'Kid, that black worm is a type of parasite. Moreover, it had already entered his soul. If you want to eliminate that worm, then killing this guy is the best option.' Azolla said in a cold tone.
Abium raised his eyebrows upon hearing those words and asked with a frown.
'What would happen if I didn't kill him?'
'Nothing. Unlike others, Cedric resisted that worm's attack when it invaded his Sea of Consciousness. He must be fighting against some monstrous worm in his Sea of Consciousness. If he defeats that worm, he might get a parasite worm for himself. Like you are communicating with me, he can also communicate with the parasitic worm and benefit from it in the future.' Azolla answered.
'Benefits? What can he get from communicating with a creepy worm?' Abium's frown deepened.
'Haha, you didn't fully understand these Black worms, kid. These parasites are called Mind worms. If my guess is right, each worm must have a little bit of Dark God's consciousness or some connection to that Dark God's consciousness. First, let me tell you little information about this Dark God.
His name is Ringer, a Low-God of Mind. He was a parasite who slowly rose to power by devouring others' bodies and minds. Ultimately, he collected suitable Mind Divinities and started using the power to rob others' Sea of consciousness. Once he fully controls a person's soul core, he can control them from inside using these parasites.
Each Mindworm has some link to this God because his main body has already entered the Mindworm bloodline's peak stage. Although he had already fallen from the throne, his consciousness is still hidden in every Mind worm's soul.' Azolla's words made Abium shiver a little.
'Thank god I managed to notice that worm earlier.' Cold sweats appeared on Abium's forehead as he thought of his actions.
'Does that mean Cedric could communicate with this Mind parasite?' He asked while looking at Cedric's face.
'Yes. If Cedric successfully subjugates the Mind worm, he will contact a part of the Dark God's consciousness. It is like a test by this Dark God. Well, the probability of successfully defeating this Mind parasite was very minute.
Even if someone like this guy manages to defeat that Mind worm, he will get his soul devoured by that dark God. But if he made a mutual agreement, he would surely get Mind Worm's bloodline.' Azolla continued.
'Well, this guy's fate has already been sealed. So, why not make him an experimental subject and try to get some benefit?' Her words surprised him.
'You mean 'Mind' divinity?'
'Yes.' She replied quickly.
Meanwhile, Abium smiled with a nod and started to ponder.
On the other hand, Azolla started telling him more information about Mind worm bloodlines and Dark God's history.
After learning most of the knowledge about the Dark God, Abium began to think deeply.
'Hmm, Mind divinity will help me read other's minds even when they are in a conscious state...If I get a single Mind divinity, I can easily read many peoples' memories and gather more information about enemies. This divinity is similar to the dream divinity. Getting this divinity will help me to gather more knowledge about my opponents in the future.
But the problem is, where can I find that mind divinity? Although this 'Dark god's consciousness' hidden in the Mind parasite must know some information about Mind divinities, he won't reveal those locations easily. Even if he did, I'm damn sure he will find a way to get complete control over Cedric's body and get every divinity for himself...' Abium's eyes flashed in the dark red light.
'For now, I should focus on getting the Knowledge artifact, Death cane, and Dark Blade. Then I have to find an opportunity to kill that Demon Susur.
Wait. Could it be? What if Henricus somehow had gotten his hand on the 'Mind' divinity in the past and used that divinity to rise to power? No. That's impossible. If Mind divinity is hidden inside this dungeon, Dark God himself must have long obtained that and even found a way to get out of this dungeon using other means.
Hmm? Something is amiss. Did Count Henricus get some other artifact related to knowledge inside this dungeon in the past?' Abium thought that must be the reason for Count Henricus's sudden growth in the past.
He soon thought of a plan and slowly shifted his attention to Cedric, who still lay unconscious on the barren ground.
'I hope Cedric would get his hand on Mind worm's bloodline. Moreover, the Mind worm Bloodline also seems to have memory-related abilities. So, putting him under my control will help this guy from being killed by the dark God's consciousness, and I will also get a powerful subordinate.' Abium thought that was the best choice.
After that, Abium didn't say anything and patiently waited for Cedric to wake up.
Two hours later, Cedric opened his eyes slowly and soon became extremely nervous as he saw wariness in everyone's eyes.
Before anyone could say anything, Abium turned his head toward his direction and asked suddenly.
"Cedric, do you want to become my follower?" Abium's words made Kate raise her eyebrows, but she kept her mouth shut. Although Cedric was her secret lover, she knew Cedric had his aim. Moreover, she saw some worm entering his body earlier and realized that only a powerful mage like him could help him.
'Cedric also seems to have changed a bit.' She instantly noticed the difference and shook her head helplessly. She would have already opposed this mysterious mage's demand if she were a mage. But she felt powerless now. Meanwhile, Cedric was also stunned for a while and soon replied while receiving approval from Kate.
"My lord, I will follow you and stay loyal to you forever." He instantly knelt on the ground.
On the other hand, Abium watched amusingly at both of them and waved his hand. He didn't care about their loyalty because he knew the time would change everything. Moreover, the trust couldn't be gained in a single day.
After contemplating for a bit, Abium turned his expression serious and asked.
"Cedric, did you defeat that monstrous worm in your mind?" His words surprised Cedric.
He couldn't understand how this mysterious mage had known about that monstrous worm that appeared in his dream and felt amazed.
Indeed.
During all this time, he battled against a large terrifying black worm with multiple tentacles inside his dream and finally won after a long battle. Although it was mainly because the worm stopped attacking him, he still accomplished it without external help.
"My lord, I thought it was just a dream," Cedric said with puzzlement and soon looked around his surroundings. Only now did he realize that they were not in the rotten woods but some barren land filled with dark rocks and brown sands. Moreover, he couldn't find any Holy Knights or other adventurers who accompanied them and guessed that something had gone wrong.
Meanwhile, Abium smiled with a nod and explained to him slowly.
"Well, that Mind parasite that attacked you earlier also entered inside many Holy knights' and adventurers' brains and took control over their bodies. After that, everyone started killing each other, so we had no choice but to split up from that group."
Upon hearing those words, Cedric became completely shocked.
On the other hand, Abium gave a light pat on his shoulder and added,
"I will give you some information about that worm. It is a parasite called Mind worm, and that worm also has a part of a real Dark God's consciousness."
Cedric was startled a bit and became extremely nervous.
"My lord, can I get that thing off my head?" He asked with a stiff face.
"That's impossible. That Dark God's consciousness must have already linked with your soul using that parasite, so separating that thing will also harm your soul. In the worst-case scenario, you might end up dead." Abium face turned solemn as he said that. After some deliberation, he continued.
"But there is also a benefit you could get from this Dark God's consciousness. Once he awakens from sleep, he will communicate with you and try to help you using various methods."
"Why does he need my help, My Lord?" Cedric couldn't help but ask.
"He needs some external help to get out of this dungeon. Moreover, he will also give you a part of his Mind-Worm bloodline. When that happens, don't hesitate and accept it. Although it is risky, it is worth taking such a risk to get that bloodline. But you must be under my surveillance because even I don't know fully about that Dark God."
"Yes, my lord." Cedric nodded, soon turned his head towards Kate, and then made a request.
"My lord, can I bring Kate along with me?"
"Cedric, you don't have to stay by my side all the time. Send me a letter once a month, so I can feel assured that the parasite hasn't taken control of your body." Abium finished his words and soon thought about the Dark Blade.
'First, I have to look for that Dark Blade. After that, I will make a plan to get other things. If I'm not wrong, some intelligent monsters should be roaming in these dungeons.' Abium nodded his head and instantly asked Azolla,
'Azolla, do you have any other information about dungeons?' Upon hearing Abium's words, Azolla thought for a while and replied.
'Hmm, as I said, these dungeons are created for the fallen gods to return to their thrones and allow mortals to rise in power. Many divine fragments and even some divinities with fallen gods' consciousness are kept hidden in these dungeons. Mostly these fragments and divinities take a lot of work to find. Even if you find one, there must be some fallen gods' servants or those fallen gods' consciousness guarding it. You could get your hand on those fragments or divinities only by defeating those fallen gods' consciousnesses.'
Listening to her words, Abium quickly turned his head towards the rotten woods and spoke.
"I think we must go back and see what was hiding in the rotten woods."
"Are you sure?" Fennelis turned her head and asked him with concern. At that moment, she had already removed her disguise and stood there with a grim look on her snowy face. Her long snow-white hair and hooded sky-blue eyes were shining in the darkness, and she seemed prepared for any upcoming battle.
Meanwhile, Abium nodded and slowly looked at Umi.
On the other hand, Umi held the scimitar tighter with a grin on her snowy face and appeared to be anticipating the upcoming battle.
'It seems she is going to be a battle maniac!' He got worried when looking at her behavior and let out a deep sigh.
"Let's go. This time, we should move more carefully." Abium said calmly.
"My lord, what should we do if these worms manage to enter our bodies?" Kate asked as she realized that she was the weakest among the group.
Although she had some artifacts which could help her with sneak attacks, she was so sure that those artifacts wouldn't work against these worms and grew worried.
"You will have to defeat it. If not, those worms will take over your body, and you will become a mindless monster like them." Abium replied while pointing his finger toward the rotten forest, which was only a few hundred meters away.
As Kate was about to say something, her face stiffened up.
At that moment, a group of 15 humans walked out of the forest and had a creepy white eye protruding on their foreheads. They were walking in well-organized and moving more like human puppets. But what made her body shiver was that she even saw some apprentice mages and holy knights among the group!
She knew how powerful those holy knights were and turned pale.
"Don't worry, my friend. We will help you." Fennelis turned her head while raising her silvery fox ears and replied brightly.
"We will help you." Umi also looked at Kate and cheered her up, causing Kate to relax a little.
'At least, they are not like normal adventurers. If we had gone along with other adventurers, we might be roaming with those puppet humans.' She now regretted her decision to join this expedition. As she was in deep thought, she suddenly heard sword-clashing sounds from afar and looked in that direction in puzzlement.