The Banished Villainous Noble Son Who Was Used as a Stepping Stone in the Original Work Awakens to Combat and Destroys the Laws of the World - Episode 58: Resonant Oath

Episode 58: Resonant Oath

――The miasma fog, quietly, yet densely, wrapped around me.

Before I realized it, the form of the Maw of Miasma was already gone. However, the presence remained. That drifting aura—

(…Something has entered…?)

My whole body rang alarm bells. My skin bristled. And in the depth of my spine, an icy needle stabbed through.

In the back of my consciousness, “something” was unmistakably crawling. The outline of my own existence felt like it was melting away. It was little by little—such a sensation.

(No… no, this is—)

My thoughts wouldn’t settle. My vision wavered. And then, suddenly, it bit into the depths of my brain—the very center.

“…Tch.”

The pain was sharp enough to make me click my tongue instinctively. My head was splitting apart. My vision shattered. Something was being forced into me.

In the sea of memory, a black stain spread. Wordless “information” seared itself into every corner of my mind.

It was beyond comprehension. The Maw of Miasma—this monster’s “essence,” or perhaps its “core”—was directly entering me.

I wanted to reject it. But it was too vast, too dense, too alien. To repel it, the very framework of being human was not enough.

It wasn’t just pain. My flesh wasn’t being torn apart. It was as if my soul itself was being branded.

My head burned. Words collapsed. My sense of self cracked apart. But—still, I endured.

(You think the likes of you can devour me…?)

The “will” deep inside, the “skill” within me, pulled my breaking spirit back together. If I broke here, I would no longer be myself.

I knew this instinctively. This wasn’t a contract—it was an invasion.

“…Come.”

My mouth moved. Words shaped themselves. As if giving form to a contract.

Black miasma wrapped around my entire body. At the center of my vision, a red light flared.

The Maw of Miasma—its “core”—bit into my soul.

《Skill Resonant Oath Acquired》

《Skill: Resonant Oath Lv.1》

(So this is “Resonant Oath”…)

The pressure was enough to crush my heart. My consciousness burned. And something was carved deep into my memory.

A cursed “technique” that generated pressure. It flowed into me in silence.

《By the Effect of Resonant Oath, New Skills Acquired》

《Skill Dense Fog Acquired》

《Skill Inscript Acquired》

《Skill: Dense Fog Lv.1》

《Skill: Inscript Lv.1》

《Skill Level-Up Confirmed》

《Skill: Poison Resistance Lv.6 → Lv.7》

Amid the ringing notifications, only the feeling that “something” had taken root remained.

My body wavered. My knees struck the ground. When I noticed, the fog—had cleared.

The Maw of Miasma was gone. Its presence vanished. Only a definite trace remained within me.

“…Heh.”

I laughed. Dry, almost self-mocking. Then I stood.

(Then—I’ll master it.)

There was no fear, no regret. Only the “fact” that I had accepted this alien thing—and the “will” to turn it into a weapon.

◆

Even after the miasma fog cleared, the air remained dense.

It wasn’t visible. But certainly “something” lingered here.

The “Resonant Oath” was engraved by invasion and burned into my spirit. True to its name, “something” resonated deep inside me.

The pain was gone. Instead—it was like my head was submerged in cold water. It was a sensation that never left.

There was no suffocation. I could move if I wanted. Yet the outline of the world seemed faintly blurred.

The rocky ground underfoot had crumbled. It left many blackened scars. Even my own shadow standing there seemed “thinner” than usual.

(…My senses are twisted.)

While slowly steadying my breath, I recalled the skills I obtained from this incident:

《Skill: Resonant Oath Lv.1》

《Skill: Dense Fog Lv.1》

《Skill: Inscript Lv.1》

Aside from “Resonant Oath”, they were all skills that the Maw of Miasma possessed.

In the game, using skills that saw through monsters’ information, one could confirm what abilities monsters held.

Naturally, the Maw of Miasma was no exception. I remembered seeing it then—and without a doubt, these were skills it had. Not all of them. But even just part of it, I acquired.

“…Hah, you’ve got to be kidding.”

It was as if I had inherited the Maw of Miasma’s power itself. That thought made me laugh.

――Not skills that raised attack, nor hardened defense. Rather, ones that gave advantage in battles of endurance.

(But…)

The issue wasn’t their effects—it was their “texture.”

Just by “focusing” on the skill, pressure pressed on some deep part of my brain. Especially “Resonant Oath”. The moment I directed attention to it, the insides of my skin shivered.

It was like some “other will” was mixed within.

(Skills… should have been much more… “simple.”)

Even in the memories of the game, once conditions were met, skills were obtained. It then simply activated.

Straightforward, controllable, something to slot into strategies.

But this “Resonant Oath” was different.

It was resonance with “something that had taken root inside me.” A mere sensation, yet—undeniably there.

I pressed my fingers to the ground. There was no heat. But faintly, I could sense the flow of miasma. Exhaustion—the “unseen information”—rose like a scent.

I see. If I grew accustomed to this, I might even read “blind spots in movement” on the battlefield.

(Not bad.)

I nodded faintly and stood. My vision slowly normalized. No—more accurately, I was adapting to this “new state.”

My self’s outline had once been melted by the invasion. But I reclaimed it. Or rather, I accepted the change. And I reconstructed myself as a “new me.”

(…If I had rejected it then, I would have stopped being myself by now.)

I was certain of that.

The Maw of Miasma was gone. The fog had cleared. Yet the “voiceless something” still quietly lurked within me.

(Interesting.)

I muttered it unconsciously.

A skill engraved not on flesh, but on spirit. Not a “contract” with someone, but a forced “resonance.”

Even so, I had gained something. No—more than gained, it had deepened.

If asked whether I’d become stronger, the answer was no. But if asked whether I’d become “deeper”—there was only one answer.

“…Yeah. Not bad.”

Far off, light shone beyond the mist. Before I knew it, the sun had risen.

How I use this power—that is for me to decide. No matter what alien thing has mixed in, I hold the reins.

――I walk forward. My footing was still unsteady. But step by step, I moved on.

(To fight, I live. To live, I devour. No matter what, no matter how much mingles within me—I am me.)

In my chest, a quiet flame lit.

Original Author’s Comment:

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