Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Unreasonable
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Gigantic blobs of flesh writhed around.
Beneath my feet bubbled a strongly acidic liquid potent enough to dissolve anything, and a foul stench like that of a garbage dump hung in the air.
Looking around, there were only those twisting, fleshy blobs—no matter where I turned. In this place, nothing existed except me and the goat.
The illusion I had conjured looked just like the inside of some massive monster's stomach.
I'd modeled it after a scene from a horror game I'd seen once, and it seemed to have worked out pretty well.
The goat, bound hand and foot, was trembling and eyeing me warily.
We stood atop a cliff overlooking the stomach acids.
The goat knelt there, trussed up, while I positioned myself where I could easily shove him into the acid with a light push.
He clearly knew a single kick would spell his digestive end, because his attitude had turned meek.
"There must be a reason you're doing this... Let's talk it out."
The visitation room had transformed into hell in an instant.
Of course, this hell contained only me and the goat.
The landscape filling my vision was nothing more than a fake conjured by my imagination.
However, within this illusion, the goat experienced sensations as if they were real.
His five senses—touch, hearing, smell, taste, sight—were completely under the control of my Phantasmal Demonic Eyes.
These eyes vastly outclassed the Hypnotic Eyes, which could only implant mere hallucinations, unleashing overwhelming power.
The goat pleaded with me in a groveling voice.
"Please spare me. Fuck, I don't know what I did wrong, but I'll do whatever Dracula-sama orders..."
"How do you know what I'll make you do?"
"Ah, bro."
Hearing a 300-year-old geezer call me "bro" felt kinda weird.
"Anyway, things have come to this, so we need some trust between us. Let's start with a soul contract."
At my words, the goat's face crumpled like he'd just bitten into shit.
"Ah, bro..."
"You'll spill everything to the Society folks anyway if we meet them. I need some insurance too."
"Hasn't our friendship over all this time already proven our trust...?"
As I moved to shove the goat toward the acids, he cried out desperately.
"You are my master! I am yours! I shall become your faithful contractor! I etch this oath into my soul right now!"
The moment the goat finished speaking, magic circles appeared on the backs of our hands.
A signal that the soul contract had begun.
"I, Antonio del Piero, ask the contractor Baek Do-hyun... What is it you desire from me...?"
I spoke calmly.
"Keep my identity secret from everyone. Harbor no hostility toward me. Speak only the truth in my presence. Help me dismantle the 21st Century Secret Society. The contract ends when the Society is destroyed."
The goat's face didn't just crumple—it caved in.
"I, Antonio del Piero, ask the contractor Baek Do-hyun... What is it you desire from me...?"
"Nothing."
I could confidently say this was more vicious than any con artist's contract.
Muttering curses under his breath with a utterly wrecked expression, the goat finally bit back tears and pressed his thumbprint.
"With mutual respect, the contract is established..."
The magic circles on our hands faded, and the oaths engraved themselves into our hearts.
"Good. Now we can finally talk comfortably."
I smiled in satisfaction.
A soul contract is a unique magic that only demons can perform.
This unbreakable spell, impervious to any magical interference, persists until the contractor fully fulfills the terms.
Normally used by demons to exploit human souls, but this time the roles were reversed.
Vampire instead of human, whatever.
The goat hung his head for a long while, mumbling to himself.
Finally seeming to resign himself to it all, he let out a earth-shattering sigh and looked up at me.
"Dr-bro. Can I ask you one question...?"
"Go ahead. But doesn't calling some kid way younger than you 'bro' feel off?"
"I realized 200 years ago that petty pride and age don't put food on the table. No worries."
The goat's demeanor and eyes changed.
His demonic four evil eyes emerged, fixing on me.
Unlike his pathetic act before, he now looked properly demonic.
"The soul is definitely Dracula-sama's, but the Dr-bro in front of me doesn't look like Dracula-sama at all. So who the hell are you, Dr-bro?"
True to how close he'd been to Baek Do-hyun, he was the first monster to see through my true nature.
"For now, just call me the Inflector."
I gave a curt reply.
"Then I'll stick with Dr-bro."
"Anything else you're curious about?"
"Nope."
Sharp as expected from the goat. He didn't bother asking questions I wouldn't answer.
I liked how fast the conversation moved.
Then I wouldn't waste time on explanations he didn't need either.
I cut straight to the point.
"Wallachia's Crimson Stone. Ways to break Zero One's binding spell... Tell me everything you know."
"Wallachia's Crimson Stone was with Mimir as of ten years ago. Breaking Zero One's binding spell... Well, other mages or witches like that traitor Merlin or Mimir would know best."
The goat spilled everything he knew the moment I finished speaking.
A fine attitude.
Separate from his strength, as a long-lived monster, he seemed to have quite a bit of knowledge.
I'd have to make good use of him as my monster encyclopedia from now on.
After unloading all the info, the goat cautiously advised me.
"Dr-bro. This is just an old man's worry, but don't even think about going up against Zero One."
"Why."
"You don't fight battles you can't win."
Whether out of the bond he'd built with Baek Do-hyun or hating how this would inevitably pit him against the Society, the goat desperately tried to persuade me.
"Zero One's a mighty archmage. I don't know what stroke of luck got you the Evil Eye and Noble Blood powers, but if you clash with him now, it'll be your head that splits open."
"And Zero One's the only problem...? No, there's something bigger. What about all the guys who follow his ideology? You think you can take on that many monsters, Dr-bro?"
"It's not for nothing that so many monsters stick with the Society instead of rebelling. I did, Dracula-sama did. History proves it. The ones who always eat well and live well are the cowards clinging to power. You know that too, right?"
"Most would sell out their country, family, friends just to suck up to the boss. Why take the loss yourself, Dr-bro? Why not just follow the Society...?"
"They've got plans, systems, infrastructure ready for when humanity dwindles. For us, fewer humans is better for survival anyway. No reason to resist, right?"
"If you keep this up, you're 100% getting wrecked by Zero One. I recommend just quietly living as a monster."
And everything he said was spot on.
More rational and logical than my own stance, even.
Who tries to crack a rock with an egg?
Unlike the Society, built on Zero One's overwhelming charisma to achieve their goals, we were just a bunch of green rookies huddled together.
No matter how you sliced it, we were at a disadvantage.
But the goat was overlooking one thing.
I curled my lips into a crescent moon smile and corrected his mistake.
"I don't fight losing battles."
The goat stared at me like I was hopeless.
"Declaring victory before the fight even starts."
He sighed.
"High school grad Saturo, huh..."
College grad, asshole.
It might look like baseless confidence...
But whatever.
Far better than holing up at home, calling it inevitable, and waiting for doom.
I'd decided to bend fate, and I'd follow through with that will, giving it my all.
I wouldn't let some insane humanity extinction scenario happen.
I gave the sighing goat at least some good news.
"Soon, you'll be out, goat-bro. Just wait quietly till then."
"!?"
"You didn't think you'd get to laze in prison sucking honey forever, did you? From now on, you'll be rolling in the dirt with me."
The goat's face didn't just cave—it shattered.
Definite good news, but why the reaction?
I looked at him and slowly stood from my seat.
The illusion crumbled, and the scenery reverted to the visitation room.
The time we'd spent in the illusion was but a fleeting moment.
A glance at the clock showed barely ten seconds had passed. To outsiders, it would look like we'd just stared intensely into each other's eyes.
"I loaded plenty of bail money, so I'm off."
"You fucker!! What do you mean 'rolling in the dirt'!?"
His sudden freakout would seem bizarre too.
"Hey, quiet down over there!!"
I left the detention center, watching the guards drag away the goat one last time.
In Red Ark, two months after the 'Dimensional Beast Awakening' arc ends, a riot breaks out at the juvenile detention center.
Criminal psykers calling themselves 'Irregulars' let a ton of inmates escape, turning Academy City into a bloodbath.
The Federal Guidance Bureau and Kim Si-hu stop it—that's the overall story of Volume 2, the 'Irregulars' arc...
But with the Society's moves to incite the Irregulars still unknown, all I could do now was watch.
As I stepped out onto the street, heading home, my phone rang—Han Cheong-ah.
I answered.
"Hello."
"Do-hyun, is now a good time to talk?"
"Yeah."
I could guess why she'd called.
"Miyuki wants to know when you can grab a meal together... Does your schedule work? And I'll share some tales of valor from our fight with the mugger."
Lee Gyeo-ul wanted to see me.
The time had finally come.
I told Han Cheong-ah sure, and we started settling on a specific time and place.