Chapter 99: That Bastard
The sound of chewing echoed through the room, though it was unpleasant. Adam, who was watching curiously, glanced sideways at the others; he was the only one who didn’t like the sound of someone eating so noisily.
The contrast was strange... everyone was tense and expectant, yet that sound disrupted the scene uncomfortably.
The leader of the nameless guild continued eating the magical fish until only the bones remained; the bones, curiously, were multicolored as well, making the whole thing even more unique and magical.
Nothing about that fish seemed ordinary... not even the parts that were supposed to be discarded.
The leader let out a long sigh, leaning back against the headboard, and his eyes slowly closed until he fell into a deep sleep.
His breathing steadied... too quickly.
But just as he fell asleep, something began to happen: the leader’s thin, malnourished body began to come alive. Before, his skin had been as pale as a corpse’s; now it began to take on color. His muscles began to grow. His entire body was filled with life.
It wasn’t gradual... it was obvious.
It was as if he wasn’t sick in the slightest or on the verge of death; it was as if he were witnessing a miracle.
An impossible change... happening right before his eyes.
Watching this, Adam realized: the dish is called "100 Miracles"; what was happening could be nothing else.
There was no other logical explanation.
The leader of the nameless mercenary guild began to float as his body was covered by multicolored mana, which enveloped him in a beautiful veil that looked like something out of a fantasy book.
The very air seemed to react to that power.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, but his pupils weren’t black, as they usually were; they were a blend of colors that seemed to emanate from him; they weren’t part of him, and instantly he fell heavily onto the bed.
The change was brief... but undeniable.
His body was full of vigor, as if just moments ago he hadn’t been on the verge of death.
There was no trace left of his previous state.
"Incredible..."
Adam couldn’t believe the fish was really that magical; in fact, he was starting to regret using it on this person, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk, right?
The leader’s body remained motionless for a few more seconds... he was too still, but the air in the room felt heavier; it didn’t have that atmosphere of death that had been there when Adam first arrived.
It wasn’t calm... it was anticipation.
...It was different.
Something had changed... even if it hadn’t fully manifested yet.
Suddenly... the leader’s chest tightened violently, as if his heart were about to burst from its place, followed by a loud thud, which was followed by an even louder one.
Each beat seemed more violent than the last.
Adam frowned, but did nothing; he just stood there watching what was happening. If he sensed any danger, he would end the leader’s life without a second thought.
The leader’s fingers clenched the sheets, and he began to chatter his teeth violently; multicolored veins appeared all over his body, writhing like snakes.
They weren’t normal... they moved beneath her skin as if they had a will of their own. Their movement didn’t follow any natural pattern... it was unsettling.
Claire took a step forward without realizing it.
"...Leader?"
However, there was no response; he continued to cling to the sheets, a look of pain crossing his face, and, with his jaw clenched, a mark even appeared on it.
The pain wasn’t subsiding... it was intensifying.
But... then, his eyes flew open; he hadn’t returned to normal; the multicolored pupils reappeared, but this time they weren’t unstable; they had settled.
However, it was much deeper and more pronounced; at first, it was as if they had completely merged. The leader took a deep breath, as if he had been suffocating for a long time.
That first breath... sounded like a homecoming.
He sat up abruptly from the bed and began a series of quick, above all, forceful movements that created small gusts of wind.
His body responded... but not like before.
The men in the room reacted instantly, tensing up.
The change was immediate; hands reached for their weapons, bodies braced to react.
But the leader soon froze, staring at his hands and wiggling his fingers as if he couldn’t believe it.
It wasn’t panic... it was astonishment.
"...This..."
His voice was no longer weak; it was steady and strong, as if he had returned to normal.
There was no trace of his former frailty.
The leader slowly raised his head. His eyes swept across the room... and for a moment, they rested on Adam.
That gaze... wasn’t the same as before.
"...Thank you for curing me of my illness."
The leader’s voice was firm, without a trace of weakness, but with a hint of restraint... as if he were still processing what had happened.
"You don’t have to thank me; I’m simply fulfilling my part of the deal."
He showed no emotion as he replied, as if all of this were merely a transaction.
Adam looked away from the leader, having regained his composure, and turned his gaze to Claire, adding:
He didn’t need to repeat the terms... they were already clear.
"All of you are mine now, aren’t you?"
Claire bit her lips until they bled, and said in a low voice:
The decision weighed heavily on her... but she didn’t hesitate.
"That’s right, all of our members now serve under his name. And anyone who refuses, I will take their life..."
Adam nodded, satisfied; things had turned out better than he’d expected. Now he just had to return to Arkham, prepare for war against Migzar, and then finally find the cure for his father.
Everything fell into place... for now.
"Speak to your leader; we’ll depart tonight. You are now part of my force, and I won’t treat you badly—I’ll help you grow stronger. I assure you of that."
...
After leaving the nameless mercenary group—which was now part of Adam’s forces—they returned to the inn where they had a room reserved.
The journey back was silent, marked more by thoughts than by words.
Now that the issues regarding the forces to defend his family’s territory had been resolved, he had to sort out all the questions that had been gnawing at him until now, and finally, he needed an answer.
He couldn’t move forward without understanding what was really going on.
And, of course, the source of all his doubts was none other than the ancient demon who was now his slave, Synes—who was also a little crazy... well, not just a little: she was completely crazy.
And that was precisely why... she was the only one who could give him answers.
Adam took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
This wasn’t just any conversation.
"Synes."
The ancient demoness, who had been sitting on the floor like a dog, looked up:
Her reaction was immediate... as if she’d been waiting for that moment.
"Yes, darling~."
A vein throbbed on Adam’s forehead, but he decided to let it go; this wasn’t the time to get hung up on such trifles.
He couldn’t lose focus now... not with everything at stake.
"Earlier, when that idiot summoned you, you said I was just like ’that bastard.’ What did you mean by that? Why did you tell me I needed to know? What am I missing?"
The questions came one after another, with no pause between them, filled with a restrained urgency that wasn’t evident in his expression.
The demoness Synes pressed her fingers to her lips as her form returned to normal; the black, slimy tentacles were visible once more, but her gaze was devoid of any emotion.
She wasn’t playing around... not this time.
"What I meant was that your soul doesn’t belong in this world."
The words weren’t spoken forcefully... but they struck him like a truth he couldn’t ignore.
"!!!!"
Adam’s eyes widened; he hadn’t expected such a direct answer, but in that instant, he felt something inside his mind clear up, as if a thick fog that had been shrouding him had lifted, revealing everything that had been hidden.
It wasn’t a gradual realization... it hit me all at once.
Then all the memories began to flood back like an avalanche, unstoppable, and they all came back with painful clarity.
They weren’t just images... they were feelings, decisions, mistakes... everything coming back at once.
And for a moment, everything vanished, and it felt as if I were somewhere else.
...
"What the hell are you doing!? Your parents just died, and the first thing you do is play video games instead of being at their funeral!"
The voice boomed through the room, violently shattering the silence.
"You’re 22 fucking years old, and you’re still locked up playing games! Why don’t you go get a fucking life!"
"Don’t you know you’re a fucking disgrace! God! How can a human being as useless as you exist, you fucking bastard!"
The family members who had burst into the room grabbed the devastated man, who was sitting amid a pile of trash—mostly instant ramen and soda bottles.
They roughly dragged him out of the house and threw him out onto the street.
"Get the hell out of here, you worthless piece of shit!"
The door slammed shut behind him... as if he had never belonged there.