Is That My Alter Ego

29 – Ariel Frost

…What is this? What on earth happened here?

It felt as if my nose was paralyzed by the smell of blood and chemicals, making my head dizzy.

“…Were they tortured?”

Countless bandages were laid over the already hardened blood, along with traces of injections remaining all over the body. And the pale bruises and the smell of chemicals.

Experiment. This wasn’t torture, but an experiment conducted on humans.

Why? Why to this extent…

Ding-!

[You, who lives in a small village in the northern region of the Empire. As the eldest brother in the orphanage, you do whatever it takes to feed and support the children. As usual, while running errands to another village, you accidentally stumble upon the remnants of a dark sorcerer in a cave, seeking shelter from the cold!]

At the moment when I questioned this gruesome sight, an alert sound rang, and a status window appeared before my eyes.

…I’m the eldest brother of the orphanage? And a clone was created… Does it make sense to have the original narrative?

“No… No, it’s not important right now.”

The remnants of the dark sorcerer. The status window clearly explained this eerie cave.

The dark sorcerer. A cult that worships an unknown deity and engages in inexplicable actions. I’ve heard that they’ve been quite active recently…

…They’ve been doing such things. Making people… like that.

“…Damn bastards.”

I reached out to the veins of the people trapped behind the iron bars, checking for signs of life. However, I couldn’t feel any heartbeat from anyone.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, a sound came from the corner of the cave. It was so faint that if you didn’t listen carefully, you wouldn’t hear it… that’s how faint it was.

“…Could it be a person who’s still alive?!”

Driven by urgency, I rushed towards the iron bars in the farthest corner of the cave.

Inside the iron bars at the corner. I saw a woman leaning against the iron wall, barely exhaling a faint breath.

“……..ha..”

Her hair, white like a snowfield, was smeared with sticky red blood, and her gem-like purple eyes had lost their vitality.

She seemed so lifeless, as if she might die at any moment.

“Hey! Try to pull yourself together..! What in the world…!”

“….save………..me..”

“…Damn it. How can I open this iron cage?”

“Cough…cough…”

I wanted to save her as she uttered unintelligible syllables, but the firmly shut iron cage blocked my way.

“Ah, right. Water…!”

I realized there was a small water bottle in the pocket at my side. I immediately took it out and brought it to her.

Gulp-gulp.

She must have been very thirsty, as she emptied the entire bottle. The woman took a moment to catch her breath, then began to speak.

“Cough… It’s dangerous…here.”

“….What? What do you mean…”

“He’s coming back…”

…..What? He’s coming back…? Could it be… the return of the dark wizard?

“The dark wizard. He’s… coming back?”

“…Yes. Cough… Probably… within 5 minutes. That man usually comes back around this time to torture us.”

Following the direction of her weakly pointed arm, I saw a small clock on the wall.

What should I do? I have no means to defend myself…

“…That’s right. I hadn’t checked my status window yet.”

I remembered that I hadn’t been able to check my status window in such a urgent situation. Right after that, I called up my status window. Please, let there be a way to defend myself and save this woman.

[Name: Venice / Age: 19 / Gender: Male / Status: Feels Cold]

[Unique Ability (Magic Eyes): Eyes that can see magic. Can see the trajectory of magic and use magic more smoothly.]

[Unique Ability (Potential of a Dark Sorcerer): Can use a considerable level of dark magic. Dark magic category is created.]

[Explanation: A power that defies the world. Dark magic. It is a power that can defy the laws of the world and create miracles. Currently, dark magic is classified as forbidden magic, so the user must be cautious.]

[Dark Magic Category]

[Unique Ability (Talent Perception): Can perceive the talents of others. Can grasp unique abilities and potential at a glance.]

“Damn it.”

The only thought that came to my mind when I saw the status window was that.

I heard that the empire had drawn their swords to eradicate the crazy pseudo-religious group of dark sorcerers that has been rampant lately.

What does that mean? If I were caught using dark magic, it means I would have no choice but to be executed on the spot.

Moreover, according to the explanation in the status window, this place is currently in the northern part of the continent. It is the place with the highest number of dark sorcerers, and the area where the empire is most intensively cracking down on.

And of all things, I obtained dark magic. They could have just let me use regular magic…

“Dark Magic Category.”

But I didn’t have time to lament about the current situation. I didn’t know when the dark sorcerers would come back and tear me apart, so I had no choice but to call up the status window.

Whether it’s dark magic or whatever, I’ll just have to survive for now.

[Dark Magic Category]

[Mana (Lv:???) : Eyes of the Sorcerer. Can grasp the entire structure of dark magic and reverse-engineer it.]

[Dark Sphere (Lv:1) : The most basic attack technique. Fires a spear of darkness imbued with the power to defy the world.]

[???: Proficiency Lacking.]

[???: Proficiency Lacking.]

[???: Proficiency Lacking.]

.

.

.

The Evil Eye and Dark Spear. Those were the only two abilities I could use at the moment. But that was enough.

Just by the description, I knew the Evil Eye was an incredibly overpowered ability. Especially since my opponent was a warlock, I would not lose.

Thud…Thud…

“Oh…what do we do… He’s back…!”

“Just wait a moment.”

“…What? What are you planning to do…! You should run and ask for help…!”

“Sorry, but I think it’s too late for that.”

“…Damn it all…”

There was no choice. The footsteps were already close, and a shadow could be seen moving between the curtains in the distance.

Without a word, I nodded at her, and she leaned back against the prison bars, nodding in return. Quietly, I hid in a corner of the cave, waiting for the warlock to enter.

Flutter-

“There…there! Eriel…! It’s time for the experiment again today…!”

“…Get lost.”

“Oh~ Why so cold? We used to be quite close, didn’t we?”

“…Shut up. I don’t want to hear your disgusting words.”

“Hey. You’re being too harsh on the butler, seriously!”

The woman’s name seemed to be Ariel. The young man, who introduced himself as the butler, approached Ariel slowly, shaking his head.

“…I never trusted a brat like you.”

“hahahahaha! Why don’t you stop being like that~? You’re participating in the experiment for the great Mage, aren’t you?”

The cavern echoed with the enthusiastic praise of the man, spreading his arms wide, calling himself a Mage.

As I watched that scene, silently stepping behind him with the Dark Sphere summoned, I made no sound with my footsteps.

Although there might be hesitation in taking the life of the same person.

That damn dark sorcerer was already a beast wearing the skin of a human. That’s why I didn’t hesitate and could move forward.

“…You will be punished.”

Ariel, who confirmed my slow approach with a sidelong glance, began to speak to attract the attention of the dark sorcerer.

The man watched her with interest and soon opened his mouth.

“Oh…? You seem to be overflowing with power today? It’s like you’ve recovered your stamina or something…”

“…Nonsense.”

“…It’s like a rat has entered, or something!!!”

Swish!

Damn it all. Did he already know? The man turned around, summoned the Dark Sphere, and threw it towards me. I managed to barely dodge it by lowering my body.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“…You dodged that? You’re quite a quick little rat, huh?”

It was thanks to the effect of the Evil Eye that I was able to grasp the trajectory of the dark magic and avoid it, but the dark sorcerer, who didn’t know that, was surprised.

“Be careful!”

“…Stay quiet, Ariel! After dealing with this rat, today I will finally make you the vessel of the Master!!”

Shooosh-!

Three Dark Spheres rushed towards me, but I evaded them with my mana.

“…I see.”

The traces of dark magic. The ‘corruption’ contained within that dark magic. And an understanding of the Dark Spheres begins to emerge.

[The level of the Dark Spheres has increased from 1 to 2!]

“What are you doing?!”

“hahahahaha! You crazy rat! You dare challenge me! Die quickly!”

Without hesitation, I rushed towards the dark magician. At the same time, I summoned a small Dark Sphere that would be invisible to Ariel, who was far away.

“…You! You’re one of us…! But why all of a sudden…!”

“…”

The dark magician, upon discovering my Dark Sphere, was both surprised and enraged by the fact that another dark magician had attacked him.

But I’m not part of your disgusting kind.

“f*ck. Just die!”

The dark magician immediately launched five Dark Spheres towards me, his face contorted in anger.

Boom-!

“…Huh?”

As I focused my dark mana on the ‘corruption’ at the center of the approaching Dark Spheres, they vanished into thin air.

“Stop trying to kill me. Trash.”

“Th… How did this bastard…!”

Pwoosh-!

“Suck…!”

Eyes wide open, I reversed the summoning of the Dark Sphere and stabbed the neck of the Black Mage with it.

“How did you reverse… that..! Cough. That’s what my master…!”

“…No need to know. And you probably won’t know.”

“This… damn son of a-“

Thunk.

As I pierced his heart, the Black Mage, who was roaring like a whale, fell silent.

“…Phew. Finally quiet.”

Thud-

With my eyes open, I found a key bundle in the arms of the slain Black Mage and walked towards the iron bars where Eriel was trapped.

“…You. Quite strong.”

As I worked on unlocking the keys one by one that fit Eriel’s cell, she looked at me quietly and spoke.

“That guy. Despite appearances, he’s not a weakling.”

“I was fortunate.”

“……..”

Ugh. Why are there so many keys? There were so many that it took quite some time to find the right one.

“If I were to… betray you, how would you trust me?”

“You don’t seem like you would do that. Don’t you think?”

“…………”

Clank.

Finally, I found the right key. As I inserted the key into the lock and turned it, the iron bars opened with a metallic sound.

“Grab my hand.”

“…..Okay.”

As I reached out to her, Ariel, who had been staring at my hand for a moment, took hold of my hand and stood up, stepping out of the iron bars.

“….Finally. We’re out.”

With empty eyes, Ariel’s gaze swept around the cave, devoid of any emotion.

I couldn’t tell if it was sadness, anger, or some other feeling.

Crash!

Ariel picked up the orb emitting dark magic from the desk on the other side of the iron bars and threw it to the ground, shattering it.

As the orb broke, her magic, which had barely existed as specks of dust, slowly began to surge.

If my magic was water contained in a small basin, hers was like the sea.

Most people’s mana swirls faintly around their hearts. However, Ariel’s mana was compressed into a small bead.

That bead started to absorb the mana floating in the air endlessly.

“…Phew. This should be enough.”

-Sever.

As she muttered briefly, the iron bars that imprisoned the others split in half simultaneously. It was a finely tuned magic that ensured no harm came to the people inside.

“…Can you help me a bit?”

“Yes.”

I helped her carry out those who had ended their lives within the iron bars, out of the cave and into the ground for a final rest.

Eriel closed her eyes for a moment in silent prayer as she gazed at the buried ground.

“….Thank you. I owe you my life.”

“I simply did what needed to be done. Someone else would have helped you if I hadn’t.”

“…..Your name?”

“Venice. It’s Venice.”

As I answered, I scrutinized her with my Talent Insight.

[Name: Eriel Frost / Age: 20 / Gender: Female / Condition: Injured.]

[Unique Ability (Mana’s Child): You possess a divine amount of magical power. Your mana is as boundless as the ocean, as strong as a flowing stream. Every action related to mana receives divine correction!]

[Unique Ability (Mana Sight): Eyes that can see magical power. You can see the trajectory of mana and use it more smoothly!]

[Unique Ability (Archmage’s Qualities): You are born with the qualities of an archmage that will be remembered throughout history. Your understanding of mana is superior to that of others, and you can use it as naturally as water!]

.

.

.

.

[Potential: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (100 points out of 10! You have the qualities of a hero who will command this era!)]

The endlessly listed unique abilities present the same shock I felt when I first saw Seris.

“Venice. I’m Eriel. Eriel Frost.”

“I’ll remember your name.”

With those words, Seris disappeared into the swirling blizzard. All I could do was stand there, gazing blankly at the scene.

‘Ah, that’s right. Errand!’

As I thought about it, I was on my way to another village for an errand. According to the note in the basket, I had to arrive by today.

Lifting my head and looking at the sky, the world, though brightened by the snowstorm, was gradually darkening.

“Oh no, something’s wrong!”

I hurriedly picked up the basket left in the cave and followed the note, changing my steps.