The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 351

“You’re finally back to your senses.”

Ghislain withdrew his fist and smiled. Now that Edwin had completely regained his mind, it was time to resolve the situation through words.

Edwin’s face was different from before. The malevolent energy had vanished, and his eyes had returned to their original color.

“W-Who are you? You demon! Let me go right now!”

Edwin trembled, his face filled with terror. The comfortable life he had grown used to had turned into a hellish nightmare in an instant.

Ever since merging with the malevolent spirit, he hadn’t felt pain, even while being chained for an entire year. But now, after just a few punches, he was experiencing agony he had thought impossible. His tormentor must surely be a demon.

Ghislain clicked his tongue and approached Edwin.

“Do you want to keep living with that thing? Or should we keep this up for a few more days?”

Edwin, his face pale with terror, shook his head violently. No matter how much he screamed, no one would come to his aid. He couldn’t endure this any longer.

Better to heed his father’s advice, study hard, and live a disciplined life than to keep suffering like this.

Satisfied, Ghislain nodded with a grin.

“Hey, you’re listening, right? How about coming out of that body? Or should I keep this up a little longer?”

At his words, Edwin’s eyes turned black again. It was clear that the two shared control of the body.

Both sides were equally terrified. The malevolent spirit, its voice trembling, spoke.

“Grr… I-I can’t leave.”

“Why not?”

“If I leave this body, I’ll die. I’m surviving by leeching off its life force. If I don’t find another host, I’ll fade away over time.”

“So, leaving means death?”

“Y-Yes. Just let me stay in this body. I’ll behave. Even the boy’s anger has subsided quite a bit.”

The spirit was desperate, laying bare its circumstances and even offering a compromise. It was an appeal to Ghislain’s sense of compassion.

Ghislain nodded thoughtfully.

“Hm, just as I suspected.”

“S-Suspected?”

“That’s how these things work. Let me make you an offer.”

“A-An offer?”

“Yes. You can’t stay in that body forever. So, I’ll provide you with a place to live instead.”

“A… place? What kind of body?”

Ghislain smirked and stared straight into the spirit’s darkened eyes.

“How about living in my body?”

The spirit froze, and even Arel, who had been observing from the side, was shocked.

Why on earth would Ghislain offer his body to such a malevolent entity? If the spirit were to take control of Ghislain, their entire domain could collapse.

Arel tried to intervene, but Ghislain waved him off and continued speaking.

“I’ll prepare a place for you in my body. You need mana or life force to survive, right? I’ll provide you with mana.”

“How is that even…?”

The spirit looked at Ghislain in disbelief. His proposal was flawless. To sustain itself, the spirit required a host’s mana to parasitize.

Every human possessed a small amount of mana, accumulated naturally through breathing, eating, and living. While most people couldn’t consciously wield it, nobles like Edwin, who had practiced basic mana cultivation techniques, offered a slightly more suitable vessel.

With Edwin’s mana combined with the spirit’s abilities, even malevolent energy had been possible. But Ghislain was on a different level.

‘This man… he’s much stronger than Edwin. If I can take over his body…’

It was an opportunity unlike any other.

Normally, entering a new body was no simple task. The host needed to have an exceptionally weakened or exhausted will. But if the host willingly allowed the spirit in, the process would be much easier.

Once inside, manipulating emotions and memories to take control wasn’t too difficult.

“What’s your angle? Do you really think I’ll just agree to this?”

“Trust me. If something feels off, you can always move back to Edwin’s body.”

“….”

The spirit hesitated, weighing the risks. It was dangerous, but if successful, it could secure a perfect host.

‘Is this some kind of trap? Or is he actually trying to save that boy?’

Whatever Ghislain’s intentions, this gamble was worth taking. Once inside, there would be no way to stop it.

“Fine. I’ll transfer to your body…”

Dark energy began to writhe within Edwin’s body before slowly emerging. The spirit’s essence moved toward Ghislain, its powerful will pressing directly against his mind.

— Will you accept me?

“I will.”

Ghislain made no effort to resist the invading energy. He opened not only his body but also his mind, fully allowing the spirit to enter.

Cautiously, the spirit began merging with Ghislain. Ready to flee back to Edwin at the first sign of trouble, it proceeded carefully. But Ghislain offered no resistance, and once over half of the spirit had entered, it surged forward, fully transferring into Ghislain.

Fwoosh!

The energy flooded into Ghislain. His eyes turned pitch black, and a torrent of malevolent energy erupted from his body.

Arel, who had been anxiously watching, stumbled backward in shock.

“This… this is…”

The aura emanating from Ghislain was incomparably stronger than Edwin’s. It overwhelmed the surroundings, making it hard to breathe.

Arel barely managed to endure by mustering all the pitiful mana he had accumulated. Edwin, meanwhile, gasped for air, unable to withstand the pressure.

Inside Ghislain’s mind, the spirit burst into laughter.

— Haha! Incredible! What a magnificent body! Such immense energy! This is nothing like the pathetic hosts I’ve inhabited before!

The spirit, accustomed to inhabiting the weakest of minds and bodies, had never experienced such power. It was ecstatic at the possibilities this body offered.

— I’ll evolve this body even further. With my abilities combined with this vessel, I’ll become unstoppable.

The spirit began delving deeper into Ghislain’s consciousness, eager to extract his emotions and memories—the source of its strength.

But as it ventured into the depths of Ghislain’s mind, the environment began to change.

A barren, crimson wasteland stretched endlessly before it. In the middle of this desolation stood a lone figure.

A man, his body covered in scars, his blond hair streaked with white, gazed blankly at the sky.

— Who…?

The spirit was bewildered. This place was not what it had expected. This was the domain of the mind, and no one but the host should exist here.

Yet there he stood.

Yet the figure standing alone in the barren wasteland, staring at the sky, resembled the owner of this body, albeit different from his current appearance.

It was as if… this is what the body’s owner would look like after enduring countless wounds and aging further.

— W-What is this…?

While the malevolent spirit was still in shock, the world around it began to take on a crimson hue. Then the environment twisted again, shifting into something new.

At first, it was a scene from the body owner’s childhood.

— Ah, now we’re seeing the proper memories. What a pathetic little thing he was.

The emotions from his childhood were nothing but inferiority and immature anger.

No different from Edwin—perhaps even worse. A boy consumed by insecurity and despair, nothing more than a spoiled, arrogant brat.

The spirit chuckled as it absorbed those emotions.

— Hmm, so his younger brother died, huh? Seems like that was a huge shock. Ran away from home afterward?

The subsequent memories showed him training hard and living as a mercenary.

Facing constant threats to his life and accumulating all kinds of experiences, his emotions began to change.

Though there were still frustrations and hardships, they were largely replaced by a sense of pride in his transformation, positivity, hope, and a longing for something more.

— Hah, so he became a decent human being after some hardship.

Even Edwin changed after a good beating. People only seem to learn when they suffer.

The spirit absorbed these emotions as well, turning them into its power.

Then, the environment warped again. This time, the spirit frowned at what it saw.

— This is…

The scene was horrifying. Heads hung from stakes in a macabre display. The body’s owner knelt before the grotesque sight, sobbing uncontrollably.

When soldiers approached, he staggered to his feet and fled.

The emotions he carried then were:

Regret, despair, sorrow, sadness, fear.

And above all…

Rage.

— So, he lost his family and friends, huh? Such raw, intense emotions. This kind of anguish is the perfect fuel to amplify my power.

The spirit eagerly absorbed the feelings. The more intense they were, the more satisfied it became.

Once again, the world shifted. Reality twisted and warped.

Rage, regret. Rage, regret. Rage, regret…

The same emotions cycled endlessly. Nothing could surpass them.

Occasionally, there were flashes of deep sadness and despair. Small moments of joy surfaced, only to be drowned immediately by the unrelenting fury.

What the spirit witnessed was a man relentlessly driving himself to his limits.

Creating false identities and concealing his true name, he fought endlessly. It didn’t matter whether his opponents were monsters or humans.

He set a clear and unwavering goal, moving only toward that objective. He neither rested nor slept, repeating battles endlessly.

[I must grow stronger. I will have my revenge.]

It was the sole purpose that remained in his life.

— W-What? What is this?

The spirit began to feel an overwhelming sense of unease as it delved deeper into his memories.

Scars spread across the man’s face and body. Patches of white streaked through his blond hair.

It made sense. Carrying such emotions and pushing himself to such extremes—no body or mind could remain intact.

It made sense… yet it didn’t.

— Wait… he’s aged?

The spirit was growing increasingly confused.

In these memories, the body’s owner had already surpassed his current age. Through countless brushes with death and the wisdom gained from experience, he had become someone else entirely.

He had killed, trained, killed, and trained again, relentlessly pursuing his goal one step at a time.

Then, suddenly, the world twisted again, leaping through time and reshaping itself.

The spirit tried to control the chaotic memories, but it was swept along, unable to hold them back.

— W-What is this world?

At some point, he became stronger than anyone. The spirit could understand that much—after all, it made sense for someone who had fought and trained so much.

But the world had changed. It was a place the spirit didn’t recognize. Strange beasts and demonic creatures ran rampant, and humanity was drowning in despair.

The spirit had never seen or heard of a world like this before.

The memories it was witnessing belonged to the past, yet the man had aged far beyond his current state. The changed world defied explanation.

Even as the spirit grappled with its confusion, the man continued to fight relentlessly.

The spirit had never seen anyone fight this much in its existence.

Through endless battles, the man honed his skills and grew stronger. He hunted monsters and demonic beasts, building his forces and garnering followers. Many praised him, hailing him as a savior.

At some point, he earned a title that resonated across the land. People revered and worshiped him.

[One of the Continent’s Seven Strongest, the King of Mercenaries.]

This was a title he achieved long after surpassing his current age.

The spirit now knew for certain—something was wrong with this body’s memories.