Ch.7979. A Body That Cannot Live Without

Trash stood shirtless and dazed, trying to recall how things had come to this.

How did it all come to this?

It began when he received the devastating news that his son had gone missing after completing a Rift expedition.

His son Diggers, who had grown up with exceptional talent and without any lack. That boy was clearly destined to become a fine man who would succeed him.

But then. That son disappeared overnight.

The Academy called it a “disappearance,” but he didn’t believe it. Not a disappearance inside the Rift, but after coming out? It was an unbelievable story.

Something must have happened in the Rift. They just didn’t want to admit it and were making excuses. He could be certain because he had done similar things himself.

That’s why he hadn’t bothered searching, instead sharpening his blade while waiting for the day of revenge… What? Now they’re saying he’s dead? And not just dead, but they had to kill him because he returned as a demon?

‘Not content with killing my son and trying to cover it up, now you’re trying to destroy my family’s honor as well.’

Rage boiled up inside him. He had never been on good terms with the Academy, but he never expected them to be this blatant. So as soon as he received the news, he headed straight to the Academy.

At first, he was determined to at least confirm they were lying.

But… the first people he encountered upon arrival were three individuals who belonged to the Student Council, and thanks to them, a good idea came to mind.

‘This could have gotten complicated, but I got lucky.’

Right there, he detained them, pretending to ask about the incident while waiting for any mention of the commoner standing before him.

That’s how he found his opening, and he immediately took action.

“That commoner can’t be trusted! Detain him for questioning immediately!”

Even though the guy was just a commoner, he was still a student enrolled at the Academy. Using that fact would surely allow him to land a blow against the Academy.

Besides, everyone knew how commoners were treated. If he handled the aftermath properly, the Academy wouldn’t be able to say much.

It was a sudden and impulsive action, but he was confident he could handle it. After all, he possessed a relic that could read people’s minds.

So the only thing that mattered now was what the two women standing beside him were thinking…

[She is surprised by your actions.]

[She has no intention of stopping your actions.]

Even this worked in his favor. The Duke’s daughter seemed a bit surprised, but Her Highness the Imperial Princess was simply observing the situation impassively.

‘As expected. The rumors were all lies.’

Yes, that’s right. Of course. Why would the Imperial Princess care about a mere commoner? Even if she did, it would only be to keep him under her command.

After a rumor once spread through the Academy that he was homosexual, he had decided never to believe rumors again.

He had only checked because he was worried that she might appeal to emotions, forgetting her position due to her youth, but he had expected this outcome all along.

His worries were gone. He could secure the commoner without any trouble.

Though the lack of resistance was strange, he didn’t even need to read his mind. The commoner must have known that someone of his lowly status could do nothing.

‘…In that case, he might make a good subject for that experiment I’ve been researching.’

He’s just a commoner anyway. If he disappeared, he would soon be forgotten, so he might as well make the most of him now that he had captured him.

That’s what he thought.

[Ludion]

[Strength: 17]

[Endurance: 8]

[Agility: 26]

[Mana: 11]

[Traits: ■■■■, Good for your body and tasty too]

[He has stolen all your possessions and is trying to hide it.]

Until he felt something was off and checked his ability stats.

He was just about to feel relieved seeing the ordinary, even meager stats that confirmed the rumors were exaggerated, when a strange trait that didn’t match him caught his eye.

[■■■■]

[■■■ ■■■■■. ■■ ■■■ ■■ ■■■■■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■■.]

‘What in the world….’

After seeing something he couldn’t possibly understand, it didn’t take long to reach his current state.

“…”

He stared blankly at his wrist.

It was gone. The extraordinary relic he had been using so effectively all this time had passed into the hands of a commoner in an instant.

It was a mistake. Thinking he was just a commoner, just a first-year, he hadn’t bothered to check properly. There had been no connection between them to begin with. So he couldn’t have imagined he would know anything.

No, no. That’s not what’s important right now. Right now…

“Bring him to me. Now.”

Recovering the item that damned bastard had taken had to be the top priority. Tearing him apart or burning him to death could come after.

Having overcome countless situations with the help of the relic, he could no longer live without it.

///

Escaping outside wasn’t difficult. Most of the main forces would be following Trash anyway.

Although I was spotted here and there while moving around inside the Count’s residence, that didn’t matter since Trash was already searching for me with fire in his eyes.

So instead of hiding or trying to divert attention, I chose to head straight for the ancient book repository.

I thought the security might be lax since I could move around so easily, but thinking about it, security didn’t mean much when I had an ability like Evasion. Without Evasion, I wouldn’t have even made it this far.

And so I arrived at the ancient book repository. It was a massive wooden building, with the surrounding environment magically regulated to preserve the building and the books inside.

Perhaps that’s why the air felt quite pleasant just from approaching it.

“Over there!!”

…This was no time to be enjoying the air. I headed into the building, escaping Trash’s voice that was getting closer.

The interior of the building had the atmosphere of a sacred cathedral. Ancient books were densely packed on old-fashioned bookshelves, and the distinctive smell of old books wafted through the air.

From this view alone, it was indeed an ancient book repository. However, if you opened the hidden trapdoor and went underground, you would find a space where forbidden books were collected.

They really love basements. Why do they always hide things underground?

With such thoughts, I found where the hidden trapdoor was located.

“Here it is.”

In a corner of the building. Boxes filled with small books were stacked up. They didn’t seem to be well-maintained, as dust had accumulated visibly.

It looked like something no one would approach or touch. That’s why it seemed suspicious. Yes, if I moved these boxes, the hidden trapdoor would be revealed.

The boxes were quite heavy with all the books inside, but I’m a man with a Strength of 17 after all.

It’s just that I haven’t stood out much because I’ve been among the main characters, but 17 is genuinely strong. I’m not fighting monsters, so this much is nothing.

As I was busy moving the boxes, the outside gradually became noisy, and then the door of the repository burst open with a bang.

“…”

It was Trash, leading even more knights than before. He had somehow managed to put on new clothes, though he had buttoned them incorrectly in his haste.

I looked at him, wondering what he might say, when Trash quietly asked.

“…How much do you know?”

By now, he seemed to have figured something out.

Well, it would be stranger if he hadn’t noticed—coming here right away, raiding his secret storage, stealing the bracelet he was wearing, and then running straight here to move boxes looking for a trapdoor.

I quickly checked what Trash was thinking.

[He wants to persuade you.]

…That’s strange? I thought he’d want to kill me right away.

Then, the text rippled and additional content appeared.

[He wants to persuade you, take back his item, and then kill you.]

That’s more like it.

I deliberately held up the bracelet in front of his eyes. Understanding what this meant, Trash tried to coax me in a panicked voice.

“…Wait, there must be a reason you’re going this far. I’ll listen to anything. Just give that back.”

His tone had suddenly become kind. Checking his thoughts again, he seemed quite sincere this time. But knowing him, he would switch his attitude as soon as he achieved his goal. That’s the kind of person he was.

‘A reason for going this far…’

I thought for a moment about what the Zivchak Family had done in the original story.

When supplies became difficult during prolonged battles, he used his octopus-like business to line his own pockets.

While he was safely drinking alcohol, he suddenly diverted military support for his own protection, then spread false information to various families to justify it, causing support to be cut off.

In the worst case, when fighting against demons who led monsters in an attack, he made a contract with the demons just to save himself…

Come to think of it, Diggers becoming a demon was a family tradition. That was completely foreshadowing.

Anyway, this was just scratching the surface. No matter how selfish humans are in pursuing their interests, being this extreme makes it impossible not to dislike him.

Moreover, what I’m trying to overturn now is a similar situation.

He’s currently researching a forbidden book with a formula that controls minds, which he later uses to kidnap and brainwash several important figures.

It caused a lot of trouble when three or four key forces were diverted to protect the Zivchak Family during crucial battles.

“Answer me!! What are you going to do?!”

I don’t understand how people who do such things can raise their voices so confidently.

It’s not even worth answering. I simply raised one hand… and gave him the middle finger. As for his reaction…

“…You seem to think I’m a joke. Kill him without hesitation. We can take the item after he’s dead.”

When a person’s anger reaches its peak, it often turns cold—that’s exactly how it felt.

The knights began to slowly approach me following his coldly delivered order. Trash wasn’t planning to just stand by either, as he began preparing to cast magic from behind.

Does he not care what happens to all these ancient books? Setting aside the books, he must have seen my strange trait with his own eyes, shouldn’t he be more cautious?

Wondering what he was thinking, I checked…

[He is recalling your stats and mocking you.]

That’s actually a somewhat understandable reason. No matter how good the software is, if the hardware performance is poor, it’s like putting a pearl necklace on a pig.

My stats are a bit low, I admit that! But I’ve managed everything with these stats so far. And I plan to continue doing so.

‘This is my first battle since opening my inventory though.’

But it should be better than not having it.

Well then… want to taste some Quick Swap?