Chapter 3
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Punishment Cave
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TERN's eyes widened.
Chris sighed, raised his hand, gripped the blade with his fingers, and pushed it aside.
Was it because of the unexpected reaction?
TERN was so stunned he couldn't speak.
"What are you—"
"I get it."
"What did you say?"
"I said I get it. Your warning not to tarnish the family's honor."
“!!”
Chris looked down at TERN and spoke.
"Anything else to add?"
"..."
TERN couldn't say a word.
He had plenty to say.
But for some reason, under that condescending gaze, the words wouldn't come out.
*'What is this?'*
TERN was bewildered.
Though called a genius, he was still just an inexperienced child.
He didn't realize that the feeling coming from Chris was 'intimidation'.
No, perhaps he knew but was in denial.
Feeling intimidated by that pathetic disgrace of the family was unthinkable.
Regardless, one thing was certain.
His brother, Christian, was different from before.
*'He's changed, that bastard?'*
Unbelievable.
TERN gritted his teeth and growled.
"I'm warning you again. If you insult the name of van Baron Cazar one more time, I will..."
"Won't let me off the hook, right? Yeah, I heard you. You must have a lot of free time, huh? Repeating yourself over and over when no one asked. Or are you hoping I'll pay attention to you?"
“!!”
TERN's face flushed red.
He shot Chris a murderous glare, then spun around and vanished.
*'I've dealt with my fair share of pests. You've got a long way to go before you can handle me, you little pup.'*
Chris smirked.
*'Still, he's kind of cute. He was adorable when he was young.'*
In fact, Chris had met TERN before.
They had encountered each other during the past Age of Ruin.
TERN had been a fairly famous Majin.
But now, perhaps because he was still a child, he seemed to have a cute side.
In any case, that wasn't important.
He pushed thoughts of TERN aside and grasped the entrance to the Punishment Cave.
*Creeak.*
The door opened.
It was time to get stronger.
* * *
Upon entering the Punishment Cave, complete darkness fell.
*'I can't see anything. Can't hear anything either.'*
He moved his tongue to taste, but as expected, he felt nothing.
It wasn't just light and sound that were blocked.
He couldn't feel any sensation in his hands or feet.
*'Is this the effect of black magic? The curse-type?'*
The only sensation permitted was a faint feeling in his fingertips.
It allowed him to fumble for the items he'd brought. A measure to keep him from starving to death.
It was clear that staying in a space like this for long would utterly exhaust one's mind.
He could see why this was a place where Majin were punished.
*'But it's not very effective on me.'*
He had done all sorts of jobs in the past.
Among them was 'Treasure Hunter.' A top-class one, at that.
He had unearthed all kinds of treasures that helped in the fight against the Magitech Empire, even earning the nickname 'Excavator of Light'.
*'Though I quit halfway through because with the world ending, there was no one left to pay a decent price for the treasures I found.'*
In any case, when exploring ruins, it was common to have his senses blocked, forcing him to rely solely on faint hearing or a dull sense of touch.
Therefore, this place was not a particularly difficult environment for Chris.
*'In fact, it's much better than the places I've been before. There are no traps or risk of assassination here. And I'm completely cut off from outside eyes.'*
Compared to the hells he'd experienced in the past, this place was like... a comfortable hotel?
And the biggest advantage.
*'With my five senses blocked, I can contemplate my inner self more deeply. This is an environment, a stroke of luck, that money can't buy.'*
Some training methods for reaching a higher state of being involve deliberately blocking the five senses.
By blocking the senses, one can maximize concentration and focus solely on oneself.
Coincidentally, the task Chris was about to undertake also required blocking his senses.
If it weren't for the Punishment Cave, Chris would have had to use other methods to block them.
*'First, I'll improve my constitution.'*
This body, true to its scoundrel nature, had lived a life of debauchery.
Despite his young age, he had been exposed to so many harmful things that the buildup of impurities was severe.
His body was seriously damaged.
*'But it's fine. I just need to undergo Bone Metamorphosis.'*
It was an astonishing claim.
Bone Metamorphosis!
It's when one's physical constitution changes after reaching a certain state of mastery.
A body that has undergone Bone Metamorphosis achieves perfect health and becomes ideal for learning swordsmanship and other arts.
It was something every swordsman longed for.
However, very few actually experienced it.
Because it required not only a high level of enlightenment, but also a great deal of luck.
And yet, he was going to do it?
*'Because I can artificially induce Bone Metamorphosis in the body.'*
Artificial Bone Metamorphosis.
It was an unbelievable story.
But it was true.
*'I learned a related secret art in an ancient ruin.'*
Originally, it was an impossible art to perform.
It required extremely advanced medical knowledge, an innate talent for mana control, and the ability to use 'Body Modification Art'.
No one in the world met all these conditions.
Except for Chris.
*'I've worked as a doctor before.'*
Not just any doctor, either; he was even called a Divine Doctor.
It was thanks to studying his ass off to make money, but he recalled making no money and only suffering a great deal while being called a saint.
*'My mana control was something even the Hero and the Archmage admired.'*
Finally, the Body Modification Art.
He knew how to use this as well.
In the past, before the Age of Ruin began.
There was a time after escaping his hellish family when he wandered the back alleys.
Back then, he learned all sorts of odd jobs—thievery, street performance, gambling, and so on—and he had even joined a circus to learn the Body Modification Art.
Of course, the Body Modification Art used by clowns was incredibly crude, but with a few tweaks from Chris, it was refined into a perfect Bone Shrinking Art.
For these reasons, Chris was able to perform an artificial Bone Metamorphosis.
*'Let's begin.'*
Chris took out a magic stone.
Each stage of Bone Metamorphosis required a magic stone containing mana of a different property, and fortunately, he had managed to acquire all of them.
*'First, I'll start by purifying the impurities.'*
He extracted mana from a magic stone with White (白) energy.
Then, he sent it flowing to the areas where impurities had accumulated.
*Sizzle.*
The purifying power contained in the white mana burned away the impurities.
It was a tedious stage.
But it was an important one.
If even a small amount of impurity remained, the Bone Metamorphosis would fail. Worse, he could suffer severe internal injuries and become crippled.
*'This is why extensive medical knowledge is necessary.'*
Besides the major mana veins, one must have a thorough understanding of the anatomy of every nook and cranny of the body.
That's why he had to meticulously purify every place where impurities might be stored with the white mana.
This was why an innate talent for mana control was required.
Fortunately, Chris's mana control was so exceptional it couldn't even be compared to others.
No, it wasn't just his mana control.
It was the same with everything.
- You're a real madman.
The Hero Evan had said that to him one day.
- You should have been the Hero.
Chris shook off the stray thoughts.
After meticulously burning away all the impurities, he moved on to the next stage.
He took out a magic stone imbued with the energy of Fire (火).
This was the forging stage, which would strengthen his body.
*'Ugh. This really hurt.'*
But he had to do it.
Chris shut his eyes tight and recalled his goal.
*'To rise to the pinnacle of the Magitech Empire and save the world... my ass.'*
Chris shook his head and shouted his true goal inwardly.
*'I'll become the Demon King and enjoy the greatest wealth and glory!!! And save the world on the side!'*
With that cry, a searing heat surged into him.
The forging process had begun.
*Crack, crack.*
Along with the gruesome sound, a miracle began to unfold.
It was the beginning of Bone Metamorphosis.
* * *
Time passed after Chris entered the Punishment Cave.
Seven days had already gone by.
Chris's father, Count Cazar, was frowning deeply.
"He still hasn't requested a rescue?"
"No, my lord. Shall we go inside?"
The Cazar family butler, Cox, asked worriedly.
With his pale complexion, he was a half-vampire.
For a vampire, he was quite affectionate and had often worried about Chris in the past.
"Perhaps he is in such a broken state that he is unable to request a rescue."
Perhaps.
Count Cazar nodded.
The Punishment Cave is a truly terrible place.
At first, one dismisses it.
What's so special about having your five senses blocked?
That was a common thought.
But that thought shatters not long after entering the cave.
Perfect silence.
In the void where no one is present and nothing can be felt, one experiences extreme terror.
Even if you scream, you cannot hear your own voice.
The Punishment Cave was a place where one went mad over time.
*'Did I send him in for nothing? It's a place where even a Majin with a strong mind would struggle to endure.'*
Count Cazar scowled.
Given his son's mental fortitude, it wouldn't be strange if he became a complete wreck in the Punishment Cave.
*'How did it come to this?'*
Count Cazar sighed.
His son, Christian, wasn't always like this.
He was a child with a promising future.
But did his outstanding talent make him arrogant?
He began to go astray, little by little, until he was completely broken.
*'Rather than continuing to live like a maggot, it might be better for him to become a wreck or die this time.'*
It wasn't a heartless thought.
It was his own form of fatherly love.
However, as a Majin, his way of thinking was different from that of outsiders.
He thought it might be the right thing for him, as the father, to take his son's life rather than let him continue to live like an insect, tarnishing his own honor.
But.
- I will change.
Christian's last words came to mind.
The look in his son's eyes as he said it kept replaying in his mind.
It was different from before.
*'Again. After being deceived so many times, what more are you expecting?'*
He shook his head with a self-mocking smile.
"And... I have something to report. It's about the items the Young Master took into the Punishment Cave. There seems to be a dangerous item among them."
"What is it?"
Count Cazar's brow furrowed.
He had a bad feeling.
"He is said to have taken a Dream Stone."
“!!”
Count Cazar gritted his teeth.
Dream Stone.
A type of magic stone that strangely allows one to experience hallucinations.
The sensation was similar to taking drugs, making it a popular substitute among nobles and the wealthy.
Unlike drugs, the Dream Stone existed in a legal gray area.
"Didn't he promise to quit the Dream Stones?"
Among Christian's scoundrel acts was, of course, getting high on Dream Stones.
"He did. But... seeing as he took one this time."
The butler trailed off.
Count Cazar slumped into his chair, drained of energy.
Change? What a joke.
He was planning to get high on hallucinations inside the Punishment Cave, away from prying eyes!
"Getting high in the Punishment Cave, where all five senses are blocked... We don't know what side effects might occur. We must open the cave at once. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee the Young Master's life...!"
"...No, leave it."
"Pardon?"
Count Cazar said in a cold voice.
"Let him die."
In his eyes, not a single speck of hope remained.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Punishment Cave.
*'I succeeded in the Bone Metamorphosis.'*
Chris let out a long sigh.