CHAPTER 2: Soul and Blood Element

"In this Path of Soul and Blood, there are five primary Laws," Lia said, breaking the silence. "And since you are a butcher’s son with a sharp mind, think of these five Laws as five extreme business tactics for negotiating with lives outside the fortress."

Malik immediately straightened his posture. His lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by an intense logical fascination. "Negotiating with lives? How?"

Lia pointed to the first section of the ancient text, glowing with an ash-silver hue.

"First, the Law of Conceptual Immortality. This is the path for those who refuse to take a loss or die a pointless death out in the open," Lia explained. "This Law grants three unique occupations:

• Historian (armed with the Bone Quill): When receiving a fatal blow, the skill [Eternity Name Script] locks your soul status onto parchment for twenty seconds—conceptually rejecting death at 1 HP. You can also trigger [Final Chapter], writing a sentence in the air that becomes absolute reality for five seconds to turn the tide.
• Archivist (using the Leathery Scroll): Binds the souls of enemies critically wounded below 10% HP into data via [Spirit Snare].
• Librarian (like me): Reads the memory ash of the deceased."

Malik nodded slowly, his mind working fast. "Rejecting instant death and extracting intel from the deceased... this is great for high-stakes gamblers in the Wilds. What about the second?"

Lia shifted her finger to the second section, glowing in a purplish-pink light.

"Second, the Law of Instant Reincarnation, focusing on biological manipulation. This path features the Disguiser, wielding the Flesh Mask," Lia continued, her voice dropping to a whisper. "By touching a single drop of target blood, [Flesh Mask] and [Blood Memory Extraction] allow you to adopt their cellular structure, face, voice, scent, and short-term memories from their last hour for thirty minutes. Undetectable even by Federation biological scanners."

"Perfect for sneaking in and deceiving," Malik murmured casually.

Lia nearly choked on that blunt remark, but held it back and pointed to the third section radiating a dense black aura.

"Third, the Law of Necro-Logic—a violent path operating at the brink of physical death," Lia explained with a slight shudder. "Its main occupation is the Executioner with the Bone Cleaver. Every slash triggers [Unhealing Cut], inflicting a conceptual wound that cannot be healed by medical magic or potions. There is also the Grave Digger with the Spade of Corpse. You plunge the spade into the earth via [Tomb Energy Excavation] to drop the vitality, speed, and attack power of all surrounding living beings by 30% instantly, or summon corpse arms via [Moving Grave] to drag enemies down."

Malik shook his head rapidly, putting his lazy face back on. "Lugging a giant shovel and a bone cleaver everywhere? No thanks. Dragging heavy weapons like that sounds way too exhausting for my shoulders, Sister Lia. Skip it."

Lia smiled faintly, having anticipated the boy's true nature. She tapped the table harder, directing Malik’s focus to the final two laws glowing dark green and deep sea blue. "In that case, these last two laws were tailored specifically for lazy people with sharp minds like yours."

"Fourth is the Law of Existence Boundary—the apex of stealth and evasion tactics," Lia whispered, her eyes shining. "Under this law lies the Shadow Hunter with the Cloak of Stitched Shadows, letting you slip into the shadows of living beings or solid objects for ten seconds, moving undetected before executing a surprise strike with +100% bonus damage. There is also the Night Wanderer equipped with Phasing Boots, capable of freezing your heartbeat, neural vibrations, and bloodstream through [Total Silence] to avoid organic monster sensors, even allowing you to phase through wooden walls or soil via [Boundary Phase]."

Lia’s fingers paused right in front of the last occupation text under that law. "And the most extraordinary of all... is the Scout."

"Scout?" Malik narrowed his eyes.

"Using the Gorgon Monocle, you activate [Bloodline Trace] to track the circulatory systems of all entities within thirty meters, pinpointing vital organs or hidden injuries. Even crazier, [Soul Density Sight] lets you see spiritual luminescence to discern remaining lifespans, curses, or prior deaths with 90% accuracy. Its passive even detects invisible entities and highlights absolute weak points on an enemy's body."

Malik went still. His sharp mind immediately drafted long-term tactical scenarios. If he took the Scout or Night Wanderer path, he wouldn't need to exert physical effort brawling with black desert monsters or ink ocean waves. From a safe distance, he could read enemy movement maps, identify who was already dying, step over traps without triggering them, and take the most peaceful detour without shedding a single drop of sweat. This was the true definition of a quiet life.

"Then what is the fifth law, Sister?" Malik asked, his voice now intensely focused.

"Fifth, the Law of Right to Live—the law of sabotage and energy crisis," Lia concluded. "The Gardener, armed with Pruning Shears, sees spiritual energy threads within twenty meters. With [Energy Thread Sever], you snip their supply lines, causing enemies to lose access to mana or stamina instantly so they cannot cast signature skills. Lastly, the Fisherman with the Bone Fishhook can cast a hook from fifteen meters away via [Body Fluid Drain], siphoning 40% of their stamina in a flash to restore your own."

Lia withdrew her hand and folded her arms on the table. She stared deeply into Malik’s innocent eyes. Simultaneously, the strands of blood-ink floating in the air faded, evaporating into thin red light particles before absorbing fully back into the old leather scroll resting on the wooden table.

The library returned to its dim, silent state, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

"This Realm Three System will never give you massive muscles, steel-hard skin, or honorific praise from the twenty Matrix races like Archon Malaka possesses," Lia spoke softly yet emphatically. "However, this forbidden path grants you one thing no soldier in the Federation holds: the absolute capability to manipulate the parameters of life and death in a world whose physical geography violently shifts and breaks every month."

Lia leaned closer, locking eyes with Malik. "Now tell me, Malik... out of all these ways to negotiate with lives on this table, which law appeals most to your survival instinct?"

Malik didn't hesitate for a second. "The Law of Right to Live, Sister Lia."

Lia blinked, taken aback by the swift answer. "Huh? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Sister," Malik replied with absolute gravity. "Even though the other laws have great skills, I think they have a fatal flaw if you're fighting alone. Take the Scout: he can track enemy positions from near or far, but he lacks a lethal counter-attack skill. Meanwhile, the Law of Right to Live allows us to strike first!"

Malik pointed toward where the ancient text had floated.

"Especially the [Energy Thread Sever] skill. We can snip their energy supply lines, cutting off mana or stamina instantly so the enemy can't cast their main skills. That gives us time to run away first! In the Wilds, a few seconds' delay is invaluable for survival. If I know the rules of an area, I could set traps beforehand. What's the point of surviving if your body is covered in wounds? I'd rather just die! Besides, what's with that Law of Immortality anyway? That's just postponed suffering!"

Lia stared at Malik in stunned silence, a blend of awe and horror. The reasoning of this nine-year-old was terrifyingly cold and pragmatic.

Malik leaned back against his chair, tilting his head. "By the way, Sister, from what I've read... to awaken the Matrix, a person must turn ten years old and trigger their core desire. Or... is it actually based on bloodline?"

He knit his brows, attempting to untangle the thought. "The issue is, no matter how many history books I read, the Matrix always manifests right at age ten. Books also state it can stem from lineage. For instance, if my mother's Matrix is Merchant, I have a high potential to become a Merchant too. But there are exceptions... like Brother Rian!"

"Brother Rian?" Lia whispered, her eyes widening slightly at the name.

"Yeah," Malik continued innocently. "Brother Rian awakened the Philosopher Matrix instead. Based on facts, he refused to become a merchant back then, and when he turned ten, his mind was filled with intense doubt. That's what triggered the Philosopher Matrix to awaken. But I have to admit, his skill is pretty troublesome! No matter how prepared the enemy is, they're bound to fall into severe depression once he summons his fog."

Malik nodded to himself. "Sure, the skill only works if the enemy breathes the fog, but it's hugely helpful on expeditions. Just two to three seconds of active fog, and his teammates can easily finish off disoriented beasts or anomalies. That's why I keep studying—I want to research the true trigger of the Matrix. Is age ten simply the outer limit, or is it the Matrix forcing humans to adapt for survival? As far as I know, there are no records of anyone failing to awaken a Matrix. In your opinion, Sister Lia, is it age, desire, or bloodline?"

Lia gazed at Malik for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh.

"Based on the research your brother conducted in the past... the Matrix most likely originates from a person's absolute desire," Lia explained gently. "And remember the words of our predecessors: the Matrix is absolute. Meaning it WILL manifest, no matter how brilliant you are or how miserable your circumstances may be. As for bloodline... that merely helps select the most compatible vessel. Do you know why the Federation offers aid to every couple with children under ten? It's as if the Federation already knows the Matrix is guaranteed to manifest at age ten. That's because the human desire to survive peaks at that age."

Malik nodded in understanding, then looked at Lia with fresh curiosity. "If so... what drove you to become a Librarian, Sister?"

Lia offered a faint smile, her eyes gazing past the library walls into memory.

"Back then... I liked hanging out with your brother, Rian," Lia whispered softly. "He was kinda weird because he loved reading ancient books. But he was truly different from ordinary people... he was incredibly lazy! Lazy to walk, sometimes he'd even pee wherever!"

"Pfft!" Malik almost burst out laughing.

"Really! He used to mutter, 'What's the point of living if we just die in the end anyway?'" Lia giggled. "Your mother used to tell us, 'Please take care of him.' So, Brother Sultan used to carry Rian on his back whenever we had training or went to school! And your mother always gave us brewed tea leaves to help soothe our nerves. But... credit where it's due, Rian was an absolute genius. A teacher at school once quit teaching entirely after losing an argument with him. Perhaps that deep doubt and extreme mindset are what triggered his Philosopher Matrix."

Lia looked at Malik warmly. "And me... I became a Librarian because I used to look after the ancient books he read. I grew to love reading too, because your brother once said: 'Information is power beyond measure.'"

Lia’s expression suddenly turned stern as she offered a firm warning. "It's good that you like reading, Malik. But never read ancient texts unsupervised. You could lose your life, because every piece of knowledge in this broken world carries danger! And remember, Malik... never trust humans blindly. They will rationalize wrongdoing if it benefits them at your expense. You are fortunate your mother is a Merchant, so outsiders hesitate to cross you or your family."

Suddenly, a soft knock sounded at the library door. It creaked open slightly, revealing Rian standing at the threshold.

"Look, your brother is here," Lia said with a soft smile. "Go on."

Malik stood up, said goodbye to Lia, and walked out to join his brother. As they walked side-by-side down the corridor of the Black Stake Guild toward home, Malik looked up at Rian.

"Brother Rian... why is Sister Lia so pretty, yet unmarried? If I recall, women aged twenty in this fortress are required to marry, right?" Malik asked innocently.

Rian paused briefly, his footsteps slowing.

In truth, Rian knew full well that many men and explorers were drawn to Lia. But Lia rejected them all. Her role as a Librarian—constantly reviewing records of people's deaths—had gradually eroded her human attachment. Furthermore, for a woman in this shattered world, marriage was a gamble of life and death. Choosing the wrong partner meant enduring a lifetime of misery.

Not wanting to weigh down his younger brother's mind with such harsh realities, Rian gently patted Malik's head and smiled faintly.

"Don't worry about it," Rian said, wrapping an arm around Malik's shoulder. "Let's just head home. Mother is cooking your favorite meal."

Malik tilted his head in confusion. "Brother, I don't get it..."

"It's fine, let's walk faster," Rian chuckled.

Meanwhile, high above behind the upper window of the library, Lia's lovely eyes watched the backs of the two brothers receding into the fortress crowd.

Lia rested her forehead against the cold window glass. Her lips parted in a faint whisper, voicing her deepest secret:

"If you didn't have a younger brother to protect... could you have loved me, Rian?"

Lia gently closed her eyes, brushing away a stray tear. She let out a bitter sigh, adjusting her Librarian robes.

"Besides... I know all too well. In a world this broken, love is impossible. Survival comes first."