Chapter 112: Return (1)

Chapter 108

"Return..."

Orion issued the command calmly.

For a brief moment, it seemed as though the entire world had frozen.

A pure rainbow-colored aura, identical to the mysterious radiance in Orion’s eyes, emerged around the Webfiend Lord’s corpse. The dazzling light enveloped the monster’s entire body, covering it from head to toe before gradually lifting it off the ground.

The corpse rose into the air and remained suspended there, motionless, as though an invisible force had seized it.

Orion watched without moving.

[Ding! Origin Transfer in progress...]

[Returning...]

[Returning...]

The system messages appeared one after another before Orion’s eyes. The process seemed to be working, and for a brief moment, he waited patiently for the result.

However, after a while, the messages changed.

[Return Failed!]

A notification flashed across his vision.

[Ding! Origin Transfer has failed.]

[Would you like to attempt Origin Transfer again?]

[Attempts Remaining: 2/3]

Orion’s eyebrows drew together slightly.

The frown was so subtle that it would have been difficult for anyone to notice unless they were paying close attention to his face.

It had failed.

That was rather unexpected.

After all, the Webfiend Lord possessed considerable evolutionary potential. Orion had personally witnessed the monster’s evolution, and his Origin Eyes had already analyzed the creature’s potential before he decided to use Origin Transfer on it.

He had not chosen the Webfiend Lord randomly.

There was a reason he believed the monster was worth turning into his first Origin Summon.

The fact that its evolutionary tag displayed a mixture of yellow and green gave him something to base his assumption on.

From what he had observed, the colors represented the likelihood of Origin Transfer succeeding or failing. A red tag meant the chance of failure was extremely high, approaching ninety-nine out of a hundred. Yellow was somewhat better, although the odds were still far from reassuring, with the probability of failure sitting around seventy percent.

Green, on the other hand, represented a much more favorable outcome, with the chance of failure falling to approximately thirty or forty percent.

The Webfiend Lord’s tag was partially yellow and partially green.

Based on that combination, Orion estimated that the monster had roughly a fifty-five percent chance of failing Origin Transfer.

That was certainly not a particularly encouraging probability.

Nevertheless, a forty-five percent chance of success was more than enough for him to take the gamble.

He had already come this far. There was no reason to give up simply because his first attempt had failed.

Without allowing the unexpected result to discourage him, Orion stretched out his palm once more.

His expression remained calm as he focused his attention on the suspended corpse.

"Return..."

The moment the keyword left his mouth, the rainbow-colored aura appeared around the Webfiend Lord again.

The corpse rose higher into the air, surrounded by the same mysterious radiance. The light shimmered gently, and the surrounding space seemed to become unusually still as the Origin Transfer process began once more.

Orion watched the process carefully.

He had no intention of wasting an opportunity to obtain a powerful summon, especially when the creature before him possessed the potential to become considerably stronger in the future.

A few moments passed.

Then another system message appeared.

[Ding! Origin Transfer has failed.]

[Attempts Remaining: 1/3]

[Notice: If the third attempt fails, using Origin Transfer on this creature again will become virtually impossible.]

Orion’s gaze remained unchanged.

Although the notification was displeasing to hear, he did not allow it to affect his composure. He simply stared at the message for a moment before turning his attention back to the Webfiend Lord.

Only one attempt remained.

If it failed, the opportunity to turn this particular monster into an Origin Summon would be practically lost forever.

That was certainly unfortunate.

Still, what could he do about it?

He couldn’t control reality. He could make preparations, analyze possibilities, and take calculated risks, but none of that meant the outcome would always match his expectations.

If it didn’t work, then it didn’t work.

There was no point in becoming frustrated over something he couldn’t change.

He could always search for another creature with sufficient evolutionary potential in the future. The world was vast, and the number of powerful beings within it was far greater than what he had encountered so far.

There would be other opportunities.

With that thought in mind, Orion stretched out his hand for the third time.

His eyes remained fixed on the corpse.

"Return..."

The ground shook slightly.

The same scene unfolded once more as the rainbow-colored aura emerged around the Webfiend Lord and enveloped its entire body. The corpse slowly lifted into the air, and the familiar system messages appeared before Orion’s eyes.

[Returning...]

[Returning...]

For several moments, the process continued.

Orion waited in silence, his expression composed as he watched the final attempt unfold.

Then came the notification.

[Ding! Origin Transfer has failed.]

[You can no longer use the Origin Transfer skill on this target.]

The messages appeared one after another, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

The third attempt had failed.

Orion stared at the notification for a moment before releasing a small sigh.

He shook his head.

What a letdown.

He had genuinely thought he would finally obtain his first Origin Summon this time. More than that, he had hoped that successfully creating his first summon might allow him to unlock the remaining abilities connected to his talent.

Unfortunately, things hadn’t gone according to plan.

The Webfiend Lord’s corpse descended as the rainbow-colored aura gradually disappeared. The mysterious radiance faded away, leaving the dead monster lying before him as though nothing had happened.

Orion looked at it briefly.

Although his attempt to obtain an Origin Summon had failed, that didn’t mean everything was lost.

Not even close.

There were still other ways to make use of the spoils from this dungeon break, and one of them was already in his possession.

The Soul Box.

Orion raised his hand, and a miniature dark box appeared on his palm.

Its surface was covered with strange red engravings that seemed to carry an eerie quality of their own. The markings were faintly visible against the dark material, giving the small treasure an ominous appearance despite its modest size.

It was the Soul Box, a Forbidden Treasure capable of consuming the souls of the dead and transforming them into an unknown form of energy.

Once enough energy accumulated inside it, the treasure would produce a random reward.

The grade of that reward could range from B-Rank to SSS-Rank or even higher.

Of course, the outcome depended heavily on luck.

Sometimes, a hundred souls might be consumed without producing anything worthwhile. At other times, a single soul might be enough to produce an extraordinary treasure.

There was no guarantee.

Nevertheless, Orion had no intention of letting such a treasure sit unused when there were so many potential sacrifices available.

With a surge of intent, he activated the Soul Box.

The Webfiend Lord’s corpse stirred.

A moment later, an extremely dark red aura began to seep out of its body.

The aura was unlike ordinary mana. It carried a deep, eerie quality, and its presence felt heavy and oppressive, as though something sinister had been released from the monster’s remains.

It gathered above the corpse, slowly growing denser as the dark red energy spread through the surrounding air.

For several long seconds, it remained suspended there.

Then the Soul Box reacted.

A powerful force erupted from within the small treasure, seizing the dark red aura before it could disperse. The energy was dragged toward the box with irresistible force and absorbed in an instant.

The red engravings on its surface lit up brilliantly.

For a few seconds, the markings shone with a vivid crimson radiance, making the little box appear as though it had suddenly awakened. Then, just as quickly as the light had appeared, it began to fade.

The engravings dimmed.

Silence returned.

Orion examined the Soul Box for a moment, waiting to see whether it would produce a reward.