NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 78
Benedict attempted to possess my body, but I was already a host myself.
Before being extinguished, the fact that I was a living soul, a possessor, set off a cacophony of shouts.
That seemed to be the issue.
If a living soul is a possessor, then the secondary possessor—that is, the deceased spirit—would be extinguished.
I’m not entirely certain, but that was the only conclusion I could reach.
‘First come, first served, huh?’
Though it’s said that a good thing is a good thing, I still felt a bit dazed.
Should I like this or not? I had no clue.
“Are you really the boss?”
“You might be pretending to be a master…”
After their worry, the two of them stared at me with suspicious eyes.
Thanks to that, my senses sharpened.
“I am Barugore.”
“….”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes and stared at me, while Cecilia’s eyes went wide open.
Did they think Benedict possessed my body?
“Then I have a question. Say my name.”
“…Ria.”
“And this witch next to me?”
“Charlotte.”
“When the master was alive, what was their name?”
“I heard it was Lucas, but I don’t know the details.”
Hmm. Cecilia made a clicking sound.
“Last question. Who did the master like the most? If you can’t answer this, you’re not the master.”
“…Then I won’t be a master.”
“Then who is the girl the master cherished the most? If you’re really the master, you should be able to answer this.”
A sigh (cold breath) escaped involuntarily.
Meanwhile, Charlotte remained silent, but this one kept asking.
I threw a sidelong glance at Charlotte, as if to say to back off.
Charlotte, who was nibbling her lips, finally spoke up with difficulty.
“Who is the subordinate you would want to spend your life with…”
“Stop.”
“I’m sorry.”
Charlotte sheepishly scratched the back of her head.
With a heroic warrior, a witch, and a Death Knight with no privates, I didn’t know why they were like this.
“You are the master.”
“Yes. You are the boss. But how did you extinguish that spirit?”
A look of inquiry was clearly present in their eyes.
“It’s simple. My soul’s rank was higher.”
I had only heard rumors about soul ranks.
It was merely that if your rank is higher, it’s natural to absorb a lower rank, so I explained it that way.
Contrary to my worries, their gazes were now filled with admiration and no doubt.
There was no need to add anything to correct this misunderstanding.
Ignoring their overwhelming stares, I glanced around.
Since Benedict was dead, I should be able to take all the mana eaters and other equipment.
In the distance beyond the darkness, I spotted a door.
In the crypt, there was a small burial chamber. Indeed, in that room lay Benedict’s real coffin.
“Stay here. I’ll take a look around.”
There were no dangers.
I would go alone, devour the mana eater, and farm the equipment.
“Isn’t it dangerous? You should go together.”
“That’s why I’m telling you not to come. Stay put.”
The two of them nodded with worried faces.
They probably thought I was worried about them. I said it like that, but well.
I moved past them and approached the door.
Creeeak. An unpleasant noise echoed from the rusty hinge.
I tightly closed the door behind me, fearing someone might peek in.
Inside the room, a sarcophagus filled my view.
Aside from that, there wasn’t much to catch my eye in this joint.
Without hesitation, I opened the coffin, revealing the perfectly preserved corpse of Benedict.
They said some magical process maintained its original state, but I didn’t care about that.
Thud! Thud! Scrape!
I carefully carved out the area around the heart of the corpse.
The mana eater had parasitized the living being, and now it was in a dormant, stagnant state.
It was a bit concerning to implant what I had been using into my body, but what could I do? It was a super cheating item; I had to take it.
Thud. Thud.
A heart the size of my palm found its way into my grasp.
The mana eater was dwelling within this dungeon core.
Whether human or undead, as long as there’s a body, a person qualifies as a host for the mana eater.
Crack!
In the moment I crushed the dungeon core with my grip, something resembling a pitch-black maggot crawled up my arm.
I instinctively felt repulsion, but that sensation was fleeting. I watched as it settled in place without moving.
In the first place, that’s not its true form; it merely took the shape of a maggot for convenience.
Gulp.
As it entered my armor, the mana eater started stirring about inside my body.
Since it was a body without flesh, it seemed to take a while to settle in.
Five minutes passed as I stood still.
The wriggling sensation from my body subsided.
In its place, a strange feeling began to spread within me.
“…I guess it’s done.”
Piercing and enabling words trigger activation with a thought.
I believe the mana eater follows the same principle.
I crafted the form of the mana eater in my mind.
The external part manifested as my right arm. In the shape of a thick shield that could cover my entire body. Thesis is antithesis.
Psshh—!
Just as I finished the mental design, a parasitic shield sprouted from my right arm.
Being antithesis, it had the effect of reflecting magic.
Sequentially, the synthesis thesis, the definition thesis. The external part transformed all over my body, even altering its shape between a shield and a curtain continuously.
From start to finish, it transformed exactly as I envisioned, satisfying me.
“Nice.”
At this point, I restored the mana eater into my body.
If overused, it would fall into a dormant state.
Once I used it, I needed to leave it be to rest and provide nutrients to ensure it grew stronger and listened well.
Despite looking like nothing much, it indeed had a faint consciousness.
The nutrient source for the mana eater is mana.
It could indulge in refined mana provided by wizards, or it could go wild for mana stones.
In fact, as long as it contains magic, it would devour anything without discrimination.
Just then, some remnants of the dungeon core exuded a small amount of mana.
Picking it up in my hands, the wriggling sensation surged within me.
Soon, it sprouted in the form of teeth resembling those of a death worm.
The appearance was unsettling, and its color was pitch-black, which didn’t help…
Crunch. Crunch.
The mana eater happily chomped on the dungeon core.
Anyone watching would easily see how well it was devouring.
“Is it tasty?”
Crack!
In response, the mana eater let out a burp-like sound.
After consuming the dungeon core, it crawled back into my body.
I had obtained the mana eater, and somehow, I had reached max level, piercing through the spells of the Eight Corners.
Yet, this was not the end.
In the coffin, besides the corpse, there were also several pieces of equipment, among which a violet staff stood out.
[Witchcraft (EX)]
[Enhancement Success Rate: 1%]
[※ Warning! If enhancement fails, it will be automatically destroyed!]
[If enhancement fails, the cooldown will reset.]
[Would you like to enhance Witchcraft (EX)?]
[YES/NO]
I felt lucky just having the mana eater, but to receive such a gift as well.
Ah, Benedict. My brother who gave everything and left.
There’s really no tree that gives without restraint.
This staff provides a significant boost to the circle mana of its owner.
Up until here, it’s not much different from any ordinary staff.
The real deal lay in its usage effect.
Witchcraft inherently possesses a magical space.
The only drawback is that it can only hold magic, but in reality, that makes it incredibly overpowered.
The owner can activate a magic circle and store spells within the space.
With that, the following feats become possible.
You stockpile 9-circle spells in the magical space in advance.
Naturally, the owner’s mana will recover, thereby cycling infinitely.
In a real battle, when firing the spells stored in the magical space, in theory, it would allow the use of various 9-circle spells without consuming mana.
“This item is absurd, but it’s basically a dilemma for me.”
For a wizard, the ultimate item was indeed Witchcraft.
With this, Charlotte’s level would easily surpass 90.
While it’s slightly less, there was also an artifact I could give to Cecilia.
[Seeker’s Aquamarine Ring (S+)]
[Enhancement Success Rate: 2%]
[※ Warning! If enhancement fails, it will be automatically destroyed!]
[If enhancement fails, the cooldown will reset.]
[Would you like to enhance Seeker’s Aquamarine Ring (S+)?]
[YES/NO]
The aquamarine ring is an item with only passive effects without active usage.
In other words, just with its constant effects, it’s already an S+ grade item.
Moreover, it’s an artifact that is universally applicable, providing broad usage.
The aquamarine ring greatly enhances the wearer’s stats and can even heal wounds with the mana within the ring.
If a body were severed, simply pressing it against the cut would result in automatic suturing.
With one EX-grade and one S+ grade like this.
The remaining artifacts were S-grade or A+ grade.
Among them was a pair of glasses that would enhance the wearer’s focus and thirst for knowledge.
“I should give this to Estizel.”
The rest were bracelets for Balutak, earrings for Isabella, and a pendant for Selina.
Even a golden necklace for Helboki.
Despite having three leftover artifacts, they weren’t particularly useful, so I left them next to the corpse as pocket money.
With a full load of farming items, I exited the burial chamber.
Upon going out, I found the two of them slightly apart, gazing at me. They seemed to have been waiting there.
Without any leading signal, they approached me with quick steps.
“You’ve returned.”
“We were waiting.”
Instead of responding, I laid the equipment out on the ground.
Among them, I chose the staff and ring and handed the staff to Charlotte.
Charlotte tilted her head, staring at me blankly.
“It’s a gift.”
“Ah…”
After hesitating, Charlotte bent down and took it.
Her gaze lingered on the staff for an extended period. She seemed to recognize right away just how exceptional the item was.
In fact, she would probably feel an increase in her mana before seeing it with her eyes.
[Lv. 90]
Even though she hadn’t even mastered it, she was at level 90.
Just from having constant passives, she increased by three levels.
If she mastered it and gained active effects, I thought she could even reach 92.
That would be right beneath the level of the Seven Lairs boss.
Afterward, I focused my gaze on Cecilia and handed her the ring.
“It’s a good artifact. Take it.”
“….”
Cecilia stared at me silently before slowly extending her hand.
Her silent gaze seemed to imply she wanted me to put it on for her.
Just as I was about to slip it on, Cecilia suddenly opened her fingers wide.
‘…What a sly girl.’
This isn’t a wedding ring.
I placed the ring carefully on her palm, and Cecilia looked up at me, sliding it onto her ring finger herself.
The way she waved her ring finger in front of me felt a bit burdensome.
Unable to hold my gaze, I turned away to find Charlotte fidgeting between looking at me and the staff.
“Why would you give me something so precious…?”
“I’m giving it to you because it’s you. The same goes for Ria.”
“Then the rest must all belong to the master.”
Looking at the neatly arranged artifacts, Cecilia spoke.
Without any particular thoughts, I shook my head.
Then, one by one, I pointed to each item while reciting their names.
“Balutak, Isabella, Selina, Estizel, Helboki.”
“…What about the master’s?”
“None.”
To be precise, I had already taken something much better.
Just as I was about to say this, Charlotte suddenly thrust the staff towards me.
“It’s too much for me. I hope you use it.”
Cecilia also removed the ring and firmly grasped my hand.
She subtly opened her ring finger and slipped it onto me.
With her action and gaze towards me, I felt quite uneasy.
It seemed I had unintentionally become a boss dedicated only to my subordinates.
…But I do have something better, you know.