Chapter 137: Chapter 137

"The sound of my teeth clacking is refreshing~!"

Such an absurd statement had just come out of my mouth. My mind was fully conscious, but it felt as if something had completely covered my skeleton, immobilizing me.

I couldn't move a single bone of my own will, not even a fingertip. It felt like I was wrapped in delicate, invisible threads, manipulated like a puppet.

The eerie sensation filled me with terror. I trembled, trying to break free from the unseen threads. But even the act of trembling was an illusion. I could neither move nor stop moving.

Rena looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Huh? What did you just say?"

I turned my head naturally toward her. "I don’t know. Did you not hear me?"

Ireached out my hand and slowly traced along Rena’s chin.

What the hell is this?!

This couldn't even be brushed off as an unconscious impulse. I had never harbored such thoughts toward a human woman. All I ever felt was a vague sense of responsibility, at best, a faint sympathy. Yet, as they caressed her chin, my fingers moved with the utmost grace and skill.

That left only the second possibility.

Like most problems, the answer had already been presented long ago.

It was the sorcerer, Isaac Bel'Homec. He must have latched onto me when Grassmere's Fire consumed him. I had no choice but to accept this as the answer.

The deranged laughter that had been echoing in my mind just moments ago resurfaced. From beginning to end, this had all been part of his plan. He had made Chandler dream to lure me here.

However, there was still one unanswered question.

If he sought strength, there were stronger figures than me. There were the Tower Lords of Azure. There were even the Swordmasters or even the Red Flake, the guild to which Gith-Za-Raiand the Starlight Blue Fox belonged.

If he had simply sought an easy target, Chandler would have sufficed. Possessing Chandler would have made survival in the human world far simpler.

The smoke had descended upon me swiftly, too fast to even think about fleeing. It was also too thick to even consider cutting through it with sword energy.

He could have devoured anyone. So why me?

Being unable to move was more confining than any prison. It didn't take long for me to realize the gravity of the situation. I couldn't even kill myself if I wanted to.

Was Chandler part of this?

Through my blurred vision, I caught a glimpse of Chandler. After setting the egg ablaze, his expression had been one of triumph. Now, he looked utterly bewildered.

No, if he had been an accomplice, he wouldn’t have needed to keep up the act now that I was completely possessed.

"Hah. Your skin is so soft. Maybe I should've chosen you instead."

Even as my mind raced with calculations, I continued to tease Rena smoothly.

Rena’s face turned red, blushing like the petals of a balsam flower. She froze in place and blinked.

My fingers extended toward her collarbone. They brushed against her skin, checking her pulse.

Then, I whispered softly in her ear, "You like me, don’t you?"

Rena’s pale white nape turned bright red in an instant.

What kind of insane nonsense is this?!

I summoned all my strength to pull my fingers away, but they wouldn’t budge. The warmth of Rena's shifting body temperature radiated against my fingers, and her wild, pounding pulse beat fiercely beneath my fingertips.

I screamed internally, Stop. Stop. STOP—!

[You’re trying to resist possession!]

[You lack a mental resistance skill. Resistance probability and effectiveness are determined by Wisdom.

The Suggested World’s Fate has been activated. If your Wisdom is above 150, you will fall into Fear, Despair, and Oblivion.

Your Wisdom is too low. You failed to resist.]

A notification flashed before my eyes, and despair sank in. I had never considered my Wisdom stat to be particularly high.

150 or less doesn’t even count as a challenge?

I was so stunned that I simply stood there, dumbfounded.

A sigh escaped from someone nearby. I turned toward the source of the voice. It was Chandler.

His face, overwhelmed with euphoria, lit up as he exclaimed, "I-I truly thank you! Thanks to you, I have avenged my family's grudge passed down for generations! I will never forget this kindness!"

"You did well. You played the biggest role," I said.

"You’ve been rummaging around here and there…"

I lightly tapped my skull with my fingers.

"...and you happened to meet someone like me."

I had no idea what kind of nonsense I was spouting.

Chandler hesitated for a moment but then nodded as if making a reasonable guess. "Yes! Meeting someone as powerful as you sir was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of fortune!"

"Well… rather than being powerful right now, let’s just say I was chosen for my potential," I said.

Both Chandler and Rena looked confused. I didn’t even understand what I was saying.

I was possessed because of my potential? Could the sorcerer, Isaac Bel'Homec, have known about my regression?

"Now, shall we head up? Acorn! Come here. You did great," I said.

Acorn hesitated, stepping back cautiously.

I swiftly grabbed Acorn and lifted it into my arms. At this point, I had grown accustomed to my bones moving on their own, completely disregarding my will.

For the first time, I realized just how defenseless I was against this type of attack.

Even if I had swordsmanship on par with the imperial guards, what does it matter if I could be possessed this easily?

If I died and revived again, I had to prepare countermeasures for this kind of attack.

"Heh. What a perfectly shaped skull curve."

Acorn struggled in my grip.

Did Acorn sense that something is wrong?

I firmly grasped its tail, refusing to let go. Internally, I was grateful that Acorn had noticed that something was off. But I felt even worse knowing it was now suffering because of that awareness. Lost in thought, a sudden wave of dread washed over me.

I was teasing Rena, and now I was restraining Acorn. I had no idea how long I would be under control.

What if I have to watch myself kill Rena or Acorn while being fully conscious?

A shiver ran down my spine, colder than death itself. For the first time, I truly grasped the situation. This was a crisis far worse than dying.

From the corner of my vision, I saw Acorn’s tail swaying in my grasp.

"Why are you fussing? There's no need to find another way out. Look, it's wide open, isn't it?"

I pointed toward the entrance. The passage was now completely open, and it looked identical on both ends.

Rena blinked, her pale nape still flushed red. "When did that happen?"

"We killed the sorcerer. That means the dungeon is over now,." I answered.

"But, Master… are you really okay?"

Did she notice something off, like Acorn?

Rena had sharp instincts, and she had been watching me closely all this time.

My speech and actions had changed after being engulfed in that smoke. There was no way she wouldn’t have felt something was wrong, but it was a futile hope.

[Skill: Hypnosis Lv. 15 has been activated.]

[Skill: Allusion Lv. 15 has been activated.]

"Of course. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?" I said in an eerily low tone.

My speech had an unnatural rhythm, like a spell woven into my words.

"I… suppose so?" Rena said skeptically.

"Everyone here is fine. The people outside are fine. If the lord is fine too, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

I slowly looked around and rhythmically snapped my fingers.

Everyone's expressions grew vacant as though a dull ringing echoed in their ears.

Even Christina and Chandler nodded along. I had never absorbed or learned Hypnosis and Allusion.

Did I gain new abilities when I was possessed?

The skills were also at an extremely high level. Resistance was impossible.

Rena nodded. "Everyone seems fine."

Although Rena was the sharpest of them all, even she lost the light in her eyes after just a few words.

Despite my despair, my jaw moved effortlessly. "Then let’s go up."

Leading the party, I casually left the tomb. We passed through the long corridor, past the collapsed golems. Outside, night had already fallen.

"Everyone, get some rest. Check on the lord, too. He should be fine," I said briefly.

Chandler suddenly looked as if he had just remembered about the lord. Before we entered, he had been extremely anxious that killing the sorcerer might harm the lord. Now, he wasn’t worried at all as Hypnosis and Allusion had taken full effect.

Chandler and Christina left.

My hand traced her collarbone, then slid up her neck. I effortlessly grasped her small chin.

Rena gazed at me with submissive eyes. "Yes?"

I tilted her face side to side, examining it. Even without applying force, her neck moved obediently under my grasp.

"I’ll rest alone tonight. That’s fine, right?" I asked Rena.

"Understood. I’ll sleep far away tonight," she replied.

Rena walked off in a daze. Nestled in her arms, Acorn lowered itself and let out a low growl. It was still conscious. Whoever was controlling me must have deemed Acorn unworthy of being hypnotized.

Rena’s footsteps echoed down the long corridor.

I sat down on the couch. It was soft. My sight, my senses—everything was intact, but my skeleton was no longer mine.

There was a large mirror in front of the couch. I didn’t know if I had done it intentionally, but it was the perfect position for self-reflection.

I removed my armor piece by piece, tilting my skull as I examined myself.

I reached inside my ribcage, tracing its width with my fingers. The sensation of stiffening, contracting bones made me nauseous.

I needed to die. Somehow, I had to find an opportunity to kill myself. I had no idea what I might be forced to do. Even after countless lifetimes, I could end up committing irredeemable acts with my own hands.

I spotted the greatsword resting beside the couch.

Move. Move. Move. Please…

I would grab the sword, split my head open, and end this. If I started over, I would never come near this tomb again.

My fingertips twitched and reached slightly toward the sword’s hilt.

But that was all. I had no strength left. Mentally, I was completely exhausted.

I clasped my hands together and gazed into the mirror. The reflection, a pure white skeleton, tilted its skull curiously in front of the silvered glass.

"Oh? You’re still conscious? You haven’t fallen into the void yet?"

A buzzing sound rang in my head. The noise was suffocating, threatening to smother my mind in darkness.

The ominous ringing never ceased. Then, I started hearing individual strands within the sound. I could hear thousands upon thousands of crows cawing in unison. A massive crow emerged from the depths of my subconscious. A man with piercing blue eyes stared down at me while riding on its back.

"Ahh. No wonder I had a bad feeling… Are you really still in there? Speak."

"Me? Who else could I be but you? This is ridiculous… I can't believe you resisted soul transference. This has never happened before, not even in the demon realm."

"The demon realm? Are you Malphas, then?"

This was Malphas’ temple. I thought the sorcerer was responsible, but this theory wasn’t impossible.

Instead of answering, the man atop the crow burst into laughter, clutching his sides.

The massive platinum earrings on his ears jingled with every laugh. The man was covered in extravagant jewels, from ten rings on his fingers to his wrists and even his pierced tongue.

The laughter didn’t stay confined to my consciousness. My physical self laughed hysterically in the mirror, my bones rattling.

"Don’t get cocky. Do you really think the King would descend for someone like you?"

The voice echoed twice—once in my mind and once in reality.

"How long do you plan to stay here? If you don’t like it, return my body to me."

The jewel-covered man sneered down at me.

"Shut up. You may be an idiot who can’t even use your abilities properly, but you’re quite useful as a vessel for descent."

"I can’t use my abilities?"

I moved without hesitation.

A soft sound rang out as I uncorked a small vial of Lurium.

I had to give it to Rena. Since she was under hypnosis, she had left everything in my room.

She needs it to become the new branch leader.

"It’s a crucial moment, you know? If you interfere even once, I’ll kill that girl tonight."

A pale blue energy flickered to life at the tip of the dagger in my hand.

I stared into the mirror and, with terrifying precision, pressed the dagger’s edge against my ribs.