Chapter 61

Just what happened was uncertain, but this was for sure . That man is dangerous – The lich had lived for more than a century, but something like this was a first .

‘Magic reflection… no… it’s not that . If he had such a protection on him, my attack shouldn’t have worked at all . ’

The lich put his hand against the wall to support himself . To a monster classified as a lich, the physical body did not mean much . The thing it needed to ‘survive’, was the ‘lifeforce vessel’ that they gain through the contract where they give up their body and soul . As long as the lifeforce vessel is intact, a mere body could be reconstructed anytime .

In other words, physical damage did not mean much to a lich . However, mental damage was a different story . To a lich, this was the most fatal type of attack – a mind attack .

‘That thing… just what is his identity?’

His magic was reflected . It wasn’t simply reflected . The magic that returned… was fatal enough to almost destroy the lich’s mind . Even the hidden lifeforce vessel received damage .

‘It did not reflect any other types of magic . But… the magic that read and subdued his mind was reflected . What is it? Just what kind of protection…?’

There were several suspicious things about him . The Demon King of Fear, that the lich had contracted with, had refused that man’s soul as offering . “I cannot accept it,” the Demon King had said, and the lich had to give up his precious magic stone to compensate for summoning the Demon King .

“Damn . Just what is going on…!”

The lich kept moving while uttering in frustration . Due to the reflected mental damage, it was very hard to move, and it was impossible to cast any magic . Never did he think that he would be put in such a state by a mere human, and on the level of a peak-level expert .

‘First, I need to regain the lost mana… . ’

The lich walked while dragging his robes . Sungmin… he did not touch his hands on . This was fear – something that the lich hadn’t felt in a long time .

The lich headed to the place where he imprisoned Xeon and the other S-rank mercenaries . This was a deeper place than his workshop . Here, the lich was researching into his dearest wishes, that lead him to becoming a lich in the first place .

Two hearts .

The lich looked at the two hearts floating in the air . They were required to implement his ultimate chimera research – mix two different species to create the ultimate artificial lifeform . This was the pursuit of chimerology .

The reason he made a chimera out of an ogre, was because he thought the ogres to be close to the ultimate beings in terms of land monsters that walked on two feet . However, the results weren’t satisfactory . First, it looked hideous, and second, it was hard to control . The life that the lich wanted to create was more beautiful, and stronger .

That heart was the ultimate essence of the lich’s research . If there was a flaw, it was that the body that would be its vessel was flawed . Originally, he was going to offer the soul with the twisted karma, and perfect the flawed body before transplanting the heart .

However, it had failed . The offering was refused . This was a first . The lich looked up at the heart and gritted his teeth . It didn’t matter . He didn’t want to touch that mysterious human, but he first had to leave this place with the heart, after refilling his mana . The lich approached the mercenaries .

“Cute little thing . Pretending to be asleep . ”

The lich laughed . At those words, Xeon, who was out, flinched a little . Due to the magic backfire, the magic he had cast beforehand, was dispelled . Although the other mercenaries were still out of themselves, Xeon, who was the best among them, had woken up and laid low .

“Did you try to ambush me when I showed an opening? Forget about it . Even if I’m not in my normal state, I can play with you like a toy . ”

The lich’s words were the truth . Xeon, who pretended to be unconscious, bit his lips and stood up . The lich ignored him and made hand seals . The bodies of the mercenaries around Xeon started floating in the air .

“It’s annoying… very annoying . To think it would go like this… I thought that the coming days will be full of joy… so it turns out mere mortals cannot be sure of the future… . ”

The lich spoke inexplicable words and stole energy from the mercenaries . Eventually, they collapsed on the ground, mummified . Seeing that, Xeon’s body trembled .

“…Will… I become like that too?”

“Huh? No, not you . ”

The lich felt like living again now that he regained his mana . He laughed in pleasure as he looked at Xeon .

“I’m going to use you in a much more valuable matter . Yes . a soul of your caliber… . ”

“Prescan . ”

The lich’s body trembled . Xeon’s eyes widened . Prescan – this was the lich’s name . The lich turned his head around while trembling .

A man was looking at the lich . The lich had its back against him, and did not realize that the man was here, and so was Xeon . That man… appeared out of nowhere like a ghost .

“I finally found you . To think you’d be hiding in a place like this… . ”

The man clicked his tongue as he muttered . The lich, Prescan, felt panic with shock and trembled .

“L… Lloyd . ”

“So it seems you didn’t forget . ”

Lloyd shrugged his shoulders and laughed . He slowly approached Prescan and raised his hand .

“It’s been 10 years, hasn’t it? I’ve been looking for you for ten years . ”

“You… tenacious bastard…! You were still coming after me!?”

“Yeah . It was a boring pursuit . But you… what happened to you? You look weaker than you were ten years ago . ”

Prescan did not reply . Never did he imagine that Lloyd would find him here today . This was some damned fate .

“Well… I guess that isn’t my problem . Even if I kill you here, I do not know where you hid your lifeforce vessel . Looks like it will be a boring pursuit again . Well, first is killing you here . ”

Lloyd took a big step . Seeing Lloyd, Xeon felt a huge pressure and trembled . Although he was at the very limits of peak-level and was close to the exceeds, the pressure that Lloyd was giving out as he approached Prescan wasn’t something he could go against .

“You… damn…!”

Prescan shouted as he made hand seals . Immediately, magic energy shot up from below his feet . Lloyd snorted as he saw Prescan using magic . He also created hand seals, and the black magic energy that assaulted Lloyd was pushed back by a bright golden light .

“Even you at your full power will not be able to confront me . And you want to face me in your current state?”

“You… damned monster . !”

“Who’s calling who a monster . ”

Lloyd laughed mockingly . The golden light from Lloyd lightened up the dark cave . Prescan retreated a few steps back, and was faced with a decision . At this rate, he would receive fatal damage and lose his body, and will return to where his lifeforce vessel is . If that was the end of it, Prescan would have chosen that without hesitation .

However, it wasn’t . The two hearts . They were the ultimate goal of the wishes that eventually led him to becoming a lich . In the end, Prescan bit his lips and shouted . (T/N: He had lips!?)

“Open your eyes!”

When he shouted, the hearts made a horn-like sound . One of the hearts thumped out like mad and enormous amounts of magic energy swirled around it . Lloyd flinched and looked at the air . He left the two hearts alone because he couldn’t feel anything from it, but it wasn’t like that now . The magic energy that the thumping heart pumped out as well as the ominous feeling was enough to threaten Lloyd .

“You… just what…!”

“Watch!”

Prescan shouted out loud . Although this was a forced decision, Prescan felt deep admiration and fear towards his ultimate creation . The swirling magic energy became a body . Lloyd hurriedly created hand seals and shot magic towards the heart, but his magic dissipated in the air without even approaching it .

The body was complete . What came down took form of a very young girl . However, it wasn’t human . The ominous magic energy that the heart generated was inside the girl’s body .

“You . . just… what did you make…?”

Lloyd stuttered . Prescan opened his arms wide and shouted .

“The ultimate existence!”

As though answering to his reply, the girl opened her eyes . Although he did shout those words, both the heart and the body were still incomplete . Moreover, due to the urgent situation, no tuning was done either . Despite that, he had to do this in order to break through this situation .

‘I just need to perfect the remaining one . For now… . ’

However .

The girl’s state was strange . She only stood there blankly, and did not take any action . Prescan, who was looking at the girl’s back, suddenly shouted .

“Kill that man!”

The girl did not reply . She only looked up into the air blankly . The remaining heart in the air was silent . Lloyd’s wary gaze towards the girl flinched . Although he didn’t know how things were going, this was a perfect opportunity for him .

Lloyd changed the form of his hand seals . Craash! A golden wave assaulted the girl . The girl’s eyes at the heart lowered . Poof! Lloyd’s magic that was attacking the girl dissipated into thin air . Watching as the phenomenon reverted to pure mana, Lloyd’s mouth gaped .

‘Dispel? No, that’s not right . My magic was dispelled? Without a single incantation!?’

“Good!”

Prescan shouted in excitement . The girl turned his head around hearing that . Prescan stiffened up after seeing the eyes of the girl that looked at him . Although her emotionless eyes did not contain murderous intent, it did not contain any other emotions either . Prescan took a step back while looking at the lifeless eyes as that of a doll .

“Wha… . what . I’m your master, no, I’m your father!”

“I know . ”

The girl nodded her head and answered . For a very brief instant, pity flashed in her eyes . Instead, her eyes turned to Xeon .

“That’s fine, right?”

“…Huh?”

“I am hungry . ”

The girl muttered . Before Prescan could do anything –

It happened in an instant . The girl was somehow before Xeon, and Xeon, an inner disciple of the Shaolin, and a peak-level expert, did not notice her approaching . Before Xeon could even react, death erased his consciousness out of his body .

Xeon died like that .

The girl pulled out her hand from Xeon’s chest . Prescan dumbfoundedly watched the girl from her back . Lloyd also became speechless . Both of them did not see the girl’s movements .

The girl stared at Xeon’s heart in her hand, before opening her mouth wide and taking a bite out of it .

“Ha, hahaha… . ”

Prescan laughed in delight, and

“…Freak… . !”

Lloyd became more hostile .

***

T/N: What the hell is up with this obsession with overpowered lolis… .

Yep… just like that . Xeon died .

Next chapter teaser: Sungmin’s encounter with Lloyd… and Lloyd’s identity; And he gains a mysterious new power…?