Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: Carmen Aurora
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Carmen Aurora.
Her life had been tumultuous, to say the least.
The vast wasteland.
She had been born and raised in that barren place where even food was scarce.
Within her body lurked a vicious seed that tormented her her entire life.
The Black Plague.
A transcendent plague spread by a certain prophet to all the earth beasts.
A mark that she was in the grasp of the transcendent from the moment of her birth.
Carmen had witnessed the outbreak of that mark many times since childhood.
Because she was the youngest among the earth beasts.
All earth beasts leave alone for somewhere far away once they reach middle age.
Her mother, who had given birth to her as a late child, was no different.
The year Carmen turned three.
She let go of Carmen's hand and departed toward the distant sunset.
All Carmen could do was wail.
The helplessness she felt then bound her for life.
Carmen didn't want to end up like that.
So she tried every means possible and sneaked into the empire.
She'd rather tear into corpses and become a prophet herself.
That was her sole determination as she infiltrated the empire.
Which was why she never could have anticipated this situation.
Before the mirror of blood.
Her reflection looked nothing like a human.
Moon Goat.
That was the name of the undead she had become.
"You're... a hair sorceress, right?"
Just then, a voice echoed in her ears.
There stood a half dark elf.
His skin tone didn't quite match that of a full dark elf.
But the blue glow inside his hair clearly marked him as one.
Crack—
At that moment, Leyzon removed the mask covering his face.
"Oh."
Carmen swallowed hard, staring blankly at Leyzon.
The rugged face from moments ago was gone, replaced by handsome features.
It was the kind of striking beauty that screamed elf lineage.
She never imagined such a face hid behind that grim mask.
Leyzon wiped the sweat from his face with his hand.
Using Auto-Evolving Undead Creation [?EX] had drained a lot of his energy.
He needed some air.
Anyway, he had already turned Carmen into an undead.
There was no real reason to keep hiding his face here.
Leyzon gave a soft smile to the dazed Carmen.
Carmen let out an involuntary cough.
That smile carried a completely different power from before.
"With that look, you'll never run short on fur."
"As expected of Leyzon! So thoughtful!"
Syria rushed to the weary Leyzon and immediately started fawning over him.
"Another little sister, huh."
Iden drawled lazily in his relaxed tone.
"Woof!"
Haron barked happily at the new youngest member, wagging his tail vigorously.
"Uh, um."
Hanok was the only one among them looking nervous.
Because Carmen was staring down at her now furry self.
A perfectly living person had turned into an undead in an instant.
He worried her sanity might not hold.
At that moment, Carmen's body suddenly began to tremble.
Hanok squeezed his eyes shut, thinking the worst had come.
"Hahaha, hahahahaha!"
Suddenly, Carmen burst into roaring laughter.
Hanok turned to her in shock.
She was even clapping her hands as she laughed.
"I look kinda like a scrub brush—it's adorable!"
Hanok stared at her blankly.
He didn't have Leyzon's knack for seeing through people.
Carmen had been a few screws loose long before this.
She was the freak who turned her hair into centipedes.
Someone like that wouldn't care about a little change in appearance.
"Right? It's quite the masterpiece."
"Better craftsmanship than it looks."
As Leyzon puffed up proudly, Carmen piled on the praise.
Hanok was the only one struggling to keep his sanity here.
"W-Wait a minute. Am I the only one who thinks this is not okay?!"
Hanok finally shouted in frustration.
Leyzon and Carmen glanced at each other.
Then they both shrugged nonchalantly.
"She's the cutest, so what's the problem?"
"Everyone's happy, right?"
Now Hanok was the one getting treated like the weirdo.
In a group of oddballs, the normal one always stands out.
Hanok quietly shut his mouth.
At least Iden seemed to understand a bit, patting his shoulder.
Hanok was having a rough day again.
But there was something Hanok didn't know.
There was another reason Carmen was laughing like this.
"...I never dreamed the traces of the Black Plague would really vanish."
Carmen checked her body's condition.
And in doing so, she realized the Black Plague was truly gone.
"I thought you were just saying it. You meant it?"
Carmen's eyes turned to Leyzon.
Earth beasts had seen many die from the Black Plague.
They all screamed in agony until the end.
Carmen didn't know much, but she knew she didn't want to die like that.
A ticking time bomb called the Black Plague.
Carmen had lived her whole life on the run from it.
So it was only natural her mind had broken long ago.
A mayfly life where death could come any day.
She wouldn't value others' lives, let alone her own.
If she was going to die, she'd thrash and fight until the end.
She hid in the empire's cracks, leaning on that uncertainty.
But who would have thought.
The Black Plague, like a time bomb, had really disappeared.
"Yeah, the Black Plague only affects earth beasts."
Leyzon had seen a similar case in the past.
Dungeon Replay wasn't a game only Leyzon played.
It was enjoyed by countless users.
Naturally, the internet forums were full of game info.
One post described a character contracted with an evil transcendent going through something similar.
After changing race through specific processes, the symptoms lifted.
"The Black Plague is essentially a transcendent's curse. And that curse targets only earth beasts."
A curse exerts its greatest power when the target is clear.
If the target becomes something entirely different, the curse loses meaning.
So when she became an undead, the Black Plague lost all effect.
"Hoo."
A breath heavy with years of resentment escaped Carmen's lips.
Carmen had suffered under the Black Plague her whole life.
Today, for the first time, she felt profound liberation.
That was why she didn't mind becoming a Moon Goat.
She had thought any form was fine as long as the Black Plague was gone.
Now that it was, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
"This is the best."
Carmen smiled softly and turned to Leyzon.
"I don't know how to repay this kindness."
Carmen was no longer Leyzon's enemy.
To her, Leyzon was the one who had freed her.
"What should I do? Feels like I've already answered everything worth answering."
Carmen looked troubled, saying she was broke and couldn't repay the favor.
"Then gather the earth beasts afflicted with the Black Plague from now on."
Leyzon gave her a simple mission.
Carmen's eyes widened.
She grasped what Leyzon meant.
"Carmen, now that you're a success story, some earth beasts will be tempted. Convince those guys."
"Ha."
Carmen let out an astonished breath.
"You're painting the big picture, aren't you."
Leyzon grinned.
As she said, Leyzon had seen far ahead with this.
The earth beasts with the Black Plague.
Leyzon was the one who could save them.
That meant from today, any earth beast wanting to survive would fall at Leyzon's feet.
Starting with Carmen, he would swallow the entire earth beast race whole.
That was the true value of Leyzon's grand vision.
"There's a foreign land made by earth beasts who couldn't become transcendents."
"Looks like the old man blabbed a bit."
"Yeah, go there and spread word of yourself. Gather those who share our cause. That's my first order."
Carmen laughed heartily, echoing Leyzon's words.
Then she slowly bowed with proper respect.
"I'll carry out my master's orders to perfection."
Earth beast Carmen Aurora.
This was the day she truly became Leyzon's subordinate.
Leyzon parted ways with Carmen.
Her main role was to rally the earth beasts.
She was busy hitting the road to fulfill it faithfully.
"Carmen, you're my undead now too. Don't die on guest quarters."
Leyzon was merciless to enemies.
But to those who became his own, he was kinder than anyone.
Now that Carmen was his undead, Leyzon had no intention of abandoning her.
So he shared various knowledge about undeath with her.
She too could level up corruption and evolve from now on.
Since she had a long journey ahead, she needed to prepare herself.
'Most importantly.'
Leyzon had figured out the empire's scheme.
To shatter it, he needed more numbers.
The earth beast forces would surely become a great power for him.
According to Carmen, there was a foreign land where earth beasts mainly lived.
If the whole land backed him, no force could compare.
"Thank you, Master. Thanks to you, I have hope in life now."
Carmen seemed to like the word "master" and stuck to it.
After removing the moonstone, her appearance returned to normal.
Except now she had long black hair again.
Carmen with flowing long hair was a strikingly attractive woman.
A feral charm unlike imperial women.
Then Carmen sidled up to Leyzon and whispered.
"And honestly, Master's face is my type? If you're interested in me, just say so. I'll hang out anytime."
Women from the foreign lands flirted differently too.
"Carmen."
Leyzon warned her.
"If you don't want to die as a fresh undead, you'd better go now."
Leyzon nodded toward below.
Suddenly, red shadows began bubbling up.
Syria's low voice echoed.
"The new little sis has no manners?"
"Whoa, better run if I don't wanna die."
Carmen quickly backed away from Leyzon and bolted.
"See you later, Master!"
She waved high toward the sky as she sped off.
It was just like her—bright and consistent from start to finish.
"Leyzon, I don't like the new little sis. She's not cute at all!"
As Syria huffed, Leyzon chuckled briefly.
"Still, treat her well. You're the big sis, Syria."
"Hmm, well, big sis... yeah, I suppose I should be magnanimous."
Syria's mood lifted a bit.
She must like the "big sis" title.
"It means I'm Leyzon's number one!"
She just liked Leyzon.
"Of course. Syria's the best."
And Leyzon knew how to top it off.
As Leyzon scooped up Syria and spun her around, she laughed in delight.
Hanok and Iden were long used to the sight.
"Leyzon, where to next?"
Leyzon set Syria down and looked up.
"Back to where we were headed."
Leyzon's destination was already set.
To ruin the empire's plans, gather the keys to the four great dungeons.
Back to the Defiant Plateau.