Curse The Mainframe - Chapter 446
The five people stood before the deceased man, staring at his corpse. The body was withered and wrinkly, showing none of the grandeur that he carried before in life.
Chantelle had to resist the urge to kick him. She almost wanted to spit on the ground. “Disgusting stinky old man. He’s such a miser. He wants to come back even in death. He doesn’t have the dignity of a Grand Meister at all!”
Katherine rolled her eyes. “As if you wouldn’t want another shot at life if you were reaching the end of your lifespan?”
“Not like that, I wouldn’t,” Chantelle said proudly, tilting her chin up. “That’s deplorable, having to depend on someone else’s body for your own gains. Not only that, he won’t even leave a way out for the future generations? When I become as strong as this, I’ll definitely go out gracefully or die in a moment of splendour. I won’t cling to life like this. It’s so ugly.”
Katherine was silent. Truthfully, she agreed with Chantelle’s words, but it didn’t make her feel good at all, much less feel like agreeing, because it was Chantelle!
Alec took the mutated slug and placed it on the ground in front of the corpse.
He would have dropped it on, but then he was a bit worried about the Grand Meister following his life aura and coming into his body instead.
Due to mutation, the slug was particularly large – it could be considered a monster. It was about the size of half an a.d.u.l.t male’s arm, which was quite large for a slug. Alec had thoroughly checked every part of the slug and discovered that its inner functions were different from normal slugs.
On the other hand, unlike Alec’s indifference in handling the slug, Le Xuan felt disgusted just looking at it from afar. Her skin crawled as she looked at its tentacles waving about. She shivered.
Alec placed a few fresh leafy greens before the corpse, and the slug moved forward very, very slowly.
They felt tired just looking at it.
It was a snail’s pace.
By the time the slug neared the greens, Alec picked the greens up and threw it directly onto the corpse’s body.
The slug’s tentacles waved as its eyes locked onto the new position of the leafy greens. It continued to move forward slowly, its body rippling as it moved along the ground, leaving a trail of slime behind.
The slug… well. It wasn’t the smartest thing out there. In fact, there were no thoughts going through its mind at all besides the need for food. It was just existing without any extraneous thoughts.
Finally, the slug reached the body of the corpse, and instantly, there was a reaction.
The entire cavern became as still as could be, before it started shaking, rumbling.
The lights that had been installed above head previously flickered and shone in various directions.
Then, a golden beam came downwards, and it would have appeared almost divine if this long-deceased Grand Meister were truly looking for a disciple to pass his craft along to in his death.
However, when they knew that it was only done so that they could take over someone else’s body, it was just laughable looking at it.
What were you being so pretentious for?
What a joke!
Slowly, the trembling in the cave died down, and the golden light beam intensified.
Perhaps it would have appeared grander… if the one being illuminated was not a slug.
As it was, the lot of them couldn’t help their mouths from twitching, and Chantelle directly laughed out aloud. Her laugh was mocking, but also contained strong schadenfreude. Someone was going to suffer today, and it wasn’t her.
Alec’s lips curled up even more. “A body transfer is a one-time thing. He won’t be able to do it again unless his body reaches the end of its natural lifespan.”
They nodded to show they understood, only for Alec’s gentle smile to widen.
“How long do slugs live for?” Le Xuan asked absently from the side.
Ye Sha looked at Alec. Based on his knowledge, Alec would never let someone off so easily. There had to be something else. Just looking at the curl on Alec’s lips, there should be a hidden pit for that person. Alec was nice… but never to someone that dared to try and harm him or those that he liked.
“About the same lifespan as a Grand Meister’s lifespan.”
His answer stunned them, and they looked at him with blank faces, before breaking out into laughter.
Even the proud Katherine was snickering.
Ye Sha curled his lips. That poor soul was going to suffer undoubtedly.
Alec had secretly Awakened part of the array towards the corpse and increase its affinity with slugs, meaning that it could inherit the Grand Meister’s lifespan capability. As for what else he would be able to do in that body, it would have to rely on the Grand Meister’s own capabilities.
Then, before Alec’s eyes as the golden light’s intensity started to die down, a ‘spirit’ reached out towards where it had been touched, and it instantly entered the new body that had been prepared for him.
The spirit was only visible to Alec’s eyes, which had been Awakened more than a few times. His vision was much better than most people’s, and he could see what they could not without a problem.
When Ye Sha and the rest were staring at the slug, Alec was looking at the wisps of black smoke that appeared like hands that reached for the slug.
The slug was trembled violently as all of the spirit was shoved into its little body, then remained motionless.
The light from before cut off abruptly.
“Eh? Is it done?”
“Must be. After all, that gaudy light beam from before has cut off.”
Alec reached forward and picked up the stationary slug. He then drew an array on the ground and placed the slug inside.
“What does that array do?”
“Mm. I’m sealing off his skills so that they can’t be activated at will. Anyone want to be his master? He’ll be able to use skills if you give permission. This array can do that as well. You just have to introduce a drop of your blood. He’ll be loyal to his master.”
Le Xuan and Chantelle openly showed their disbelief. “You can do that?”
“Hmph. What can’t my teacher do? Cousin is the best besides master,” Katherine said smugly. It was almost as if she took more pride in his work than she did her own. Then, she rejected ownership of a Grand Meister slug. “I like to rely on myself.”
Chantelle also rejected. “Doesn’t seem that useful in my line of work.”
“Looks like a bother to take care of,” Ye Sha said.
Alec already had three familiars and even more Awakened that he had no desire for another one.
That left… Le Xuan pointed at herself. “There’s only me left?! But I don’t want it! It’s disgusting!”
Katherine looked at her. “Haven’t you always wanted a familiar?”
“Yeah, but not one like that! It should be cute and fluffy, but dangerous, not that-!” Le Xuan gestured towards Bunbun, Fenrir and Loeri who were playing around in the corner of the cavern by themselves.
She liked them a lot. But this slug? Forget it!
“But it’s a Grand Meister inside.”
Le Xuan hesitated and struggled inside. Grand Meister… if he could really listen to her, and she had control over it… no, what was she doing?! Why was she wavering?!
Katherine took her silence as consent. “Silence means consent,” she said, and pricked Le Xuan’s finger without giving her time to react.
She then flicked the blood and it landed in the array circle, causing Le Xuan to make a sound of horror.
But it was too late. The drop of blood already made its way to the slug’s body.
It merged into the slug, and the slug’s tentacles shook.
“Hahahah!”
They heard the slug start to laugh in a deep voice.
“Your father is finally alive again!”