Chapter 350: Eternal Bond

"...my love."

Soren felt a familiar warmth as her lips brushed against his, light as a feather. Unfortunately, it only lasted for a moment.

’...’

They stared at each other as the silence stretched between them. Then, slowly, matching smiles spread across their faces.

"...Hehe."

"...Pfft."

They both laughed, and Ethea leaned forward, burying her face against his chest, her shoulders still shaking. Soren wrapped his arms around her and held her close, gently resting his chin on top of her head.

They stayed like that for a while, neither wanting to move. Eventually, their breathing evened out, and their eyes drifted closed.

[Ding!]

Soren’s eyes snapped open. He was in his mental space, sitting cross-legged on the familiar floor of his consciousness.

’Already complete?’

He muttered to himself and watched as messages came one after another.

════════════════

[Investment detected.]

[Target: Ethea Everly]

[Analyzing Investment...]

[Investment: You shared your past and allowed her to understand the life you lived before her and the burdens you carried. This gave her the trust she needed to share her own past, and you listened without judgment, supporting her through memories she had kept buried for years.... You finally confessed your true feelings for her, giving her the words she had been waiting to hear and the courage to confess her own. When her curse erupted during her breakthrough, you took the full brunt of it into yourself and neutralized it...]

[Analyzing target response...]

[As a result of your actions, the target has fully recovered her mental state. The trauma and loss she had buried for years have been confronted and overcome, and the walls she built around her heart have crumbled. She found the courage to confess her own feelings, and the bond between you has deepened beyond measure. Your souls and fates are now deeply connected, bound to each other for as long as you both shall live.]

[Evaluating investment significance...]

[Evaluation complete.]

[Investment Grade: MYTHIC]

[Calculating returns...]

[Calculation complete.]

[Applying Authority Modifier: Amplification (Passive) — Baseline bonus applied. Reward tier scaling upgraded.]

[Returns granted:]

[1. Curse Resistance (S-Rank)]

[2. Ability Evolution: Soul-Binding Symbiosis → Eternal Bond]

[3. Ability Evolution: Guardian’s Resolve → Guardian’s Devotion]

[4. Ability Evolution: Advanced Appraisal → Eyes of Truth]

[5. Aeternum]

[Integration initiated...]

════════════════

’Whoa!’ Soren’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the returns. However, before he could process it, his eyelids grew heavy. His thoughts slowed, his vision blurred, and he felt himself sinking. He tried to focus and force himself to stay conscious, but it was already too late as his consciousness slipped away.

His eyes closed, and the world faded to black.

When they opened again, he found Ethea tucked against his chest, her hair spread across the pillow, and sunlight streaming through the curtains above them.

Soren blinked a few times, his mind still groggy. ’...When did I fall asleep?’

He glanced down at Ethea and, strangely, he felt as if he could feel her heartbeat alongside his own, as if there was something invisible connecting them, linking them together in a way that hadn’t been there before.

’...Wait. I remember it now. I fell unconscious after the integration started.’

At the same time, he noticed new information in his mind, along with changes in his body and soul. He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts and closed his eyes again. He spent a few minutes sorting out these changes and powers, and when he finished, a smile appeared on his face. ’A-Amazing...’

Even for a Mythic-grade investment, the returns exceeded his expectations. The first thing that caught his attention was a new ability called Curse Resistance. As the name suggested, it granted him a passive resistance to all forms of curse-based afflictions. Curses that would normally take hold and fester would now struggle to even latch onto him, and those that did would be significantly weakened and easier to purify.

But that wasn’t all. The ability came with two active effects.

The first was called Curse Reflection. Once per day, he could activate it to reflect any curse that was currently affecting him back onto its caster. The reflected curse would be amplified, hitting the original caster with double the potency. It was a perfect counter against anyone who relied on curses as their primary weapon.

The second was called Curse Detection. By focusing his senses, he could now perceive the presence of curses on people, objects, or locations within a certain radius. Not only would he know if a curse existed, but he would also gain a general understanding of its nature, severity, and how it was cast. It would make tracking curse-users and identifying afflicted individuals much easier.

Without hesitation, he used it on Ethea right away.

A golden light mapped itself across his mind, tracing the contours of her body and soul. The black rot of the curse that plagued her breakthrough had long disappeared. Yet, as he looked closer, something subtle caught his attention.

’...Hmmm.’

Frowning, he focused on that faint trace. Yet the moment his perception brushed against it, he felt a deep terror surge through him, so overwhelming that his mind recoiled on instinct. The trace vanished at the same time, and no matter how many times he tried, he couldn’t find it again.

’...It seems like I’m still too weak to see it clearly.’

Sighing in disappointment, he decided to leave it alone for now and instead decided to use it on himself. He was curious how it would work on him and whether the curse really disappeared and wasn’t hiding inside him.

’Hmm...?’

He suddenly froze, his mouth opening and closing. Then, his eyes lit up, and he quickly summoned his status window.

════════════════

[PERSONAL INFORMATION]

Name: Soren Everly

Age: 23

Circle Rank: Fourth Circle (Late Stage)

Mental Cultivation: Sovereign Soul-Refining Scripture — Stage 2: Soul Tempered Core Stage

Potential: ???

Hunter Rank: C

[CORE STATUS]

Mana Capacity: 495,860 / 650,000

Mental Power Capacity: 159740 / 180000

Core Stability: Stable

Pathway Integrity: Excellent

Affinity: Ice (Grade 7 - S Rank) | Wind (Grade 5 - B Rank) | Life Force (Grade 5 - B Rank) Darkness (Sealed) | ??? | ???

[INNATE ABILITIES]

• Curse Resistance (S-Rank)

• Hyper Regeneration (S-Rank)

• Glacial Emperor Constitution (S-Rank)

• Sovereign’s Fortitude (S-Rank)

• Limit Break (S-Rank)

• Indomitable Soul (S-Rank)

• Overlord’s Aura (A-Rank)

• Fire Resistance (C-Rank)

• Vital Harmony (A-Rank)

• Nature’s Eyes (B-Rank)

• Core Refinement (S-Rank)

....

[SPECIAL ABILITIES]

• Eternal Bond

• Guardian’s Devotion

• Amplification

• Civic Sight

• Beacon of Hope

[UNIQUE ABILITIES]

....

[TECHNIQUES & SKILLS]

....

• Cooking Mastery (Expert Lv. 1)

....

....

[Affliction Detected:]

[Curse: Fortune’s Frown — Grade: Fourth Circle]

[Details: Small misfortunes occur more frequently, and major conveniences are less likely to happen...]

[Origin: ???]

[Estimated Duration: Permanent unless dispelled or transferred]

....

[EQUIPMENT]

• Tether Bond (Bound to: Ethea Everly)

• Hunter’s License (Standard - Grade C)

• Ring Of Boundless Void

• Aeternum (Bound to: Soren & Ethea Everly)

....

════════════════

’I see. It’s called Fortune’s Frown, huh?’ He squinted at the details, and it matched the feeling he got from curse detection. It was basically a bad-luck type curse. However, despite being a 4th circle curse, its origin was hidden. ’Which means... It’s probably the same person who cursed Ethea.’

They might have cursed him after he dealt with Ethea’s curse yesterday. That would make the most sense; however, there was a chance it was someone else, and someone powerful, who did it. However, the chances were low since he hadn’t offended anyone personally. Well, there were a few people, like the head of the Vale family, his own family, or perhaps someone from the Outcasts.

’...What should I do about it?’

He pondered whether to use Curse Reflection and send the curse back at its damn caster. However, he decided against it for now. He wanted to test the ability itself first, to see how well it could suppress the curse on its own. Since the duration was listed as permanent unless dispelled or transferred, he could afford to wait and observe. If it proved too troublesome, he would use Curse Reflection then.

Nodding to himself, he decided to check his status while he was at it, and the first thing he noticed was the increase in his mental power and mana.

’It’s probably because of Ethea’s curse.’ He guessed. Core Refinement refined about half of it while he used the rest to cultivate his mind.

The only other changes were the evolutions of his two special abilities and a new artifact bound to him and Ethea. He first focused on Guardian’s Devotion, which evolved from Guardian’s Resolve.

Before, it had been a passive ability that doubled his physical defense and mental fortitude whenever he took a defensive stance to shield Ethea, along with a counter effect that slowed attackers. Now, the evolution had strengthened those effects and added something new.

He couldn’t be mentally controlled, charmed, or compelled to abandon her. Any attempt to do so would automatically fail and trigger a backlash against the attacker. On top of that, he could now place a temporary mark on Ethea that allowed him to teleport to her side once per day instantly. The mark would last until used or until the next sunrise, and he didn’t have to renew it if he chose not to use it before then.

’...This is a pretty good evolution. However, I can resist something like that even without this effect. After all... my heart already belongs to her, and there’s nothing in this world or any other that could make me abandon her.’