Annoying book.

Teyat eagerly and quickly pressed on the concept of "Soul Fragment" on the screen where white smoke was rising.

In an instant, he appeared once again before the same screen.

On the screen where white smoke was rising, the following words were written in white letters:

[Soul Fragment: A Soul Fragment is a piece of soul that comes to you after you absorb the soul of a being you have killed.]

"And that's why, since I haven't absorbed any souls yet, I have zero soul fragments..."

Teyat shrugged his shoulders again, sighed, and looked at the book.

"So, what happens when you absorb a hundred souls?"

When the book heard this question, it suddenly spun rapidly around Teyat once more and answered the question.

[Answer = Try and see.]

"Try and see... makes sense, but you know, you're really a jerk of a book, aren't you, you vile book?"

The book seemed to hear his thoughts, and instead of responding to the insult, it floated mockingly in the air as if it was making fun of him.

Seeing that he was being mocked by the book, Teyat sighed in frustration and prayed for patience from the gods.

But still, he admitted that the book was right, because "Try and see" was indeed one of the best ways to learn. So, what the book said made sense to him, and he agreed with it.

And so far, aside from a few incidents, he had been curious and excited about what he had seen.

He wondered what would happen, but knowing that everything had its time, he decided to follow the book's advice and moved his index finger to the "Core Essence" section.

Once again, the same screen appeared before his eyes.

The following words were written on the screen:

[Core Essence: The Core Essence is the main source of a successor. It is like energy. When the Core Essence is depleted, no technique or action can be performed. Therefore, the "Core Essence" is one of the fundamental resources of a successor. It is like water.]

Teyat put his hand to his head, running his fingers through his hair, and asked the book.

"So, what does it take to fully fill the Core Essence? Will you tell me, Mr. Book?"

When the book heard itself being called "Mr." once again, it arrogantly spun rapidly to the right and left, floated, and then brought up the same screen before Teyat, answering his question.

The following words were written on the screen:

[Answer = There are several ways to fully fill the Core Essence. First, it naturally replenishes itself, but if you want it to fill faster, you can absorb souls and fill your Core. The more Core Essence you have, the faster the Core replenishes. However, the more Core Essences you have, the more souls you will need to absorb.]

Teyat carefully listened to the book's words, deeply understanding them as thoughts swirled in his mind.

"Indeed, 'Try and see'... what an annoying life."

•

Wearing his black robe from which black smoke emanated, Teyat sat on the ground, crossing his legs and placing his hand on his right knee. He brought his hand to his head and rested his chin in his palm.

He yawned, feeling sleepy, and called out to the book in a drowsy voice.

"Mr. Book, if it's not too much trouble, could you come down here so we can discuss and talk about what's needed? Because it's not possible for us to have a conversation while I'm on the ground and you're up there."

Hearing these words in Teyat's sleepy voice, the book hovered in the air without moving and responded.

[Answer = Do I care? Get up and learn what you want, Hmph!]

"What?"

Teyat, ignoring the insult, was taken aback by the word "Hmph!"

"Is the book throwing a tantrum? And why is this jerk behaving like this? It's getting on my nerves!"

As he was about to open his mouth to retort harshly, he felt a blow to his face from the book that he could feel down to his bones.

"Is there no one sane in this cursed lineage? First, I was killed multiple times by a man with a terrifying gaze, and now I'm getting beaten by the book that's supposed to be my source—ridiculous!"

As these thoughts passed through his mind, he held the spot where he was hit, rubbing it in pain.

After a while, Teyat stood up in anger, approached the hovering book, and stopped.

He sighed in frustration, pointed his index finger at the dark circle on the black page where black smoke was emerging, and pressed it.

But no screen appeared, nor anything else, and the black smoke coming out of the circle he pressed faded away.

After continuing to press for a short while, something came into view behind the book.