In the distance.
The moment she saw the countless ethereal chains emerging from the surrounding wasteland, Godweaver Head's face changed drastically while Little One sat beside her.
She understood in an instant what had happened.
Her husband had once again triggered the curse rooted in his soul!
“Not good!”
Without another word, Godweaver Head jerked her head, her expression grave, and she carried Little One to sprint toward that direction.
Little One's face was slightly pale as she said, “Daddy—it's—acting up again—”
Clearly.
She had seen this happen more than once.
Especially during the times when her father fell into chaos, when his endless rage could not be contained and he repeatedly tried to break the Dark World's bonds on him.Those ethereal chains would appear, then mercilessly pin him down in this world again.
It was the curse made manifest!
The very shackle that bound them here for eternity!
Light flashed in Godweaver Head's eyes as she gritted her teeth and said, “Let's hurry—this damned idiot—never acts at a good time—always the worst possible moment—”
“Hopefully that little fellow—wasn't affected—”
Hearing that, Little One's face instantly went pale, and terror spread across her features.
Lynn's face appeared in her mind, and she became immediately uneasy.
“Doctor—”
They rushed forward.
Finally.
A few minutes later, they burst through the burning wasteland.
The moment she stepped into the area, Godweaver Head immediately sensed something odd.
In the past, whenever her husband descended into madness, the unleashed curse had always been terrifying—usually it would only stop after tormenting him until his body was battered and bloodied.
But for some reason.
Not long after she entered just now, she suddenly felt that the rampaging curse had inexplicably weakened.
The reduction wasn't dramatic.
Still, that had never happened before.
Surprise filled her eyes.
She didn't quite understand what had occurred.
“We're here!”
Godweaver Head, carrying Little One, shot to the edge of the huge pit that had been smashed out.
Her gaze was grave.
The instant she saw the scene, shock flared across her face.
“This…”
In the very center of the pit, Titan Head was still bound by massive chains, his eyes alternating between confusion and clarity.
Not far away on the ground lay Lynn, his mental energy completely exhausted, in a state of collapse.
At this moment, his left hand was desperately scrabbling and crawling, dragging the fainted Lynn, trying to pull him toward safety.
“Pathetic host body! You really thought you could dashing-ly swipe away this guy's curse? That's Root-level! Way too naive!”
“In the end you still had to rely on your glorious left hand to help you! After this is done, don't even think about getting my forgiveness without a five-ton feast!!”
Scrabble, scrabble, scrabble—
The Left Hand strained, dragging Lynn toward a safe spot.
Godweaver Head: “…”
Little One said in surprise, “Uh—it's Doctor Brother's moving Left Hand—”
And Titan Head in the center was clearly much clearer now.
Obviously, the curse's weakening had greatly eased what would otherwise have required a long time to suppress.
“What on earth is this…” Godweaver Head said, astonished.
…
One hour later.
With a trickle of mental energy stirring through his mind, mentally exhausted Lynn slowly woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Little One's two-floor-tall face hovering over him.
“Uh—Doctor—is awake—”
Before Lynn had fully gathered himself, the System's notification chimed in his ear.
[Ding! Congratulations host for triggering achievement: Root-level Curse Reduction, you gain Base EXP 200]
[Root-level Curse Reduction]: Special achievement. When using a limited-time curse ability against an extremely high-level cursed being and successfully partially reducing the target's curse, you obtain it. You gain a permanent bonus: mental energy +5, constitution +2.
[Ding! You have successfully recorded the curse: Unending Binding]
Lynn snapped awake and sat bolt upright, opening his eyes and asking, “How is Uncle?”
Before he finished speaking, a deep, resonant voice sounded from behind him.
“I am well—”
Lynn turned his head.
He immediately saw Titan Head not far away, looking at him solemnly. His eyes had returned to clarity; he had evidently pulled himself out of the previous chaos.
And whether it was imagination or not, Lynn could clearly feel that Titan Head seemed to carry an extra trace of wisdom and noble bearing compared to before.
It showed in the way he looked at people.
It was no longer the look of repressed rage and malice; he looked like a living being again…
Humanity.
Titan Head stared at him and said, “You weakened—my curse?”
Because of the curse, his anger was difficult to hold back.
Whenever that endless rage was roused by some trigger, he would immediately plunge into terrible madness.
He was constantly tormented by past fury.
It made his existence unbearable.
But just now, when the curse thundered in and almost drove him crazy, this boy—using some method—had somehow, in a single moment, reduced the curse's intensity!
Although the reduction wasn't large.
Still, it instantly increased the proportion of clarity in his consciousness.
Lynn rubbed his throbbing forehead and said calmly, “I just tried it out roughly. I didn’t expect it to succeed. It's a different ability—I can temporarily remove a target's curse for twenty-four hours.”
“But I'm too weak right now to completely cleanse your curse. I only managed to reduce it by about fifteen percent.”
At those words, surprise and astonishment flashed across Godweaver Head's eyes.
“How can that be…”
Because she was Godweaver. She knew better than anyone how terrible the curse that tormented them was.
That curse could grant them immortality, but it also bound them tightly to this Dark World and drove them insane.
Even she could not completely suppress it.
And this little human had…
Titan Head looked at Lynn seriously and asked, “So does that mean if your strength grows strong enough, you could completely remove the curse from us?!”
Lynn thought for a moment and smiled, “I think I probably can.”
Confidence.
It radiated from him, strong and genuine.
Like a sliver of hope suddenly given in an endless hell, it made Titan Head's eyes brim with tears.
He edged closer to Lynn.
He didn't know where this human boy had come from or how many secrets he hid.
But in light of that one sentence, all of that seemed irrelevant.
“I do wonder though—you knew I was in chaos and still charged in without hesitation. Weren't you afraid of dying?”
He looked at the human boy with complex emotion.
Lynn's mouth curved slightly.
“Of course I was afraid of dying, but if I have that ability, why shouldn't I take a risk?”
“Because, at least to me, parents who could produce someone as adorable as Little One must be loving people, right?”
“If that's the case, why wouldn't I take a chance?”
He lifted his head, a healing smile on his face.
The wind brushed his cheeks.
In that moment, that restorative smile shone as brightly as sunlight.
[Ding! Congratulations host for triggering achievement: Never Miss a Chance to Act Cool, you gain Base EXP 200]
[Never Miss a Chance to Act Cool]: Special achievement. When, in any attempt to show off, you reveal the true goodness and beauty of your heart to the target and leave them deeply moved, there is a chance to obtain this. It indicates the host has taken a strong step toward being a healing doctor. You gain permanent bonuses: Affection +1, charm +5, handsomeness +1!
Lynn: “…”
[Ding! Titan Head's Affinity toward you +30]
[Ding! Godweaver Head's Affinity toward you +40]
Titan Head's eyes instantly filled with tears.
Especially seeing Lynn's sincere smile, a warmth that he hadn't felt in many, many years suddenly rose in his battered heart.
So… even in this hell, such a pure and beautiful creature could exist?
Just for such a simple reason.
Just because of kindness.
And without hesitation, reach out to help him…
This boy…
He…
Smack—
A slender tentacle tapped Lynn on the shoulder. Titan Head, eyes red, looked at Lynn and said, “No more words—just from that sentence—I've already decided you're my friend—”
“If anyone dares bully you in the future—just invoke my name—”
He wiped his reddened eyes and said, “If you don't mind—from now on, you call me Big Brother—I will call you Worthy Son-in-Law—let's swear brotherhood!”
Lynn shuddered all over, swept up by the atmosphere.
He extended his hand, trembling, “Big Brother!”
Titan Head, eyes wet, said, “Worthy Son-in-Law!”
For an instant, it was as if peach blossoms floated and heartfelt, emotional music sounded in their ears.
No need to be born on the same day!
Just be born in the same year and day…
Boom—
Two thunderous cracks.
Godweaver Head curled her tentacles with clenched eyes, sparks popping atop her head.
Lynn and Titan Head had already been knocked flying dozens of meters away, smoke puffing from Lynn’s head.
Godweaver Head closed her eyes, curling tentacles and said in exasperation, “Hopeless—two idiots short-circuiting their brains—swearing brotherhood—why don’t you just go die—”
“……”