Chapter 152

Chapter 152

Spendthrift Necromancer (152)

AftermathThe moment he canceled Land of Death, the resurrected Young Dragons collapsed lifelessly.

The Ice Dragon did the same.‘These are all corpses.’The items dropped when they died.

But even apart from those, Dragon corpses themselves were valuable. They hadn't been used as undead for very long, so they were still perfectly reusable.‘Blood first.’He took out the Bloodwater Prison Orb.

The most valuable corpse among the monsters he'd just killed was the Mature Dragon.

Of course, the Full Witch would've been valuable too.‘But there's no corpse.’According to Merhen, her body had disappeared and only items remained. So he would have to make full use of the Mature Dragon instead.

As he stood before the Dragon corpses, the orb began humming.

Just like before, red energy rose over the bodies.

But oddly enough, the Mature Dragon was different.‘This one's blue?’[Stage 2 Blood has been discovered for the first time!][A choice is given.][1. Mix it with Stage 1 Blood and absorb it.][2. Separate and absorb the Stage 2 Blood independently.]Stage 2?

Kim Minwoo quickly caught on and nodded.

Come to think of it.‘Merhen and Cedric had Dragon Authority Stage 1.’Just as items had different ranks.

Apparently blood was also divided into stages like Stage 1 and Stage 2.‘Then if I mix them, does it become Stage 1.5?’If mixing and separating made no meaningful difference, there would've been no reason for the choice to appear.

Then naturally.‘Keep them separate.’High-quality goods were best stored separately. The Bloodwater Prison Orb began sucking up the blood.

Inside the round sphere, red blood filled the lower half while blue blood began gathering in the upper half.‘There's less Stage 2.’The Mature Dragon was large, but it was still only one individual.

The Stage 1 Dragons, on the other hand, were numerous.

There were dozens of Young Dragons, plus the fairly large Ice Dragon.

With such a huge difference in quantity, naturally the amount of blood gathered differed too.

The corpses shriveled dry.

“Dismantle them.”

Clatter!

Hail saluted and approached the corpses with the Dullahans.

Like ants breaking apart a carcass.

The summons diligently separated Dragon hide and bone.

“Cedric. Come here.”―You called?

“Hold still.”

He brought the Bloodwater Prison Orb close to Cedric.[All Stage 1 Blood has already been accepted!][This undead possesses potential powerful enough to accept Stage 2 Blood!][Estimated Stage 2 Dragon Blood Consumption: 25%][Current Amount: 10%][Insufficient blood for strengthening!]

“Ah, so that's how it works.”―How what works?

“We killed the Mature Dragon and got its blood. Looks like this can strengthen you to Stage 2 too. Not right now, though. I think I'll need to gather more blood.”―Even so, that Bloodwater Prison Orb really is an excellent item. I never expected strengthening to work this way.

“You never strengthened yourself with blood?”―I have. When the Lord constructed my body, there were additional refinement procedures such as soaking my bones in blood. But the effect was never remotely this strong.

“Really?”―Blood simply isn't a major consideration when constructing a body. Especially for an undead composed entirely of bone like me.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

Apparently the Death Lord hadn't made especially heavy use of blood when creating Cedric's body.

Well.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

Cedric wasn't some Blood Golem. He was an undead made of bone in the first place. What use would he even have for blood?

Things were different now.

The Bloodwater Prison Orb had made blood tremendously valuable.

Just look at the Manifestation ability Cedric had gained through Stage 1 Dragon Blood strengthening.‘That thing is broken as hell.’Strength, Agility, and Stamina +50%.

Bone wings appeared and his body grew larger.

On top of that, he could use a powerful attack like Dragonblood Slash.

The only drawback was that Manifestation lasted only around thirty minutes, but even accounting for that, it was absurdly powerful.

Apparently his former master, the Death Lord, hadn't been able to do anything like this for him.

“Finally found one thing I beat that Death Lord bastard at.”―When it comes to blood, I'll concede that.

Cedric nodded.

That was when.

Merhen suddenly cut into their conversation.―No? Minwoo has tons of things he's way better at than the Lord.―Hm?

Cedric tilted his head.

Kim Minwoo did too. He'd never considered himself lacking wherever he went, but compared to the Lord, it was true there were still many things he fell short in.

Yet she said there were far more things he was better at?

Merhen looked at Cedric and spoke rapidly.―Minwoo is better with a sword than the Lord. Am I wrong? I'm right, aren't I?―That is true, but…….―Minwoo can use the Achievement Shop too. The Lord never had anything like that. Am I wrong? I'm right, aren't I?―That is also true, but…….―Most importantly, Minwoo actually has a decent personality. Am I wrong? I'm right, aren't I?―Uh…….―He's nicer than the Lord, right? Yes or no?―I think they're both formidable in their own ways…….―What do you think, Minwoo?

“My personality is way better.”

Kim Minwoo answered instantly.

Whatever else happened, he refused to be compared to that Lord when it came to personality.

Seriously, after seeing him at the Academy, that man's personality was completely fucked.

Come to think of it, he really did have plenty of things he was better at than the Lord.

But this bastard Cedric actually had to think about that?

“You're out. No Stage 2 for you.”―Then I'm the one getting strengthened first, right?―No. A good master listens to objective evaluations as well. Punishing honesty by taking away my turn? How does that make sense?

The two Legion Commanders glared at each other.

Only then did Minwoo realize why Merhen had suddenly jumped into the conversation.

Apparently she wanted to receive Stage 2 strengthening first.

“We don't have enough blood right now. I'll think about it once we gather more. For now, Merhen gets plus one point.”―Yay! I'm happy!

Merhen immediately looked at Cedric, flashed a triumphant smile, and raised two fingers in a V for victory. Cedric looked at Minwoo as though deeply wronged.

After settling the dispute.

He looked toward the items lying where the Mature Dragon and Witch had died.‘Need to grab the loot too.’Including the Ice Dragon, there had been three in total.

He'd earned titles from killing them.

He recalled the earlier messages.[You acquire title, ‘One Who Killed a Full Witch’…….][You acquire title, ‘Mature Dragon Hunter’…….]

There were items in addition to the titles.

First, the Mature Dragon.

A pure-white flower and a small jewel lay nearby.[You acquire Sorsalon's Flower.]

“Oh, that flower.”

Cedric's comrade.

One of the materials required to create Gleipnir.―To think it dropped in one try…… Master truly is lucky.

“It doesn't normally drop immediately?”―No. It appears only occasionally when hunting Mature Dragons or stronger.

Then he really had been lucky.

That gave him one of the six materials.

And the jewel…….[You acquire Dragon Jewel!][Dragon Jewel][Rank: Special][A jewel added by an unknown force of fate. It looks as though it would fit perfectly into some kind of socket.]‘Hm?’The moment he saw the jewel, one item immediately came to mind.

He took out the necklace.[Mysterious Necklace][Rank: ??][The sinister Arrangement has disappeared, and the aura of a hero has begun dwelling within the necklace.]

The medium for proceeding with Salvation of the Continent(S+)

. It possessed two sockets. When he brought the jewel toward the Dragon-shaped one, it fit perfectly.‘Originally it would've been the Ice Dragon and Apprentice Witch.’Apparently because the Mature Dragon and Full Witch had been dragged into the Gate, the objects inserted into the necklace's sockets had changed to theirs too. In other words, the reward had been upgraded. Stronger monster materials would be used.‘Nice.’Kim Minwoo nodded in satisfaction. Unfortunately, no Skill Book had dropped, but that was fine.‘They don't drop every time.’Bosses and named monsters simply had a much higher chance of dropping them. The rate had never been 100%. And besides.‘The Full Witch's loot is still left.’Before that, he checked what had dropped from the Ice Dragon too.

Instead of a jewel, the Ice Dragon had dropped a helmet.[Young Dragon Helm][Rank: Legendary][Requirement: Level 600 or higher, melee Class.][A helmet made from Dragon bone.][Effect 1. Strength, Agility, Stamina +100][Effect 2. Critical chance +10%][Effect 3. Cold energy dwells within the wearer's body. Fire-type damage received decreases by 30%.][Effect 4. Ice resistance +20%]‘Not bad.’Perhaps because the Ice Dragon itself had been high-Level, the dropped item had a high Level requirement too.

He could store it and give it to Cedric later once his Level rose enough.

He carefully put it into his inventory.

The Full Witch, who hadn't left so much as a corpse, had at least dropped items instead.

“Oh, lucky.”

Perhaps it was the Witch's final shred of pride.

First, she'd dropped a Skill Book.

Alongside it lay a pile of pure-white thread and a jewel.[You acquire Witch Jewel…….][You acquire Threads of the Eastern Witch Society…….]

There were four bundles of thread in total.

Only three were required for crafting, so he'd actually have one left over.

He could find some use for that later.‘Two of the six materials acquired.’The remaining ones were the corpse of an Ancient Dragon over ten thousand years old, the bloodline of an Abyss Lord, 500L of Balrog Blood, and a handful of Mimir's Sigh.

The one that looked most difficult to obtain at a glance was the ten-thousand-year-old Ancient Dragon corpse. The Mature Dragon that had just died was only a little over three thousand years old.

But something over ten thousand?

“Cedric. In your current state, think you could beat an Ancient Dragon more than ten thousand years old?”―Something of that age would be around the level of a Great Witch. With only this much Authority released, I wouldn't stand a chance. At best, I could buy time.

Cedric answered calmly.

Merhen didn't particularly object either.

Fair enough.

What she'd argued about before was whether the leaders would come searching immediately, not who would win if they fought.

Even after becoming SSS-rank, they said that?‘They must be insanely strong.’Of course, there was one thing to consider. The Skills had risen to SSS-rank, but that didn't mean their potential had been fully released.

Indomitable itself had said.[For this stage, part of the potential of both Legion Commanders is released!]

Hadn't that been the wording?

And since neither their Levels nor equipment had changed, they probably couldn't fully utilize the benefits of the increased Skill ranks either.

“You were Iris, right?”

“Y-Yes! That's right.”

Iris answered immediately.

She'd already watched a Full Witch get killed without even being able to squeak against Merhen.

Defying the master of that undead was unimaginable.

Especially with Merhen staring steadily at her.

Kim Minwoo asked.

“The Full Witch and Mature Dragon just died. The Ice Dragon too.”

“……

Yes.”

“What do you think the Witch Society and Dragon Legion will do from here? Think carefully.”

“F-First, they'll probably learn about their deaths before long. The life-sign magic placed on their bodies will communicate it across dimensions. The Dragon Legion probably has some similar method too.”

“And?”

“Both sides will send investigation teams and begin tracing their routes. I don't know exactly how the forced landing happened, but if the path was suddenly twisted sharply, tracing it will take quite a lot of time.”

“How long until those investigation teams arrive?”

“I can't know exactly, but by the time standard of this planet, I'd say at least one month.”

“Let's say the investigation team arrives. Will they attack immediately?”

“This sort of thing isn't uncommon.”

“Crash landings?”

“Yes. Including crash landings that end in death. For example, someone trying to travel to a lower dimension may accidentally land on a planet in a higher dimension.”

“Then this case is the opposite?”

“P-Probably? There isn't any dimension lower than this lowest-tier one…… anyway, this is an unknown variable, and we Witches tend to treat unknown variables cautiously.”

“So they won't attack?”

“Considering she belonged to the Raven School, I think the investigation team would probably consist of one Senior Witch and two Full Witches…… yes. I don't think they'd attack with only that much.”

“What's a Senior Witch?”

“The ranks are Apprentice, Full, Senior, Veteran, and Great Witch. Think of it like Dragons being divided into Young Dragons, Mature Dragons, Ancient Dragons, and so on.”―Wait. There are Senior and Veteran ranks too?

“Y-Yes! There are! If I remember correctly, those ranks were created a few hundred years ago.”

Iris hurriedly answered Merhen's question as though having a seizure.

“Do you think they'll enter the planet while investigating?”

“No.”

Iris shook her head firmly.

“As they trace the route, they'll realize the Witch died in a lowest-tier dimension. Usually, something like that simply gets classified as a ‘Danger Zone.’”

“Danger Zone?”

“Yes. Put simply…… it means the return on investment is dogshit, so they decide not to even look at the place. This planet used to be classified that way too. One Orc caused too much trouble…….”

“Mutakta?”

“That's right. That Orc.”

Iris nodded.

“Interesting. I figured they'd come looking for revenge or something.”

“Usually, there isn't much to gain from that. I think they'd probably send only a familiar into the planet to investigate rather than entering personally. However…….”

Iris glanced toward Merhen.

“From what I heard…… she has some connection to Lady Ananke……?”―Yeah. I do. I fought that idiot a long time ago.

“I don't know how deep the connection is…… but, um…… if it's serious enough to make a Great Witch move personally, then I don't think you should remain here too long.”

“I was already planning that.”

If they lingered and an Ancient Dragon or Great Witch happened to show up, there'd be no answer.

Especially since Dragons and Witches already had plenty of grievances against his Legion Commanders.

As the investigation continued, reports would move upward, and if he got unlucky, beings like that might suddenly appear.‘Well, if that happens…….’He stared at Iris.

Clearing a Gate usually forced you outside. And the final remaining clear condition was…….‘Killing her.’If something like that showed up?

He'd kill her and run.

This Witch had originally been an evil creature trying to exterminate every living being on the continent and seize the land. He had no particular qualms about killing her.

It simply wasn't time yet.

After collecting the Skill Book and Witch Jewel for the necklace, he looked at Iris.

“I need you to do something for me.”

An Apprentice Witch.

There were plenty of uses for one.* * *The Witch's army ruled the continent.

Each of the fortresses in the east, west, south, and north had one Apostle stationed there. Liam, the Third Apostle, ruled the West.

He respectfully lowered his head toward Witch Iris, visible through the crystal orb.

“This lowly servant Liam greets the great Witch.”―Good. Listen carefully to my command from now on. Empty every fortress and march every soldier toward the center.

“……

Excuse me? You want us to abandon the fortresses?”―Since when did someone like you question my orders?

“F-Forgive me. I've committed a sin worthy of death…….”―Enough. Just do it. I've already given the same order to the other Apostles.

“U-Understood. I will follow your command.”

Liam bowed respectfully.

The connection ended.‘What is this?’He tilted his head.

Back when they first subjugated the Orcs.

The Witch had once gathered every soldier and personally taken command.

But things had been different afterward.

With no force left on the continent capable of opposing them, she'd built fortresses and distributed the army among them.‘Does the Witch intend to move personally again?’Only two possibilities came to Liam's mind.

Gathering forces to reclaim the fallen Northern Fortress.

Or the other possibility.‘A direct confrontation with the Ice Dragon.’There was no reason to gather the entire army unless it involved an event of that magnitude.

Either way, the Witch's orders were absolute. Loyal Liam immediately obeyed.

Not a single soldier remained inside the fortress as the entire force marched toward the center.

In truth, that wasn't much of a problem.

Even if nobody guarded the Fragment of Winter, destroying it was a difficult task in itself. Of course, leaving it unattended for too long would eventually become a problem, but if the Witch herself was leading the army, defeating the enemy wouldn't take long.

And if she truly intended to fight the Ice Dragon…….‘Then there's no need to defend the fortresses.’The fortresses had been built and maintained specifically to protect the Fragments.

But if they were going to fight the Dragon?

There was no reason to protect them.

There was even a plausible motive.

They'd obtained countless corpses thanks to the Fragments, but now the supply of corpses was steadily decreasing.‘Perhaps a great war is about to begin.’The other Apostles were probably already leading their armies toward the center as well. After marching for days, Liam finally reached the Witch's tower at the heart of the continent.

Countless troops were already lined up before it. The armies of the First and Second Apostles. Even without Bellitas, the Fourth Apostle, adding Liam's own forces pushed their numbers well beyond one hundred thousand.

At the top of the tower.

Kim Minwoo watched them with a satisfied smile and nodded.

“Good job. You gathered them diligently in only a few days.”

“I-I did my best.”

Iris answered politely.

Why bother roaming from fortress to fortress hunting them?

If he gathered every last one in one place like this, it was free experience duplication.

He looked at Merhen.

“Let's kill them quickly. You can do it, right?”―Yeah. I'll do what Minwoo says.

A terrifying amount of Mana gathered over Merhen's hands. SSS-rank magic applied for this stage.

And with Rampage, it could be stacked five times.[Meteor(SSS)

is being stacked…….]

The sky suddenly darkened.