After finishing the healing, Meradis and I continued to discuss some of the things that might happen in the near future. We had to prepare for every possible situation.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Rian stepped inside.
Judging by his spirit, he seemed to be doing a little better.
Rian walked up to us and bowed his head. "Thank you both… really, thank you…" he stammered. He looked like he was about to cry again, but somehow managed to hold it back.
I just nodded without saying anything. To be honest, helping them wasn't purely out of goodwill. This parasite was a key element in helping me understand more about the Dark Power that had attacked us earlier.
"One more thing… could the two of you teach me?"
Teach?
I don't know anything to teach. We only had ten days here, so even if we taught him, nothing substantial would come out of it.
"What do you want to learn?" Meradis asked.
Why did she respond to him!
Well, if she wanted to teach, I had no right to stop her. It just made me a little annoyed inside, that's all.
"I just want the power to protect my sister and myself."
Hmm…
That's a reasonable reason, but I still don't have time for this.
"Not planning to take him on?" Meradis suddenly asked through telepathy.
"I've got other things to do."
"Then… can I teach him?"
Why does she even need to ask me about this? Just do what she wants.
"I don't mind."
"Thanks."
Meradis smiled at me, then turned to Rian, her expression becoming serious again. "You're not going to give up, right?"
That's such a simple question?
I thought she'd say something more philosophical or profound.
"I won't!" Rian replied firmly.
So short?
I thought the kid would start swearing some oath or something.
Looks like everything I saw in the movies was just a lie.
"Alright." Meradis continued discussing some other things with Rian.
I, on the other hand, looked at the parasite curled up in my silk, still struggling furiously to break free from its cocoon. Being so close to a delicious source of food and unable to eat it had made it increasingly aggressive, but no matter how much it thrashed around, it was still just a weak little parasite.
If this thing was truly connected to the Dark Power, then I would uncover everything about it—and about the one behind it too.
I figured I should try to find a link between it and its master. Normally, such connections were either physical or spiritual. But in this case, the parasite was clearly the weaker one, so tracing it backward would be a bit tricky.
Hmm…
I remember I have a skill called [Soul Magic].
It might be useful.
But first, let me review its effects.
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Level 1 – Soul Repair: Enhances the strength and recovery speed of the soul. Helps absorb soul energy from the environment to sustain life or heal soul injuries.
Level 2 – Soul Sense: Enhances soul perception, allowing detection of invisible entities or soul traces. Improves communication with souls and senses lies in others' speech.
Level 3 – Black Knight: Strengthens soul defenses, reduces effects from mental attacks or soul curses. Resists mind manipulation magic and boosts willpower against fear.
Level 4 – Soul Link: Creates a soul link with another being, allowing the exchange of sensations, thoughts, or even power. Can be used to empower allies or suppress weaker souls.
Currently, this skill of mine is only level four, so that's all I can see for now.
But seriously… these effects are kinda lame…
Level 1 overlaps with [Soul Repair], and level 4 is the same as [Soul Link], so it's like I got scammed out of two whole skills.
What a ripoff!
More importantly, I need something useful now.
Hmm…
The effect at level two might be usable. I'll try communicating with the creature's soul first to see what the situation is, then decide from there.
I focused on activating [Soul Magic]. A wave of soul energy slowly radiated from my body like an invisible ripple. Under the effect of this skill, everything around me became clearer, especially the things invisible to the naked eye.
A gentle soul wave spread out through the room. I could distinctly feel every ripple and every twitch from the parasite wrapped in my silk. Strangely enough, while I couldn't see its soul clearly, I could sense the presence of something dark and chaotic inside.
Its soul… really wasn't like anything I'd encountered before. There was a strange kind of chaos, not entirely natural, but also not something fully born of the Dark.
I had to be cautious.
As I maintained the skill and dove deeper into its soul, I was immediately attacked by a mysterious force. In just a brief moment, a calm yet powerful voice echoed in my head.
"Leave… leave…"
This voice wasn't from the parasite—it was from another soul controlling it.
Most likely its master…
Should I try talking to him?
Right now, I didn't know anything about this guy other than his name, but it'd be a waste to just let this go.
I activated [Gluttony] and tried to devour the soul of the parasite—and just as expected, it resisted. I didn't care and kept pushing forward.
The main purpose was to gauge this guy's strength.
After a short clash, it was clear he couldn't stand against me. More than half of the parasite's soul had been absorbed, and I could feel the connection between him and the creature weakening significantly.
That should be enough for now.
During the battle, I'd already marked him. If we meet again, I'll be able to track him down easily.
Phew…
Fighting on the soul level drained more from me than I expected. Even with a skill that prevents my soul from taking damage, doing it myself meant I couldn't avoid the toll.
Using [Soul Magic] doesn't just require MP—it also consumes soul energy. Luckily, I have [Soul Repair], so I can recover quickly. But for an ordinary person, even with this skill, they probably wouldn't dare to use it.
Meradis noticed my pale face and spoke up, "Are you alright?"
I nodded. "I'm trying to study its soul. But I need more time to understand it fully."
Meradis didn't say anything else, just stood there watching me as if she could feel what I was going through. Rian, though still not completely calm, was also closely watching our every move, his eyes full of concern.
…
The next day, Meradis began training Rian. I have to say, that kid is a real prodigy.
He picked up new skills incredibly fast, and his stats increased significantly—even though it was only the first day.
His growth rate is honestly astounding!
If only I could grow like that too… life would be so much easier.
While Meradis and Rian were training, I just sat on the side and watched. Occasionally, I would check the parasite's status, but overall, nothing really changed.
Suddenly, I felt a gaze from behind me. When I turned around, I saw the little girl Erin peeking in from the doorway. The moment she saw me look back, she quickly hid.
Why though?
It's not like I eat people or anything…
Still, I did want to recheck her body one more time to make sure nothing was left behind, so I went in and looked for her.
Erin was hiding under her blanket. When she heard the door open, she trembled a little.
Am I really that scary…?
I walked over and sat down next to her. But even so, I didn't really know what to say. Erin couldn't respond to me via telepathy like Meradis could either.
Ugh… this is so awkward.
Why the hell did I put myself in a situation where I'm forced to talk?
I'm such an idiot.