C36: Borrowing Time

Fear rattled through my heart.

A part of me didn't want to go along with this. But what choice did I have? Even if I used my future knowledge to get specific items that would soften the Ord cost.

Yet even with all that effort, I would only be able to make a strong high-class demon. That was also only if everything went perfectly.

Doubts filled my heart about the future dangers a decision like that could do.

I didn't want to live my life always in fear and as one of those weak exorcists. What was the use of having magic powers if you couldn't do some badass things with them? Life should be enjoyed, not spent thinking about how to survive every waking moment.

I thought of how Bets created his ability. He did a reckless thing. But in the future, his ability will likely keep up with some of the main cast.

'Better die later than now.'—Those words Bets had said during the training camp still stuck with me to this day.

The truth of the matter was that I would probably die in two years.

Taking out a glass jar with the talisman seal on top. I unsealed it, and immediately the fish hook demons woke up and started rattling and releasing a sinister aura.

I took out one and closed the jaw back up.

The hook demon tried to dig into my skin but it couldn't. They were usually weak.

Amongst the many demons out there, the fish hook demon was one of the strangest. Unlike most, it couldn't be tamed and was used to initiate a deal between two exorcists. If one side broke the contract, then it would kill them.

It could hold up to two conditions, which was good enough for me. Concentrating on my Ord, I fed a whisk of it to the creature and it settled down. It was ready to listen to my condition. Each side could make one condition, and I was on both sides in this arrangement. "If I don't put a piece of paper in my mouth, I will lose 1% of my lifespan."

As soon as I said that, the demon moved at almost impossible speeds and turned transparent. It went through my throat, and I felt something clenching around my heart. The hook demon had taken root.

The creature used a line of Ord to surround my heart and hook itself into my cardiovascular muscle.

But what I was trying to concentrate on was where that other side of the line was going toward. After all, on the other side of that should be my lifespan, which the hook needed to connect to if he was going to absorb it.

A method like this wasn't used to train someone to sense their life energy. But I have read many fan theories and still remember some of the interesting ones.

Damn, I still can't sense anything. Was the theory wrong?

It felt like I was trying to follow a fishing line through murky waters. Impossible to see.

To absorb my life to complete its condition, it should be connected to my lifespan.

Though the line might be connected to the target, there wasn't enough volume for me to catch anything.

Putting a piece of paper in my mouth, I canceled the hook demon's effect. Instantly, I felt something come up my throat.

"Blegh!" I spewed out a black sponge of rotten flesh, which left a foul aftertaste in my throat.

Fucking gross!

I felt like throwing up. I put a hand over my mouth to stop myself from spewing my guts out.

Was this rotten human flesh? No, no, no, no don't think about that!

Okay, I have to do this again. Forget the bad aftertaste or how what I spewed out might be the rotten flesh of a human.

Ah, the things I have to do for power.

I took another hook demon from the jar. "If I don't put a piece of paper in my mouth in the next ten minutes. I will lose 50% of my lifespan."

Once again, it wasn't successful, and I spewed out foul flesh. The aftertaste in my mouth was like rotten fish. I tried thinking of it as fish at least. Rotten fish was the better alternative.

"If I don't put a piece of paper in my mouth in the next ten minutes. I will lose 100% of my lifespan."

I tried again. Increasing the time limit but still being cautious. Sometimes demons acted strange due to the circumstances of their creation. I would instead buy more than extend the time a hook demon would spend inside me.

"If I don't put a piece of paper in my mouth in the next ten minutes. I will lose 100% of my lifespan."

And again.

"If I don't put a piece of paper in my mouth in the next ten minutes. I will lose 100% of my lifespan."

And again, and again, and again. Right until the eighth hook demon.

"If I don't put a piece of paper in my mouth in the next ten minutes. I will lose 100% of my lifespan."

It was at that moment I had a eureka moment. I didn't know whether it was because in my previous life, I had no supernatural energy, and in this one, I sensed strange powers easier since I was looking for a feeling that wasn't there in my previous life. Could everyone else do what I did? It might even be because Masters had expert Ord control.

Whatever it was, I sensed it—the lifespan. Since I was young and never played around with it, my life force was robust.

Strangely, the first thought that came to my mind wasn't about how if I took care of myself I would live a long life.

How much power could I generate for this much lifespan?

Whatever, I didn't have much time to think about this! This state was achieved from shortcuts and was untested. It might have some adverse effects if I didn't act fast.

Controlling my life force, I made it take the form of a piece of paper. Doing so was easy, like clenching my fist. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Slowly, I wrote down the so-called laws of my ability—Every day I must give my one and only familiar 90% of my Ord.

Spending 90% of my Ord on my familiar wasn't that much of a risk. As a Beast Master, I couldn't use my Ord to strengthen myself. I would have sent more, but I was trying to keep some for rainy days.

The second condition is if I don't make the carp under my control a dragon within two years. Then I will die—I would die in two years anyways. So why not take a risk?

The contract shined brightly.

I dropped to my knees and clenched my chest. It felt like I had a heart attack.

For a split second, I lost control of my Ord. The dense Ord created by such harsh limitations poured out like a tidal wave.

There was so much Ord! So much that I couldn't handle it!

***

Today was another typical day for the headmaster.

"How intriguing," Meleo muttered while staring at the sword on his desk. "That kid has scary analytical powers."

In a world where special abilities have devastating secrets and in some cases absolute weaknesses. Information was the strongest weapon. Someone who could analyze things fast was a dangerous opponent.

"Do you think it's his special ability?" The bandage on the old headmaster's head moved and turned into a face.

The headmaster had a primary affinity of Blaster, but he also had a 30% affinity of Master. He had a low class demon under control. It had saved his life many times in his younger years.

"No. If he used his Ord, even a little bit outside his body, I would have noticed," the headmaster shook his head. He might not be the strongest exorcist out there, but he was confident in his senses.

"Who knows, you might have gotten too old," said the bandage demon as it unrolled from his head. The demon formed a humanoid face out of bandages, like a mummy. "How old are you again? A hundred and five?"

"You know I'm not over a hundred."

"Yes, already having signs of dementia." The bandage's face shook as if expressing its disapproval.

He knew the Bandage Demon was acting like this to piss him off. This kind of banter was almost a hundred years old. The thing was that even after all this time, the old man was a little pissed off.

"You're mad aren't you?" The bandage demon poked him with one of the bandages and continued doing so over a dozen times. "I can tell that you're mad. It's okay to be mad. You don't have to act like a wise old man with me. We both know you're about as intelligent as a rock."

'No, no, c'mon you're an old man now. Don't react to it.' Meleo took a deep breath. "Well, whatever. We don't have to worry about him any-"

Boom!... An overwhelming amount of Ord, thick and heavy like a mountain enveloped Meleo's being.

What was this?!

Within a split second, he released his own Ord to resist the freakish aura.

But as soon as it came, the dominating Ord dissipated as if it wasn't there to begin with.

Monstrous! Who could have so much Ord? Had someone infiltrated the school?!

The Bandage Demon wrapped around the upper half of his head and Meleo opened up his Ord nodes and used his own Ord to try and sense everything in the school.

He activated the array talisman under his table, which showed him where everyone in the school was. There weren't any new presences.

How was this possible?!

He felt it as clear as day! A monstrous presence appeared. Yet it disappeared like the wind. Did someone with a disguise ability come in?

Had the Demonic Exorcist used some kind of disguise ability? If it was him flexing his power just to freak out everyone. It sounded like something he would do.

But Meleo was familiar with his old student's Ord. So it couldn't be him.

Meleo moved at extreme speeds and out of his office. He rushed through the hallways to try and pinpoint where he sensed the Ord from. He had a friendly smile so as not to freak out anyone. However, no one seemed to pay attention to him. It seemed like others had sensed that outburst of Ord too.

He wasn't on full alert when the Ord burst out. But even then he could sense the general direction. He had the best sensory powers amongst the twenty-two Special Exorcists. When compared with people like that, it means something.

They ended up in the student's dormitory rooms. Meleo used a camouflage talisman and tried to suppress his Ord to its extreme limits.

Then he waited a couple of minutes for anything strange to show up.

But nothing happened, and only one of the students walked out. Meleo recognized Kon from their meeting. The Dark Sword brat. His Ord felt normal.

The only strange thing about Kon was that he wore glasses when he didn't need them. Also now he was balancing a fish bowl atop his head with a carp swimming.

'What a weird kid. It always seems like he's doing the most random things.'

"Hey, isn't that fish looking at us?" The bandage demon whispered.

Meleo moved to the side, and the fish's eyes followed him.

A chill went down his spine.