novelraw Chapter 54: Soul Completion Handbook
Chapter 54: Soul Completion Handbook
After the steamy cleaning session concluded, Fischer seized the opportunity to return to his room and examine that peculiar Soul Completion Handbook.
Closing the door behind him, he first placed the Demi-Human Girl Completion Handbook on the table, flipping to the dragonkin section. Golden magical script instantly danced across the pages, recording all of Fischer's accumulated knowledge about dragonkin without requiring manual input - the handbook seemed to transcribe concepts directly from his thoughts.
[Dragonkin Biological Research Progress: 57%]
[Dragonkin Societal Research Progress: 42%]
[Unlocked Rewards: Constitution +4, Fertility +4 (Your genetic material has become more active), Dragon Court Relic Clue]
The biological research progress had notably increased after those... physiology lessons with Raphaëlle. Fischer's expression darkened slightly as a leather scroll engraved with draconic script materialized on his desk. The scroll displayed an intricate map with ancient Draconian text stating: "The gate opens only when all imprints are gathered."
After briefly examining the unfamiliar southern continent geography - far too detailed for someone unacquainted with the southern landmasses - Fischer deduced the relics would logically be scattered along the southern coast, directly opposite their current northern location. Hesitating momentarily, he set the scroll aside for later consideration.
Having collected his rewards, Fischer temporarily stored the Demi-Human Girl Completion Handbook and opened the Soul Completion Handbook given by Fieron. The difference was immediately apparent - where his handbook shimmered with golden accents, this one appeared dull and unadorned, its only identifying feature being the title confirming its classification.
Upon opening to the title page, no apocalyptic prophecies greeted him like in his own handbook. Instead, ephemeral text shifted into Nary's language before his eyes:
[A small gift left for this world by a traveler who cannot depart.]Beneath this introductory line, in the bottom right corner, appeared a special handwritten inscription. Though Fischer didn't recognize the strange script, its meaning translated clearly in his mind:
[Contributor: Caleb Woods.]
Fischer's brow furrowed as he processed the implications. The author's self-identification as a "traveler who cannot depart" suggested an extradimensional origin, potentially explaining all Completion Handbooks' supernatural nature.
Unlike his blank-paged handbook, this volume overflowed with densely packed academic writing. The first chapter posed its central question: "What is the essence of the soul?"
The author documented his alien perspective - initially frightened by demi-humans and unfamiliar with magic, suggesting his native world lacked these concepts entirely. He described witnessing the Dragon Court's glory "rising like a sun," its winged protectors sheltering the continent while exchanging soul knowledge with various demi-human scholars.
His ultimate conclusion stated: "Souls are physical entities interacting reciprocally with bodies - the source of both magic and consciousness, governed by external universal laws. Deceased souls undergo [reset] until some greater force silently places them into new vessels."
Caleb repeatedly emphasized the soul-body unity, dismissing separation theories as foolish, including the Dragon Court scholars' "chicken-or-egg" debates about their origins.
Fischer soon noticed crucial details: Caleb's era predated the present by millennia, confirming the ancient Dragon Court's historical existence. The text described it as an enlightened civilization where diverse demi-humans coexisted under draconic rule, worshipping a dragon-shaped deity called Fermabah - which Caleb analyzed as merely vestigial primitive belief.
When discussing soul properties, Fischer noticed Caleb assumed readers knew methods for physical soul interaction - techniques apparently lost to time. Then realization struck: The Dragon Court's solution had been their horns! As external manifestations of magic circuits, dragonkin horns essentially represented tangible soul projections. No extraction needed - studying horn properties directly revealed soul characteristics!
This epiphany carried disturbing implications about his earlier encounter with Mir. Had he accidentally poked her soul with his cane? That would certainly explain her violent reaction...
The first chapter concluded as introductory material, but subsequent pages remained blurred until Fischer focused, triggering his magic circuits to glow intensely as they drained substantial energy to decipher the text.
Chapter Two's opening lines explained:
"The soul's first property is [self-regenerative capacity]. I encrypted these writings to require soul power for decryption - the accompanying pain proves your soul's energy is being honed. Though this causes tremendous strain, the rebuilt soul grows stronger, mirroring how mages strengthen their magic circuits through spell engraving."
After just two paragraphs, Fischer felt as drained as after engraving a sixth-circle spell. Observing his slowly reactivating magic circuits - now recovering significantly faster than before - he marveled at the handbook's efficiency in soul training, though the intensity demanded cautious pacing, especially while traveling dangerous territories.
A final realization struck: If Caleb left his mark, might his own handbook contain hidden signatures? Flipping to its title page revealed nothing beneath the apocalyptic prophecy... until his fingers brushed the surface, triggering golden script:
[Congratulations! You found an easter egg!]
The floating text resolved into block-like script unlike Caleb's handwriting, yet equally comprehensible:
[Contributor: First of all, I'm not a demi-human girl enthusiast.]