Chapter 670: Random Box (5)

The moment Dylan pulled out the Blue Heart, Lennok immediately recognized its origin.

It belonged to a religious group that worshipped a failed god and had once prospered under the name of theocracy in WORLD 2.0.

In this world, it was an artifact imbued with the power of someone who had newly established themselves under the name of the cult.

And Lennok knew why Dylan had pulled such an artifact from beyond The Door.

Dylan O’Casey was an experimental subject sacrificed for the cult’s Unkillable Body Cultivation Project, and an Irregular born at its culmination.

That was the very essence of Dylan, possessing extraordinarily powerful regenerative and physical abilities.

Whether he wanted it or not, his origins were strongly connected to the cult’s power.

If Dylan consumed the Blue Heart, he would gain immense power, but there was a high probability that he would become even more inextricably bound by the cult’s control.

Lennok had brought Dylan to the underground laboratory briefly to inform him of that fact.

After a long silence, Dylan stared at the throbbing Blue Heart and spoke.

“When I first joined the office, I didn’t have many complaints about life. After experiencing what I did, just getting by day-to-day felt like a blessing.”

“……”

“But as my duties increased and even settling for stability became a burden, I recognized my problem.”

Dylan spoke quietly.

“Regardless, my body is the result of human experimentation. As a vessel created by external will, it’s not entirely my own.”

Dylan squeezed the Blue Heart he was holding, shrugging with self-deprecation.

“It’s not cool to dwell on the past. I’ve tried hard not to cling to that fact… but it’s just not that easy.”

“You thought your true feelings were different?”

“That lingering attachment, just in case… it was caught the moment I pulled the lever. Your random box is truly something else.”

Dylan said with a laugh.

“Enough to make me understand why you wanted us to have this experience. It must be because you got something equally amazing in Machina, right?”

“……”

“You are bolder and more cautious than anyone I know. For you to say something like this, there’s no need to ask for a reason.”

Saying that, Dylan took off the pro-wrestler mask he was wearing.

A clean face without a single strand of hair. Thousands upon thousands of unknown characters covered his skin in tiny, intricate patterns.

Lennok couldn’t read the characters, but he instinctively knew they were related to the cult’s scripture.

Now, with Dylan clutching the Blue Heart, the cult’s characters etched on his skin writhed violently.

A subtle, compelling movement, as if urging him to consume the heart immediately.

If Lennok felt such an urge, the impulse Dylan must be feeling would be beyond words.

“So…”

Dylan, gazing at the Blue Heart with an entranced look, slowly brought it to his mouth.

The mercenary’s hand, which had been holding it as if to shove it into his mouth at any moment, slowly tightened.

Crack! Crackle! Splat! Pop! Snap! Crunch! Squelch! Thump! Thump! Thump!

As if his moment of hesitation had been a lie, he crushed the heart, squeezing it until it burst.

“Kieeeeeek!!!”

A horrific shriek, indistinguishable whether it came from Dylan’s skin or the heart, echoed through the air.

Spewing blue blood, the heart throbbed and convulsed before shattering into pieces and falling through his fingers.

Splatter, splatter!!

The fragments of the heart that fell at their feet shriveled instantly, turning into a handful of dust and vanishing.

All that remained was the blue bloodstain on Dylan’s fingertips.

Even that continued to writhe, as if still clinging on.

Dylan cleanly brushed off even the bloodstain on his glove and nodded with a sense of relief.

“This is enough. I trust you.”

“……”

“Besides, what’s so hard about giving up something I wouldn’t have even seen if it weren’t for you?”

Dylan chuckled and put his pro-wrestler mask back on.

“Let’s go out and drink again! This constitution of mine, I just can’t seem to get drunk no matter how much I drink.”

“No. There’s still something left to do.”

Lennok stopped Dylan, who had flung an arm around his shoulders and cheerfully shouted.

“Huh?”

Dylan turned his head, looking bewildered and tilting it.

“Oh, do I need to incinerate it separately or something? For a monstrosity like this, it’d be natural, but…”

“I had you open The Door not for myself, but for you to recognize the possibilities you yourselves desired most.”

Lennok said.

“Since I directly made you give it up, I’ll provide you with a corresponding reward.”

“No, Van, I mean, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have seen that thing in the first place—”

“You gained powerful regenerative abilities from the Unkillable Body experiment, but conversely, I know you’re trapped within its limits.”

Dylan fell silent.

“At this rate, completing your Hierarchy will be impossible. It’s not a matter of talent or effort; it’s because the regenerative limit of your physical body is fixed.”

Dylan’s regenerative ability was more potent than any other regeneration-type superpower Lennok had ever seen.

But conversely, that’s precisely why Dylan’s limits were also confined within that framework.

Regenerative ability doesn’t retain the memory of physical growth; it merely reverts any changes, positive or negative, back to the original state.

That’s why Dylan, too, would have found it difficult to achieve physical growth beyond simply honing his magical power and techniques.

And for a physical ability user, that was practically a fatal limitation and weakness.

“…What are you trying to say?”

“I can release the limiter.”

At Lennok’s calm reply, Dylan’s lips twitched.

“What…?”

“To be precise, I’m going to forcibly release the biological mechanism and reaction limits of the body, which are being maintained as a result of the experiment.”

Lennok nodded.

“In return, the regenerative abilities and physical capabilities you’ve learned to control through your senses will fall out of your control.”

“……”

“In the worst case, you might be unable to control your powers, and your body could explode or disintegrate. If you’re still okay with that…”

Lennok reached into his pocket and met Dylan’s gaze.

“I’ll help you overcome your limits.”

Dylan couldn’t answer immediately.

He knew Lennok well enough to know he wasn’t someone who would joke about such matters.

The very act of confiding, destroying the heart, and maintaining that resolve might have been for the sole purpose of asking this question.

And he knew that if this wizard spoke to such an extent, it wouldn’t end in empty words.

Lennok wanted to know if Dylan was prepared.

After a silence, Dylan’s mouth opened.

“…What do I need to do?”

“Nothing.”

Taking that as his answer, Lennok drew a long staff from his pocket.

The Compassion of the Archangel, an artifact-grade item with magnificent wings on both sides.

Inside the rainbow-colored gem embedded at the tip of the staff, a faint, ghostly light swirled as if alive.

Lennok unhesitatingly brought the tip of the staff to Dylan’s chest and nodded.

“Stay conscious until the end and endure it. Can you do that?”

“Of course.”

Dylan chuckled.

“It’s what I’ve done my whole life.”

“I’ll go in when I count to three.”

Lennok said, channeling magical power into the Compassion of the Archangel.

Chink! Clank! Clash! Clatter! Clang! Screech! Thud! Thump! Thump!

Magical power coiled around the staff, converging into a sharp blade at its tip.

Dylan instinctively knew it would pierce his chest and swallowed hard.

Lennok began to count.

“Three.”

Thud!!!

“Cough!”

Dylan, staring at the Compassion of the Archangel that had instantly pierced his chest, cursed as blood streamed from him.

“Damn it, I expected two…”

“I won the mind game.”

“…Was this a competition?!”

The fact that Dylan could speak even with his heart pierced was proof of his monstrous durability and regenerative ability.

It was the same resilience that allowed him to be beaten head-on by Croken Asylus and still stubbornly survive.

As soon as Lennok realized Dylan’s condition wasn’t too bad, he immediately rotated his magical power.

The magical power that had been sharpened to pierce the heart now swirled into a rainbow-colored gem.

“…Wizard.”

He awakened the spirit of the Archangel sleeping within the gem.

“I told you not to awaken me unless it was for his work.”

The Archangel of the Old World. Kashuin, a devotee who served a failed god and ultimately failed to overcome their demise, opened his eyes.

“It’s exhausting just preserving power and enduring. If this is pointless, I won’t let it stand.”

Lennok didn’t bat an eye at Kashuin’s annoyed murmurs, simply nodding.

“It concerns the cult. Do you know about Unkillable Bodies?”

“Unkillable Bodies? Ah, I see…”

Only then did Kashuin’s consciousness perceive Dylan, who had been pierced by the staff, and a peculiar light began to gleam in his eyes.

“In the theocracy, it was a grand concept but a failed project that was ultimately abandoned due to lack of practical success. Has it found some success here?”

“If you know, it will be faster. I plan to release the limiter on the Unkillable Body right now.”

“Hmm… well, fine. I, too, am interested in seeing what the immortal avatar my master desired looks like.”

Kashuin’s will moved, watching the convulsing Dylan with interest.

The Archangel’s magical power, flowing backward through the staff piercing Dylan’s heart, surged into his body.

“I’ll forcibly upgrade this one’s Faith Grade. Will that suffice?”

“Enough.”

The administrative authority of the theocracy possessed by the Archangel Kashuin.

If the Pontiff maintained that stance even after crossing worlds, Kashuin’s power could not fail to work.

The Archangel’s authority, having once crossed worlds, began to twist the dogma and transform Dylan’s body.

“Ah, agh…!!”

Dylan’s body trembled violently, his skin cracked open, and blood gushed out.

The characters etched on his face writhed and faded, and the blood on his reddened skin turned dark black.

But new flesh instantly sprouted through the blackened skin, stopping the bleeding and rebuilding his collapsed skeleton.

“So this was an apostate, receiving grace yet rejecting faith. Do you know that you were abandoned?”

Kashuin whispered mockingly to Dylan, who was frothing at the mouth and trembling from unbearable pain.

“It’s miserable for abandoned dogs to lick each other’s wounds, but if it’s the foolishness of burning one’s own body to prove disbelief, it’s quite entertaining to watch.”

Using the Archangel’s power and authority, he intervened in the cult’s spellcraft.

He modified the authority of the scripture etched at Dylan’s cellular level, erasing and twisting its limitations.

“Ah, agh…!!”

“I’ll watch from afar to see how long you can endure. Hahahaha… Ugh!!”

*Smack! *

Lennok abruptly smacked Kashuin’s spirit, which had been emitting a strange laugh, with magical power.

“Listening to your nonsense, you’re not an Archangel but a demon. I suppose it’s natural given the god you believe in.”

“Damn it… you hit a spirit quite hard.”

“Stop talking nonsense and concentrate. I’ll forcibly stabilize his condition at the same time as I pull out the artifact.”

Lennok took an ampoule mixed with painkillers and stabilizers from his pocket and injected it into Dylan’s slumped neck.

As he pulled out the Compassion of the Archangel with both hands, the hole in Dylan’s chest instantly regenerated and sealed up.

*Crack! * *Crackle! * *Splat! * *Pop! * *Snap! * *Crunch! * *Squelch! * *Thump! * *Thump! * *Thump! *

Overwhelming regenerative ability, sucking every trace of blood from the staff back into Dylan’s body.

It was promoting physical activation far faster and more powerfully than before.

“Although I forcibly released the limits of his regenerative ability, the possibility of this apostate controlling that power is extremely low.”

Kashuin said mockingly.

“The Unkillable Body experiment was originally one of countless spare parts designed for my master. If you were to grasp it and manipulate it yourself, that might be different, but for others, it’s an excessive power… He’ll burn himself out and vanish before long.”

“Dylan is someone who survived the Unkillable Body experiment, breaking through that slim possibility.”

Lennok checked for a pulse at Dylan’s nose before standing up and speaking.

“If he’s done all he can, it’s better to help him make a decisive move, at least within my reach.”

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Every time Dylan’s unconscious body convulsed, his skeleton visibly twisted, and his physique subtly changed.

Along with that, the density of the aura flowing from his body continuously intensified.

This must be the process of the Unkillable Body’s power, with its limits released, adapting to his physical form.

Lennok observed Dylan’s internal magical flow intently, had Davi record it, and smiled.

“And Dylan’s regenerative ability is top-tier among the physical talents I’ve seen. If I’m lucky, I might even be able to adjust it to suit me.”

Regardless of helping Dylan, it was natural to replicate and research his biological mechanisms, hormones, and metabolic rate.

If the research progressed well, Lennok might also gain an extra life without the side effects of an Unkillable Body.

And Lennok had no intention of letting such an opportunity slip through his fingers.

“…You’re alike.”

“Alike?”

Lennok frowned, immediately understanding the context, and Kashuin seemed slightly flustered.

“No, I… right, that’s what it was.”

Kashuin, denying it before conceding, spoke with a cynical tone.

“The direction is different, but there is a yearning to find meaning in every moment.”

“……”

“I merely thought you might be remembered as such a presence by someone.”

Leaving Lennok, who did not reply, Kashuin subtly concealed his presence.

“I’m tired from being out too long. As promised, do not call upon me unless it concerns his work.”

Leaving Kashuin, who had vanished as if falling asleep, Lennok slowly pushed the artifact back in.

He pulled up a nearby chair and sat down, silently observing the laboratory.

The Archangel had told him not to call upon him unless it concerned the Pontiff’s work, yet he had readily cooperated with Dylan’s matter.

This implied that the Unkillable Body experiment conducted on Dylan’s body was also related to the Pontiff.

The Pontiff, who maintained his existence in the depths of someone’s memories and consciousness.

Why would he have directly involved himself in a project like the Unkillable Body experiment?

“……”

“Mmm, mmm…”

Meanwhile, Dylan was deep in comfortable sleep, even mumbling in his dreams.

Lennok chuckled, slowly rose from his seat, and exited the laboratory.

He wouldn’t regain consciousness for a while due to the aftermath of the limit alteration, so it was best to let him sleep soundly.

Since he had asked Evelyn to wait, he needed to check on her progress.

Antares had pulled out something ominous, leaving the atmosphere strange, so he was, in fact, somewhat worried—

Lennok’s thoughts were instantly swept away by the fervent cheers coming from beyond the garden.

“Whoaaaa!”

“More are coming out, even more!”

“Big Sis is totally amazing!”

“Pull harder, harder!”

Surrounding a giant mechanical box in the middle of the garden, people clinked glasses and drank, arms slung over each other’s shoulders.

At the center, Evelyn pulled a lever with a bewildered expression.

Something continuously tumbled out of the mechanical box without pause.

*Clatter! * *Clatter! * *Clatter! * *Clatter! *

A rain of large, shimmering lights poured out, as if a slot machine had hit the jackpot.

Amidst it, the drunken mercenaries were caught up in the excitement, as if they had become rich.

“Van, you’re here?”

Evelyn, discovering Lennok amidst the pouring radiance, waved with a slightly awkward expression.