I Became an Ancient All-Host Lifeform - Chapter 26

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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026 SOS

Breathe in, breathe out….
Breathe in….
Breathe… w… I almost died just now too, barely made it through alive. This Bern fellow, or whoever he is, isn’t even a cockroach and he keeps popping up to give me a fright….
In that moment, a question suddenly surfaced in my mind.
Wait—how is it that this supposed grand mage does nothing but summon mushrooms day after day? Could it be he actually can’t do anything but summon mushrooms? Now that I think about it, last time at the Breeding Grounds he couldn’t even dispel the barrier—he just ended up trolling us.
Seized by doubt, I asked Morgul very cautiously.
I had to be careful—if he got his feelings hurt, he might just refuse to teach me magic at all.

‘Ah, but sir. Didn’t you say you were the greatest mage humanity has ever known? So I’m curious why you seem to avoid using magic. I mean, surely in a dangerous moment you could just step back and go Boom! and blow all the enemies away….’

I dressed it up diplomatically, but honestly, if this old codger had just cast one proper spell for me, I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this all this time.
Then Gyusik’s Jewel on his forehead issued a thunderous rebuke.

— You fool! Don’t spout such nonsense! If I did that, we’d already be dead!
‘Why? Is your mana running low, sir?’

But the answer that came back was not what I’d expected.

— I am now a Black Mage, make no mistake. The moment I became a Black Mage for the sake of the Curse of Immortality, my mana circle has been a Yin Mana Circle for a long time!

A Yin Mana Circle?
Hmm, I need to be careful with the pronunciation. It’s definitely not “obscure manga circle.”
In any case, it seems mana circles come in different types.
Then came Morgul’s heated explanation.
According to him, the mana circles used by Black Mages work fundamentally differently from ordinary mages in how magic manifests.
So even when casting simple elemental magic, a distinctive black aura pours forth, and anyone can recognize it at a glance as Black Magic.
I see. Black Mages and regular mages are quite different creatures indeed.
But wait—so a Black Mage isn’t a mage? A Black Mage can’t even hurl a fireball from the back?
I scoffed dismissively and replied without much thought.

‘So what? Why not just go ahead and use some Black Magic then. What’s the big deal about it.’
— What did you say?

Then the old man’s thunderous voice came down again.

— Don’t say such foolish things! The moment Black Magic becomes involved, humanity’s response becomes a different order of magnitude entirely! Do you really think a mouse like you could handle that?

Hmm, now that I hear it, there’s something to what he’s saying.
Is humanity’s vigilance against Black Magic really that severe here?
It seems the karma accumulated by Black Mages throughout this world’s human history must be astronomical.
But still—could it really be that extreme?
Maybe this old geezer just has an influencer complex? I doubt the moment he uses Black Magic, wanted posters would suddenly scatter across the whole world.
I let my true thoughts slip out carelessly.

‘Well… it seems you have an awful lot of self-regard, sir….’

At my murmuring, Morgul responded immediately with a chill.

— What did you say? Self-regard? What’s that supposed to mean?
‘Oh, no—I just meant you have tremendous pride in yourself, sir. Anyway, just teach me the basics of magic, would you?’
— Hmph!

After that, Morgul grew silent for a while, clearly offended.
Whew…. Now that it’s quieter, should I try focusing on my cultivation again?
I concentrated on my breathing, fully sensing the mana flowing through the air. Breathe in….
It was then, while I was deep in Mana Cultivation training.

Screeeech—!
Squeal!

From the nearby forest came Gyusik’s urgent cry.
What? He was playing around peacefully just a moment ago?

Skritch! Click-click!

When I opened my eyes, Gyusik was dangling helplessly in a net, thrashing about.
It looked like he’d been wandering around carelessly and accidentally triggered a hunter’s trap.
At that same moment, Morgul shouted through the Hive Mind.

– You thoughtless creature! You should watch where you’re stepping! Listen here, parasitic colony—get us out of this at once!
Squeak!

All this time he’s been calling us parasites, and now suddenly we’re the “parasitic colony”…?
Between the rat thrashing about in midair and the old man in that jewel embedded in his forehead desperately calling for rescue, it was quite the bizarre pair.
Truly bizarre.
But even if he’s begging me to save them… with no host body, how am I supposed to pull Gyusik down from that height?
As I stood below thinking it over, I sensed something moving nearby.

Rustle.
– Oh! Is the hunter back? Please let us out!

Hmph, this supposed great mage sure does scare easily.
Then, parting through the undergrowth, a familiar ash-gray silhouette appeared.

Whimper…

It was Bokgu, the Third.
The creature approached me with a pitiful whine.
The brat caught our scent and came to help?

Bark!

Well, of course—come here~
Without hesitation, I slipped into Bokgu’s nostril.

[Using the skill Parasitism lv 3 on the target.]
Whine…

The moment I connected with the familiar neural network, Bokgu’s complex emotions flooded through me.

‘Oh, Bokgu. You seem to have a lot you want to say. But we don’t have time now. Let’s save Gyusik first, then we’ll talk.’

I tensed my legs and sprang into the air.

[Using the skill Vacuum Fang lv 2.]
Slash!

Bokgu’s fangs, infused with mana, severed the rope holding Gyusik aloft in a single stroke.

Squeal—!

The moment the rope snapped, Gyusik began falling toward the ground.
If he hits the ground like that, he might just become dried rat…?
Well, that might be cute in its own way, but I’d rather not let our valuable asset Gyusik get hurt if I can help it.
Who knows what might come next.

[Using the skill Gust Wind lv 1.]
Whooooosh—!

A powerful gust of wind suddenly surged up from below, sweeping around Gyusik.
Thanks to it, Gyusik landed softly on the ground.

Kyuu!

Gyusik let out a joyful cry, triumphant at the successful soft landing.

‘Goodness gracious.’

Watching him, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Somehow Bokgu looked far more like a mage than I did, training my bones to the breaking point out there.
In any case, now that I’d managed to rescue Gyusik safely, I suppose I should slowly figure out why that Bokgu had turned back so quickly after going home.

‘Bokgu, why did you come back? Weren’t you going to your family?’
Kee-whine….

As Bokgu let out a sorrowful cry, his memories and emotions flowed directly to me through our neural bond.

‘Ah…. So when he went to them, the family wouldn’t take him back into the pack…. Poor thing….’

Because I knew better than anyone the bitter sting of being abandoned by family, my chest tightened with ache.
Wolves are truly heartless. Once you leave the pack, they won’t take you back?
Even though they share the same blood, they won’t accept him again.

‘Sigh, come on, let’s go together. I’ll make sure you always have food on your plate.’

But the location wasn’t right for a touching reunion.

‘There seem to be hunters nearby, so let’s move carefully.’

In that moment, the image of Bern, who had escaped alive, suddenly came to mind.
The relentless way he’d stalked Gyusik right until the moment of falling off the cliff.
Are hunters always so stubborn and tenacious like that?
I had no desire to tangle with such people.
So we had to get away from here before they arrived.
It was the very moment we were about to slip away discreetly.

Aoooooo—!

Suddenly, anguished and urgent wolf cries tore through the forest’s silence from far away.

‘What, what is it?’
Kee-shriek—!

In an instant, Bokgu’s ears perked up sharply and the fur across his entire body stood on end.
His gaze fixed toward the deep forest where the desperate cries echoed from.
Though the Wolf Pack had coldly driven him out, he instinctively sensed that his family was in mortal danger.

Kee-whine….

Blood ties bind you, no matter how harshly your family casts you aside.
Sensing the turmoil in Bokgu’s heart, I let out a short breath.

‘…Sigh, no choice. Let’s go!’
Click!
Woof woof!

And so we began racing through the forest to save Bokgu’s family.

* * *

Just moments ago, an unexpected trial befell the family of Bokgu searching for new prey in the forest.
The predators who had ruled the woodland had become hunted in turn.

Clang—!
Yelp!

The mother wolf who led the pack from the front shrieked from within the steel cage.
Ensnared by a trap concealed cunningly beneath the fallen leaves, she thrashed against the iron bars, desperate to break free.
But it was all for nothing.

Howl!

The father wolf and his siblings, terrified, were about to rush forward to rescue her—

“We’ve got one!”
“Fine wolves, these! Capture them alive!”

Emerging from the brush on all sides were orc hunters—massive creatures with tusks jutting prominently above their crude mouths.
Their purpose was no mere hunt for meat.
They meant to capture the swift and savage grey wolves alive and break them as beasts of war.

Growl!

The father wolf bared his teeth toward the orcs, exuding murderous intent.
The siblings followed suit, tensing to attack the hunters in unison.
At this, the orc hunter smiled with satisfaction.

“Ha! Excellent hunting dogs! I like them!”
Growl!

The wolves charged forward as one.
But they faced orc hunters who specialized in capturing wolves.
The orcs hurled lassos with practiced ease at the charging pack.

Yelp? Gag, gag….

The wolves had never seen a lasso before.
By instinct, they snapped at the flying rope, only to catch it in their jaws.

“Haul!”

Each time a wolf became ensnared, the orc yanked hard on the line.
The wolf was dragged along, its snout bound tight by the choking rope.

Yelp… bark…!

While the trapped wolves struggled against the cord tightening around their muzzles, other orcs advanced.
They carried massive wooden clubs in their hands.

“Good wolves must be obedient!”
Thwack, thwack!
Yelp…!

The club-wielding orcs beat the ensnared wolves without mercy.

Yelp…! Whimper!

With their jaws crippled, the wolves could barely fight back, suffering an onslaught with no means of resistance.
The orcs chuckled as they approached, dragging an enormous net between them.
They meant to capture all the remaining wolves in one sweep.

Arooooo—!

Starting with the mother wolf’s anguished cry, the remaining wolves threw their heads back and howled in unison.
Just as the wolves’ mournful chorus tore through the forest’s silence—

“Krraaagh!”

A scream erupted from the rear of the orc hunters’ formation.

“What? What’s happening?”

The orc hunter spun around, unable to trust his own eyes.

“Huh?”

Scratch-scratch!

A wolf charging at full speed, and perched upon its head, a tiny rat with its cute little front teeth bared.

“Huh?”

The sight was so surreal, so utterly implausible, that it hardly seemed real.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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