Chapter 106: The Shopkeeper's Martial Soul

"So, the power system of this world is truly wondrous. However, I am not from this world, and I do not know if I am capable of awakening a Martial Soul," the Manager said to Mu Yang.

"It should be possible. After all, I am not from this world either, yet I still awakened a Martial Soul," Mu Yang replied.

"It seems I can never escape the fate of being a Ghoul," the Manager said, gazing at his Martial Soul.

The Manager’s Martial Soul was his Kagune-hō—the very root of a ghoul's Kagune. If a ghoul had their Kagune-hō extracted, they would be unable to manifest the corresponding Kagune until it regenerated. Furthermore, the Kagune-hō was the primary material used to craft Quinques; the stronger the Kagune-hō, the more powerful the resulting weapon. It was also the transplant of such organs, including the Kagune-hō, that had turned Kaneki into a ghoul.

"Manager, there is no need to be disheartened. In fact, this is for the best; you won't have to relearn your entire style of combat. However, if you must feed in this world, never do so in front of others. They will mistake you for an Evil Soul Master," Mu Yang cautioned.

He was right. Had the Manager awakened a blade or a sword as his Martial Soul, he would have been forced to abandon his former combat style or find a way to integrate the weapon into it to maximize his potential. Awakening his Kagune-hō, however, spared him that trouble; he could continue to fight just as he always had.

Perhaps it was because the Manager had been one of the most formidable beings in the Ghoul world, or perhaps due to some other unknown factor, but his innate spirit power was at level thirty.

"Manager, let me take you to obtain your spirit rings. While we are at it, I will help my sister obtain hers as well," Mu Yang said.

"So, you and your sister have both reached your bottlenecks, and you intend to take the guards you brought with you to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt for spirit rings?" Elder Xuan asked, looking at Mu Yang.

"Not just the Star Dou Great Forest, but the Far North as well. My sister’s Martial Soul is the Ice Empress, and the Star Dou Great Forest lacks suitable spirit beasts for her," Mu Yang explained.

"Get out of here! I am giving you ten months. If you are not back by then, you will be expelled," Elder Xuan grumbled.

In a grassy clearing within the Star Dou Great Forest, a three-hundred-year-old Soft-Boned Rabbit collapsed, only to be suddenly swallowed by an eight-thousand-year-old Amethyst Python.

"Now!"

Six Ukaku Kagune erupted from the Manager’s back, launching a barrage of crystals. Without a moment’s hesitation, the shards pierced the python’s amethyst scales, driving deep into its flesh. The beast thrashed for a moment before falling still, a deep purple spirit ring hovering above its head.

Empress Snow and Mu Yang stepped out from the trees behind them.

While the limit for a normal person’s first spirit ring was 423 years, that rule did not apply to those with exceptional physiques. Given that the Manager was a powerhouse among ghouls, absorbing an eight-thousand-year ring was well within his capabilities.

"Quickly, Manager, absorb it. If you wait too long, the ring will dissipate," Mu Yang urged.

"Understood."

Half an hour later, a deep purple ring rose around the Manager. He closed his eyes to sense the change, then, with a flash of the ring, his six Ukaku Kagune turned a deep violet. He aimed them in a certain direction and fired.

The crystals fluctuated, turning as thin as needles one moment and as thick as fists the next, their forms shifting at his will.

"Manager, what is your spirit skill?"

"It seems this skill allows me to exert finer control over the size of my Kagune crystals, while simultaneously increasing the power of my Ukaku’s projectiles by twenty percent."

"That is indeed a very practical spirit skill."