「Soul Liberation Spell」—the ultimate forbidden magic that even dark sorcerers, who casually handle taboos and forbidden arts, hesitate to touch.
As the name suggests, it severs the soul from the body, breaking their connection completely.
At best, it transforms one into an undead Arch Lich, but at worst, it turns them into a wandering spirit unable to enter any stream, forever lost in the mortal realm.
Even souls mortgaged to demons can eventually enter the stream, making this an undeniably insane act.
[Are you really going to do it?]
“I’m doing it. No matter what.”
At this moment, having already lost my sanity, I made my decision.
I couldn’t live like this anymore.
[You know it, don’t you? For a soul to return to the body after liberation, it requires countless things. Do you think you can regain such mastery in your weakened state?]
Kaijin, my familiar and guardian spirit since the day I delved into dark magic, shook his helmeted head with genuine pity.
The moment I liberate my soul and lose my power, the bond tying us together will also dissolve.
Though this grants Kaijin his freedom—a good thing for him—he did not seem pleased.
Perhaps because, having walked this thorny path alongside me, he had seen all that I had endured.
“…It’s all over now.”
I slumped to the ground, gazing blankly at the sky.
Having barely escaped with my life, my broken body and shattered spirit mirrored the dark, gray sky, as if rain could pour down any moment.
The burning flames of rage had long since cooled.
Now, only icy coldness remained, freezing me solid.
‘Damn it, I gave them everything.’
I had done anything to grow stronger—brutal experiments, sacrifices—nothing was off-limits.
Such was the image of dark sorcerers in the eyes of the world.
Though I became one out of necessity, as someone with mediocre talent trying to survive in the tower, I had always drawn the line, refusing to cross it.
Even when ignorant fools discriminated against me or treacherous sorcerers tried to kill me for upholding my principles,
I held firm, believing that steadfastness would eventually be rewarded.
Little by little, I opened my heart, and I thought I had finally earned recognition for my convictions.
[They are unworthy of being called heroes. They betrayed you, forgetting everything you did for them, succumbing to momentary doubt and mistrust. Deep in their hearts, there was always a lingering seed of malice.]
Kaijin sighed deeply, lowering his head.
The golden tower I painstakingly built crumbled in an instant, like a sandcastle swept away by a wave of petty whispers.
Those who initially begrudged me, who fought alongside me and shared victories with me, who laughed and cried together—they were the ones who brought it all down.
They, who once acknowledged me, betrayed me in the end, stabbing me in the back.
Thanks to them, we lost the boss we had in our grasp. They must now realize what they’ve done.
“Don’t worry. I won’t become a wandering soul.”
Though my body is beyond repair, I’d never stoop to suicide.
Contrary to Kaijin’s thoughts, I wasn’t using the Soul Liberation Spell out of despair.
「Avatar Changer」—
A unique item I obtained by being the first dark sorcerer to achieve a growth milestone in this tower.
Its effect can only be properly utilized by a sorcerer who has mastered Soul Liberation.
It allows the user to transfer their soul to another body and start a new from the first floor—the very bottom of the tower.
‘They deserve ruin.’
The haughty residents of this tower, the arrogant high-rankers hiding behind their masks, the manipulated fools outside the tower—
Even the system governing this tower itself.
A cold fury surged within me toward them all.
With this item and Soul Liberation, I could descend to the first floor in a new body and commit as many atrocities as I wanted.
If it meant becoming the mad sorcerer they feared so much, I was ready to oblige.
If that’s what it takes, I’d gladly die when the time comes.
[Will such acts truly bring salvation to your heart and soul?]
“These days, enduring it all doesn’t make you a saint—it makes you a fool.”
Kaijin still seemed troubled, but I smiled faintly.
Raising the crystal orb in my hand above my head, I infused it with magic.
At last, it activated.
“You’ve been through a lot. Farewell.”
At least I was fortunate to have someone beside me to bid farewell.
As I activated the item, I simultaneously cast the spell for Soul Liberation.
From the magic circle drawn in my blood, immense magical power surged forth, and under Kaijin’s watchful gaze, I closed my eyes.
‘So, what happens now?’
Being in a soul state was far from pleasant.
Though Kaijin is technically a ghost, he is still part of the system and bound to it.
In contrast, I was temporarily cast out of the system. I had no form, no sight, no sound—no senses at all.
Even trying to feel something was a struggle. If I had to compare it, it felt like flailing helplessly in zero gravity.
「Avatar Selection Complete」
Suddenly, something popped up in the void where nothing had been visible.
I had been anxious that something had gone wrong, but everything seemed to be proceeding smoothly.
‘I hope it’s a body with talent this time.’
The choice of body wasn’t mine to make. T
he Avatar Changer would guide my soul to its new vessel.
While my path as a dark sorcerer was already set, having innate talent would certainly be advantageous.
Though I had clawed my way to mastery as a dark sorcerer by wringing every last drop out of my untalented body, that only meant I had endured unimaginable hardships.
Even if dark magic is less reliant on talent, the difficulty still varies based on it.
Revenge was important, but I couldn’t deny a small part of me longed for a less arduous life.
「Attempting to connect with Avatar」
Finally, my soul connected with its new body.
Feeling the strong bond pull me, my soul surged toward a faint point of light in the distance, accelerating rapidly.
It was almost like… a sperm racing toward an egg.
「Connected to Avatar」
At last, my soul reached the light.
By the time I touched it, the light had grown into a colossal glow that seemed to encompass the entire world.
“Haa…”
When I regained consciousness,
I could feel my physical senses rushing back.
An involuntary shiver coursed through me.
Though my senses weren’t fully restored yet, my body felt extraordinarily light.
The injuries I had sustained at the end, along with the curses and scars I had accumulated from learning dark magic in my talentless body, were completely absent.
I now inhabited a vibrant, youthful body, undoubtedly younger than my original self by at least ten years.
The satisfaction was already welling up.
This was talent—an inherently younger, stronger body.
Trembling, I lowered my head, my heart pounding with pure anticipation for the first time in ages.
But when I opened my eyes, what I saw was…
‘What the hell is this?’
A massive chest loomed in front of me.
As my body flinched, the flesh swayed with it.
Even with my newly restored senses, I was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar weight.
“This… this can’t be…”
I froze, staring down at my pale, slender fingers.
The Avatar Changer didn’t specify that it would transfer me into a body of my choosing or even one of the same gender.
But still, turning me into this?
Aside from the chest, it was clearly a woman’s body.
Long, black hair swayed into my view with every movement, and my delicate limbs awkwardly responded to my commands.
[Ah, can everyone hear me~?]
I didn’t have time to gape at my new body.
As I stared blankly, a shrill, irritating voice rang out above my head.
“The tower’s guide!”
“This is really the tower?! What the hell!”
A tiny fairy flitted through the air, causing an uproar among the crowd around me.
The people, clutching their heads in disbelief, were murmuring in panic.
Though the faces were different, and the atmosphere had changed, the scene and setting were exactly as I had seen more than a decade ago.
This was the trial grounds of the first floor, where newcomers summoned to the tower were filtered through the initial selection process.
I had truly returned to the first floor of the tower.
A place you’re said to never return to once you leave.
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