Perment was startled at the words of Emeros.
"Are you sure?"
Emeros recalled the memories of Kyros and Noxus.
Kyros had to work with his Coven and gather vampires of such powerful bloodlines that they appeared to be humans but were so much more.
Noxus was surrounded by Dark Dependent cultivators despite being in the Midlands. In this world, such knowledge of using the Dark Dependent formula and finding people who should use Dark Dependent magic was practically impossible to find.
But Emeros knew certain that this young girl would be one of her.
"Yes. And... I think she's strong. Those with rare diseases like that often have a reason why they need Dark Dependent formula! Find a way to take her as your slave!" Emeros answered.
"Send her to me!" Perment demanded.
"Go." Baron Elford ordered, and the girl walked towards the group.
Perment observed the girl and couldn't understand the strange scars that she had.
"Are you sure?" Perment whispered to Emeros again.
"I'm certain. My master had a similar condition. This means we trick them. The problem is, we don't have any more stones to use...."
"...Then we'll play dumb." Perment decided.
Serena remained silent as the two talked. She couldn't understand, nor did she care about the conversation.
"What is wrong with this girl?" Perment asked.
"...You tell me! Aren't you... a Captain?" Carlisto sneered.
"...You! Fine! If you want to hide your secrets, then I will add insurance to mine! I need energy and magic stones! If you want to continue with this wager and offer me a defective girl with affinities that you know I would never know due to my lack of knowledge, then I will accept if you give me a fighting chance! I will overload the energy conversion circle to use much more energy!" Perment demanded.
Elford sneered. A few stones were far less worthless than having a Captain slave!
"Fine! But take it as payment instead of my gold if you win!"
"What?! Those stones would cost you five to ten gold at most!"
"Then take the slave if that's not enough. You sell yourself as a slave to men, and if you win, you get my slave!" Elford laughed.
At that moment, Perment gave a lewd look at Serena.
The three mages looked and couldn't help but laugh. Serena was an ugly girl, but it seemed this poor and deprived man who lived in the mines where no women worked was all pent up!
"Then... this slave and fifty coins!" Perment finally decided.
"I agree. Give me... Five low-grade magic or energy stones!" Perment ordered.
The baron made the orders, and the stones were presented.
"Now, who shall be the Vow Binder holder?" Torman asked.
"It shall be neither of us three or any other mage apprentice you have! It will be this slave of mine! He has barely enough mana as a level three boy!" Perment shouted.
"Oh? What a nice apprentice you found in the mines! Fine!" Carlisto immediately agreed.
"Carlisto?" Elford frowned.
"It's fine." Carlisto smiled as he turned to the other two.
"I mastered it!" Carlisto gave a devilish smile behind the two.
The two were amazed. They knew that Carlisto was researching the Vow Breaker spell!
Perment was surprised that Carlisto quickly accepted.
"They agreed immediately?!" Perment frowned.
"...It seems they have something else up their sleeve. A spell that breaks vows?" Emeros asked.
Perment's expression changed.
"A Vow Breaker spell? Then if that's the case, at least one can break free from the vow! We have to... stop!" Perment asked.
Emeros frowned. Victory and gold were at hand, and a True Challenger would be among the prize. He couldn't accept it.
He clenched his fist.
"Kyros... Noxus... What would you do?" Emeros asked himself.
The two had abilities of great magic that could break through any enemy that fought against them. Their powers, Codes, and Corruption could do great things!
"...If only I had that power!" Emeros felt despair.
But then he recalled something.
"Wait! I do have a power. Vasilius! The king! The first king to rule a society! If they bind themselves to me on a vow, won't that give me power and authority over them?" Emeros realized it.
Perment was thinking of what to say to back out of the agreement.
"Perment. It's a gamble... But there's a shot that we can do this. I don't know what you are willing to risk. But I'm willing to risk my life for gain. If we retreat now, then we will keep on retreating. I'm human. But my master, he was something divine. And I know what set him apart from all who are like us, losers, and those that are to be trodden on by the strong, was that they kept fighting despite the impossible odds and won. My master may have placed a powerful spell in me that I don't know how to activate. It may seem crazy that we risk being slaves for such gains that we can accept elsewhere... But if we want to rise and challenge the gods, let's first learn to challenge the rich! Perment. This day has been a day of many surprises. Will this day be a day that we cower like the weak? Or is this a day that we stand as a king?" Emeros spoke with conviction.
Perment was stunned.
But the words of Emeros had a strange power. It encouraged and strengthened Perment.
"...Then so be it. Honestly, I can't think of what to say to back out now after all my arrogant claims and how I mocked them. A part of me would rather die than retreat. So if it's death, let it be! Glory or slavery! Let's do this! I'm betting it all on you, kid!" Perment smiled.
Meanwhile, the three mages saw him hesitate.
They noticed his expression and thought that Perment might have figured out their scheme.
"Did he... find out?" Elford asked.
"If he did, he would surely retreat. We must press on! Not after the insults he made!" Carlisto urged.
"Fine then! Let's do this!" Perment suddenly shouted.
"Good! We accept. But let's sweeten the pot all the more! That slave of yours! Add him to the vow! A level three who has mana of four points is quite rare! Each of us will pay the full market value if we win. That means an additional 30 gold each!" Elford offered.
Perment was surprised.
"Accept it. It's fitting that I will be part of this." Emeros answered as he continued to stand behind Perment to hide his mouth and expressions from the view of the mages.
"I shall chant and make the vow!" Perment made the magic vow as he drew it on the air, and Emeros moved to stand in front of Perment with his back laid bare to Perment, who engraved the vow.
Carlisto was hiding his glee as he saw it. The vow-binding spell was utterly weak!
"Now, all the Vow Takers... make your mark!" Perment made a small cut on his finger and pressed at the spell behind Emeros.
The three mages approached Emeros and did the same as they gave a laughable stare at Perment.
"Now show us your capabilities, Perment!" Elford laughed as they took a few steps back.
Perment laid out the covered energy conversion circle on the floor and made Serena stand on the other plate where the magic would be placed.
"Since you give me a defective woman, I must make alterations."
Perment dug into the covers and made last-minute changes to the plate, and applied the Dark Dependent Formula. The changes were very little, as only the central portion of the circle was the change in the formula. The Life Grown formula would require the magic and mana to bloom outwards; the Dark Dependent Formula needed the magic to surge in the energy conversion circle to spiral towards the center. The magic stones would be placed within the whirling spiral and go through the many runes that altered and commanded it to change.
This skill was very easy to master. But as the energy conversion circle that he brought was deliberately defective, he would need to pour out all of his mana to make the spiral effective.
"Let's begin!" Perment shouted.
Everyone watched, and all the mages and the baron's men were already sneering at the good show about to start.
Perment slammed his palms down and shouted as he poured out his mana and made a spiraling motion from the edges of the plate, and surged toward the center.
The mana of Perment passed through many magic stones and brought along its magic, and finally...
BOOM!
A pillar of light shot upwards and then disappeared as the formation plate was devouring it.
Another light appeared on the plate where the energy was converted.
Serena was already crying because she feared the pain that had afflicted her three times. The light flashed out, and Serena felt pain.
Her fear got the best of her, and she shouted out.
But then she realized that the pain only lasted for a while, but a great warmth followed.
The energy of Death entered her body and began to fuel her body. Within her body, the light energy worth three rounds began to resonate with the appearance of the Death energy, and it began to flow through her body.
She felt all her nerves tremble as the meridians began to quake and react with the passing energy.
The light of the pillar vanished, and Serena was standing in shock. Three flashes of light appeared, and she was coated in a clear golden glow!
She attained not one but three level-ups!
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