Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Peerless Gem
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Peerless Gem.
A special material that upgrades a skill by one rank.
Even Leyzon had never laid eyes on it even once.
Which was why he had some questions about its boundless possibilities.
Clearly, the merit of evolving a skill by one step was tremendous.
But.
The pinnacle grade known as EX.
No one, not even Leyzon, knew what would happen if he used a Peerless Gem on it.
When curiosity struck, there was only one thing to do: put it to the test.
'Time to show you what a lucky bastard looks like.'
Leyzon immediately used the Peerless Gem on his sole EX-grade skill.
Auto-Growing Undead Creation.
A burst of white light unfolded before him.
Leyzon blinked at the sight.
The Peerless Gem in his hand was gone.
If this were in the game, a message like "Peerless Gem has been used" would have popped up.
No window appeared in front of Leyzon.
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
The Peerless Gem had definitely been used.
Leyzon rummaged through his pockets.
Then he pulled out his Pioneer ID.
It listed his skills, so he figured he'd check it.
Unfortunately, the Pioneer ID showed no changes.
'Figured as much.'
He wouldn't know until he updated it at an Adventurer's Guild outpost.
He even tested the sensation of activating a skill.
There was just a faint tickling feeling—nothing concrete.
"L-Leyzon, sir?"
In that moment, a childish voice reached Leyzon's ears.
He turned toward it with a puzzled look.
There stood a petite girl.
A girl with snow-white hair like her eyes.
It was Syria, dressed in the white dress she often wore.
Leyzon blinked at her sudden return to her original form.
At the same time, he sensed something ominous in the air.
"...Syria?"
The moment Leyzon rushed toward her.
He had just used the Peerless Gem moments ago.
For all he knew, something might have gone wrong with Syria, his undead.
"Hic, s-something's!"
As Leyzon approached, Syria twisted and cried out.
The instant she wailed like she was about to cry.
Right before Leyzon's eyes.
Crack!
Syria melted away.
"Syria!?"
Leyzon shouted in the face of this unforeseen turn.
He stood frozen where Syria had been.
His face was blank, eyes wide in shock.
Something.
Something had gone wrong.
The moment he realized it.
A sudden heat surged through Leyzon's body.
"Guh!"
A groan escaped his lips.
An intense heat that muddled his mind spread through his entire body.
He nearly blacked out from it.
But Leyzon gritted his teeth and endured.
'Syria vanished suddenly. Is this change in my body related to using the Peerless Gem?'
Whatever it was, Leyzon glared ahead.
He couldn't afford to lose consciousness here.
He had to hold on and figure out what happened to Syria.
Thud—
The mask fell from Leyzon's face.
His gray eyes were revealed.
In that desperate moment of clinging to his resolve.
Leyzon realized his field of vision had lowered.
Black and white hair swirled around him in equal measure.
The heat that had settled in his body began to fade.
Leyzon slowly uncurled his shrunken form.
Through the strands of hair, red eyes gleamed coldly.
He barely regained his muddled senses.
Leyzon first assessed the situation.
What had just happened.
Where had Syria gone.
To find out, he felt over his body.
Then Leyzon realized.
He had shrunk.
His height had dwindled to that of a child.
"What."
He couldn't make sense of it.
Squeeze—
In that instant, Leyzon felt something odd in his mouth.
He reached in and touched fangs.
"Huh?"
Leyzon voiced his confusion.
[Uh, umm?]
A familiar voice echoed in his head.
Realizing whose it was, Leyzon's eyes widened.
"Syria?"
[Leyzon, sir?]
Syria's reply came back.
Disbelief crossed Leyzon's face.
Syria's voice hadn't come from outside.
It resonated from within.
"...No way."
Leyzon caught on and raised his hand.
"Syria, try using Blood Flow Magic."
[O-Okay!]
The moment Leyzon spoke, his mana stirred abruptly.
Leyzon let out an exclamation.
His mana felt utterly different from before.
It had been a mere speck before.
Now, its depth was immeasurable.
A vast ocean of mana churned within.
Humm—
A massive orb of blood formed before Leyzon.
Leyzon stared blankly and muttered to himself.
"...I never could've imagined this."
"Leyzon, sir?"
Just then, Hanok emerged from the bushes.
He looked disheveled all over.
But his movements seemed fine.
[Wh-what just happened?]
Syria asked.
Leyzon swallowed hard.
If he had to guess, there was only one reason for this.
The Peerless Gem had influenced something.
'Never thought it'd go in this direction.'
Something similar came to mind.
"...Spirit Mages have a ultimate skill called Spirit Fusion."
The Spirit Mage class.
It commands spirits.
The Spirit Mage's ultimate skill.
Spirit Fusion [EX].
They merge with a spirit to become one.
During Spirit Fusion, the Spirit Mage boasts the highest stats of any class.
Nothing is more terrifying than a Spirit Mage in Spirit Fusion.
"We're probably in a similar state."
What one might call Undead Fusion.
He never imagined the skill would evolve this way.
Leyzon's gaze fell on Blood Flow Magic.
The orb Syria had conjured was Blood Fountain [S].
'If it's like Spirit Fusion...'
Leyzon tested Fierce Poison Spread [C].
Green mist began mixing into the blood orb.
An orb of blood and poison formed.
'It works.'
Fierce Poison Spread [C]
Blood orb infused with poison
Just as Syria could use skills.
Leyzon could use them too.
[I-I'm one with Leyzon, sir!?]
Syria cried out in surprise.
Her body had vanished so suddenly.
It was understandable she'd be rattled, so he prepared to explain.
[Hee hee, it feels like I'm completely bound to you in destiny, Leyzon, sir!]
Syria's voice brimmed with excitement.
To Syria, Leyzon was her creator.
Anything that helped him brought her immense joy as his creation.
She made no effort to hide her delight.
'She took it that way.'
True to form as an undead Leyzon created.
Syria saw the positive in everything.
'I'll learn the details after updating the Pioneer ID.'
He'd gained an incredible trump card for crises.
'Now it's about duration and cooldown.'
Spirit Fusion had a half-day cooldown.
The spirit used was also unusable for a full day.
'High chance this is similar. Better head back for today.'
Plus, there might be aftereffects on Leyzon himself.
Leyzon decided to exit the Sahā Realm first.
He turned to Hanok.
For some reason, Hanok had his tail and ears pinned flat.
Meeting Leyzon's eyes, Hanok shuddered.
"Hanok, you took down that guy, right?"
Hanok's fur bristled.
"Y-Yes, yes!"
He looked like a terrified cat.
"...I, uh, dumped him in the woods."
Seeing Hanok's reaction, Leyzon realized something.
The aura emanating from him now was Syria's power.
Syria's Corruption Level 19.
A monster on par with a Gold-rank hero.
Syria was adept at handling her own power.
She managed its leakage meticulously.
Leyzon himself hadn't recognized her at first.
But this power was new to Leyzon.
As a result, Syria's usually contained aura leaked out fully.
Not even her full strength.
Just her normal state.
Yet a 6-Ascension Pioneer like Hanok could barely stand.
'If I'd unleashed her full power...'
Hanok might have passed out on the spot.
"Syria, any way to rein in the aura?"
Hanok's eyes spun from instinctual fear.
Keep this up, and he'd break.
[Oh, right.]
Syria seemed to have overlooked it too; Leyzon felt her fidgeting inside.
Moments later, Leyzon's presence began to fade.
"Hanok."
Leyzon called him again.
Hanok's face finally relaxed a bit.
"L-Leyzon, sir! I didn't run away!"
Hanok said vigorously, eyes teary.
Leyzon smiled faintly.
As Syria had warned, Hanok hadn't fled—he'd held his ground.
Impressive.
"Good job. Hanok, can you show me the body?"
"Y-Yes!"
Hanok, catching his breath, nodded eagerly.
While Leyzon grabbed his mask, Hanok led the way.
Soon, they reached a corpse with its throat torn out.
Leyzon instinctively frowned a little.
But seeing bodies now was no reason to hesitate.
Leyzon roughly searched Liren's body.
A Steel Wolf Guild mark popped out.
The name below: Liren.
Leyzon had overheard some Steel Wolf chatter earlier.
Liren was the guild master's brother—Iron Wall.
'Not a Sovereign, just a big guild master. Not terrifying.'
Still, better to avoid trouble.
"Syria, can you erase that?"
[Easy!]
The moment Syria replied, shadows surged from Leyzon's feet.
They swiftly swallowed Liren's corpse.
With the body gone.
The Steel Wolf Guild would take time to piece things together.
"Let's handle the other bodies too."
Leyzon found and disposed of the rest the same way.
Temporary measures were in place.
Job done, Leyzon headed swiftly for the Sahā Realm dungeon exit.
He wanted out before Undead Fusion ended.
"Almost there."
The end of the Sahā Realm dungeon was in sight.
As Leyzon stepped toward the exit.
The Sahā Realm dungeon entrance began to glow.
'Someone's coming in?'
Seemed like a Pioneer.
The moment Leyzon dismissed it.
Golden blonde hair fluttered like a banner.
Above that hair floated a single golden halo.
Atop pristine white bishop robes.
A man with a benevolent smile entered Leyzon's view.
The instant their eyes met, Leyzon felt a chill down his spine.
Leyzon had one jinx.
When his luck ran hot in streaks, extreme misfortune always followed.
Painful as it was.
From his experience, it was nearly 100%.
"Syria, hide Hanok and me in the shadows!"
Syria acted fast.
Shadows surged, enveloping Leyzon and Hanok in an instant.
Hanok panicked.
But Leyzon saw it clearly.
A flash streaking over the shadows.
Amid the flashes, a man with cross-emblazoned eyes smiling.
The punisher of all evil in the world.
He has appeared in Sahā Realm
He had suddenly appeared in the Sahā Realm dungeon.