exhausted.
However, the oldest son and the younger son made them very worried.
The oldest son spent all day mingling with poor students at school, severely testing their parents’ patience.
The younger son, who was the original master himself, had just been born and did not understand the troubles of adults, and spent every day making a mess with his crying and clumsy hands and feet.
This situation lasted until the birth of the little daughter.
At that time, the father became a supervisor-level figure with a generous salary, so the mother no longer needed to work part-time jobs.
The little daughter became the most cherished person for both parents.
As the second child, the original master was someone who had never been pampered since childhood and had to bear the pressure of life on his own. So, did the original master’s resentment come from his parents?
Was he jealous of his sister?
Noland’s heart was touched.
He sensed the thoughts of the original master and muttered to himself:
“No, I can feel that you don’t hate your parents.
“Reading history makes people wise.
“Your hobbies and professional knowledge allow you to view things that have happened to you with a more objective and tolerant attitude than ordinary people.
“In fact, when you grew up, you’ve already experienced the bitterness of your parents. You forgave them. If given time, you will have your own children, and you will never let the hardships you endured repeat on your children. This is the progress of history, the experience and lessons you draw from it…”
Noland sighed and said:
“So, where does your resentment come from?…”
A picture appeared before his eyes, a symbol, a large logo engraved on the outer wall of a building.
The appearance of the symbol was a beaker and alcohol burner pattern made up of letters, and those letters came from the word “Weston.” Noland knew the answer now.
The original master harbored resentment towards the Weston Group.
His parents and siblings all perished in a car accident.
The Weston Group not only expressed no remorse for their employee but also exploited a sales agreement to shift the resulting debt onto the original master’s head through legal manipulations.
The Weston Group took away all the original master’s inheritance and thrust him into the Suffering Borderland, where he became a Sin Soldier.
If there was someone the original master could never forgive, it would have to be the Weston Group.
However…
Attempting to confront such a massive entity with one’s own strength, isn’t that a bit of overconfidence…
Noland Lee sighed softly:
…If you want me to shake the foundations of the Weston Group…l can only say, I will do my best in my lifetime…”
Before Noland Lee could finish speaking, the memory scene abruptly changed, and the image of a middle-aged woman took over his mind. This woman was conversing with the original master’s father.
The conversation took place in the father’s house.
The original master, his mother, and his siblings were all present.
The memory scene began to play.
At first, this woman was laughing and chatting with the original master and his family.
She was the father’s supervisor, and her visit was to deliver a promotion letter to the father.
This was supposed to be a joyful occasion.
However, the scene shifted, and after the pleasant meal, the original master was reading in his study room.
He inadvertently glanced at the scene outside the window and saw the cold expression on the female supervisor’s face as she looked over his residence…
Due to the difference in light between the inside and outside of the house, the original master took in the female supervisor’s expression, but she failed to notice the gaze from within the window.
Because of the female supervisor’s performance, the original master felt troubled and uneasy.
At this point, the memory scene paused.
Noland Lee suddenly understood the original master’s meaning.
The original master was suspecting the father’s female supervisor, questioning the coincidental and reasonable nature of the car accident.
A faint, weak voice, almost inaudible, floated in Noland Lee’s mind. It was so slight, so frail, as if it would dissipate at any moment:
.Please help me investigate the truth behind the car accident… Please let the evildoers be punished, and the good people rest beneath the earth.
“…I must go, stranger.
“…We must part forever.
“…I do not know who you are.
“…I do not understand why you can occupy my body.
“…As long as you promise to fulfill my request, I’m willing to give you my body…
“Please… investigate the truth, let my family rest… Let me… rest… I will bless you…”
The Soul Binding emerged from Noland Lee’s body, now almost entirely transparent.
Uncontrollably, Noland Lee reached out and clasped the Spirit’s palm to his:
“Fine! I promise you. I will avenge your grievances and take revenge on your behalf. If someone indeed orchestrated your tragic fate, I will make them pay in blood!”o
The crimson light in the Soul Binding’s eyes quickly faded, giving way to clear vision.
He moved Noland Lee’s right hand to his chest and placed it on the Rune Staff.
Noland Lee hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously grasped the Rune
Staff, completing the final stroke of the “Mark of Resentment.”
For a moment, a gentle warm wind enveloped the two, and the green light on the Soul Binding was blown away by the inexplicable breeze, revealing a flawless, transparent Spirit body.
He looked upwards, gazing through the ceiling as if he could see the edge of the universe in the distant heavens above.
Spreading his arms, his body floated upwards, disappearing completely in a brilliant sunlight that descended from the sky.
The original master’s soul had found peace.
Noland Lee didn’t know what he saw when he looked up or where the warm wind and sunlight came from.
However, he was certain that the original master was now at peace.
Noland Lee slowly exhaled the breath he had been holding for some time, only to find that his entire body was soaked in sweat.
“That was really close… If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I would never have thought that the ‘Mark of Resentment’ would allow me to communicate with the Soul Binding…”
Noland Lee shook his head, flicking the beads of sweat from his brow.
A faint yet unmistakable colorful light quickly flashed on the Rune Staff’s touchpoint.
“What is this?”
Noland Lee reached out and caught the light that was slipping from the touchpoint.
His hand felt like it was touching ice-cold water, as if a tiny ice cube was melting in his palm.
This cold sensation melted into his skin.
Several system messages emerged in his mind.
[You consumed 7 Energy Points and successfully engraved a “Mark of Resentment” on the Soul Binding.]
[During the engraving of the “Mark of Resentment,” you broke the magic binding imposed on the Soul Binding by the Undead Cult.]
[The Soul Binding recovered some of his sanity and revealed his thoughts to you.]
[In your conversation with the Soul Binding, you entered a soul pact and appeased the resentment in the Soul Binding’s heart. The Soul Binding was purified by your actions.]
[You obtained a ‘large soul shard’ left behind by the liberated Vengeful Spirit.] [You absorbed this ‘soul shard,’ and your Soul Strength increased by 0.5.]
[The Soul Binding blessed you.]
[You gained a restricted active skill:]
[Soul Frost, Level 1, Daily Usage: 1/1, Death-related Spell. Instant cast, no consumption. You may consume Energy Points to upgrade this skill. Upgrade options include increasing available daily uses or enhancing skill effect.]
[Touch the target with any part of your body and silently recite the name of this skill. You may then activate it.] rrpha
bewildered state, lasting for 1 second. The actual duration of the skill effect depends on the target’s Soul Strength.]
[Note 1: Your promise to the original master is the cornerstone of this skill. It is the testament of your soul pact with the original master. If you fail to keep your promise when capable of doing so, this skill will disappear.]
[Note 2: I will avenge you, Dad, Mom, my dear brother, and sister… or I will have someone avenge you! – Noland Lee Jarvis..]o