Chapter 18: A Body Without Magic

The relationship between the Spider Lord and Black Mist struck me as odd.

Even back in the dungeon, they had barely exchanged a word.

And from their tone just now, I guessed they were equals—or at least, from unrelated hierarchies.

Like Lith’s trusted aide and a grand duke?

One wields authority by trust, the other by birth?

I still couldn’t move. No sensation returned to my body.

All I could rely on was my hearing…

“Easier said than done!” Black Mist spat disdainfully.

“Hmm… Why doesn’t he use magic? Could he really not know any? A Black Feather clansman renowned for his magical prowess, yet unable to use magic??” “A race that holds its head high and never bows—would they beg someone?”

Slap, slap. I heard the sound of my own face. He was slapping me.

“Why isn’t he awake yet?” When I heard him say that a second time, I started to panic.

“Am I going to end up a vegetable like this…?”

Then I heard him sniffing my body. Inhale, inhale. “Wow~ What an incredible body. A prime ingredient with no scent at all!” “Hm, truly perfect. Hm?!”

At that sudden change in pitch, I immediately perked up.

At the same moment, sensation flooded back into my body.

But I deliberately didn’t move, wanting to hear what this demon planned next.

The demon continued sniffing me.

“A ‘Pure Body Without Magic’? This child? Could it be… he really can’t use magic?”

Hearing that, I couldn’t hold back any longer!

“Huh? Can’t use magic?” God, I actually… what kind of body is this! Why can’t I use it!

Not using magic was because I’d never learned.

But being unable to use it?! That meant even if I studied magic, I’d never cast a spell!

“WYF?!?”

“Oh?! You’re awake?!” The demon’s voice immediately turned delighted. “Ah, I don’t know why, but you smell even better now! You’re drenched in despair!” “Let me think… Why~ Oh! Because you’ve realized! You’ll never use magic your whole life!”

He pressed his black hand to his misty face, mocking me with a sneer. His taunting voice reawakened the fear deep in my soul.

“Yes, a Black Feather clan member who cannot use magic! Ah~” The Black Mist hugged himself tightly, saying in a frenzy, “What despair! It’s as if…”

Before he could finish, I broke down. I suddenly shouted, “Aah! Yes! I’m full of despair, okay! But I beg you, can’t you just use magic to read my memories directly!!!”

The more I spoke, the more hoarse I became, and the more tears and sobbing seeped into my voice.

“I… ugh…” I wept, large teardrops falling. “I really don’t want to die! Waaah.”

I completely lost it.

The demon stared at me, his crimson eyes widening even more.

Demon: “Hahaha! Read your memories?! Fine! I was going to give you a way out!”

With that, his large hand slammed onto the top of my head.

“A way out?” In that instant, I realized I might have said something terrible.

“Could… reading memories kill me?”

I cowered. I wanted to take it back!

But it was too late. The moment that pitch-black hand touched my scalp, I felt the same electric shock as before.

Immediately, fragments began flashing through my mind.

From my torture and death, to opening my eyes in this interrogation room, to my first bath after becoming a s*ave—the memories played in reverse, like a rewinding zoetrope, scene after scene flickering before my eyes.

“Aaahhh!” I screamed like a madman.

Agony shot from my head through all my limbs.

It felt like a massive electric current, convulsing my entire body.

This was exactly like the lightning magic from before! No, worse!

My muscles disobeyed me, twitching uncontrollably.

Foam bubbled from my mouth, sliding down my neck…

I seemed to have lost control of my bladder… I think I peed…

Constant tears, constant frothing at the mouth.

Finally, my memories reached the end.

The golden-earring goblin tossing me a linen shirt, the group shower, and then back to the dungeon.

I figured the memories playing out before me now were my life flashing before my eyes… Once they finished… I’d be dead.

Eight days of memories were extracted in just over ten seconds…

My whole body felt like a broken puppet, sagging against the wooden frame.

But then something strange happened. When the rewinding memory reached the scene of me just arriving in the dungeon, it suddenly started playing forward again.

It played forward to when the Spider Man and Black Mist took me away, then resumed rewinding.

And just like a computer freezing, it kept looping.

After fewer than five repetitions, I felt a warm, coppery liquid trickling from my eyes, nose, and ears.

Then a deafening buzz rang through my head.

I passed out.

“Dead… again?”

[After Jiushi died, the Black Mist continued using magic, frantically reading Jiushi’s brain.]

[But when he sensed no life left in Jiushi, he immediately stopped the spell.]

[His black hand lifted Jiushi’s face—blood from seven orifices, foam at the mouth, eyes rolled back.]

He sneered contemptuously. “Hmph! Wasted effort. This brat really didn’t know anything!” “That figures. If he did, he wouldn’t have let me read his memories. Tsk tsk.”

[The Black Mist paced twice around Jiushi’s corpse, arms folded.]

He said anxiously, “Then how was he teleported here… There’s no sign of any breach or passage in the barrier… I’d better report this to Lady Lith.”

[Just then, a guard in full armor ran in from outside.]

Guard: “Lord Moke! Over thirty adventurers suddenly appeared in Valoris Village to the west—we can’t hold them back!”

“What? Adventurers again?! A bunch of annoying flies!” Moke said angrily, conjuring a large ball of icy frost flame in his hand. “Muster the Ghoul Legion! We ride out!!”

Guard: “Yes sir!”

[But just as Moke was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and turned back.]

[He cast a resurrection spell on Jiushi’s corpse. A pitch-black magic circle appeared beneath the wooden frame.]

[Jiushi’s cold, pale body turned pink and warm. Moments later, Jiushi let out a breath.]

[But he was still unconscious.]

“Hmph! Letting him die like this would be such a waste!”

[Having said that with a sinister look, Moke floated away.]

“Hey! Can you hear me?” A very sweet female voice sounded in my ear.

Very, very maternal…

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