Chapter Seventeen.

Jack swiftly returned to the towering rib bone once the sun showed signs of waning, unwilling to be caught off-guard by the Dark Sea.

 Once more two hundred meters away from the ground level, he heaved a sigh of relief. 

'The threat of the Dark Sea rising anew at any moment feels like a looming executioner's blade over your head. It's nerve-wracking to not know if you'll make it to safety in time.'

Now in the relative safety of his shelter from the night before, Jack summoned his runes.

Name: Jack Ripper.

True Name: Inferno of the Depths.

Rank: Dreamer.

Soul Core: Dormant.

Darkness Fragments: [147/1000]

'That's a gigantic leap for a relatively small time of farming.'

During the few hours after his first test with the Vessel, Jack had assailed another two groups - of five and six Beasts, respectively. He was experimenting with progressively larger packs, the only downtime being his Essence recovery between raids.

The reason he couldn't directly attack the gathering of Carapace Scavengers is that a large invader would call too much attention. Although he was powerful, a fight with hundreds of Awakened Beasts under a timer was no joke...

Not to mention possible Monsters or even Demons that might be attracted to the brawl.

So, he had no choice but to acclimate to this indirect combat style for the moment.

Jack examined the responsible for his current gains. The Vessel was lying by his side in a curled position. The True Darkness that composed its body flickered and moved with the wind, similar to a crackling flame.

The enthralled rodent had done a remarkable job in the raids. With great swiftness of movement and surprising adaptability to its modified container, the Vessel had done quick work of the feeble minds of the Carapace Scavengers.

There was one problem, though... 

'If I disrupt the Vessel, the soul will be annihilated.'

He had no way of taking back the soul in the Vessel once he canceled the ability. There was a straightforward explanation for that: the rodent's spirit was too frail to endure the corruption of True Darkness. 

Once inside the Vessel, the energy was slowly causing the soul to lose its original structure and become unstable. The unraveling of its container would put the last nail in the coffin.

'I'll retain it for now.' Jack didn't wish to squander his last souls in such a carefree manner. 'Spell knows when I'll be able to locate other small creatures to replenish my Soul Slots.'

Jack could theoretically store any creature's soul inside his Soul Slot, including but not limited to Nightmare Creatures and Awakened Humans. The thing is: his soul had to be capable of completely overwhelming theirs. He had to be able to contain them and at the same time create a metaphysical tunnel towards his Soul Slot. No mean feat.

Another complication that might arise is the necessity for greater amounts of True Darkness the larger the Vessel. The required quantity of Essence for a Carapace Scavenger, for example, was beyond his reach at this juncture.

As such, he had to cherish the small rodent souls that filled his Soul Slots, at least for the short-term future.

Memories: [Chitin Armor], [Clawed Scimitar], [Remembrance of the Fallen], [Rider's Earpiece], [Fiend Egg], [Azure Axe].

'The [Azure Axe]...'

Memory: [Azure Axe].

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Description: [On this forgotten shore, only steel remembers.]

'This one is of the same series as Sunny's Azure Blade.' Jack pondered. 'A Tier One Memory won't have great utility for me... I'll probably keep it as a disposable. The Clawed Scimitar is superior in every way.'

Memory: Clawed Scimitar.

Memory Rank: Awakened.

Memory Type: Weapon.

Memory Description: [Fashioned from the claw of a cannibal Fiend, its cutting edge has developed a fondness for blood.]

Although the description was cryptic, the enchantment's effects were simple: Every time the blade tasted the blood of an enemy, its edge would sharpen itself. In prolonged battles, such as Jack excelled in, this enchantment would become invaluable.

'There is also the [Fiend Egg]...'

Summoning the Memory, Jack examined the Egg. Though not as oversized as he had once imagined, the Egg was large enough to comfortably occupy two hands. On its red and white patterns, there were some faint runic symbols, glowing with energy.

'It's been the same since I've got it at the Academy... Perhaps it needs to be summoned to develop properly.'

If the Egg could be hatched into an Echo or a similar helper, it would be a great boon in Jack's arsenal, especially if it could grow to become an Awakened Demon.

'I'll try to keep it on me at all times. The purse I've assembled to hold my Soul Shards should be enough for the time being.'

Jack continued to peruse his runes in silent contemplation.

Echoes: -

Attributes: [Fateless], [Deathless], [Boundless], [Son of Darkness].

Aspect: [Seed of the Great Ones].

Innate Ability: [From the Depths].

Aspect Abilities: [Darkness Manipulation].

Vessel: [Rodent].

'...What?'

Jack halted abruptly. 'Since when can the Spell recognize abilities derived from other magic systems?'

After a brief instant of brainstorming, the answer suddenly came to him.

'Ah, I see.' 

It couldn't identify his Soul Slots, so it couldn't possibly have a total understanding of his soul landscape. What likely happened...

'The Vessel was created using Darkness Manipulation - So the Spell could recognize and categorize it.' Jack felt he understood the Spell and its limitations slightly better after coming to this conclusion.

From his sitting position, Jack calmly observed as the black, dreadful water surged and seethed, once more taking hold of the Forgotten Shore as the day came to an end. The vast forest of coral pillars was soon consumed by the Dark Sea.

Looking at the area where he could previously see the giant carcass, Jack grinned and eyed his tiny Vessel.

"We've got a great day ahead of us tomorrow, Jerry."

In its red eyes, malice shone through. Its deadly talons hungered for blood.

-x-

As the pale sun rose in the sky, the Dark Sea once more hid in the confines of its prison.

Jack didn't squander any precious daytime, making his way toward the coral forest following the Dark Sea's tide. In half an hour, he had already reached the muddy floors of the Forgotten Shore and initiated the trek toward his hunting grounds.

Attentively recalling the route he had trailed the day before, the young man quickly arrived at his destination.

In the clearing, the scene was not very distinct from what he had seen previously. Between skirmishes and quarrels, the large mass of Carapace Scavengers slowly circulated and devoured the midsection of the giant Corrupted Monster, while the same small groups were still dotted on superficial wounds across its corpse.

But today, Jack had a different strategy in mind. With his Essence reserves fully restored and his Darkness Vessel by his side, he was ready to spawn some mayhem.

'Let's show these overgrown crabs why they should fear the Dark.'