Chapter 48
“Ugh… Ruby, a little to the left! Luan, I’m going to absorb the magic right now!”
A brilliant light radiated from the Aqua Mystica in Zoe’s hands, and sharp thorned vines shot out, wrapping around his body.
Cough… Ah, Attica. S-suck it all… cough!
Zoe, who had been coughing nonstop as she activated her skill, suddenly vomited bright red blood.
[<System> Emergency Alert! Taming failed!
Penalty: You will lose consciousness in 3 minutes. Player, leave this area immediately!]
‘Taming failed… why? Could it be… I can’t tame this monster with my abilities?’
The thorned vines that had extended out recoiled back into the Aqua Mystica.
Zoe struggled to stabilize her rapidly faltering breath. Unlike last time, when she lost consciousness before even using her skill, she had believed that now, stronger and more experienced, she could tame the beast—but her face was now painted with defeat.
Cough…!
She coughed up blood repeatedly as her consciousness wavered.
Seeing Zoe’s body shake violently, Ruby quickly landed on the ground.
“Zoe, snap out of it…! Kyu!”
“Ruby… you should get… out of here…”
Clang-
The Aqua Mystica in Zoe’s hand fell to the ground as she slumped.
The monster, Lucian, charged toward her fallen form.
“Eek! That human… I’ll protect Zoe! Kyu!”
Ruby quickly got up to shield Zoe on her back, and for a moment, Lucian’s movements halted.
[<System> Remote intervention to protect the player…]
“Ha… forget it. I’ve already lost my main consciousness anyway.”
Then it happened.
Soft pink hair, like cotton candy, flickered with white at the tips, and Zoe’s gaze suddenly hardened.
With an annoyed expression, she wiped the blood from her mouth with her sleeve and slowly rose to her feet.
“Damn it, how many times has this happened? Are you planning on patching balance like this again?”
Then, without hesitation, she shouted into the empty air.
“Kyu… Zoe?”
Ruby looked up at her in confusion.
“…What’s wrong, pup? You’ve grown a bit. Last time you collapsed at the drop of a hat.”
“You… you’re… not… Zoe!”
[<System> As monsters evolve into higher-tier species, their resistance increases.]
“…Hey, I know that. I know. But if you know so well, why create a situation like this again?”
[<System> Result executed after calculating the optimal move.]
“Ah, whatever. Speaking of which, why do you keep doing things your way since last time?”
Ruby swallowed hard as she observed Zoe’s unusual behavior. There was an immense pressure radiating from her now.
Keeee-!
Lucian, now fully transformed into a monster, roared.
“Ah, damn it. My ears are bleeding. Why is it still clinging? I absorbed all the magic last time.”
Looking at him, covered in the dark, suffocating magic, Zoe narrowed her eyes.
The soul of the monster, which should have separated from him long ago, was inexplicably still attached.
“Even before, a little cat almost broke the memory seal… and now this.”
Zoe’s face twisted with irritation.
It seemed the beast was struggling desperately inside to control its own rampage. His willpower was commendable, but at this rate, an entire village could be destroyed.
“System, analyze it.”
As she commanded, the system interface immediately popped up.
[<System> Performing appraisal on the organism, ‘Lucian Pennister’.]
.
.
.
[<System> Appraisal complete! Results transmitted.]
A glowing pattern spread as a mechanical voice spoke, and Zoe closed her eyes tightly.
“Ha… it’s completely attached to him.”
As the glow faded, Zoe opened her eyes with a sigh and pressed her hand to her forehead.
She realized that the corrupted soul of the monster had fused entirely with the human soul.
In simpler terms:
When they first met, the monster was parasitically attached to its host, Lucian Pennister.
Theoretically, absorbing only the monster’s magic would have naturally separated it from the host.
Like taking medicine to remove a virus, it should have been simple.
But now, their souls were completely fused. To destroy the virus, the host had to die.
Even absorbing magic would only feed on the host’s soul, endlessly regenerating…
Tch, I used my ability at the risk of being discovered, and now this mess…
Annoyed at the further complication, she furrowed her brows.
“System, grant me a little divine power.”
[<System> Approved. 10% divine power released.]
Even a tiny fraction was enough to restrain the monster heading toward the village.
“Radiance of Light (ᚱᚨᛞᛁᚨᚾᚲᛖᛟᚠᛚᛁᚷᚺᛏ).”
Speaking the sacred words, a brilliant flash burst from her fingertips.
Glowing arrowheads emerged over the ancient magical circle.
Kieeeek…!
The light arrows, capable of purifying magic, shot straight at the monster.
This was an ancient divine magic no one else could wield.
As the arrow pierced its body, the monster’s true form slowly revealed itself from the mass of dark magic.
“You… so that’s what you were?”
Kieeeek…
The monster, seemingly understanding, suddenly calmed. It tilted its head, confused.
“No wonder you weren’t an ordinary beast. Tch… your soul corrupted because you coveted power, huh…”
[<System> All continental information of Verheim has been updated. Check?]
“Ah, damn it! Don’t just suddenly talk to me!”
Startled by the lightning-fast system pop-up, she scowled.
Grumbling about the system’s slowness, she checked the information.
From the distant past to the present.
Knowing all of Verheim’s history, her face crumpled.
“Ha… these bastards. The nerve of them.”
She gritted her teeth in disbelief.
Ding-dong-
As the temple bells rang, dawn broke, and the monster gradually returned to human form.
Lucian, who relied entirely on his hearing, looked at her with an indescribable expression and finally spoke.
“…We know each other.”
“Lucian Pennister.”
“So you knew my identity as well… then…”
“Yes. The ‘Zoe Blanche’ you know doesn’t know your true identity.”
She shrugged, as if she already knew what he would ask.
Lucian let out a sigh of relief.
“That’s a relief. I wanted to reveal my identity to Zoe personally.”
“…”
“Then will you tell me? Your true identity, and about the monster sleeping inside me?”
For a moment, a light enveloped his body, easing the pain in his chest and clearing his dark vision.
Luan closed his eyes and focused his aura in his core to test one more thing.
A pure, dazzling blue aura enveloped him entirely.
‘As expected, my aura has fully returned.’
After transforming into a monster, he had struggled to control his aura.
He needed to understand the curse inside him, even if it meant clinging to the woman before him.
“Ha, humans really are arrogant. Fine, I can tell you—if you meet a few conditions. Interested?”
“Of course. It’s a promise.”
