Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat - Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Cursed Ones

Ethan sat there in silence, listening to everything they were saying.

Soul-Wielders. This was a term he was hearing for the first time.

And apparently… he was one of them.

Lyla’s family—the Silverwoods, seemed to have a deep hatred for Soul-Wielders.

Lyla herself was the daughter of their family head. Just the fact that they were riding in this high-security vehicle right now said a lot about how powerful the Silverwoods were.

As for the Ninth Division, it was clearly a government-backed organization. Only those with unique abilities were chosen to join.

From the way Celeste spoke, it seemed like she was the only one in the division who knew what he was. She hadn’t reported it yet.

And her message was clear: the Ninth Division could protect him from the Silverwoods.

In this life, Ethan had encountered things he never would have dreamed of before. He had gone from being a cripple… to becoming something the world feared.

Did Soul-Wielders really only have stronger souls? Was that all there was to it?

Celeste had said the Soulstone had reacted three times.

The first time must have been when he woke from that five-thousand-year dream, when the system had rewarded him with five times the soul power.

The second was when he returned from the Underworld after consuming countless Ethereal Blooms, further strengthening his soul.

And the third… was just now, when he had accidentally released his soul sense.

That meant there was no mistake.

Lyla’s voice pulled him from his thoughts.

“Ethan…”

He turned to her. “What exactly is a Soul-Wielder?”

“The one best suited to answer that is the Silverwood heiress herself,” Celeste said, glancing at Lyla.

Lyla hesitated only briefly before speaking.

“A Soul-Wielder is anyone whose soul strength is at least five times that of an ordinary person.”

“No one knows exactly when or why that number became the standard, but history has shown one thing, anyone who surpasses that threshold… meets a tragic end.”

“Some mutilate themselves. Some lose their minds and start killing indiscriminately. Some even die physically, but their souls become so powerful that they linger, causing chaos.”

“There are many different outcomes, but they all share one thing.” Lyla’s voice dropped slightly. “They lose control.”

“Some say Soul-Wielders are cursed. That they were never meant to exist in this world.”

“As for why my family hunts them down…” She took a deep breath. “It’s because a Soul-Wielding warrior once almost slaughtered the entire Silverwood household.”

“The family head at the time lost his wife and children to that man. The Silverwoods nearly collapsed. It wasn’t until my grandfather’s generation that we finally rebuilt our strength.”

“That’s why my family despises Soul-Wielders.”

“But it’s not just the Silverwoods. Many people will kill a Soul-Wielder the moment they encounter one.”

“Part of it is jealousy. The other part is self-righteousness.”

“If a Soul-Wielder takes up combat training, their growth is ridiculously fast.”

“And yet, the noble families, secret societies, and elite academies all use soul strength as their main selection criteria. The standard is 1.5 times that of a normal person.”

“It’s a contradiction. They want prodigies… but they refuse to accept anyone who surpasses five times the normal soul strength.”

Celeste, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

“That ‘curse’ isn’t absolute.”

Lyla looked at her. “You mean…”

Celeste nodded. “The founder of the Ninth Division was a Soul-Wielder. No one knows his exact strength, but in the end… he just disappeared.”

“But even after he disappeared, there were no reports of him wreaking havoc. And our current Director’s soul strength measures at 5.1, he’s well past seventy now, and still perfectly fine.”

Celeste countered Lyla’s argument about Soul-Wielders being cursed.

“Maybe disappearing is just another form of misfortune,” Lyla said lightly. “As for Director Vaughn… he never married, has no children, no family. Isn’t that a misfortune in itself? Who can say for sure?”

Celeste shot her a sharp glare.

The word misfortune echoed in Ethan’s mind.

Never marrying… no children…

Ethan looked at Lyla. ‘That won’t happen to me… right?’

A voice suddenly rang in his head.

“It won’t.”

“Holy—”

Ethan nearly jumped out of his seat. It was the first time he had ever heard Morzan’s voice outside the game.

His startled reaction made everyone else in the car turn and stare.

“N-No, it’s nothing,” Ethan quickly covered. “I was just… feeling sorry for Director Vaughn.That’s a rough life.”

That seemed to satisfy them.

Meanwhile, he focused on the voice in his head. At this point, he didn’t even want to question how Morzan was capable of doing things like this.

The old guy clearly had powers beyond his understanding.

Considering his name, and the fact that Morzan had been responsible for bringing him back to the past, Ethan wouldn’t even be surprised if the entire game was something he created.

But why? What was the point of making a game like this? Morzan never explained, and Ethan never asked.

“You’re saying I won’t bring misfortune?” he asked in his mind.

“Correct. Your soul strength was granted to you after rebirth.”

“Does that make a difference?”

“Human soul strength comes from the soul itself. And where do souls come from?”

“Where?” Ethan asked.

“Are you an idiot? You’ve been there.”

Ethan’s eyes widened. “Wait… you mean The Underworld?”

Morzan ignored him and continued.

“By their measurement standards, souls allowed to reincarnate from The Underworld are capped at a maximum soul strength of 4.9.”

“An average person has a soul strength of 1.”

“Those above 1 are usually powerful beings who resisted The Underworld’s laws through sheer force.”

“But no matter how strong they were in life, when it comes time for reincarnation, their souls are ground down to 4.9 or lower. That’s the hard limit.”

“The stronger the soul, the longer it has to remain in The Underworld before reincarnation.”

“And those who exceed 5? They’re usually escapees… fugitives who broke out through unnatural means.”

“That’s why they bring misfortune. Even if nothing happens to them externally, their physical bodies can’t handle a soul that powerful. It always leads to disaster.”

“This is one of the reasons I had you choose the Druid class and distribute your stats evenly.”

“So… you’re saying I really won’t bring misfortune?” Ethan asked again.

“… Just don’t get cocky,” Morzan said vaguely.

“What the hell does that mean? When have I ever been cocky?” Ethan shot back.

“It means don’t go throwing your soul power around before you’re strong enough. If something notices you… well, even I won’t be able to help you then.”

Ethan paused. Morzan’s tone was… oddly serious.

It almost sounded like he was worried about him. Feeling the moment was right, Ethan asked, “Then how do I get stronger?”

“Your biggest priority right now is fully awakening your bloodline power.”

“Seriously? I’m already level thirty-something, and I still haven’t unlocked it?”

Morzan clicked his tongue. “That’s what I’m saying. You’ve been slacking off.”

“…Well, how do I awaken it?”

“You really need me to tell you? Think about it, haven’t you been ignoring a certain quest?”

And with that, the voice disappeared.