Chapter 107: Blind to See
The last stitch of flesh sealed behind his ribs, and Seo-jin exhaled. The pressure in his chest eased, blood pumping clean again through veins that had nearly gone still. Relief crept in slow and heavy, all while his attention was fixed on the piece of his heart pulsing on the floor.
It twitched. Spasmed. Then split down the middle like wet fruit.
Veins crawled outward from the torn lump, rooting through the stone in a frantic sprawl. A slick film spread beneath it, bubbling and hissing as the fragment expanded, flesh stretching over raw bone that wasn't there a moment before. The room filled with the sound of tearing meat.
Pain froze mid-chew, jaw hanging as half a snake spine dangled from his teeth. Panic leaned forward on all fours, eyes wide, tail thrashing against the wall. Snare stepped back, his usual calm breaking as his claws clicked in tight rhythm.
The heart kept growing. Ribs coiled into place with a wet snap, a spine knitting up from the mess, vertebrae twisting into shape one by one. Limbs sprouted next, thin, childlike at first, then corded with muscle that writhed beneath its skin like worms in a pit. Its skull pushed free last, splitting from the center and pulling itself open as blue veins spread through its blackening flesh.
The air went cold.
Grimm drifted out from Seo-jin's chest, the blue flame inside his skull burning higher as he hovered close. His ghostlight cast the forming creature in a spectral glow, half newborn, half abomination.
A shudder ran through the thing as its chest rose for the first time. Then it screeched.
A wet, animal sound. Not pain...birth.
[System // Notification]
[Broodling x1 // Spawned]
[Would User like to assign a name?]
[Yes / No]
Seo-jin leaned forward in the chair, dried blood cracking across his ribs. The thing on the floor still steamed, twitching in the afterbirth of its creation. He'd thought through possible names long before this moment, and one stayed with him.
He pressed [Yes], and gave it.
[Name // Assigned]
[Broodling // Hex]
He rose to his feet. Crimson light crawled up his legs as his body began to shift. Human flesh split and peeled, giving way to black hide and searing veins of red heat. Horns tore free from his skull, curling upward as his tail lashed behind him.
When Azakh-Tur stood in full, the room dropped into silence. His presence dragged the broodlings to their knees—Pain, Panic, Snare, even the newborn.
Steam rolled off the fresh spawn. Its skin was darker than his brothers', its blood a deeper red. The horns curled tight like a ram's, blunt and solid.
'Kinda nervous.'
[You can always make another if it disappoints you.]
He'd considered that, if killing one would free the slot for another. Something to test later.
"Stand."
Four shapes rose at once. Even Grimm floated upright, his blue flame dimming in imitation of discipline.
'Time to plant the seed.'
Azakh-Tur's gaze locked on the newborn. His eyes flared red, bloodlight spilling through the room. The pressure hit Hex like a hammer. He trembled, barely able to breathe under the weight of it.
Azakh-Tur looked him over once, then spat at his feet.
"Pathetic. Naming you Hex was wasted effort. No spark. No magic. Useless."
He turned to the others, voice flat and sharp.
"Snare—teach him what he needs to know. You have an hour. Keep it quiet. His failure's already given me a headache."
The newborn's shoulders sagged. Steam still rose off him as he stood shaking in the bloodlight, shame fresh in his first breath.
Azakh-Tur watched a moment longer, the faint curl of a smile forming.
To be born in pain, shamed before the first word, he wanted to see what that would make.
Snare and his brothers watched the newborn like wolves eyeing a crippled pup. Even Snare, usually composed, looked eager for what came next. The Broodfather's judgment had been made, and pity had no place among the brood.
Pain seized Hex by the neck.
"You shouldn't have done that."
He dragged the confused spawn into the corner. The sound that followed was wet, muffled, and short.
[That was fucked up. Could've built him up without the torture, you know.]
Azakh-Tur ignored the cries, scrolling through Hex's profile.
'The brood's perfect for this. Each one reacts to a different leash. Panic gets freedom. Pain gets neglect. Snare gets pressure. Hex gets contempt. They'll grow against each other—and I'll see which path makes the strongest.'
[Twisted. But efficient.]
'I'm their father, aren't I?'
A faint grin cut across his face, but it slipped the moment he reached what he was looking for.
'Tch. Not what I hoped for.'
Still, disappointment cooled to calculation. At least the spawn had survivability.
[Broodling // Hex]
[Classification // Demon Spawn]
[Subclass // Broodling (Imp)]
[Rank // F]
[Level 1]
[Core Stats]
[STR // 6]
[VIT // 8]
[AGI // 7]
[INT // 6]
[AP // 0]
[HP // 80/80]
[EXP // 0/94]
[NATURAL WEAPONS]
[Claw // F // Slashing Damage 6–7]
[Bite // E // Piercing/Crushing Damage 8–9]
[Tail // F // Blunt Damage 6–7]
[DETAILS]
[Appearance]
[Back-curved horns thick at the base, standard broodling frame, crimson hide marred with raised scars, dull white eyes sunk deep beneath a thin jaw.]
[Behavior]
[Holds ground. Watches. Waits for openings. Strikes only when ordered. Responds best to direct commands through the Brood Link.]
[Habitat]
[Artificially spawned from host flesh.]
[Notable Traits]
[Heat Resistance // A]
[Dark Vision // S]
[Wall Crawler // C]
[Stealth // B]
[Dynamic Growth (Vitality) // A]
[Abilities]
[Feed (Passive)]
[Consumes any organic flesh to restore 2% HP. Not tied to soul integrity; works on spoiled or inert meat.]
[30-second cooldown.]
[Brood Link (Passive)]
[Maintains mental link with summoner and other broodlings. Shares emotion, location, and simple commands within 50 meters. Breaks if out of range or on death.]
[Weaknesses]
[Fragile skeleton; blunt damage +25%
No magic resistance
Reckless if left without command]
[Note]
[Cannot evolve. Limited to mutation or class development.]
[Dynamic Growth], he checked its details. Straightforward enough, Hex's Vitality would rise every level instead of alternating with the others. The only unknown was whether the boost doubled when the rotation aligned.
[You shouldn't be disappointed. You knew this happen.]
'I know. Wouldn't sting as much if his intelligence was higher.'
A faint blue glow bled across the panel as Grimm drifted above his head, the little skull rotating slow and lazy. Seo-jin had already checked the ghost's profile, no changes beyond the quest tag tied to his next feeding.
Maybe the final fight with the snakes will handle that.
A crash cut through the room. A sharp growl followed. He turned, Hex was on his back, pinned down. Pain had his left arm, Panic the right, and Snare calmly tapped his staff against the newborn's forehead.
"That's enough. Quiet down and teach him properly."
The three froze mid-motion. Then, almost in sync, they straightened and put on their best mock-innocent faces.
"Yes, Broodfather."
"Sorry, Broodfather."
"…What?"
He didn't bother responding. Turning back to his panel, he rolled his shoulders and settled into the chair. A flicker of excitement edged into his chest as he opened the Network tab.
'What should I buy first…?'
[Potions would be a smart invest—]
'Wasn't asking.'
The screen pulsed once.
[Accessing Network]
[User #634578921 // Approved]
[D-Rank Access Granted]
[Bank // 10,000DP]
--[Network Shop]--
--[Auction House]--
--[World Link]--
--[Dungeon Ranking]--
--[Quests]--
--[Bounties]--
His claw tapped the shop without hesitation. He already knew what he wanted. If Hex was going to be molded into a caster, the seed alone wouldn't cut it. He'd need something to spark the growth.
The panel shifted. A flood of item windows filled the screen, rows of icons and terse descriptions. His eyes flicked to the navigation bar.
[Consumables / Weapons / Armor / Accessories / Materials & Components / Blueprints & Techniques]
He grinned, claws flexing. Time to start shaping his next weapon.
He wasn't expecting treasure. The Network shop never sold true artifacts, only system-forged items. Anything real would be buried in the auction, and he wasn't about to burn all his points chasing some collector's relic.
His first stop was Weapons.
[Blade / Blunt / Polearms / Ranged / Thrown / Fist]
He scrolled for minutes, claws tapping against his armrest. Nothing worth a damn. Plenty of blades that spat fire or weapons that mimicked low-grade spell effects, but none spoke to him. A few went to memory and he backed out.
Accessories next.
[Bands / Necklaces / Belts / Wraps / Totems and Idols / Utility Gear / Support Rigs]
'Support rigs?'
[Wearable machines. Augment physical performance—lifting, breathing, endurance.]
'Makes sense. Not what I need.'
He ran through each category. A few items drew his eye, but none earned his claw. One thing stood out, though, nothing above A rank appeared. No S, no S+. The Network didn't let the good stuff touch public hands.
Halfway through Wraps, he paused. These weren't armor or trinkets—they were bindings, cloths meant to fuse with the user through contact and repetition. Fighters used them as training gear, healers as mana conductors, some lunatics as holy bandages. Most were worthless. Then one caught his eye.
[Tendon Guard Wrist Wrap // E // 22 DP]
[Ironweave Elbow Bind // E // 35 DP]
[Underbone Knuckle Strap // E // 18 DP]
[Thread Palm Wrap // E // 27 DP]
[Low-Twist Bind // E // 31 DP]
[Palehide Jaw // D // 60 DP]
[Vein-Tension Hand Coil // D // 48 DP]
[Veilstill Sight-Wrap // D // 75 DP]
[Description]
Cloth band designed to blind the wearer. A standard training tool across Network academies.
[Function]
[Blind yourself to see the truth. Prolonged use forces reliance on mana perception.]
[Results vary per user.]
[Buy Now]
He leaned back.
'Am I rich, or is everything just this cheap?'
[10,000DP equals the haul from an A-Rank dungeon. You could scrape together one, maybe two A-Rank items at best. Don't get cocky. You've got saving to do.]
He scrolled down to the A-Rank listings and felt his stomach tighten. The prices hit harder than any blade. He hadn't even looked at the armor section yet—and already knew it would be worse.
[Heartline Cinch // A // 9,800 DP]
[Torque-Spine Strip // A // 12,600 DP]
[Palm Twist // A // 14,900 DP]
[Pulse-Balance // A // 18,200 DP]
Whatever urge he'd had to splurge died quick. He backed out, thumb moving slower now, his mind cold and sharp again.
'It's a gamble… but the best I've got.'
He pressed [Buy Now].
[Item // Veilstill Sight-Wrap Successfully Purchased]
[Press to Transfer Item to User #634578921 Inventory]
[Press to Manifest Item]
He scratched absently at the base of his horn and gave a slow nod.
"Efficient."
He flicked his fingers toward Grimm, who hovered upside-down above his shoulder like an expectant pet. Then he pressed Manifest.
The quiet bickering of broodling whispers stopped. All eyes turned as a strip of cloth shimmered into existence before the Broodfather, once white, now yellowed, frayed at the edges, threadbare from use. It drifted down and landed in his hand.
He turned it over. The weave was coarse, stitches tight and deliberate. No markings. No aura. Just a thing meant to serve.
[Item Profile // Veilstill Sight-Wrap]
[Type // Accessory]
[Rank // D]
[Sub-Category // Wrap]
[Appearance]
[Plain cloth band sized to bind the eyes. Fabric coarse, edges raw. No visible enchantment or sigil.]
[Effect]
[Blind Training // When worn, vision is sealed. Forces user to rely on other senses and ambient awareness. Extended use may trigger mana perception. Success rate dependent on user.]
[Cost to Use // None]
[Durability // 40/40]
["Blind yourself to see the truth."]
The brood stared, silent. Seo-jin ignored them and drew a slow breath. He'd gotten lucky before with Snare's staff...maybe he'd get lucky again.
His eyes flared red.
[Inspect]
Bloodlight poured from his gaze, washing over the cloth. The strip began to glow, fibers writhing as if alive.
Something hidden stirred beneath the weave.