The Blood Soul Refining Art

'I need to get stronger too.'

What Kyle needed most right now was power. He also had to build up his forces. For the next two weeks at least, he intended to avoid alcohol and women entirely. Of course, he had no plans to explain any of that kindly to the terrified girl before him.

Kyle got straight to the point.

"That weakness of yours—screaming at the sight of a dead rat."

Lumia's shoulders twitched violently.

Kyle asked in a cold voice.

"Do you want to fix it?"

"......"

Lumia's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes widened. She hadn't expected that question. She'd assumed he meant to violate her. Or mock her. Instead, he had struck directly at the deepest flaw she had carried her entire life.

"I-I want to fix it...!"

Lumia answered on reflex, then immediately lowered her head.

"But I... I can't. I've tried so hard. I forced myself to look at blood. I tried to endure rats and insects, but..."

Her voice trembled.

"It was impossible with my own strength."

"You were simply going about it the wrong way."

Kyle cut in immediately. Lumia's pupils dilated slightly.

"The wrong... way?"

Kyle nodded.

"That's right. I can fix that weakness of yours in one hour."

"......!"

Lumia's amber eyes shook wildly. Kyle continued, his tone measured.

"Even if you stood before a corpse torn to shreds, you would maintain perfect composure while casting your spells. Blood could spray, flesh could scatter, screams could echo—and your magic formulas would never break."

The words sounded like sweet temptation. Lumia's breathing grew ragged.

Could that really be possible?

It was impossible. It couldn't be real. There was no such method.

But....

Even as doubt swirled through her mind, a ferocious longing surged from the deepest part of her heart.

If it could be fixed, I'd give ten years of my life!

Defective. Failure. Fallen genius. Talent wasted on a reject. The words flashed through her mind. The faces that had laughed at her in the Magic Tower. The mages on the northern front who threw rat corpses at her and cackled. The gazes that saw her as nothing but dead weight.

If she could erase it all. If she could become the mage everyone had expected her to be as a child. If she could truly stand tall again as a mage...

"Is it... is it truly possible?"

Desperation bled into Lumia's voice.

"What do I have to do? I'll do anything."

The corner of Kyle's mouth twisted.

"There's only one condition."

His green eyes grew icy.

"Swear eternal loyalty to me."

Lumia's breath caught.

Kyle went on.

"Become my subordinate. Obey my orders. Make my enemies your own. Entrust your talent, your magic, and your very life to my hands."

His voice was low and cold.

"Then I will cure your weakness."

Lumia swallowed hard. Accepting this stranger's offer terrified her. Yet what frightened her more was the thought of living the rest of her life as a defective failure. She had no real choice.

Live her entire life as a reject? Or take this man's hand and fix her weakness?

The answer was obvious.

Tears brimmed in Lumia's eyes.

"If you keep your promise..."

She slowly knelt.

"I will offer you my eternal loyalty. Please... please fix me."

Her voice carried all the despair and sorrow she had piled up over the years, along with a raw, desperate craving to break free.

Kyle looked down at her and smiled.

"Deal sealed."

The next instant—

Tap! Tap!

Kyle's fingers flashed, striking the acupoints along Lumia's neck, shoulder, and chest in the blink of an eye.

"Eup...!"

Lumia's eyes flew wide. Her body locked rigid. She couldn't move a single finger. Her lips were sealed shut. Any scream died in her throat.

"Wouldn't want you running away."

Kyle spoke as calmly as a surgeon preparing to operate. From his fingertips rose an ominous crimson energy.

Ssssssss.

The air inside the tent grew heavy and oppressive. A metallic scent like blood filled the space. Lumia's amber pupils shook with pure terror.

A faint blood-red glow kindled in Kyle's green eyes, then deepened until it swallowed the color entirely.

T-this isn't what I wanted!

The realization swept over her. She had wanted courage. Steadfast composure built on true bravery. The strength to face blood or rats without screaming.

But what this man offered was something else entirely.

"I'll start by remodeling that weak mind of yours within the hour."

Kyle's voice was low.

Kyle had experienced it himself in his previous ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠life, long before he rose to become the young cult leader. It had shattered the weakness inside him and forged him into someone worthy of leading the Blood Cult. He knew its effects better than anyone.

It's not something I'd teach just anyone. But since she'll become one of my inner circle, there's no reason to hold back.

Lumia was fortunate to receive this superb mental technique. It would be far more efficient than the pathetic growth she had undergone in the original story.

"When this is finished, the sight of blood and slaughter, the screams of your enemies, their agonized expressions—every one of them will make your heart race and bring a refreshing smile to your face."

The description was nothing like what she had imagined. Lumia shuddered.

"Eup...! Mmmph...!"

She tried desperately to shake her head, but her body refused to obey.

"The smell of blood will awaken your mind. Your enemies' screams will sharpen your focus. Even if you see their bodies torn apart, you'll smile with genuine relief at a job well done."

The result seemed horribly twisted. It would technically give her what she wanted, yet the method was nothing like her dreams.

"Say goodbye to the weak, pathetic version of yourself that everyone treated like a defective failure, Lumia Aster."

Kyle spoke as if he were bestowing a great kindness. But Lumia's amber eyes flooded with terror as the blood-red energy rising from his fingertips seeped into her forehead.

"Eup...! Mmmmmmph...!"

Her body convulsed. It felt as though thousands of needles were tearing through her skull. The headache was excruciating. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead.

She wanted to scream. To run. To beg him to stop.

But the acupoints he had sealed kept her mouth shut and her body frozen. All she could do was tremble violently as the agony ripped her mind apart.

"One hour," Kyle said with a cold smile. "Endure it, and you will be reborn."

Time crawled. Within the pain, countless memories surfaced—her life as a genius who fell into misery because of her weakness. The moment of liberation from all of it had finally come.

The scent of blood was no longer a signal to flee. It became a signal to awaken. Screams were no longer noise that turned her mind white. They became a rhythm that let her focus even more deeply on her magic formulas. Torn flesh and corpses were no longer objects of disgust. They were proof that the enemy had been crushed.

One hour passed.

Tap.

Kyle released the acupoints.

"Haa... haa... haa..."

Lumia collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath. Wet silver hair clung to her cheeks. After a long moment, she slowly pushed herself up with one hand. Her legs no longer shook. Her shoulders no longer hunched.

She straightened her disheveled robe, then knelt before Kyle without the slightest hesitation.

"I greet my lord~"

Her voice was eerily calm. It no longer belonged to the girl who had screamed at the mere sight of a dead rat. Deep within Lumia's amber eyes, a faint crimson glow flickered.

"I'm so embarrassed that I was scared to accept this teaching just moments ago!"

Lumia bowed her head.

"The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grace you've shown me—shattering my weak, defective shell and allowing me to stand once more as a true mage—I will repay with a lifetime of loyalty."

Kyle nodded in satisfaction.

"Words alone aren't enough."

The corner of his mouth twisted again.

"I'll give you a chance to test it before the orcs arrive. I heard some bastards were caught smuggling military supplies during the chaos of battle. They're condemned prisoners scheduled for execution anyway."

Kyle looked down at her.

"I'll ask Commander Volkrik to hand a few over to us."

Lumia's eyes trembled.

"Kill them with your own hands."

Kyle spoke indifferently.

"I need to confirm whether you can use your magic properly now. And if possible, do it in front of the mages who used to mock you as a defective failure. That would feel much more refreshing, wouldn't it?"

The moment she heard those words—

"...Ah."

Lumia covered her face with both hands. Her slender shoulders quivered. Not from fear. Between her fingers, her amber eyes had already flooded with deep, vivid crimson. Her cheeks burned scarlet, and an ecstatic smile spread across her lips.

"Thank you... thank you so much, my lord...!"

Her voice shook with childish delight.

"Aaaah~ finally!"

She swallowed, the smile widening into something rapturous.

"Finally, I get to see blood! Ehehe, how wonderful~"

"......"

Kyle remained silent for a moment.

Seems there are side effects.

The Blood Soul Refining Art was meant to train the mind and grant perfect composure in the face of blood and death. It was never supposed to turn someone into a blood-starved slaughter enthusiast.

Her mind must have been far more suppressed than I thought.

The pure, delicate genius mage from the original novel had carried such deep shame, rage, and accumulated frustration that the technique had twisted them into something grotesque. She had gone beyond composure. Her very perception of blood and slaughter had warped completely.

Kyle watched her for a moment, then let out a small chuckle.

Well, all's well that ends well.

This was the northern front—a battlefield where blood and flesh flew and enemy screams never ceased. A mage who cast spells in order to see blood would be far more useful here than one who screamed at the sight of it.

"Very well. I accept your loyalty, Lumia Aster."

Kyle placed a hand on her head.

"Now, let's see just how well you can kill."