Chapter 141: Soul-stone

A few days had passed since Elio’s meeting with the Association.

During that time, the investigation into Crimson-Crow had continued behind closed doors, while the public slowly began returning to its ordinary routine. The tournament’s aftermath still dominated the news, but with every passing day, the outrage gradually gave way to speculation about what might happen next.

For Eden, however, the world had never been particularly interested in standing still.

He had more important things to worry about.

"Congratulations, Eden. You are officially the winner of the Awakened Tryouts."

Sitting behind his desk, Chairman Apollo offered the young man a warm smile before gesturing toward the objects arranged on the table between them.

A certificate bearing the Association’s official seal.

A golden trophy engraved with the tournament’s name.

And a small, transparent gemstone resting inside a velvet-lined case.

Eden looked at the three objects without much enthusiasm.

"That’s it?"

Apollo’s smile twitched.

"Most people would be delighted to receive these."

"Most people probably don’t have to risk getting crushed by an S-Rank dungeon boss to earn them."

"Technically, the tournament’s final round wasn’t supposed to involve an S-Rank dungeon boss."

"Technically, I wasn’t supposed to nearly die either."

Apollo stared at him.

Eden stared back.

A few seconds passed.

Then Apollo let out a tired sigh.

"You know, I’ve been dealing with angry politicians, furious guildmasters, and journalists who seem convinced that I’m personally responsible for every unfortunate event in human history. I was hoping this meeting would be a little more pleasant."

"Then you should have invited someone more pleasant."

"An excellent suggestion. I’ll keep it in mind for next time."

Despite his words, Apollo couldn’t quite suppress a smile.

There was something strangely refreshing about Eden’s attitude. Most young Awakened would have jumped at the opportunity to impress the Association’s chairman. They would have accepted the rewards with gratitude, asked about future opportunities, and perhaps even tried to negotiate a position within one of the Association’s elite teams.

Eden, on the other hand, looked as though he had been dragged here against his will.

Which, in a sense, wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

Apollo pushed the certificate and trophy toward him.

"Your official rewards. The certificate confirms your victory, while the trophy is a commemorative piece commissioned for the tournament’s winner."

Eden picked up the trophy and examined it briefly.

It was a decent piece of craftsmanship. The silver surface had been polished until it gleamed, and a small crystal had been embedded near the top.

He turned it around once before setting it aside.

"Beautiful. I’m sure it’ll look wonderful collecting dust somewhere."

Apollo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"At least pretend to appreciate it."

"I appreciate the effort. I just don’t particularly care about trophies."

"Naturally."

Eden’s gaze shifted toward the remaining object.

The gemstone.

Unlike the trophy, it immediately caught his interest.

He reached for the case and opened it, revealing a small, multifaceted stone that shimmered faintly beneath the office lights. Its surface was almost perfectly transparent, yet tiny threads of golden light seemed to move deep within its core.

The moment Eden directed his attention toward it, he could sense the unusual concentration of Essence contained inside.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"This is the real reward, isn’t it?"

Apollo nodded.

"The Soul-stone."

Eden lifted the gemstone carefully between his fingers.

Even without touching it, he had suspected that it wasn’t an ordinary item. Its Essence was unusually dense, but what interested him most was the strange sensation it gave off.

It felt as though the energy inside the stone was waiting for something.

"The Soul-stone is an exceptionally rare artifact," Apollo explained. "Once crushed, it releases its stored power and upgrades one random skill belonging to the person who activates it."

Eden’s expression became noticeably more interested.

"One random skill?"

"Yes. The artifact appears to select a skill and force an evolution, raising its rank by one stage. Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to determine precisely how it chooses its target. The process is unpredictable."

Eden rolled the gemstone between his fingers.

An upgrade of one rank.

For an ordinary Awakened, such an item would already be invaluable. A single skill could determine the difference between being trapped at a certain rank for the rest of one’s life and having the potential to advance further.

For Eden, however, its value was even greater.

His skills were already developing at an abnormal rate. Some had evolved through repeated use, while others had merged into entirely new abilities. As his strength increased, finding opportunities to improve them would become progressively more difficult.

And the higher a skill’s rank, the more valuable even a single advancement became.

A skill evolving from C-Rank to B-Rank could be useful.

A skill evolving from S-Rank to SS-Rank could completely change the course of a battle.

If he used the Soul-stone now, he might obtain a useful improvement.

Or he might waste it on a skill that would soon become irrelevant.

Neither possibility appealed to him.

"How many of these exist?" Eden asked.

Apollo considered the question.

"Very few. Even among the Association’s oldest records, only a handful of confirmed Soul-stones have been documented. Some were used by prominent Awakened centuries ago. Others disappeared into private collections."

"So this is essentially a one-time opportunity to upgrade a random skill."

"That’s one way to describe it."

Eden closed the case.

"Then I’ll save it."

Apollo raised an eyebrow.

"You’re not going to use it?"

"Not yet."

"May I ask why?"

"Because my skills are still developing. There’s no point using a resource this valuable when I might get substantially more out of it later."

He slipped the case into his inventory.

"Besides, I’d rather choose when to take a gamble than let a gemstone make the decision for me."

Apollo chuckled.

"That’s a rather unusual perspective. Most people would be tempted to use something like that immediately."

"Most people are impatient."

"And you aren’t?"

Eden gave him a flat look.

"I’m extremely impatient. I simply understand that acting on every impulse is a good way to die."

For a brief moment, Apollo had no response.

"You’re an interesting young man, Eden."

"I’ve been told."

"I’m sure you have."