Chapter 509: The Child
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 509: The Child
The two of them ventured deeper into the now-shambolic room, their attention first landing on that unremarkable prayer mat.
The Indra King had been sitting on it the entire time. According to the man himself, it seemed his avatar had been anchored to this mat and could not stray too far from it.
"This is an extraordinary magical tool."
Celicia picked it up and examined it closely.
"It’s imbued with powerful mana. It was likely used to provide energy for that avatar. After all, this place is completely isolated from the outside world; there’s no way for the Indra King’s main body to power his avatar directly."
"Mana?" Muen asked, puzzled. "Isn't the Indra King a pure martial artist? At least, I didn't see him use any magic. Can he even use something filled with mana?"
"Of course he can. Mana is the foundation of all things in this world, and fighting spirit is merely a specialized power derived from within the human body. Mana can be stored long-term through specific magic stones and formations, but once fighting spirit leaves the body, it dissipates very quickly."
Celicia continued, "Using mana to sustain flesh, and then using that flesh to generate fighting spirit—this is one of the fundamental principles of the Puppet Magic school. Didn't you know that?"
"My basic magic theory hasn't reached that level yet, Senior."
"Being called 'Senior' by you always gives me a strange sense of displeasure."
Celicia gave Muen a cold glare before weighing the prayer mat in her hand. "Do you want it? A magical tool capable of sustaining the mana supply for a fifth-tier avatar is worth a fortune."
"No thanks. I have zero interest in something an old man has been sitting on," Muen said, shrugging with a look of disgust.
"Fair enough."
Without a hint of hesitation or regret, Celicia froze the prayer mat solid and crushed it into icy shards.
"Let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time."
"Right."
The two didn't linger. They began searching along the wall behind where the Indra King had been sitting. It didn't take long to find a secret door in an inconspicuous corner.
Unlike before, where Muen had to read soul memories to find his way, the walls here had been battered into ruins during the recent chaotic battle. The secret door was partially exposed, so it took almost no effort to find.
Besides, they had come this far. Even if the enemy was cautious, they wouldn't have wasted much energy on concealment at a stage like this.
The door was opened quickly. Even a perfectly intact door wouldn't have held Muen back for more than a few minutes, let alone one this dilapidated.
The two shared a look and stepped into the darkness.
Having recovered some mana, Muen conjured firefly-like points of light to float ahead of them, illuminating the path.
Celicia cast a deep glance at the glowing motes. She realized that throughout their journey, this Illumination Spell—which had once been the laughingstock of the entire academy because Muen took a whole semester to learn it—was actually exceptionally convenient.
"Be careful," Celicia said, raising a hand to signal him.
Ahead of them lay another dark, deep corridor leading to parts unknown.
However, based on the faint airflow and a certain strange, lingering scent, she analyzed that they were likely nearing their destination.
"Want me to take the lead?" Muen asked, winking at Celicia.
"Stay where you are," Celicia replied with her usual icy gaze.
They continued forward. Though their steps seemed light and their postures relaxed, they were both on high alert.
Even with the Indra King dead, they were in uncharted territory. There was no telling what kind of monsters or freaks might crawl out of the shadows. They had already tasted the bitter fruit of letting their guard down once; they wouldn't make the same mistake again.
*
Sure enough, it wasn't long before they pried open another door, and a flickering light overpowered the glow of the Illumination Spell.
Magic stones for lighting lined the walls of the corridor, proving that there was constant activity here. Slender pipes shimmering with a faint magical luster snaked through the hidden corners of the walls, proving that this place was far more than just a food processing factory.
"What is that smell?"
The moment they stepped inside, Celicia frowned and instinctively covered her nose with her hand.
"Smells like some kind of chemical solution."
Muen also pinched his nose. The pungent, sharp odor reminded him of the disinfectant in hospitals from his previous life, but this was much more concentrated and nauseating.
The two exchanged a look, seeing the same suspicion reflected in each other's eyes.
They followed the path forward. Lights flickered along the way, but there was no sign of anyone. Miscellaneous items and papers were scattered across the floor. A cup of coffee had been knocked over, spilling onto the floor; it was still giving off a faint wisp of steam.
"Looks like they left in a real hurry."
Muen leaned down to pick up a piece of paper. It was covered in a mess of complex calculation formulas that looked like gibberish. For a moment, he felt the familiar sting of the trauma he'd suffered under Advanced Calculus in his past life.
Damn, has the mathematics of this world developed to this extent?
But as Muen looked closer, he realized they were only superficially similar. The formulas were extremely alien, worlds apart from the math of Earth.
"What is this? I can't make heads or tails of it." Muen quickly handed the paper to Celicia.
Celicia scanned it and shook her head slightly. "I don't fully understand it either, but I can tell they're calculating some kind of dosage."
"Dosage?"
"Likely for the preparation of some kind of drug." Celicia looked around the room.
"Drugs..." Muen murmured. A cold, sharp glint flickered deep in his eyes.
He seemed to remember something, but before he could dwell on it, a slight movement in the shadows snapped him back to full alertness.
"Who's there?"
Muen drew his blade in a flash, the chilling arc of the strike cutting through the darkness.
However, the entity hiding in the shadows was faster than he expected. With a sudden blur, it managed to dodge Muen’s blade and came rushing toward him at high speed.
Interesting.
Muen’s expression hardened. He stopped holding back. A low rumble of Thunder Clap surged into the Pure White Blade as he locked onto the object, which was only about as high as his knees.
But just as the blade was about to descend, Muen’s hand suddenly froze.
His eyes widened in shock as he stared at the creature that had run out of the darkness.
It was... a child.
At least, looking only at the face, it was a child.
He looked to be about five or six years old, with the chubby cheeks and innocent features of a young boy.
But his lower half was sewn onto a twisted, grotesque creature. Six limbs, like the legs of a spider, skittered across the floor. It was these six legs that had allowed him to move with such terrifying speed.
One of his hands was short and tender like a normal child's, waving about aimlessly, while the other... could hardly be called a hand. It was a segmented limb ending in a scythe.
The child didn't attack Muen. Instead, he used that long, scythe-like limb to clumsily tug at Muen’s pant leg.
He looked like a panicked child trying his best to grab onto something that would make him feel safe.
But a sharp scythe cannot hold onto anything.
"You... I..."
The child's voice was incredibly high and youthful. Tears welled in his large, bewildered eyes.
"I... Big Brother... I'm hungry..."