Chapter 196 196. The new owner of the Temple

The blob frowned hard, its gelatinous form shifting uneasily as it examined Max.

For the first time, it genuinely considered—

'Could it be… Master succeeded?'

Had Nova Warzuck's plan actually worked?

Had he taken over Max's body but—due to some unforeseen issue—failed to erase Max's soul completely, becoming trapped within the Soul Palace instead?

The thought sent a chill through the blob.

Then, it shook its head.

'No… If Master had successfully entered his Soul Palace, I wouldn't be seeing Max here.

With my master's overwhelming soul power, Max's soul should have been completely erased.'

Something else had happened.

Something heavily in Max's favor.

The blob's eyes narrowed, and it finally asked—

"Did my master's soul enter your Soul Palace?"

Max shook his head.

"Nope."

His voice was calm, confident.

Then, after a pause—

He added something else.

"He was dealt with before he even had the chance to do so."

The blob blinked.

It was about to breathe a sigh of relief—

But then, Max dropped another bombshell.

"Though… I did absorb half of his soul force."

The blob froze.

"...What?"

It took a moment to fully process Max's words.

Then, the blob sighed deeply and shook its head.

'This kid… is blessed by fate.'

No, blessed wasn't even the right word.

There were monsters in this world—geniuses beyond human comprehension.

And then—

There were those chosen by fate itself.

And in that moment—

The blob realized. Your adventure continues at My Virtual Library Empire

Max was one of them.

The blob smirked, glancing at Max with amusement.

"You are in luck then."

Max raised an eyebrow, sensing something was off.

"What do you mean?"

The blob laughed, its liquid body trembling with excitement.

It gestured around the temple, then pointed at the now-unlocked treasure chamber.

"Since you can unlock this door, then there is 'nowhere' in this temple you can't go."

Max's eyes narrowed.

The blob's grin widened.

"My master's soul must have been connected to this temple and 'everything inside'."

It paused, letting the words sink in before continuing—

"His plan was to take over your body. But even if he had succeeded, it would have still been 'his' soul on the inside—so the temple would continue to recognize 'him' as its master."

Then, its smirk deepened.

"But he never predicted that all his planning would go to waste encountering 'you'."

Max's eyes slightly widened.

The blob chuckled.

"I don't know how you did it, but after destroying his soul and absorbing part of it…"

It pointed directly at Max.

"You 'literally' replaced him as the new master of this temple."

"I did?!"

Max's voice held disbelief.

He had expected to gain some benefits from defeating the temple master's soul—

But to be acknowledged as the new master of the entire temple?!

That was on a completely different level.

The blob grinned mischievously.

"Don't believe me?"

Its voice was filled with teasing confidence.

"Think of heading to the fifth floor… and see what happens."

Max frowned slightly, wondering what the blob truly meant.

Then—

He decided to test it.

'I want to enter the fifth floor again.'

The moment that thought crossed his mind—

Swish!

A blue portal appeared directly in front of him.

His entire body stiffened for a moment.

His eyes flickered with astonishment.

"What the—?"

The blob smirked, watching Max's reaction with satisfaction.

"Now do you understand?"

Max slowly turned to look at the blob.

His voice was filled with awe and realization.

"I really… became the master of this temple?"

Max had never expected something this outrageous—

But then again, he wasn't complaining.

If he could control the temple at will—

Then there were endless possibilities for what he could do.

Max's lips curled into a grin, his mood lifted by the sheer excitement.

"Let's see if there's anything worth taking inside this treasury."

The blob chuckled, its own greed unmistakable.

Without wasting a second, they both stepped inside.

And the moment they did—

They froze.

What lay before them was beyond overwhelming.

The treasure chamber was an enormous room, stretching further than Max had initially thought.

But what truly stood out—

Was how the treasures were scattered carelessly across the floor.

Armor, swords, artifacts, skill scrolls, rare materials…

Everything was thrown away like junk.

Like someone had been hoarding treasures for thousands of years…

And had simply dumped them here without a second thought.

Max's eyes widened in shock.

The sheer amount of valuable items was unbelievable.

"I've never seen so many treasures in one place before…"

His voice was filled with awe.

The blob, too, was grinning, its liquid body shimmering with greed.

"Heh, I believe this is my master's entire fortune since he started his journey."

Max nodded slowly, his mind racing.

"That explains it…"

Only someone who had spent centuries traveling the world, collecting powerful artifacts, and looting the most dangerous ruins—

Could have gathered a collection like this.

Weapons that radiated power.

Scrolls sealed in ancient runes.

Armor that looked like it was forged by celestial beings.

It was all here.

And the most insane part?

It belonged to him now.

Max grinned, his eyes gleaming as he surveyed the massive hoard.

"Now the real question is… where do I even begin?"

The blob smirked, clearly enjoying Max's curiosity.

"Hehe, true… there is so much treasure here… anyone would definitely be overwhelmed by this."

Max nodded, his eyes sharp as he scanned the room.

"Let's start looking through everything. If you find any good techniques or skills, be sure to let me know. And if you like anything be sure to take it away."

But then—

A thought struck him.

He turned toward the blob, his curiosity piqued.

"Wait a minute."

The blob tilted its form, sensing the shift in Max's tone.

"Since spirits are supposed to be immortal beings that can't be killed… does that mean you can level up like us?"

The blob remained silent.

Max narrowed his eyes, pressing further—

"Do spirits also have a system like we do?"

His mind was racing with thoughts.

Spirits were known for their immortality, but their true nature was shrouded in mystery.

If they couldn't die—

Then would they require power, strength?

And if so—

Then how did they grow stronger?

Were they stuck at one power level forever?

Or did they have an entirely different path of progression?

Curiosity burned in Max as he wondered these questions.