Chapter 58 Dragon Eye

"D-Don't get excited, Human. I did lose just now, but I didn't lose because of your great strength. The reason is that I just haven't fought in a long time. Moreover, my skill is not fighting!"

The lich spoke as he continued to step back.

When his back reached the wall, only then he stopped.

Even though it looked like I had cornered him, my body wasn't feeling well either.

"Sigh! Ptooey!"

I kept breathing heavily as a sign of exhaustion. The clothes I was wearing were tattered. Cut wounds are all over my body. I spit my saliva on the floor. Then I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

When the Death Knight fell before, I took advantage of the time by approaching the Lich. By utilizing the Three Sword Paths to Heaven, I managed to defeat him after he used various other moves.

The biggest reason why I was able to defeat him was because of the effect of the title The Soul of a Regressor from Another World.

"H-How did you survive all the debuffs I gave you? Only one answer makes sense. But there's no way a mere human like you would have such a strong soul."

"It's a shame indeed, but I'm not an ordinary human like you think."

"Hehe, it's fine. Hurry up and just kill me!"

"I'm not that stupid to fall for your provocation. I know that I can't just kill you. I don't know where this place is anyway. I guess that I can only get out of here using teleport magic."

"Hiccup!"

"Oh. Seeing your reaction. Then my guess is right, huh."

I see no exit from this place.

I'm guessing that this place is somewhere underground. It would be troublesome to find a way out on your own. So I need to find another alternative.

From the back of my left hand, I cast Death Mana toward the Lich.

[Skill Mind's Puppet - Activate.]

Black energy started to swirl around the Lich.

He slapped the Death Mana that had started to surround him.

Did he think Dead Mana was a mosquito?

"What is this? Isn't this Death Mana? How can a human who is still alive like you draw out this dense Death Mana?"

Even though he was in the form of a skeleton, I could see the panic on his face.

[Target detected to have Devil Mana.]

[Criteria match.]

[Death Mana begins to eat away at the target.]

"E-Eh? What are you doing, Human?"

"It's fine. Soon you will be my underling."

"Hahaha. A mere mortal like you wants to make me a servant? What a bad joke. That's impossible!"

"Is that so?"

[Death Mana consumption has reached max capacity.]

[Death Mana senses a strong connection between the target and other existences.]

[Death Mana starts attacking more ferociously.]

[Death Mana manages to tear the target's relationship with another existence to pieces.]

[Death Mana has managed to eat away the remaining Devil Mana on the target.]

[Mind's Puppet has succeeded.]

[Due to user and skill limitations, you cannot use the Mind's Puppet skill against other targets.]

Apart from the last system notification, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief because the Mind's Puppet skill worked.

I didn't think it would work at first. Considering that the Lich is a famously powerful monster, I wasn't expecting too much.

"Now it's time to try something fun."

"What do you mean? … Eh, what happened to my body? Why is my body moving on its own?"

"He? Didn't you say earlier that I won't be able to make you my servant?"

I managed to control that Lich.

I tried to get him to kneel at my feet.

He tried his best to resist the orders I gave him. He moved his body in opposition to the orders I gave.

But what he did was useless.

I managed to get him to do what he hated doing so much.

"Argh!"

He knelt in front of me, almost kissing my feet while continuing to scream in panic.

The Death Knight beside the Lich immediately reacted to seeing his master kissing the soles of my feet.

"M-Master? What are you doing? Why are you kneeling before that lowly human?"

He tried to wake up his master.

The Death Knight had already lost his sword and half of his limbs, so he couldn't fight me anymore. That's why I let him be.

There was no way the Death Knight's persuasion would work.

"Hey, human! What have you done to my Master?!"

He shouts to me.

Nonetheless, I kept the Lich from moving from his kneeling position.

But after a while, the death knight's shout was really annoying,

For that reason, I had the Lich cancel the Death Knight summon. Besides, I can't stand Lich's skeleton face starting to turn pink. Maybe he was embarrassed to be seen by his subordinates.

"Cancel Summons."

Despite returning the Death Knight, I let the Lich remain in a kneeling position for the time being.

"Spare me, Lowly Human! Don't you know who you're dealing with? You'll receive the wrath of the Devil who made a contract with me! Fu*k!"

The lich continued to moan and spit out all kinds of words. I wanted to ignore it, but there was something I was curious about.

Devil? Contract?

"Explain everything you know!"

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't just tell you."

"Is it because of the contract? In that case, you don't need to think about it. The contract you spoke of I already tore to pieces."

I'm just saying what the previous system message said. The system notification said that Death Mana managed to rip his connection with another existence to pieces or something like that.

'So the other existence the system message was referring to is a devil.'

As far as I know, the devil has a higher status than the demon. If the demon is subordinate, then the devil is a leader.

If so, then I can understand why the soul of a Lich like him could be bound by a contract.

I'm starting to understand.

The lich then closed his eyes. Perhaps he was confirming the conditions of the contract that bound his soul.

A few moments later… I wanted to say that he looked really dumbfounded, but… Sigh~ it was useless, I couldn't read his expression. Because he was only a skeleton.

"T-That's right. How could that contract binding my soul just disappear? Even though it was a contract I signed with one of the 72 Demon Commanders."

"72 Demon Commanders?"

I was quite surprised to hear that.

As far as I know, the 72 Demon Commanders are the ones who took the lead in the demons' attack on the lands of the humans. How could this Lich who had come from nowhere have anything to do with them?

"Are you scared now? Even if you managed to make me your servant, he must know that the contract binding me has been erased."

"Hmm? You're worried about me?"

"N-No way! …. Damn it!"

Hopefully, it's just my feelings, but I can faintly feel the word 'dere' in him. Honestly, it was gross to have such a trait come out of a Lich-like creature.

"S-So… Master, how long are you going to let me kneel like this?"

"...Why are you calling me Master all of a sudden?"

I looked at him with an astonished look.

"Hehe…"

"Well, I will let you move freely after obediently answering all my questions. So, is it true that we can only get out of this place using teleport magic?"

"Yes, master!"

Then he nodded so hard until his head hit the floor.

I felt strange cause he suddenly became very obedient when he found out that he was free from the contract that bound his soul. But I know that he was insincere.

"In that case, I'll wait for your Mana to replenish. Then take me back to the previous laboratory."

While waiting, I rested for a while. Laying myself down on the floor full of skulls wasn't comfortable, but it couldn't be helped.

'He's different from Gilbert.'

I looked at the Lich.

It seemed that the result of the Mind's Puppet skill this time was not the same as the first time I used the Mind's Puppet skill.

When Gilbert was under the control of Mind's Puppet, Gilbert did not show any expression, could not think alone, and even his personality seemed to be lost in the waves.

Although I was able to ask Gilbert and Gilbert answered correctly, back then, Gilbert was little more than a walking doll.

I don't know if it's because of the medicine that Gilbert took. Or because of the skill he used? But what was clear was that Gilbert had already lost his mind before he came under the control of the Mind's Puppet skill.

This time, the Lich who called himself Nya Nu, was still able to think for himself. Even this Lich could still express himself and had his own personality. All of that is intact.

'Does the state of my puppet depend on the target's state before being hit by the Mind's Puppet skill?'

One thing is for sure, I now have a Lich servant.

Ding!

Finally, the system message I was waiting for appeared.

[Congratulations, you have successfully completed the fourth stage of the Fier Mountain Inquiry mission.]

[You have completed the Fier Mountain Investigation Quest!]

[Would you like to receive your present now? Or do you want to delay giving your gift?]

I've been waiting for the arrival of this system message. But after reading that there were two choices, I decided to postpone the World System's gift-giving.

Reflecting on the experience when I received the Stigma of Darkness reward, I chose to accept the reward until I was in a safe place.

[Rewards will be sent when you have agreed.]

***

"So can you explain to me what this thing is?"

In front of me was a storage canister. Inside is a floating eyeball.

Beside me was Nya Nu who was also staring into that eyeball. He wiped his forehead as if he felt dizzy.

"You are indeed worthy of being my servant, master. I've never seen a human who can withstand the fearful effects of that eyeball. Even for me, it took a lot of work to become immune to the effects of fear that kept emanating from that eyeball."

"What is this thing?"

"Fufufu, I hope you are not surprised when you hear where that eyeball coming from…."

"Enough. Tell me quickly. It's not just about that eyeball, but you should also start explaining to me how you came to build this laboratory and for what purpose. As well as about how you can form a contract with one of the 72 Demon Commanders."

There are still many question marks in my head.

I have to start asking one by one.

First, I was curious about how a Lich could build a place like this in a dungeon.

There was even a pile of books similar to a research journal strewn across the table.

"Ahem. Well, first… that eyeball came from the eyes of a dragon. So, of course, that was the Dragon Eye." That's what Nya Nu said.