Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

After getting used to being so light and swift, Jacob wasn’t about to go back to the 25% penalty to Stamina and Movement. Every point of reinforcement he could achieve would help, eventually. But this wasn’t a game that he planned on playing for years.

This was a race, and one he intended to quit as soon as he was done. As soon as Earth was safe and the Collapse was averted.

Thinking about the Collapse reminded him of the item he got from the priest. He took out the [Soul of a Devout Priest], meaning to inspect it but was startled by its shape and size.

Usually, when Souls were solidified as items, they were shimmering white wisps. Sometimes they danced like a white flame but they always had a similar look.

The priest’s Soul was different.

It was taller and larger than anything Jacob had seen before. It flickered and shimmered in the air with a dark green tint to its edge that darkened into a ragged blackness at the center.

It looked like a tear in reality.

“I wouldn’t absorb that,” the Fire Oppa suggested. “Wasteful business taking an Ascended Soul and using it for raw Souls.”

“I’m listening,” Jacob said, putting it back into his inventory and looking curiously at the Fire Oppa. He had never heard of an Ascended Soul before.

“You can use Ascended Souls to imbue greater strength to your arms or armor. While they provide plenty of Souls when absorbed, you will lose their unique properties. Properties that – more often than not – are rare and powerful.”

“And what will this Ascended Soul do?” Jacob asked.

“Examine it and see.”

Jacob pulled it out again, examining it further.

[Soul of a Devout Priest]

Soul of an “enlightened” priest already undergoing their transformation to become closer to their Vile God. As one of the rare devouts, this Soul contains a fragment of the Vile God’s dominion over the sea and its transformative powers.

Special beings such as this Devout Priest have unique Souls touched by a higher being. Used to acquire a huge amount of Souls, to imbue the Vile God’s strength into a weapon, or its protective enchantment upon a piece of armor.

Eyes popping at the description, he looked at the Fire Oppa. “Can you tell me what the enchantment is without forcing me to do the process itself?”

“Place the Soul into the Pyre.”

Jacob complied. The flames shifted and swirled around it as if repelled. The Fire Oppa alighted onto the Pyre and circled the Soul.

“Perhaps your selfish desire to met out justice bore fruit after all,” the fiery ferret said with a snicker. The Soul floated back to Jacob’s waiting hand. “If placed within a weapon, it will transform it into a Vile Weapon. A rare and uniquely powerful sort that, as the description no doubt told you, uses the transformative powers of the briny Vile God.”

He was about to ask what the Fire Oppa meant by that when he caught on. “Will it cost anything?” he asked greedily.

The transformative powers of the Vile Kingdom were well-known. It was the power of decay and destruction. Madness made manifest as even the strongest shields and armors were turned to brittle, rusted junk under the magical assault.

If the Fire Oppa was saying he could wield that power, he was right. It was well worth the effort to go out of his way and kill the priest.

“Yes, only weapons that are plus-ten can be transformed by an Ascended Soul. As well, it requires an item of significant magical strength to reinforce the item.”

“Wait,” Jacob said, remembering when he was reinforcing his chest piece. “I thought you could only reinforce up to plus-five?”

“Before you learned how to Kindle the Pyres, I could only reinforce an item to plus-five,” the Fire Oppa agreed with a hint of chagrin. “Now I can increase that to plus-ten. However….”

“However, what?”

“As I said, only a powerful magical item can be used to ascend the weapon. I don’t mean to be presumptuous… but you are barely scraping by with Souls. It doesn’t seem like you’re exactly overflowing with rare and bountiful treasure.”

With a grin, Jacob pulled out the [Minos Horn]. His last one. The look of shock and awe on the Fire Oppa’s face was priceless.

Once he managed to find his voice the Fire Oppa said, “I stand corrected. My, you are simply full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Stuffing the item back into his inventory, Jacob turned his attention back to what his next steps should be.

With only 2 [Dull Sparks] to his name, he was a long way from getting his [Mace] to +10. Even though [Dull Sparks] could be purchased from one of the undead merchants in Hollow Dreams, they wouldn’t come cheaply. He would have to hold onto his Souls until then, risking losing them all in the process.

The weapon that he would ascend would have to be the [Mace]. His [Longsword] was good but it was significantly less effective against heavily armored enemies.

With the rusting, weakening power of the Vile God ironically – and unwillingly – bestowed by the dead priest, it would be a significant advantage against the stronger enemies he was about to face.

But first, he needed 7 more [Dull Sparks]. With his [Mace] already upgraded once, he just needed 9 more reinforcements to bring it to +10.

With such a high requirement, farming for them would be a waste of time. He didn’t know the drop rates of the various monsters well enough. The game was simply not out long enough for people to delve into its mechanics to understand things like that.

His best bet was to continue on to the Crossing of Hollow Dreams, find the undead merchant and get the hell out before he was attacked. Considering the path most players took, there shouldn’t be too many Vile Covenant members running about.

If there were, he was in serious trouble.

Most people would be coming to Hollow Dreams through the overland routes. Those that were able to somehow