By the end, his words were barely audible, leaving only Weissman's laughter.
"See that? This is the power of the Cain Stone... this is touching the world's most primal energy."
"No matter how many eras pass, no matter how long it's buried, once it appears, it can change the entire world!" As Weissman's magic infused Count Hamilton's body, the already skeletal frame began to swell, as if some energy was filling it.
At the same time, a 【Frenzy!】 status appeared above Weissman's head.
This scene seemed to ignite his blood, like those mad scientists. No, this world had no such classification—weren't these wizards just 'mad scientists' themselves!
As the Count's body underwent 【Mutation~】, it swelled so much it was barely recognizable as human!
His bones seemed to dissolve, his muscles darkened, his skin grew dull, and his features twisted like mud drenched in water—limp but not scattered.
When he raised a finger, you could even see the bone soften and slowly contract into a lump...
Like a blister...
More like a giant, twisted cell.
His eyes were filled with pus, constantly opening and closing...
In short, it was something utterly distorted and deformed.
For a moment, Sean couldn't find any words to describe the creature before him—it might not even be called a creature anymore.
As the 【Mutation~】 progress bar completed, Sean was stunned to see an even more incomprehensible attribute display:
【!a#￥*】：o:3o:oo
This...
It was all garbled.
Even his own attribute display couldn't decipher what it was!
"Do you see! This is the power of the stone, containing the world's most essential energy. The great Cain Witch deciphered it and inscribed it into each stone. Anyone who touches it will suffer its backlash. Do you see its great power?"
Not just the status—his eyes now held an even more unwavering frenzy. Even the other Level 10 Orderer, who had been silent on the other side, wore an expression of awe.
See your damn power!
This thing's practically a monster now. No way I'm sticking around for this.
Sean quickly grabbed the still-dazed Igunia and ran, not looking back.
They probably didn't even know what that thing was!
"Trying to run? Not so fast."
Just as he and Igunia dashed out of the corridor...
Suddenly, a numbing pain shot through his legs, sending him sprawling to the ground. His legs throbbed with a mix of pain and itchiness, like after crouching too long and standing up—numb and aching.
His pistol flew out of his hand...
【Paralysis~】
The status appeared before Sean's eyes.
Even Igunia beside him was struck down by the same magic!
The two opponents were Level 9 and Level 10—there was no way they could win. Even if Igunia went all out with every last bit of magic she had, there was no chance.
At that moment, Sean remembered the woman riding the dragon earlier, the Red Dragon Witch.
If she were here, maybe they'd have a shot.
He picked up the fallen pistol, still loaded with ice bullets. His remaining magic might be low, but a single signal flare should be fine.
He opened the flintlock's spring-loaded magazine and swiped a finger over the ice-blue bullet...
【Magic Proficiency: 113】...
Then fired it into the sky beyond the courtyard.
Whoosh~
A crisp, sharp whistle sounded, ending with a 'bang' as it exploded high above.
"Still trying to escape?" A figure emerged from the doorway—the one who had remained silent.
Igunia turned to face him.
"Master Isley."
The name had been mentioned once before, but Sean had no impression of the man. Still, since Igunia knew his name, he must be someone notable in Koga City.
With 【10,000】 HP, a Level 10 character—how could he not be famous?
"Oh, you're Eshu's female disciple? What a shame. I used to have a good relationship with your mentor." The man smiled as he approached.
He must have heard the gunshot. Sean feared he'd attack them immediately, but instead, the man showed no extreme hostility, just kept staring at Igunia with a peculiar gaze.
"Master Isley, why are you doing this to the Count? You're the leader of Koga City's guard—why join this rebellion?"
Igunia pushed herself up and edged closer to Sean. A 【Fear!】 status appeared above her head.
Hearing this, Sean finally understood the man's identity.
So he was the captain of Koga City's guard, akin to Danti's role in Taylor Mian. Someone in that position should be Count Hamilton's trusted confidant—how could he betray him so easily...
"Captain of the guard? That title isn't what I want. What I'm after is probably beyond that little head of yours." He said with a hint of amusement.
Sean kept watching his status—it seemed unchanged. He didn't seem to want Igunia dead, but his attitude toward Sean was 【Cold】.
He tried moving his legs—still painful.
【Paralysis~】
Since it was a movement-restricting spell, there should be a way to break it, like those dispel skills.
Just needed to increase the magic output...
He tried mentally commanding his legs to move freely.
This time, the display didn't show 【Ineffective】, but a massive mental pressure slammed into his head—a sign of heavy magic loss.
He'd fired so many shots earlier without draining much magic, but this dispel nearly exhausted his reserves.
Sweat beaded on his forehead. When he looked at Isley again, the man's status had shifted to 【Disgust!】.
"As for you, Baron Weigel... I still don't understand why you left that mountain village. Maybe staying a rural baron would have let you live longer." His words carried clear killing intent.
Sean saw the status plainly.
"Is that so? I think you're the pitiful ones, meddling with the unknown... oblivious to the terror you can't grasp. What makes you different from me? Take another look at what you've created."
Sean was just stalling for time to fiddle with his gun and make a smoke bomb.
But then, 'Count Hamilton' inside let out a...
An indescribable roar.
It felt like his heart trembled, and even Isley couldn't help but glance toward the door.
Seizing the chance, Sean fired a smoke bomb, grabbed Igunia, and bolted toward the courtyard.