HSTAV 32

Chapter 32

“…What is this?”

I couldn’t help but shout that in my head at the sudden change in my surroundings.

We were clearly talking in the library, and yet, the moment I heard a snap of her fingers, we had been instantly transported?

“Don’t be alarmed. We just moved locations for a moment,” she said.

Flash!

As if for dramatic effect, a series of torches along both sides of the long corridor ignited one by one, starting from where I was standing.

“Where is this?”

I tried to sound calm, keeping my voice low.

“Can’t you tell? It’s a hallway. Leading to my laboratory.”

Laboratory?

I frowned slightly at the word—it triggered an almost instinctive discomfort in me.

“Shall we go then? Since you asked me to examine your body, it’s better to do it thoroughly here,” she said with a slight smile. For some reason, it made me uneasy.

Oh no… can I cancel this now?

At that moment.

Squish!

…What’s this?

“Blood?”

I had stepped into a puddle of thick, dark blood.

“Hmm? Maybe a little spilled during the transfer?”

Transfer?

What could she have moved to cause this much blood…

‘No, no. Focus, Kang Hyun-soo.’

I reminded myself that I was like prey being carried for a predator.

Step by step, I tried to calm my nerves and followed behind her along the long corridor.

‘What’s that?’

Through gaps in the corridor, I glimpsed rooms of unknown purpose flicking past.

Chirring!

One room looked filled with what seemed like torture devices.

Bang! Rumble!

Another held monsters trapped in large cages.

Finally, at the far end of the laboratory.

‘No… this is too much.’

Grotesque things were everywhere.

There were dismembered monsters, innards in strange vials, and machines with spinning blades clearly meant for slicing.

“….”

Even a glance confirmed that her “laboratory” was no ordinary mage’s study.

Gulp!

Swallowing my saliva unconsciously, I tried to appear composed.

“Are you going to check my body here?” I asked.

“Yes, exactly that.”

Nodding immediately, Jamie snapped her fingers again, and the cluttered desk before her cleared instantly.

Thunk!

She placed a piece of parchment on it, pulled out a quill, and began writing.

“New experimental subject: ‘Carmon Baid,’ internal scan phase one…”

Experimental subject?

“…Dissection is currently impossible, but we can do a mana-based internal scan…”

Dissection? Internal scan?

The more I listened, the creepier it got. I glanced around.

The remnants of living beings, thickly darkened blood on sharp blades…

‘I need to get out of here…’

My panic unintentionally moved my feet forward.

Step by step, I aimed for the door I’d entered from. Maybe I could escape through there…

“Hmm? What are you doing?”

At that moment, a chilling voice came from behind me. I froze and slowly turned, like a rusty machine.

There she was.

Scratching the parchment with her quill, Jamie was staring at me.

“J-just… looking around,” I said.

“Looking around?”

“Oh, yes. I’m curious. It’s my first time in a mage’s lab.”

“Really? But there’s nothing much to see near that exit. If you want to see something interesting, try opening the door on the opposite side. There’s plenty there.”

Did my improvised excuse work? She smiled faintly, and I let out a silent sigh of relief.

‘Phew… looks like she didn’t notice…’

Then.

Whirrrrr!
Clatter! Crash!

Suddenly, all the devices in the secret lab activated.

Blades spun, sparks flew, and some mechanisms exploded.

‘W-what? Why are they suddenly working? Are they going to dissect me after all? You said it was impossible earlier!’

I barely kept my scream inside and tried to calm down.

“That should be… here somewhere,” Jamie muttered, rummaging through the activated devices.

Moments later.

“Found it!”

She held a small, transparent orb.

Inside, a cyan-blue flame danced.

“This will show us for sure.”

Nodding, Jamie smiled and looked at me.

“Come here, Carmon. Let’s begin.”

…Begin what?

“It might hurt a little, but bear with it. You won’t die,” she said.

“What?”

“Oh, and I’ll mute your screams for a moment. Don’t mind me.”

Snap!

Once again, my body and mouth were restrained.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“It’s okay, just a little sting.”

A sting? No… stop! Don’t!

“Then, let’s start.”

The cyan-blue flame in her hand glowed.

Suddenly, a tingling sensation coursed through my body, like weak electricity.

‘Huh?’

Despite my tension, this level of pain seemed manageable…

“…Ugh! Aghh!”

Forget manageable. I felt like I was dying.

I thought getting expelled from the academy would have been easier than this.

Why did I even volunteer to regain magical power this way…

Argh!

Then suddenly,

“It’s done. All finished.”

The pain vanished instantly.

Jamie said immediately,

“You’re amazing. How is your mana route blocked?”

Mana route?

The previous agony faded, replaced by sharp focus.

She continued muttering,

“But there’s a trace of mana in the route. Strange. Normally, if a mana route is blocked, it’s congenital. There shouldn’t be any trace of mana flowing. Or did it open and then close forcibly? I’ve never seen that.”

She tilted her head in thought and muttered more,

“Maybe it’s some massive curse? It could be forcibly closed… but that level of curse would require an Ancient Dragon or a Demon Lord…”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“Oh, sorry. Got lost in thought,” she said with a cheerful smile, and I finally regained full control of my body and voice.

I immediately blurted out,

“So, what does it mean that my mana route is blocked?”

“It means exactly that. All the channels through which mana should flow are blocked. Mana can’t emerge from your internal mana heart.”

Blocked channels? Then why?

Could it be that my soul swapped with Carmon Baid’s?

“And if it keeps building up, the accumulated mana will eventually explode. Boom! You’d die instantly.”

“D-die?”

“Yes. An internal mana explosion would erase you completely.”

Explode? Erase completely?

My mind couldn’t comprehend it.

“Is there a solution…?”

“Well, even I haven’t seen this kind of case before, so it’s hard to say. But…”

Jamie hesitated, then smiled faintly.

“It won’t explode immediately, so you don’t need to worry. At least a few years will pass before it’s critical.”

“Then is there no way to reopen the blocked mana route?”

I was anxious, more than ever. Now I knew the cause, yet my life had a countdown…

“That’s right… for now, there’s no safe way to reopen it. Any attempt could be fatal. But…”

“…?”

Jamie’s lips twitched into a wide, almost tearing smile, and she muttered,

“Would it be okay if I… take a small sample for experiments? A unique subject like you could advance magical research. One body could change the world. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself for innovation?”

What? Sacrifice? Dissection? Advancement of magic?

Crackling laugh.

Her grin turned into a manic laugh, almost tearing across her face.

“A fresh, post-natally blocked mana route subject comes to me voluntarily?”

Jamie’s expression then hardened, her eyes terrifyingly sharp as she caressed my cheek.

“Missing this opportunity would be negligence for a mage!”

I lost my strength and collapsed.

“….”

Suddenly, she sighed softly.

“Sorry. Maybe I got a bit carried away. Are you too startled?”

She looked gentle again, smiling softly.

I muttered blankly,

“You’re… a bit too excited.”

And in my head:

‘…What the hell is this?’

She’s basically a top-tier insane madwoman.