“Y-You... what are you talking about...? What do you mean, leaving a mark on me...?”

Hearing that, Li sensed something was wrong and began backing away, step by step. What terrifying thing was this giant tadpole talking about?

Leaving a mark on his body...?

“Don’t be afraid, my good disciple. It won’t hurt. It’ll be over in a moment. Trust me, old man knows what he’s talking about. It’ll be over soon.”

Hortons, who looked exactly like a giant white tadpole, swam toward Li, inch by inch, slowly closing the distance.

Even though it was only a spirit now—and a spirit that looked like a white tadpole, at that—Li still felt a chill run down his spine! What was the old bastard trying to do? Sure, he’d saved Li’s life, but there were some things Li would never go along with!

Come to think of it! Back when he’d fallen into the pool, the old bastard had already done something strange to him! Li still remembered it clearly: a sharp pain in his back, followed by something being injected into him! Then he’d completely lost all feeling and plunged into darkness.

What exactly had that old bastard done to him?

Li didn’t know, not really, but he had a feeling... it definitely wasn’t anything good.

“Be good, my disciple. Don’t move, don’t move. This’ll be over soon.”

“Do you even realize how creepy that sounds?!”

Li was forced back step by step until he reached the wall. There was nowhere left to retreat—and he’d picked the wrong direction to back away in, too. Actually, the giant tadpole had been blocking the door from the start! Even if Li wanted to run, he couldn’t! There was nothing he could do!

What was about to happen...?

Li swallowed.

“Hm?”

Clack, clack~!

It seemed his hand had touched something.

Clack, clack~!

Li felt something beneath his fingertips. It seemed to be made of some unusual material, and it had a lot of holes...

Li turned to look.

Beside Li was a skeleton that hadn’t fully decayed. It wasn’t human, though. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to be the skeleton of some kind of bird...

But what kind of bird could grow that big?!

The bird’s body was about as big as an adult human. Did anything like this exist on the Yalatika Continent?

“Hey, Hortons, don’t tell me this is you—”

By the time Li turned around, Hortons had already reached him!

The few books floating nearby suddenly shot forward and seized Li’s arms and legs like shackles!

“Hey! What are you doing?!”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m going to leave my mark on you. Let’s get started.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t have the power to hurt me anymore? What the hell are you—”

“Am I hurting you right now? I’m only restraining your arms and legs. What do you think I’m trying to do to you?”

The giant tadpole waggled its white tail. Then the tail wriggled, spraying white liquid, before sharpening into a vicious point—like a white spike!

Just as Li was about to fight back, the white spike stabbed into the back of his left hand! A stab of pain shot through him! And at that very moment, lines of text appeared in Li’s mind, flashing past at incredible speed. It was far too fast—he couldn’t make out a thing!

The text soon vanished from Li’s mind.

“I’ve engraved all the knowledge I possess into your mind. Hidden among these bones is my final treasure, Rufas Cromwell! Whether you become a good man or a villain, remember this: you are the heir of Hortons the Crow!”

“Ugh!!!”

A scorching heat filled his entire body! It felt just like when he’d fallen into the pool. But this time, Li remained conscious.

“Hortons... why... why are you doing this?”

“Hahaha! My legacy is complete. If you want to know about me, go dig it up yourself. I left everything there, Li.”

Li’s vision went black, and he lost consciousness once more.