Episode 60. Contract Test
I had no idea what kind of family the Crowlers were. I had no idea what crimes they had committed or what disaster they had suffered to become extinct.
An unidentified group that wasn’t even mentioned in the main story. As someone who had accidentally become possessed by their bloodline, it felt very unfamiliar to me.
There is no information other than the Liar’s Curse, the offspring of a ruined family, etc. However, as long as it exists in this world, there must be a history behind it.
It is basic that any plot that unfolds outside of the main story flows without harming the main story.
Lotas Crawler. The Crawler family was destroyed during his tenure as the head of the family. Considering that the cause of the destruction was a curse, the root of it must be Lotas himself.
The women he had relationships with, and his children, all turned out to be liars just like himself.
Of course, he must feel very wronged. He also must not have done it because he liked it, but I can never blame him.
One can cautiously guess that this situation may have been caused by researching something like black magic. In that case, it would be his own fault for being cursed.
However, Lotas does not abandon his family and lives with them. He is definitely not the type of person who would dare to use black magic of his own free will to affect his family.
And what I found out during our week together is that Lotus was once a 6th circle wizard.
Considering that he was capable of becoming a magic professor with just 5 circles, he was quite an amazing person.
Even the barrier surrounding this cabin was created by his power alone. The weak parts of the house were also supported by magic 24 hours a day.
Although he has become weak due to living a secluded life, why would he resort to black magic?
If he had fanatic tendencies like Elder Enviel, then maybe that would be understandable.
And he had already mastered the basics long before I did. Casting spells was a piece of cake for him.
Lotus was amazed at the fact that I had absorbed the superior spirit. Even if I was cursed, not even a dog or a cow could become a master sorcerer.
It’s not easy to turn the evil of the curse that’s eating away at your life into strength, but when I showed you how to do it easily, you decided to help me.
-You have been reborn as a master sorcerer, but your experience in actually defeating spirits is remarkably low. That is why you cannot even make a contract with a low-level spirit. Radon, what you need to do is contact the spirit.
My father recommended that I meet the spirit directly and increase my sensitivity. Even though Muto is by my side, he doesn’t listen to me obediently.
He is a guy who is more repulsive when he knows that my purpose is to make a contract with him. Because the spirit is never kind to humans.
My mother knew about that very well.
– In fact, spirits and jinn are beings with the same roots. They share the fact that they were born from the deepest desires of humans. In the case of spirits, they are beings created by the faith of humans who have worshipped nature since ancient times. Then, in the case of jinn… what about?
Even negative emotions, including hatred and jealousy, can be considered as wishes if you dig deep. As is often the case with human emotions, the world is not filled with pure things.
The spirits that are the opposite of the spirits are beings born of malice and curses to fill in the gaps.
So, they had something in common: they were both invisible to the human eye, and they developed a sense of sensitivity that allowed them to enter into a contract.
-When I made a contract with the spirits, I naturally blended in with them. It was a prerequisite for becoming one mind and body. The same goes for the main spirits. There aren’t many spirits that are hostile to humans, so it went on without much damage, but it’ll be quite difficult for the main spirits.
It was advice given by my mother, who was a shaman. I thought she was just an ordinary wife of the family, but it seems she wasn’t a noblewoman for nothing.
And when I think about my daughter turning into a muscle-bound woman… .
‘It was never taken over by force and fell. I guarantee it!’
As the two of you said, I set foot in a place where there were many spirits. It just so happened that there was a horror spot like the Alighieri Tower around here.
As I went deeper into the mountain beyond the hut, I was struck by the aura of a curse. I heard that this mountain was the center of a great war that had occurred 30 years ago.
A place soaked in blood is a place where spirits tend to gather, and when people are crowded together, their numbers swell even further.
This is because all the spirits born in nearby villages settle here and live there.
So I spent a week wandering around the spirit’s habitat. It was practically a dangerous task like dungeon exploration, but it was necessary for the contract with Muto.
“Catch 100 scorpions within a week. Then I’ll see if I can change my mind.”
That was what he said on the first day as he entered the main territory. It sounded sarcastic just from the tone of it, but I realized why.
Just entering the place will send shivers down your spine like a scene from a horror movie. The spirit of this place is truly a monster.
『Hahahaha! You only caught one. Even though you could say that it was because it was your first day and you weren’t used to it, this speed is out of the question.』
On the second day, I reflected on yesterday and felt it deeply. I was far superior to those who were loitering around the Alighieri Tower. Muto had not provoked me for nothing.
“You did quite well this time. You caught three today, so that’s four total? Come on, try your best.”
On the third day, the weapon was again an ordinary fishing rod. I was able to cut off the wrists of the spirits with my fantasy swordsmanship, but it was difficult to cut off their breath.
So he tied them up with fishing line. Muto laughed again, saying that it was impossible for that to block their movements.
-Howling Thunder Lv3
However, a high voltage current flowed through the fishing line, electrocuting them. However, due to the excessive waste of magical power, they were on the verge of exhaustion.
That’s all for today.
“Hey. How many did you catch today?”
『7 horses.』
“Then that’s 11 in total. Were you quite flustered when the lightning struck earlier?”
“Don’t act like a guest, you piece of shit. You haven’t forgotten that you’re not even halfway there yet, have you?”
Muto, who had always been provocative, flinched for the first time.
On the fourth day, the outer shells of the spirits were hard. Even with the most advanced fantasy swordsmanship, they could only be stabbed alive, so they had to be beaten until their magic power was depleted to barely catch one. This was the reason for the failure on the first day.
But it would be a shame to forget that my job in the first place was neither a primary magician nor a swordsman.
Swordsmanship was only an aid. I used the ‘Summon Bug’ skill to summon the bug and hooked it onto a fishing line. I climbed up to the tree and waited with the fishing line down.
Then, among them, the frog-like spirits rushed to bite it.
“How stupid.”
Fishing doesn’t always take place near the water. Instead of biting the line, they got tangled up with each other.
And in that place, the poisonous bugs I had secretly summoned were swarming. They died without even realizing that they were poisoned.
“How many today?”
『20… .』
A total of 31. Today, the guy’s accent was small.
On the fifth day, I was now fully acclimated to the geography of this place. However, the guys were becoming increasingly wary of me, and stronger ones were appearing one after another.
Even when struck by lightning or shot with poisonous insects, they got back up. Even when combined with ‘Curse Aura’, only 9 of them could be killed.
It was a sight that would have made Muto happy, but… the guy suddenly had a question.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”
“what?”
“Where’s the blue fishing rod you used to use? Did you leave it in the academy dormitory?”
“….”
A total of 40.
There are 60 left.
On the sixth day, although I didn’t catch a big game yesterday, my sensitivity has increased dramatically based on my experience over the past few days.
I absorbed Enviel and gained that knowledge, but I didn’t have the ability to achieve it. However, after hunting the spirits and raising my proficiency, I was able to use some of it.
“It’s just that the contract wasn’t fulfilled. You and I are already connected. What you eat affects me as well.”
『… .』
“Enviel only had 8 circle magic, and his swordsmanship was at the end of 7 star. Mixing magic and swordsmanship was a daily routine for him. Of course, it’s impossible for me now….”
I recalled Enviel’s memories and energized my fishing rod. Electricity began to flow through the flowing black energy.
The original Enviel’s magic sword had a range that could cover an entire village, but of course it was impossible for me.
If you try to force yourself to imitate it, you will run out of magic power and collapse.
“Then, just divide it up and use it.”
『Share it?』
Let’s say that… another me appeared next to me.
And then another one of me appeared next to him, and another one, and another one. Before I knew it, there were ten people called ‘me’ in this world.
[Conditions met. New skill is activated.]
-Fantasy Clone Lv1
Muto was greatly embarrassed, but I… ‘We’ threw the fishing line and pierced the bodies of the spirits.
Feeling threatened, the spirits quickly rushed in and killed my clones. However, as soon as they disappeared… they turned into poisonous insects.
The bugs slowly poisoned me by stinging my eyes and nose. However, unlike other spirits, they recover quickly. I did not miss the moment when they were weakened.
-Cursed Aura Lv6
-Return Lv6
A purple sword energy shot out from the fishing rods that my clones and I were holding. The devastating blow, which advanced as if it were going to cross the waterfall, tore the bodies of the significantly weakened guys in half.
The 60th.
There are 40 left.
The week has come, the long-awaited final day has arrived.
We have used various methods so far, but the number of animals we have eradicated is only 60. In reality, we are only halfway there.
Considering that the most I’ve caught was 20, catching more than that won’t get me to 100.
This bet was practically a victory for Muto. But Muto didn’t laugh.
The occasional lectures from Muto that could be heard from the side had become quiet from the fourth day onwards. The boy had an expression on his face that seemed to sense ominousness.
“It’s the last day.”
“I see.”
“Aren’t you happy? I hunted until I ran out of magic every day, but I could only collect 60. Generally speaking, it would be impossible to collect 100 today, right?”
“Why are you making such an indifferent expression on such a topic?”
Because there’s always a chance? Because you’re burning with competitive spirit? Because you don’t really need to sign a contract?
“Because….”
I said.
Summoning a weapon in your hand…
“I’ll catch them all by the end of today.”
『…!』
As soon as I held the ‘Leviathan’ in my hand, Muto opened his eyes. While hunting the spirits, I had never used this blue fishing rod even once.
Now that we’ve gained some momentum, it’s time to push on.
Blue lightning and auras of curse shone through the Leviathan. The spirits who could only inflict wounds were able to cut off its head with a single strike of its sword energy.
These guys are surprisingly slow. Their hard shells were a problem, but now that has been easily resolved, I can defeat 10 of them in one breath.
But I don’t have much magic left. The reason I’ve been able to hold on to things and go back so far was because of the limitations of my magic and stamina.
-Fantasy Clone Lv1
My presence increased by ten more. They too held the Leviathan and released a black lightning sword energy mixed with a curse.
We recalled the wide-ranged swordsmanship that Enviel had used. We swung our fishing rods, embodying that theory in our bodies.
Kookookookook!-
A black pillar of thunder engulfed the forest.
The spirits had all disappeared. The lush trees that had chilled the night air were no longer visible.
A tragic scene unfolded in which more than 30 spirits were slaughtered and even the forest was turned into scorched earth.
After organizing everything, I started to feel a little tired.
“Is it natural for this to happen? I used all my strength….”
Before I could even finish speaking, I fainted like a machine with a dead battery.
[The main character ‘Muto’ begins to show great interest in you.]
[The contract terms have been agreed upon!]
It seemed as if something appeared before my eyes, but I lost consciousness before I could see it.
“Congratulations, you piece of shit.”
I must have lost consciousness when I heard a voice. I woke up in a hurry, but I was not in the forest.
I was still in a state of deep unconsciousness.
I wasn’t surprised at all by the sight of skeletons floating in the red water that formed the floor. It was proof that this place wasn’t real. I was able to meet the real body of the guy here.
A snake that looked 30 times larger than an anaconda emerged from the darkness. It was the true form of Muto, a high-level spirit known as the ‘Shadow of Gluttony’.
“You won.”
The guy spoke to me. It was as if he acknowledged me.
“You’ve become a lot more gentle than usual?”
“Think as you wish. The choice is yours now.”
* * * * *
“This is it, right?”
“That’s right. Many people have said they saw a large woman enter here.”
Several knights and a girl were climbing the mountain.
It’s understandable that the knights would be out searching in the middle of the night. But the fact that they were led by a girl who appeared to be in her early teens reminded me that they were no ordinary people.
“It’s been a week since the eldest daughter went on vacation. Shouldn’t it be time to go back to your parents’ house?”
“I know, too. That’s why we need to deal with it quickly and get back.”
The girl’s short, sky-blue hair swayed against the tree branches. Despite her elegant appearance, she was actually a hot-tempered person.
“That conman who sold me sleeping pills… I’m going to catch him no matter what!!”
The girl gritted her teeth and burned with fighting spirit.
Surviving as an Academy Fraudster
