Chapter 351: How About Living in My Body? (1)

"So, you've come to your senses."

Ghislain withdrew his fist and smiled. Now that Edwin's consciousness had fully returned, it was time to settle things through conversation. 

Edwin's face was different from before—his demonic energy had vanished entirely, and his eyes had returned to their original color.

"W-Who are you? You devil! Let me go right now!"

Edwin trembled, his face filled with fear. The comfort he had grown accustomed to had instantly turned into a living hell. 

Ever since merging with the evil spirit, he had never experienced pain. Not even a year in chains had affected him. But now, just a few punches had inflicted unbearable agony. The man before him must surely be a devil.

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain approached Edwin and asked.

"Do you plan to keep living with that thing? Or should we go on for a few more days?"

Edwin's eyes widened in terror, and he shook his head frantically. 

No matter how much he screamed, no one would come. He couldn't go on living like this. Suffering like this was worse than obeying his father and studying diligently.

Satisfied, Ghislain nodded with a grin.

"Hey, you in there. How about leaving this body now? Or do you want a few more days of this?"

At that, Edwin's eyes darkened once more. It seemed the two truly shared control over the body. But regardless of who was in control, both were equally terrified. The evil spirit, its voice trembling, replied.

"Grrr… I, I can't leave."

"Why not?"

"If… if I leave this body, I'll die. I'm, I'm living by leeching off this body's life force. Without a host, I'll eventually disappear."

"Oh, so you'll die if you leave?"

"Yes, that's right. Just let me stay in this body. I'll behave. The host's rage has also subsided quite a bit."

The evil spirit, appealing to reason, admitted its predicament and proposed a compromise. It was a plea for mercy. Ghislain nodded thoughtfully.

"Hm, I figured as much."

"F-Figured?"

"It makes sense. In that case, let me offer you a proposal."

"A… proposal?"

"Yes. You can't stay in that body, but I'll provide you with another place to live."

"What kind of… body?"

Ghislain grinned slyly and locked eyes with the spirit.

"How about living in my body?"

The evil spirit hesitated, and Arel, who had been watching nearby, was equally stunned. 

Why would Ghislain willingly accept such an evil spirit into his body? If the evil spirit took control of Ghislain, the entire estate would be doomed.

Arel tried to intervene, but Ghislain waved him off and continued speaking.

"I'll give you a place in my body. You need mana or life force to survive, right? I'll provide you with mana."

"How… how could you…"

The evil spirit stared at Ghislain in astonishment. There was no flaw in his reasoning. 

The evil spirit required mana to survive and could only do so by parasitizing a host. Every human carried a small amount of mana, which accumulated naturally over time through breathing, eating, and living.

While most people couldn't manipulate their mana, those who could typically didn't accumulate much through daily life alone. 

Edwin, as the heir of a count, had learned basic mana control techniques. Though crude, it was better than the average host the evil spirit had inhabited before.

'This guy… he seems far stronger than Edwin. If I could possess that body...'

It might be a new opportunity. Entering someone's body wasn't easy. It required someone with extremely weak and exhausted mental strength. 

However, if the host willingly relinquished control, possession was far simpler. Once inside, controlling the host by manipulating their emotions and memories wasn't difficult.

"And why should I trust your intentions? Do you think I'll just comply?"

"Give it a try. If anything feels off, you can go right back to Edwin's body, can't you?"

"…."

The evil spirit hesitated for a long time. It was risky, but if it worked, it could gain a far superior host.

'Is he trying to save Edwin? Does he think he can destroy me once I transfer?'

The evil spirit couldn't fathom Ghislain's intentions, but the gamble seemed worth taking. 

Once inside, it wouldn't be easily controlled. The stronger the host, the stronger the evil spirit became.

"Fine… I'll transfer to your body."

Dark energy writhed and seeped out of Edwin's body, moving toward Ghislain. The powerful will of the evil spirit bore down directly on Ghislain's mind.

— Do you accept me?

"I accept."

Ghislain didn't resist the energy infiltrating him. He opened both his body and mind to the evil spirit without hesitation. 

The evil spirit cautiously began merging with Ghislain, prepared to flee back to Edwin's body if something went awry.

When over half of its essence had transferred, the evil spirit, sensing no resistance, surged forward, fully entering Ghislain's body.

Boom!

All the energy was absorbed into Ghislain. His eyes turned pitch black, and dark energy erupted from his body. Arel, who had been watching anxiously, stumbled backward in shock.

"This… this is…"

The aura radiating from Ghislain was on an entirely different level from Edwin's. It filled the space, making it nearly impossible to breathe. Arel struggled to endure by channeling every bit of the meager mana he had. Even Edwin was gasping for air, unable to breathe properly.

Inside Ghislain's mind, the evil spirit's laughter echoed.

— Kuh! Hahaha! Amazing! What an incredible body! What an extraordinary aura! This is on a whole different level from ordinary humans!

The evil spirit had lived by moving between the minds of the weak and downtrodden. 

It had never possessed a body like this. Humans rarely allowed their minds to be controlled by another. Even those in despair were difficult to possess unless they were utterly broken or suicidal.

Finding such hosts was rare, usually limited to impoverished commoners. Knights were out of the question. Edwin, even at his level, had been a decent host.

But this body—this extraordinary vessel—was beyond anything it had ever encountered. The evil spirit hadn't even inhabited a knight's body before, but judging by the mana alone, this body surpassed most knights.

— Hehehe. I'll evolve this body to the next level. If my power merges with this body, it will become even stronger.

Edwin's body had only been able to emit demonic energy and remain intact due to the evil spirit's abilities. The evil spirit could amplify the abilities of its host's body severalfold. That's how Edwin, with his crude mana, had managed to wield such immense power.

— Now, show me your memories and emotions. They are the source of my strength. I'll amplify them and make them mine. Even if you've forgotten, I'll dredge them back up for you.

The evil spirit's power lay in converting emotions into energy—not just current emotions but those from the past. Every human experiences strong emotions at some point, whether anger, fear, sorrow, joy, misery, or happiness.

Even those who grew calm and wise with age still had memories of past emotions. Though time might dull them, the evil spirit could uncover and harness them for power.

However, this transformation required a suitable vessel. Humans, depending on their disposition, could feel intense emotions even over trivial matters.

Edwin, despite his overwhelming despair, hadn't been a sufficient vessel to contain all that power. He could only emit demonic energy and protect his body.

Ironically, the deeper and broader a person's heart, the more capable they were of enduring life's hardships, and the more they could amplify the evil spirit's abilities.

— Surely, you've had painful memories in your life? Happy ones, too? Show them all to me. Your past.

The evil spirit eagerly delved into Ghislain's subconscious world. Descending from the conscious to the unconscious realm, it began peering into his memories.

And with those memories, the environment began to shift and change.

— Let's see how interesting your life has been… Huh?

A low, ominous growl filled the air.

The evil spirit looked around in confusion.

Red.

It was a vast, barren, red land, and in the midst of it stood a lone figure.

The man's face and body were covered in scars. His hair was blond, but streaks of white ran through it. He stared blankly at the sky with hollow eyes.

Though the evil spirit could only see the man's back, this was the mind realm. The evil spirit could perceive everything in an instant.

— Who… is that?

The evil spirit murmured in confusion. This was the subconscious realm. No one else should exist here.

The evil spirit had realized the moment it entered this body that its host had disguised himself with a beard. It also immediately learned his true name and appearance.

But the figure standing alone in this desolate place, gazing at the sky, resembled the host in some ways yet was entirely different from his current form.

It looked more like… what the host might become, wounded and aged.

— W-What is this…?

While the evil spirit reeled in confusion, the world turned red. The environment twisted and transformed again.

At first, it became the host's childhood memories.

— Ah, now we're getting to the real memories. What a pitiful wretch.

The emotions of his childhood were nothing but inferiority and immature anger.

No different from Edwin. No, perhaps worse. He was nothing more than a spoiled brat, consumed by insecurity and failure.

The evil spirit absorbed these emotions eagerly, murmuring to itself.

— Hmm, so his younger sister died. That must've been quite a shock. He ran away from home?

The memories that followed showed him training diligently and living as a mercenary.

He faced death many times and accumulated a variety of experiences, gradually transforming his emotions.

Though there were moments of hardship and frustration, his feelings began to shift toward self-improvement, positivity, hope, and longing.

— He went through some rough patches and grew as a person.

Even Edwin had changed after taking a few hits. It seemed hardship truly brought people enlightenment.

Once again, the evil spirit absorbed these emotions as fuel for its power.

The environment distorted and shifted again. This time, the memories caused the spirit to furrow its brow.

— What's this…

Dozens of heads hung from the gallows. The host knelt before them, crying out in anguish.

As soldiers approached, the host stumbled and fled.

The emotions that poured forth were:

Regret, despair, sorrow, sadness, fear.

And…

Rage.

— His family and friends were all killed. Such intense emotions. These are exactly the kind of feelings that make me stronger.

The evil spirit greedily absorbed these feelings again. The more intense the emotions, the more deeply they satisfied the evil spirit.

The environment shifted once more. The world began to twist.

Rage, regret, rage, regret, rage, regret…

The same emotions cycled endlessly. No other emotions could surpass them.

Interspersed were moments of deep sadness and sorrow. Occasionally, fleeting happiness appeared, only to be overwhelmed and snuffed out by the ever-present rage.

What the evil spirit witnessed was the host driving himself relentlessly to his limits.

He adopted an alias and concealed his identity, fighting endlessly. Monsters, humans—it didn't matter.

He set a clear, unwavering goal and moved solely toward it, forgoing sleep and dedicating himself solely to battle.

[I must grow stronger. I will have my revenge.]

It was the only objective that remained in his life.

— Huh? Huh?

Something was wrong. The evil spirit felt an intense sense of dissonance as it peered into the host's world.

The host's face and body bore countless scars. His hair was streaked with white.

It made sense—harboring such emotions and pushing oneself to the extreme would take a toll on both body and mind.

It made sense, but it didn't.

— Wait… has time… passed?

The evil spirit grew increasingly confused.

In the memories, the host had already surpassed his current age. Through countless brushes with death and moments of enlightenment, the host had changed.

He killed, trained, killed, and trained again, taking one step at a time toward his goal.

Then, suddenly, the world distorted, leapt forward in time, and changed once more.

The evil spirit tried to control the erratically shifting memories but failed and was swept along.

— What is this world?

At some point, the host had grown immensely powerful. That much made sense. After all, with such relentless training and battles, it would be strange if he remained weak.

But the world had changed. It was a world the evil spirit didn't recognize. Unfathomable masters and beasts roamed freely, and people everywhere cried out in despair.

The evil spirit had never seen or heard of such a world before.

What it was witnessing should have been the past—memories of the host. Yet the host appeared far older than he currently was, and the changed world made no sense.

As the evil spirit floundered in confusion, the host kept moving.

The evil spirit had never encountered someone who fought so much in their life.

Through endless real battles, the host honed himself, growing stronger with each fight. He vanquished monsters and demons, building his own power and influence.

Many people followed and praised him.

At some point, the host earned a glorious title. People revered and worshiped him.

[One of the Continent's Seven Strongest, King of Mercenaries.]

This had occurred long after he had surpassed his current age.

The evil spirit now knew something was terribly wrong with the host's memories.

[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]