Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Spendthrift Necromancer (151)

All three heads tirelessly chanted incantations. Pitch-black Mana rose over her hands. Befitting a member of the Raven School that read ill omens, her magic was related to fate. More precisely, it revolved around twisting fate toward misfortune.[Lruye uses Ill-Omen Explosion(SS)

!][Lruye uses Raven's Nightmare(SS)

…….]

What happened if they struck?

They twisted fate and caused an ill omen to take root.

The warped fates accumulated.

No matter how high that Banshee's magical Rank might be, magic this unusual couldn't simply be neutralized through talent alone.

Iris knew how terrifying it was too. What if one of those spells struck her?

Horrific malignant tumors might suddenly erupt all over her body.

An unavoidable bolt of lightning might fall from the sky.

She might be transformed into some insignificant beast. That was what twisting fate meant. Neither caster nor victim knew what the result would be.

That was precisely why it was so frightening.

Not knowing meant there was no way to predict how devastating the consequences might become.

That was why the Raven School was feared.

But…….―Still exactly the same?

As though she already knew the countermeasure, the Banshee casually dismantled the spells without concern.

Lruye frowned.

Even another Great Witch encountering Raven School magic for the first time would need at least a fraction of a second to analyze and dismantle it.

But this Banshee needed none.‘She knows?’‘Our Raven magic?’‘How?’Had she seen it somewhere before?

There was no other explanation.

Lruye fired several more spells as a test, but the result remained unchanged.―What? Nothing changed at all.

“Where.”

“How.”

“Did you learn our magic?”―I'm Merhen.

“……?”

The three heads tilted at the completely out-of-nowhere answer. Iris frowned too.

They asked how she knew it, and she suddenly answered with her own name.It was an answer that transcended three dimensions and entered the fourth.―Huh? You don't know me? I thought you would.

“Are you sick?”

“Attention seeker?”

“Delusional?”

The three heads replied one after another.

Then switched entirely to ordinary magic.

Raven School magic didn't work at all. In that case, all they could do was throw every normal spell they had at her.

There was one problem.

Out of every ten spells, five abruptly broke apart before completion.‘Ridiculous.’‘Even after taking the elixirs, this is all I can do?’‘How large is the gap between us?’Canceling a spell was several times harder than casting one.

And Lruye's casting speed had already increased severalfold thanks to the elixirs.

Yet half her spells were still being canceled.

That meant without the drugs, she wouldn't even qualify as an opponent.

She'd amplified her combat power more than fivefold and her magic was still being canceled. The absurdity of the situation spoke for itself.

Still, the fact that half her spells successfully manifested proved she was unquestionably a talented Witch.―Wow, those drugs really are fascinating?

Merhen also seemed to be enjoying herself as she cast magic and countered Lruye's spells.

Little by little.

Lruye was pushed backward.―This is fun, playing like this together. It's like a puzzle game, right?

Apprentice Witch Iris wasn't standing idle either.

She cast spells of her own, summoned familiars to attack, and swung her whip. She was doing everything she could.

Yet despite all her interference, the Banshee darted around freely while fighting the Full Witch.

Though merely an Apprentice, Iris was still a Witch.

She had been born with talent for magic.

That was why she could feel in her bones exactly how absurd the scene before her truly was.

That was when.―Huh?

The Banshee tilted her head.

Then snapped her fingers.

That instant.

Lruye and Iris froze.

Breathing in and out.

Beyond that basic act, they could do nothing, as though they had become vegetables.

“Whaaat…….”

“How…….”

“Something like…….”

Even the drug effects accelerating Lruye's body and brains stopped working.

No.

If anything, her mind was gradually going blank.

The three heads barely managed to force out words. Iris, far weaker than her, could only roll her eyes around.

It felt as though every single cell composing their bodies had escaped their control.

Merhen landed on the ground and bounced excitedly like a delighted child.―Amazing!

“What did…….”

“My Mana…….”

“My control…….”―My Authority came back! Only a little, but still! What do you think? Amazing, right?

“Auth……

ority…….”

“You……

said……?”―Yeah. Fighting each of you one by one is annoying, right? So I made this. Then idiots who rely on magic get taken care of automatically.

“Ho…….”

“How…….”

“W…….”―Why don't you know? I've killed so many Witches with this.

Killed Witches?

Lruye's eyes rolled.

She had never heard anything of the sort. If Witches had been slaughtered by a bizarre undead like this, there was no way she wouldn't have known.―What was the name of that Great Witch who survived back then…… Ananke? I think she used magic like yours too. Or maybe not?

“Great……

Witch……

Ananke's…….”

“Name…….”

“Why do……

you…….”―Because I've met her. Didn't that gloomy idiot tell you about me?

A thought suddenly struck Lruye.

The story of the Era of Upheaval, when Witches had supposedly been killed by undead.

She'd dismissed it as one of the hundreds of ridiculous rumors circulating among Witches and erased it from her memory.‘Don't tell me.’‘That…….’‘Was all of it true?’That was when Merhen asked with a pout.―Then you don't know that bastard Death Lord either?

Unfortunately, Lruye no longer answered.

No.

She couldn't.

Her tongue had already stiffened like stone. Her breath had caught in her throat.

Without oxygen, Lruye's three brains slowly began shriveling.

The raven's ill omen hadn't been wrong.

This truly was calamity itself.

Death drew closer.‘I can't…….’‘Die…….’‘Like this…….’At the final moment of her life.

Thump!

Her final desperate will exploded.

That desperation pushed her magical aptitude one step further.

Enough to cast an ancient spell she'd learned from the School long ago.[Equivalent Exchange(SSS)

activates!]

BOOM!

Lruye's heart exploded.[Your heart is placed on the right side of the scale!][Think of the price you desire.]―What an interesting spell. I've never seen this one before.

Merhen stared at Lruye with interest.

Even she had never encountered this magic.

But her vastly elevated Rank analyzed the spell piece by piece.

A magic that attempted to exchange an unknown something against the weight placed on a scale.‘I can't stop the exchange.’Perhaps if her Rank had returned completely.

But with only part of it restored, she couldn't.

Instead, interfering with the weight of the equivalent exchange was entirely possible.

She ‘manipulated’ it so an intangible price appeared on the opposite side from Lruye's heart.

Lruye recoiled in horror.

She could interfere with an ancient spell?

Lruye hurriedly made her first wish.

In exchange, she wished for the death of the master controlling the Banshee.[The scales are not balanced!]

Lruye despaired.

The intangible price Merhen had placed on the opposite side had already disrupted the scales.

Worse, that intangible price was growing larger and larger.

Far heavier than the side holding her heart.

The opposite side continued growing infinitely heavier. Horrific fear swallowed her heart. At this rate, she'd accomplish nothing.

This time, everything below her heads exploded without leaving so much as a scrap of flesh.[The scales are not balanced…….]

If even that wasn't enough.

With only her heads remaining, Lruye made one final wish.

The lightest wish she could think of.

Something she could still leave behind despite the Banshee's manipulation.[The scales are balanced!][A memory is engraved somewhere within the dimension!]

The despair and terror of this very moment.

Let them be engraved deep within the dimension. So that someday, when other Witches came, they could discover them. Hidden so thoroughly that not even that dreadful Banshee could find them.[Equivalent exchange is completed!]

Lruye vanished without even her heads remaining.

The end of a Full Witch was miserably pathetic.

Then Merhen and Iris's gazes met.* * *The Mature Dragon and Ice Dragon.

Against the two Dragons, Cedric was hard-carrying the battle almost single-handedly.

His spearwork transcending space was pure art.

Watching it made Minwoo wonder why Cedric hadn't used anything like that during the First Arrangement.‘I think I get it.’The technique consumed an enormous amount of Mana. During the Arrangement there had been countless enemies, and Mutakta as well, so Cedric had apparently been conserving his strength.

But now?

The Young Dragons were basically beneath consideration. The only enemies worth paying attention to were the Mature Dragon and Ice Dragon.

And even that wasn't the full extent of Cedric's power.

He was a Dragon Knight, after all.

A Class that could display its full strength only when mounted on a Dragon.

And now a Young Dragon had been revived as undead?

It was still a Dragon.

Cedric rode one through the sky and kept stabbing holes into the two Dragons.

He had allies helping him too. Dullahans mounted on undead Dragons stabbed from every direction.

Mages carrying Dragonblood Tools fired spells and harassed them.

The finishing touch was Dolsoe.

Two undead Young Dragons grabbed Dolsoe's arms tightly in their claws and carried him high into the sky. Then Dolsoe's heavy body dropped like a missile from a bomber.[Dolsoe uses Taunt(A)

on Kamar…….][Ice Dragon ‘Kamar’ is affected by Taunt…….]

Instead of targeting the Mature Dragon, Dolsoe aimed for the Ice Dragon, which was susceptible to Taunt, and his body glowed bright red.[Bloodburst activates!]

BOOOOM!

The suicide attack detonated.

No matter how sturdy a Dragon's hide was, it couldn't take damage equal to three times a Golem's maximum Stamina without injury. Already weakened by curses and battered relentlessly by Cedric, the Ice Dragon could endure no more.

The Ice Dragon plummeted helplessly.

Like ants swarming candy, the undead waiting on the ground rushed it immediately.

The weakened Dragon couldn't withstand the assault.[Ice Dragon ‘Kamar’ enters eternal rest…….][Part of the Gate clear condition has been fulfilled! (1/4)][‘Witch Iris’, ‘Witch Lruye’, and ‘Mature Dragon Ibelion’ remain…….][Your Level…….]

Another pleasant Level-up message.

As a bonus, the Gate's clear conditions had been revealed.

In addition to killing the original Witch and Ice Dragon.‘So I have to kill the extra ones that got dragged in too.’Mature Dragon Ibelion.

The only remaining Dragon resisted fiercely.

Tough hide befitting a Mature Dragon. Dozens of powerful spells. Breath attacks and monstrous physical stats.

Undead Dragons fell from its breath, and the Dullahans riding them melted away. Every swipe of its razor-sharp claws split even Dolsoe in half before he could self-destruct.

Ibelion's tail barely grazed the Young Dragon Cedric was riding.

Cedric performed acrobatic maneuvers as though he and his mount were one body.

Every spell raining toward him shattered whenever his spear moved.

BOOM!

With the sound of air tearing apart, another hole opened through Ibelion's body.

Ibelion screamed.

Breath.

Magic.

Tough hide.

Overwhelming strength.

None of it meant anything against that tiny Skeleton.

He couldn't understand how this was possible.

It was pure skill.

Overwhelming technique.―Impossible…… This is impossible!

His body riddled with holes.

Sensing defeat, Ibelion spoke in a trembling voice.

Kim Minwoo simply watched leisurely.‘Natural predator, I guess.’Merhen devoured Mages.

That wasn't something limited purely by Level.

No matter how large the gap, she became monstrous when fighting her natural prey. The previous Selection Tournament alone had proven it.

Black Mage Mortan, the mid-boss.

He charged in, had his magic canceled, and got sent straight to the afterlife by one slash. Yet the points he awarded had been comparable to the Vampire Duke. By Level, that meant he had been close to 1,000.

The Witch?

Around Level 1,500.

Honestly, same shit, different pile.

That was why Merhen could fight two Witches alone.

Cedric followed the exact same formula.

His title itself imposed intimidation upon Dragons.

Meaning he was a Dragon's natural predator.‘Of course, without Indomitable activating, this would've been difficult.’Legion Commander Enhancement.

The core Skills defining them had jumped from SS to SSS. That difference couldn't be measured by merely adding one letter S.‘Even within the same rank, there are huge differences.’Were all S-rank Awakened equally strong?

No.

Some S-rank Awakened could defeat ten others of the same rank. That was the difference talent and skill created.

The same applied to Merhen and Cedric. Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo might also be SSS-rank talents, but the two Legion Commanders had lived far longer than his guild members.

Experience, mastery, talent.

Even among SSS-ranks, they were at the very top.

At minimum, that was the level of the two Legion Commanders. Which was why single summons could tear apart high-Level monsters described as calamities.[‘Witch Lruye’ enters eternal rest…….][Part of the Gate clear condition has been…….]

Just like now.

That was when.

Merhen approached.

And she brought someone with her.―Minwoo, I'm back. But what's Cedric doing? Why isn't he done yet?

“He'll finish soon. Who's this?”―I had some questions about the Witch Society, so I brought her. I was originally going to bring the three-headed one, but she used some magic and suddenly dropped dead on her own. Sorry.

“That actually worked out. Good job.”

He stroked Merhen's head.

Keeping a Boss alive had never been part of his plan.

Even if Indomitable activated, he'd expected to struggle somewhat while killing the Bosses. He'd never imagined the hunt would be this easy.

He had so much breathing room that he was almost dumbfounded.

If he'd known things would be this easy, he would've ordered them to spare one Boss from the start.‘That way the Gate won't clear.’Most Gates expelled you immediately upon clearing the Boss, or forcibly removed you after a certain amount of time.

And once he was expelled?

This was a Hidden Gate, so reentry would probably become impossible.‘That'd be such a waste.’There was still so much to squeeze out of this place.

East, west, south, north, and center.

Five fortresses in total.

He'd destroyed the northern one, leaving four more where Snowy needed to devour the Fragments of Winter.

And that wasn't all.‘Every monster here is free experience…….’Elven Alchemy.

Dwarven Crafting Techniques.

He'd taught them all here.

Who was to say there weren't other useful techniques?

What he needed was time to explore this place.

He looked at Witch Iris.

She had obediently followed behind Merhen, terror branded into her eyes.

At that level, she probably wouldn't cause trouble.‘I should keep her alive for now.’If he had to spare one Boss, leaving a Boss of that level alive was actually ideal.

A Mature Dragon or Full Witch would probably still have some kind of trump card.

Keeping one alive unnecessarily could create variables.

Seen that way, Merhen had brought back exactly the right one.[Mature Dragon ‘Ibelion’ enters eternal rest…….]

A message appeared.‘My Level really jumped.’He had been only 293 before.

After killing everything, he'd shot all the way to Level 330.

Considering it hadn't even been a week since entering the Gate, the speed was absurd.

And on top of that.‘I still haven't collected the items.’The Full Witch and Mature Dragon.

Plus the Ice Dragon.

The Boss loot was still waiting.