Let someone use his blood for research?
Yeah, right.
As a transmigrator, Yuuki was naturally wary of anyone trying to study his body.
Shff!
A faint squirming sound came from behind him. Yuuki's mana jolted sharply, a silver glow erupting across his skin, wrapping his entire body in shimmering light.
Mana Coating—activated.
His speed spiked instantly. With mana cushioning his steps, his movement produced no sound at all—and his body felt light as air.
As his mana grew stronger, this technique—which he had painstakingly developed—boosted him more and more.
He didn't dare release too much mana here; this was the Eye of the Midnight Sun's hideout, after all. But even restraining himself, it was enough to multiply his speed severalfold.
Sally's massive, gel-formed hand clawed toward him again—but Yuuki slipped past it once more. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Mana Skin? No… it doesn't feel quite the same. A technique you invented yourself?"
"No wonder Lord Licht has his eye on you. Little pretty-boy, you're more capable than you look."
Sally ruffled her messy hair. Though her playful smile faded a bit, her gaze burned hotter with excitement.
"Don't run!"
She took off in a sprint, chasing after him.
But—
Yuuki suddenly skidded to a stop, turned toward her, and barked:
"Magic Binding Iron Lock Array!"
Clatter—clatter—CLATTER!
Countless chains burst from the ground and walls of the corridor, surging toward Sally like a tide of metal.
Sally was mid-sprint. The corridor was narrow. She had no room to dodge—it looked like she was running straight into the spell.
"Trouble~."
Though she said "trouble," the cheerful smile on her face didn't budge.
A pale violet gel flooded out of her body. Part of it splattered across the ground, instantly sticking and anchoring her in place, halting her forward momentum.
At the same time—
Another portion surged up in front of her, forming a gelatinous barrier to intercept the chains.
But—
Gel Magic wasn't particularly defensive. The barrier held for only a moment before the chains shattered it and continued forward.
But that split-second was all she needed.
The elastic recoil of the sticky gel on the floor launched her backward like a slingshot. Using that force, Sally slipped out of the gel clinging to her body and sailed upward.
"Heeheehee."
She twisted midair—looking clumsy at first glance but actually moving with acrobatic precision—and landed smoothly on the ground.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Only then did Yuuki's chains arrive, snaring nothing but a large blob of discarded gel.
"So strong! This is the magic that captured Rades last time, right? If it sealed my mana, that would've been a real disaster."
Sally's crimson eyes sparkled. She patted her chest as though genuinely spooked.
She dodged it?
Yuuki blinked in surprise. He already knew that the stronger a mage was, the easier it became for them to avoid being bound—but this was his first time seeing someone break through the spell head-on.
"Well then."
Yuuki sighed helplessly.
"What do you even want my blood for? Isn't someone's magic supposed to be tied to their soul?"
Sally's eyes lit up instantly.
"You're the first person to ever ask me that!"
The entire Eye of the Midnight Sun knew Sally loved research—yet no one ever talked about it with her. None of them cared.
Even Licht was no exception.
Yuuki's question sounded, to her, like genuine scientific curiosity.
"Don't you think your magic is fascinating?" she said excitedly.
"Everyone is supposed to have only one attribute. But both you and Lord Rhya can copy and use different attributes."
"It's incredible!"
She hopped toward him with bright, feverish eyes.
Yuuki's expression didn't change.
"So Rhya wouldn't let you study him, so you decided to aim for me instead?"
"Bingo~! Correct."
Sally admitted without a hint of shame.
As she stepped closer, Yuuki's gaze flicked over her—red cropped tube-top, red miniskirt, red boots… all of it making her already pale skin look even whiter.
He couldn't help thinking:
Isn't she cold wearing that indoors…?
Sally caught his glance and lit up.
"Ooh? You like this look? If you cooperate with my research, I could even—"
She leaned forward suggestively.
Under normal circumstances, this would've been a dangerously tempting line.
But coming from someone with manic red eyes and a borderline-deranged grin?
Yuuki didn't feel tempted.
At all.
"…Yeah, no."
His mouth twitched. He stepped back several paces to regain distance.
"If you study magic through blood… judging from your expression, you must've made some progress already. If you don't mind—I'd like to see it."
Sally froze for a moment.
"You're… interested?"
Yuuki nodded. "A little."
"No problem at all! But don't get scared, okay?"
Her excitement exploded again. She raised a pale arm triumphantly.
Sally's laboratory sat at the very bottom of the hideout.
When Yuuki stepped inside, his eyes widened slightly.
The place was filled with jars, bottles, boxes containing strange items, and bizarre instruments he had never seen before.
Despite Sally's chaotic personality, everything was placed with meticulous care. Yet Yuuki's mana senses picked up several objects radiating violent, unstable magic—and they were tucked casually into corners.
His eyelid couldn't help twitching.
But the most striking things were—
Three transparent cylinders, each over two meters tall, filled with murky yellow-green liquid.
And inside each tank…
floated a baby.
End of Chapter.