Chapter 112
“You… tricked me.”
Duke Becken’s face twisted in anger.
The artifact I had demonstrated during the presentation was far more resistant to poison than he had anticipated.
The poison he used on me was lethal—designed to kill, but not instantly. It was better for him to believe it this way.
If he realized how badly my body was really doing, I’d be sent straight to the afterlife.
“However, you don’t seem to be doing too well.”
“…”
He noticed.
Duke Becken must have detected my sluggish movements, and his face returned to its cold, sinister smile.
Bang!
In an instant, I was sent flying to the other side of the room.
“Ugh…!”
My condition was at its worst. An attack I should have been able to deflect was fully absorbed by my body. Clenching my trembling fists, I cursed under my breath.
“Damn it.”
“I must commend your tenacity, trying to fight back even in this state.”
“As I’ve said before, you’re not in a position to evaluate me… ha….”
“You could have just told me what I wanted to know. Now you’re only hastening your demise.”
I couldn’t fight him head-on. I needed to escape somehow.
Gathering what little magic I had left, I redirected it towards defense and evasion.
Whoosh.
I deflected Duke Becken’s magic-infused punch, redirecting its force to the side. If I had taken it head-on, my already battered body might not have withstood it.
“Are you planning to slip away like a rat?”
He guessed correctly.
“Argh!”
Letting out a guttural scream, I charged directly at Duke Becken. Startled by the sudden assault, he stepped aside, and I used the opportunity to dash forward at full speed.
This was better than the last time in the underground prison.
This time, I couldn’t sense any other presence besides Duke Becken in this space. Perhaps his overconfidence led him to think he could handle me alone.
I scanned for an exit.
I focused all my magic on defense and speed.
It was far from enough.
Whoosh.
A black sphere of magic hurtled toward me from behind, crashing down just behind me. At the same time, a heavy weight, like a sandbag, pressed down on my entire body.
A slowing spell. My magic, focused on speed, was rendered useless, and the distance between us quickly closed.
Duke Becken pursued me leisurely.
Bang.
The second sphere of magic struck.
It was dark magic that amplified existing pain just by grazing the skin.
This time, I couldn’t avoid it.
The poison didn’t just reduce my magic; it was severely draining my physical abilities as well.
Unable to hold back a scream, I collapsed.
“I warned you, didn’t I? This was never going to end well.”
“Ugh….”
That wasn’t the issue.
“Ha, damn it.”
It hurt so much.
It felt like I was going to die from the pain.
Now I understood why white mages feared dark mages who wielded poison magic.
If my artifact hadn’t held up, it wouldn’t have been surprising if I had already passed out from the pain.
The agony I had been barely enduring was now doubled, and my head began to spin.
This wasn’t good.
In a situation where I needed to think clearly, my mind was starting to go blank.
“I’ll ask one last time. Tell me who else knows about the Cube.”
“Cough… cough.”
“Do that, and I’ll spare your life. Though, not in the way you might hope.”
“If you think I’m going to tell you… that just proves how stupid you are….”
“So, you need to be killed after all.”
Duke Becken ruthlessly amplified the dark energy in the air.
Already severely injured from the poison, now every cell in my body screamed in pain.
I coughed up blood once more.
I fought to stay conscious.
I had to hold out until Basilus arrived.
Even though I was facing despair unprepared, I had to find a way out of this situation.
“Basilus.”
He called me a tamer without hands or feet.
For the first time, I desperately wished for those hands and feet.
“Basilus….”
When I first arrived in this world.
When I had to flee from their headquarters, just like now, it was you who clung to my leg with those big, blinking eyes.
Just as I saved you, I hope you’ll save me too.
It was at that moment, while I was murmuring softly and looking up at Duke Becken as he reached for my throat.
Ding!
[Conditions have been met.]
“What the…?”
[A new skill, ‘Transfer,’ has been unlocked.]
[There is one monster available for transfer: >Basilusus Atraxis]
[Would you like to use ‘Transfer’?]
Transfer?
I didn’t know exactly what it was, but I had to try everything I could.
[Transfer: Temporarily absorbs 80% of the tamed monster’s magic and unlocks its abilities.]
[Maximum of one monster, lasts 10 minutes]
[Additional effect: Physical abilities are enhanced]
The near-infinite magic of a dragon flowed into my body.
My body, far beyond human capabilities, absorbed the burning pain and calmed it.
“….”
I finally realized.
Basilus had come to me.
* * *
Wham!
Even with just a weak burst of magic from my hand, Duke Becken was sent flying helplessly.
He was a skilled dark mage, no doubt, but the combined power of Basilus and my own exceeded anything I had imagined.
Basilus’ intelligence had been substituted with mine.
That was a relief.
Well, I’m no reptile-brain after all.
The strength and magic I lacked were replaced by Basilus’.
Thanks to that, my physical abilities far surpassed those of a normal human.
Basilus’s status window appeared before my eyes as if it were my own.
<Basilusus Atraxis>
A red dragon who was somewhat startled by the sudden draining of its magic.
Level: 20
Magic: 70
Strength: 80
Agility: 53
Intelligence: 35
[Fire Breath Lv 4][Magic Defense Lv 2][Poison Resistance Lv 4][Whirlwind of Flames Lv 4][Fire Spike Lv 4]
Already at level 20.
Basilus’ steadily growing poison resistance was a great help in this situation.
A poisoned arrow struck my shoulder, but unlike before, I barely felt any pain.
Crack.
“What… what did you do?”
Duke Becken’s face turned pale as he saw me casually pulling out the arrow.
He instinctively realized that I was now an opponent no human could face.
“I found my hands and feet.”
Whoosh.
A whirlwind of flames engulfed Duke Becken in an instant.
Nearly turned into a charred corpse on the spot, he screamed and hastily erected a barrier.
But it was meaningless.
Fire Spike.
Crack.
A lightning bolt struck from the sky, shattering his barrier with lightning speed.
Duke Becken’s lips turned pale as he trembled uncontrollably.
“You… How… How is this even possible…?”
I could end him right now if I wanted to.
But…
[Time Remaining: 7 minutes]
He wasn’t someone to be taken down easily.
Since I couldn’t be sure who else might be lurking outside, I decided to be satisfied with leaving him in a state of total incapacitation.
I also didn’t know the side effects of this power yet, so I had to act quickly and end this now.
[Flame Breath]
“Arghhh!”
At the very least, I needed to make sure he couldn’t move. As his stubborn life force fought back, I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists tightly.
I would finish him off with my own strength.
Wham!
Duke Becken foamed at the mouth and collapsed on the spot.
[Time Remaining: 5 minutes]
It was time to get out of here.
Even if I ended up collapsing like that bastard, I needed to find a place where my body would be safe when I passed out.
The sheer amount of magic coursing through my body was keeping me alive, but at the same time, it was breaking me down.
“Hah….”
I staggered forward, forcing myself to move one step at a time.
One step, then another.
I had to keep going if I wanted to see the creature that saved me again.
“I need… to get out.”
My breathing grew more ragged, each gasp tearing at my throat as I hurried towards the exit.
But then, a shadow loomed over me.
[Time Remaining: 2 minutes]
“Ah.”
Could I win if I had to fight again?
Could I kill this new opponent and escape?
Time was running out, and my body was in the worst condition imaginable.
But I couldn’t just collapse here.
I squeezed out every last bit of strength as I lifted my head.
And then…
“Han Siha!”
“Why are you here in such a state…?”
Two unexpected faces looked down at me—Han Si-hyuk and Yoon Haul.
“Ah….”
“Are you okay? Han Siha? Hey, stay with us…!”
Their faces were as welcome as Basilus’.
“Han Siha!”
“Stay with me!”
I was safe.
With a sigh of relief, I let myself fall forward, collapsing onto the ground.
* * *
“It wasn’t the real Duke Becken.”
Two days later, I finally woke up in the place where I had been held captive.
Han Si-hyuk, seeing that I was still somewhat out of it, kindly continued his explanation.
At the edge of my vision, the man who had posed as Duke Becken lay dead, his body slack and lifeless. Beside him was a grotesque, shed skin—like the remnants of a human disguise.
Was this some kind of dark magic?
If the real Duke Becken had been known for his neat appearance and dignified impression, this dead man looked like a crazed lunatic, with bloodshot eyes.
Now I understood why he had said he didn’t care if the Magic Department caught him using magic. It wasn’t really Duke Becken, so it didn’t matter if he was caught in that form.
“As soon as we trapped him with a binding scroll, he reverted to his original form. Since he was unconscious, capturing him wasn’t difficult,” Han Si-hyuk continued.
Yoon Haul nodded in agreement and added, “But he died as soon as we bound him.”
He had started trembling violently before dying on the spot.
Han Si-hyuk quickly analyzed the situation. “It looks like he had a suicide spell set up.”
Even if I hadn’t killed him myself, he would have died once captured.
It wasn’t surprising.
Dark mage organizations operate in extreme secrecy. Someone capable of that level of magic wouldn’t be a low-ranking member, but he also wasn’t a high-ranking official. If he had been, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat him even with Basilus’ power.
It was a cold but rational decision to sacrifice someone of his level to avoid exposure.
Han Si-hyuk continued calmly, “I’ve heard that Duke Becken has asked the Magic Department to resolve this issue.”
Even though he hadn’t attended the presentation, the Magic Department didn’t realize it, leading to this situation and the tarnishing of his reputation.
It was a natural course of action if Duke Becken was truly innocent.
“He said he wants to apologize and make it up to you with a meal.”
“I don’t want to see that guy’s face alone,” I replied, feeling the onset of PTSD just thinking about it.
Han Si-hyuk nodded, understanding my reluctance. Yoon Haul, less concerned with such matters, looked at me worriedly.
“Are you okay?”
“Well, for now….”
“Of course, he should be,” Han Si-hyuk answered for me.
“While you were unconscious, we pumped you full of antidote and recovery potions. You don’t need to know how much they cost for the sake of your mental health.”
“…”
“But I’ll definitely send the bill to your father later.”
Ah, so that’s why I was feeling a bit better.
But isn’t my father your father too?
When I looked at him incredulously, Han Si-hyuk responded shamelessly, “Funds have been tight lately.”
“Did you mess up your research paper again and lose your funding?”
“…Spit out the potions.”
Ugh.
Han Si-hyuk looked like he wanted to grab me by the collar and shake me, but considering how close I had come to death, he held back.
I smiled brightly to annoy him and then turned away.
There was someone I really wanted to see.
“Where’s Basilus?”
“He was just here, but he stepped out for a bit… oh?”
“Squee!”
Suddenly, with a small thundering of footsteps, the little creature who thought I had died came running towards me, his eyes wide with joy as he leaped into my arms.
“Hey, Basilus was looking everywhere for you. And he was frantic.”
Yoon Haul explained with an awestruck expression. She said that while I was unconscious, Basilus, sensing the severed connection between us, had cried day and night for two whole days.
He had essentially saved my life.
“Good boy.”
“…”
“I’m sorry I was so irresponsible.”
Honestly, all he did was have his magic drained by me, but…
He probably had no idea what had happened.
“You’re so strong.”
“…?”
“Okay, I won’t call you a reptile anymore.”
I decided to give him the best gift I could.
“Eeeek!”
Though it seemed he wasn’t too happy about it.
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