Chapter 12: Debt and Awakening
"Tch, just take her money and let's leave already."
The two men stood arrogantly—one had a small scar on his lip, while the other toyed with two copper coins in his hand, a sword at his side.
They stood before a filthy girl who sat stubbornly at the entrance of a dilapidated shack, blocking their path.
"I… I really have no money right now. You took everything I had just yesterday…
Please give me one m-more day… I'll bring you more,"
the girl stammered, her voice trembling. Her hair was dirty and tangled, her clothes torn and ragged, her entire body covered in grime. She clutched a small, tattered blanket tightly in her hands.
Despite her stuttering, there was no sign of fear or sadness on her face.
At that moment, Sayru, watching from above, felt something strangely satisfying…
He muttered to himself with a pleased smile,
"Looks like killing her might be the right choice."
"Do you even know how much debt you owe to say you'll 'gather some tomorrow'?
It's 500 gold coins—five hundred!"
"Yeah! My big bro's right. Even if you robbed a noble, you wouldn't be able to pay even part of it!"
As they spoke, the older brother lowered his sword to her neck.
"W-What!? Wasn't it just 500 silver coins last time!? How did it get this huge!?"
The girl stood up reflexively and accidentally scraped her cheek.
"Ouch!"
"Oh? You're the one who stood up suddenly, haha.
Anyway, your mother signed a contract with an interest rate of 1000%, of course it grew this big.
Now either bring us the money, or I'll kill you just like I did your mother."
The man was at mid-Body Stage, and he wasn't joking about having the power to kill her.
"S-So it was you who killed my mother…!"
The man grabbed her hair and sneered,
"She was just a filthy pauper. Why wouldn't I kill her?
But you… You've always been a nuisance. That raw physical strength of yours could hurt even my Heart Stage subordinates.
That's why we never laid a hand on you—until now.
Now that I've broken through… things are different."
At that moment, from where Sayru stood:
"Tch, she's starting to release her physical power.
If she's left unchecked, I wouldn't be surprised if she reaches the Spirit Stage directly if she finds the right technique for her body…"
Usually, when an average person fuses with a spiritual core, it takes 3 to 10 years to reach the level of a Novice Mage, even if they're talented.
And fusing with a core before age 12 is nearly impossible.
If someone reaches Novice Mage level before age 20, they become highly sought after by clans and organizations.
But as for geniuses—especially those with special bodies—if they fuse with a spiritual core, they can become Novice Mages in less than a year.
"Well then, it's time to kill. I've enjoyed the show enough."
Just as Sayru was about to descend, Mimin stopped him with a wall of spiritual energy.
"What do you think you're doing?"
Sayru growled, clearly furious. His aura burst uncontrollably across the entire slum district.
Mimin calmed his rage with her words:
"Why kill her when you can control her and use her in your future plans?"
Sayru, digesting her words, suppressed his aura again.
Then asked,
"What do you mean?"
"I don't want you using demonic magic again… but I think using her is better than killing her.
Think of that formation you received with the revelation the first time.
You know very well what ingredients it needs to function."
Sayru recalled that the formation was part of the Ten Moons Art.
"Oh… right, I remember. But the ingredients aren't that rare…
Wait—yes! To complete the formation, it requires 10 activated special or sacred bodies."
After a few seconds of thought…
"But… do you think finding 10 special bodies is easy?
In the higher realms, most are from powerful clans. So how is this a good plan?
Besides, using demonic control magic will expose my location to the Sky Origin Hall."
Mimin had no response. Sayru was right.
The Sky Origin Hall was extremely hostile to demons—they try to prevent their births in all the lower realms.
Using demonic magic was basically like broadcasting your location on a tracking device.
"B-But at least… don't kill her. I really think she could be useful!"
Mimin was deeply unsettled by Sayru's new personality, filled with vengeance and bloodlust.
She would try to stop him from committing any unnecessary killing.
Sayru understood what she was trying to do.
And honestly—it wasn't wrong.
One of the terms of their contract gave Mimin full authority to stop him from doing anything that wasn't in his best interest.
"…Fine. Let's give her one chance only."
Mimin's face brightened the moment she heard his decision.
The two descended to the street below.
Sayru sent a spiritual message to the girl:
'Hey, girl! Are you really going to let them kill you?'
Startled, the girl cried out,
"W-Who's there?!"
"She's gone crazy, huh?"
The scarred man sneered.
Meanwhile, the sword-wielding man was sweating bullets.
"D-Damn it!! W-What was that!?
That was definitely an expert's aura—I'm certain of it!
Did she sense it too? Is that why she screamed?"
He cautiously stepped back, scanning his surroundings—
That's when he saw Sayru standing right behind him.
The man froze. His thoughts were in total chaos.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!...
When the hell did he get behind me?!
Who is this guy? I can't sense his strength at all…
Could he be a One-Star Martial Artist… or higher!?'
Meanwhile, Sayru continued speaking to the girl telepathically.
'Don't scream. I'm speaking in your mind. Respond with your thoughts only.
Now tell me—are you really going to let them kill you?'
She responded hesitantly,
'Who are you?'
'Just answer.'
She paused, then replied:
'I-I don't want to die… Please help me!'
Sayru remained silent for a few seconds… then said aloud:
"I won't help you."
The girl's eyes widened as she realized the man before her was the one speaking to her—
Only to be crushed by his next words.
"You're the one I was speaking to...
Why won't you help me? Were you just toying with me?"
Sayru crouched down.
"Yeah, I was just joking.
It was a little fun, you know.
Honestly, I think killing you with my own hands would be far better."
His killing intent locked onto her like a noose.
She fell into a terrifying illusion.
Paralyzed by fear, unable to make a sound, she wet herself—tears streaming uncontrollably.
Sayru retracted his killing intent.
"Tch… Not that brave after all, are you, you filthy rat.
Anyway, since I did promise to give you one chance, I won't kill you—yet."
She couldn't reply. Her body was just trying to breathe again.
Then, Sayru placed his hand on her forehead.
For a moment, she thought he would kill her—but was shocked by the warm spiritual energy flowing into her body.
"I don't have time to confirm your body's exact type…
But this looks like a Healing Water Body.
I'm not sure if that's lucky or not…
I just happen to have a technique that matches your body.
But know this—your body is not meant for killing.
Every time you take a life, your lifespan will shorten.
This body is aligned with healing, water, light, and sacred laws.
It'll grant you endurance, but killing is forbidden."
He was referring to the Healing Water Body—a special constitution focused on sacred healing arts.
It can heal both the user and others, but because of its sacred alignment, it rejects all forms of evil or darkness—especially demons.
Sayru felt threatened…
After all, he used to be a demon—technically, a half-demon.
"Anyway, that's not important.
I gave you a suitable technique, so your body will activate now."
The girl didn't fully understand what he meant, but the moment she grasped the essence of the technique, she fell unconscious.
'Seems I've stumbled upon a terrifying talent…
She fell into unconscious activation instantly…
Tch. Looks like Mimin was right about her.'
Mimin responded mentally:
'Didn't I tell you she'd be useful? So… what do I get as a reward? Flower Honey Candy? I've missed it so much!!'
'It's not over yet.
I said I'd give her one chance.
Whether she lives or not depends on her actions from here.
And remember—
I trust no one but you, and I never will.'
'…'
Mimin stayed silent. She knew he wasn't joking.
---
"Now then, there's nothing more to do here. Let's get back and enjoy the rest of the show.
Ah… almost forgot!"
Sayru turned to the two men.
"Listen carefully—
You won't leave this place unless you can kill her. Understood?"
The scarred man shouted:
"Who the hell do you think you are, talking to my brother like that!? You wanna die—?!"
The sword wielder interrupted:
"Shut up!"
Then turned to Sayru:
"F-Fine… we just need to kill her, right?"
Sayru smiled… and vanished.
He reappeared atop a nearby shack, watching.
At that moment, an immense surge of mana exploded from the girl's body.
She began to float slightly above the ground, radiating an overwhelming aura.
The two men couldn't even approach her.
Watching from above, Sayru smiled.
"She really is talented… she activated her body in just fifteen minutes!"
Changes began to manifest on her body—
Her physique grew more flexible and agile, her hair lengthened and darkened to a deep blue-black shade.
She opened her eyes—no longer lifeless, but glowing with brilliance, now the same blue as her hair.
Under her eyes, a shimmering golden teardrop mark appeared—her Special Body's symbol.
"No matter how many times I witness someone activating a special body… it always feels surreal,"
Mimin said, awestruck.
"But she's still just a filthy rat,"
Sayru muttered coldly.
As the activation process completed, the girl looked around and instantly sensed the hostility of the two men.
Mana cloaked her hand—a pure, refined energy, likely part of the technique Sayru gave her.
She tore off her tattered clothes, which were hindering her movement.
With a single step, she crossed a distance of three meters.
"You were the ones who wanted to kill me… so don't blame me for this!"
She headed straight for the man with the sword—clearly the greater threat.
With one precise strike to his chest, she shattered his heart.
He died instantly.
The scarred man couldn't even comprehend what had happened.
The moment he drew his sword, she was already in front of him.
She sliced off the hand holding his weapon.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
he screamed in agony.
"When you meet my mother in the underworld…
Apologize to her and tell her I avenged her."
With that, she slammed her palm into his head—exploding it instantly.
The girl calmed herself… dropped to her knees… and began to cry.
---
"Tch… trash will always be trash.
The fun's over—time to go back."
Sayru began leaping across rooftops, heading back to his room.
---
Inside his room, Mimin asked,
"Why didn't you take her with you? You just left her there."
Sayru lay down on his bed and replied,
"I told you already—her trial isn't over yet.
Night has fallen, and this body needs sleep. I can't keep sustaining it with mana alone.
We'll talk more tomorrow."
He immediately fell asleep.
Mimin, as a spirit, didn't need rest.
She simply extinguished the lights and entered a state of meditation.
---
Five days later…
The scene was misty—barely visible.
Sayru was on his knees, weeping blood.
His arm was severed. A dark, violent aura of black mana encircled his body.
Rain poured heavily…
His screams were drowned in it—and yet, echoed clearly at the same time.