Chapter 348: Spirit Puppet

’...Alright.’ Soren nodded helplessly. ’But... We should still be careful. We don’t know if another gate is gonna open again or if more assassins are lurking around.’

’...Right.’ Ethea blinked in agreement. If something like that happened again, not only they, but the whole city would be in trouble. Although Ademary was one of the most powerful places in the empire, you could expect anything from them. She still remembered how they attacked the academy before. ’...Dear, is Malakor on guard right now?’

’Yes, I asked him to be ready just in case.’ Soren confirmed her guess. ’He’s keeping an eye on the whole city and will alert us if anything happens.’

’I see...’ She sighed in relief. ’That puts me at ease.’

’Me too. And while we are at it, let me check your condition.’ Soren suggested and appraised her again. ’Let’s see...’

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Name: Ethea Everly

Status: Stable (Recovering / Critical)

[Age: 21]

[Rank: 7th Circle [Crippled / Regressed]]

[Mental Cultivation: Stellar Soul Weaver Sutra — Stage 2: Soul Tempered Core Stage]

[Current Mana Level: 0 (Sealed)]

[Current Mental Power: 65547 / 150000]

[Core condition: 77% destroyed...]

[Mana pathways: 31% functional...]

[Physical Condition:]

- Paralysis

- Chronic Pain (Level 3/10 - Managed / Temporarily Soothed)

- Nerve Damage

- ...

- ...

[Authority Status: Frost Sovereign - Sealed/Dormant]

[Affliction Detected:]

[Curse: Eclipse’s Corrosion - Grade: Eighth Circle]

[Details: ???]

[Effect: ???]

[Origin: ???]

[Estimated Survival Without Treatment: 10 months]

[Abilities: Unshackled Soul (S-Rank), Sovereign Swordsmanship (SS-Rank), ? (SSS-Rank), (Absolute Zero)]

[Affinities: Ice (Grade ?), ▇▇▇▇▇ , ▇▇▇▇▇]

[Mental State: Alert, Concerned, Relieved]

[Investment Value: MYTHIC]

[Potential: Immeasurable]

════════════════

’Oh, there’s some good progress.’ He smiled and shared her status with her. ’By the way, I think you should use the chance to cultivate and ride the momentum of your breakthrough for as long as possible. It’ll help stabilize your new stage and push you further.’

’But first, take this.’ He reached out to his inventory and handed her a vial of Soul-Nourishing Concoction. ’It will help you greatly.’

’...Alright.’ Ethea agreed. ’Can you... help me sit up then?’

’Of course.’ Soren carefully helped her into a more comfortable position, propping pillows behind her back to keep her steady. Once she was settled, he uncorked the vial and held it out to her.

Ethea took it and drank it in one slow sip, her expression tightening briefly as the liquid went down. Then she closed her eyes and began to cultivate.

’...Malakor, did you notice anything suspicious?’

’I haven’t so far, Master,’ Malakor replied.

’Good. Keep watching. If anything changes, let me know immediately.’

’Understood.’

With that secured and Ethea gone back to cultivating, he decided to check out his rewards.

’Thirty thousand mental power?’ He raised a brow but smiled in satisfaction. ’My guess turned out to be true, huh.’

He was also satisfied with the rest of the returns. His stock of elixirs and medicine multiplied again. He also learned two new recipes: one to improve life force and the other to boost mental power. Surprisingly, he also learned more about caretaking. He guessed that if he took an exam for professional nursing or caretaking, he would pass with flying colors.

’And with the cooking mastery returns, I can call myself a true Senior Magic Chef.’ His understanding of cooking deepened even further, and now, he could easily make food that had long-lasting effects on those who ate it, or even permanent effects if the ingredients were potent enough and the dish was prepared with the right techniques.

’I can practice those recipes for my sister with ease now, too.’

However, what caught his attention most were the last two items: Mirror of the Self and Spirit Puppet.

’...Hmmm. The mirror reveals a person’s true self,’ he read through the description carefully. ’And its true worth is detecting possession, mind control, or anyone hiding behind illusions.’

He nodded slowly. That was incredibly useful, especially after everything they had been through with the Puppeteer. If someone was being controlled or if a person wasn’t who they appeared to be, this mirror would help them reveal it.

’And the Spirit Puppet...’ He moved on to the next item. ’Oh... Hmm... I see...’

His lips curled up as soon as he finished reading its description. ’This is gonna be a perfect gift to Ethea. I am sure she will like it too.’

Smiling, he closed the windows and focused back on his body. The curse was still inside him, trying to tear him apart, but Soren could feel it wouldn’t last much longer. Just a few more minutes and it would be gone.

’...Hmm?’ Soren furrowed his brows, and the next second, his eyes widened. ’Again?!’

In Ethea’s body, the curse erupted once more, with even more ferocity than before. Fortunately, he hadn’t let his guard down, so he managed to react in time, using their bond to pull the surge of corruption out of her and into his own body.

Whoosh-!

The new wave of curse crashed straight into the one still lingering inside him, combining into a violent force that tore through his chest. It lashed out at his heart, lungs, and core all at once, driving a gasp from his throat. His vision flickered, and he buckled forward, coughing up a spatter of blood onto the floor.

Even then, he refused to close the connection. The curse was still pouring out of her in a stream, making it impossible to take it all in one pull, so he held his ground and bore the brunt of it.

’Urgh...’

Gritting his teeth against the burn in his chest, he unstoppered an elixir vial with his thumb and swallowed the contents in one gulp. He ignored the sting in his throat as the liquid spread through his body, keeping the siphon locked open while the potion increased his recovery speed.

"!" On the bed, Ethea’s eyelids snapped open. She gasped, her gaze locking directly onto the crimson on his lips as her pupils shrank to tiny points. "S-Soren!"

She couldn’t move her body, but her hands shot out and grabbed his arm, her fingers digging into his sleeve with what little strength she had. Her eyes squeezed shut as she reached through their bond to check his condition. What she found made her breath hitch. The curse was pouring into him like a flood, several times stronger and more violent than before, and he was taking it all.

’S-Stop! Soren, stop it, please! It’s too much!’