Chapter 127
Chapter 127
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 127: Work, My Minions! (1)
The land was thick with an off-white fog.
Setting foot in Necropolis brought a sense of peace to his heart.
【Master, you've made a lot of new friends while you were away, haven't you?】
"I reached 4 Star."
- 104 Tyrants.
- 89 Skeleton Knights.
- 5 Dullahans.
These were the undead he'd created by stirring up the border area on his way down from Cheorwon.
‘It took a whole week, but it was worth it.’
【Just how much stronger do you plan to get? It's terrifying.】
"Don't worry, I won't be replacing you as the vanguard."
【Please don't make promises you can't keep, Master.】
Song Myeongseok, at the forefront of the undead army, swaggered.
He had gained enlightenment from swinging his sword countless times over the past week.
The dark aura reflected in the blade had become purer, and its manifestation speed had been nearly halved.
Such dazzling talent.
'It was fortunate that the opportunity to kill this guy came early.'
The trap set to defeat Jang Miseon.
Once the double dungeon was deployed, only the one holding the [Wedge Stone] could control it.
Since Song Myeongseok had taken it with him.
He practically delivered the evidence to Yoojin himself.
He thought he had been quite lucky after his regression, but eliminating Song Myeongseok early on and reviving him as an undead was the greatest stroke of luck.
〔It must be the worst misfortune for that little human.〕
'What can you do? It's his fate. I'll use him until his bones wear down to dust.’
Song Myeongseok suddenly shuddered.
【I have a strange feeling.】
【Maybe his bones are getting cold?】
【What kind of senses would a skeleton have left to feel that?】
"Fafnir, was there anything unusual?"
【Nothing in particular.】
Several months had passed since Necropolis had settled in the border area.
At first, monsters attacked periodically, but lately, they've been retreating at the mere sight of the fog.
"Kuurk, that's the land of the dead over there."
"Shh. No one who enters the fog ever returns."
Necropolis' notoriety gradually spread among the monsters.
The monsters generated within the territory died at the hands of the undead or the [Bone Tower]'s bombardment before they could even hear of its infamy.
Monsters that formed communities beyond the off-white fog were reluctant to approach Necropolis.
"Has One-Eyed been snooping around Necropolis?"
【You say such terrifying things so casually.】
Fafnir shuddered.
The experience of running away from One-Eye wasn't exactly pleasant.
It was quite a struggle to pique his interest while avoiding getting caught.
【It was the first time I was treated like a toy. It was a very enjoyable experience.】
"Thanks to that, I survived."
【Heh heh. I'm trying my best not to let it happen twice anyway.】
"I'll repay the debt soon, so work hard."
He patted Fafnir's shoulder, and the corners of his mouth twitched with anticipation.
‘Just looking at his expression, one would believe he was alive.’
【So, you don't need the low-grade undead anymore?】
"Not exactly."
The spirit power consumed when controlling a mid-grade undead is much higher.
The maintenance cost of one Skeleton Knight is equivalent to about 50 skeletons.
"It's even worse if they use Dark Aura."
【Ah, like when I borrowed your energy before, Master?】
"That's right. If those guys all activated Dark Aura, my spirit power would be depleted in less than 5 minutes."
The limit on the number of undead he can control is important, but from mid-grade undead onwards, the amount of spirit power consumed when controlling them is enormous, so he has to pay more attention to spirit power management.
"Jo Seungchul."
【Master, you called?】
"Report the results of what I asked you to do."
【I did my best.】
"So, tell me the results of your best effort."
【S-Seventeen...】
"Did seventeen of them achieve the goal?"
【They did not reach 30% proficiency in Raise Undead, Master.】
‘Ah.So, the opposite.’
Yoojin thought.
"Incompetent fools."
【......】
"You had a good teacher, yet you couldn't achieve results."
【......】
The Dark Minions, including Jo Seungchul, fixed their jawbones in place.
They had learned that saying anything wrong would only lead to more nagging.
'Oh. You're quite perceptive.'
〔The corpse of a monster aged in a graveyard. If you also absorb the scattered spirit power due to the aftereffects of not being able to completely resist the spell...〕
He hadn't even said a few words, and already he had grasped the core of the trick he was preparing.
He was honestly surprised.
'You deduced that part already without me even explaining it?'
〔I was once a Constellation enthroned upon the seat of a God-King. An existence that governed and watched over all creation.〕
'I praised you once, and you're already getting carried away.'
〔Even so, there is still one unsolved problem.〕
'What is it?'
〔Even if you prepare the corpse and suppress its lingering will, wouldn't creating a higher-level undead still be impossible?〕
That was the correct assessment.
To fully realize the Basilisk corpse's potential, it needed to become at least an advanced undead. But modifying a creature that wasn't even [Unified] wouldn't achieve that.
Yoojin smiled at Kronos's point.
'Keep watching and see how I do it.'
Dark Minions with Raise Undead proficiency between 34 and 47 surrounded the Basilisk's corpse.
"From now on, use Raise Undead until your spirit power runs out."
【Understood.】
The Basilisk corpse, which had accumulated plenty of spirit power in the Unholy Graveyard.
It became oversaturated while additionally absorbing the power contained in the spells released by the Dark Minions.
The crunching of bones echoed.
Cracks appeared all over the Basilisk's skeleton.
Yoojin wasn't alarmed.
The Basilisk's bones were incredibly tough.
If they were going to break from this, they would have already collapsed from a slipped disc when Brutal mounted it.
"Fafnir. Do you have any large species corpses stockpiled?"
【Two ogres hunted yesterday. I buried them next to the Basilisk.】
"Two might be a bit tight."
【Shall I retrieve them?】
"Yes. Retrieve them without damage."
The corpses were barely decayed, having been dead for only a day.
It was fortunate that he didn't have to search for large species' flesh since he needed it.
"Choi Hyungtae, climb onto the Basilisk's neck."
【Yes, Master.】
Like a cavalryman settling onto his horse.
Choi Hyungtae straddled the large neck bone, wrapping his legs around it.
[Uses Flesh Control.]
After pouring in a large amount of spirit power, he stripped the flesh and muscles from the two ogres.
Then, he densely covered the Basilisk's bones, which had hairline cracks in places.
Choi Hyungtae's lower body, which was sitting on the neck, was also buried in the flesh.
'This is making it look like their bodies are connected.'
Though it's a deviation.
All the conditions were met.
Huff—
After taking a long, deep breath, he slowly spoke.
"Answer my call."
[Uses Undead Rise]
[Creates 1 Death Cavalier]
A death cavalier specializing in charging and mobile warfare.
It's an undead where the skeletal horse and the rider become one, treating them as one entity.
The reason Choi Hyungtae's legs were covered in flesh was also for this reason.
Woo—Woong—
The bones, which had cracked from containing spirit power beyond their limit, absorbed the attached flesh.
The cracks were filled.
In the process, the ogres' flesh and muscles were recognized as the Basilisk corpse's original body.
Choi Hyungtae was also accepted as one with it.
'It would be disappointing if it ended here.'
The Basilisk's lingering will and the dragon species' power dwelling in the thick bones.
The overcharged bones generously released that concept.
With a cracking sound, he intervened in the process of reviving as an undead.
【Uh. This looks a bit dangerous, Master.】
"Don't worry. It's as expected."
He effortlessly suppressed the rampaging spirit power and guided it in the desired direction.
To allow the dragon species' level and lingering will to restructure the body.
The Basilisk corpse, which had been constantly twitching, stilled.
The mass of flesh covering the bones became blackened and hardened like reptile scales.
Choi Hyungtae's mouth, which had maintained a human form, stretched out and transformed into a form similar to a lizard.
[Created undead in a new way not recorded in the Library of Knowledge.]
[Undead Creation - Death Cavalier (Incomplete)]
[A great feat surpassing the user's rank! This knowledge will be recorded in the Library of Knowledge.]
【I have returned.】
Choi Hyungtae's burning eyes blazed fiercely.
Thump— Thump—
The legs of the Basilisk corpse, thickened with added flesh, rolled across the ground.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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