I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 669: [Quest Completed: Dark Mana]

And then it was done.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the molten ink ignited.

It was not heat; rather, it was the antithesis.

Cold dark fire erupted across Jack’s back, burning downward through his physical flesh with aggressive intensity that should have reduced him to ash in seconds.

The agony was indescribable, transcending simple nerve signals to invade consciousness itself.

Jack’s jaw clenched so hard that blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

Outside the laboratory windows, the sky transformed. What had been a peaceful crimson morning turned to absolute black.

Darkness swallowed the light as if the universe itself was responding to the violation occurring within these walls.

Jack’s golden-orange eyes turned purple.

Deep, absolute purple that burned with the weight of dark mana, integrating directly into his soul.

’The integration is proceeding just as it should. The dark mana is rewriting your fundamental essence. This is not simple element absorption. You are scarring your soul to achieve something new. The pain you experience is your soul being burned and remade.’ Tharaxis said with pride.

Emberion was less clinical and more encouraging. ’This is the pain of true power. This is what separates kings from peasants. Endure it.’

The cold fire spread across Jack’s back, his shoulders, creeping toward his chest as the dark mana carved itself into his very soul.

Seconds stretched into eternities; each moment was an eternity of cold fire and a corrupting essence rewriting his physiology at a fundamental level.

The pain exceeded anything Jack had experienced. It surpassed severing his own hand. It transcended the demonic transformation. It made the pain from the red lightning feel like a splash of cold water to his face.

His soul itself was being scarred, burned, remade into something capable of wielding dark mana without being consumed by it.

Jack maintained a seiza posture, steadfastly resisting any inclination to yield, collapse, or betray vulnerability. He experienced profound spiritual and physical torment that permeated his entire being.

Annabelle watched, her expression revealing nothing, but her hands trembled slightly as she set down the pen.

Faye looked genuinely distressed, her bubbly demeanor evaporating as she observed Jack’s obvious suffering. "Why is he in pain? Can’t we stop it? Make it hurt less?"

"No," Loryn replied clinically, his voice carrying respect for Jack’s endurance. "The integration requires this level of trauma. His bloodline is strong enough to survive it. A lesser being would disintegrate into ash and scattered consciousness."

The burning continued. Minutes that felt like hours passed. Jack’s breathing came in ragged gasps, his body convulsing as he desperately fought to process and integrate an element fundamentally alien to his composition.

Then, as abruptly as it had begun, the burning ceased.

Jack remained in seiza position, his breathing still ragged, his body covered in sweat despite the cold fire that had just consumed him. Blood dripped from his mouth, from the corners of his eyes, from places where the dark mana had burned too aggressively and torn delicate tissues.

The sky outside began to clear, returning to its normal crimson hue. Jack’s eyes faded from purple back to golden-orange.

Silence fell across the laboratory.

Blood gushed from Jack’s back as the symbol burned into his flesh.

Then the system notification appeared:

[Dark Mana Affinity has returned to your body.]

[Quest Completed: Dark Mana - Dark Mana has run in your bloodline for a millennium. You have acquired what was always your birthright.]

[Dark Mana Control: 20%]

[Reward: Dark Nova: Ruin Pulse]

[A massive payload of dark mana as a pitch-black sphere. At your command, the sphere violently implodes before erupting outward in a massive, shockwave-driven explosion of destructive dark energy that disintegrates anything it touches.]

[Damage is determined by Magic × Magic Talent × 20]

[Note: This is a bloodline skill unique to the Kaiser Bloodline.]

[Reward: You have obtained one of your original affinities back! All Magic damage is doubled!]

Jack pushed himself upright, his breathing still ragged as his constitution processed the trauma of soul scarring.

Annabelle stepped forward, her expression still composed but her eyes carrying genuine concern. "You need rest. You just integrated an element into your body."

The sigil on Jack’s back pulsed with residual dark mana.

The pain had faded to a dull ache, manageable now that his body had begun the integration process.

But the victory felt incomplete without understanding what he’d truly gained from scarring his soul.

"I’ll be fine, Annabelle. You don’t need to worry. A little blood is nothing."

"Master," Loryn’s raspy voice cut through the room’s oppressive silence. "I bring news regarding resources that may prove invaluable. I have located an additional God’s Blood tree. One belonged to the clan leader you eliminated when the Blight clan brought their third-tier baron. Kaedor acquired the other from Pho’s fortress."

Jack’s golden-orange eyes fixed on the ancient mage with renewed focus.

Two more opportunities to consume Sarin’s blood and unlock the next hint to his legendary techniques that had once reshaped reality itself. The implications were staggering, cascading through his consciousness like a rapid river flowing down a mountain.

"Prepare them immediately," Jack commanded, his voice carrying absolute authority that made even Loryn stand straighter. "I want both trees processed and ready within the hour. Extract the sap into separate containers and prepare them with care."

"As you command, Young Master," Loryn replied, executing a subtle bow before departing.

Jack rose from his seiza position. Blood stains marked where the sigil tracing had occurred. Broken instruments lay scattered across workstations. Equipment that had been shattered by the intensity of the dark mana. The entire space bore the marks of what he’d just endured.

He needed to process what had happened to his body, what the dark mana integration meant existentially. The throne room offered solitude and distance from the lingering intensity of Loryn’s presence and the barely suppressed tension radiating from the other demons still stationed throughout the castle.

Jack made his way through the castle’s corridors, his footsteps echoing against the walls that seemed to pulse with ancient power.

He settled onto the throne, the obsidian cool against his back as he closed his eyes and existed in the silence.

Time passed as he kept his eyes closed in silence. An hour passed by. Jack didn’t bother to keep track of time. He allowed his consciousness to drift while his body processed the trauma of soul scarring and dark mana integration.

His mind worked through the implications of everything he’d just accomplished, projecting forward toward what consuming God’s Blood would mean.

Then footsteps approached through the corridors.

Loryn entered first, carrying two ceramic bowls filled with luminescent liquid that pulsed with divine essence. The God’s Blood gleamed with otherworldly beauty, colors shifting between deep crimson and midnight purple as light moved across its surface.

Loryn set both bowls on a stone pedestal before Jack’s throne with reverent care, showing his respect for his master.

"The preparation is complete, Master," Loryn stated, his hollow eyes reflecting the liquid’s otherworldly radiance. "All sap has been extracted from both trees. Every drop of divine essence has been preserved. Leaving only the concentrated God’s Blood you see before you."

"Good," Jack replied, acknowledging the mage’s precision. "Your work is commendable, Loryn. Send word to the twentieth-floor clan again. Tell them their tribute must be delivered soon. They’ll comply because the consequences of refusal have been made abundantly clear."