Serum

When he saw the Princess, Umangot’s bad feeling instantly multiplied. He realized there was something going on.

His body was rapidly recovering, but it would still be some time before he could even think about casting anything complex.

Not only that, but the Artifact wasn’t something that would just lay down and get captured.

Suddenly, the suit of armor bolted off. It’s direction, the stronghold.

“Ah! Get it!”

Pandora shouted, her hands conjuring a huge light spell and casting it. Like that, the entire battlefield was blanketed in white, nobody being able to sense any auras within.

Then, amidst that white, a dark phantom suddenly appeared.

It shot toward the armor that was running, a hand reaching out to stop it.

But sensing that phantom, the Artifact instantly cast a small spell that shot out a small rock and diverted the hand, letting it dodge and escape.

“Slippery.”

Dirk grunted, his hand stinging from the blow. But he still pursued, as did Pandora.

She created chains of light that lashed out, wrapping around the armor and restraining it. Dirk also cast some Earth magic, creating a large metal cage that boxed it in.

However, just when it was about to be enclosed, the Artifact burst with another dozen spells. Each of them were precisely targeted, and not only were all of Pandora’s chains shattered, but Dirk’s cage was taken from his control, morphing into a barrier that separated them from the Artifact.

“Dammit! Dirk!”

“I’m trying!”

He yelled back at Pandora’s panicked shout. He really wasn’t taking this lightly, but the Artifact was truly as slippery as an oiled eel. Its control over Earth Mana was obscene, even if it was running low on fuel.

So he kept trying. Instead of using light mana to bind it, Dirk cast some curses and used Dark mana to restrain it. Pandora also used the fullest extent of her four elements. Water flooded the area and threatened to freeze the Artifact in place while creating violent vortexes of air that tried to keep it from maneuvering.

Dirk’s restraints were successful. The curses inhibited the armor’s movements, although it didn’t seem to do much beyond that. After all, it was a suit of armor, not a living being that he could curse with pain or blindness.

He also created chains of Dark Mana that bound the armor, utilizing the curses even further. These couldn’t be broken so easily, so the Artifact was actually brought to a halt.

And then there was the water that flooded the area from Pandora. It softened the ground while scooping up the Artifact.

However, before they could do anything more to truly lock it down, the Artifact let out another burst and sunk into the ground, disappearing from their sights.

“Shit! Stupid piece of junk!”

“Scoop it up!”

Dirk yelled, compelling Pandora to focus. After a grunt, she clenched her jaw and waved her arms.

Dirk did the same, and from both of them, Earth Mana surged, flooding into the ground.

It resembled what Umangot had done, overturning the earth and creating a flood of dirt.

All this material was pulled up as if by a giant pair of hands. And within that massive pile of ground, the Artifact was digging around like a mole.

Just then, it shot out of the floating pile and continued running into the distance.

Dirk and Pandora gave chase.

And to the side, Umangot watched them incredulously.

It took him a moment to process. Technically, it looked like they were helping him subdue this adversary. But he knew that their intentions weren’t so virtuous.

They wanted to capture the Artifact for themselves. This obviously meant it was extremely valuable, and he had naturally picked up on that as well from his battle.

But, if his guesses were right, then they already knew about its value beforehand. And more than that, they knew what the hell it was and its origins.

It was information he now needed, so he stood up with a flicker of rage and gave chase.

“Hey!”

“Ah! The General is chasing us, Dirk!”

“I see that!”

“Keep your paws off my prey!”

Umangot yelled like an angry father chasing some unruly children. Unfortunately, just as the Artifact was slippery, Dirk and Pandora proved themselves just as such.

Dirk was able to void walk, slipping through any earthen bind Umangot tried to put him in. And Pandora eroded all his constructs with her water while shooting out of the enclosure with bursts of speed granted by her light magic.

He couldn’t capture either of them, and they continued to try and restrain the Artifact.

Like this, they ran around the battlefield for several minutes.

Luckily, the Artifact couldn’t continue forever. It continued to get into precarious situations, the combined power of two geniuses constantly lashing out at it.

But it didn’t want to be chained down. It wanted to be free, and now it knew that Pandora, who had tempted it here, was only trying to chain it down further.

It was desperate, and so while trying to escape, it looked for anything, something that could secure its future and freedom.

And then, in the distance, it could sense something.

A living being, but one whose body was riddled with the artificial power of metal and enchantments.

It saw Exos, a young man whose body was augmented and fused with the Earth itself. And more than that, from him, it could sense the desire to push further down his evolutionary path, reaching toward heights without being chained down by his own inherent weaknesses.

It decided that it liked what it saw. While it had also seen Dirk and his Pure Soul and perfect Earth and Metal attributes, it realized that Dirk would only use it as a tool. He dominated everything with unyielding will, and that wasn’t something the Artifact wanted to chain itself to. It wanted freedom, not to be controlled absolutely.

Pandora was no different from him.

As for, Umangot, that man was already at his prime, his body and soul already set in its ways like a stone that had hardened for thousands of years, unable to be grown and molded into something unique.

So given all the factors, it chose.

The Artifact expended the last dregs of its energy, utilizing gravity repulsion to distance itself from its captors and shoot straight for its target.

Pandora could also see Exos. Why he was out on the battlefield was beyond her. She had found him and kept him with her during the battle, but had told him to sit still when she went out.

‘Maybe he wanted to help me since I’m basically his sponsor. Shit! You just couldn’t listen!’

She cursed in her mind, watching as the Artifact slipped from between her fingers.

And then, it collided with Exos.

The two went tumbling, Exos obviously not having been ready. Pandora thought that it was going to harm Exos, perhaps killing him for some of his energy.

But then, she saw a massive spell formation bloom from the armor. The sight caused her face to turn incredibly ugly, her visage churning in pure rage.

“DAMMIT! Stop that Artifact!”

She screamed, and right as she did, Dirk shot forward with a void walk, appearing right next to the two.

He also thought that the Artifact was going to kill Exos, so he exploded with Aura and reached out to pull the armor away with his newfound strength.

But he was a step too late.

The spell completed far faster than expected for how complex it was, and then, the armor turned to liquid.

It fell under Dirk’s grasp, washing over Exos’ body and sinking into his skin.

At that moment, Dirk became acutely aware of Exos’ soul. That’s because it was exposed by the completed spell.

And like that, he could sense the two combine, the Artifact melding into Exos’ very being.

Then, everything faded, Exos passed out and no Artifact could be seen.

Pandora stood to the side, her face far less beautiful than it usually was.

Turning back, Dirk could see an aura of palpable rage brew around her, the light mana within her seeping out and turning red. He also felt a great pressure on his mind, her skills responding to her violent emotions.

But Dirk could also see Umangot, who was closing in. They didn’t have time to debate or get angry, so he made a decision.

He grabbed Exos, slinging him over his shoulder before snatching Pandora by the arm and shooting off.

“DAMN DWARF! KILL HIM! GET IT BACK!”

“Just shut up and work with me here!”

Dirk yelled back as Pandora threatened to cast some grand magic and kill Exos.

Right on his tail, Umangot gave chase. Unfortunately, Dirk was using his full strength while Umangot was still drained from his battle.

“Damn boy! Come back here!”

Dirk naturally didn’t respond, but Pandora’s face twisted more before shooting Umangot a death glare.

However, before she could open her mouth to respond with some of the most heinous remarks he could imagine, he swung her around before tossing her on a particular patch of dirt.

Right when she hit the ground, a spell formation appeared as the nearby space fluctuated. The next moment, Dirk jumped into the range of the spell, a dark crystal glowing at its center.

Umangot saw this and let out a roar, casting magic as fast as he could.

“You conniving thieves!”

“Shut up, you filthy lard necked bi-!”

*Flash!*

The completed spell interrupted the raging princess, and just like that, they vanished from the battlefield.

Umangot’s spells overturned the ground just a moment later, but when he realized it was too late, he let out one final raging roar.

The white concealment around the battlefield also dissipated as he did so, and the entire stronghold was able to see their General roaring. However, they interpreted it differently.

Seeing now enemy and their General being so passionate, they believed it to be a victory cry.

So they joined, the entire dwarven army screaming to the skies in unison, and causing their unlucky General to smolder even further.

……

…

“Agh! Where is he?!”

After landing on some barren ground, Pandora scrambled around.

She quickly spotted Exos who seemed to have fallen into a coma. And with billowing rage, she cast a six circle spell.

A blood red ice needle appeared in front of her palm, spinning and aiming right for Exos’ head. But before she could fire it, Dirk appeared and diverted her aim, the needle shooting off into the sky.

“Hey!”

“Stop! We don’t know what killing him will do to the Artifact! It’s merged with his soul!”

“I don’t care! This dwarven dog stole our Artifact!”

“Killing him won’t fix anything!”

“We won’t know unless we try!”

Pandora couldn’t seem to hear Dirk in all her rage. Blinded by fury, she kept trying to kill Exos, but was stopped by Dirk.

Eventually, she was tackled to the floor, but it did nothing to douse her anger.

“Just stop and calm down! Making rash decisions can make the situation worse! You know that!”

“I don’t care! If we kill him, either the Artifact separates from him or it gets destroyed! I’m fine with both outcomes, because if we can’t have it, nobody should! That’s a variable we can’t accept!”

“...”

Dirk wasn’t sure what to say to this. No matter what, Pandora wanted Exos dead, and there didn’t seem to be a single reason to stop her.

At least, none that he immediately thought of. But when he spent some more time thinking, restraining Pandora all the while, he suddenly had an idea.

“The Source! If that Artifact gets destroyed, then we can’t take control of the Sources! Do you want to risk sabotaging our end goal when we’ve only just started this whole mission of ours?”

“...”

This time, Pandora was silent. Inwardly, she knew that this was the crux of the issue. The Key Artifact was more than just a powerful tool or boost in power. It was the Key to the Source. If that was lost, then they may as well drop everything and give up.

But Pandora didn’t want to believe it. Not only was she livid that someone had stolen what she believed was hers and foiled her plan, but that person would now receive a massive boost in power and pose a potential threat to them. It was a massive risk, and Pandora didn’t want to hinge everything on whether Exos would be loyal to her in the future. And that wasn’t even considering whether he would be able to control the Artifact at all.

So in a search for answers, she brought out the Book of Life, the golden pages flipping while she asked a question.

“Record, if we kill Exos, will the Key Artifact separate from him and still remain functional?”

<Negative. The soul of the Key Artifact has bound itself to the soul of Exos Havalite. Killing Exos will result in permanent damage to the Artifact’s soul.>

“Why do we need the soul of the Artifact at all? Can it operate without it?”

<Negative. The Key Artifact’s soul is the conduit by which it can connect to the Element. Without it, it is nothing more than an empty vessel, one that can only be filled by the expertise of the Earth Dragon Primordial. And any damage to it will render it unable to operate the Source.>

“Fuck!”

Pandora cursed, realizing there was no way out of this predicament.

If she killed Exos, then the Key Artifact couldn’t be used.

While the Record only said that the Artifact’s soul was bound to Exos, it was likely that it had bound to Exos in order to escape any other captors. If it was deliberate, then it was likely threatening Pandora with exactly what she couldn’t allow to happen. And it knew that if she was smart enough to have the keys to undo its seals, then she knew exactly what its purpose was.

The Artifact was smart and did basically everything right in order to escape. Pandora could do nothing to it.

Pandora quickly realized all this, of course. And it only fueled her rage that much further. She was a hair’s breadth away from disregarding everything and killing Exos anyway.

“If he had just stayed put! Damned idiot! Why did he walk onto the battlefield?! Why?! Everything was going right! We were so close! The only thing worse than this would have been Umangot getting his hands on the Artifact and revealing its existence to the world!”

Dirk no longer restrained Pandora, letting her vent. He was just happy that the Record kept her from killing Exos outright.

However, this also spoke volumes about Pandora’s true nature.

Perhaps she was even worse than Dirk in regard to how she trusted people. Dirk didn’t actually believe that she trusted anybody. Maybe he was the only one she could trust in this entire world, and he only came to believe this after many weeks of her basically being glued to him and threatening to marry herself to him.

Toward anybody else though, she didn’t have the slightest ounce of trust. She only trusted in her evaluations of their character, and all of her decisions that seemed to place her trust in their hands were merely calculated decisions based on what she knew they would do.

Dirk was the only one she would give her blind trust to. Only he had earned her approval. It was why, besides a few directions and strategies for her plans, she basically let him have full autonomy. For everyone else, she would plan out their every move and minimize all possible variables and deviations. And she already spoke of the tools she utilized to do this.

Threats, temptation, bribery, and dozens of other conniving tactics that she would use to funnel a person’s actions down a certain path.

In the past, these things always worked. Especially so on Earth. But here, she had finally tasted what it was like to lose because of a difference in power.

The Artifact was impossibly slippery. If they had been able to restrain it, then Exos’ presence wouldn’t have mattered.

But it managed to survive just long enough to find an opportunity to escape their grasp. Neither Dirk nor Pandora had been able to use their power in order to secure that victory.

Even Dirk was irked to no small degree. He hadn’t ever failed like that, but it wasn’t the failure itself that made him angry, but how it all happened.

What the hell were those spells? The obscene level of elemental manipulation along with impossibly and precisely placed spells that shattered every form of restraint they had tried to place on it with the most minimal use of energy.

Even Umangot had lost to it, despite it technically being his victory. Because how was that supposed to be a victory? A Tier 5 suit of armor with a soul had actually managed to fight him, a Tier 8, to a standstill.

It was humiliating. In fact, that precisely summed up the entire encounter with the Artifact. It had humiliated all parties in a single battle before finding itself an acceptable host. How was that not a resounding victory on its part?

Of course, Dirk didn’t really think about all this. He was more concerned with the knowledge contained within the Artifact and how he might be able to learn to be just as slippery. But, he could also understand why Pandora was as furious as she was.

And considering her unique mind, he wasn't shocked when her emotions were elevated several levels.

She vented to the side, and it seemed her rage only grew with every curse. She continued to think about everything, replaying everything in her mind and fuming over every single detail that led to their failure.

She was naturally overthinking even the smallest details, and it led her down into a spiraling pit of absolute hatred.

Pulling at her hair, randomly launching off huge spells. She continued to thrash around at the environment, almost hitting Dirk and Exos in the process.

And then, she started to cry, her rage reaching such heights that it overwhelmed her.

“Agh! Stop hurting! Just shut up!”

She clutched her own body, dropping to her knees while heaving for breath. It was only at this point that Dirk finally decided that he might need to step in. But he was still confused.

Just what was getting her so riled up? Was this the byproduct of her Trait, Mind of Delirium? If it was that, he could understand a bit of heightened emotion, but this was a whole other level.

“Hey, Pandora.”

“No! Just stop!”

“Pandora!”

Feeling real worry, Dirk stepped in and grabbed her. She lashed out, but he wrapped her up with his arms, keeping her from doing something like launching a spell.

They both went to the ground, Dirk locking her against his chest. She continued to fight, but it gradually died down. Instead, she just cried with wide eyes that couldn’t seem to process her emotions.

“I almost had it! I shouldn’t have failed!”

“I know! It’s okay…”

“It’s not! I can’t fail! I don’t know what to do…”

“Just… stay with me, here…”

Dirk almost found himself pleading, not out of frustration, but because he actually found himself worried for her.

He didn’t know why. It was just that her actions spurred something within him, filling him with concern that stemmed from something else other than fear for how she might go on a rampage or do something insane.

When he saw her reacting so violently, and remembered why she was like that in the first place…

When he heard her words about failing, how her entire emotional balance had been thrown into disarray because of one setback…

Dirk couldn't help but understand.

Because after all, they both had come from the same place, had gone through the same hell, and had come out as two twisted individuals who were the furthest thing from normal in any world.

In their first life, Dirk had been lucky enough to be taken care of by a father figure. But she didn’t have that. If anything, it was much worse for her who was turned insane and then mercilessly kicked to the curb.

No royal status or endless riches could make up for what she had gone through back then.

And for once, Dirk wished that she hadn’t had to go through that. Even if not completely, he understood the pain she was showing him.

“What do I do? What do I do…”

Pandora continued to mutter, her breathing shallow and hurried as Dirk held her.

And when he heard this, Dirk thought back.

He remembered his Sergeant, that blunt but caring man who taught him how to find purpose even when all seemed lost.

And then, he thought about his mother, a woman who loved him unconditionally and taught him what it meant to rely on someone and give them your trust.

Two figures who shaped who he was today. He called upon his experiences with both, and he decided to offer some of that to the woman in his arms.

“Look at me.”

Dirk spoke, and Pandora responded by raising her head.

Her teary red eyes gazed into him, and now more than ever, Dirk was acutely aware of the deep connection they held through their soul.

He hoped she could sense his sincerity through that connection.

“I’m here for you. It’s okay if you fail. I’ll be here to help you back up. You can trust me.”

“...”

Pandora was completely silent, continuing to stare at Dirk.

Then, he watched as she suddenly passed out in his arms, her body falling limp.

“...Pandora?”