As he spoke, Oscar pulled out several containers of various shapes from the Soul Guide he carried on his person. Before obtaining his sixth Soul Skill, he had no way of knowing whether he could succeed, so naturally he hadn't prepared ahead of time. But having been in constant danger, he carried all sorts of items with him — freeing up a few to hold blood was no problem.
After all, no Soul Master would readily hand over their blood to him, and his sixth Soul Skill required fresh blood as a catalyst. Oscar had already made up his mind: he would use the blood of Soul Masters around his own level — these ones right in front of him — to craft a batch of Mirror Image Sausages to carry on him. That would be enough for self-defense.
Haote had figured out from Oscar's earlier performance that his sixth Soul Skill had something to do with blood. A faint warmth flickered in his eyes. He understood that Oscar wasn't planning to claim the Soul Bone, which was why he'd told Haote to extract it.
Drawing on his formidable strength, Haote cracked open the Mirror Beast's skull with ease, revealing the Soul Bone within. Oscar's judgment had been spot-on — nestled inside the beast's head was a skull bone, crystalline and translucent throughout, capable of reflecting light. The entire bone looked as though it were crafted from mirrors, shimmering with a faint luster under the stimulation of outside light.
It was heavy in the hand. A unique Soul Power fluctuation radiated from Haote's fingertips, and an involuntary look of entrancement crept into his eyes. Soul Bones — who wouldn't want one? And this was a skull bone, second only to the torso bone in value. For any Soul Master, it was an exceedingly rare treasure.
In short order, Oscar had finished collecting all the blood he needed. He returned to Haote's side, and his gaze naturally settled on the Mirror Skull. But there was no trace of greed in his eyes. Having obtained the sixth Soul Skill best suited to him, he was thoroughly content — greed had no place in his heart. The reason he'd acted at all was simply that he didn't want to leave his life behind in this place.
The entrancement gradually faded from Haote's eyes. He held the bone in both hands and extended it toward Oscar. "Absorb it. It should be very useful to you."
Oscar blinked in surprise. "Big Brother, what are you doing? You've already helped me far too much. Getting the Soul Ring is more than enough — this Soul Bone is rightfully yours. You came out here to hunt Soul Beasts precisely for treasures like this, didn't you?"
Haote sighed. "Brother, don't argue with me. Just take it. It's more important to you than it is to me. The effects are maximized when the Soul Beast that produces both the Martial Soul and the Soul Bone is absorbed by the same person. You know that as well as I do. Besides, you saved my life. These past two years I've helped you in some ways, sure — but if you hadn't been kind enough to rescue me back then, I never would have had the chance to help you in the first place. I owe you a life. This is just a single Soul Bone."
Oscar and Haote's meeting had been entirely by chance. Back then, Haote had been ambushed and gravely wounded by members of his own hunting squad, left unconscious in the wilderness. Fortunately, Oscar had stumbled across him and used his Detoxification Sausage to purge the poison, then a Recovery Sausage to help him recuperate quickly. When enemies came pursuing them, Oscar had even used his Flying Mushroom Sausage to make their escape — thoroughly resolving the crisis Haote had been facing.
Haote was an upright man by nature. Though he rarely spoke of it, his heart was filled with gratitude toward Oscar, the man who had saved his life. That was precisely why the two had grown so close, and why Oscar could place his complete trust in him.
"But—" Oscar tried to protest, but Haote cut him off.
"Brother, don't say another word. Actually, I have my own selfish reasons for giving you this Soul Bone. I'm already over fifty this year. Once a Soul Master passes sixty, it becomes far harder to improve. Reaching the Soul Douluo rank in my lifetime would probably be the best outcome I could hope for. But you're different — you're only twenty-two! I've never seen a more talented Food Type Soul Master. Your future potential is limitless. You could very well reach the legendary rank of Food Type Titled Douluo. You call me Big Brother, and in the future, I'll be relying on you. The stronger you are, the sturdier my backer becomes — isn't that obvious?"
Oscar understood perfectly. Haote was saying all of this specifically so he would accept the Soul Bone. Gazing at the shimmering reflection dancing across its surface, Oscar said nothing more. Yes — for him, possessing a Soul Bone perfectly suited to his needs was incredibly, vitally important. This was a treasure beyond all expectation, one that would elevate his strength to an entirely new level.
Cradling the Mirror Skull reverently in both hands, Oscar hesitated no longer. Under Haote's approving gaze, his expression sharpened with focus. A faint silver light began radiating from the Soul Bone, and with a soft pop, the entire bone dissolved into a stream of silver energy that surged at tremendous speed into Oscar through his seven orifices, leaving him completely dazed.
Haote stepped back, gathering his Soul Power, and carefully scanned their surroundings to stand guard over him. The corpses on the ground were gradually growing cold. Amid the stench of blood and the aura of slaughter, a Food Type Soul Master unlike any before was growing at an astonishing rate.
……
Shrek Academy.
The entire academy had been thrown into an uproar since the previous afternoon — all because of the shocking announcement that had been posted on its boards.