Chapter 83 – The Misfortune of Holt

Now lying on Punk’s experimental table was a slender and frail young man. He was firmly secured by several magical shackles, and even though he desperately squeezed out the last bit of strength from his body to struggle with all his might, under the unbreakable energy restraints, the power of an ordinary person was simply insufficient!

This young man was Hotte!

Hotte ultimately failed to escape, and even more unfortunately, as the only “surviving” slave, he was captured alive by Punk. Being caught by a mage who was searching for quality experimental materials, Hotte’s fate was all too predictable…

An apprentice-level “Throat Constriction” restricted his voice. The terrified Hotte stared wide-eyed with bloodshot eyes as Punk placed exquisite alchemical tools one by one on a tray carved with Punk’s runes. In his mind surfaced those eerie wails that could be clearly heard even from the Dungeon. Now… such a fate was about to befall him!

Punk expressionlessly examined each alchemical tool carefully, repeatedly confirming that the magical arrays on them operated smoothly and their enchantment effects were intact. The upcoming alchemical experiment was quite crucial – his hypothesis about soul splitting would be verified in this experiment!

This experimental material named Hotte could be said to be an unexpected surprise. When Punk’s Golem No. 1 found Hotte, who had fainted from hunger in a corner, through the golem’s perception, Punk keenly discovered that Hotte actually possessed high willpower and mental strength, and even had some talent as a rogue. Punk, who originally intended to slap him to death, simply captured him along with Bilan.

Now, Hotte had received careful treatment from a formal mage. After being nourished by several apprentice-level magical potions, all the hidden injuries on his body had been easily healed. Of course, for Hotte, such treatment could hardly be called fortunate!

At this moment, a slender and graceful figure stood beside Punk. After his apprentice had some “minor mishaps,” the “kind” mentor Punk not only “forgave” his naive and ignorant apprentice but also allowed him to observe his experiment. In the Faerûn plane, such “generous and excellent” mentors were truly rare!

If one ignored the “Lesser Hold Person” spell on Bilan, it would indeed look quite convincing.

In reality, as the predetermined next soul to be modified, the reason Bilan was “invited” to stand here and observe Punk’s experiment was simple – brainwashing!

Don’t misunderstand – Punk didn’t have the time and energy to change this naive girl’s alignment and personality. He simply wanted this coward, who trembled even at the sound of screams, to adapt to blood and wails. After all, Punk’s soul modification technique was somewhat imperfect, and some instinctive things could never be completely removed through purely “technical means.” So, if he didn’t want to create a golem that feared screams and blood, these “flaws” of Bilan’s had to be “washed away” as much as possible!

The illumination in the White Tower was provided by more than ten “Dancing Lights” floating in mid-air. With Punk’s current formal-level spellcasting mana purity, the “Dancing Lights” he cast could shine in the air for about half a month.

The light emitted by the small orbs had no warmth whatsoever. The pure cold light shone on the experimental table at the end of the hall, and Punk’s shadow manipulating various unknown tools formed an eerie picture on the wall!

Punk carefully marked measurements and distances on Hotte’s already shaved head, then calmly ignored Hotte’s pleading and desperate eyes, paying no attention to Bilan’s terrified gaze.

He gently took out an alchemical scalpel enhanced with “Lesser Sharpness.” The cold blade flashed with a chilling light under the illumination of the Dancing Lights! This was a tool specifically designed for precise cutting of biological bones!

To cause a person’s personality to split, the best method was undoubtedly to work on their memories. But Punk had little confidence in his ability to manipulate souls. Rather than rashly using spells to tamper with soul memories, it was better to indirectly influence them through brain manipulation. After all, as long as a creature remained in the traditional sense of being “alive,” all information received by the soul was transmitted through the brain. Although this “brain modification” effect obviously couldn’t compare to directly modifying the soul, it was more than sufficient for dealing with an ordinary person with no means of resistance!

No anesthesia was administered, nor were Hotte’s pain nerves blocked. Although Punk actually disliked inflicting unnecessary suffering on test subjects (the pain of soul extraction was unavoidable), mainly because crying and wailing test subjects were too noisy and even interfered with his thinking, for the sake of “teaching” Bilan, he could only reluctantly ask Mr. Hotte to “sing a song”!

The sharp cold light mercilessly cut into flesh and blood. Translucent red gleams flashed under the light. Hot blood spurted and splashed across the golden platform. Swaying flames prevented the loss of life, but those scorching flames brought no light or hope – only bone-searing, marrow-gnawing pain that lingered endlessly…

Outside the white square tower, the radiance of Mila and Chikasa returned to the horizon, but on this small hill stained red with blood, only piercing wails echoed endlessly as dawn gradually approached…

————————Dividing Line————————

“Where… am I…”

The confused Hotte tumbled and flowed in a white whirlpool. He couldn’t feel his body, nor could he tell whether he was moving or stationary. He felt he had forgotten many things, many… things he had originally wanted to forget…

“Hey, look there, isn’t that the orphan fool Hotte?”

A voice suddenly rushed into Hotte’s mind. The white whirlpool disappeared as abruptly as if it had never appeared. Young Hotte found himself lying in a dark and dirty Alley. Snowflakes slowly drifted down from the gloomy sky, and thick snow on the ground emanated a deep chill…

“Right… yesterday I… seemed to have failed at stealing from that old man and got beaten by the guards!”

Young Hotte raised his bruised hands and carefully exerted force… a piercing pain made Hotte involuntarily groan…

“Hey, Hotte, you haven’t paid your last ‘protection fee’ yet. Hurry up and make it up, or do you want another beating?”

Hotte saw a figure walking toward him. He clearly remembered that this was one of the Boss figures among the child thieves. Although he didn’t yet know how to recruit followers and build influence, because he was good at fighting and wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, he had long been the culprit who oppressed Hotte and other child thieves!

Hotte shuddered in fear at the strong child’s mocking tone. According to “convention,” he should already be kneeling on the ground, crying and begging for mercy.

But this time, Hotte froze in place. He felt an emotion called anger growing stronger in his heart. The experiences of being bullied and abused multiple times surfaced clearly in his mind. He suddenly had the thought of fighting this bastard who stole his last piece of bread to the death at any cost – something the timid and cowardly young Hotte had almost never experienced!

Although he vaguely felt something was wrong, the wildly surging rage quickly consumed Hotte’s reason. His eyes turned red as he struggled to stand up, rushing toward the child Boss who still wore a mocking smile like a wolf driven to desperation.

Hotte let out beast-like howls from his throat. He fiercely pounced on the boy who had been mockingly watching him without dodging, and mercilessly tore open the other’s throat with his teeth. Scalding blood flowed down Hotte’s throat into his empty stomach. As Hotte greedily sucked his enemy’s blood, he felt for the first time that winter snowflakes weren’t so cold after all…

“Very good, the first stage of the experiment is quite successful!”

On the current experimental table, Hotte’s exposed brain was connected to several alchemical threads. He appeared mad under the restraint of the magical shackles, continuously howling.

After carefully examining Hotte, who was in a state of memory modification, and confirming that his soul showed no signs of madness or chaos, Punk nodded with satisfaction!

(End of Chapter)