Infinite Cube: Extra's Life in Another World-Chapter 42: Soulweave

'What do you mean the plot changed again?'

[Well... The Parliament meeting has been rescheduled to two weeks earlier, which means the school point announcement, the cultural festival, and the first expulsion will now occur tomorrow evening.]

'That means we need to return to school by tomorrow.'

[Exactly. It's best if you hurry and sell the cores, so we can begin our return journey.]

Kai paused to consider for a moment, then nodded. 'And the good news?'

[*smile* You won't believe what reward the mission gave you for surviving the dead Mollusk.]

'I can't guess and I'd rather not check right now. Can you just tell me?... Please.'

[Aren't you supposed to put your hands together when asking for something?]

'Come on, that would just make me look weird.'

[Assessing weirdness level... 90%.]

'That can't be real.'

[100% Accurate.]

'Now, you're trying to sound like an AI?'

[Who knows? I might have been corrupted by a virus.]

'If that happens, I doubt I'll be okay. So, what's the ability?

[Among several others, you obtained an ability that resolves all your problems.]

'Problems?' he asked, tilting his head slightly.

[Yes, problems. Let me replay it for you... Here we go.]

[YOU HAVE EARNED THE ABILITY: SOULWEAVE.]

'Is that what I think it is?'

[Yes, it's an ability that allows you to craft bodies for the deceased and embed their souls into them, bypassing the need to create a new body or artificial soul.]

'Like necromancy using threads.'

[Perfect summary.]

Kai immediately turned to the gate, its blue lights, once vibrant, now slowly dimmed.

'Does that mean...?'

[Yes, exactly what you're thinking.]

'Damn, why didn't you tell me earlier?'

Kai exclaimed as he sprinted toward the gate.

"Kai, what are you...?" Before Elia could finish her sentence, Kai disappeared, leaving only a few words behind:

"I'll be back."

------

Gasping for air, Kai clutched his sides, his lungs begging for relief from the thinning atmosphere.

"Why is the air so thin..." Kai muttered, vision blurred. Scanning his surroundings, he finally located the raider's body.

"Let's get this over with." He approached, but stopped midway. "Alpha, I thought I needed to learn how to use an ability before it activates."

[Let's just say plot armor worked in your favor this time. Not that it's a good thing... But you also earned a title.]

Kai waited for her to continue.

[It's called Freeloader... It lets you use an ability, title, or weapon that would usually require a penalty or specific knowledge to activate.]

"Isn't that OP?"

[Titles are single-use only.]

"Right, I almost forgot."

He pushed forward, navigating through falling debris and leaping over rubble, eyes squinting to keep sand at bay.

Retrieving his gas mask, Kai's breathing faltered, nearly causing him to collapse.

The stench of rotting monster carcasses, soaked in rain and mingled with the scent of freshly cut grass, churned his stomach.

Fighting the urge to vomit, Kai pressed on. He couldn't afford to let a muffled voice hinder his ability activation.

"So, what now?"

[Extend your hands forward.]

Kai obeyed without hesitation.

[Then say: I love Alpha and would do anything she tells me to do.]

"Seriously?"

[It might actually work... Maybe.]

Kai sighed, looked at the raider, and focused on both the ability and the title.

[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE ABILITY: SOULWEAVE]

Kai suddenly felt his mana deplete at a staggering pace.

Rooted in place, he endured a pounding headache, crawling skin pain, and the unsettling sensation of his bones fracturing and realigning.

[YOU ARE USING THE TITLE: FREELOADER... ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO PROCEED?]

Kai knew titles weren't as simple as people believed, but even he wasn't fully aware of what they entailed, since such details were never revealed pre-transmigration.

But that didn't matter now. Not when his body was breaking, and the dungeon around him unraveled, revealing the world beyond the dome.

"Yes." he whispered.

[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE TITLE: FREELOADER.]

Instantly, Kai's weary body surged with renewed energy as his mana turned emerald green. So did his eyes.

In that moment, he felt unlike himself. Free, completely free.

Shaking off the foreign sensation, Kai looked up at the raider.

[YOU HAVE ACTIVATED THE ABILITY: APPRAISAL.]

His now green-hued eyes glowed even brighter as complex weaves of thread materialized around him.

Clutching his head, the flood of information overwhelmed his human brain. He was thankful none of it was divine in nature. Otherwise, he'd already be dead.

Looking down at the beast, Kai noticed the threads holding the raider's form together were slowly unraveling. Even the faint ones connecting it to otherworldly forces had long been severed.

Despite his lack of divine knowledge, since the author hadn't explored it, Kai understood: the threads symbolized life, and the severed ones, a disconnection from the universe or higher forces.

That sparked a thought: how would he or other humans appear through this lens?

He doubted he'd witness such a scene again, given his current disconnection from the outer world.

Only by stepping beyond the dome or through a closing gate could such a vision return.

Setting those musings aside, he turned his attention to the window that popped up before him.

[ASSIGN A NAME FOR THE SPECIFIC ACTION: ___________]

"A name, huh?" Kai murmured, a grin forming.

[Don't say anything stupid. This will be the word you say every time you use Soulweave.]

"I know, Alpha. But shouldn't it be something fun?"

[Like what?]

"Like the name of my glorious liege and the GOAT."

[Please don't.]

Putting on a serious expression, Kai gazed down at the raider and spoke a single word:

"ARISE."

Immediately, Kai felt a prickling sensation across his skin as the sky above split open, revealing the starlit expanse outside the dome.

Silver threads spiraled around, forming a circular pattern with the raider at the center, emitting a faint glow. The threads struck the ground, leaving behind marks akin to blade slashes, before stabilizing and repeating the sequence.

Kai observed as the threads meticulously re-wove the monster's severed strands, while the other, nearly imperceptible thread subtly tethered itself to his soul.

The raider twitched, then rose onto all fours, its black fur and blue stripes pulsing with light.

[ASSIGN A NAME TO YOUR FIRST SOULWEAVE: _________]

"Hmm..." He pondered. "I'll call you..." After a brief pause, he continued. "Legion."

[YOU HAVE WOVEN YOUR FIRST STRING CRAFT: LEGION.]

Twin horns curled from its forehead, and its glowing red eyes gleamed. From the base of its skull to the tip of its tail, blue flames clung like armor, casting flickering shadows that doubled its menace.

"Sick." he thought. "Let's hope it's normal."

[Kikiki.]

Then it spoke.

"What?" Kai blinked in confusion.

[Hahaha... Your preferences are showing.]

Tilting his head, Legion asked,

[Haha, welcome to the family, Legion. We mock Kai for fun.]

Kai sighed and looked out toward the crumbling world. "Just my luck."

Turning to the entrance, he moved forward. Legion melted into his shadow, and they exited the cave.

-------

Collapsing to the ground, Kai scanned the area. No one was around. He dismissed the suit and summoned the water vesper Ivy had purchased for him.

Gulping it down greedily, he stared at the fading gate, then lay down completely.

'Do you know where they are?' he asked Alpha.

[Elia sent you a message. They're heading to the duchy branch to prepare the portal. She said the others don't need an explanation since she covered for you, and that you owe her one.]

[Also, she said to wrap up quickly and not to invest in Skypark, since she wants all the money.]

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

[No. Our dear master is a hopeless virgin.]

Ignoring the bickering, Kai closed his eyes. 'Legion, can you wake me in an hour? Alpha, please update him on the time.'

Legion said, moving near Kai's head.

[You want to rest before selling the cores?]

'Yeah, I'm completely drained.'

With that, he drifted into deep sleep.