Atop a root that rose high enough to escape the vine infestation below sat Halo, his eyes widened in confusion and frustration.

The bronze screen kept glitching for a while, which was not only annoying but also unheard of. In nearly eight months in this world, he'd never once heard anyone mention their screen glitching.

His frustration soon shifted into concern.

Had he somehow managed to break his system? What would have happened next if he had? Death? Punishment?

Desperate situations called for desperate measures.

He tried touching the screen, even attempting to turn it off telepathically. Wasting seventy-five Sin Fragments just to create a clone that might be for nothing was nerve-wracking, but if it kept him alive and unpunished, it was worth it.

Even so, nothing worked.

The screen continued its routine, flickering on and off, glitching as though there was a bug in the system or it was struggling to process something beyond its capacity.

But after disappearing for quite a while, it popped back into existence. This time, with words. Meaningful words.

***

[ To devour a clone, you'd need an inventory. ]

[ Would you like to create an inventory? ]

Price: 5 Sin Fragments.

| Yes | No |

***

Halo's face began twitching in annoyance. All that glitching… because it had no inventory?

To think such a trivial thing could glitch the system didn't make sense, and having to pay another five Sin Fragments wasn't easy either. But he was in too deep. Seventy-five Sin Fragments have already been collected, backing out would be a complete waste.

Without a moment's hesitation, he bought the inventory.

***

[ Congratulations! You've purchased an endless inventory. ]

***

The bronze screen blinked out and back in barely a second later.

***

[ Would you like to devour your seventh clone, One? ]

| Yes | No |

***

Halo took a deep breath. He could only hope there wouldn't be problems this time.

'Yes!'

Soon, his new clone, One, who had been standing idle the entire time, vanished into thin air. Unlike his other clones that melted into shadows when hiding, this one simply ceased to exist. It literally disappeared into nothing.

'Don't fuck with me this time, buddy.'

His eyes stayed locked on the screen, watching it vanish and reappear.

***

[ Patience, True Ability is being transformed into an ability befitting for a servant of Death. ]

***

The moment the screen appeared, unease washed over Halo. His head spun faintly at first, then the dizziness became unbearable. His body weakened within seconds.

***

[ Congratulations! You've successfully devoured your clone, One. ]

[ Extra Ability: Beelzebub acquired - - - Description… ]

[ Level: 1/10 ]

Warning: It would be wise to start using Beelzebub at level 1 and advance when the body is ready.

***

He could barely see anything now. His vision had gone hazy, and his body simply collapsed, seeking rest. His heart pounded violently, as though being torn from his chest.

He could think of nothing but what was happening to him. Breathing became more vital than it had ever been.

***

[ Would you want to increase the level of Beelzebub to level 2? ]

Price: 3 Sin Fragments.

| Yes | No |

***

It was obvious the system wanted to kill him. Despite the warning, it still wanted to test his stupidity. Halo was too weak to even notice its tricks. His eyes closed, and the last thing he saw was a blurry screen.

"…"

"…"

God knew how long Halo had been out, but when he finally woke, he found himself in quite a situation.

Spineless, his fifth clone, stood before him, fighting two creatures nearly its size, both made of mossy vines. Due to Spineless's translucent nature, its strikes did not affect it. But whatever attack Spineless landed on them, it suffered the damage instead.

Panic seized Halo. He scrambled back, putting distance between himself and the fight, ignoring the throbbing in his head.

"What's happening?" He muttered.

Confusion struck him briefly before understanding dawned.

Whatever he obtained from devouring his clone had been powerful enough to exhaust him completely. Somehow Spineless had manifested itself unsummoned, probably to take care of him.

He wondered why Tough hadn't manifested instead, it would've been far more useful, being tiers above Spineless in rank. Either way, neither could be damaged by these creatures. He needed to think while Spineless held them off.

He quickly pulled up his screen, needing to know what exactly had put him through such an ordeal.

***

[ Name: Halo D. Tenebris

Title: Shadow of Death

Rank: Knight

True ability: Death Clone - - - Description:

Flaw: Coldness

Only Sin: Death

Nemesis:?

—

Sin Fragments: 8101 /10000

Dominant Skill: Agility

Clones: 6

—

Inventory:

Extra Ability: Beelzebub: 1/10 - - - Description: ]

***

"Wait, I got the clone's ability?… this seems familiar somehow. Yeah! Liam."

Liam Asterion, one of the few people he could call a friend in this world, once told him he could gain others' True Abilities by having his crows devour their corpses. He'd thought it was so unfair, not realizing his own ability could do the same thing.

Wasting no time, he focused on learning more about his new power.

'Beelzebub, description.'

***

[ Beelzebub: Description:

Compressed dark energy that turns matter it touches into corrupted ashes. The stronger the user and the higher the level of Beelzebub, the larger the range and the intensity of corruption.

Warning: It would be wise to start using Beelzebub at level 1 and advance when the body is ready. ]

***

"…"

***

[ Would you want to increase the level of Beelzebub to level 2? ]

Price: 3 Sin Fragments.

| Yes | No |

***

Halo forced an enthusiastic grin.

He knew what level one had done to him, and the system had clearly warned against advancing too quickly. But desperation overrode caution. With the right mastery of Beelzebub, he could handle those creatures and maybe even save Delilah with ease.

Then he saw the price, and the desire died instantly. Obviously, leveling to level three would cost six, doubling with each level until maxed out.

Since he had no idea if Beelzebub would even be useful, he needed to be reasonable.

Shadow of Death rose to his feet, took his stance, and tried firing Beelzebub at the creatures like every popular trope he'd seen.

'Beelzebub.'

He thought of it and visualized the dark energy. But nothing. While Spineless fought for its life, Halo just stood there, perplexed in his battle stance.

Beelzebub never showed.

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