I Am The Only Witch Hunter-Chapter 295: Mutation Pathway

"Where did it go?!" George mumbled in surprise.

"It is still where I left it." Siderius put his shirt back on. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Suddenly, the seal on his back lit up. It shined through his shirt and the Silver Hawk was visible once more.

The long thin silver sword appeared to stick on his back without any strapping.

"How can this be?" Finn approached. His trembling fingers hovered over the silver sword.

"Limited Presence. Or rather, a way to hide this sword within an Alchemical Seal where I can summon it at any time."

"Alchemical Seal?! What is an Alchemical Seal, my lord?" George said.

"You want to learn? I can teach you."

George and Finn widened his eyes. They quickly knelt down.

"Teacher!"

The next day. Siderius once again embarked into the woods. This time he went on foot. Accompanying him was Ashe, Roland, Henry, and Rea, his four apprentices.

"Ashe must have explained to you what our path really is, right?" Siderius said.

The trio nodded.

"Witches feast on their desire to become more powerful. We, witch hunters, advance by grafting mutation.

The difference between us and them is that anyone can become a witch hunter."

"Wouldn’t the witch also be able to graft mutation, Master?" Roland asked.

"Theoretically, yes. But everything has a price, Roland. Even for mutation.

The price for mutation is your mind. Your spirit. It keeps the mutation stable and shields your psyche from breaking down.

A witch is a being of indulgence. They do whatever their desire tells them to do. This makes their mind weak.

If they walk our path, they will face Mutation Collapse, losing their mind and becoming a crazy monster.

There is a reason why I chose the four of you. Each of you has a quality that no one else can match.

Ashe is very smart. She learns quickly. Give her enough time and she can master anything.

Roland is wise. His words can manipulate people. I saw him turn the tides of battle just because of his mouth.

Henry is strong. He is the best swordsman I’ve seen in this kingdom. And maybe the most unique one.

Rea is resilient. She doesn’t come from a noble family like the rest of you. She isn’t a noble bandit that robs the rich and gives to the poor. Nor is she a master of a talent. But she’s a survivor. Just like me.

I chose you because of these reasons. You will carry on my legacy when I won’t be here any more."

"Where are you going, Master?" Ashe’s lips trembled.

"To explore the world, Ashe. Our destiny as a Witch Hunter lies on the road, not a lord of a barony."

"Then why did you become a lord, Master?" Roland asked.

"To rid this world of its infected disease, Witches."

The five lay low on the ground as they spotted a flock of crow and on far tree branches.

"The first mutation of any Witch Hunter is Oculus Extima. The mutation of the eyes. There are many ways to construct the eye mutation.

I follow the path of Night, Dusk, Unique. Night Ocula allows you to see in the dark but would render your daytime eyes helpless. Dusk allows your eyes to adjust itself, regaining your day vision. And the final is any eye ability of any day beast that you’d like.

There are hunters that go with Night, Dusk, Day. A more balanced Ocula system.

Some go with Unique, Unique, Unique. Completely ignore balance to prioritize power."

"Which one should we follow, Master?" Ashe said.

"Whichever one you like. There is no wrong answer."

Siderius grabbed his bow and pulled his arrows. He held four arrows. His eyes constricted further, activating Hunter Focus and gained exact distance between him and the flock of crows.

Four arrows screamed through the air. Each landed perfectly at four crows.

The flock flew away, leaving four dead crows falling to the ground.

Siderius moved over to them. The four apprentices followed closely.

"A witch hunter also needs to be a good alchemist. In this profession, I suspect Ashe and Roland will be much better than the rest. While Henry and Rea will be better warriors.

However, you two will also need to learn Alchemy, Henry, Rea. It is the source of our power. Without it, a sword means nothing."

"Of course, Master." Henry and Rea spoke in unison.

"As for you, Ashe. You will be grafting your first mutation soon. Are you ready?" Siderius said.

Ashe took a deep breath then nodded. "I have been practicing Mercury Seal a lot, Master. I believe I can do it."

"Good. Then tomorrow. Ashe will graft her first mutation. All of you need to be present."

"Yes, Master."

That night, when they returned to Santa Roberto. Siderius took out the werewolf ears and looked at them.

Werewolf ears were different from the Chaos Beast ears. It might cost another Mutation Collapse similar to Vampire Eyes. But that wouldn’t stop Siderius in trying to absorb the mutation.

What he needed was to prepare thoroughly.

He sat in the office and tapped his finger on the table.

"I guess there is no other way. Guards. Summon George to my office."

"Yes, my lord!"

Soon, George stepped inside Siderius’ Office.

"You called, my lord?"

"I need you to send a few men to the South and deliver a letter for me."

"Who is the recipient, my lord?"

"Erin the Lone Witch."

Erin the Lone Witch, the merchant that had given Siderius the silver-coated knife. It wasn’t just her desire that gave her that name. She had no clan, no family, nor friends. She only had business partners and customers.

Maybe Snow was the only friend she had. But he was long gone.

Now Siderius needed her Rose Extracts again. He wrote the letter and put his Baron Seal on it.

George bowed and took the letter. He went away to arrange men to deliver the letter.

"Can’t graft supernatural mutations without those Heart Rose Extracts."

Vampire and Werewolf were different from the rest of Siderius’ mutation. Their owners actually had a mind of their own. This made their psyche extra dangerous, leaving the psychosis several times more difficult to control.

"Tomorrow Ashe will try to graft her first mutation. Should I try to create a safeguard tonic?"

With the amount of herbs Tanya and Anna had been collecting, this opened up a lot of doors to Siderius. He could make many potions, one of them being Psychosis Containment. This would stop Mutation Collapse from happening temporarily and allow the hunter time to fix his psychosis.

"I have to stay up late tonight then."