Chapter 164
Chapter 164
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 164
Chapter Title: Puzzle of Transcendence
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Based on the information so far, the hypotheses lined up in his mind.
Leyzon fell silent, staring at the hypothesis taking clearer shape before him.
What the hell is this transcendent being, and why is it doing this?
He couldn't even begin to guess.
Much less could he tell how far things had progressed.
"Leyzon, are you okay?"
Syria asked worriedly as Leyzon's complexion worsened.
Leyzon gathered his scattered thoughts.
For now, everything was just his speculation.
But there were too many pointing circumstances to dismiss it as mere guesswork.
"What would a parasite like you know! My words aren't getting through that thick skull of yours, huh? Head hurts just thinking about it!"
Carmen cackled at Leyzon.
Then she took a smack from Syria and quieted down.
The blow had done the trick.
Leyzon let out a deep breath.
As she said, it might be better if he couldn't predict it at all.
He could've been happy just leisurely aiming for the ending.
But this world was reality.
Thought and judgment decided life and death.
Leyzon had an innate survival instinct.
'Spend my life as a worker ant getting drained dry by the empire until I die?'
No thanks. Absolutely not.
He had no intention of watching the empire—queen ant and all—take flight unchallenged.
Leyzon had glimpsed fragments of the world.
'The empire hasn't made its move yet.'
That meant the pieces for completing the puzzle were still missing.
'If they could, they'd have done it long ago.'
So what was the empire lacking?
Leyzon's thoughts converged on one answer.
'Why did clearing the four great dungeons trigger the ending until now?'
Leyzon's gaze turned beyond the shadows.
No pioneer had ever reached the four great dungeons.
Yet players had raced to clear them one after another.
'Maybe they're waiting for the four great dungeons to be cleared.'
The four great dungeons were legends among pioneers.
Dungeons no one could clear.
Thus, the moment they were cleared, the empire would reach its ending.
'Because completing the four great dungeons is the puzzle that lets the imperial family ascend to transcendent beings.'
Leyzon clenched his fists tight.
Following the dungeon endings would only help the empire.
'All the more reason, then.'
He had to seize the keys to the four great dungeons.
That way, he could stop others from entering them.
'I need to clear the key dungeons for the four great dungeons even faster now.'
The one sure way to check the empire.
The light of that path was starting to shine.
Leyzon's eyes gleamed.
The situation was undoubtedly desperate.
The empire's path was already an unstoppable current.
But they hadn't anticipated it.
A stumbling block they never imagined had appeared.
The corner of Leyzon's mouth curved into a savage grin.
His specialty was maintaining a positive mindset even in the worst situations.
No matter how hopeless, if there was even a sliver of breakthrough, Leyzon never gave up.
That was how he'd survived—and how he lived.
'They've been treating me like the black curtain nonstop until now.'
They had no idea what a real black curtain was.
One who would shatter every picture the empire painted.
'If you're going to treat me like the black curtain, then I'll become the real one.'
The stepping stones to becoming transcendent beings.
He'd kick them down one by one and smash them to pieces.
This was something Leyzon was most confident in.
"Whoa, that's a scary grin."
Carmen muttered absently as Leyzon smiled.
It was unmistakably the smile of someone who'd turned their back on the world.
"As expected, Leyzon smiles the coolest in the world!"
"He's thinking up something huge again."
"I-It's getting scary now."
"Woof!"
The undead and Hanok chimed in at Leyzon's smile.
But they all knew it well.
When Leyzon smiled like that, the situation would change drastically.
Leyzon finished organizing his thoughts and looked up.
His eyes met Carmen's.
She flashed a sly grin.
"So, you get it now, right? If you leave me like this, the black plague will burst and I'll die."
Carmen flailed her arm stuck in the pillar.
She was already fed up with her life because of the black plague.
"You don't want to see the black plague burst inside you either, do you? Right?"
She'd said her piece—now let her go.
Leyzon stared at Carmen silently.
Then he tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"Your story reminded me of something."
"What now."
"You treated me like a beast of the earth. My undead too."
Carmen stared at Leyzon, wondering what he was getting at.
Leyzon slowly raised his hand.
Carmen's rightsization by Syria hadn't worked.
Probably because of the black plague.
The beasts of the earth were already rightsized by some transcendent being.
So rightsization didn't work on them.
"Maybe I can turn you into undead material with my skill."
"W-Wait, you're serious?"
Undead were technically in a half-anti-death state.
Neither alive nor dead.
Even if the black plague flared up, it wouldn't kill her.
Besides, Leyzon had personally broken a transcendent being's domain before.
Like with Pauli—if undead, they could shatter the transcendent domain.
"Don't worry. It's not bad for you. You're going to die anyway, so I'm saving you."
"How can you be so sure when you've never tried it on a person before!"
"My motto is 'live positively.'"
"There's nothing positive about this!"
Carmen twisted desperately to escape.
But bound to the pillar, she couldn't dodge the approaching hand.
Her face crumpled in despair.
"W-Wait. There must be another way. Let's make a deal. I'll offer the best terms."
"I'm reckless but cautious."
Leyzon bared his teeth in a grin, spouting contradictions.
"I don't save people who might hold grudges against me."
Unless it was valuable resentment, like with Rafila or the Sword Saint.
Carmen was an unknown enemy—a beast of the earth.
Who knew what tricks she had up her sleeve.
He didn't want headaches later.
So Leyzon had planned to deal with her from the start.
"Wouldn't it be more peaceful in the afterlife if you at least tried something?"
"You're treating my death as a given!"
"I'm always serious. Trust me. I'll make you one hell of an undead. And it's good for you too."
Look at Syria, Iwen, and Haron.
How splendidly they'd grown.
Leyzon placed his hand firmly on the screaming Carmen's head.
"Come to think of it, what was your name again?"
Now that he thought about it, they hadn't even exchanged names.
"S-Sniff, C-Carmen Aurora."
Carmen sniffled, her face resigned to this life ending.
"Right, Carmen. Let's be reborn."
"Hiiieeeek!"
Auto-Evolving Undead Creation [?EX]
Skill activated.
Inside Syria's shadow.
Leyzon activated the skill on Carmen, a beast of the earth.
A massive amount of mana drained from Leyzon's grip.
This was only his second time using Auto-Evolving Undead Creation [?EX], after Haron.
And the first on a living person.
So he had no idea what the outcome would be.
Leyzon didn't take lives lightly.
But he wasn't the type to let enemies go unscathed either.
He always eliminated potential future variables.
That was Leyzon's unwavering principle.
Carmen treated imperial citizens like parasites.
The moment she realized Leyzon wasn't a beast of the earth.
She showed utter contempt without hesitation.
It wasn't the look you give another person.
'This woman's brain was broken from the start.'
She'd kidnapped and exploited pioneers for her own greed without scruple.
Carmen felt no guilt whatsoever.
She wore a human skin, but her mindset was different.
To Leyzon, beasts of the earth weren't much different from transcendent gods.
So he'd never planned to let her live from the beginning.
Someone with that morality and common sense wouldn't thank him for sparing her life.
She'd definitely cause problems later.
Thus, Leyzon decided to turn her into an undead without qualms.
Leyzon opened the bag he always carried.
It was filled with materials he'd collected over time.
Leyzon had the habit of hoarding anything that looked good.
Money was meant to be spent.
Wherever he went, he'd hit the markets and buy anything promising on sight.
And now, it was paying off.
[Impure Heart][Moon's Hatred][Creepy Goat Mask][Pointing Finger]
Everything Leyzon pulled out was top-grade material.
This was his first undead creation on a living being.
Leyzon didn't skimp on the ingredients.
Carmen's consciousness had already flown off somewhere.
She could only twitch occasionally, unable to do anything.
Leyzon poured in maximum concentration.
'Experiencing Haron's creation first was huge.'
Without that, he'd have failed already.
Leyzon's eyes turned ashen.
The mask couldn't handle the massive mana drain.
Poison bugs spawned at Leyzon's feet before he knew it.
He injected poison while simultaneously activating Poison Recovery [B].
After repeating the process with mana and hands for a long time.
'It's complete.'
Leyzon exhaled with the exhaustion washing over his body.
"Haa."
The breath filling his mouth spilled out.
His mouth was thick with mana from overexertion—
'Or more like poison.'
Leyzon swallowed the bitter taste on his tongue and looked down.
A figure entered his view.
"Syria."
At Leyzon's call, Syria released the pillar binding her.
The body collapsed before him.
Thud—
Carmen's knees hit the ground, her head drooping limply.
"Carmen Aurora."
Leyzon called her name.
Her shoulders twitched once.
Then she slowly opened her eyes.
A hazy image formed in Carmen's fluorescent pupils.
She raised her hand to touch her face.
The sensation was unchanged.
She felt over her body next.
Nothing new had grown or vanished.
It was exactly as before.
"W-What did you do?"
Carmen pressed Leyzon impatiently, frustration boiling over.
To her, nothing had changed.
Maybe he'd lied just to scare her.
She desperately hoped so.
"Looks like Corruption Level 1 doesn't show right away."
Leyzon decided to remind her.
He rummaged in his pouch.
What he pulled out was a moonstone.
Thud—
The moment Carmen saw the moonstone, her heart pounded wildly.
At the same time, an unbearable sensation surged through her body.
Drip— Pop!
Fur suddenly sprouted across her entire body.
Whoosh!
Soon, her whole form was covered in pitch-black fur.
Immense leg strength came with hooves on her legs.
Simultaneously, Carmen realized something had sprouted on her head.
She hurriedly raised her hand.
A massive, coiled horn gripped in her palm.
Carmen turned dazed eyes to Leyzon.
"......What the hell have I become?"
Leyzon spread a wide blood droplet screen.
An image formed, revealing her appearance.
Lush fur covering her body.
Coiled horns crowning her head.
Sturdy hooved legs.
Carmen's form had completely transformed.
Moon Goat.
An undead born from the goat worshipped as a symbol of the devil.