"By the way, Mr Seth…"
After everyone had finally settled in their little camp and was in their spots in silence, Raki saw the chance to finally ask the question he'd wanted to ask.
"Hm?"
"Are you a claymore like Clare?"
"Nah. Not in the least," Seth shook his head as he thought. "…But you could say I'm still part yoma."
"Eeeeh? Is that why you're so strong? Can Clare do something like that?"
Even though he knew claymores were warriors strong enough to slay monsters, the destruction Seth displayed before was beyond anything Clare had shown.
"My strength is completely unrelated to being part yoma and from what I can tell, Clare's physical abilities might be higher than the average human but still fall short of what I'm capable of—though, her speed and skill with a sword makes her a problem."
Seth explained.
Though I'm sure that it won't be long before I outclass her completely…
Due to the Blacklight's rapid cell division, his biomass is constantly increasing. Even without consuming other organisms, his strength is rising at an alarming rate.
Maybe tomorrow… or the day after… He mused.
The only thing that he'd be lacking in would be the martial arts training which he will most likely gain from consuming a claymore.
…
Ahhhh. The blacklight virus is truly a cheat among cheats.
Immortality…plus the ability to steal core skills and knowledge… truly a cheat.
Overhearing their conversation, Clare interjected.
"I must ask… when were you able to use yoki?"
Seth looked over and saw Clare looking straight at him.
"The time I absorbed one of the yoma back at the village where we first met."
"You mean when you 'eat' the two?"
"Yes."
Clare thought for a moment before asking.
"Does eating a yoma truly allow you to use their abilities?"
Seth nodded, " And it's not limited to just yoma. Just about any organism. I gain their knowledge and abilities—anything special about them, really… if they have any."
He circulated yoki through his hands making them transform slightly.
"Wow! So cool! What's yoki?"
"Energy that only yoma and claymore can use."
While Raki was fascinated by these strange abilities, Clare had a thoughtful expression on her face.
Unlike in his natural state, she couldn't sense the yoki within him at all but now that he is actively circulating it, she could now perceive it clearly.
Naturally, she began wondering about something else.
"Aren't you afraid of running the risk of transforming?" She asked, a tinge of concern was in her voice, but neither Seth nor Raki was perceptive enough to pick up on it.
"You were using it without any form of restraint before, I would've thought you might've lost your sanity by now…"
Since she didn't know about the mechanics of his biology and how different he is from them, she might've thought he was similarly bound by the same limitations.
Therefore, Seth felt he should clarify.
"No. When I absorb something, my body just filters out the bad parts and keeps what's useful. So whatever I gain doesn't come with the usual downsides."
Though it's bits and pieces, it was enough for her to get the idea.
So unlike us, he's able to use the yoma's abilities freely… She thought, reminiscent of unlike his, their fate is one misstep away from losing themselves.
With her close friend's death still fresh in her memories, she fell silent.
Both Seth and Raki looked worried at her.
"You good over there?"
"I'm fine."
Doesn't seem fine to me, Seth remarked internally.
Since she's not saying anything and the mood of the group became a little tense.
I wonder when's the next mission…
He leaned back with his hands behind his head, making himself comfortable as he delved into his webs of intrigue.
rewatching the lives of the various animals and monsters he'd consumed had become a way to pass the time for him now.
Given that he no longer had biological needs and mental exhaustion is too difficult to reach, sleeping brought no satisfaction.
So he took to the numerous memories inside him to keep him from breaking down from boredom.
Though he could directly implant the memories into his consciousness to be able to recall them instantly, he decided to watch them like films—plus, with the animal memories, it's like watching a documentary.
Like that, the time moved quickly and soon became night-time.
***
Seth's eyes fluttered open as the "screen" in his head faded out as he pulled himself out of his little mental theater.
"…Huh."
It was dark out.
Only the faint glow of the fire lighting up the area.
"…How long was I out?" he muttered.
He sat upright and looked around.
Raki was already knocked out, curled up near the fire, breathing evenly.
Then his eyes shifted over to where he left Clare to see she was still awake.
Seth tilted his head a bit.
"…You ever sleep?"
Clare glance over at him, seeing that he was awake, she simply said: "I do."
"Could've fooled me…So what's up? You've been staring into the void this whole time or something?"
"Our next assignment has been issued."
Seth paused.
"…Wait, the old man passed through?"
"Yes, it came while you were sleeping."
"…Yeah, let's go with that," Seth said casually.
He rested his arms on his knees. "…Alright then. Lay it on me."
Clare held his gaze for a second before answering.
"It's a city named Rabona, the holy city. There is a request to hunt down a yoma that appeared in the town." She said calmly.
"And what's with the bag?"
Seth pointed at a bag at her feet that wasn't with them before he went offline.
Must've been left by Rubel.
Clare opened the bag showing its contents. Clothes and a container.
"Whats all this for?"
"It's an undercover operation to enter the city. The city forbade the unnatural, that includes us claymores but since it's an urgent request, we must enter."
Seth walked over and sat beside her as Clare pulled out its contents.
A long black dress, cloaks and, "what's this?"Seth gestured to the container.
"This contains yoki suppressant. These will aid me in this request as it will suppress our yoki sensing and strength in exchange for our features returning to normal. This way, they won't recognize me as a silver eyed witch…"
She showed him the small pallets inside.
"Hmm…"
Seth took one to look at closely.
Yoki suppressant, Huh…
He popped it into his mouth.
"Hey—wait!" Clare tried to stop him from swallowing but it was already too late. It was already being absorbed by the virus.
Information started pouring into him.
Toxins, poisons, herbs etc…
When it all settled, he smiled.
"Nearly fifty different ingredients were made into that pallet. It would definitely kill a normal human as it touches their tongue."
Seth blinked.
"Are you feeling anything?" Clare asked as she saw no changes in his expression.
"If you don't mean the information from the pills then nah. I don't feel a thing."
His body had broken down the pills instead of his yoki so it had no effect other than adding more dangerousness to his virus.
Clare's face was stiff before she remembered his body is different.
"…"
"…Oh, wait! I don't need to go through all the trouble!" Seth flew to his feet as he suddenly figured—or rather remembered something crucial.
His earlier goal to fix the claymore's body was centered entirely around increasing his control over his virus to maneuver his way around their body.
Clare raised an eyebrow at his outburst.
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
Seth spun to her and without explaining, stretched out his hand.
"Hey Clare… gimme a drop of blood."
Clare blinked, completely caught off guard.
"…What? Why?"
"Remember what I told you today," Seth said, excitement prominent on his features, "about how I can get info from anything I absorb?"
Clare nodded.
"Yes… but what does that have to do with your request?"
"My goal was to fix a claymore's body—get rid of yoma aggression, preventing them from ever transforming. The only part was figuring out how to navigate their bodies safely."
He tapped his temple rapidly.
"But instead of learning how to go in and out of your body, why don't I just get the info straight from their DNA?"
Clare's silver eyes went wide at his words.
Fixing their bodies…prevent transformation…
Her usual calm, stoic expression—one that rarely showed any kind of hope—flickered just a little.
"…You…can you really think you can do that?"
Seth patted his chest as she grinned.
"Of course! Who do you think I am? I got this. Trust me, I've got an assistant."
Clare blinked, stunned, before the smallest spark of hope crept onto her face.
Normally, she wouldn't even entertain a claim as unbelievable as that—but this was Seth talking.
She'd seen what he could do, and from the things he said before, it was way too convincing.
And that made all the difference.
"…Okay… I'll give you a drop," she said slowly, still processing it.
Seth's grin widened.
"Perfect. This'll be fun."
He held out his hand, ready to absorb the info and take the next step toward his goal.
Clare shook her head, a mix of amusement and worry on her face as she prepared to hand over a drop.
And for the first time in a while, hope—fragile hope—flickered in her eyes.
Seth noticed it, of course, and smiled inwardly. Even a tiny spark like that was worth everything.
Chapter 17 end.
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