novelraw Chapter 103 – Forgotten Power From The Cursed Land
Chapter 103 – Forgotten Power From The Cursed Land
After I’d reviewed the basic changes in my status, it was time to dive into the real treat—the one I’d been looking forward to the most.
I straightened up, gripping the mop like a sword and squaring my shoulders.
<“Next is… Parallel Thinking!”>
Finally, the legendary multitasker skill found in almost every overpowered fantasy protagonist! The skill that separates mere mortals from mental monsters! And it was already at level 4!
⟬ Parallel Thinking ⟭
⟨Lv. 4⟩
The ability to multitask, allowing simultaneous consideration of various thoughts. The maximum number of thoughts that can be processed simultaneously depends on the skill level.
Current Limit: 8 thoughts.
<“...The description is kinda bland.”>
Seriously? No cool phrase like 'Splits the mind like blades' or 'Eight minds in one body'? I expected fireworks, or at least some dramatic font.
<“How do I use it?”>
【What do you mean ‘how’? It’s a passive skill, Master. You’ve been using it this whole time. While thinking about your status, chatting with us, and manipulating water to clean the house—you think that’s something a normal ten-year-old can do?】
I paused mid-scrub, my mop dripping dramatically onto the floor.
<“…Wait, seriously?”>
【Yes. You even used it back when you were combining everything you’d learned to form Heavenfire. It’s basically always been active—you just didn’t realize it.】
Huh.
Curious, I decided to run a test. I pictured Selena’s body in my mind—purely for scientific purposes, of course. Then I started pondering what I should eat for lunch, ran the math on 69 x 69, replayed a memory of my parents and sisters, calculated how long it would take to finish cleaning the house, and simultaneously guided the floating water to scrub a dusty spot off the wall.
All at once.
My eyes blinked. My brain didn’t fry. I… actually felt fine.
<“Huh. I’m doing it. That’s… weirdly easy.”>
It was so smooth—like breathing or blinking.
But…
<“It’s not what I expected…”>
【Let me guess. You thought there’d be tiny chibi versions of yourself in your brain having arguments, right? One with glasses, one tsundere, one screaming about snacks—like an anime gag.】
<“Y-Yeah…”>
It’s embarrassing when she said it directly like that though.
【Too bad. This is real life, not some comedy anime.】
<“No… way…”>
My anime dream vanished…
Tinkle!
Hmn!
Alfia chimed excitedly, “But there are a lot of souls inside you, Big Brother!”
Nyxia followed with a gentle hum, “If you want different opinions, we can help you think things through!”
<“…Yeah. Thanks, you two.”>
They were trying to be helpful, but honestly… I wasn’t disappointed with the skill’s mechanics.
I was disappointed I didn’t get to meet my inner chibi council.
Such a waste of potential…
<“So… like Selena, I also have Dark and Hellfire elements now. Hellfire is a combination of Dark and Fire, right? But what’s the actual difference between Heavenfire and Hellfire?”>
【In terms of raw destructive power, Hellfire is stronger. Heavenfire, on the other hand, strikes a balance—it’s both offensive and supportive. While it doesn’t deal as much damage as Hellfire, it has purifying and healing properties.】
【What they have in common is their persistence. Both can burn through almost anything they touch and won’t disappear until whatever they're burning is either completely destroyed or fully purified. It takes a large volume of water to extinguish them. A light rain, for example, probably won’t be enough.】
<“I see…”>
So that explains it.
That fight back then—when we struggled so much against the black flames—makes more sense now. Even with Selena and me both using Heavenfire, we were still pushed to the edge because Hellfire simply had the advantage in terms of power.
<“Lastly… what’s this new ‘Chaos’ status? I don’t remember seeing it before. And I didn’t see it in Selena’s status either.”>
【She has it too, Master. It just doesn’t show up with appraisal skills. Chaos energy isn’t something most people can detect. In fact, it’s the main reward for, well… recruiting them.】
<“Main reward?”>
【Yes. Chaos energy is the opposite of Holy energy.】
<“Wait, Holy energy? Not Holy element? You said it was an element before.”>
【That’s because nobody knew better. Technically, there’s no such thing as a ‘Holy element.’ The power saints use comes from Holy energy. But since it never shows up in appraisal windows, people started calling it an element. At the time, I didn’t think either of you would gain Chaos energy, so I simplified it. But now that you both have it… I figured it was time for the proper terminology.】
<“Wait, wait—so even the person who has holy energy can’t see it in their own status?”>
【Correct. They can only sense something extra is inside them, but they can’t quantify it.】
<“Then… why is Chaos showing up on my status window?”>
【Because I’m amazing.】
She declared it with the pride of someone who’d just discovered fire and also invented marshmallows to roast over it.
<“…Yes, yes, you’re the best. All hail Aza the Great. So, what is Chaos energy, exactly?”>
【Glad you asked! It’s a new energy—well, not exactly new, but a long-lost power that people have forgotten. Remember the darkness-based catalyst they used on her during those experiments? I completed that research using purified resentment instead of pure darkness. And guess what? It turned out even better than the original version of Chaos from ancient history. I’m amazing, right?!】
She beamed like a proud researcher who’d just won a Nobel Prize and made sure everyone knew it.
<“…I feel like that last part was unnecessary.”>
【It was 100% necessary.】
Tinkle!
Hmn!
Alfia and Nyxia’s emotions pulsed joyfully through my soul, their childlike voices overlapping in unison: “Big Sister Azadia is amazing!”
Even my spiritual roommates were on her side now…
<“Right… So then, what’s the actual difference between Chaos and Holy energy?”>
【In short: Holy energy heals and purifies. Chaos energy corrupts and weakens.】
【Both have strong destructive power, and both are powered by faith. But thanks to me, the Chaos energy you and Selena have also grows from resentment. Pretty brilliant, if I do say so myself.】
<“Faith-powered energy… That kinda sounds like divine energy from manhwa.”>
【That’s real too, Master.】
<“…Wait, seriously? I was just making a joke…”>
【Yes. Divine energy is wielded by Goddess Libertas and angels. It’s way beyond Holy or Chaos—more like the raw power of creation and miracles.】
<“…I see.”>
I stared down at the now-clean floorboards I’d just finished scrubbing. I felt like someone trying to solve a thousand-piece puzzle while holding the box upside down… in the dark… with a smug AI guide dropping lore grenades every minute.
I sighed, dunked the mop back into the bucket, and shook my head slowly.
This was a lot.
<“Okay, then… why exactly do I have 1,575 Chaos energy? That number feels way too specific to be random.”>
【While Chaos energy slowly regenerates like aura, its capacity doesn’t grow through training. As I said, it only increases with faith and resentment.】
<“…So, where did mine come from?”>
【From them, of course. Don’t you remember? Selena said she wanted to accept their resentments—and you agreed too.】
Now that she mentioned it… yeah, Selena had said something like that. But—
<“Still, I don’t think she knew that doing that would grant her Chaos energy. I sure didn’t.”>
【I know. But intention doesn’t change the outcome. The fact that both of you accepted those emotions without demanding anything in return—that’s exactly why they believe in you.】
<“…Wait. They believe in us?”>
【Yes. Of the 1,575 Chaos energy, 525 comes from the raw resentment of the 525 souls in your body. The remaining 1,050 comes from their faith—all of them. The ones in you, and the ones resting in Selena.】
I blinked.
<“…Seriously?”>
【Yes. Which means Selena should have the same amount.】
Tinkle!
Hmn!
Their voices chimed in again, warm and bright. “We all believe in Big Brother Freed and Big Sister Selena!”
I stood still for a moment, dripping cloth in hand, unsure how to respond.
<“…I’m speechless. I… I don’t know what to say. But… thank you.”>
And I meant it. From the bottom of my heart.
<“Since we’re still on the topic… Aza, can you tell me more about Chaos energy in ancient history?”>
【Certainly, Master. Historically, Chaos energy was exclusive to only two beings: the Demon King and Demon Queen. From thousands of years ago, until at least ten years ago, there hasn’t been a single confirmed bearer of Chaos in the world. Which means… aside from you and Selena, no one possesses it.】
<“That… sounds ominous.”>
My eyes narrowed. I paused with the mop mid-swipe, brain turning.
<“Does that mean Selena and I are the new Demon King and Queen or something?”>
【Only if you two eventually rule the demon race. Right now, you merely house some demon souls inside your bodies. That doesn’t make you rulers. Yet.】
<“So… it’s not automatic, huh.”>
【No. And being a Demon King or Queen doesn’t automatically make someone evil either. You already know that from meeting Alfia and Nyxia, right? Though it doesn't change the fact that people discriminate against demons, even to the extent of slaying their king and queen.】
Right… Alfia and Nyxia didn’t look dangerous at all, even though they came from a demon race. Maybe their powers could be used for evil, but their personalities are kind. So, being a demon doesn’t mean they are evil beings.
Tinkle…
Hmn…
Their tones dipped with emotion. There was hope in there… but also longing.
<“You two want to meet other demons someday?”>
Tinkle…
Hmn…
Alfia said, “I want to know what our people are like.”
Nyxia followed with a quiet, “Maybe there are others like us, waiting for someone to find them…”
I smiled gently.
<“Alright. Then we’ll go to the demon territory someday. That’s a promise.”>
Tinkle!?
Hmn!?
They cheered up instantly. But then Aza interrupted.
【About that. You’ll need to raise your mental resistance to at least fifty thousand before you even think about stepping into demon land, Master.】
<“Wait—fifty thousand!? Just to visit!?”>
【That’s the minimum. That amount will get you to the border. I’m not sure if your Chaos energy will let you pass beyond that as there’s no precedent for people who wield Chaos energy in that cursed land. So just to be safe—grind mental resistance.】
<“…Why so extreme? And… cursed land?”>
【Because right before the last Demon King and Queen were slain, they cast a curse across their entire territory.】
<“...A curse?”>
I paused, mop forgotten in my hands. A chill ran through me—not from fear, but from the weight of the story.
【Yes. An incredibly powerful mental curse meant to ward off all non-demons. Anyone who enters without the strength to resist it… goes mad in seconds the moment they step into the border. That’s why no one but demons can live there now.】
<“…That doesn’t sound like a curse meant to harm. It sounds like they were trying to protect their people and their land.”>
If there’s no curse, what will other races do after the rulers of the entire race die?
I bet the demon mobs will be discriminated against, enslaved, or even worse, annihilated—like putting a bounty to kill any demons in sight.
So, what the Demon King and Queen did to curse their own land was to protect their people.
【Correct. It was their last defiance—to stop the slaughter and prevent their homeland from becoming a playground for other races.】
I froze still, letting her words settle like dust on ancient ruins. Just picturing it made my chest tighten.
<“Just hearing this… it already tells me they weren’t tyrants. They were protectors.”>
【They were. But their efforts became a double-edged sword. Isolated behind that curse, future generations of demons grew up never knowing the world beyond. And as they got older… curiosity bloomed.】
Tinkle…
Alfia’s voice floated through, soft and wistful. “I think… I always wondered what the outside looked like.”
<“So they tried to leave…”>
Maybe… Alfia had once been one of the demons who left that cursed land. But we wouldn’t be able to know unless she regained her memories.
【Yes. But what they found outside wasn't a wonderland. It was slavery, discrimination and fear.】
Nyxia didn’t respond. But her spirit trembled faintly inside me. It wasn’t fear. It was quiet pain—deep and familiar.
<“I’m guessing Nyxia… was also discriminated against as she was half beastkin and half demon?”>
【Correct. Proof that even love existed between races. But others didn’t see it that way. They were hunted down and killed. Nyxia… maybe she was taken… and enslaved while still a child.】
Hmn…
The sound was barely audible—more emotion than voice. But I felt her sorrow as if it were my own.
<“Nyxia… Don’t worry. You’re not alone anymore. We won’t ever judge you. And neither will Alfia. Nor anyone else you’ll call family.”>
Tinkle!
Hmn.
Alfia chimed in brightly, “We’ll protect each other from now on!”
Nyxia whispered, “…I believe in you, Big Brother Freed.”
I placed a hand over my chest, feeling their voices resonate in my soul like distant echoes of a future worth building.
They weren’t just spirits I had saved. They had gone from tormented souls to innocent girls—free at last. Living proof that even they could change, even in a broken world.
And if they could… then maybe the world could too.