Voidreaver

Magnus watched the system screen until the upgrade finished. He dismissed it with a long sigh, leaning back and closing his eyes. A moment later, his eyes snapped open. He still had two mystery packages from his welcome bonus to open.

He recalled the system screen, and the two packages materialized before him. Magnus stared at them with mixed feelings. His luck had been incredibly good with the first package, granting him four unique skills. He wondered if the second one would be as generous. While he didn't expect anything quite as spectacular, he remained optimistic.

"Well, here we go again," he muttered, tapping one of the boxes.

Time seemed to freeze as he tapped the box. His gaze, fixed on the screen, remained unwavering, his hopes high.

-Ding!

-[You have received a [??#*@?] Ranked weapon. Would you like to claim your reward?]

"What the hell is this?" Magnus frowned, utterly confused. He was familiar with the weapon ranking system from playing Emperor's Crucible back on Earth. It ran from F to SSS rank. But the symbols displayed on the screen were completely foreign to him.

He felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him. Back on Earth, there had always been rumors of a rank above SSS – a rank attainable only by completing the game, or perhaps an incredibly difficult hidden task. No one had ever reached that level to confirm its existence, so it remained a myth within the gaming community. Now, seeing these strange symbols, he wondered if they represented something incredible or something dangerous.

After a moment of deliberation, Magnus made his choice. He reasoned that, given his previous luck, it was likely something good. Besides, he wasn't about to leave a potential reward unclaimed.

Steeling his resolve, he claimed the reward without further hesitation.

-[Reward: [??#*@?] Weapon Voidreaver]

The instant the message flashed across the screen, a blinding light erupted before him. As the light subsided, an incredibly dark, menacing scythe materialized, seemingly pulsating with malevolent energy. Magnus reached out to grasp it.

The moment his hand touched the scythe, a wave of chilling energy slammed into him, radiating outwards. It was a malevolence so profound, so sinister, it felt as if the very fabric of reality was bending under its influence.

Suddenly, a cacophony of voices erupted within Magnus's mind. Countless whispers, countless murmurs, each vying for his attention, filled his consciousness with a chaotic jumble of thoughts.

"What the fuck!" Magnus cursed, instinctively recoiling. With lightning-fast reflexes, he hurriedly shoved the scythe into his inventory. The oppressive atmosphere immediately dissipated, and the world around him returned to normal.

"What in the actual evil fuck is that?" Magnus muttered, still shaken. What had the system given him?

The mere presence of the scythe had felt like the arrival of death itself. The malevolent energy it exuded was overwhelmingly evil.

A wave of worry washed over Magnus. Had that potent malevolence spread beyond the confines of his room? He hoped not. With the current tension in the territory, he didn't want to do anything that might cause further unrest.

Breathing heavily, Magnus fought to calm his racing heart. After a few moments, he managed to compose himself enough to pull up the details of the unsettling weapon, Voidreaver.

-[Name: Voidreaver]

-[Rank: [??#*@?]]

Details: Born from a god's sorrow, forged from the shackles of madness. Mortem, once a gentle guide of souls, succumbed to the whispers of the abyss he guarded. But even in the deepest darkness, a spark of divinity remained. He shattered the chains of corruption, expelling the malevolence that clung to him, and in doing so, birthed the Voidreaver.

---[Voidreaver - Abilities]---

Soul Devour:

>Voidreaver devours the souls of its victims, imprisoning them within its own abyss. These captured souls can be unleashed at the wielder's command, or consumed to nourish the wielder's essence.

Attribute Amplification:

>Upon wielding Voidreaver, all user attributes are multiplied by 10.

>Warning: The immense power of Voidreaver comes at a terrible price. Extended use invites the lingering malevolence to seep into the wielder's soul, twisting their perceptions and blurring the lines of reality. Beware of the whispers…

---[Voidreaver- Skill]---

Abyssal Fury:

>Effect: Unleashes the raw power of the abyss, multiplying all user attributes by 100.

>Warning: This skill drastically increases the risk of corruption. Use with extreme caution. The longer Abyssal Fury is active, the greater the danger to the wielder's soul.

Magnus read the details on the screen. It all made sense now. The weapon's sinister aura stemmed from its creation – a forging process fueled by the malevolent energy of countless tormented souls.

He sighed, unsure what to make of the situation. He possessed an incredibly powerful weapon, yet it carried a significant risk of corruption.

"Why would the system think this was a suitable reward?" he wondered, sighing again.

He gradually calmed himself and began to analyze the situation. It wasn't entirely bad. If he could find a way to suppress the corrupting influence, Voidreaver could become a valuable asset.

He decided to check the system shop later for something that might help – perhaps a skill or a piece of equipment.

Putting that aside for the moment, Magnus turned his attention to the final package. He silently hoped for a less dramatic reveal than the previous two.

Without hesitation, he opened the package. Just like before, the screen went black momentarily, followed by a message.

-Ding!

-[You have received a beast egg. Would you like to claim your reward?]

Excitement surged through Magnus. What kind of beast would it be?

He claimed the reward without delay.

-[Reward: A Celestial beast egg.]

Magnus stared at the screen, momentarily breathless. Another incredible reward! Was his luck truly this extraordinary? It seemed that allocating all 100 attribute points to luck had been the best decision he'd ever made.

He pulled up the details of the reward.

Item: Celestial beast egg.

-[Status: About to hatch. Requires five drops of Celestial essence.]

A smile spread across Magnus's face.

There were many types of beasts: natural beasts, conjured beasts, chimeric beasts, and more. But among them, Celestial and Divine beasts reigned supreme.

While their names sounded similar, Celestial and Divine beasts were vastly different. Magnus remembered having to research them on the Emperor's Crucible website back on Earth to understand the distinction.

Divine beasts were like normal beasts, but born with the ability to harness and wield Celestial energy. This allowed them to grow stronger and evolve faster than other beasts.

Celestial beasts, on the other hand, possessed an innate Celestial bloodline. This bloodline amplified their power, granting them unparalleled strength compared to other beasts.

Magnus retrieved the egg. It was the size of a human head, with a rough, rock-like surface that appeared incredibly durable.

"What kind of beast will hatch from this?" he wondered aloud. He opened the system screen, quickly locating what he needed: Celestial essence. Each drop cost 10,000 evolution points.

With a sigh, Magnus spent 50,000 evolution points to acquire five drops.

A bright light flashed, and the purchased essence materialized before him.

He stared at the five small, round, crystal-like objects in his hand, wondering how to use them. He picked one up and slowly lowered it towards the egg.

To his surprise, the moment the Celestial essence touched the egg's surface, it liquefied, spreading across the shell before being absorbed.

Magnus felt the intense energy emanating from a single drop of Celestial essence. It was potent enough to trigger evolution in a normal beast if administered correctly, yet this egg required five drops just to hatch.

He sighed and applied another drop. The process repeated itself until the final, fifth drop was absorbed. The next moment, cracking sounds echoed as fissures appeared across the egg's surface.

The egg was about to hatch.