Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: Gravekeeper Gorgodon Captured by Blizzard Beasts
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The unprecedented situation of Gravekeeper Gorgodon being captured by blizzard beasts.
Leyzon couldn't have been more baffled.
A beast of the land that had entered during the empire's early days.
And among them, one who had survived for centuries, only to fall to phantasmal beasts.
It was naturally absurd.
Noticing Leyzon's reaction, the Landkeeper let out a hearty laugh.
"I heard the rough situation from Raklodun. You know we're beasts of the land, right?"
Raklodun was one whose bloodline mixed beast of the land and human.
He was surely one of the beasts of the land who had entered at the same time as the Landkeeper.
Perhaps because of that, the Landkeeper treated Raklodun like a nephew, with familiarity.
"That's right. I know you're beasts of the land. I even met Garjun recently."
"Then you must know how we maintain our lifelines."
Leyzon belatedly recalled Garjun absorbing a hero-grade dungeon.
"Could the Gravekeeper be..."
"Exactly. He's absorbing power from a hero-grade dungeon."
Oh man, you nearly scared me.
Leyzon finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I suppose he'll handle it on his own once time passes."
"But you don't know how long it'll take, do you, Landkeeper?"
"Afraid not."
Leyzon didn't have time to spare.
Not when the puppet troupe leader could move at any moment.
To prepare for war against him, he needed to grow stronger even a second sooner.
So he decided not to drag things out.
He was determined to uncover how to break through the limits of talent, no matter what.
"I'll be back."
The Blizzard Hollow was a headache-inducing dungeon.
But that only applied to ordinary hero-grade pioneers.
To Leyzon now, hero-grade dungeons were no big deal.
"Leyzon!"
At that moment, Piran suddenly appeared beside Leyzon.
"I want to go with you!"
Leyzon looked at Piran.
The Gravekeeper they were heading to was Piran's father's business partner.
And the very man who had unlocked Piran's potential.
For Piran, he surely wanted to face him directly.
There was also the desire to carry on his late father's legacy.
"Alright, let's go together."
As an undead, Piran could enter and exit dungeons freely.
If tucked into Syria's shadow, there'd be no issues at all.
"I'll wait here."
The Venom Spider wasn't undead like Piran.
With dungeon entry restrictions, she decided to stay behind.
She could continue research with Granfin, so no problems there.
"Pauli."
"Yeah, I'll have Jim guard it."
The Venom Spider had left it with Pauli.
"Come with us."
Then Raklodun expressed his intent to join as well.
"Raklodun!"
"The Blizzard Hollow is dangerous."
The two women tried to stop him, but he shook his head.
"I have business with the Gravekeeper too. No telling what might happen inside, so it's better if I go."
As he said, the Gravekeeper was an unpredictable sort.
If there was business, it made sense to go together.
Raklodun was not one to reverse a decision once made.
"Ugh, you stubborn mule!"
Perhaps because of that, the jewel woman Lizbel stomped the ground but didn't oppose him.
Likewise, Misha decided to go along with Raklodun's view.
With that, the party heading in was set.
"Landkeeper."
Leyzon decided to relay a message before leaving.
"Necromancers are gathering in Sahā Village. Including the Gray Mage Tower Master."
"Hm, from what I heard in the Resonance World."
After Pirsiran safely opened the Resonance World, the necromancers had resumed their gatherings.
The Landkeeper had been attending steadily, it seemed.
"Yeah, might as well have the necromancers band together, right?"
"But if anything, I'm a beast of the land."
"What's that matter? Garjun joined too."
The Landkeeper blinked.
He could feel that Leyzon truly didn't distinguish between beasts of the land and imperial citizens.
Leyzon had already built ties with Carmen, a beast of the land.
And he planned to cure the black plague afflicting them.
There was no particular reason to antagonize the beasts of the land.
"Heh."
The Landkeeper chuckled dryly for a moment.
"If there'd been someone like you 800 years ago, that would've been nice."
800 years ago.
Ancient history by far.
It made him realize the Landkeeper's age anew.
"Good. I'll think it over."
A positive response came back.
Leyzon felt that was enough and turned toward the dungeon.
As he entered the ruins' entrance, his view shifted moments later.
Leyzon opened his eyelids to reveal a vast field of pure white snow.
A beautiful scene of snowflakes blooming on barren trees here and there.
Yet the dizzying sensation at his nose tip was impossible to get used to.
And the air had almost no oxygen.
Realizing he couldn't breathe, Leyzon wrapped his entire body in shadow.
"Ugh."
Hanok, following behind, hurriedly took measures with his haron.
Having cleared quite a few hero-grade dungeons now, it was second nature.
Raklodun and the two women behind him handled it on their own just fine.
Everyone here, except Piran in the shadow, was a hero-grade veteran.
No matter how perilous the Blizzard Hollow, it couldn't stop them.
Soon, the wind began to howl.
Whooooosh!
With it, a blizzard rose in the distance.
The blizzard beasts had detected the intruders and were approaching.
Blizzard beasts too small to see with the naked eye.
Normally, one would be helpless and fall victim.
But to Leyzon, it was no concern.
Leyzon raised the Staff of Abundance.
Mana began surging around him unnoticed.
His eyes fiercely turned violet.
Poison Phantasmagoria
Transparent poison spreads across the entire atmosphere.
At that instant, colorless poison erupted from Leyzon's staff, blanketing the entire air in a flash.
Fwoooosh!
The oncoming blizzard pierced the air—and collided directly with the poison.
Blizzard beasts were tough enough to survive even in hydrogen atmospheres.
They tried to ignore the poison and push through.
But they soon realized what a foolish mistake that was.
Leyzon could sense the blizzard beasts writhing on the ground, screaming silently.
Blizzard beasts that endured hydrogen atmospheres were shrieking from the poison.
"...Blizzard beasts wiped out in one shot."
"Just from poison..."
Lizbel and Misha showed their shock.
Both knew well the perils of the Abyss.
They'd experienced his prowess back in the ossuary.
But they hadn't expected a single poison to annihilate the blizzard beasts.
Raklodun also frowned, sensing the poison's power.
He could feel how dangerously Leyzon had grown.
Just how monstrous did he plan to become?
Leyzon ignored their shock and pressed forward.
"Follow me. We're running late."
A necromancer casually taking point.
Normally, it'd earn ridicule as folly—but his opponent was the Abyss.
The three undead guarding his flanks formed an impenetrable wall.
Disasters included, they moved of their own accord.
The Vampire Queen smiled as if out for a stroll.
The demon lord of sloth rode leisurely on his shoulder in puppet form.
The serpent dragon nobly guarded the rear.
Only Hanok hurried along with quick steps.
"Raklodun."
"I know what you're thinking. No need to say it."
Raklodun shook his head at Lizbel's worried call.
He'd known the Abyss's dangers from the start.
Yet he'd joined hands anyway.
Fostering fear now would be pointless.
At least he was cooperative.
As long as he didn't turn, he'd be the perfect partner.
Raklodun hoped to maintain a good relationship with Leyzon going forward.
The deeper into the Blizzard Hollow, the thicker the blizzards grew.
Meaning the number of blizzard beasts surged dramatically.
But the blizzard beasts hadn't anticipated it.
That they'd be eliminated every time their numbers swelled.
Along Leyzon's path.
The corpses of blizzard beasts stretched out endlessly.
A poison mist swirled around Leyzon.
Those within it felt no effect, but it was a deadly toxin that melted even snow.
For the blizzard beasts, their small size became their poison.
Tiny bodies meant even trace amounts of toxin spelled doom.
Thus, Leyzon cleared endless blizzard beasts as he advanced.
"Syria, nothing in particular?"
"Nope. I've sent shadow bats pretty far, but nothing's showing up."
Beside Leyzon, Syria operated her shadow bats.
No sign of where the Gravekeeper had holed up.
Blizzard beasts periodically relocated where they gathered hosts.
There had to be a spot with hosts gathered this time too.
Finding it was tricky amid all the snow.
Boom!
"Abyss."
Then, with a tremor, Raklodun called to Leyzon.
Leyzon turned toward the vibration to see a dragon of snow rising.
The blizzard beasts weren't content to take it forever.
They clustered into a massive snow dragon.
But it wasn't just one.
Boom! Thud! Thud!
Their numbers exploded everywhere.
Soon nearing a hundred.
Blizzard beasts that ended you via skin or lung absorption.
Clearly aiming to swallow the poison mist whole.
"Going with overwhelming numbers, eh."
Leyzon chuckled dryly and spun his staff.
"Estelle."
"Yes."
At Leyzon's call, Estelle transformed into her serpent dragon form.
In an instant, a colossal serpent dragon enveloped the group.
"Show them what a real dragon is."
Estelle inhaled without hesitation.
Black light condensed in her maw.
Death energy aura.
The moment it gathered, Estelle unleashed it without pause.
Death Aura Breath [SSS]
Sweeps the area, obliterating snow dragons.
The projected breath shattered the snow dragons into oblivion.
The snow dragons charged at Leyzon's group in frenzy.
But each time, Estelle fired Death Aura Breath [SSS].
The Blizzard Hollow began total devastation.
Leyzon watched the scene impassively, then suddenly thought of something.
The place where blizzard beasts gathered hosts.
A way to get there.
'Then who should I use.'
Leyzon pondered deeply, then turned his head.
His eyes met Hanok's, who was watching Estelle with awe.
"L-Leyzon?"
Hanok called out, sensing an ominous premonition.
Leyzon grinned.
"Hanok, time to work."
"Y-Yes?"
If they couldn't find the host gathering spot, they could just make new hosts.