The moment the card touched the fog, a notification popped up in front of Aren.
It was something about forming a contract with the owner of the Nythra.
Only then did he realize that the entity before him was the Holder of the Sky, the being whose power was stored inside the hand statue.
Aren simply pressed "Yes," and the next moment he was back in the hall, standing beside the statue.
At once, a cold sensation invaded his body.
It felt as if ice were flowing through his veins.
The chill passed through his limbs and seeped deeper toward his heart.
But before it could reach his heart, another force pulled it outward toward his hand.
Aren tilted his head. This was different from what he had learned.
Just then, a hot sensation formed around his chest and rushed toward his hand as well.
"Shit, my soul essence." Only then did Aren stare at the black card, pulling both energies out of him.
He shrieked in horror. "No, when did I use the card?!"
He pulled his hand as hard as he could, but nothing happened. In panic, he even tried to tear off his arm, but failed miserably.
By then, a layer of black fog had formed around the card.
"Ahhhhh!" Aren screamed his lungs out.
It felt as if someone had torn a slice out of his soul.
Veins all over his body bulged. His eyes rolled back as the light began to fade.
He wanted to beat himself, but the pain was unbearable. "Ahh, just kill me!"
…
Inside, Ray watched Aren struggle with interest.
What was strange was that this time, he was completely unaffected.
Aren was not feeling any physical or mental pain. It was something related purely to the soul.
In his past life, Ray had seen all kinds of torture, but seeing someone's soul being torn before him was another new for him.
Ray was not sure about the details, but he understood that the black card was in the process of transforming into Aren's hex core.
The problem was that the purity of this cursed card required too much soul essence.
It had already dried out Aren's soul essence within seconds and was now likely tearing pieces from his soul.
This must be why only those with high soul essence dared to use cursed objects as a medium for their hex art.
He just mentally shook his head and was unsure how to react.
In such a short time, too much had happened.
One moment, Aren had survived the monster blockade, only to fall for the cursed object's bait.
Even just a few seconds earlier, if Aren had touched the stone statue instead of the card, he would not be facing this.
It felt like watching a tragic drama where you knew the protagonist was making a fatal mistake, yet you could do nothing but scream.
The only relief was that his own soul was not affected by Aren's.
'If Aren's soul really dies here, then maybe…' He did not even finish the thought before the world around him went black.
The very next moment, Ray opened his eyes and felt an icy sensation invading his body, moving toward his hand.
Then another wave of warmth rose from within him and rushed toward the same place.
He stared at the card in his hand as another layer of dark air wrapped around it.
His mouth fell open. "Shit. The control changed."
Ray cursed his timing, but unlike Aren, who had been consumed by madness, he did not panic.
There was still one option.
He leaned back, trying to reach one of the dead monsters. All of them had died the moment Aren started the contract process.
That did not matter. If he could get even one claw, he could use it to sever his arm.
That was the only possible way out.
His limp arm was useless, so he tried reaching with his mouth. Still short, he was about to pull harder when the warmth surging from his soul intensified.
This froze him. Unlike Aren, he did not feel any pain at all.
That realization made him stop.
Wait. Does my soul also have soul essence? No… maybe the card is still feeding on Aren's soul.
Suddenly, a sharp pain jolted him, and the next moment the card flew up into the air.
Ray stared wide-eyed at his now-free hand.
The card floating above his head suddenly shrank to palm size and began spinning.
He tried to step back, but his legs refused to move.
It was as if something had bound him in place.
The curse card started blinking. One moment, it became pitch black, the next it turned transparent, leaving only its edges visible.
Slowly, the card descended toward his chest.
With one final spin, the black card slammed straight into his chest.
Bam!
The impact was so powerful that it flung him into the hall wall.
Ray slammed against one of the fire torches as the world spun around him.
An intense heat scorched his back.
Ray clenched his teeth and rolled around the ground. A big mistake!
Just one roll and one of the monster claws poked through his left leg.
He opened his mouth only for the pain in his chest to intensify.
Suddenly, the ground below him started to shake.
He heard the roars of hundreds of monsters screaming at him.
It felt as if the hall was just a prison surrounded by countless beasts, all pounding on the walls, desperate to break in.
Then the familiar black panel appeared before him once more.
Ding!
{System Notification: You have survived the Awakening Trial.}
{Hex Core Formation: Successful. Welcome, Initiate.}
{Do you want to teleport back to Zerathia? (Yes/No)}
The moment he saw the black panel, everything went quiet.
He frantically scanned the hall, but there were no monsters, only himself lying in a pool of his own blood.
It occurred to him. 'The effect of madness increased.'
The sudden clarity sent a chill down his spine.
Ray wasted no time and tapped "Yes" on the system prompt.
{Initializing teleportation… (10… 8… 5…)}
When the timer hit zero, a bright white light engulfed them.
Zap!
Thus began the journey of two surviving souls back to the living world.