REAPER SCANS

I Became the Genius Bastard of a Noble Dark Clan

[Translator – TinTin]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

Chapter 2

'What should my first move be?' Chris pondered after his regression. 

He had a clear objective in mind: to ascend to the pinnacle of the Magic Empire, amassing not only immense wealth but also ensuring the world's salvation. 

How would he achieve that, though?

'First, I need to take control of the Dark Magic Clan.'

As a saving grace, he at least regressed into the Dark Magic Clan, one of the twelve elite clans that stood as pillars of the Magic Empire. If he could subjugate such a formidable clan, he would be a step closer to his goal.

'The only problem is that I'm not from the direct lineage but a branch family.' 

He was occupying the body of 'Christian van Baren Kazar.' Whether by coincidence or not, the name was strikingly similar to his original one, Chris. 

The key detail was the middle name. 'Van' was a signifier of a branch family, so he was the son of the 'House of Count Kazar,' a branch of the Dark Magic Clan’s 'House of Duke Baren'.

'It doesn't really matter. The Magic Empire recognizes succession rights, even for those from branch families.' 

Technically, it was possible to seize control of the main family, even if you were from a branch family. Of course, there were conditions—you needed to be capable. To put it more bluntly, you needed to overpower direct lineage candidates and assert dominance. 

One advantage was that the Magic Empire operated solely on the Law of the Jungle; everyone hungered for strength, a trait inherent in fiends. Therefore, all Chris needed was to become stronger. 

‘Let’s start by shedding the label of ‘bastard’.’

With that in mind, he set out to find his father, Count Kazar, the master of the Kazar Count House, a Dark Magic Clan branch family.

"What brings you here?" his father asked in greeting. A chilling, dark force permeated the air. 

'A 6-star high fiend,’ thought Chris. The man was formidable, so much so that he had seldom encountered such even in his previous life.

Contempt laces his father’s gaze. That was to be expected. After all, he was the living embodiment of his father's deepest shame—a disgrace.

Chris sighed, but it was a situation he had to overcome.

"Do you think enough time has passed since your last incident for you to dare show your face? Did I not instruct you to recuse yourself and self-contemplate? Have you botched something else in the meantime?”

"That's not it, Father."

"If not that, then what? If you are here for more nonsense, get lost. My patience is running thin, and I am tempted to take your head for your constant blunders!” His father, Count Kazar, turned away from his own son in anger and dismay.

Chris rushed into his words. "I came to apologize for my past mistakes." 

"…What?"

"I'm sorry for the mistakes I’ve made. Truly." Chris bowed his head.

Count Kazar momentarily stiffened; then he exploded with rage. "What game are you playing? After causing that recent catastrophic incident, you only apologize now? Are you making a mockery of me?" His fury radiated a harsh energy that could send shivers down anyone's spine. 

Such a reaction was expected. 

"I don’t blame you for not believing me…" Chris continued in a calm tone, "But as you know, I've lost part of my memory." He had previously used the excuse of memory loss after waking up in the new body. "I've had the chance to reflect on my past wrongdoings, and I deeply regret them."

His father looked down at him in silence.

"Again, I would like to apologize." 

Count Kazar remained as still as a statue, his gaze piercing through Chris. Understandably, there was no hint of belief on his face—only mistrust and fury. Still, understandable. Chris also didn't expect that an apology would alter his father's feelings. 

There was a hidden purpose to the apology—it was merely a preamble. "I realize that a mere apology won't make a difference, so I'll show you with actions. Please send me to the Punishment Cave."

Count Kazar’s eyes widened in shock.

"For the duration of a month, please let me reflect on my past wrongdoings.”

For the first time, Count Kazar showed a different expression. "Do you even know what kind of place the Punishment Cave is?"

"Yes." Chris was well-acquainted with the world of fiends because a member of the Hero’s Party had been a fiend herself. 

Her nickname was 'Chatty Shadow'. As the bane suggested, she was infamous for her chattiness and incessantly babbled about the Magic Empire, regardless of whether anyone asked or not. 

‘She also told us about the Punishment Cave.’

It was a place where high-status fiends were exiled upon committing a crime. Devoid of even a single ray of light, it blocked all five senses. Even a few days in there could leave one mentally scarred. 

'Right now, that's exactly what I need… A place where I can avoid being seen by anyone for a while.'

Count Kazar scoffed, his laughter echoing in the room. "A month in the Punishment Cave? You wouldn't last half a day."

"I'm aware of the difficulty, but it's something I must endure."

"You believe it is something you must endure?"

"Yes, only through such a trial can I truly change."

Again, Count Kazar gave him a shocked look.

Chris locked eyes with him. "I don’t want to continue living as I have. I want to change."

A moment of silence ensued. Did Count Kazar sense a shift in his son? His expression softened. "You? Change?"

"Yes, absolutely."

Count Kazar scoffed, his expression hardening again. "Do you have any idea how many times you’ve said that to me? After each colossal blunder, it’s always the same. 'I will change.' 'Just wait and see.' I can count at least ten such occasions, and every single time, you only disappointed me further."

In response, Chris merely continued to meet the man’s gaze.

"Fine. Have it your way. I will let you into our family's Punishment Cave. No matter how much you beg, the gate will not open until a month has passed. If you cannot endure, you might as well die in there."

It was harsh for a father to say such to his own son, but considering it was the empire of fiends, Chris understood that Count Kazar's reaction was relatively 'gentle'. 

"I understand.” Chris lowered his head in acknowledgment. 

"One more thing…" Count Kazar added, his gaze fierce as he stared at Chris. "This is the last time I will tolerate your foolishness. If you fail to change as you claim, you will be banished from the family."

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Reaper Scans

Translator – TinTin

Proofreader – ilafy

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Banishment would be no different from a death sentence. There were countless fiends out there, eager to get their hands on Christian for his despicable misdeeds—he’d be torn to shreds the moment he lost his family’s protection.

"I understand. In return, if I change as I promised, can you grant me one request?"

"A request?" Count Kazar looked somewhat taken aback. “Fine. As long as you change, I will grant whatever you ask, but mark my words… If you disappoint me again, instead of banishment, I will throw you into a lion's den alive," he coldly spat out.

With that, the conversation with his father ended, and Chris prepared to enter the Punishment Cave.

The family's servants quietly whispered among themselves, trying not to let him hear.

"The bastard wants to enter the Punishment Cave?”

"What kind of scheme is he cooking up now?"

"Well, his recent screw-ups were seriously bad. Maybe he's just trying to temporarily avoid Count Kazar's wrath?"

“Indeed, he insulted a young lady from the direct lineage of the Poison Magic Clan.”

The Poison Magic Clan was, like the Dark Magic Clan, one of the twelve pillars supporting the Magic Empire. Even for a good-for-nothing bastard, insulting a lady from a direct lineage was unheard of, beyond the line.

"I heard Count Kazar himself had to personally apologize to the Poison Magic Clan to cover for the bastard's blunders."

"Ahh… The count is simply too generous. If he were my son, I would have cut off a limb already."

"I heard the higher-ups from the main family were furious too. He tarnished the family's honor in front of its rival, the Poison Magic Clan."

"The bastard must be trying to somewhat remedy the situation by going into the Punishment Cave, but I doubt he’ll last long."

The servants smirked.

"How long do you reckon he'll last?"

"Two days, at most?"

"I bet a day."

"I say half a day."

They started betting on how long Chris would last in the Punishment Cave; the longest bet was two days. Most predicted he would be begging in agony to be let out within half a day or even a few hours.

Regardless of what others said, Chris diligently prepared for the Punishment Cave.

'Alright. Everything's ready.' He took a moment to admire the items he had prepared. 'Being part of an elite clan is a real perk. To get my hands on all these magic stones without breaking a sweat and in such a variety?'

The servants catered to his every whim, supplying him with whatever he asked at the snap of a finger. In his past life, such a thing would have been unthinkable.

'Aren’t magic stones supposed to be super rare? I remember struggling like hell with Evan to get a hold of these.'

Clicking his tongue, Chris got up from his seat and headed straight to the Punishment Cave. A Death Knight, summoned through necromancy, stood guard at the entrance. 

'Using a Death Knight as a gatekeeper? How typical of the Magic Empire. This thing doesn’t move on its own, does it?' Chris mused, eyeing the Death Knight with a hint of anxiety. 

To his relief, the Death Knight remained motionless. 

Taking a deep breath, he prepared to step into the Punishment Cave, but just as he was about to cross the threshold, an unexpected voice from behind stopped him.

"Brother…"

He shifted his gaze and found himself staring at a young man who looked just like him with a familiar face. Chris called out his name. "Thern…"

Thern van Baren Kazar. As the name suggested, he was Christian van Baren Kazar's younger brother. Unlike Chris, who was notorious for being a bastard, Thern was a model student, and…

'In two years, he will play a crucial role in my death.'

His former colleague, the 'Chatty Shadow', told him all sorts of stories of what happened among the fiends, including those related to Christian, whose body he inhabited. She’d told him about what a bastard Christian was and how he met a gruesome end, with Thern at the center of it all.

"What do you want?" Chris demanded, a little more harshly than he meant to. Though it was a future event, it was hard to be nice to someone who might spell your doom.

'It's not like they got along well anyway.’

At a quick glance, it looked like Thern was there to pick a fight. 

“Judging by your face, I doubt you’re here to check on me out of concern." 

Thern's eyebrows furrowed. "Of course not," he coldly replied and moved closer. The piercing tension grew. "I came to warn you."

Chris took a step back in surprise.

Glaring, Thern's red eyes brimmed with contempt. "I don't know what kind of scheme you're trying to pull, but you must be aware that you are the disgrace of our clan."

Whoosh!

A chilling blade stopped on Chris's throat.

"If you dare tarnish our clan's honor again, I swear I'll kill you myself."

Chris shifted his gaze slightly. He felt a sting on his skin, and a stream of blood trickled down.

‘Shit! That hurts.’ He held himself back from cursing. He wasn't scared but annoyed. 'After all I've been through, do you think I’d get scared from this petty threat?'

He had faced all sorts of trials and achieved numerous feats during the Age of Destruction. Obviously, he wasn't affected by such threats.

"Move it." 

"What?" 

"I said, ‘move it’." 

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Reaper Scans

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