Chapter 88: The Book and the Trap (2)

Aalnam: It won’t work if your Status Window is version 2.0 or higher.

One hour earlier…

I had just smashed the two skeletons blocking my path when I saw Aalnam’s chat message. My eyes widened.

It won’t work?

Outdated Status Windows…

I stood frozen, staring blankly at the chat window as I stepped over the skeletal remains.

Who would have thought the concept of outdated versus current Status Windows would come up here?

Aalnam: Oh, are you perhaps from a dimension where Status Windows version 2.0 or higher were distributed from the start? If so, you might not know what outdated Status Windows are. Let me explain…

No, I know what they are.

The outdated Status Window was utterly devoid of functionality. It was simply a blue screen displaying one’s stats and skills. Moreover, it was the standard Status Window possessed by every Awakened on Earth except for me.

So, it’s like a Trojan horse virus for Status Windows?

I’d assumed it was just another cursed tome from a fantasy novel. Who knew it contained such a sophisticated algorithm?

So the Heavenly Blood Book was essentially a downgraded version of that mechanism, limited to affecting only outdated Status Windows.

“Exactly,” Aalnam replied. “After version 2.0, the Status Window’s personal security features were dramatically enhanced. A poorly bound Book of Fate like this one wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Personal security features?

Manager Mi had never mentioned anything like that.

Could it be that this user actually knows more about the Status Window than she does? That must just be my imagination.

The Q&A Representative, who still showed no sign of returning, came to mind.

Aalnam continued chatting:

I was just as perplexed.

Why would the Mage who made the contract with Go Geonho create a downgraded Book of Fate?

But that wasn’t the immediate concern.

“So, what happens if someone with the Current Status Window obtains the Heavenly Blood Book and forms a contract with it?”

Aalnam: “Hmm, since Status Window Synchronization is impossible, the contract would definitely be nullified. But the Mage’s soul couldn’t return to the Book of Fate either, so I’m not sure what would happen to it afterward.”

I nodded.

“So the contract itself would be definitively canceled. And the Mage wouldn’t be able to possess my body either.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” I pressed.

I couldn’t help but ask again.

“From now on, I’m going to trust you and take a gamble based on what you’ve told me. So I’ll ask one more time: Are you absolutely certain about everything you’ve said so far?”

Aalnam remained silent for a moment.

After about a minute, he spoke up:

I tapped my Status Window with a smile.

His response showed he hadn’t even considered the possibility of failure.

Of course, my decision to gamble wasn’t based solely on Aalnam’s word.

Objective data clearly existed.

The “My Body Information” feature of the Current Status Window.

The Analyzer, which usually provided detailed annotations on even the slightest penalties associated with items and their potential effects on my body, had remained silent when I analyzed the Heavenly Blood Book.

Even though the Analyzer had displayed the warning, “You will pay a great price.”

In hindsight, this was perfectly logical.

If, as Aalnam claimed, the contract was impossible to form, then naturally, there would be no “price” to pay.

That realization emboldened me to take the gamble.

“N-no way… H-how…? How…?”

At that very moment.

Just as my consciousness, which had been fading immediately after the contract formed, regained its light with the creature’s muttering, the gamble was clearly paying off in my favor.

“H-how does this guy possess this…?”

“I” muttered in disbelief.

This was a truly bizarre experience.

I was fully aware of my vocal cords vibrating, my tongue moving, and the words forming in my mouth.

Yet the voice wasn’t mine—it belonged to someone else.

Still, at least understanding what “it” was saying wasn’t difficult.

In the air between our locked gazes, a warning message flashed:

The unmistakable warning of a Status Window version 2.0 or higher.

“Who the hell are you?” Azazel demanded, finally realizing he’d fallen into a trap.

Of course, I couldn’t answer.

For now, “it” controlled my body.

“This can’t be happening. This is a savage land untouched by their corrupting influence, a paradise meant for this body alone!” Azazel muttered, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

Just then, someone shook my shoulder from the side.

”…Hunter Taejun, are you still there? Don’t give in. You have to break free from that voice!”

Go Geonho.

Unaware of the true nature of the situation, he shouted with desperate urgency, his brown eyes brimming with sorrow, confusion, and pity.

It wasn’t entirely unpleasant, knowing how deeply he cared for me.

“Shut up!”

Slap!

Lost in his turmoil, Azazel lashed out, swatting away Go Geonho’s hand as he spat the words.

“You tricked me? Did you conspire with this wretch to sever our contract?”

“What…?”

“This can’t be happening! I can’t lose everything after coming this far…!”

But before he could finish speaking:

A new notification window flashed before my eyes.

KWAOOOOOOM!

My body levitated into the air as a pitch-black Mana Storm erupted from within me, engulfing my entire being. The sparking tempest swept through Go Geonho’s Secret Vault with savage ferocity.

Crack! Crash!

Bookshelves laden with Skill books toppled, and glass display cases housing Artifacts shattered, plunging the room into chaos.

“Gah, GAAAAAAH!”

A scream of pure agony tore from his throat.

Naturally, it wasn’t me who screamed.

Ironically, the more violently the pitch-black Mana Storm raged, the calmer I became. It felt like a sudden, violent release after a long bout of indigestion, like everything was finally clearing out.

“No… I can’t be cast out of here like this, without a physical body!”

Meanwhile, the Mage seemed to be suffering terribly. He was likely being electrocuted by a lethal voltage, or enduring even greater torment—enough to kill him instantly.

Then, without warning:

Gaaaaaah!

A horrific scream erupted, not from my mouth, but from somewhere else entirely—from the pitch-black Mana Storm swirling around Go Geonho’s Secret Vault.

Immediately afterward, a human-like figure materialized from the darkness, screaming in agony.

“Ah… no…”

A voice filled with despair whispered past, followed by…

Whoosh.

The storm subsided as abruptly as a frail candle snuffed out by a gentle breeze. My body, which had been floating in mid-air, slowly descended.

A Status Window appeared before my eyes:

A soft thud resonated through my feet as they landed on the floor.

I had regained control of my body.

The storm that had shaken the mansion vanished, replaced by an eerie stillness.

“Taejun, are you a Hunter?” Go Geonho’s voice broke the silence.

Turning around, I saw a middle-aged man, his hair disheveled by the aftermath of the Mana Storm, staring blankly at me.

“Are you alright, Lord of the Nine Heavens?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Are you okay?”

“Yes. In fact, I feel quite refreshed.”

“What exactly happened? Weren’t you contracted to Azazel? No, you definitely were. I no longer sense his oppressive voice or presence that had been weighing down on me.”

I nodded. “Yes. The contract the Lord of the Nine Heavens made with him has been severed.”

“In that case…”

“He tried to make a contract with me instead, but that failed too.”

Of course, it wasn’t just a simple failure.

In failing to complete the contract, that entity lost literally everything.

I glanced around and picked up an artifact lying discarded on the floor.

A secret tome bound in ominous leather: the Heavenly Blood Book.

“Wait, that’s…!”

Go Geonho hurriedly tried to stop me, but I grinned and tucked the book under my arm.

“It’s alright,” I said.

This was no longer the Book of Fate possessed by the soul of an evil mage.

Heavenly Blood Book (Unique-Grade)

A secret tome containing spells that require blood as payment. Grants the possessor mastery over Blood Magic.

Upon acquisition, Demonic Blood awakens.

The description remained the same, except for the phrase “a price must be paid,” which had vanished.

Aalnam had been right.

Azazel’s soul, having failed to complete the contract, had not returned to the Heavenly Blood Book.

In other words, the book now in my hands…

You have acquired the Heavenly Blood Book.

You have acquired the passive skill ‘Demonic Blood’.

It has transformed into a Blood Magic-type artifact of peerless power.

I checked my skill window with a satisfied expression, confirming that “Demonic Blood” had been registered.

Two more notification windows popped up in succession.

The term “firmware downgrade” caught my attention.

It was clear that the “Horizon of Communication” now being unlocked was an older, outdated version.

Why would they specifically include an old, outdated feature?

As I scanned my Status Window with a puzzled look, a voice drifted in from beside me.

“Unbelievable,” Go Geonho muttered, staring at his hands with a stunned expression.

“For the past thirty years, I’ve desperately struggled to break free from that bastard’s contract. But the only way out was to burden someone else with my burden.”

“That must have been incredibly difficult.”

“It was my own choice, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t agonizing. And yet, Hunter Taejun, I never imagined you would be the one to deliver me from this torment.”

Go Geonho’s eyes, swirling with a tempest of emotions, fixed on me.

”…Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Rather, I’m the one who should be grateful.”

Go Geonho had lived a life worthy of the title “hero,” one that should never end in suffering and possession by another. He didn’t deserve such a tragic fate.

So, even if it weren’t solely for my own benefit…

I would have done anything to save him.

But there was no time for sentiment. Potential threats still lingered.

“By the way, Azazel… is he completely gone?”

“I don’t know.”

The contract had failed, preventing him from returning to the Book of Fate or Go Geonho’s body. Yet it was hard to believe the Mage had simply vanished.

Just then…

Tap-tap-tap-tap!

Urgent footsteps echoed from the entrance of the Secret Vault. Go Geonho and I simultaneously turned, our eyes narrowing with alertness.

“Oppa Taejun, Lord of the Nine Heavens! You’re… you’re here…!”

A girl with gray hair appeared, and I relaxed slightly.

“Miss Serin, are you alright?”

“My body…? Oh, yes. I think I had a bad dream, but I’m fine.”

“But Hunter Serine, how did you know we were here?”

“I woke up to a deafening roar and realized Oppa Taejun and the Lord of the Nine Heavens weren’t in their rooms.”

Given the Mana Storm that had shaken the mansion to its foundations, it wasn’t surprising that Yoo Se-rin had been jolted awake by the aftershocks. She also seemed to have no memory of Azazel, who had possessed Go Geonho’s body and tried to harm her.

But…

“Is there anything else besides the loud noise?”

She was far too deathly pale to have simply woken up startled by the sound.

Then…

Yoo Se-rin swallowed hard and opened her mouth.

“Something’s happening outside the mansion.”