Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Necromancer Hunters
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Quite some time had already passed since arriving at the Ged Mountain Range.
That day, Leyzon was heading toward the Pioneer Association in Geda Village.
Leyzon had been staying in Geda Village the whole time.
He cleared dungeons in the Ged Mountain Range.
Slept in inn rooms.
Thanks to that, Geda Village now felt quite familiar.
He had left Hanok to spend the day playing with Lina.
And understandably so, since Leyzon was the only one with business at the Pioneer Association.
Finally, he had met the conditions for 8th Ascension.
'This is only my second ascension in Geda Village.'
If it was the same staff member today, it might be a bit awkward.
This speed was more than enough to arouse suspicion.
'I should do the next one in a different village.'
Necromancers were being hunted by the Empire right now.
Better to avoid anything that might look suspicious.
Ding―
With that, Leyzon opened the door to the Pioneer Association.
The place was still bustling with pioneers who had nothing better to do.
True to Geda Village’s reputation, it was packed with other races as he passed through.
There was someone different from the staff member he'd seen last time.
This time, surprisingly, it was a human employee.
Leyzon felt a little relieved.
"I'd like to ascend."
"Ah, yes, ascension."
The human employee kindly handled the process.
Leyzon handed over his Pioneer ID.
It seemed like it would go smoothly and quickly.
'That aside, I only have two skill slots left.'
He could fill Hanok's somehow.
But what about his own?
Leyzon slowly stroked his chin, deep in thought.
It was starting to feel wasteful to leave the skill slots empty like this.
'Should I really fill them with common skills?'
Geda Village surely had a black market, even if not as big as the capital's.
Leyzon pondered searching there for common skills.
At that moment.
[Leyzon.]
Syria's voice rang out.
It was rare for Syria to call out first.
Leyzon leaned against the counter table and perked up his ears.
[Since we entered the Pioneer Association, someone's been suspiciously watching us.]
Leyzon replied not with words, but by flicking his gaze to the shadows.
It meant, What are you talking about?
[One of them is Hero-grade.]
Something suspicious was indeed afoot.
Geda Village, Pioneer Association.
In this place teeming with other races as much as humans.
Leyzon had suddenly gotten tangled up with something suspicious.
'Numbers.'
Leyzon mouthed the word without sound.
[Six of them.]
Six in total.
And according to Syria, they were all quite strong.
Leyzon asked about their power levels.
[Just one is Hero-grade. The rest are upper-tier pioneers.]
And one was Hero-grade.
A 15th-Ascension powerhouse.
Leyzon's face subtly frowned without him realizing.
Of course, Hero-grades weren't common.
At minimum, they were executives in major guilds.
'Could they be the ones chasing Estelle?'
Estelle resided in the Ged Mountains.
It was entirely possible.
'To corner both Estelle and the Shadow Warlord at once, they can't be the main force.'
One Hero-grade couldn't handle Estelle and the Shadow Warlord.
Which meant this was likely reconnaissance before the main force mobilized.
'What to do.'
Leyzon quietly tapped his chin with his index finger.
He could evade the main force somehow.
But getting caught by these scouts would just leak unnecessary info.
'Best to dispel their suspicions somehow.'
The fact they were focusing on him meant they had reason to suspect.
'But I haven't done anything suspicious in Geda Village.'
Changing behavior now wouldn't make a difference.
'If they keep pursuing without dropping their suspicions.'
Leyzon's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
He'd have no choice but to eliminate them.
At that moment, he felt his mana surge dramatically.
'Ascension complete.'
This was his second time, but it still felt unreal.
8th Ascension.
All his stats had risen to 80 now.
'Hanok won't be able to strut around anymore.'
He could already picture Hanok, who had been bragging about his own 8th Ascension, looking depressed.
"Sorry for the wait. Ascension complete."
"Can I get the 9th Ascension quest too?"
"Yes, of course. Have you been putting off your ascensions?"
"Yeah, some business came up."
Pioneers had all sorts of circumstances.
Delays in ascension weren't unheard of, so he brushed it off vaguely.
"Alright, registering it now."
She swiftly handled the registration.
Now it was eight 8th-Ascension dungeons.
A tough road ahead.
'Still, ascension EXP keeps filling up.'
Maybe eventually he'd fill it up to 19th Ascension.
Leyzon carefully pocketed his Pioneer ID.
That was done.
What remained was.
'Whether those guys will follow or not.'
If they did, they'd face an unwelcome end.
'Gotta tell Hanok I'll be late.'
Hope he's having fun with Lina.
The dense forest of the Ged Mountains, blanketed in snow.
The sun was beginning to set.
Leyzon trudged through the snow-deep woods.
His path led outward from the Ged Mountains.
It looked like he planned to leave the range by tonight.
Paths out of the Ged Mountains saw little traffic.
The wind blew, rustling the underbrush.
The sound resembled ghostly wails.
An eerie atmosphere lingered.
Leyzon sensed a presence and slowly looked up.
'They're here.'
Ahead on his path stood a man with his hood pulled low over a robe, blocking the way.
'Took them damn long enough. Making me wait till midnight.'
He was one of the ones watching Leyzon at the Pioneer Association earlier.
No sign of him all day until sunset.
Then he appeared the moment the sun dipped.
A patient one.
[That's him.]
And he was the Hero-grade pioneer.
A chilling wind blew.
Killing intent dripped from him through the gusts.
Instinct told him.
Strong.
'As expected of a Hero-grade.'
Leagues above the riffraff he'd met so far.
At that moment, the man spoke.
"One question."
His scarred face emerged from the fluttering robe.
It bore an incredibly grim hue.
Like if tears had frozen on it.
"Did you come out here to lure us?"
Leyzon blinked at the question.
Then scowled fiercely.
"What the hell kind of nonsense is that?"
He denied it first.
"Planning to play dumb?"
Caught immediately.
Sharp guy.
He raised a hand, tapping his recently shaved chin with his index finger.
"My situation's complicated too. Let's talk a bit."
He pushed off the tree.
Just that made his presence swell enormously.
Definitely felt it.
A true powerhouse.
And one accustomed to slicing people.
His sturdy build showed beneath the robe.
Yet his steps were silent.
He embodied both warrior and assassin traits.
'Assassin Swordsman class, huh.'
A jack-of-all-trades job usually mocked.
But for the strong, it was different.
Strong in ambushes and frontline fights alike.
"That ugly mask of yours."
He mentioned the mask.
Leyzon remained expressionless throughout.
But inwardly, even he flinched.
'So it got caught after all.'
It hadn't even fazed the Bloodless Sovereign.
He'd rated its performance highly, but apparently it had limits.
"That mask is a personal item crafted by the Gray Mage Tower Lord. Impossible to get now."
What?
Leyzon fell silent.
More precisely, he forced his expression to stay neutral.
'What did this guy just say?'
Why was the Gray Mage Tower Lord suddenly involved?
Leyzon's eyes shook for the first time.
This mask he'd faithfully worn since possession.
'This mask was made by the Gray Mage Tower Lord?'
Leyzon's mind grew complicated.
He'd had it even before possessing the body.
'I just thought I bought it because I needed it.'
Never considered it was from the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
That explained the great performance.
Made by a tower lord, of course it was top-tier.
'No way the original Leyzon knew the Gray Mage Tower Lord.'
He'd assumed no connection at all, but this was a huge link.
'The problem is.'
The Gray Mage Tower Lord was also being hunted by the Empire right now.
"What's your relation to the Gray Mage Tower Lord?"
A sword slipped from his robe sleeve.
Chilling energy swirled from the blade.
"The Gray Mage Tower Lord is a criminal who defied the Empire. Don't bother hiding it."
A threat.
"What if I say I have no idea?"
"With the Gray Mage Tower Lord in the Ged Mountains? Hard to believe."
Why was that guy in the Ged Mountains too?
Timing sucked.
'At least I learned one thing.'
These weren't Estelle's pursuers, main force or scouts.
Good.
Tension left Leyzon's face.
If they'd been after Estelle, he'd have had to take losses.
'These are necromancer hunters.'
And they'd likely pegged him as one already.
Connected to the Gray Mage Tower Lord, wearing a face-hiding mask.
Easy to guess.
But they didn't know.
Blinded by the Gray Mage Tower Lord, oblivious to the danger right in front of them.
"Heh."
Leyzon slowly smirked.
The man's brow twitched at the sudden laugh.
An inexplicable sense of déjà vu emanated from Leyzon.
Natural, really.
The hunter who'd lured his prey was now showing his true colors.
If they were after the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
'They must hold some position in the Empire.'
This was an opportunity for Leyzon.
'Perfect timing. I wanted some intel on the Empire's insides.'
Guys who likely had info had walked right into his lap.
Of course he'd be pleased.
The man interpreted Leyzon's smile differently.
"If you won't talk, I'll make you."
The moment he finished, dozens of arrows flew at Leyzon.
Silent arrows slicing through the dark forest gaps.
A trap set by experts from the start.
Leyzon was fated to be pincushioned.
The instant the arrows engulfed him.
Whoosh!
A shadow erupted from beneath Leyzon's feet, shielding him.
Clang, tang, clang!
The arrows bounced off the crimson shadow wall.
Seeing it, the man's eyes changed.
"Necromancer! Prepare holy magic!"
He'd even brought a priest, natural predator of necromancers.
Beneath the shadow wall, on the ground.
A holy magic circle unfolded.
Pure white holy flames ignited the circle, surging upward.
Flames of Sanctification [S].
The intense blaze began melting the crimson shadow wall.
Simultaneously, the man charged.
The moment he leaped over the melting wall, sword in hand.
"Tch!"
Leyzon was nowhere to be seen.
Seemed he'd fled using an escape method, unable to withstand the Flames of Sanctification.
"He ran! Everyone, pursue!"
"Run? Why would I?"
Chill!
A voice echoed behind the man.
The scarred man's face stiffened.
His head snapped around.
There stood Leyzon, casually emerging from the shadows.
The man's eyes bulged.
'Hiding in shadows while Flames of Sanctification still burn?'
Shadows were dark-attribute.
Weak to holy magic, naturally.
Yet he was casually in the shadows.
Either those crimson shadows weren't dark-attribute.
Or they could outright suppress holy magic.
The former was manageable.
The latter meant he'd misjudged the opponent's level badly.
The man swung his sword immediately.
Swish!
Leyzon vanished back into the shadows.
The man bit his lip hard.
'Definitely around 8th Ascension.'
Blocking Flames of Sanctification so casually didn't make sense.
At that moment, Leyzon rose from another shadow a short distance away.
"A gift."
Fierce poison blood orbs spun up from the shadows.
The man leaped back the instant he saw them.
Leyzon had already retreated into the shadows.
The orbs exploded in unison with internal light.
Kaboom!
The attribute-fused blast obliterated the area.
Trees shattered, ground tore apart.
Even the holy magic, Flames of Sanctification, got caught and extinguished completely.
In the dark night.
Dust clouds filled the air.
"Cough."
The man waved away smoke, gritting his teeth as he assumed a stance.
That spell's power just now.
No way an 8th-Ascension pioneer could output that.
'Hiding his strength, as expected of a necromancer.'
If not for his high-defense [Mantle of Stalwartness], he'd have taken heavy damage.
'Power that even threatens me.'
He was a 15th-Ascension Hero-grade pioneer.
From the Empire's direct Night Raven Unit, the Fifth Blade.
Called "Five" instead of his name.
Power that could harm him wasn't to be taken lightly.
He steadied his breath quietly, spinning his sword to his waist.
The 13th-Ascension priest's magic had failed.
Even he, a 15th-Ascension Hero-grade, felt threatened.
'From now on, treat him as an equal Hero-grade pioneer.'
He admitted his underestimation and corrected it.
'The blast radius is huge.'
His hunter companions, brought to take down the Gray Mage Tower Lord, were likely caught too.
'Thought he was just a minion of the Gray Mage Tower Lord.'
Might be something far more dangerous.
"Agh?!"
A scream pierced the smoke.
Definitely one of his hunters.
Five's eyes widened.
Five had a special skill: Wide Area Sensitivity [S].
Detected everything within 1km while active.
Headaches from info overload, but always on during combat or missions.
Right now.
No presences, no movements at all.
Five's eyes bulged.
'That shadow earlier.'
A superior skill to a Hero-grade pioneer's detection.
Chill!
Too late, Five realized he'd poked something he shouldn't.
15th-Ascension Hero-grade?
No.
The opponent might be beyond that.
"Kyaaak!?"
Another scream.
The hunters he'd handpicked to catch the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
Veteran necromancer slayers.
Now being hunted in reverse.
Without any counter.
'Damn, we screwed up.'
Underestimated the opponent.
More likely a trap set by the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
'He must've spotted us when I was told to hit the tower lord alone.'
A whole mage tower's lord.
Even as a Hero-grade, his force was insufficient against a tower lord.
'If not for the imperial direct order, I wouldn't have.'
Five knew from the start this mission was his last.
Night Ravens often sent unwanted knights on impossible missions like this to dispose of them.
He'd anticipated death.
But not by someone other than the Gray Mage Tower Lord.
'First, retreat.'
Without breaking the dust cloud, he quietly backpedaled.
His Stealth Step [S] activated, erasing footsteps and presence.
He had to escape and report to the palace.
Catching this guy would need the other Blades' help.
He didn't know what failure would bring.
But failing to report the new threat was worse.
"Going somewhere?"
Then, the necromancer's voice rang again.
He stood in the direction Five was backing toward.
Grinning that eerie smile once more.
It unnerved Five even more.
Still no power emanated from him.
Even now, in this mess, hiding his strength.
"Not like you can leave anyway."
But that fact confused Five further.
Found him through the dust and Stealth Step.
Five drew a sharp breath.
Fine then.
'Go all out and counter.'
Five resolved to fight with full power.
But only for a moment.
His face went slack.
Beyond the dust cloud.
A mind-blowing sight unfolded.
A wave of blood and shadow intertwined.
It stretched from the Ged Mountains to the sky.
Moon and clouds obscured by the towering crimson wave.
The elongated shadow from the wave swallowed the mountain.
As if declaring the mountain would soon vanish.
The wave proclaimed to Five.
"Huh?"
Five's lips trembled.
His Wide Area Sensitivity said.
All of it was real.
'This is.'
A calamity.
A natural disaster.
In this comparable crisis, he realized clearly.
He hadn't stepped on a rat tail while backing from an ox.
He'd grabbed a tiger's tail.
He quietly closed his eyes, letting his raised sword drop limply.
Then swallowed a hollow laugh.
"...Long live His Imperial Majesty."
Thud!
The wave crashed toward the mountain.
And soon, it engulfed the mountain.