Mixed Blessing System

After the previous circle opened to reveal a lighted hole, Lothur and Elke floated down, falling at a controlled speed.

In this way, as they both observed the surroundings and narrowed their eyes due to the intense illumination of the area, they soon reached the lowest point there.

At such a place, after getting used to the brightness, they found themselves in an area that seemed to be covered with clouds, white, where they could not see the limits.

It was as if they had reached infinity!

"What is this place?" Elke murmured as she felt one of Lothur's hands holding her back.

Just as Lothur was about to say something to her, a semi-transparent figure appeared in front of them from below the clouds.

Upon seeing the figure of an old man with long hair and beard, both white, Lothur was surprised and remained silent as such a being began to speak. "It seems that young people will have love problems at any age, eh? Tell me, did a rival in love do this?"

Elke looked over her right shoulder and saw that figure. "No. Just a common enemy who tried to separate us."

"Oh?" The elder closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. "You are fortunate, little girl. Your boyfriend uniquely saved your life."

Lothur ignored that and asked. "Who are you? What is this place?"

"Sigh... Let's say that I am a piece of myself. Someone who can no longer remember his name but has one wish before disappearing from this world." The figure turned and sighed, looking at the 'infinity' of that space.

"As for this place, you will find that out in a few minutes, so don't rush. In any case, don't look so fearful, kid. I'm only interested in giving you a mission."

"A mission?" Elke asked, interested because of the positive feeling she felt in her being. "What's that about?"

The figure then looked back. "Answer me first. What year and era are we currently in?"

Elke replied. "490, of the era known as The Great Silence."

"The Great Silence? What about the era of the Great Regent?"

"That was 4,500 years ago." So, she answered about this fact, which Lothur had not yet paid attention to.

He was more concerned with learning things from the present, so naturally, he was in the dark about the information from the past.

"4.5 thousand years, huh? A long time has passed... It was like a blink of an eye for me." He said in a wistful tone.

"But then?" Lothur insisted, curious what this was all about.

The old human figure sighed and explained. "Well, during the era of the Great Regent, I was a demon hunter from the Grapia Kingdom. At that time, I met a young woman, who tardily became my wife and gave birth to my children."

"Unfortunately, the last time I saw them, they were just children, younger than you. When I said goodbye to them, many things happened, a great war broke out, and by the time I noticed myself, 200 years had passed."

"At the time, I told myself, 'I am doing this for the greater good, protecting my kingdom and my family.' But the truth was that I didn't dare to return after so long..."

"I feared finding my wife with another man or being hated by my children... Sigh! I was a coward even though I had become a Peak Transcendent before my death." He shook his head, disappointed with himself.

'Grapia Kingdom? That must be an ancient state that no longer exists...' Lothur continued listening to the story of that soul fragment, making his mental notes about this unusual encounter.

"That is a shame..." Elke lamented upon hearing those words.

He then looked at them and said. "I have made many mistakes in my life. However, that was the greatest regret I had. Not knowing what happened to my family or even caring for them has always tormented me, even in my death."

"That's why I used a forbidden technique to burn my vitality and soul power to leave a soul fragment in my final moments."

Soul fragments could be produced from special techniques and with a pre-death wish from experts above level 18, the former power level of this figure.

Once a soul fragment was formed, that last mark could continue in the world for a few times longer than its vitality could give the person in life. That depended on several conditions, among them how the soul fragment would spend that time.

If it stayed the whole time in the current form that such a figure was in, then its time could be shorter. But on the other hand, if it stayed in standby mode, it could last longer.

Lothur and Elke did not know much about these details, but both knew what it meant to be a soul fragment.

The figure continued. "I created this soul fragment to leave a mission for people capable of fulfilling my last wish."

"What exactly is your last wish?" Lothur asked.

The old figure closed his eyes and explained. "I wish for someone of trust and ability to accept a mission to discover what happened to my family and find out my descendants. I failed with them in life, so in death, I want to leave them my inheritance..."

"If they still exist, of course." He sighed. "That is all I can do for them."

"Oh? So, our mission would just be to make a delivery?" Elke naively asked.

"That's the main part." He negatively shook his head. "But to fulfill the mission, if my family still exists, of course, the one who accepts it must ensure that my descendants can use my inheritance."

Lothur closed his eyes and smiled. "In other words, we must protect them if that is what it takes."

"Hmm, that's right!" He laughed. "By accepting this mission, you will have to help it at least until that is possible or until five years after your encounter with my descendants."

"What if they have disappeared into the river of time?" Lothur looked with interest at that figure.

The semi-transparent old man focused his eyes on Lothur's and sincerely said. "As long as there is no doubt about the end of my family, all my possessions will be left to the one who accepts the mission. "

"Oh? But I must assume there is a payment for all this, right?" Lothur smiled.

"Of course. I will give two Soul Bones to whoever accepts this!"

The two opened their mouths upon hearing that.

"Before I died, I had seven Soul Bones. So, you can choose two of them. However, the rest are part of my inheritance to my family."

He then said in an advisory tone. "Whoever accepts such a mission will have to make a deal with me that will be approved by heaven. So, don't even think about the other bones or the rest of my inheritance. On the other hand, you will receive such bones immediately, but if you don't fulfill the mission in 500 years, you can wait for divine punishment."

'Two Soul Bones?' Lothur's eyes sparkled as Elke looked at him with a happy smile.

"Well then, I am interested in this mission," Lothur said in animation.

"Hmmm, I thought that would be the case..." The figure showed one of its hands to Lothur as if calling him to fight. "But I will not give you that mission so easily. First, you must show me you have some aptitude for completing it."

"Why? Aren't you already running out of time?" Elke asked in doubt.

The figure nodded in agreement. "True, but if your little boyfriend doesn't have the slightest aptitude, like the previous people who have come here, he will only die in vain."

"If he tries to solve the mission without aptitude, he will die while visiting the far north of Concordia, where my family must be. If he doesn't solve it in 500 years, he will be struck with a lightning punishment."

"In either case, I lose my two Soul Bones and inheritance. And I still have some time to attract more candidates..." He counted in his mind the time he had.

"Have other people come to this place?" She opened her eyes in surprise.

"Indeed. The last time was hundreds of years ago. But that person failed, and I had to go into a state of hibernation for the period. Only recently have I awakened again."

'So that's why this phenomenon is happening...' Elke understood the situation. 'He is trying to attract candidates for his mission!'

Lothur then asked. "Far north? Is your family in that area? But isn't that a problematic region for humans?"

The figure smiled as he remembered the past. "It is problematic, but what can I do if I fall in love with a young girl from the Ancestral Folks? So, naturally, my family was established in that area, near the Ancestral Region."

'So his children and descendants are half-breeds...' Lothur ponderated about this, already realizing the reason for that figure not to hand over this mission to the first one who came along. 'The Ancestral Folks are extremely talented, so their half-breed won't be weak.'

'Hence the talent requirement. That family is certainly in a dangerous place for people below the 3rd stage!'

"Well, I understand your concern, but I think your wait ends here..." Lothur said a moment later, feeling ready to take this man's test.

...