Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Ch. 12 .｡.:✧ Chapter 12 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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However, I told Athena and Thea that I was using a different name for external activities and instructed them to call me Jimnis outside.
“You can be cured.”
“Ah…”
When I spoke as if it was no big deal, Thea showed a slight hint of tears.
After a series of conversations, Thea showed a considerably motivated attitude, and Athena took care of her while continuing her training.
She mastered the mana breathing technique in two days, and thereafter, she learned the aura cultivation method.
It was an exceptionally fast pace, but it was possible because she had already awakened mana and had outstanding talent.
She still couldn’t convert mana into aura, but that seemed to be just a matter of time.
In the meantime, I earned a living through regular hunting, scouted the area to refine Nenson’s map, and periodically strengthened the skeleton in the basement.
I completely forbade Athena and Thea from accessing the basement, so I could comfortably aim for my own growth by strengthening the skeleton.
About two weeks passed like that.
‘Finally.’
A sufficient level of magic had accumulated in my body.
‘It’s faster than I thought.’
I thought it would take less than a month, but it was faster than expected. It was a pleasant miscalculation.
I immediately began to form a circle by gathering the accumulated magic in my body.
I created a nucleus with magic at the solar plexus and crafted the first ring surrounding it.
Normally, it would consume a tremendous amount of mental power and take a considerable amount of time, but I quickly finished the task.
‘1st Class. Finally.’
When I entered the third week after returning, I finally became someone who could be called a true Warlock.
A slight feeling of excitement enveloped my body.
It seemed natural, if one could even call it that.
In the past, I was already a slave of the Demon Lord at this point, but not now.
I had become a Warlock with complete freedom.
1st Class’s were treated worse than low-level mercenaries, but that wasn’t particularly important.
It wasn’t my limit, after all.
Before my eyes, there was a considerably enhanced skeleton.
Despite the repeated strengthening over the past two weeks, my level was still very low, and the materials used were of trash-tier, so all that had changed was the bones becoming slightly sturdier.
Still, this much was enough to be used in actual combat, albeit insufficiently.
‘Of course, I can’t use it right away.’
I immediately installed a barrier that blocked magic throughout the basement.
It was lacking a lot since I was only at the 1st Class level, but it was better than nothing.
‘Once I reach 2nd Class, engraving will also be possible. From then on, I can bring it with me.’
Engraving. It was a privilege of high-ranking necromancers. It allowed them to store undead in the boundary between dimensions and take them out when needed.
Although the number was limited, it was an extremely useful ability for me, who had to conceal my identity externally for the time being.
‘I’m doing it in a roundabout way.’
Naturally, a mere 2nd Class wasn’t considered a high-level mage. This was possible because I was blessed with magic and even connected to the demon realm.
After finishing the installation of the barrier, I immediately went up to the ground.
“Huff, phew…”
In the yard, Athena was in the midst of training. Thea wasn’t there, and judging by the position of the sun, she seemed to be preparing lunch.
It looked like she was about to finish, so I sat in the shade and watched Athena.
Her entire body was drenched in sweat, probably from combining aura cultivation and physical training under the scorching sun.
I was very pleased to see her making an effort despite her talent.
‘If she grows well, she’ll be really useful.’
Considering her talent, she was an assassin rather than a tanker, but this wasn’t bad either, considering the future.
Honestly, it was more difficult to find a genuine assassin than a tanker.
While I was lost in thought, Athena opened her eyes and got up.
“Huh? What’s going on? You’ve been holed up in the basement every day.”
Unlike Thea, she spoke to me casually.
I was older in age, but this was a regressed body, and in this world, status and skill took precedence over age.
It would be ridiculous to demand formal speech at this point, so I just left it as it was.
“The preparations are done.”
“Preparations? …Could it be?”
“I’ll be able to slow down the progression of Thea’s curse soon.”
“Really!?”
Athena rushed over, and I raised my hand to stop her excessive approach.
“I have no reason to lie to you.”
“Finally…!”
Joy filled Athena’s face.
“I can only slow down the progression, not completely cure it. While the progression is slowed, Thea needs to become as healthy as possible.”
If I were at the level of my 1st life, Thea’s physical condition wouldn’t be much of an issue.
However, in the current situation where I had to treat her while she was growing, Thea’s physical condition was inevitably important.
It would be troublesome if she didn’t have the stamina to endure the treatment.
“I’ll slow down the progression, so have her exercise as I instruct.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Although Athena was also learning basic physical training methods, Thea needed to learn at a level several steps lower.
Despite her appearance, Athena had a body that had awakened mana, while Thea’s body had weakened due to the influence of the curse.
‘There’s a lot to learn besides mana breathing techniques and aura cultivation methods…’
Unfortunately, what I knew had its limits.
Especially in the case of Athena and myself, our basic natures were different, so the knowledge I possessed wasn’t very helpful except for the basics.
‘It could even lead to bad habits…’
I had to be careful about passing on the techniques I possessed.
It was good that I had brought in a talented person, but it was very regrettable that there was still a lot lacking.
Athena seemed to consider it more than enough, but from my perspective as a second-timer, there were more than a few shortcomings.
‘For now, all I can do is let her gain experience.’
Since she was learning the basics, it would be fine up to a certain level. To reach a higher level, it would be faster to find a separate teacher.
‘I do have a candidate in mind…’
At this point, I almost wished the monster wave would occur a bit earlier.
Of course, it would be troublesome for me right now, and my wish was for it to be brought forward by about half a year.
Naturally, I had no intention of doing anything to make that happen.
If the future I knew were to be distorted due to impatience, I would be the only one to suffer.
‘Slowly but surely.’
Thea, who had come to announce that the meal preparations were finished, was being held by Athena, who was in a highly excited mood, and had a puzzled expression on her face.
“Sister, I can’t breathe. And you smell.”
“Thea, Thea! Inha…!”
Athena grabbed Thea, who was trying to break free from her arms, and spoke incoherently.
Nevertheless, Thea seemed to understand somehow, and her eyes widened.
“Really? This quickly?”
“Yes!”
Thea hugged Athena back with a joyful expression.
Ignoring the two who were overjoyed, I headed to the dining room, and they entered the dining room a little later than me.
Throughout the meal, Athena and Thea talked about training together once the curse was slowed down.
I was a bit surprised to see Thea being so lively, as it was the first time I had seen her like that.
Therefore, I left a short warning to the two of them.
“Don’t be overly enthusiastic. You’ll ruin your body.”
For an ordinary person, even if they exercised excessively, it could be resolved with proper rest and treatment, but in Thea’s case, it might not end at that level.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be watching and regulating it.”
Athena spoke as if she hadn’t forgotten.
In the modern world, it was common for people to be reluctant to move, but in Thea’s case, perhaps as a reaction to being sick for a long time, she seemed to be incredibly excited despite the potential difficulties.
‘Well, it’s much better than not wanting to move.’
In response to their wishes, I decided to slow down the progression of Thea’s curse immediately after the meal ended.
Thea let out a sigh as if she were nervous.
“It will feel uncomfortable, but bear with it.”
“Okay.”
I carefully drew out the magic.
Even if I drew out the magic, Thea didn’t know whether this power was magic or not.
As I infused magic into Thea’s body, she flinched her arms as if she felt discomfort. Although she hadn’t awakened mana, she seemed to instinctively feel a sense of rejection as an unknown force invaded her body.
Since the curse mainly affected the heart, I directed the magic towards it.
It wasn’t difficult to approach the entity of the curse.
As my magic approached, the curse flinched.
The moment it realized its existence had been discovered and tried to reveal the ferocity unique to magic…
Woong.
As soon as it came into contact with my magic, it suddenly became quiet as if nothing had happened.
‘As expected, extracting it is…’
Impossible at my current level. So, I tried to make it as quiet as possible.
A part of the curse entangled in the heart detached and clung to my magic.
‘This is…’
It didn’t seem to have any intention to harm me.
Such a curse couldn’t even exert influence on me.
Unless it was a curse directly cast by a powerful Warlock targeting me, a subtle and persistent curse like this with almost no will couldn’t harm me.
‘Huh. I didn’t expect this…’
The curse was naturally absorbed into my magic, and amusingly, I naturally learned the identity of what had cast the curse.
‘Those monsters…’
They weren’t ordinary monsters.
They were monsters dominated by magic.
Amusingly, through the magic absorbed into me, I learned what was inside that cave.
‘I expected it to be an object, but…’
It wasn’t an ordinary object. At least a relic-grade. I even had a hunch that it might have been used by the highest-ranking demon.
Just by reading the traces of magic, it was already at this level.
‘This seems to be an object used by a lich.’
Just as mana users who were physical ability users converted mana to use aura, there was a difference in the traces of magic users and physical ability users.
The magic that could be felt was like that. This had the scent of a magic user, a top-tier Warlock at that.
It seemed that security had been put in place to prevent others from carelessly touching their belongings, and that had affected Thea.
However, the problem was that while the scent was of the highest-ranking demon level, the will and power were below expectations.
‘This… is a jackpot.’
I smiled inwardly.
Recruitment
Slowing down the progression of the curse didn’t take long.
Rather, since I had absorbed a part of the curse, the burden on Thea’s body was further reduced.
‘If we just keep slowing down the progression, what would have killed her within a year can be delayed to three years later.’
Moreover, if I grew further, complete healing would also be possible.
In fact, when I absorbed a part of the curse, I wondered if I could absorb the rest as well, but unfortunately, my level was too low to make that possible.
Still, it was a better outcome than expected.
As I retrieved the magic, I spoke.
“It’s done.”
At my words, Athena grabbed Thea’s arm and asked.
“How do you feel?”
“Yeah, my chest feels a bit more comfortable. Inha, thank you.”
I briefly nodded at her words.
“I’ll calm it down once a month. For now, focus on building up your stamina.”
Thea replied with a much brighter face.
I went to my room, saying I was appropriately tired.
An apologetic yet grateful expression appeared on the sisters’ faces. They seemed to have judged that I had struggled more than they thought.
Originally, for a Warlock of my level, it would be a difficult, no, actually impossible task, but it wasn’t a very challenging task for me.
Still, there was nothing bad about receiving such misunderstandings, so I didn’t particularly explain myself.
There was something more important.
As soon as I closed the door to my room, I traced the magic’s traces through the absorbed curse.
Amusingly, it was connected to Thea’s curse, so it wasn’t difficult to track its location.
‘It’s farther than I thought…’
It seemed difficult to go right away.
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