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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 11
1.
The soul bindings cast by the Demon Lord.
They were undoubtedly placed by the Demon Lord, Ilinas.
He said he’d take my entire soul in exchange for sending me back.
‘Ilinas…’
That bastard accepted my body as payment in my final moment and still played his twisted games.
Of all times, he sent me back to the moment after I’d become a cripple.
On top of that, he bound my soul.
‘That monster can’t be left unchecked.’
I reached out to touch the faint red thread.
It was taut but supple—flexible, even. Not exactly unbreakable.
If I really wanted to, I could probably snap it right now.
"If you sever that, Ilinas will come looking for his property. Are you sure you can handle him right now?"
Equinox’s voice cut straight to the point.
‘Not yet.’
One day, I’ll make him pay in full. But that day isn’t today.
Right now, I’ve only just acquired my first mana ring.
I’ve still got a long way to go.
Revenge can wait—it won’t spoil.
Eventually, I let go of the thread.
Equinox stood by my side and said.
"Your body is worn out. You need nourishment."
He was right. I was starving.
So I followed him calmly as he moved, leading the way out of the cave.
It was still night outside.
＊ ＊ ＊
The scene outside the cave felt both familiar and strangely new.
The shattered boulder by the entrance was faintly glowing with a greenish aura, and the stream flowing nearby shimmered with a bizarre silver hue.
But that wasn’t all.
The densely packed trees released particles of light, each different in hue. Even the fallen leaves on the ground carried flecks of white and black dust, caught and carried by the wind.
But the most striking thing... was the sky.
Stars—more than I’d ever seen—filled the heavens so thickly that I couldn’t make out any of the old constellations I used to know.
And at the very center of it all floated a sphere.
It wasn’t the moon.
It was a black orb, suspended amid the brilliant starlight.
Smaller than the moon, with faint light leaking around its edges.
‘What is that…?’
Equinox answered my unspoken question.
“That is Heaven's Gate. It's where the souls of the dead come and go.”
After speaking, he glanced down toward my feet and continued.
“It seems lesser creatures have been drawn to your aura. Deal with it before it comes to its senses.”
I followed his gaze—and saw a massive white snake clamped onto my ankle, its fangs sunk deep.
It had bitten down so hard, it couldn’t even pull away. It just wriggled, stuck.
It was... strange.
‘I don’t feel any pain.’
Venom from a White Serpent like this is lethal. A single bite can kill within an hour or two.
Yet I felt nothing. No pain. No reaction at all.
It confused me.
Was this what Equinox meant when he said all my senses would be restructured?
I pinched the thrashing snake’s head between my thumb and forefinger, subduing it effortlessly, then lifted it up.
A white serpent with a head the size of a child’s fist.
Its eyes gleamed blood-red, and it's white scales gave off a silvery sheen.
It was nearly two meters long—even raised to eye level, its tail still touched the ground.
It hissed and writhed, but it couldn’t escape.
Watching its dripping fangs and the bite marks on my ankle, Equinox gave me an answer before I could ask aloud.
“From now on, you won’t be harmed by any poison in this world. The same goes for pain. You may still feel some of it for now, but it will dull over time.”
“Will the rest of my senses dull the same way?”
“Most of them will, yes. However…”
“However?”
I prompted him, and Equinox stepped closer.
“If you focus, you’ll be able to isolate and heighten specific senses. The ones you choose can be honed to incredible sharpness. Of course, it’ll require training.”
He stood beside the snake I was still holding and added.
“Absorb this creature’s life force. That comes first.”
He was right.
Even dulled, I could still feel the fatigue and hunger gnawing at me.
I’d been unconscious for days since the mana ring was grafted into my heart.
Back in my previous life, when the Demon Lord had granted me my first mana ring, I’d also been out cold for a week.
My master, back then, had gone out to hunt fresh meat and cooked for me himself.
Remembering that, I immediately twisted the snake’s neck.
Then, using basic magic, I summoned a Blade spell and began skinning the creature.
Sshhk—
The blade sliced cleanly along the serpent’s underbelly.
Gripping the broken head, I peeled the skin away in one smooth motion, revealing the glistening white flesh beneath.
And then—I saw it.
A crimson heart.
Even though it was deep within the thick body, the heart was clearly visible.
Maybe because I’d just snapped its neck—the heart was still beating, and bright red blood was gushing from the severed neck.
It was... hauntingly beautiful.
As the still-warm blood ran over the hand holding the serpent’s neck, my mind briefly drifted.
By the time I came to, the blood was already being absorbed into my skin.
The heat coursed up my arm and flowed into my heart.
The mana ring inside my heart slowly began to spin, drawing in the creature’s life force.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
As it did, the snake’s heartbeat grew fainter and fainter.
And when that final beat faded away, three small red orbs appeared on one side of my mana ring.
They spun in sync with the ring itself.
The snake’s corpse, in my hand, had shriveled up completely.
“Well done.”
“When you absorb the heart of a living being, you form Life Orbs. The stronger the creature, the more orbs you’ll gain. Right now, your mana ring can hold six. That limit will increase as you forge more rings and refine your skills.”
That was... surprising.
Even in my past life as a necromancer, I’d never heard of Life Orbs.
The fact that I could absorb life force through mere contact—that was astonishing in itself.
‘So this is possible even without using blood magic...’
While I was still marveling at the idea, Equinox looked down at the shriveled remains of the serpent in my hand and added.
“It’s not over yet. Creatures that have lived in these mountains a long time often carry spirits. Once they die, their spirit form can manifest—just like a human soul.”
Just as he said, the spirit of the serpent emerged from the carcass.
It had the shape of a snake, but its body glowed with an eerie blue light, like it was bathed in moonlight.
It hissed, tongue flicking, glaring straight at me.
“Grab it—quickly. Even though it’s just a spirit, creatures like this can still harm you.”
“More dangerous than its fangs?”
“Yes.”
Taking his advice, I reached out and seized the serpent’s spirit by the neck.
It felt cold—cold and sticky, different from the spirit I encountered back in the cave.
Its aura was different, too.
This serpent radiated killing intent.
“This next part is crucial.”
“Don’t look away. Lock eyes—and push your will into it. Let it know you’re the one in control.”
I’d done this before—with restless earthbound spirits.
So channeling that intent came easily.
Submit
The moment my will reached it, the serpent’s spirit froze—its fierce presence snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
Equinox’s voice softened.
“Impressive, Master. You’ve successfully subdued a Divine Spirit Form. Spirits like these, once tamed, can serve many purposes.”
“Such as?”
“There are many ways to use it, but for now, it would be best if you made it your guardian spirit.”
“Guardian spirit?”
That was a term I’d never heard before.
My master had never taught me anything like this.
Terms like Life Orbs or Heaven’s Gate were completely foreign to me.
Equinox must’ve picked up on my confusion, because he continued, slowly and deliberately.
“Master, I know this must all feel strange and overwhelming. That’s only natural. After all, the first necromancer vanished over 3,500 years ago. And now, you… you’re the first true necromancer to appear since then. Keep in mind—what your former master taught you was nothing more than tricks and scraps. Not once in all those years did I ever pass on the essence of necromancy to my copies.”
“…I see.”
I thought back to what Equinox said earlier in the cave—how my master had likely never even come close to the power of eternity.
Back then, I’d dismissed it as nonsense. But now… maybe he was right.
The landscape had changed so drastically. I could now see spirit forms with perfect clarity.
And I had power—power that could draw out life force with nothing more than a touch.
What I had now was nothing like what I’d been taught.
‘This is on a whole other level.’
Is this what a true necromancer’s power feels like?
I’d only formed a single mana ring—and it was already overwhelming.
If I kept growing like this… what kind of existence would I become?
The moment I asked myself that, my vision blurred.
And when it cleared again—I was seated high above the world.
Spread out before me was a vast, boundless land, and below it… an uncountable number of people, all bowing their heads to me.
“…What is this?”
It was just a whisper to myself.
But Equinox answered anyway.
“It’s your answer—the one to the question you just asked.”
Somehow, he was now sitting beside me, silently gazing at the same world I was.
And his body—was no longer a spirit. He had form now. Physical presence.
He was an old man dressed in a weathered brown robe.
Thick white eyebrows. Deep, worn lines in his face.
His eyes, tinged with green and blue, held a sadness I couldn’t explain.
He stared out at the distant horizon and the world beneath it for a long time, then finally spoke.
“A necromancer is one who defies all the laws of the world—and speaks with the world itself. When a necromancer forms their first mana ring, the world shows them the thing they most desire to know.”
“So what I’m seeing now… this is the answer to my question?”
Equinox nodded.
I looked back out over the vision spread before me.
‘This is supposed to be the answer?’
All I’d asked was how far I could go—What kind of being I might become, if I kept growing.
And this... this scene was supposed to be the answer?
I still didn’t understand.
Equinox, now wearing a strangely serene expression, spoke once more.
“You’ll learn how to speak with the world soon enough. Don’t rush it.”
“Just tell me one thing. What does this mean?”
I pointed toward the world before me.
And Equinox answered, his eyes calm and steady.
“It means… that one day, Master, you will become a God.”
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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