Multiverse Systems: Demonic Resurrection in the Primordial Tower

Chapter 43: Another Path

Kai let the longsword return to Inventory.

He looked at the one-eyed man and knew he had been lucky to not attack him before. Simon's face was ashen, almost white. He was dying. But the water bullets could have injured Kai mortally.

'A dangerous opponent,' Kai thought. 'For how long he was holding them back?'

"I won't survive," Simon said, looking up at Kai. "I've lost too much blood."

When he slid out of the broken pieces of hardened mud, Kai saw what Simon was talking about then. It was gone. Simon's broken leg seemed to have been crushed to pulp from the impact of the mud bomb.

'It's terrible,' Kai reflected.

"Can't you just eat and regenerate HP?" Kai asked. "Desmond's injury wasn't any worse."

"Yeah," Simon said, grimacing with pain. "But Desmond had that water pouch, didn't he? No water pouch for this old man, I guess."

It struck Kai then. No amount of food was going to be enough for Simon. He needed to stop the blood loss, and let his HP regeneration overcome the HP drop. It was a feat that can only be done using magical Items.

'Should I take the risk then?' Kai asked himself. The thought of getting the Title had been buried, but it persistently tried to resurface. The frown on Kai's face was getting bigger and bigger.

Kai looked back. There she was. Shae was crawling away from Kai like a lizard. The moment she found Kai looking at her, madness took over her. She jumped to her feet and ran off in Arlen's direction.

"You have scared the soul out of that one," Simon said, clutching Kai's leg and sitting up. He took a deep breath of morning air and then looked at the sun. "Do you want to kill me?"

Kai didn't respond. He stared into the old man's one eye. It had lost all the brightness of living. His mouth was opening and closing for every puff of air. Though, that wasn't enough. Kai could feel Simon's grip on his leg, weak and bony.

'Yes,' Kai told himself. 'He's dead.'

"Your death means nothing," Kai replied. "Not now."

"Ah," Simon nodded, seeing the two approaching figures from afar. "What about my life?"

'What?!' Kai was confused. He didn't know what the man was up to. He jerked his leg out of Simon's grip and let the man fall on the rocks. 'Is it some dead man's drivel?'

"Is it some trick question, Simon?" Kai asked, also noticing Arlen and Shae's blurry figures in the distance. "What do you mean?"

Simon didn't seem to mind Kai's rudeness. He watched Kai with that one eye of his as if looking into him. The dry smile was still on his face, but it didn't look hopeless to Kai.

"No trick, Bloody?" Simon said, chuckling. "Only you can save my life."

Kai's mood had already become foul after letting go of the Murderer Title. And hearing Simon's nonsense didn't make it any better. Kai was cunning and manipulative. But he had directed all these qualities towards becoming stronger. He wasn't all-knowing. Nor was he some lord of cryptic conversation.

"I am done here," Kai said, taking a step away from Simon. "Live or die. It's your business."

"Wait!" Simon shouted. It must have taken him all his strength, for he couldn't do anything for a few moments after that. Kai looked back and saw the dead man, fighting the urge to put a drop of Light Neurotoxin into him.

'At least that would update my Traitor Title status permanently,' Kai thought. The thought brightened his mood in the slightest. So he stopped and asked, "What now?"

The wind had picked up momentum by then. Dawn turned into a mature morning, and Kai found he was hungry. His stomach grumbled as he saw his HP regenerating. Though the SP regeneration was almost half that of HP, it was rising too.

"I am not joking," Simon said, taking another shallow breath. His hands found their grip in a muddy puddle, and he straightened himself to look at Kai. "You have the food that can save me."

For a moment, Kai did not know what Simon meant. But it came fast to him. The food. The meaning behind Simon's words.

"Haha!" Kai laughed, amused over Simon's foolish suggestion. "You want the corpse of Great Redshank? Even ten of you isn't enough for me to give it up."

'What a fucking idiot?!' Kai sniggered. The magical beast's corpse was related to his Glitch. Kai had planned to find out if his Blood Devour will work on dead magical creatures or not. The result would dictate the course of his future risks. 'And he wants me to let him eat it? Humph!'

"No, not me... I know," Simon said, his voice breaking. "But I have something which can match its value. More than enough, I would say."

Kai's brows pressed, hearing that. As much as Kai knew, Simon had nothing that Kai wanted. Yes, the man was more mysterious than Arlen. But what use of that mysteriousness when Simon couldn't even save himself?

'Still, a dead man is talking,' Kai thought. 'No harm in hearing him out.'

"Say it," Kai said. "If a trade you want, a trade you will get."

"Yes... a trade," Simon whispered, his eyes shining against the morning sunlight. "I know what you want, Bloody. Arlen didn't tell you, did he? Another way to get magical aptitude."

Kai's eyes widened. Simon was right. Arlen hadn't told him anything. Kai knew the man hated him. So it didn't come as a surprise that Arlen had hidden some details from Kai.

"Another way..." Kai asked, towering over Simon with one step. "What another way?"

"Yes, there is," Simon said, looking into Kai's hazel pupils. "Sinister. Evil. But you don't mind that, do you?"

"What is it?" Kai asked through his gritted teeth. The question came out like a beast's snarl, making Simon's pale figure shiver.

Simon again clutched Kai's leg, wrapping his frail fingers around his calf. "Mr. Beedle hates Dark Magic," he said. "If he didn't acknowledge you, that means you aren't suitable for magic in HIS eyes. There are others, though, who don't have a strict definition of dark and light. Do you understand what I mean?"

Simon didn't need to ask.

Kai had understood. He was already grinning from ear to ear. His eyes were blazing red, gold, green, and drunk, thinking of power. "Speak!"