Chapter Thirty-Six: The Lich King’s First Attempt at Spending Money

Looking at the figure before him, endowed with powers akin to Spider-Man, Roald let out a sigh. The abilities of a spider—danger sense, super speed, agility, and its innate potential for growth—offered boundless possibilities. Especially the danger sense, which, when honed to its utmost, seemed almost prophetic.

The spell "Death Pact," true to its name, required ten energy points to cast and wielded immense influence. Its effect was neither wholly good nor bad, but it was an evolved form of "Embrace the Darkness." Control lay at the heart of this card's power.

With this, Roald felt he could play a game of card drawing and character cultivation in the Marvel universe, finding his greatest joy in nurturing new heroes.

“Not bad. At the very least, she’ll be a Spider-Man of the future, with tremendous potential for growth.” Roald was quite pleased with today’s surprise.

The top floor of the building was shrouded in darkness. Distant lights mingled with the night, and Roald stood as if gazing down upon the stars. Blue frost gleamed across his armor, casting sprawling shadows. He gripped the sword’s hilt in both hands and raised Frostmourne over Cindy’s prone form.

He was about to attempt a new method.

Frost and cold gathered densely around him as Roald unleashed his aura without restraint. Ethereal blue soul lights began to flicker along Frostmourne’s blade, appearing one after another, an arrogant and indescribable aura of death filling the air and flooding Cindy’s mind with terror, as if her soul might be devoured and crushed.

In her daze, her spider sense kept warning of danger, snapping her into alertness.

She stared at the sword edge drawing ever closer.

Cindy’s pupils shrank sharply... only to realize she couldn’t move at all!

Despite her super speed and agility, she found herself utterly paralyzed, even unable to shoot webs!

“What’s happening to me? What’s going on?” Cindy felt as though everything she had experienced tonight was nothing but a hazy dream, struggling in vain to rise.

She sensed the sword’s effect on her soul, as though suspended between reality and illusion, floating above her own body, witnessing herself as an observer, a soul, or perhaps an energy entity.

Her body was no longer hers.

What on earth has happened to me?

Cindy still could not comprehend what was occurring.

Suddenly, when the sword tip pierced her chest, Cindy felt her soul being tugged, fear surging within her heart, yet no pain followed.

Just then, she heard Roald’s voice.

“This is your destiny…”

???

Who is it?

In her haze, Cindy could not control her body, nor could she respond. She felt her vitality returning, yet as if she were a puppet, an unknown force injected into her being.

Cindy spoke involuntarily.

“Yes, my master.”

Though she could speak, her voice was hoarse, and she sensed cold and sinister energies flowing through her body.

She felt stronger.

But now, she could not control her body, as if an empty shell without a soul, a doll to be manipulated.

After so much training and gaining spider-like abilities, she could have been a friendly companion to the citizens of New York, just like Spider-Man. These joys should have multiplied her happiness.

But tonight, all that happiness vanished in an instant.

Still forced to kneel by an invisible power, Cindy could not describe her feelings.

So…

Who did I meet tonight?

Not only could he control her, his sword could affect the soul directly. All of this defied comprehension.

In the next moment, she sensed an irresistible voice.

Cold power invaded her body, and Cindy quickly noticed the changes within herself, hearing another voice once again.

“This is the reward bestowed upon you by death.”

Cindy felt a whirlwind of chilling frost with the scent of death envelop her soul and body.

Through Frostmourne’s gleaming blade, she saw black streaks like tear stains appear on her cheeks, deepening further. Her lips and nails turned a shade approaching violet, while vast blue lights pouring from the blade into her body sent waves of excruciating pain through her.

Instinctively, she opened her mouth and shrieked.

The soundwave shook the air, shrill and piercing, shattering the glass of every building within a hundred meters. Electric hums erupted, and darkness fell over the surroundings.

After a dozen seconds, noise erupted from nearby buildings, beams from flashlights flickered, the streets grew chaotic, punctuated by gunfire, and distant sirens wailed.

Afterwards, Cindy felt torrents of immense energy coursing through her body, a sensation she had never known—so powerful and full that even her soul felt the icy delight.

Soon, unearthly knowledge flooded her mind.

She could see in the darkness. Cindy slowly opened her eyes and saw Roald clearly—the one who had transformed her so fundamentally.

Or rather; her master from now on.

Her spider sense warned her that this self-proclaimed Lich King was like a black hole, swallowing any force that dared to peer into him, whether material or spiritual; he was the very embodiment of death.

Raising her hand, Cindy discovered her skin had turned pale, yet was more resilient than ever. Within her veins, blood no longer flowed—only torrents of freezing frost.

Yet she still possessed signs of life. Her wrists could shoot webs, her spider abilities remained intact, but beyond danger sense, agility, and web-shooting, she now gained the ability to sense souls—or rather, to hear the thoughts of many around her.

Cindy was silent for a moment.

She knew she had changed.

Or rather, her perspective had changed.

She gazed at Roald, standing to the side, her eyes filled with inquiry.

Who is this man, really?

What is the Scourge?

I’m just a child.

Why have you made me understand things I never knew?

But before all else, her soul’s instinct compelled Cindy to kneel before Roald on one knee.

Watching Cindy kneel—or rather, the newly transformed banshee with spider powers—Roald nodded in satisfaction.

This was his first attempt to use Frostmourne’s power for experimentation, or to develop a method beyond card forging.

“Leave here for now, and wait for my next summons.”

Cindy nodded in confusion, then leapt from the rooftop, gliding away on webs.

As he watched her depart, Roald drew a card from his hand.

"Summon by Payment"

"Trait: Increases your ritual’s success rate just a little."

"Description: Where bats dwell, calamity follows, where calamity lurks, bats wait... If you have Batman’s money skills, a first recharge can summon legends. Good luck to you! May good fortune bring you joy and love!"

Roald: “...”

Reading the card’s description, he felt the urge to sing.

After controlling Cindy with the "Death Pact," he spent 150 soul crystals on a necromantic transformation ritual.

Cindy, possessing Spider-Man’s powers, was worth the investment.

Just like buying a DLC card pack with real money.

Tonight was his first attempt at pay-to-win.