Unholy Player-Chapter 153: Mindrake

When Adyr arrived at the market grounds this time, he didn’t waste time browsing or wandering aimlessly. He headed straight for the tents where the Spark he was looking for was most likely to be found.

He started with the outer tents first. These stalls were more chaotic, selling everything from Rank 1 to Rank 3 Sparks mixed together, so it could take longer. But Adyr figured it was better to get the hard part out of the way first and made his way through the crowd.

He entered several tents with hope and left each one empty-handed. After about an hour of searching, he finally spotted a familiar face standing in front of one of the tents.

Red skin, lizard-like feet, and bright white Dawn Raven wings—it was the same shopkeeper from the day before, waiting outside with a bored expression.

As soon as he noticed Adyr approaching, the lizardman frowned. "This time I’m not answering questions for free. Either buy something or pay for asking," he snapped, clearly irritated.

"I’m here to look inside this time," Adyr said with a casual smile.

He was well aware that he hadn’t left a great impression yesterday, but he couldn’t care less. If the Spark he wanted was in there, he’d take it and leave—no need for conversation.

Hearing Adyr’s intent, the lizardman raised his browless ridge, and his tone shifted instantly into something much more cheerful. "Of course, come in! I have many things that might interest you."

His spirit seemed lifted, like he hadn’t seen a real customer in days.

Adyr followed him into the tent. His first impression of the place could be summed up in one word: junkyard.

No wonder he can’t sell anything, Adyr thought.

The interior was a complete mess. Nothing was sorted or organized; items were scattered randomly, and the few Sparks present looked poorly cared for, most on the brink of starvation.

"I bet you’ll find what you’re looking for here," the lizardman said with a grin, as if completely unaware of the sorry state of his shop.

There wasn’t much of value to be found in the tent, but ironically, that made it even harder to spot anything useful through all the junk.

Still, Adyr didn’t rush. He searched carefully, moving between cluttered crates and dusty shelves.

Just as he was about to give up and leave, something caught his eye—faint green leaves peeking out from beneath a pile of rusted metal.

Curious, he stepped closer and dragged the corroded sheets aside. Beneath them, he found what looked like the remains of a Spark in its final moments of life. Its leaves were wilted, its body shriveled, the Spark clearly starving and near death.

And yet, despite its state, Adyr’s eyes narrowed. This was exactly the Spark he had been looking for.

It had two bodies—identical in form, each resembling a large, root-bound turnip. Their skin was rough, brown, and cracked like dry earth. Instead of arms and legs, they had thick, root-like limbs, knotted and veined like old tree branches. Each head had three withered shoots sprouting from the top—once vibrant leaves now curled, brittle, and turning grey at the edges.

They were slumped against one another, limbs entangled, their soft, bloated eyes half-open and glossed over. Tongues hung out of their cracked mouths like those of men dying from thirst, their posture almost human—two figures huddled together, as if trying to comfort one another in their final moments.

Isn’t this a mandrake? Adyr thought, recognizing the resemblance immediately. He’d seen depictions of them countless times in books and fantasy films from his previous world—creatures born of earth and pain, always screaming, always suffering.

[Name] Mindrake

[Path] Aether freewebnøvel_com

[Rank] 2

[Ability] Shared Cognition / Mindseeker

Description:

Mindrakes are born in places where thoughts are broken—abandoned sanctums, shattered spirit wells, and the psychic ruins of long-dead civilizations. They emerge in pairs, two bodies bound by a single mind, formed from soil rich with psychic residue.

They feed on cognitive remnants—faint traces of thought, memory, and intent left behind by nearby living beings.

Though harmless and lacking any form of defense, attack, or speed, this vulnerability has shaped their unique evolution. While one body searches for food, the other remains hidden. Even if one is destroyed, their remarkable regeneration allows a single fragment to regrow the second body within hours or days.

Ability—Shared Cognition / Mindseeker:

Shared Cognition allows both bodies to operate under a single consciousness with no delay or split focus, also enabling synchronized movement, task division, or passive activity from one body while the other remains active, creating the illusion of rest without losing awareness.

Mindseeker allows Mindrakes to detect freshly formed thoughts and lingering cognitive remnants in their surroundings, enabling them to locate sources of nourishment with ease.

"This is good," Adyr murmured, a small smile forming as he read through the description. Eren had been right.

When evolving with a Spark, one physical trait and one innate talent were transferred—and in this case, the innate talent was obvious: the ability to control two bodies with a single mind. The standout physical trait appeared to be rapid regeneration, though he wasn’t entirely sure. He also wasn’t keen on ending up looking like a walking root vegetable, or worse—growing leaves out of his head. That could be a problem.

Turning to the shopkeeper, who had been watching him eagerly for a while, Adyr asked,

"What do you know about this Spark? What kind of traits does it grant after evolution?"

The lizardman gave him a strange look.

"You’re not seriously thinking of buying that trash, are you? You’re Astra path—what would you even do with something like that?"

"I’m asking for a friend," Adyr said—the most common lie in existence.

"Don’t tell me your friend is a twin-headed ogre?" The Lizardman narrowed his eyes. When he didn’t get a response, his expression shifted—eyes widening with sudden realization. "Gemnarch? I’ve never seen anyone from that race. They’re born with two bodies, right? Can you bring them here sometime? I can buy them a drink or something."

The Lizardman looked genuinely excited, speaking faster by the second.

Adyr listened, unable to help but think—What the fuck?

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