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Chapter 361: The Weight of the Soul (2)

At the mention of coexistence of souls, Oscar’s eyes lit up.

That was precisely why he had come here—to resolve that very issue.

“Coexistence of souls… Is that realistically possible?”

“Of course. It wasn’t intentional, but there has been a similar case.”

“…A similar case?”

“Yes.”

The researcher glanced around before lowering his voice, as if sharing a secret.

“About half a year ago, a cleaning company we had hired was cleaning the glass tubes here, and one of them slipped and fell inside.”

“That must have been quite a dangerous accident.”

The glass tubes were about 12 meters tall—quite high.

If someone slipped and fell, it wouldn’t be strange for their neck to snap.

“That’s right. The cleaner fell headfirst, and his neck broke on the spot. It was such a horrific accident that everyone was left speechless. Just as the researchers barely regained their composure and told someone to collect the body… the cleaner suddenly staggered and got back up.”

“…He survived even after his neck broke?”

“That’s what we thought at first. So we hurriedly pulled him out and asked about his condition. But he gave nonsensical answers to every question. At first, we assumed it was short-term amnesia from the accident… but when we asked his name, he casually answered with a completely different one.”

That was undeniably strange.

If someone couldn’t remember, they would simply fail to answer—not make up a name.

“But that name sounded oddly familiar. So we immediately checked our soul extraction records, and it turned out to be the name of a thief whose soul we had in storage.”

“…Was there any chance the cleaner knew that name?”

“I can say with certainty—impossible. Records related to the souls we store are strictly confidential.”

“Then did the soul take over the dead cleaner’s body?”

“That’s what we thought at first. We assumed it was possession like what old shamans or dark mages used, achieved without a single trace of mana. But then the cleaner suddenly collapsed. After suffering from a severe fever for three days and nights, he finally woke up. And, astonishingly, he introduced himself as the cleaner.”

“So he hadn’t died?”

“Correct. But the more we talked to him, the stranger it became. He would give completely different answers to the same question within seconds, or grin foolishly one moment and explode in anger the next. It was as if two personalities were alternating.”

“What happened then?”

“We used the soul extractor developed by our laboratory to extract both souls and reinjected one of them. Fortunately, he introduced himself as the cleaner.”

The researcher shrugged with a meaningful expression.

“Of course, we still aren’t certain if that’s the truth. He might simply be the thief, shamelessly living on while claiming to be the cleaner.”

“….”

The story sent a chill down the spine.

Could it be that one day, he too might suddenly have his body taken over by a demon?

Suppressing a vague sense of discomfort, Oscar spoke.

“But the case you mentioned isn’t coexistence of souls—it’s one-sided encroachment, isn’t it?”

“Oh, as expected of a high-ranking mage, you’re sharp. That’s correct. Which is why we must continue experimenting. We need to accumulate more high-quality data.”

“Is there truly a need to make souls coexist?”

“Of course. As you saw earlier, souls are light. While the average adult male weighs 73 kilograms, a soul weighs only about 20 to 30 grams. So wouldn’t it be far more efficient to increase the soul rather than build unnecessary muscle? What we’ve learned from that case is that simply introducing a new soul allows one to acquire its former mastery, knowledge, and talent. In fact, the cleaner had never stolen anything in his life, yet he skillfully picked a lock he saw for the first time. If this experiment succeeds, soul infusion will become the greatest enhancement method—far superior to any elixir or training.”

Watching the researcher grow increasingly excited, an odd sense of rejection welled up.

Perhaps it was because, as someone who was actually experiencing coexistence of souls, he knew it couldn’t be all so rosy.

“What if a rejection occurs during the soul infusion process?”

“If such a situation arises, the experiment will be halted immediately, so there’s no need to worry.”

“….”

Oscar closed his mouth and fell into thought.

The researcher’s words had some merit.

If one could truly inherit another’s mastery and talent, it would surpass any training or elixir.

Even the imperial family would have no reason not to pursue research that could replicate high-quality soldiers.

Could coexistence of souls become the greatest method of enhancement in the world?

Perhaps.

‘But even if you can imitate their level… you can’t inherit the will and enlightenment that built it.’

To him, it looked like building a sandcastle higher and higher—

a meaningless act that could collapse at any moment.

Oscar spoke.

“May I meet the person in charge here?”

* * *

The director of the laboratory stood out with his square, rimless glasses and neatly slicked-back hair parted 7:3.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Makile Dorroden, director of the Future Soul Research Institute.”

“I am Oscar Crucian, a Level 7 mage of the White Tower.”

After a brief exchange of greetings, Makile voiced his curiosity.

“I heard you wished to speak with me privately. What is this about?”

“It concerns the coexistence of souls being researched here.”

“Go on.”

“First, in my personal opinion, the risks of soul coexistence—”

Makile nodded as he listened to Oscar outline the dangers.

“These are all points we are already aware of. But if we abandon research simply because it is frightening or uncomfortable, there can be no progress, can there?”

“I’m glad to hear you acknowledge them.”

“Is that all you wished to say?”

“No. What I said earlier was merely light conversation. The main point is something else.”

After a brief pause, Oscar spoke.

“You’re wondering why a high-ranking mage like myself volunteered for such an experiment, aren’t you?”

“…I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.”

“I’ll be direct. Coexistence of souls is not impossible.”

“And how can you assert that?”

“Because I am living proof. There are currently two souls coexisting within my body.”

“…….”

Makile’s brow furrowed.

His eyes scrutinized Oscar’s face, as if trying to determine whether he was joking.

“If this is some light jest, I find it rather unpleasant.”

[Translator - Night]

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“If you wish, you may verify it. I assumed that would be possible here—is it not?”

“…Please wait a moment.”

Makile rose from his seat, opened a cabinet behind him, and retrieved something.

It was a magitech device resembling a magnifying glass.

“This artifact appraises the soul of the subject. Are you certain you’re willing to be examined?”

“If it resolves your doubts, I have no objection.”

At Oscar’s ready consent, Makile raised the lens and carefully observed him.

After a moment, the suspicion in his eyes turned into astonishment.

“Incredible… It’s true. Though the difference in size is significant… there are indeed two souls coexisting.”

“I told you.”

“Then what brings you here?”

“Yes. I wish to extract and remove the other soul.”

At Oscar’s blunt request, Makile stroked his chin.

“Hmm. It’s not impossible, but…”

He looked again through the lens and muttered.

“It’s too small. I’m not sure we can precisely extract only that soul. How did such a small soul come to reside within you?”

“As usual, it was a kind of accident. Are you familiar with the artificial island?”

“The location where the Night of Mages was held last year. The White Tower won, and if I recall correctly, you were the final MVP, Mr. Oscar.”

“That’s right. In fact, before the event, I took on a request from the White Tower to clean the artificial island. There, we encountered a homunculus that had been lurking for centuries. My companions and I barely managed to defeat it, but in its final moment, it entered my body and has been clinging on like this ever since.”

To hide a tree, one must hide it in a forest.

Oscar carefully omitted the word “demon” and constructed a plausible lie.

“Homunculus… Yes, that certainly seems possible. After all, such beings are the product of ancient alchemists researching souls.”

“Indeed. But to me, it’s just a dreadful nuisance. I’d like to tear it out cleanly.”

“I see. In short, you want extraction, not infusion.”

“Correct. As a success fee, I will pay 100 million Bell.”

At that staggering sum, Makile’s eyes widened.

Even with imperial backing, one could not freely spend such an enormous amount.

“…I had heard the White Tower’s influence has been formidable lately. It seems that was no exaggeration.”

“I run quite a few businesses, so I earn a decent amount. Even so, 100 million Bell is no small sum for me. But it’s that important. For reference, the price includes complete confidentiality.”

“That won’t be difficult. If I keep it to myself and don’t inform the other researchers, that will suffice.”

Oscar let out a faint chuckle.

In other words, the man intended to pocket the entire sum alone.

But at the moment, that greed didn’t seem particularly distasteful.

At the very least, it meant their interests aligned.

“Hmm, however…”

Makile picked up the lens again and groaned.

“No matter how I look at it, the soul is too small. The extractor’s performance isn’t good enough to precisely isolate something of this size.”

“Then is there another method?”

“There is one…”

After a brief hesitation, Makile continued.

“It could be dangerous.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“The reason we cannot extract only the homunculus soul within you is because it is too small. More precisely, the boundary between the souls is too blurred, making precise extraction difficult.”

“And?”

“We need a reference point.”

“A reference point?”

“Yes. If we inject several additional souls to artificially increase the density within your soul and make the boundaries between each soul more distinct… then it may be possible to extract them all at once.”

“….”

Oscar closed his eyes for a moment.

Even at a glance, it sounded quite dangerous.

After a long moment of thought, he exhaled briefly and asked:

“What are the chances that the other souls could take over my body during that process?”

“I cannot say it is absolutely zero, but it is extremely low. In terms of proportion, we would only be adding a few souls amounting to about 1%. It is risky, but if it succeeds, we can remove them cleanly.”

“…Hah.”

He felt like smoking, despite not being a smoker.

Should he accept some risk and eliminate the variable completely?

Or avoid risk entirely and continue living with a ticking bomb that could go off at any time?

“….”

After deep contemplation, Oscar finally spoke.

“Let’s do it.”

[Translator - Night]

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