Max nodded.

It made sense.

This place was soaked in death.

The kind that scared even monsters.

For now—he was safe.

His eyes glinted, sharp and resolute.

The Sinful Bone Frame still pulsed faintly inside his spatial dimension.

That small crimson bead…

Wasn't dead yet.

Technically, he hadn't killed it. Not fully.

He'd crushed its soul in the world of his Soul Palace.

But its main body—the glass bead—was still intact.

Still resisting.

And only by destroying that…

Would he gain the Infernal Demon Tattoo.

A token of death.

A seal of power.

A key to controlling Infernal Energy.

He exhaled. Slow. Focused.

"Blob," Max said in his mind, "I'm about to open the Gate of Life and absorb the Sinful Bone Frame."

"If you want a share of its soul force, come out now."

The reply came instantly.

No hesitation.

Swoosh.

A small blob of glowing white slime oozed out of Max's chest.

It landed on the cracked earth with a squish.

Bounced once.

Then looked up at him—

Eyes gleaming with hunger.

With greed.

With anticipation.

'This guy is as greedy as ever,' Max thought, watching Blob wiggle in place like a blobfish drunk on excitement.

But then…

A thought flashed in his mind.

Something he hadn't asked in a while.

"Blob," Max muttered, his tone shifting, "how's the growth of my spirit in there? I can feel it. Like it's close to awakening… but that feeling's been there for months. Nothing's happened."

The white slime paused. Its movements stopped.

Then, a sneer appeared on its round face.

"You know you're an anomaly, right?"

Max raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

Blob gave a sly smirk.

"We spirits… we're not born. Not in the way you think. We don't reproduce. We don't evolve. We just… appear. We manifest. That's it."

It floated up slightly, circling Max slowly.

"But you?" Blob snorted. "You're creating one. Inside your body. Inside that freakish dimension of yours."

Max's eyes flickered.

He wasn't just housing a spirit.

He was forming one. Breeding something that shouldn't even have a womb to begin with.

"A being that's supposed to be born from the will of nature itself… is being created in you. Do you even realize what kind of madness that is?" Blob said, his voice oddly reverent.

Max fell silent.

His mind went still for a second.

If Blob was telling the truth—if this was how spirits normally came into the world—then what he was doing…

Wasn't just rare.

It was impossible.

And yet…

He was doing it.

"So my class..." Max whispered.

Blob nodded.

"Dimensional Keeper," he said, voice low. "It's not just rare… it's beyond comprehension. You're not just using dimensions. You're breeding new life in them."

A chill ran down Max's spine.

This wasn't just power.

This was creation.

It was a bit hard to process but it was true.

He was indeed creating a spirit.

A being that should be born naturally.

"So, how can I sped up the process for its growth?" Max asked.

"You're rushing it, kid," Blob said, calm as ever. "That spirit you're so eager about? It's not something that'll pop out overnight. Might take years."

He floated lazily, then added, "Only thing that'll speed it up is soul force. We spirits live on that. It's everything to us."

Max gave a short nod. That much he understood.

There would be chances. The Mourning Depths was full of infernal beings. Full of souls waiting to be harvested.

But for now, he had two goals.

Break into Adept Rank.

Awaken the Unique Physique.

"Let's get this done," Max muttered and sat cross-legged inside the small cave he'd carved out beneath the surface.

Across from him, Blob settled down like a lazy puddle of light.

Max reached into his spatial storage and pulled out the glass bead—the Sinful Bone Frame. It pulsed with a faint red glow.

He placed it gently into the dirt, soul force wrapping tightly around it.

Next, he activated Dragon Scales Transformation.

Black-glowing scales grew over his left arm, layering one after another until they reached his elbow.

Then—he channeled the 58 Draconic Essences.

Each scale lit up with a soft golden hue. His entire arm pulsed with power, both ancient and alive.

He pressed that arm over his heart.

His breathing slowed.

Then he looked at Blob.

"I'm breaking the bead. It'll kill the demon inside. You ready?"

Blob's grin was sharp. "Born ready."

Max took a deep breath.

Then crushed the glass bead with his other hand.

Kacha!

A sharp crack echoed.

Then—

"AGGHH!"

A scream tore through the air. Inhuman. Full of pain and fury.

From the shattered bead, a thick red miasma burst out. It wasn't smoke. It was liquid soul. Rage. Malice. Essence of a dead monster, now free.

But it didn't escape.

It rushed straight into Max's chest, like it had been waiting for him all along.

At the same time, Blob moved fast. A ripple of white light slashed through the air as he carved out a chunk of the miasma. He gulped it down without hesitation. The soul force inside it swirled through his form, strengthening him.

Meanwhile—

Max's eyes widened. The red energy was burning inside him. Violent. Wild. Uncontrolled.

He gritted his teeth and activated his power—

Draconic Essence surged.

His heart began to glow. A dark golden light flared from within his chest.

He was breaking open the Gate of Life.

The red miasma collided with the transformation. Chaos exploded inside him.

Veins bulged across his body.

Organs trembled.

Bones cracked.

The red energy tore through his body, breaking down everything, molecule by molecule.

This was the price of accepting a Bone Frame.

The old structure had to be destroyed.

Only then could it rebuild, fusing with the miasma to create a new physique—

One tuned to the Concepts. One made for power.

"Ghh…!"

Blood leaked from his lips.

The pain was worse than anything he had ever felt.

But Max didn't collapse.

He didn't scream.

He held on.

Because he knew what was waiting on the other side.

Normally, this process wasn't supposed to hurt that much.

But Max wasn't using a regular Bone Frame.

He used a Sinful Bone Frame—one infused with a soul.

The power was greater.

But so was the pain.

Every breath burned.

Every heartbeat felt like a hammer striking his ribs.

His body was being unmade.

His blood boiled. His flesh tore.

And yet, Max didn't regret it.

Not even for a second.

Power—that was all that mattered.

If this suffering could make him stronger…

Then let it break him.

He clenched his fists.

And threw everything into the Gate of Life.

His heart blazed with golden-red light.

The Gate was trembling. Almost there. Almost…

Time crawled.

Each second stretched into eternity.

But Max held on.

Silent.

Steady.

Unyielding.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay