How long has it been?
I stared at the ceiling with dilated pupils.
I felt numb over the time passage.
During this time, I wasn't allowed to fall asleep. My body lying limp, I powerlessly moved my eyelids to blink. Tears had already dried up.
'Considering Headmaster rescues within weeks… It's probably not that long…' even thinking is starting to prove mentally exhausting.
The pains never stopped throughout all the time, giving me the worst reality check about this world.
Game knowledge only gave me an advantage, not invulnerability. Those with bountiful life experience could read me like a book.
'What was I thinking these past few days…'
I started to feel anxious as my whole self was laid bare.
What if I am insignificant? What if the Headmaster doesn't come? I mean, who would risk themselves to rescue an unknown cannon fodder like myself?
I never understood those rescue squad videos. Why would they go to such efforts—even some dying in the process—to save those fools who got stuck in a predicament because they were playing?
Are human lives that important? I compared myself and others. At the very least, my life weighs nothing…
Slowly, I started accepting everything around me as I fell into deep depression.
I was angry with myself that my future plan entirely relied on 'someone.'
The fact that I had downplayed my situation, knowing that the Headmaster was coming.
The fact that I viewed this world as a simple game and played as a hero, enjoying the illusion that my 'sacrifice' gave worth to my life.
I amount to nothing, both in my previous life and this life.
'Let's stop further distracting myself from that fact.'
"Contract…" I muttered—clenching all my strength to open my mouth, deprived of all moisture.
My voice was hoarse from all the screaming, but it was clear enough to be heard through Mad Scientist.
"Hm?"
"Let's have Devil's Contract," I said weakly. "You're in an awkward situation... aren't you?"
"Care to elaborate, human?" Mad Scientist furrowed his brows.
"A, aa~" as much as I tried, my throat pained as no sound came out.
Then, threw a water bucket to quench my thirst.
Albeit, I couldn't use my bloodied hands, causing a befitting picture of me drinking like a dog.
Under his gaze, I got to the point quickly. "You want to brainwash me, but because of my shattered Magic Circuits, you can't."
With lifeless eyes, I stared directly at him. The sleep deprivation and fatigue allowed me to ignore the suppressing aura.
"Instead of wasting your time like this—playing with me like a child who found his toy—why don't we try the simpler alternative?"
The pain stopped as he began listening to my suggestion intently.
"Devil's Contract. I will become the Academy's spy to inform you of the insider story. I will be a traitor for you. Sounds great?"
Mad Scientist said, intrigued. "You even know of such things. How interesting a creature you are."
My body shivered at his sentence. "You don't have much time anyway, don't you? I assume the Mage of Violet is approaching this location."
As much as I wanted to trust that Headmaster is coming to get me, I couldn't trust in my worthiness to get her move. So, I chose an option that allowed me to rely solely on myself.
Well, partly of it was because I couldn't bear the pain anymore without going insane.
"You make a perfectly valid sentence," Mad Scientist smiled gently.
This gesture almost gave me hope until he said the rest of his sentence.
"But—it pains me to return like this without a fruit after discovering an anomaly like you. So consider this a last mischievous prank from a demon," Mad Scientist's eyes glinted in anticipation as he took out a purple orb burning with life.
I opened my eyes wide.
"You even know about this!? Haha! It almost pains me to have to let you go," Mad Scientist said, appalled. Then, he thrust the purple orb into my heart without giving me a breath.
"Wait, I'm still just Tier 0–…" I said in a hurry, but it was futile.
Without giving me a breath, he released the chains restricting my movement—intrigued by what change this purple orb would bring to my body.
The purple orb contained a demon's genetic information.
And it was pierced inside me—threatening to be one with me.
The purple orb inside my body eventually melted, shattering into millions of pieces swept away by the flow of Magic Crcuits.
The world spun, and an intense headache attacked me. I fought against the nausea coming from the bottom of my stomach.
'It hurts, it hurts… I need to… isolate it…!' Fully knowing I was pushing myself, I squeezed every bit of mental energy in my brain to lead the demon's fragments inside me. To prevent it from further causing havoc inside me.
"Urgh…"
Unable to hold in anymore, I vomited stomach acid mixed with a purple substance made of unknown particles. As much as I wanted to cry out, I had no time to lose my focus.
With snots and tears flowing out of my face, I navigated the endlessly complex route of Magic Circuits to carry millions of purple fragments to the depths of my soul—Source of All Living.
1 hour… 2 hours… 8 hours… it took me almost half a day to completely store the purple fragments without leaving behind a single leftover in one spot.
Under my suppression, millions of purple fragments compressed in a tiny circle, creating a small galaxy as the purple stars crazed, desiring to taint everything inside.
Below it was my Source of All Living—an endless white, waiting to be painted.
I didn't want to paint my Source of All Living with demonic corruption.
It has gotten a lot worse… I clicked my tongue, sweat flowing down my forehead.
While I am walking. While I am eating. While I am practicing. While I am playing. While I am breathing. While I am resting.
If I didn't want to completely lose myself, I had to manually pump my heart, prolong my brain process every second.
To prevent the purple galaxy from exploding…
With tired eyes, I glared at Mad Scientist, who almost drooled at me.
"What are you… thinking…? If I turned into a demon, the academy's spy plan could eat shit," panting deeply, I stared at him with bloodshot eyes.
"I believed in you—my beloved guinea pig. Now, let us begin the devil's contract. I want to hurry and note this result."
Any demon was capable of creating a devil's contract. With just a control of his mana, a blue wisp of flame manifested a paper and handed a piece of contract to me.
As delighted as he was, Mad Scientists was thorough, as the content of the devil's contract had no obvious loopholes.
Though most of it was my inability to think properly. Eyes half-closed, my sight was blurry. There was no way I could think straight to spot a loophole.
Yet, I tried my hardest to focus on reading the contract before sighing.
Mochizuki Ren.