World Isekai

Chapter 82: [Co-op]

[Level up!]

What is it?

You said you wouldn't take over.

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I'm not taking over.

Then why are you controlling my arm?

Our arm.

Almost forgetting about the level up, Mori opened his stats.

[Memento Mori] [Level 27]

[Class: Cursed Sovereign]

[Cursed Path: Fateweaver 1879892/2,216,838]

[Health points: 135/135]

[Cursed Energy: 0/1477892]

[Magic: 270]

[Strength: 81]

[Defense: 54]

[Agility: 27]

The screen was glitching.

The letters and numbers were breaking and flashing. They flickered, showing different numbers or different letters altogether.

Some of them were not even from the alphabet he knew, showing something completely different. Nothing like what he had seen in Aura's books or from Aleesia's letter.

It was hard to track, but after a moment, he could tell his level was fine and where it should've been.

The letters kept glitching, but suddenly started to align.

"What..."

[Maëlstrom] [Level 1]

[Class: ???]

[Health points: 1?0??/1?0??]

[Magic: ?4??0]

[Strength: ?????]

[Defense: ?????]

[Agility: ????]

"How... at level 1? If those digits are lining up your stats are way too high for someone level 1. Is this right?" he asked.

The scenery in his peripheral view started changing. Quickly looking away from the profile screen, Mori realized he was running.

He quickly looked down, and both his legs were moving against his will.

He could feel her at the wheel.

That 'thing' that covered his skin in a sort of shifting storm was everywhere. He didn't need to look to figure it out.

She was making him run toward the spear in the middle. Not even a split second must've happened for him to reach it,

She quickly picked it up, throwing it on one side while heading to the other.

Everything that was happening was happening so fast Mori could barely react.

She bashed the monster's head in, yet what Mori saw extend couldn't have been his hand, it didn't look like one.

"What..."

As she did, Mori felt the explosion behind his body heading toward it even faster than before.

Picking the spear right as the explosion ended, she was now heading for the next room.

Mori realized he wasn't running anymore.

His line of sight had gone down, basically right above the floor.

It looked like he was hovering above the floor. He could feel himself kind of pushing against it, while his movement fluidly went left and right, as if crawling around.1

Yet, his movements were flowing too much to be compared to crawling. He felt like mist on top of a lake, expanding toward the other side.

He moved extremely rapidly, going through the door that had barely opened, a slit he never should've been able to pass through.

Going to the next room was basically a blink in speed. While on the way, as he just passed the opening door, he could hear the spear whistling above his head.

It went inside the room even faster than he did; he arrived as the explosion finished.

"W-"

He could barely talk.

He tried moving, even subconsciously doing it but it felt like being stuck in a crate.

The nailed wood and the lack of space to get a proper kick making it hard to break free.

Even talking felt like pushing against a brick wall.

As he arrived in the room, she picked up the spear, not even waiting a moment to rest.

She somehow pushed his bother through the door opening again.

He expected her to throw the spear again, yet his body simply went at a blurring speed toward the boss.

She didn't stop, didn't slow down.

His spear wasn't in his field of view.

If he could've closed his eyes, he would've. She went even faster, breaking the sound barrier, ramming him into the boss.

The boss was propelled into the wall behind it, Mori following the same trajectory, yet as the boss hit the wall with its whole body, he somehow turned mid-air, his legs absorbing the whole impact.

It felt like time stopped, as he was seemingly standing on a wall, before dropping down.

As he did, he felt Maëlstrom leave his body, he slowly regained the control of his extremities, quickly able to move his fingers and toes.

He looked at himself, lifting his shirt and pants, she was truly gone.

"What the fuck Maël?!"

A grey orb appeared in front of Mori, but no other levels were gained on this instance, which would've been surprising.

"I thought you wouldn't take over?!"

Mori took a few steps, his body barely listened to him.

He was suddenly exhausted, taking a step hurt every muscle he had in his leg, making him fall to the ground next to the orb.

He picked it up, and opened the [Dungeon] screen, to select [0-0].

Maël was oddly silent in his mind, but after sighing and rolling his eyes one more time, he went on with his initial plan.

He reappeared in his room, as he had left it.

The Unkindled was still by its flame, the cooking fire still crackling, and Aleesia's letter where he left it.

He took a few steps, his body ready for signals of pain to be thrown at it yet nothing.

The healing factor of the dungeon was perfect.

He finally had his arm back.

"Was this a show of power? Trying to let me know who's in charge? Have your fun now. You might have 5 digits with most of your stats. When we're out of here, I have 7 in cursed energy."

His face was red. Would the room be cold, fumes would be seen exiting from everywhere.

He threw the spear on the ground, and walked toward the recycler, throwing in the item he had dropped.

Silence filled the place, something he wasn't used to.

Without Aleesia around, it felt like it was permanently night.

Taking a deep breath, he sat against the wall.

Closed his eyes.

Breathed.

And imagined himself falling.

His mind was a kingdom.

He never had that issue, where some people apparently can't 'picture things' mentally.

His mind could create intricate sceneries with complicated colors, scenes with complex movements and more.

It felt easy when it came to 'explore his mind', to find that one place where there was darkness.

She was around, he didn't need to look in the mirror to know it.

She wouldn't leave him.

She was anchored, and he was the one to let her do it.

All he did, was concentrate on that one place where he felt he had barely any control. That place in his mind that was dark and tumultuous.

He could picture himself going toward it, that whirlpool he fell in before.

As he arrived at the edge of it, he realized its size was colossal.

He looked at it for a moment, the water violently whirling around in a manner that looked even worst than the first time he saw it.

No matter.

He turned his back to it, and let himself fall in.

He closed his eyes, and let the current take him.

Yet, his descent wasn't turbulent.

He expected being pushed and pulled, left and right until he would finally reach the bottom, but nothing of the sorts happened.

Waiting for any sort of force to interact with his body, he quickly realized nothing did.

He opened his eyes, finding himself in that same armchair he found himself in the first time.

The same fireplace was there, fire crackling with logs of wood in it.

Light rain tapping against the window.

In the other armchair, he found her.

Her legs crossed, wearing what must've been a nightgown.

It was extremely thin and practically transparent. Her proportions hadn't changed since last time, and her facial features remained.

The black eyeliner, lipstick and hair.

Mori realized it actually must've been what she looked like, quite unlikely that this would be makeup, as he thought about it.

She was looking at him, her arms crossed on her chest.

She had a smile, one someone who did wrong but didn't regret would have.

"Back so soon?" she said.

"Fuck you. You said you wouldn't take over. That's literally the first thing you did."

"I didn't take over. I borrowed your body for a moment."

Mori got closer to her face, leaning forward.

Fire was lit in his eyes, while amusement was in hers.

"If you get so close, I'll think you want to kiss me..." she said, licking her lips.

"This was not the deal." hammered Mori.

She sighed while rolling her eyes.

"We're co-existing now, you should get used to it."

"You think that's funny? Unless you plan on living in this dungeon, we'll eventually get out. And I'll be the one in control."

She brought her finger up, caressing Mori's lips.

"So much animosity. I think you could use that energy differently... Is this why you came down here? Were you hoping for... something more?"

"This won't go the way you think it will."

"Can't I have some fun too? You can't lock me up down here forever."

"Why didn't you answer me?" he said.

"What?"

"I talked to you, yet you didn't answer me."

She smiled, while caressing Mori's cheek with the back of her hand.

"Oh. You're not upset that I took over, but that I ignored you."

"What?! Are-"

"It's okay," she said, shushing him. "I won't ignore you anymore."