LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 25: New servant
"Phew, finally dead," Ash muttered with a sigh of relief as he confirmed the Nightmare Mutant's lifeless body.
Grim, now in his larger form—his body bigger than a tiger—quickly ran up to him, wagging his tail like an excited dog, clearly wanting praise from his master.
"Come on, you now are a mighty wolf beast; don't behave like a dog. But you really did a great job," Ash said with a smirk, rubbing Grim's head affectionately. Without Grim's help, the battle wouldn't have been this manageable.
Their timing had been nearly perfect, as though they could read each other's thoughts. This made Ash wonder if it was due to the strange connection they shared—an effect of his ability that had brought Grim to life.
After all that, he came close to the rotting corpse of Nightmare Mutant. He still couldn't believe why the hell this thing appeared here in this world. Is there a connection between them? He wondered.
But all those things were not something he needed to think about right now; instead, he was thinking, Should he use his ability on it or not?
If successful, he should get a powerful servant, but he still feels a bit weird. This nightmare mutant was synonymous with destruction, plague, and diseases and still has a deep impact on his mind.
"Fuck it, whatever it was before didn't matter if it can be of my help." He, after some hesitation, made up his mind.
"Grim, guard this place and do not let anyone or anything near me." He commanded and then proceeded.
He calmed his mind and concentrated his focus and used his eye's ability.
"Mark of Lost Soul!"
The moment he activated his ability, the world around him changed as he became an entirely different being who rules everything. His eyes turned black, and the world in front of him changed again to the fallen hell.
The mysterious aura began to converge, and countless ghostly fragments—souls or perhaps something else—started to swirl around before being drawn into the Nightmare Mutant's mutilated body.
The once-lifeless corpse began to twitch and wiggle, as though possessed by some dark force.
An unbelievable transformation took place as the creature's flesh, bones, and scales began to shift unnaturally. Pieces of its body wiggled and fell off, only to rearrange and change into something entirely new.
The nightmarish aura around him seemed to slowly disappear, and new flesh and skin started to grow.
The process continued for a few seconds, and finally, when the Nightmare mutant old aura completely disappeared, only then was he able to stop.
Szzz
Winds stopped blowing, his eyes and aura returned to normal, and he felt tired, but he didn't care about that as his focus was on the corpse right in front of him that had seemed to turn human completely without any sign of the black mist or plaque-like aura.
"Did it fail?" He was a bit unsure as the body didn't move, although it seemed to revert back to human.
"Ahh."
But as he just felt a bit disappointed, the body seemed to move and suddenly opened its eyes.
Bang!
Here's the polished version:
The moment it opened its eyes and stood up, a powerful aura burst forth from its body, forcing Ash to take a step back. The sheer strength of the aura left him momentarily stunned.
Sensing Ash's reaction, the creature quickly suppressed its aura, and the unsettling scene returned to calm. Now, the figure stood motionless, like a puppet awaiting orders.
As the aura subsided, Ash cautiously approached, carefully observing the newly awakened servant that had just shocked him with its strength.
This time, it wasn't an animal—it was human. That fact alone made this situation completely different.
"Hey, can you talk?" Ash asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yes," it replied, its voice devoid of any emotion, like a machine.
Even with the lifeless tone, Ash couldn't hide his excitement. "Not bad, not bad," he muttered, a satisfied grin forming on his face.
Though its responses were robotic, its appearance was anything but ordinary. The servant's face was strikingly handsome and heroic, so much so that Ash smirked at the thought. "With a face like that, this guy could easily survive as a boy toy. After all, which woman wouldn't like a good-looking man who listens to everything and never talks back?"
But it still had something peculiar, as its eyes seemed a bit different as it had some bit of a red shade, which made him look colder.
Ash wasn't sure if this was the servant's original face before it became a Nightmare Mutant or if it was something entirely new. If this had been its face when it was alive, it might cause trouble in the future—depending on who the person was or what kind of life they had led.
It might be even more troublesome if people discovered that this servant had been infected and turned into a Nightmare Mutant. The mere revelation of such a transformation would make it nearly impossible for him to walk openly among others.
Worse, if word got out that he was somehow "cured," it would spark an uproar. Countless individuals, especially strong masters, would hunt it down in an attempt to uncover the secret or even try to kidnap it.
"Do you remember your name or where you're from?" Ash asked, his tone probing.
"No."
"Ah, nothing? You don't remember anything at all?" Ash pressed further, but the response remained the same.
"No."
Ash frowned slightly but continued his questioning. "Then, what about your strength? Do you know any martial arts or have some kind of abilities?" He asked. The aura he had sensed earlier was incredibly strong—far stronger than that of most first-rate masters.
"I don't know martial arts, but I have some abilities. I seemed to perfectly control my flesh and bones and transform them to make them more durable or use bones to create weapons." It said in a cold, emotionless voice.