Chapter 38
Chapter 38 – Come to Think of It, I’m a Hero (6)
He had become a hero, so he finally stiffened his resolve to fight the Demon King. So what the hell was this? The Demon King was trying to change humans into demons? Artpe wanted to farm in the human world at a later date. It would be a problem if the human world was turned into the demon world! He wouldn’t forgive anyone who attempted to pour cold water on Artpe’s retirement plan.
Artpe’s burning will was infused into the Mana Strings, and they burrowed into her body. From the beginning, Artpe hadn’t planned on stopping the change entirely. A complete reversal of the change was impossible. Such tasks were in the territory of the gods.
The only thing he could do was influence the direction of the change. Yes, it was the same as when he made the changes to the Record Link inside the Dungeon.
‘I just have to prevent her from becoming a demon. She also has to have control over herself. I have to protect these two things. It is a must.’
Artpe used all the experience he gained from his past life as he tuned her with his Mana Strings. The Mana Strings infused with the power of the Read All Creation ability continuously moved in a subtle manner to suppress the changes caused by the Mana, and the Mana was directed towards a different direction.
Whether it was his life as a demon or a human hero, his Innate Ability had always been with him. It was really ironic that these these two vastly different experiences was of help when dealing with this problem.
He now had extensive knowledge about demons and humans. His knowledge allowed him to combine the Mana String and the Read All Creation ability. It gave him the ability to open a new path for the Mana within Sienna’s body.
“Ah. Ah-ooh-ooh-ahhhhhh.”
“Can you hear me, Sienna? You have to resist against the impulse to fight the flow of Mana. You have to concentrate, and you have to be clear in your thoughts. You can’t be swayed by your impulse.”
Artpe kept talking to Sienna, who was groaning from the pain she was feeling. He continued to manipulate his Mana Strings.
In some aspects, he had to concentrate harder than the time when he had absorbed all the curse in this communal space at once. However, he was fueled by his anger towards the Demon King, and an urgent need to prevent Maetel from becoming wounded by this incident. There were multiple factors driving him forward, so this task was really nothing to him.
“Sienna, Sienna!”
“Stay still, Aena. I also feel restless, but…. If we interfere with Artpe right now, Sienna will be in big trouble.”
“Ooh ooh ooh······!”
Maetel had calmed down thanks to Artpe, so she was able to hold back the agitated Aena. She gathered the children to one side.
Even if they had been freed from the curse, they hadn’t bathed since arriving here. Moreover, they hadn’t been fed. The state of their health was a mess. If she wanted their bodies to feel the least amount of stress, she would have to send them outside the Dungeon.
“Noonah, I’m hungry.”
“I’m cold. I’m scared. Who is that hyung? Is he on the same side as the ajusshi? Will we turn out weird like her?”
“No, everything is fine. You will all be better soon.”
Maetel was still a child. She was at an age where she should be under the protection of adults. However, she didn’t hesitate to take care of children who were of similar age as her. In fact, she took care of kids that were older than her.
‘I’m tired. I’m tired and exhausted. I want to rest.’
She glanced at the cowering children, then she turned to look at Artpe. He was using an incomprehensibly complex magic to save the last child.
His eyes didn’t falter as brilliant Mana rose out of him. She was sure he was more tired than her, yet Artpe only thought about the task at hand. He did the impossible without hesitation.
‘All right.’
Maetel poured strength into her body as she stood up. If Artpe had seen her, she was sure he would have been happy at how she was handling herself. He would have praised her. This thought allowed her to wade through anything that was thrown her way..
‘A little bit more! Shit! A little bit more!’
Artpe was panting right now. The girl was floating in the air a little bit as she was continuously showing reaction to the Mana.
Her skin had turned black before, but now it was the opposite. She enough white enough to be called pale, and even her hair had turned into a peculiar milk-like color. In truth, the Mana reaction she was experiencing was large and fierce. It was an indication that the current situation was unstable. It felt as if the situation could run away from him, and she would go on a rampage.
“O…oppa.”
“Hold on. You can do this.”
When Artpe saw her, he realized the truth that this wasn’t just an adventure. This was why he couldn’t give up now. The girl labored as she opened her eyes to look at him. He gave her words of encouragement to lift her spirits, and he desperately guided her Mana.
‘The full sense of self that cannot be tampered. A body that isn’t sullied by the demonic energy.’
He dismantled the Mana that was causing changes to her record and structure. He destroyed the path laid in front of him as he promoted a new path. It was something impossible to do if he hadn’t possessed the Read All Creation ability and the Mana String.
He was using an Innate Ability and a Unique skill at the same time, so he was consuming an extreme amount of Mana. This was why he was having having a hard time breathing, and he felt dizzy. Still, he didn’t stop.
This wasn’t simply about saving a girl. The Demon King was trying some bullshit of a plan where he was trying to turn humans into demons. This was the first step in destroying the plan crafted by that petty and crafty coward!
The change that was turning Sienna into a demon had been occurring at a straightforward manner. The massive flow of Mana had been repeatedly moving forward before it gave way. Now that massive amount of Mana had come to a stop. It was a miracle.
“······oppa.”
Artpe’s eyes suddenly flew open.
Someone was grabbing onto the edge of his robe. He didn’t even have to look to know who it was.
“······you.”
The girl had opened her eyes, and she was looking at Artpe with a very faint smile on her face. Her Mana rushed towards the new path paved by Artpe.
Sienna had succeeding in learning the Mana Control!
[Sienna]
[Level : 1]
[Mana Control Lv1]
“So if I go this way…. It’ll be fine?”
“Ha. When I read that you were an experiment success, I recognized…..”
It seemed this girl had some talent in dealing with Mana. Artpe smirked as he had this thought. Silpennon had to pay 210 gold to purchase the Mana Control skill book. He probably would have felt aggrieved if he knew about this. However, this was great news for Artpe.
At her sense of achievement, he gave her a toothy smile as he spoke to her.
“Yes, let’s try this together once.”
“Yes, oppa.”
Artpe showed her the way, and Sienna tried hard to follow him. As her Mana went further down the path, it was changing the density of her Mana and the light within her. Her body was also being affected by the Mana, so small changes started appearing once again.
In the end, this wasn’t a path that would end with her becoming a human. However, the path wouldn’t lead her down the path to becoming a demon either. Her free will as a human had been successfully preserved. The only thing left was for her to confront the curse that was trying to turn her into a demon. When she rejected it, she would become something new!
‘If this is successful, I pretty much have a thesis that would be a big hit in the human world and demon world….!’
However, it didn’t matter which side he revealed the information to. He couldn’t tell anyone about this, because he would become the enemy of the world. He felt aggrieved at the fact that he couldn’t reveal this information!
Artpe took out a Mana Potion, and he drank it. Then he added more fuel into controlling his Mana Strings.
He activated the Read All Creation to its limit. It revealed the path of the Mana within Sienna’s body to his eyes. He merged this path with the Mana Strings, and he sealed all the circuitry related to the demon race. Then he guided her Mana.
Her body writhed, and her hair became luminous. However, Artpe and Sienna no longer paid attention to such changes. Sienna was handling her Mana for the first time, and she was drunk on the experience. Pain couldn’t hold a candle to the joy of the Mana!
“Oppa.”
“You aren’t too far off. Just a little bit more. You need to take one more step.”
“One step.. I just have to take one more step······!”
The trace energy of the demon race was slowly disappearing. As the circuitry for the demon race was sealed, a new Mana circuitry revealed itself.
It was a path that was neither human or demon. As she traveled further down the path, her Mana kept getting brighter as its constitution changed! When Artpe confirmed the changed, he unconsciously clenched his fist.
‘It’s done······! It really worked!’
“I did it, oppa!”
It was Sienna’s voice. It seemed she could also feel her curse being blocked.
In truth, he could no longer feel the energy of the Demon race within her. The only downside was the fact that he could barely feel the energy of a human from her. It was enough for her not to run afoul of the Demon King’s Innate ability!
“Kyahhhk!”
The circuitry was now complete. It passed through her entire body, and the Mana started circulating within her body at a rapid pace. It created a noisy sound that deafened everyone’s ears.
“Ooh-ahhhhhhhh!”
“Ooh-goo-goohk.”
Artpe groaned as he desperately observed what was going on. It was the method that would allow one to escape the curse that made one into a demon. The method that would allow him to properly fuck over the Demon King was being engraved into Sienna’s body in real time.
Above all things, It was a very valuable record. Maybe his reincarnation occurred, so he could learn this information!
In the next moment, a bright light was emitted from her body.
At the same time, a new information appeared in front of Artpe’s eyes.
[Sienna]
[Level : 2]
[Race : Evil Reflecter]
“Pffft.”
When he found out the name of her race, he let out a laugh. Evil Reflecter? How can such a childish and obvious name could exist for a race! Was it because she was born by rejecting the Demon race! It made him want to go find god. Artpe wanted to ask what he was thinking when he made the name.
Still, he was happy. He was unsure if he could be happier than what he was feeling right now. This really was the first step to destroy the ambitions possessed by the Demon King!
So this was it. This was why everyone wanted to become a hero! Artpe was feeling an emotion that clashed with him at a fundamental level, so he became self-absorbed in it. However, at that moment, someone tugged at his robe. Of course, it was Sienna.
“Oppa!”
“Yes, you did well.”
Artpe was breaking out in cold sweat as he smiled. He stroked her head as he comforted her. Her skin remained pale, and her hair was white too. However, her hair was lustrous. Unlike before, she was full of life energy and magical energy.
She had white skin, and white luminous hair. Sienna looked very alien, but this actually made look very charming.
She looked a little bit younger than Maetel, and the girl let out a bright and innocent smile towards her rescuer. She had met Artpe for the first time today, but the smile contained an unlimited amount of trust towards Artpe.
“Thank you, oppa”
“It’s nothing. I gained some very good data thanks to you. I should be the one thanking you.”
“Heh heh.”
From the moment Sienna started becoming a demon to the moment where she became an Evil Reflecter, he had observed and recorded everything with his Read All Creation ability. Of course, it was still impossible for him, but this record would allow him to research a method to counter the demonifying curse. He might be able to come up with a method that’ll allow him to resist against the Demon King’s ability.!
“Sienna!”
“Unni.”
Artpe let go of Artpe’s robe, and she rested herself completely on the floor. She hugged her unni, who had run towards her.
Maetel had looked on with a nervous heart. She had been sad at the thought of one more child becoming a monster. Maetel and the other children were truly relieved at the sight.
“I’m glad you are fine.”
“It is all thanks to oppa. Oppa helped me.”
“······mmmm.”
Maetel had a smile on her face. However, when she heard Sienna’s bright voice and face, she started creeping towards Artpe’s side. She grabbed his robe. There was still a smile on her face, but there was a sense of gloominess that was a small part of her expression.
“It is a relief that Sienna is fine. Right, Artpe?”
“It feels as if there is a smidge of regret in your voice, Maetel.”
“You are mistaken. I’m really happy. I want Aena and Sienna to live a happy life. At the town… Just the two of them…”
Mmm. It seemed he hadn’t been mistaken. Maetel was burning with jealousy towards a girl that was younger than her. Why was the hero wired like this! Artpe flicked Maetel’s forehead as he sighed.
Anyways, the Quest was complete. He couldn’t save the children that had already been turned into monsters. However, he couldn’t be sad about the missed opportunity. He decided it was right to be thankful for those that he was able to save with his hands. When he had this thought, he suddenly felt fatigue wash over his mind.
“······ooh-ah. I want to rest.”
“Yes, Artpe. I really want to rest too.”
Artpe’s words were heartfelt. Maetel let out a bitter laugh as she agreed with him. They looked at each other, and they started giggling. Then they turned to look at the children, who were staring at them in puzzlement.
“Let’s go home.”
“No. I want to wash myself first.”
“I want to wash myself too!”
“I’m hungry!”
It seemed the fear that had gripped the children were gone thanks to Artpe’s activities. As if they had made a promise beforehand, the children started expressing their desires. Soon, the communal space descended into chaos.
At that moment, a person with the all-round ability that could grant all their wishes made her entrance!
“It doesn’t matter where or when. The Anywhere company is always with you. I am the merchant Mycenae! Please ask me for anything. I will fulfill your desires…. Oh my?”
Mycenae and Artpe looked at each other.
Mycenae put on a charming smile, and Artpe laughed as he asked her a question.
“Ajumma, did you acquire the cleaning magic as I’ve requested?”