Chapter 4: Soul Rot
The gun vibrated softly in Tian's hand, a hum like the purr of a predator fed and satisfied. The curse ring had been absorbed, and now the barrel shimmered faintly with runes too faint for the naked eye. It didn't look drastically different, but Tian could feel the difference.
He was stronger.
Not in a muscular way. His body was still that of a six-year-old. But when the gun was summoned, when he was in AVATAR form, his physical prowess surged. The first ring — a Gravemaw Lynx at 2,380 years — had done more than unlock "Soul Rot." It had reinforced the soul-bound bridge between him and the martial soul.
His mind flooded with new interfaces.
His awareness sharpened.
His breath deepened.
And beneath it all, he felt a venomous pulse beneath every bullet.
"Soul Rot..." he muttered, examining the status effect again.
[Soul Rot – Ammo Effect: Curse Class]
[On-hit: Target loses 2% of current spirit power per second for 5 seconds. Stacks up to 3x.]
[Advanced: Bypasses basic shield tech and regenerative auras. Causes spirit core decay in extended exposure.]
He loaded a bullet — spirit energy condensed into form inside the chamber. A tiny ripple passed down his spine. It was like holding a plague that begged to be used.
Perfect.
This was what he wanted.
He needed to test it.
Tian waited two more days in the forest's Outer Zone. By now, his presence had attracted attention — not from humans, but beasts. The scent of spirit ring absorption lingered on his aura, and predators could smell it. It was a stupid time to stay still.
But he had to test Soul Rot.
On something alive.
So he baited another beast — a 900-year Stonehide Brambleboar. Not too strong. Not too weak. Dense flesh. Minor armor-like hide. It would do.
He set the trap, lay prone again, and waited.
When it stepped into the clearing, he took the shot.
BANG.
The first bullet struck its shoulder. It bellowed — not from pain, but from shock. Tian didn't fire again.
He watched.
Ten seconds passed.
The boar staggered. Its tusks lowered. Blood leaked from its eyes.
It had lost nearly 20% of its total spirit energy in that short span. The cursed effect didn't just weaken it — it shattered its internal flow.
Then he fired again.
BANG. BANG.
Two more rounds. One to the leg. One to the gut.
The boar collapsed mid-charge, screeching, foaming at the mouth, its energy drained.
No need for mercy.
Tian stepped forward and slit its throat.
One kill. Zero effort.
Soul Rot worked.
It worked too well.
That night, Tian sat in a tree overlooking the beast's corpse. It was still warm. He didn't need the ring — already had one. He wasn't greedy.
Not yet.
Instead, he pulled up the Martial Soul Interface and explored his new submenus.
[Spirit Ring Slot 1: Gravemaw Lynx – Curse Type]
[Bullet Customization Enabled]
[Unlocked Modes: Burst / Timed Detonation / Scatter (Locked)]
[Passive AVATAR Boost: Equivalent to Rank 40 Spirit Master (Due to 2,380-year ring age)]
[Accessory Boost: Scope +1 Tier, Silencer +1 Tier]
The scope now revealed illusion-type defenses and camouflage layers below Rank 50.
The silencer masked spiritual pressure leakage from his bullets — meaning even alert beasts wouldn't sense his shots unless hit directly.
He had officially become a predator in a forest full of prey.
And yet...
It wasn't enough.
He needed more bullet effects.
Soul Rot was a start, but it was one flavor of doom. He needed control bullets, debuff bullets, explosive variants, summon-class rounds, and penetration cores.
He began to chart a plan.
Nine rings. Nine classes of ammunition. All scaled by beast age, not just ring position.
Ring 1: Curse (✓)
Ring 2: Corrupt – mental erosion, confusion, madness
Ring 3: Catastrophe – explosion, storm, terrain damage
Ring 4: Pierce – true damage, armor ignore
Ring 5: Status Debuff – paralysis, bleed, slow
Ring 6: Buff Enhancement – HP regen, speed, stealth
Ring 7: Skill Disruption – silence, cancel-cast
Ring 8: Esper Invocation – spirit beast summoning
Ring 9: Failsafe – one-time revival, time-backstep, soul anchor
Tian smiled.
This wasn't just survival anymore.
This was warfare by design.
He stayed in the Outer Zone for six more days. During that time, he upgraded his toolkit: harvested poison from beasts, forged a blowpipe, crafted bear-traps out of spirit beast bones. More importantly, he used his upgraded scope to observe other humans passing through the forest.
Caravans. Mercenaries. Cultivators. Even a Spirit Hall surveyor once — a man in white robes, flanked by two armored guards. Tian watched them from the treetops and marked their patrol path.
They didn't see him.
Thanks to his silencer and scope, he could track, read spirit levels, and disengage with zero trace.
He wasn't flashy.
He was becoming a ghost.
And yet… he wasn't satisfied.
Why?
Because while bullets could now drain and kill…
He still couldn't stop a high-tier master from casting skills.
He'd seen it with a Spirit Ancestor who blew up a tree using only two rings. Tian could have shot him — maybe — but the man would have completed his cast mid-fall.
So the next ring needed interrupt power.
He needed a beast with a corruption or control domain, something that could scramble skill casting or cause mental instability.
A corrupt domain could come from specific beasts: Whisper Serpents, Dreamshades, Abyss Owls, or even spectral leeches.
He began tracking reports.
Using what he scavenged from a merchant corpse — half-eaten by beasts — Tian recovered a half-burned spirit beast bestiary. Basic entries only, but one stood out.
[Name: Abyss Owl]
Type: Spectral Beast
Zone: Northern Edge of Outer Zone
Estimated Age Range: 1,700 – 3,000 Years
Abilities: Soundless Flight, Hypnotic Gaze, Thought Fog, Emotion Corruptor
Ring Effect Type: Corruption / Control
Notes: "Known to target the willpower of spirit masters. Rare. Highly mobile."
Perfect.
He packed that night and moved north.
It took him four days to locate one.
He baited it using a field of fireflies and rhythmic echoes created using leaves and wind tunnels — tricks he'd learned by watching how these beasts responded to disruption.
At last, the creature appeared.
An owl the size of a wolf, its feathers shimmered like liquid shadow, and its eyes glowed faintly violet. It hovered without sound, wings perfectly still — flying like a ghost.
Tian almost missed the shot. Its motion was so smooth it looked like mist.
But the scope locked on.
[Target Acquired: Abyss Owl]
[Estimated Age: 2,750 Years]
[Effect: Emotion Corruption – Target may suffer confusion, hesitation, self-attack]
[Compatibility: 88%]
[Warning: Beast is semi-sentient. May resist absorption.]
Tian didn't hesitate.
BANG.
One clean shot through the wing.
The owl screeched — not in pain, but in fury. It dove straight at him, wings stretched, claws out.
He fired again.
BANG.
To the eye. It shrieked.
Soul Rot activated — its wings trembled.
BANG. BANG.
Left leg. Right chest.
It hit the ground in a spiral and rolled violently.
Tian approached fast, reloaded with spirit power, and fired the final shot through its skull.
The body pulsed once… and then stilled.
The second ring floated.
Dark violet with pulses of shadow energy.
He felt its intent — not anger, but confusion, like a mind still caught in dreams.
He summoned the gun.
[Initiate Ring Absorption – 2nd Slot?]
[Ring Age: 2,750 Years – Abyss Owl]
[Class: Corruption/Control]
[Ability Unlocked: "Mindlock" – 1s delay on skill cast. 30% chance of failure on active ability. Status: Stackable.]
[Confirm?]
Tian whispered, "Confirm."
[Processing…]
The ring entered the gun.
A new line of runes lit up along the barrel.
[2nd Spirit Ring Attached – "Mindlock" Enabled]
[Ammo Enhancement: Soul Rot + Mindlock Fusion]
[New Ammo Variant: Neurobullet (Damage + Disruption)]
[AVATAR Boost Equivalent: Rank 60 (Spirit Emperor Tier)]
[Accessory Upgrade: Scope T3, Silencer T3 — Detect targets up to Rank 60, Beast Age 10,000]
Tian's body pulsed with raw power.
When the gun was summoned, he now felt like he could lift trees, leap ten meters, and tank a small blast.
He couldn't stay here anymore.
Not because he wasn't ready.
But because the Outer Zone no longer offered challenge.
He packed his gear, rewrote his maps, and pointed his eyes inward — to the Mid-Zone, and eventually… the Inner Core.
The soul beasts there were smarter. Stronger.
But so was he.
And now, he had bullets that could curse your soul…
And lock your mind.
[To Be Continued in Chapter 5: "Neurobullets"]