Chapter: 569
[Gather soulstones and bring them to Sedulus]

[Progress – Complete]

[Skill Acquired – Mind]

[Skill Acquired – Mark]

[Skill Acquired – Host]

“Fuck yes.” Jay couldn’t help but grin broadly. He didn’t care about the soul sense skill anymore as these are the ones which would help him now.

Finally all his hard work to do this quest had paid off.

“Young one, the spear is yours… I removed much of the curse.” Sedulus gestured to the large black-stone spear sitting on the table.

“To end the curse, you must stop the spinning of the crifex rings in the last pyramid…”

Another notification for a quest appeared, but Jay quickly accepted it and ignored it – right now he just wanted to check out his new weapon.

Its design was simplistic and angular with refined, flat edges. Jay could tell that it was made by an experienced craftsman, and he guessed it was probably the same craftsman he slayed in the fourth pyramid – at least before they lost their minds.

“Thank you for freeing my people… now, I wish to join them.” the old statues voice got softer as she said the last part.

Jay’s smile disappeared as he knew what he had to do; what he was about to do. He had made a promise, and carrying it out was now his duty.

He started telling himself it was just a dungeon, and that Sedulus was just a part of it – but his heart wasn’t listening as a feeling of cold loneliness crept into it.

Jay didn’t possess immortality yet, but there was still a vague connection between them; he felt like she was an older sister or a mother. Perhaps the one he never had.

Sedulus pointed to her chest as Jay grabbed the ancient’s spear from the table..

“…” he had no words to say.

Slowly he thrust the spear into the slender statue’s chest, killing her with her own weapon.

It seemed that there was a powerful force behind the spear, helping him to push it deeper until he received a notification.

Sedulus’s final gift became apparent as her cold stone arms dropped to the side. Cracks spread from the spear until she crumbled into pieces.

[Level Up]

Jay still would have needed 9,000 experience to level up, and he quickly realised this was a final gift, as it wasn’t promised in the quest rewards at all.

“Thank you Sedulus.” Jay whispered, sensing a presence slowly drifting out of the statue’s remains.

Instead of trapping it with his mana, he gave it a gentle push upwards and a sense of peace and relief filled his heart; Jay wondered if that was what the soul was feeling, and if he somehow sensed its emotions.

He couldn’t be sure, but in the end, he was glad.