Chapter 17: The New Curse

“…they’re removed.” Thoth says to me after staring at my body for a while.

She just finished uncursing the bandages that I was wearing for the past two years of my life. Just like the ribbon, the bandages burnt away without a trace after having the curse removed. Now, I’m just laying here in the cold, dim cave completely nude. My clothes had to be taken off in order to unwrap the bandages off of me. I can’t see my appearance yet, but I wasn’t worried about that. I can feel my original ocean of mana being released, and I could finally use magic again.

Immediately, I cast the most powerful healing spell I knew; [Angel’s Embrace]. A golden light covers my body, and most of my wounds began healing at a fast rate. The cuts on my body created by the shards of ice have already mended themselves, without leaving any scars behind. The damage to my left arm was also mended, but my right arm was still shattered.

Despite this spell being the most powerful healing magic in my arsenal, it will still take time for it to heal a bone that’s been broken into pieces. The golden light remains working on my arm, disappearing from the rest of my body. I look at Thoth, who was just staring at me with a red cheeks. I tilt my head, which is my form of asking her what’s wrong without speaking. For some reason, she doesn’t reply even though she’s looking right at my face.

“…Thoth?” My voice startled her for a second, but she regained herself immediately.

“Ah, yes, Aria, you’re fine now, right?” I point at my right arm, which still had the golden light on it, and shook my head. “We’ll wait then. How long will that take?”

“…30 minutes…” I say to her.

“I see! Then, in that case, let’s start working on your new curse! Can you move from there?” I nod to her question, and she lays down my cloak on the cold ground and tells me to lay on it.

“Okay then, just lay down on your back here. I’m going to need to draw several demonic marks on your body.” I follow her instructions, but before she started, I wanted to confirm something.

“...curse…what…kind?” I ask.

“It’s a demonic curse that was made specifically for me when I went to spar with the lower level demons. The curse will be in a design of a wyvern on your back, made up of 100 marks. Each mark will be 1% of your status, and the complete seal will make every number in your status as 1. It’s a very weak curse, you can unseal your power by putting a single point of mana into one of the marks, and you’ll unseal 1% of your power. You can also do the reverse and reseal yourself if needed.” She explains to me quickly. She sits on my lower back, ready to start.

Then, she begins the cursing process. As she engraves the markings into my back, an intense feeling of heat burns into the middle of my back. I nearly let out a cry, but I grit my teeth and held it back. I heard that having a demonic curse engraved into you is similar to torture, and this was supposedly a weak curse. I can’t imagine having a curse stronger than this being engraved into the body, because this alone felt worst than any wound I’ve suffered before.

The fire continues to burn into my back as Thoth continues drawing the curse onto my back, and it took the whole 30 minutes to finally finish engraving the 100 marks into me. She gets off of me, and helps me sit up. The golden light on my right arm disappeared, and I can move it again. After about a minute of resting, the pain fades away and I’m able to move around properly again. I stand on my two feet, and face Thoth.

“…thank you.” I say to her.

“You really shouldn’t thank me. I just made you go through hell, didn’t I?” I shake my head to this, even though it was true that I felt like I went through hell.

“…thank you.” I repeat.

There wasn’t really anything else I could say, but it was the only thing I really wanted to say. To show my sincere feelings, I give her a smile, something I’ve only shown to him in my previous life. Her cheeks turned red again, just like earlier. It was a nice reaction to see from the normally over-excited Thoth.

“Just shut up and put your clothes on, idiot. Aren’t you getting cold like that?” She says as she walks away.

I quickly do so and see my reflection on some of the ice, although distorted. My hair grew out past my waist, and the color changed slightly. It had a gradient look to it, sky blue from the roots of my hair to silver at the ends of it. My eyes still had the steel-gradient color to it, a trait neither of my parents had, so they were confused when they saw it. I’m supposed to be 140 centimeters tall right now, but I can see that I grew a bit more, nearly hitting 145. I was way too tall for an 8 years old, I can only imagine my height when I become a teenager.

After taking the time to confirm my appearance, I run after Thoth, who was far ahead of me. We walk side by side with each other, like two young girls taking a stroll through a cave. A cave full of monsters that wants to tear you apart. I still found this sort of thing nice though, just the two of us together...

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“Now that I think about it, how are you going to explain the markings on your back to your parents when they see it?” Thoth asks.

“…have…excuse…” I reply. I can already imagine the scenario going something like this:

“Aria, what’s with these tattoos on your back!?” My mom would yell out loud.

“…blessing marks.” Would be my reply

“Oh my goodness! Aren’t they beautiful, dear? This is the sign of the [System] blessing our child!” My mom would say to my dad, who would be nodding in agreement.

Anyway, Thoth and I were currently in the 13th floor, trying to find a way out of the ravine. Like Thoth instructed me to do, I pour a point of mana into the markings in my back, and I had one percent of my power active. Although we didn’t have much mana remaining, our health was in the safe zone, and we still had stamina to go through the dungeon.

We kill the [Floor Bosses] on our way up, which were far weaker than the [Dungeon Master] and [Hidden Boss], which was to be expected. Along with that, we were able to fight together, and I’d say that the both of us together is a force to be reckoned with. The [Floor Boss] for the 14th floor was a giant ice golem and the [Floor Boss] for the 13th floor was a [Strongarm] except it actually had oversized legs as well. It was called the [Distorted Retard], which caused Thoth to just laugh while I killed the monster. I had no idea that the [System] would have such a sense of humor.

The crystal golem was known as the [Ice Guardian], and it stood taller than the [Yeti] we saw earlier. When we fought it, I focused on disabling its movements while Thoth tried to destroy its core. Using the magnum to destroy one of its legs, I strike at the other one with all my strength. As I distract it and try to keep it still, Thoth used that chance to thrust the spear into its chest and pierce the core, destroying it instantly.

Like the [Dungeon Masters] and [Hidden Bosses], these monsters gave items from the [System] upon being slain, but of inferior quality. From the golem, we got an [Ice Core], despite Thoth just destroying it. The [Distorted Retard] gave us a shield called the [Shield of Retarding]. This caused Thoth to laugh for a solid 3 minutes before we began moving again.

We finally find the spiral staircase made of ice, leading up to the 12th floor. We prepare to kill whatever monster at the top of the stairs, but then we immediately stop as soon as we took the first step.

“…they’re here.” I say.

“Which choice did we pick again?” Thoth asks.

Earlier, we were discussing on how to get by the adventurers, because we were sure to encounter them on the way out. We brought it down to three options;

Option one: Hide as they come by. This is the safest one and the option with the least amount of risk, no blood is shed. There is a possibility that they will have a mage with a perception ability high enough to detect us though.

Option two: Sprint right past them, knock out anyone in our way. I use illusion magic to change my appearance, and give Thoth the cloak to hide her body. She uses [Dark Magic] on top of the cloak so they can’t see her appearance under it.

Option three: We talk to them, with our disguises. Depending on how it goes, we either get a pass through, or we fight them with the disguise on. These adventurers are most likely a group of A-ranks, maybe even a few S-ranks. It’s what was necessary to kill a [Dungeon Master] like that. I may need 2% of my power to fight. Try to knock them out as the priority. Maim them if needed. Kill if necessary. The most dangerous and bloody option.

“…choice three.” I say to her.

Yes, we picked the most dangerous choice. Why? Because we felt like it.

Honestly, it’s a simple matter to just get by them. I had my invisibility, and Thoth had her [Spectral Daggers], but we’re still going with this. We’re not kind souls that want to avoid conflict, we’re people who kills others if they’re in the way of our goal. That’s the reason why the [Demon Lord] and I fought each other in our previous life. I killed him in my search of an exciting life, and he killed me because I was going to end the war. Now, this group was in the way of us leaving the dungeon.

We walk up the stairs, and I give my cloak to Thoth. I put another point of mana into the markings on my back, and I can feel my power doubling. My mana wasn’t in a miserable state anymore, so I was able to use [Light Magic] to change my appearance. Thoth uses her magic to blur her appearance, like a shadow under the cloak. We reach the top of the stairs, and enter the [Floor Boss]’s room.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Upon entering, we hear the cry of the [Floor Boss], which was a giant version of the [Winter Bat]. It was surrounded by the entire group of adventurers, the same one we saw at the entrance of the dungeon. The monster was just killed right before we entered, and the one who slew the beast was right on top of its carcass. It was a man who had the appearance of royalty, with short, blond hair and light blue eyes. A handsome face, and a sturdy build. A prince-like adventurer. He steps off the bat and notices us standing by the stairs to the 13th floor. He was the first to speak.

“You two, who are you and how did you get into this dungeon?” He asked.

“…walked in.” I reply with a deep voice. Right now, my disguise was a young man with dark blue hair, around his mid 20s. It was the reason why I was the one talking, because Thoth couldn’t change her voice.

“We’ve been here since daybreak, there’s no way you could have just walked by us and into the dungeon.” He immediately states, ruining my excuse immediately.

“…didn’t work.” I whisper to Thoth.

“You’re seriously stupid, aren’t you? How the hell is someone like you even an Archmage? I swear, you have absolutely no common sense inside of you.” I’m being scolded. I feel like crying to myself in the corner because of Thoth’s words.

Whatever, let’s try to find another excuse. I tilt my head, thinking about what I should say, when the man in front of us spoke again.

“Were you the ones who slew the [Dungeon Master] and the [Hidden Boss]?” He went straight to the point didn’t he?

“…maybe?” I say. Honestly, I didn’t know how to reply in a situation like this. Should I be honest?

“Why are you saying that as a question? It’s either, you killed them, or you didn’t. Which. One. Is. It?” It was clear that he was becoming irritated by the conversation. I decide to try and deny it.

“…no?” It ended up as a question again. Damn it, I really need to learn how to speak to others properly. Clearly this isn’t working, and I can see Thoth in the corner of my eye becoming irritated at this exchange as well.

“So you two did defeat the monsters. I demand of you, to give me the items dropped by the [Sys–” I was about to release my [Aura of the Heartless] if he were to show hostility, but his words were immediately cut off by a punch to his face.

“You idiot! You can’t demand something like that! Are you stupid or something!? Have you not learnt anything from my lessons of being an adventurer!?” A woman with apple red hair came out of nowhere, and began scolding him. Was she his teacher or something?

“But, wasn’t the reason we came here for–” His words are cut off again by the woman’s scolding.

“Of course we came here for the skillbook, but we can’t just steal the rewards of another adventurer’s hard work! Besides, why are you asking for the [Hidden Boss]’s item as well!?” I was enjoying this scene. Go teacher! You’re the best!

The scolding continues for a while, before she finally gets him to apologize to us. She apologizes as well, even though she’s done nothing wrong. The group lets Thoth and I pass, some of the members glaring at us, most likely because they’re not happy that we just took their objective from them. We were able to leave peacefully, without any bloodshed. After about an hour of walking, we remove our disguises and my cloak is given back.

“Aria, you’re an airhead, aren’t you? Not only that, but you seriously have no social capabilities. Did you even have friends in your previous life? I bet you didn’t even talk with your parents that much, did you?” Thoth criticizes me harshly, clearly still irritated from my exchange with the man.

“…sorry.” I say with a saddened look on my face.

“…forget it. It’s fine, we still got out. C’mon don’t look like that. Although you nearly died, we got a bunch of things out of this, didn’t we?” Thoth brings my mood back up, and I nod to her words.

Eventually, we leave the dungeon and by the time we returned to the city, it was nightfall. We went our separate ways after exchanging a goodbye, and I head straight home this time. I received many strange looks on my way there, much more people staring at me than when I was covered in bandages. It made me feel nervous, but I ignored it.

Upon reaching the gate of my house, I resolve myself before walking up to the door and ringing the bell. About half a minute after, my mother opens the door.

“Welcome back Aria, how was your–” She immediately freezes upon seeing me.

“…hi mommy?” I say as I tilt my head. This is what I was told to do by Thoth, but I think I may be doing it wrong. I don’t even know what it’s supposed to do, but I did it anyway.

Immediately, my mother squeals and hugs me in her arms, carrying me insides to the house while kicking the door shut. She spins me around in the hallway, and embraces me tightly.

“Hana, what was that scream? What’s happening…” My dad walks into the hallway and sees my mother hugging me.

“Dear, it’s Aria! Aria! Our cute little child finally removed the bandages! We can finally see our adorable little angel again!” My mother yells happily, continuing to embrace me tightly. Eventually, she puts me down and turns me to face my dad. Just like when they thought I was ‘blessed,’ his eyes were tearing up.

“She’s so beautiful, Hana. Just like you. Our own little angel in the family.” He kneels down and gives me a quick hug, and I hug him back.

After that, we had a feast for dinner as a celebration. I also got a lollipop.

By the way, later that night, my mother wanted to bathe with me because she wanted to wash my body. That exact same scenario I thought up in the dungeon happened. She’s so predictable.

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Third Person Perspective:

As soon as the dark haired man left with his companion, the mage Evalot sighs in relief.

“Ms. Evalot, why did you do such a thing? That was the biggest character change I’ve ever seen from you.” The man, Prince Jinada of Atalin’s Royal Family, questions his teacher.

Ms. Evalot is a calm and collected woman. She has never raised her voice prior to this moment, nor has she ever scolded him like that. She was also extremely heartless. Someone like her would never let something as precious as the items from the two strongest dungeon bosses go by like that. She was even the one who proposed to forcefully take the items if they refused to give it to them.

But upon seeing them, her reaction took a sudden turn, and she treated them with respect on the spot. This confused Jinada greatly.

“Your majesty, I’m sorry for my rude behavior from earlier. I was trying to secure our safety that time.” She answers.

“Safety? Safety from what? Those two, lone adventurers? You kidding us? What the hell is wrong with you, thinking that we needed to be safe from them!?” One of the mercenaries hired to help take down the [Dungeon Master] yelled at the teacher. She glares at him quietly, causing him to freeze, but explains her reason.

“If all of you tried to think about it for a second, you’d realize it. First, both the [Dungeon Master] and the [Hidden Boss] was taken down in a short period of time between each kill. That means both were fought simultaneously, and killed. They didn’t fight them together, because they would have had to kill the bosses one at a time, and the time span between both kills would’ve been much longer. This means that the man and his companion decided to fight each boss individually, one on one.”

“You sure they didn’t get any help?” One of them asks a stupid question, and also received Evalot’s cold glare.

“They were the only two who emerged. Did you see anyone else you fool?” He doesn’t reply, and she continues her explanation.

“So, they have the strength to kill either of the bosses on their own. That alone means they’re most likely adventurers of the [Immortal Tier]. But even they would suffer serious injuries, but these two appeared without a single scratch on either of them. What do you think this means?”

The group processes these facts in their minds, and realize the danger they were in. All of them were A-ranked, with the exception of the Prince and Mage, who were S-ranked. But they knew the difference of strength between an [Immortal Tier] and [Mortal Tier]. If they angered someone who was potentially at the higher ranks of the [Immortal Tier], it would be them who would have been massacred on the spot.

It was fortunate of them, because in truth, the man they were about to threaten had the strength to obliterate an army on his own.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Ms. Evalot! Thank you for saving my life!” The prince immediately says. He was kind to those he’s close with, so he accepts the words of his teacher without argument and apologizes to her on the spot.

The rest of the group could do nothing but admit that they just got safely from a life-or-death situation. But there was one more thing Ms. Evalot wanted to do. Upon returning to the castle, she will report to the king about these two people. These two were humans of the [Immortal Tier], and having them on Atalin’s side would greatly benefit the kingdom. Most likely, he would issue a search request for these people, and ask for their audience.

Unfortunately for them, the two they're actually looking for doesn't exist, and they will never find the ghosts they're chasing after.

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Yay~! I finally finished it. I typed over 8,000 words in one day, I feel proud of myself. Anyway, after this, I'll set up a thread for a skill library. Already there's a bit much to keep up with. Anyway, we'll go back to casual life for a few chapter after this!!