Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: Primitive Magic Foundations
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While Firesiran caught up with Piran on all the stories they'd missed over the years, Leyzon quietly stepped aside.
He had merged with the undead to bring them here.
And this time, it wasn't just one or two—it was all four.
It was a massive investment, steeling himself to ensure Firesiran was truly defeated.
So, no one could predict what kind of backlash it might bring.
The quicker he dispelled it, the less the aftereffects.
Leyzon hurried outside.
And immediately had to roll around on the ground.
"Groooan."
Leyzon rolled on the floor, letting out a groan of agony.
The price of merging with the undead came back as an unimaginable burden.
The sensation of stretching his entire body to its maximum, then snapping it back in.
There was no other way to describe it.
'Probably the backlash from my magic power surging so massively.'
Still, he now knew what happened when he merged with all four undead at once.
Leyzon forced a positive spin and smiled.
"Lord Leyzon looks like he might be in real trouble. What do we do?"
"Just wait it out, I guess."
In Leyzon's private room, atop the bed.
Syria paced anxiously, while Eden lounged with a sleepy expression.
"Hmm, so this is what it feels like."
"Hahaha, everyone shrinking down like me—it's a hilarious sight!"
Estelle marveled at the undead fusion she'd never experienced before.
Pauli, on the other hand, laughed as if it were all amusing, having always been ant-sized.
It was a perfectly reasonable reaction for him.
"Lord Leyzon, try photosynthesizing with me—it'll help a bit!"
Pauli basked in the sunlight, absorbing it with all his might.
Photosynthesis [Special].
Thanks to this, Pauli recovered faster than any other undead.
Pauli's suggestion made perfect sense.
Leyzon struggled to prop himself up and sat under the pouring sunlight.
Sunlight began seeping into his entire body.
But his body remained limp.
Leyzon looked just like a boxer who'd gone through an intense seizure.
After lying sprawled for a while, a knock came.
"Lord Leyzon, it's Niafrine."
The Poison Spider.
"Come in."
At Leyzon's words, Nia opened the door.
She flinched at the sight of him sprawled out.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm in the middle of some intense recovery right now."
Photosynthesis is the best.
Leyzon gestured for her to sit comfortably.
The Poison Spider cautiously sat, under the undeads' watchful glares.
"Lord Leyzon, first off, thank you again for rescuing Piran."
"No need to bring it up again."
"And now, about the results of the primitive magic research."
Leyzon's eyes sharpened in an instant.
He lightly shook out his body and straightened up.
In a moment, he looked perfectly fine.
No trace of the groaning mess from moments ago.
"As expected of Lord Leyzon~!"
Leyzon smiled faintly at Syria's enthusiastic flattery.
"Good. Let's hear it."
This was the primitive magic research he'd been waiting for.
Lately, Leyzon had encountered Earth beasts twice.
That only made the importance of primitive magic sink in deeper.
'Skills eventually hit a limit.'
Skills were extractors created by the Empire.
He had no intention of just feeding them nutrients until he died.
"Yes. To cut to the chase, as you predicted, Lord Leyzon—we've laid the foundations for primitive magic. The research is a success."
Leyzon felt a surge of praise for Pauli.
It was Pauli who'd suggested the foundational research, after all.
"Piran was a huge help. Without his talent, we couldn't have grasped it."
"Gotta treat him to something delicious when he gets back."
Piran was now one of Leyzon's undead.
Of course, Leyzon had no plans to meddle in Piran's life.
He hadn't turned him undead just to play master.
Still, he felt like looking out for the kid.
'Like having a son among the bunch.'
It felt like he'd gained an adopted child.
"Yes, and here's the result."
The Poison Spider set down the bag she'd brought.
She pulled out books one by one, stacking them on the table.
Each one was impressively thick.
"One book per spell."
An astonished exclamation burst from Leyzon's lips.
"...These are just basic spells?"
Even the top-tier Poison Necromancer spells Leyzon remembered weren't this thick.
Could basic spells be thicker than advanced ones?
"Yes. Those are the pure essence of primitive magic."
The Poison Necromancer spellbook was the culmination of countless necromancers' deliberations.
"But starting from absolute nothing, we lack the academic knowledge to distinguish what to cut and what to keep as essential."
The Poison Spider was establishing primitive magic theory from scratch.
It was no different from heading a blank slate.
If anything, compiling it into single volumes like this was worthy of respect.
"Most of it is thanks to Piran. The kid brought my theories to life like a true genius."
Talent really was something else.
"So, if I read and master these..."
"Yes, you'll acquire the basic spells."
Leyzon rolled up his sleeves.
Another major task had just been added to his plate.
And it looked like a tough one.
"Good thing my memory's my strong suit."
Leyzon grinned.
"Looks like it's finally time for my speed-reading to shine."
He was determined to master them.
It was a few hours later when Piran emerged.
In the meantime, Leyzon had photosynthesized while devouring the basic magic tomes.
Syria had diligently fetched him water and snacks.
Though most of the snacks ended up in her mouth.
Leyzon wasn't big on sweets anyway.
The undead, led by Pauli, had all recovered safely.
With this, the Resonance Realm restoration backlash was fully over.
"Piran, you two still have plenty to talk about. You came out pretty early."
"I'm good! We'll have tons of time to chat with Mom from now on."
Piran, emerging from the Resonance Realm, smiled brightly.
His face was brighter than ever before.
"Yeah, we'll be going in often from now on."
As long as Leyzon was around, Firesiran wouldn't disappear.
So he fully supported the two seeing each other often.
"And Mom—er, Mother—said she has something to tell you, Lord Leyzon."
That was what he'd been waiting for.
Leyzon had given Piran and Firesiran space to reunite after so long.
But the real reason he'd restored the Resonance Realm was something else.
One was the Ghost Bride Firesiran had promised to find: Tessa Miriji.
The other was the lizard Firesiran had protected.
"Thanks for passing it on."
The undead merger backlash was mostly recovered.
Time to head back into the Resonance Realm.
"Abyss."
At that moment, the Flame Head appeared beside Leyzon.
"I'm about ready to leave."
The Flame Head was departing sooner than expected.
"Restoring the Resonance Realm took more time than I thought."
"Meaning we don't have much time left."
The Flame Head fell silent at Leyzon's response.
The Empire falls in 100 years.
That's the constant result from running Dungeon Replay simulations.
Over 100 years had already passed.
Whether Leyzon's intervention extended it or it was always like this, he didn't know.
But he vaguely sensed what that 100-year mark signified.
'It's when the transcendent corpse starts losing power.'
The evil transcendent's increased interventions.
The Earth beasts' invasions.
The prophet's emergence.
The Judgment Lord, the Dragon Lord, the ancient dragon.
This chain of events all began as the transcendent corpse weakened.
'Not just the evil one.'
Judging by Carmen, transcendents weren't singular.
Evil transcendent and good transcendent.
There were likely many more beyond those two.
And their interventions into the Empire were ramping up.
The Flame Head judged that extinction was inevitable.
So he decided to prepare a new cage for the downfall.
'The nation-founding ending is probably tied to this too.'
Leyzon pondered deeply.
He didn't like the Imperial family, but he didn't want the Empire to fall.
"Flame Head, let's make a deal."
"A deal?"
"Here, Sahā Village."
Leyzon pointed to the ground beneath his feet.
The village where he'd declared the nation-founding ending.
This was now his primary stronghold.
"If you can complete your new cage centered on Sahā Village, I'll fully support it."
The Flame Head's eyes slowly widened.
It was completely unexpected.
"Answer whenever you're ready. Talk it over with your comrades."
No need for an immediate reply.
From the moment the Flame Head impersonated Abyss, he'd shown he needed Leyzon's power.
So Leyzon knew he'd come around eventually.
The guy was sharp, after all.
"Oh, and before you go, say goodbye to Firesiran.
You had your own reasons for wanting the Resonance Realm restored all this time, right?"
The Flame Head didn't deny it.
He too had put immense effort into the restoration.
Without Leyzon or the Poison Spider, meeting Firesiran wasn't easy.
If he had questions, now was the time.
"...Alright."
The Flame Head replied, his face clouded with complex thoughts.
Leyzon's proposal had muddled his mind that much.
Ponder it long and hard.
Leyzon didn't discourage his deliberation.
Someday, he'd realize Leyzon had spoken only truth.
And imagining the hollow laugh he'd wear then... it was a bit funny.
The Flame Head would never grasp the meaning of that smile.
Leyzon slowly opened his eyes.
A familiar space unfolded before him.
Leyzon's private room in the Resonance Realm.
Now cleanly restored.
It had been a while since he'd entered without the undead.
He boldly pushed open the door and stepped out.
Soon, the corridor he walked cut off.
In its place, a flower-filled meadow spread out.
'Flame Head hasn't arrived yet, huh.'
Then, a dark elf woman with faintly translucent skin appeared.
She was the Ghost Princess, freed from the evil vein with Leyzon's help.
"Firesiran."
At Leyzon calling her name, Firesiran turned toward him.
She smiled brightly the moment she saw him.
"Lord Leyzon, you've come."
Her face was much brighter since reuniting with her son.
Leyzon approached her amid the warm welcome.
"Catch up a lot with your son?"
"We still have much to talk about, but now we can do it anytime. All thanks to you, Lord Leyzon."
She finally had time to converse with the son of her dreams.
She didn't know how to repay this grace.
"And I felt this needed to be shared urgently."
Firesiran looked down at her hands with a hesitant expression.
"Thanks to you, I've become a Ghost Princess, right?"
"That's right."
"I wasn't sure at first, but now I can say for certain."
Firesiran clenched her fists tight.
"That day the evil transcendent invaded the Resonance Realm... I sensed the Ghost Bride's presence."
Leyzon's eyes began to widen slowly.
Ghost Bride, Tessa Miriji.
The last of the five undead Leyzon created 100 years ago.
She was moving with the evil transcendent.