Chapter 177: Second Phase

“Some... overlooked factor or condition?”

Muen followed Professor Meladomir’s train of thought, tracing it backward — but couldn’t find anything amiss.

Well, that made sense. Even Professor Meladomir hadn’t been able to avoid the Evil God’s suggestion. How could he possibly have noticed anything?

But speaking of suggestion...

Muen narrowed his eyes. His thoughts leapt far ahead.

There had been something suspicious back there — and now, a thread finally began to emerge.

That banshee...

“In any case, all I can do is keep moving forward.” Muen sighed quietly.

Whatever the case, if he didn’t get to his senior soon, nothing else would matter.

“Oh? You’ve got courage. But recklessness isn’t a virtue.” Professor Meladomir chuckled lightly.

“Reckless? I won’t be reckless again. Recklessness, naivety, arrogance—those are all things I have to abandon.”

Muen lowered his gaze. Through the breathtaking sea of flowers, he seemed to glimpse once again that girl who had bloomed like a blossom—and withered just as quickly.

“Oho. Not a bad look in your eyes. I don’t know what happened these past few days, but it looks like you’ve qualified for the second phase,” Professor Meladomir suddenly said, a satisfied glint in her gaze as she glanced over at him.

“...Huh? Second phase?” Muen was utterly lost.

“Forgot already? The reason I had you get the Ancient Dragon’s Lifeblood.”

Professor Meladomir clapped her hands lightly. The enormous mechanical structure that had blanketed the sky and earth slowly withdrew. The sea of flowers, brushed by the wind, rippled once more in mesmerizing waves.

And in the center of those waves stood an object completely out of place in such a stunning field.

It was... a bed. A metallic bed, familiar in shape, clearly the one Professor Meladomir had just been hammering and tinkering with.

“All right. Get on.”

Professor Meladomir patted the metal bed, which gleamed coldly as it reflected the light, and smiled.

“This... what is this?”

Despite her smile being as kind and gentle as ever—complete with the sweet adorableness unique to white-haired lolis—Muen couldn’t help but slowly, imperceptibly edge backward.

Because that familiar sense of impending death was back. It transformed into the neighborhood brat, furiously yanking his hair, screaming at him to run, run now!

“It’s just an ordinary bed, nothing to worry about.”

Professor Meladomir’s smile only grew brighter, her expression filled with inexplicable joy.

Rubbing her small hands together, she said with excitement:

“Don’t worry! You don’t have to do anything. Leave it all to me—your teacher’s very experienced!”

“Don’t say it like I just walked into some shady back-alley entertainment parlor!”

His brain hadn’t even finished deciding yet, but his body was already trying to run. But before Muen could take a single step—

His view suddenly spun.

His face slammed into an icy cold surface, and before he could recover—

Clack clack clack.

Sharp metallic clicks echoed around him.

Those were locking sounds.

Muen turned his head in horror and realized he was now sprawled across the metal bed—his wrists, ankles, even his waist, were clamped down tight by metallic shackles that had snapped into place from the frame.

“P-Professor Meladomir... What are you doing?”

Only his neck could move slightly. Muen twisted to look—and realized she’d changed clothes at some point.

The pink nightgown had vanished, replaced by a crisp, clean white coat. Her slightly chubby baby face was now covered by a mask and goggles. As Muen looked, she was pulling on a pair of rubber gloves with a snap.

The way she looked...

Why did she resemble a deranged doctor about to transform him into some unspeakable abomination?

And now Muen remembered what this metal bed reminded him of.

A surgical table.

Doctor.

Surgical table.

And this position.

Don’t tell me...

Was Professor Meladomir’s so-called “second phase” about harvesting his kidney first?

“Nooo! I haven’t even gotten to enjoy life yet! Professor Meladomir, can’t we do this in a gentler way? Or maybe... just take one side? The entire Campbell family’s lineage depends on me, you know!”

“I don’t know what’s going on in that head of yours, but relax. This isn’t like last time when I kicked you into the Mercury Well. It won’t be life-threatening.”

She tilted her little head thoughtfully.

“Probably.”

Probably?

What the hell do you mean, “probably”?!

You clearly have zero confidence in that!

And this is totally just using me as a lab rat!

Sure, you said so from the start, but still—shaking with rage and cold here—when can the lab rat finally # Nоvеlight # rise up?

And if you’re going to play mad doctor—

Can you at least wear black stockings under that coat? A lab coat without black stockings has no soul!

“Focus!”

Professor Meladomir suddenly reached out and flicked him on the forehead.

Muen hurriedly cleared his mind, tossing all those weird thoughts aside.

“The so-called second phase... is about forming your initial connection with the Eternal Bell, now that your physical foundation has reached a certain threshold.

“To do that, I’ll engrave a massive alchemical array onto your body. That array will act as the core, branching into tens of thousands of magical sigils—and through them, you’ll connect with the Eternal Bell.”

Professor Meladomir pulled out the metallic container Muen had handed her earlier. With a flick of her small hand, the container opened.

In that instant, the terrifying pressure of the Ancient Dragon’s Lifeblood swept out, vast and sacred, ferocious and overwhelming. A colossal phantom of an ancient dragon let out a heaven-shaking roar, as if preparing to crush the blasphemous insect before it into dust.

But Professor Meladomir simply gave it a cold glance with her crimson eyes.

The dragon phantom froze mid-roar, terror overtaking its expression. The high-pitched howl abruptly cut off—and the illusion shattered like bubbles, vanishing without a trace. All that remained was the trembling crystal, still holding a single drop of blood.

Professor Meladomir pinched the crystal between her fingers, letting the light shine through it as she examined the shimmering drop within. She nodded in satisfaction.

“Good purity. Saves me the trouble of refining it.”

She pulled out another bottle—this one brimming with iridescent, five-colored light—and crushed the crystal, letting the ancient blood drip inside.

“ROAR!”

A furious, savage, yet unmistakably fearful dragon cry echoed again. A new phantom, now the size of a palm, burst from the solution, wings flapping as it struggled to flee.

But with just a single slender finger, Professor Meladomir pressed it back down.

The blood let out a helpless whimper, struggling in vain as it mixed into the solution. Violent reactions followed—change after change rippling through the bottle—but none of it could escape her tiny hand’s control.

Bit by bit, it turned into pure gold.

“Amazing...”

Muen, thoroughly immersed in her display of violent beauty, couldn’t help murmuring in awe.

Then, with a jolt—he snapped back.

Because the moment that strange concoction was ready—

Professor Meladomir turned her gaze directly on him.

“The first engraving of the second phase will require roughly 7,564 cuts across your body... It’ll probably take the whole day.”

With a flick of her small hand, a scalpel—thin as a cicada’s wing—appeared between her fingers.

With another flick, that single scalpel became a blur—so many blades appeared it was impossible to count, stuffed between every finger of her petite hand!

“My dear disciple, are you ready?”

Professor Meladomir smiled gently down at the pale-faced Muen.

With a syrupy sweet loli voice, she said softly:

“I’m... coming in~”