As Max stepped through the door, a strange sensation washed over him.
It was as if he had just passed through a portal—
A brief moment of disorientation, like being pulled through space itself.
And then—
He found himself standing before the familiar sight of the blob of slime.
Max blinked.
Then his eyes narrowed as he recognized his surroundings.
"Huh? Am I back on the fourth floor?"
His voice carried a hint of confusion.
The blob of slime bobbed up and down in excitement.
Its watery form quivered as it spoke, its tone filled with unmistakable greed and anticipation.
"So? How did it go? Did you get my master’s inheritance?"
Max’s eyes narrowed slightly, scanning the blob.
’From the looks of it, he doesn’t seem to know anything about his master’s plan…’
Max had spent enough time in the temple to understand one thing.
The temple master’s true intentions had been hidden—
Even from the blob.
That meant—
This loyal guardian had been waiting here for thousands of years, completely unaware of what had truly transpired.
For a moment, Max pondered in silence.
Would it even matter to tell the blob?
Would it change anything?
After all—
The temple master was dead.
His so-called "inheritance" had been nothing more than a trap.
If Max hadn’t fought back, he would have lost everything.
But in the end—
He decided.
"There was this bit of a problem I encountered." Max said glancing at him.
"What problem?" The blob frowned asked.
Max told it everything that transpired in the fifth floor causing the blob’s expression to change several times until it was fully shocked.
He then watched closely as the blob’s form trembled.
It wasn’t just shock.
There was something else.
Something deeper.
The blob repeated Max’s words, almost in disbelief.
"You mean… he was alive all along?"
Its voice was hoarse, filled with years of misunderstanding unraveling in a single moment.
Max nodded.
"Kind of. His body was destroyed, but his soul remained in the fifth floor, waiting to steal the body of whoever reached him."
The blob twitched, as if its entire existence had been thrown into chaos.
"I see... I understand now..."
A moment later—
Its entire form rippled, almost as if it were panicking.
"All these years… I thought I was trapped in this temple because of a rune formation. I believed my master had set up a restriction on spirits, preventing them from leaving the temple."
The blob’s voice turned sharp.
"But it wasn’t that at all!
It was my master’s own will that kept me here!"
Max’s eyes flickered in surprise.
’He was never actually trapped… He was being used.’
For the first time, Max saw something unexpected in the blob—
Resentment.
A being that had waited for thousands of years, only to realize it had been nothing more than a pawn in a selfish plan.
Max spoke carefully.
"You don’t seem sad that your master failed… In fact, I can feel resentment."
The blob went silent.
It didn’t deny it.
Instead, it let out a low, bitter laugh.
"...You’re not wrong."
Its form shifted, rippling with mixed emotions.
The blob sighed, its entire form rippling with emotions it had never voiced before.
"We spirits were never treated well anywhere in the world."
Max remained silent, listening intently.
There was pain in its voice.
A deep, buried resentment—not just toward its master, but toward the entire world.
The blob’s tone darkened as it continued.
"For most, we are nothing but guinea pigs for their experiments, tools in their pursuit of immortality."
A bitter laugh. Find exclusive content at freewebnovel
"They believe that since we possess eternal existence, if they can harness our secrets, they too will obtain immortality."
It paused, as if recalling something distant and painful.
"That is why most spirits—if not all—are either controlled by massive powers or enslaved by individuals who seek to use us for their own ends."
Then, its expression shifted—complex, conflicted.
"My master, Nova Warzuck, was no different. He too sought power… and immortality."
Max narrowed his eyes.
Nova Warzuck—The so-called master of the temple.
A man who deceived even his own spirit.
The blob continued.
"But unlike most, he… treated me well. At least, he didn’t trap me in a facility like other spirits, locked away, never to see the light of day or so I thought."
A slow sigh.
"Yes, he experimented on me. And yes, I hated it. But… he also saved me."
Max blinked in surprise.
That was not what he expected.
The blob’s voice became quieter.
"He rescued me from a power that wanted to dissect me for my essence. He protected me. And for that, I was grateful."
Max could see it clearly—
The blob didn’t know how to feel.
It wasn’t just anger.
It wasn’t just gratitude.
It was a mess of emotions—an internal war that had lasted for thousands of years.
The blob turned to Max, its expression unreadable.
"That’s why I have mixed feelings about him."
A pause.
Then, its form trembled slightly.
"But now… now that I know I was trapped here, abandoned for ten thousand years—"
"To carry on with his plan."
A slow, bitter chuckle.
"Now that I know he never truly died, that everything I believed was a lie…"
Its body darkened slightly, the color shifting.
"Truly makes me feel deep resentment against him."
It continued.
"I have always hated him for the experiments he conducted on me, treating me as if I was some puppet. But I never once showed him my resentment or this side of mine thinking if I were to tolerate this for a few more years he would treat me well… treat me like an equal… a friend."
Silence filled the room.
Max didn’t say anything.
Because there was nothing to say.
This was thousands of years of betrayal unraveling at once.
A deep moment of silence later—
The blob suddenly turned, its form shifting as a thought struck it.
"Sigh, forget about me… how did you come back fine if my master’s soul was there on the fifth floor?"
Its tone wasn’t just curious.
It was genuinely baffled.
For the blob, there was no logical way that Max should have walked away unscathed.
Max shrugged casually, though his eyes held a sharp glint.
"Your master was meticulous, planning for everything that could go wrong."
He smirked slightly.
"But I guess he just chose the wrong candidate for his host."
A pause.
Then he added—
"Or should I say… he was just unlucky."
And that was the truth.
If the temple master had chosen anyone else—
If his host had been anyone but Max—
Then right now, the temple master would have been reborn.
Or had he been lucky instead of Max.
Then Max?
He would have been erased.
The blob’s form rippled, its liquid body shifting as it narrowed its eyes at Max.
"You are indeed very lucky in this case, I guess."
A brief pause.
Then, in a solemn tone, the blob continued.
"My master was very strong in his prime. Even though he didn’t specialize in soul techniques, his soul force should have been enough to kill thousands of people with your level of soul force."
"Thousands?"
Max let out a rueful laugh, shaking his head.
He knew better than anyone just how close he had come to death.
He hadn’t survived because he was stronger.
He hadn’t survived because he was more skilled.
He had survived because of circumstances, instinct, and sheer luck.
’If I gave up in the end… I wouldn’t be standing here right now.’
For the first time, Max truly felt the weight of that battle.
And he knew—
That kind of luck wouldn’t last forever.
If he wanted to survive in the future—
He would have to become strong enough to never rely on luck again.