Chapter 138
Yan stood with the Soul Stone of the Human-faced spider resting on his palm, a sigh escaping his lips.
This stone was a spiritual elixir, its potency surpassing most others, capable of bestowing a resistance to toxins so strong that one could withstand a hundred poisons, if not a thousand.
Yet, despite the allure of such resilience in the face of the unknown, Yan was resigned.
“Alas…” he muttered.
The stone remained unconsumed, for the Phoenix Heart he had ingested not long ago still lay undigested within him.
To consume the Soul Stone now would be to risk bursting like a balloon overfilled with mana.
“Ah, what to do?” Yan pondered, considering storing the stone until the Phoenix Heart was fully absorbed.
But his heart wasn’t set on waiting.
“Why not give it to Cruel?” he thought. While the allegiance of Lorena, Charl, Kasa, and Roman was uncertain, he was confident in winning over Cruel.
As Yan weighed the benefits of feeding Cruel the stone, his face contorted with doubt.
“Isn’t this too much?” he questioned. The Soul Stone of Human-Faced Spider was a treasure, valuable enough to fund a baron’s budget for years.
Just then, a cough sounded from his pocket.
“…?”
Momon, who had been silent till now, peeked out curiously.
Yan chuckled at the sight. “You want it?”
Momon hesitated, “Well, if you’re offering…”
“I’m not,” Yan cut him off sharply, causing Momon to glare at him with hollow eyes.
Momon’s skeletal hand opened and closed, as if weighing options.
Yan’s eyes curved like crescent moons, sensing an opportunity to strike a deal.
Momon spoke softly, “…Give it to me.”
Yan leaned in, grinning, “What’s that?”
Momon, annoyed, shouted, “Open my void space!”
“Wasn’t that the deal? From our pact, remember?” Yan reminded him.
Momon feigned ignorance, “When did I agree to that?”
Yan sighed, “You’re twisting words again. You said you’d open it if only you had enough mana. So, when qualified, you’d grant access.”
Momon’s skull rattled, caught in a lie he thought Yan had forgotten.
After some contemplation, Momon conceded, “Fine, I’ll open the void space. And I’ll assist you once when you need it.”
Yan, however, wasn’t satisfied with just one favor.
“Just once? That’s too little,” he bargained.
Momon protested, “Do you not realize the honor of receiving aid from the great Archmage Momon?”
Yan shrugged nonchalantly, knowing pushing too far might sour the deal.
“How about like the last time you showed your true form?”
Momon gaped, “You want me to manifest? The penalty for that is severe.”
Yan insisted, “Only a true manifestation befits the aid of Archmage Momon.”
Momon trembled, calculating the cost.
“If I absorb the stone fully, I could manifest a few times, but is it worth using one for him?”
Finally, Momon decided, “Alright. I’ll help you once, by manifesting. But if it can be solved without it, I won’t manifest. If that’s not acceptable, forget the deal.”
Yan smiled, “Okay. That’s fair.”
He extended the green orb, the Soul Stone of the Human-Faced Spider, towards Momon.
Momon’s eye sockets glowed as he took the stone, his skeletal hand trembling.
As Momon laughed darkly, an indescribable light burst forth from the stone.
Flash!
The green light flowed into every crevice of Momon’s skull.
Yan watched, intrigued by the unique absorption.
‘Even the way an Archmage absorbs a stone is extraordinary,’ he mused.
An ordinary human would endure all manner of pain before claiming it as their own.
Momon’s satisfied chuckle echoed as the light show continued.
Yan could sense the immense power within the stone, rivaling the mana of a fourth-tier superhuman.
Normally, absorbing more than 70% of a spiritual elixir’s power without aid was nearly impossible.
Yan had managed only 20% of the Phoenix Heart, the rest lodged in his lungs.
But Momon absorbed the stone completely, a testament to his immense mana control.
Yan was proud of his own mana control, but Momon was on another level.
An hour passed as Momon began to absorb the Soul Stone of the Human-Faced Spider.
Flash!
Roarrrr.
The Archmage’s Gambit
In the hollows of Momon’s eye sockets, a crimson light burst forth, unleashing a torrent of mana from his skeletal form. The pressure was immense, as if to crush the surroundings.
Yan flicked his tongue in awe. “Could this be on par with the aura of Duke Beowulf from the North I once witnessed?” Indeed, Momon was worthy of the title Archmage.
But soon, Momon reined in his formidable presence.
Chuckle…
With a satisfied laugh, Momon gazed upon the Soul Stone of the Human-Faced Spider in his palm. The once radiant green orb had turned to black ash, the remnants of the stone’s power now fully absorbed.
“Are you aiming for sainthood with such a deed?” Yan teased from the side.
Was it regret in his eyes? Momon smirked and replied, “[It’s hardly a favor, but yes, I shall bestow my mercy upon you.]”
“Mercy?”
Momon handed over the black ash to Yan.
“[Eat this.]”
“What?”
Yan’s face contorted as he accepted the ash. A potent venom seemed to emanate from it, despite Momon having absorbed only the pure mana.
“You want me to eat this?”
The stone’s ability to grant toxin resistance required the absorption of its accumulated energy, not just the mana.
“Eating this leftover venom… Isn’t it the same as ingesting poison?”
Especially since it was the venom of the Human-Faced Spider, notoriously lethal.
Momon, quickly discerning Yan’s hesitation, chuckled. “[Would I, the great Archmage, mislead you? It’s a gift in light of my good mood, so cast aside your doubts and eat it quickly.]”
Yan shrugged. After all, Momon was a creature of clear debts and grudges.
Though sometimes mischievous, he wouldn’t play tricks, not after receiving his desired stone.
Yan poured the bitter ash into his mouth, feeling it dissolve down his throat.
And then…
Throb!
“Ah, as expected.”
Agonizing pain began to hammer through his body, like ants feasting on his insides.
Yan hastily summoned his mana. The venom hadn’t spread far; he could expel it if he circulated his mana quickly enough.
Momon, who had been silently observing, spoke up. “[Endure it. If you use mana now, nothing will remain.]”
“What nonsense…”
Gurgle!
Mid-sentence, Yan clutched at his throat as the venom surged wildly within him, more potent than any he had encountered before.
“Cough!”
He was on the verge of vomiting blood.
“This is dangerous.”
His limbs trembled incessantly, and his head spun.
The pain was unbearable, as if ants were tearing at every nerve fiber.
Even for someone who could laugh off torture, this was beyond his limits.
“I need… mana.”
Desperate to escape this hellish pain, he instinctively reached for his mana.
“[Didn’t I tell you not to?]”
Momon slowly approached and poked near Yan’s heart.
Suddenly, the writhing mana stilled as if sealed.
Thump!
Yan collapsed to the ground, fingers digging into the earth.
Crack!
He gritted his teeth, screaming silently, clawing at the ground.
But the pain only intensified, shredding his sanity.
“Ah.”
As his vision began to whiten, the Phoenix Heart embedded in his lungs stirred.
Whoosh!
Despite feeling his consciousness slip away, Yan clung to his senses to witness the transformation.
Flutter!
With the illusion of giant wings flapping, the heat from the Phoenix Heart coursed through his body.
The heat incinerated the venom clinging to his nerves, and the remaining warmth settled in his mana pathways.
“Gasping for air,” Yan clutched at his chest, the searing pain subsiding, replaced by a burning sensation.
“The previous agony was nothing compared to this.”
Momon explained with a sly laugh. “[The Phoenix Heart is sensitive to poison and malevolence. Not just the heart, but all fire-attribute elixirs share this trait.]”
Pointing to the black ash on Yan’s lips with his skeletal finger, Momon continued, “[The venom is no different. The Phoenix Heart cannot tolerate it, so it acted on its own. Now, examine your mana pathways.]”
Yan steadied his breath and closed his eyes to introspect.
“…This is it.”
The mana pathways, once thin threads, had now expanded threefold.
“[The energy left from burning the venom naturally absorbs into the mana pathways. This will hasten the transformation you planned, won’t it?]”
Yan swallowed hard and nodded.
With the mana pathways enlarged, he could handle more mana at once, essentially completing one of the transformation’s benefits.
With such capacity, he could train in the sword techniques of the Founding Festival without harming his body!
Yan exhaled sharply and rose to his feet, bowing slightly to Momon, who watched him with a nonchalant expression.
“Thank you. I didn’t expect you to help to this extent.”
Chuckle! “[What’s this? You expressing gratitude? Is that part of our deal?]”
Yan smiled wryly and shook his head.
“That’s not it.”
“[Tsk, as expected.]”
Momon clicked his tongue and burrowed back into Yan’s pocket.
Yan’s lips curled up as he sensed the presence of beasts nearby.
“Now… shall we begin the cleanup?”
That day, a tenth of the beasts dwelling in the Forest of Monsters vanished.