Chapter 176
Chapter 176
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Turning Piran into an Undead to Resolve the Malignant Veins
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To resolve the malignant veins, Piran would be turned into an undead.
Undead were beings that harbored hatred for the living.
No one knew more about undead than a necromancer.
Piran was a necromancer himself.
He would know exactly what it meant to become an undead.
Pirshiran would serve as an experimental subject before being turned.
Could becoming an undead resolve the malignant veins, or not?
That was the experiment he would undergo to find out.
Piran had no room for a second chance.
If undead creation failed to suppress Pirshiran’s malignant veins, she was done for.
She would rampage even more wildly with the power of undeath.
That was why Leyzon decided to conduct a clinical trial on Piran first.
This involved Pirshiran’s soul, after all—he had no choice but to proceed with utmost caution.
If it failed, he’d have to find another way.
Plus, in the event of failure, only Piran would end up undead.
“It’s fine. I’ll end up just like Mom anyway!”
But Piran smiled positively instead.
He didn’t doubt Leyzon for a second.
“You’re the idol of all necromancers, Leyzon.”
Piran had heard all about Leyzon from the Poison Spider.
What he meant to necromancers and just how incredible he was—she’d told him everything.
Above all, he was the benefactor who had saved her mentor, the Poison Spider, from a lifelong curse.
That was Leyzon.
So he believed without question that Leyzon would save his mother too.
“I’m a man of my word.”
Leyzon sat before Piran, who lay on the bed, a smile playing on his lips.
“I’ll make sure those malignant veins are dealt with for good.”
With that, he quickly opened his bag.
The room held only Leyzon and Piran right now.
Everyone else waited outside.
The undead stood silent guard around them.
Leyzon pushed his focus to the absolute limit whenever he crafted undead.
To them, this was like creating another family member.
So they protected him fiercely—no matter if the world split in two, nothing would disturb him.
A safe space under the watch of all his undead.
Once he finished selecting materials, he opened his mouth.
“Let’s begin. I’ll use anesthetic poison, so close your eyes.”
Piran was a poison necromancer like Leyzon.
It would be a potent toxin, but he’d be fine.
Leyzon activated Fierce Poison Aura [SS].
Moments later, Piran’s eyes slowly drifted shut.
The instant Piran fell asleep, Leyzon steadied his breath.
He already had experience turning Carmen’s life into undeath.
‘If I’m making one, I’ll make it perfect.’
Leyzon’s eyes flashed.
At the same moment, he activated his skill.
Auto-Evolving Undead Creation [?EX]
Skill activated.
With the skill’s activation, Leyzon’s hands began to move.
He could sense every path to take in crafting Piran.
Leyzon’s hands danced over Piran’s anesthetized body.
Each touch began subtly transforming him.
Leyzon didn’t even blink.
This was only his third undead creation after Haron and Carmen.
His skill had improved leaps and bounds since then.
Sweat dripped from his forehead.
Time marched on.
His hands never stopped, moving through the night.
Before long, sunlight filtered through the window cracks.
Chirp chirp!
The morning birds sang from outside.
He’d pulled an all-nighter.
After a long while, Leyzon’s hands finally slowed to a halt.
At last, he looked at Piran.
Piran’s appearance hadn’t changed drastically.
But his skin tone was different now.
Piran had once borne the deep hue of a dark elf.
Now, his skin was much lighter.
If not for his ears and hair, no one would peg him as a dark elf.
“Piran.”
Leyzon called softly, holding his breath.
Moments later, Piran’s eyes slowly opened.
He squinted at the morning sun streaming in.
Then, regaining his senses, he bolted upright.
He hurriedly turned to Leyzon.
“Leyzon, how’d it go?”
Leyzon stretched his stiff body with a series of cracks.
He let out a sigh of relief.
“Now we check.”
Time for verification.
“Piran, dark elves each have their own way of drawing out their malignant veins. You must know yours too.”
The final test.
Pass this, and Pirshiran could be saved.
“Yeah, I’ll do it right now.”
Piran declared he’d use it without hesitation.
His eyes slowly closed.
Leyzon watched silently.
A hush fell over the room.
In the tense air, Piran’s eyes opened again.
His pupils trembled violently.
Even Leyzon felt a twinge of tension this time.
“How is it?”
“...It worked.”
Piran murmured quietly.
Then he sprang to his feet.
“It worked! It really worked, Leyzon! The malignant veins aren’t activating!”
The moment Leyzon heard that, he collapsed onto the floor.
“Hoo, good.”
Undead creation always drained him utterly.
No strength left in his body.
Now Pirshiran could be saved too.
Turn her into an undead, and the Resonance World crisis would be over.
“B-but what kind of undead did I become? I don’t look that different.”
Piran tilted his head, inspecting himself.
Only his skin had changed externally, so it made sense.
“You’ll figure it out yourself. Like gathering power at your fingertip.”
Curious about his new form, Piran followed Leyzon’s advice and raised his index finger.
Soon, he felt power concentrate in his hand.
His index finger began to tremble.
As his eyes widened in surprise, the fingertip morphed into a snake’s head.
The snake head turned to Piran and flicked its tongue.
Piran’s eyes bulged.
“L-Leyzon!”
“If you lock eyes with me like that right now, I’ll turn to stone.”
Hearing that, Piran realized what he’d become.
Medusa
Piran was no longer a half dark elf—he was a Medusa now.
His eyes had taken on the serpentine form of a Medusa.
Piran quickly shook his head, and Petrifying Gaze [B] vanished.
“You’re a poison necromancer like me.”
A Medusa’s snakes all bore fierce poison.
They’d serve Piran well.
“Leyzon...”
Piran’s face crumpled with emotion.
He knew Leyzon had done this out of genuine care.
“Becoming undead comes with a few rules, but we’ll go over those later.”
Leyzon got to his feet.
Then he flung open the door.
The Poison Spider sat waiting there.
She’d stayed right outside the whole time Leyzon crafted Piran.
Piran was her disciple—and her friend’s son.
So she’d waited anxiously and now jumped up.
“You waited a long time.”
Leyzon said, gesturing behind him.
There stood Piran, staring at the Poison Spider with wide eyes.
“Master!”
“Piran!”
The Poison Spider rushed over and embraced him.
“You did well. You really did.”
She hugged him tight.
Becoming undead was terrifying even for Piran.
Perhaps that was why tears welled up unbidden.
Despite his resolve, he’d been tense.
Leyzon smiled warmly at the master and disciple.
Now preparations were complete.
“Everyone.”
At Leyzon’s call, the undead appeared in unison.
Piran and the Poison Spider flinched at their sudden arrival—they hadn’t been visible before.
Leyzon’s loyal servants gathered before him.
“The Resonance World’s master is rampaging hard.”
Leyzon bared his teeth in a feral grin.
“Let’s put her in her place.”
Now they’d take down Pirshiran to turn her into an undead.
Pirshiran.
Master of the Resonance World.
Once, she’d been a mother to a child.
She was a formidable soul necromancer.
Even among dark elves, where necromancers were common, her name rang out.
Dark elves valued skill above all.
Pirshiran, exceptionally talented, naturally received preferential treatment.
Marriage proposals poured in endlessly from within dark elf society.
But she rejected them all.
She had no desire to wed anyone.
A supremely proud and noble dark elf.
That was Pirshiran.
She had a close friend, though.
“Nia, you’re back.”
“Fled from the dark elves again, huh?”
Ironically, her best friend was an elf.
Niafrinu Agrasil.
An oddball elf fascinated by necromantic magic.
Nia had once nearly died from poison.
That sparked his interest, leading him to research toxins and eventually poison necromancy.
While consulting on poison necromantic spells, he’d met Pirshiran by chance.
An elf studying necromancy—a total weirdo.
And like Pirshiran, he was born a researcher.
They hit it off immediately.
“Pirshiran, I have someone to introduce you to.”
One day, Nia brought a close friend.
A mage researching various spells.
An eccentric elf who claimed magic predated skills.
The day she met him.
“Ah.”
Pirshiran fell in love at first sight.
After a long courtship, they bore fruit.
But dark elves disapproved greatly.
The woman who’d spurned their proposals had chosen an elf.
They couldn’t accept it.
“An elf? Really?”
“There’s eccentric, and then there’s too much.”
The elves felt the same.
“Mixing blood with a filthy dark elf!”
“Is he insane?”
They couldn’t tolerate it either.
But love burned bright regardless.
They had a child together.
Piran.
But after Piran’s birth, new problems arose.
His necromantic talent was too extraordinary.
Having a gifted child should’ve been a joy.
Her husband thought differently.
He was an early explorer who’d traveled the world.
He’d discovered magic—predating skills—through those journeys.
And he’d learned certain truths along the way.
“Dear, the Empire wants to excise the talents of other races.”
The Empire sought to neuter non-human talents.
Piran could become a target.
Fearing that, Pirshiran forbade him from learning necromancy.
She dreaded anyone seeing his gift.
But talent couldn’t be hidden forever.
Piran learning necromancy was inevitable.
“Dear, we’ll raise him right.”
“Yeah. They say nothing beats a parent’s love for their kid—spot on.”
Pirshiran and her husband decided to teach Piran magic.
Better he master magic to protect himself.
That’s what they hoped as they taught him.
They were blissfully happy until then.
Until the dark elf massacre tragedy.
The day the Empire obliterated the Gray Mage Tower.
A foreign dark elf appeared in the dark elf forest.
He slaughtered every last one.
He was overwhelmingly strong.
Even hordes of dark elves fell to a single swing.
Pirshiran became a target too.
Pirshiran and her husband fled with young Piran.
To save at least his life.
But the enemy was faster, and midway, her husband turned back.
“No, don’t!”
“Take care of Piran.”
He left to confront the foreign dark elf.
Pirshiran barely escaped to Nia’s house outside the forest.
Late at night, Nia saw her bloodied form.
“Nia, please. Hide my son.”
“Pirshiran, you—!”
Without another word, she entrusted Piran to him and fled.
If she stayed, that monster would come.
So she desperately escaped.
Nia put Piran to bed, then pursued her.
But by then, the foreign dark elf had already reached Pirshiran.
He gripped her throat.
“This makes the last one.”
That night, the sky she gazed at was utterly dark.
Long ago, she’d spoken with the Gray Mage Tower lord.
The Resonance World—a space for sharing necromantic knowledge.
Her research was near completion, but untested soul realm.
The Empire had begun hunting necromancers after toppling the tower.
Pirshiran knew this.
Piran would become a great necromancer someday.
So she ignited her soul one final time.
“Piran.”
A gift for her son, who would one day master necromancy.
A mother’s present, so he could learn and thrive unbound.
The Resonance World.
A haven for necromancers.
In dark memories.
Pirshiran’s head slowly lifted.
The gray-tinged Resonance World crumbled here and there.
She wandered her past memories endlessly.
The price of using her malignant veins to protect the Resonance World from the transcendent evil.
Her already dwindling soul power drained rapidly.
Yet she couldn’t control herself.
“I told you I’d be right back.”
Then a voice reached her ears.
Pirshiran slowly raised her head.
A man reflected in her eyes.
His soul form was utterly unique.
One thing was certain: he radiated warmth.
The man’s lips curved up slowly.
A smile she’d seen countless times.
It shone brilliantly.
“Time to go welcome our son.”
With that, Pirshiran’s consciousness faded once more.
Yet an inexplicable peace settled over her.