Chapter 6 (Revised Ending): To Kill a Thought
[Only revised section below — leading from the moment he defeats the Abyss Owl.]
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The ring floated.
Abyssal black. Flecked with violet.
A shade of mind death.
Tian staggered forward, blood dripping from his nose, ears, and fingertips. He'd won — the owl was dead — and the ring was his.
> [Abyss Owl Ring – 2,750 Years]
[Corruption Class]
[Ring Duration: ~1h 52m Remaining]
[Spirit Power Level: 15]
[Minimum Required for Absorption: 20]
❌ Current Rank insufficient. Ring absorption denied.
Tian froze.
"No…"
He blinked the alert away, summoned his status again, tried to trigger the absorption manually. Failed. Again. Failed.
His mind spun.
He'd spent weeks tracking this damn thing. Crafted tools. Poisoned himself testing resistance. Watched the beast feed on dying deer and crows. Became immune to despair — just for this.
And now?
"Too early."
His teeth clenched so hard blood leaked from his gums.
The ring shimmered slowly, peacefully. Like it didn't know it was wasting away.
> "No. No. No!"
He pounded the ground. Shouted.
Then stopped.
Stood.
Stared at it.
"Lesson learned. It's not the gun's fault."
He raised the gun.
"It's the trigger puller who messed up."
Tian watched the ring until it flickered once, like the last spark of a dying star...
And vanished.
No explosion. No collapse.
Just absence.
Like it had never been there.
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He didn't speak for hours. He didn't move.
But in his heart, he set a new rule:
"Never aim until you're sure you can kill. Never hunt until you're ready to absorb. Never forget that power without preparation… is fantasy."
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📘 Chapter 7: Only the Mad Survive
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📅 Month 13 – Age: 7 years, 8 months
[Spirit Power: 19.2 → 20.0]
[Status: Spirit Grandmaster]
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It wasn't the beasts that made Tian stronger.
It was regret.
The loss of the Abyss Owl's ring hadn't made him weaker. It had turned him obsessive.
He trained with no distractions.
He ate like a minimalist monk.
He meditated every time the sun touched the edge of the trees.
No fancy technique.
Just cold, silent grinding.
And eventually...
> [Spirit Power: 20.0]
[Rank Advanced: Spirit Grandmaster]
[Ring Attachment Eligibility: 2nd Ring – ACTIVE]
Tian exhaled.
He didn't feel joy.
He felt the click of readiness.
Now... it was time to hunt again.
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🎯 Target: Wraith-Tail Fox
> Age Estimate: 5,300+ Years
Effect: Mind Domain, Thought Decay, Hallucination Trap
Behavior: Territorial, Vengeful
Kill Count: Unknown (Nomadic Mercenaries last seen entering region)
Risk Level: Deadly
He'd tracked the Fox through disturbed illusion mushrooms and the vanished trail of a spirit master's blood. Took 11 days to locate its lair.
This time, he didn't underestimate anything.
He had no luxury to fail.
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⚙️ Tactical Loadout
Ammo Type: Soul Rot bullets (stack bleed), with Neuro Shell casings (retain heat signature)
Trap Web: Terrain-based magnetic lures + spirit vibration spikes (numb predator senses)
Decoys: 3 heat pulse simulators built with spirit stone powder + scavenged beast tissue
Personal Buffs: Dry-root herb (inhibits fear), obsidian milk (mental focus), 1 burst of qi-shield talisman (limited to 3 seconds)
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📆 Month 14 – The Ambush
The fox attacked at dawn.
Not during his plan.
Not during his preparation.
It moved between real and not real, phasing in and out of perception.
One moment a shadow — the next, a burning eye behind fog.
It whispered in his thoughts.
> "You regret."
"You failed."
"You should fade like the owl's ring."
But this time, Tian was ready.
> [Scope Active – Tier 2+]
[Silencer Mute Field – Rank 60- suppression confirmed]
He fired.
BANG.
The bullet didn't just hit — it latched on.
Soul Rot and neuroshock combined — the fox spasmed, screeched, and phased wrong — its form stuttering into visibility.
BANG.
Second shot to the ribs.
Then the gun vanished — time limit hit.
Tian didn't wait.
He sprinted in — dagger to paw, twisting under its tail, rolled into the dirt, and stabbed upward through the ribcage.
The Wraith-Tail let out a final breath — a laugh — then fell silent.
Its ring spun above the corpse.
Brilliant violet.
Crackling with unstable illusion runes.
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> [Spirit Ring: 5,325 Years – Wraith-Tail Fox]
[Effect: Thought Decay]
-- Causes confusion, hallucination, and misfire chance on spirit skill activation
-- Synergizes with Mindlock and Soul Rot
[Absorption: Eligible]
[Spirit Power Level: 20.0]
✅ [Begin Absorption?]
Tian sat down.
Loaded the gun.
Bit into his own hand to stay conscious.
And whispered,
"Now we absorb."
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⚔️ SPIRIT RING ABSORPTION: SUCCESS
> [2nd Ring: Attached – 5,325 Yrs]
[Skill Gained: Thought Decay]
→ Random hallucination or disruption for 3–7 seconds on hit
→ 15% chance skill cast fails (stacks with Mindlock: +30%)
[Bullet Type Enhanced: Neurobullet EX]
[AVATAR Prowess: Now equal to Spirit Emperor (Rank 60+)]
[Scope Range: Detect up to 15,000+ year beasts, Spirit Masters ≤ Rank 70]
[Silencer: Mutes bullet trail and energy burst to anything below Spirit Emperor]
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💀 Killshot Summary
2 Rings Total: 2,000+ (Curse) + 5,000+ (Corruption)
Total Ring Age: 7,300+
Gun is now approaching true control weapon status
AVATAR boost now lasts 55 minutes, 4x per day
Total ammo: 210 Neurobullets daily
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Tian stood in the crater where the fox died.
He wasn't happy.
He was awake.
Two down. Seven to go.
Next: something that doesn't just rot or confuse.
Next… something that destroys.
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[End of Chapter 7 – "Only the Mad Survive"]
📘 Coming Next: Chapter 8: "Catastrophe Code"
💥 Tian targets a 17,000+ year spirit beast
🔫 Unlocks Catastrophe-class bullets
🔥 AVATAR = Rank 70 (Spirit Sage)