The whole forest shook.

The tiny yellow-green orbs of light suddenly gathered around the stele as they gradually become red.

As the shaking of the forest increase in intensity, the stele produced a red pillar of light.

Jeemin squinted his eyes as the glaring beam of light became brighter and brighter. As the red light reached its peak brightness, it suddenly contracted on top of the stele.

As he heard a faint chuckle drifting in his ears, he opened his eyes with difficulty.

"How long has it been? *Yawn* Where's your other arm? Don't tell me you got beaten by a low level monster? A-yaa, so weak, in my time I singlehandedly finish the adaptation zone, I even ******—"

Jeemin was shocked as he found a yammering child sitting on the stele as he staggered back unconsciously. She was wearing a black gown inlaid with strange golden  patterns. Her height was just on Jeemin's waist, and her hair was colour white, as long as her feet.

Her appearance wasn't the reason he staggered back, it was her see through body. She was like a transparent being, more like a soul. Her eyes can only be described as terrifying. Just staring at it for a brief moment felt like his soul was getting sucked out of his body.

Her irises was completely black, not only that, it was constantly rotating like a black hole. Her pupils were gold, while the white around her eyes were so serene and holy.

She had an immortal flair around her that Jeemin felt like he was an ant before her.

His throat bobbed up and down as he gulped from nervousness.

"Tch, the system is not allowing me to speak of my great tale, just as annoying as ever," she pouted as she looked at him, "Why are you staring at me like that? I'm a ghost but a cute beautiful ghost, so it makes me mad seeing you afraid of me."

"W-who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious? Take a look at your system task window."

He did what she suggested and read, "Eleanor la Mili Montse."

"Ehh? Stupid system. You see, that's wrong. This is the correct one, listen carefully," she raised her chin as she spoke, "Exalted Goddess Gravitas Eleanor-e la Mil-i Montse, silent 'e'. Don't forget, silent 'e.'"

Jeemin's face slightly twitched as he found it difficult to pronounce her name correctly. "May I request such Goddess to be called Mili, that sounds cuter anyway," he said as he bowed slightly.

She frowned for a moment before nodding with a smile.

As Jeemin calmed himself down, he asked politely, "Are you an immortal?"

Her head suddenly went down as she spoke with an annoyed tone as she played with her feet, "Yes but... Quasi-Immortal."

"Anyways, as you can see, me appearing before you could only mean one thing, you've finished the hidden task. Aside from the reward you will get from the system, I'm also obliged to offer you a reward," she spoke with a high-pitch voice, "And you're lucky, you're the first one in history to ever meet me here."

"First one? Why?" Jeemin find it unbelievable that he was that lucky.

"One, the stele that was suppose to wake me up is... broken. It needed energy," she then muttered, "Strange, why does your blood contain energy? You haven't even started cultivating your mana yet."

She raised her eyebrow at him, waiting for an answer.

"I-I don't know," Jeemin stammered as he felt the pressure coming from her, forcing him to answer.

He then saw some strange mini-lightning appearing around her body.

She waved her hands like she was shooing flies as she spoke in annoyed manner, "Fine, fine, what an annoying system. I didn't even have a killing intent!"

When the mini-lightning around her subsided she looked at him with an amused expression, "Well, everyone has their own uniqueness. It's not like you were the first human being who had energy on their blood. It just means you're suited on cultivating mana."

"But, yeah, you're the first one who have been able to activate the stele. The second reason is, you didn't give in to lust. I was watching. If you did give in, you'd end up being fertilizer to my babies."

"Babies?" He asked as he thought that it was his mask who really saved him, if it weren't for it, he might've inhaled too much fumes, which would then make him lose his mind.

"I am an expert of Spirit, Necromancy, and Spatial control. The ground your stepping on, the trees around you, this upside down forest, are my babies, my creation."

Jeemin pondered as soon as he noticed that she was answering his questions. He was shocked about how powerful she was, being able to create something like the majestic upside down forest.

"Can I ask more?"

"Sure go ahead, it's been a long time since someone woke me up anyways."

"What's outside of the adaptation zone?"

Her black gown swayed as she stood up and walk to and fro seemingly thinking about something.

"Hmmm. The system won't allow me to give you information about outside, but I can tell you one thing. You must put up a good performance," she then looked at him with pity, "But I think you already failed that, not good start, losing your arm..."

She shook her head at him.

"What's your level?"

"Quasi-level 7, and stop asking useless questions. My time is limited."

"Not level 7? Doesn't that mean you're weaker than a true level 7," he asked unconsciously.

Her face suddenly contorted like her pride was trampled on.

"You..."

"Youuuuu...!"

The forest started to shake violently as her  hair rose up and her face reddened.

"Hey, hey I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to know the clear difference between the two. Calm down."

Liu Jeemin panicked as he waved his hand around.

"I'm a quasi-level 7 Spirit-Necro-Spatial Magician, don't you dare look down on me! I specialized in three fields. You hear that?! Three fields. Spirit, Necromancy, and Spatial magic!"

She shouted as she angrily glared at him.

"Okay, okay, you're really amazing. But I'm curious, what made you stopped at quasi-level 7?"

When she heard him calling her "amazing," she

"I died," she answered flatly.

What?!

Jeemin trembled from shock as he asked, "How—"

"How am I alive? Actually, that's not the case, as I said, I'm also a specialist on Necromancy and Spirit. This 'me' here, is only my will that was assimilated to the system so that I can stay in this form. Basically, I'm a parasite taking advantage of the system's power."

Jeemin's eyes suddenly dimmed, he thought that he finally found a chance and a clue to revive Rheena, but her response crushed it immediately.

"So fast? Was it because I release too much power earlier?" she muttered as she glared at him, "It's your fault, I don't have enough time anymore to chitchat."

"So, do you want to get stronger?"

Hearing that she didn't have time anymore, he gloomily brushed away the questions he planned on asking and nodded at her.

The grief in his eyes didn't escape her notice, as she thought for a moment. She immediately made a connection why his eyes earlier was full of life before she told him that she wasn't really alive.

So he wants to revive someone. He probably lost his arm because he tried saving someone and ultimately failed.

She now looked at him in a different light.

"Listen carefully, there are two rewards you can choose from, the other one is what the system obligated me to give, while the other one is personally from me. "

Mili showed him a weirdly shaped flat rock, glowing in red in her right hand and a thick triangular red rock on her left hand.

"This one in my right hand is from the system, it can strengthen your whole body, but the power given from the natural Origin is distributed all over your body," she said as she raised her right hand towards him.

"While this one, can strengthen only one part of your body but has a potential risk. Because the power is only focused on one part, there's a high chance of crippling that part of body."

"They are both level one natural Origin but.."

She looked at her left hand, "My personal reward for you is a natural Origin that I found outside, not only I have few information about its use, I can't exactly call it natural Origin. It might be a consumable one."

She then looked at him with a solemn expression, "Absorbing a consumable Origin in your body would destroy your mind. Never attempt absorbing one. Even a harmless very low grade consumable Origin would kill you."

Jeemin nodded as he pointed at her left hand.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. This one is more useful, I only have one arm. I don't need to distribute the power given by the Origin, I can't use my entire body anyway in fighting."

"But you might die."

"I killed myself in the first place before I was brought here, who cares?"

Mili sighed as she said, "Give me your right arm."  

Without any hesitation he placed his right arm on her hands.

Her nails cut his palm open as he grimaced from pain.

She then inserted the thick triangular fist sized rock on the open wound.

As soon as the natural Origin was inserted on his palm, tiny tentacles started to emerged from it.

When the tentacles pierced the flesh around it, he suddenly rolled on the ground from pain.

He clenched his fist hoping to ease the pain as he screamed and flailed around like a fish.

The pain was unimaginable, it was akin to his whole arm exploding from the inside. The tentacles pierced inside the bones of his arm as it connected to his nervous system.

Mili went closer to him as she held his arm. After she muttered something, he immediately went still. When she examined him, she couldn't help but widened her eyes.

"Your magic matrix is all over the place!"

His seven orifices bled—eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Even his brain felt burning as he lost control of his right arm.

"Kukk uhkk!"

His hand was pulled away from Mili's grasp as it started choking him.

Mili tried to stop his own arm from killing him but was repelled by a strange ominous aura. She shrieked after getting hit by the aura emanating from his body.

She was shocked at the immense pressure his aura was giving. She felt an incredible amount of resentment, anger, rage, greed, and other incomprehensible emotions coming from that aura.

"No, no, you're being absorbed instead." She shook her head as she activated a skill.

Level 6 Class Magician

Necromancer Heavenly Art: (High) Reverse-Decay

His right hand gradually became colour red, black veins could be seen squirming up from his palm to his arm. The squirming halted as soon as she activated her skill.

She furrowed her brows as she felt a strange force repelling her skill, considering Jeemin's level, this shouldn't be happening. But the force was negligible as Jeemin's arm turned brown. After it rotted for several seconds, it returned to its original state.

"Hey, don't close your eyes."

His struggling eyelids lifted up as soon as the pain went away. He dazedly lie down for awhile before propping himself up.

"That was very painful, I almost died from pain," he said with a terrified expression.

"No, you would become a mindless puppet of your own natural Origin. A natural Origin usually has its own consciousness, there's a chance that it will follow its owner's desires and take over a part of your body at beginning of merging."

"Then, if you're able to survive and retain your mind after this, your consciousness will replace the natural Origin's consciousness."

Jeemin chuckled mockingly, "Desire? It's because my desire to die was heard by the natural Origin that I ended up almost killing myself? I'm very sorry that I made a mess of myself." He lowered his head in shame.

He then asked, "Have I fully merged with it?"

"No, since I stopped the process, you've only merged partly with it. You still need to gradually replace its consciousness."

"How?"

"Nothing. Just let time pass, avoid overusing it, and don't be consumed by it."

Jeemin went silent for a moment as he repeated what Mili said in his mind.

"I've used too much of my life force, I need to go now. Your entire party would be transferred outside the cave, don't worry."

Life force? She used her life force to save me?

"Also, natural Origin needs to eat too, you're lucky, your natural Origin seems to fed on your blood and muscles. And you can only absorb one natural Origin at your level, don't be greedy."

Jeemin lifted his head up as he spoke, "Mili, can I hug you?" He guessed that she would be going to sleep again for a long time, alone.

Mili, who was thinking what else should she remind him, was stunned at his request.

"What?"

Without waiting for an answer, he walked forward, knelt down, and hugged her.

She stood rooted on the ground, her expression changing from time to time. From shock, stunned, confused, then gradually turned into a saddened expression.

He wasn't expecting to be able to hug a soul, but when he hugged her, he felt warmth, not only that, he suddenly remembered Rheena.

His hugged tightened as he closed his eyes and patted her back, muttering, "It's okay, I'm here, it's okay, don't be sad... I'll always remember you." He didn't even notice the tears flowing from his eyes.

His words might not have been for Mili, but Mili moved her hand as she ruffled Jeemin's hair.

She smiled, her smile was like a wilted flower, blooming again after thousand of years of being alone.

"Go," were her last word.

Their meeting might have been short, but Jeemin was sure that he wouldn't be able to forget her.

Jeemin's outstretched hand reach nothing as she gradually disappear, being pulled back by the stele.

"I will free you! I promise, I'm very thankful for everything you gave me," he bowed in gratitude as he added, "So please wait for me. I will revive you both!"

He lifted his head up as he saw the most beautiful and warm smile in the world.

Her moist eyes was the proof that his words, reached her.

Like a Goddess she appeared, like a Goddess she disappeared, as a bright light warmly engulfed them.