Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Century-Old Undead Become Powerhouses
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100 years ago, the undead I had created had all become big shots.
Leyzon's mouth felt dry and sticky.
'...Taking down a Sovereign means the undead are ridiculously strong.'
That's a good thing. A great thing!
It's good...
Of course it was good.
But it also meant paying a heavy price for that goodness.
Sovereigns varied—some stood alone, but most commanded forces.
Especially those who worked hand-in-glove with the Empire.
And one of those had just died.
Would their forces sit idly by?
'They'll hunt us down like rats.'
They'd go after the undead who killed the Sovereign—and their master too.
Leyzon let out a hollow chuckle.
His breath spilled out in a heavy sigh.
Then he opened his eyes.
His pupils gleamed as they caught the light.
'So what? They shouldn't have died then.'
If the undead took down a Sovereign, they had their reasons.
Dungeon Replay was a kill-or-be-killed world.
The weak were always at fault.
'In the end, they're all going to be my strength.'
They'd proven their power.
He ought to praise them for it.
"Syria, where are the others and what are they up to?"
"The others?"
Syria blinked, then pressed her chin thoughtfully.
She stole glances at Leyzon.
Her expression said she had no clue.
"Didn't one of them just kill a Sovereign? Don't you remember?"
Syria quickly put on a cute pout.
"Ehehe, that was a story from 10 years ago too."
So they'd been Sovereign-killers even 10 years back.
"Sorry. They're all so free-spirited, you know? They don't pay much attention to each other."
That much was clear just looking at Syria.
She didn't seem all that interested in the other undead either.
"Of course, it's all thanks to your boundless mercy, Leyzon!"
"I didn't really do anything."
"No, you did! You're the one who let us live as freely as we wanted!"
Sorry, but he'd just left them alone.
Still, he appreciated the positive spin.
Optimism was always a good look.
"Syria, do you think the others would listen to me as well as you do?"
Syria's loyalty was absolute.
Even though they'd only met minutes ago.
Leyzon could feel it solidly.
"Of course! They'd be thrilled if you gave them an order!"
"But some might think I just neglected them, right?"
Syria blinked twice.
Then she crossed her arms and pondered deeply.
Her reaction suggested someone came to mind.
"Nah, no way!"
The delayed response came at last.
That didn't ease his worries.
'Lucky I met Syria first.'
She was especially fond of him, like a favorite child.
And that bond lingered even now.
People said early childhood experiences stuck with you into adulthood.
The same went for undead.
'More than that, they've been free for 100 years.'
This was the real world.
No matter the master-servant bond.
Who knew what thoughts they'd harbored.
They probably wouldn't stab their master in the back directly.
'But the messes around the undead? That's another story.'
Even if the undead weren't hostile.
The situations they were tangled in could threaten Leyzon.
'I'm not strong enough to protect myself yet.'
Until he gained real power.
For now, playing dumb—"I don't know those undead"—might be safest.
"It's fine. If they don't listen, I'll make them!"
Syria struck a cheeky muscle pose with her slender arms.
She was like a daughter.
'Well, she kind of is my daughter.'
He'd brought her into existence, after all.
"Yeah, you're reliable."
Leyzon patted her head.
She grinned, clearly loving the touch.
If she had a tail, it'd be wagging like crazy.
He'd gained a cute daughter.
"And we won't need to anyway. They've lived freely all this time, so I have no plans to rein them in now."
Syria's eyes widened at his words.
Then they sparkled with delight.
"As expected, Leyzon, you're so merciful."
Reality was far from merciful.
But Leyzon decided to roll with it.
"Leyzon, are you heading back to the Earthhold Layer dungeon now?"
Earthhold Layer was all he'd cleared for 100 years.
Syria must remember it that way too.
But Leyzon shook his head.
"No, I'm going to Ascend."
"P-Pardon?"
Syria's eyes shot wide at his words.
"Leyzon, are you serious?"
She grabbed his collar.
Urgency filled her eyes.
Her reaction was off.
"Y-Yeah, totally serious."
Syria went blank at his reply.
A tear welled up in her eye.
Leyzon panicked at the sight.
He couldn't think of any reason for tears.
"Syria?"
He called her hurriedly.
She was emotional, sure, but not the crying type.
She wiped her eyes with her long sleeve.
"100 years... it was so long. All the sacrifices you made for us..."
What nonsense was this?
Leyzon racked his brain to understand.
No answers came.
"...Syria, sacrifices?"
"You don't have to pretend. We all know you held off on Ascending for our sake all this time."
That clicked something for Leyzon.
'Come to think of it.'
The ways Auto-Growing Undead gained EXP were twofold.
1. When the player hunted Phantasmal Beasts.
They gained the same amount of EXP as the player.
2. EXP from the undead hunting directly.
'The problem is, Auto-Growing Undead get less EXP than players.'
Even hunting the same Phantasmal Beasts, undead only got 1/10th the EXP.
This applied not just to shared player EXP, but even when undead hunted on their own.
'Undead always have an EXP penalty.'
But there was a correction factor.
It kicked in when the undead's level exceeded the player's.
Low-level player EXP gains were trivial to high-level undead.
Especially with the 1/10 penalty.
Player EXP became meaningless to them.
'That's where the correction comes in.'
The penalty shrinks from 1/10.
For example:
Player Ascension Lv. 4.
Undead Corruption Lv. 9.
5-level difference correction applied.
Penalty drops from 1/10 to 1/5.
But the developers made one mistake.
This correction also applied to the undead's own hunting EXP.
'It should only affect shared player-undead EXP.'
Somehow, it glitched into their solo gains too.
'High-level undead naturally hunt beasts matching their level.'
Normally, the 1/10 penalty slows them down.
But with level-difference correction...
Undead can grow at player-like speeds.
It was an old bug.
The devs never patched it.
'These cases are rare anyway.'
Undead get less EXP, so players usually outlevel them.
You could stall Ascension on purpose, but why bother?
Better to level up and take undead to high dungeons.
So it stayed a niche bug.
Until now.
It had exploded.
'For a full 100 years.'
Leyzon finally understood why his undead were monsters.
And why Syria misunderstood.
'In her eyes, I look like someone who sacrificed by halting Ascension for them.'
For 100 whole years.
"No matter how many times we said it was enough, you wouldn't Ascend. It's so moving."
Syria wiped her emotional tears.
Leyzon stared, then gave up thinking.
The misunderstanding ran deep.
Explaining wouldn't fix it.
The undead must've interpreted his auto-hunt the same way.
Admitting he just neglected them might earn a beating.
'What's done is done.'
No changing the past.
Leyzon humbly accepted it.
He flashed a toothy, confident grin.
"Yeah, now it's time for me to Ascend."
Good was good.
"Syria, can you help with my Ascension?"
She was the Vampire Queen.
Her aid would widen his options immensely.
"Yes, of course!"
Syria clenched her fists, resolve burning.
"Whoa, solid backup."
"Hehe, what undead am I, right!"
He'd scored a reliable ally.
'Now for the last piece.'
Check how much Ascension EXP had piled up over 100 years.
Leyzon opened his storage.
Syria had already melted into his shadow and vanished.
Magical.
The Niflheim Empire hunted Necromancers.
Wandering with the Vampire Queen would expose him.
Leyzon appreciated her smarts.
Now he got the saying about a well-raised daughter outshining ten sons.
Stepping out, the combination office came into view.
Direct from the hall, no corridor.
Impressive magic.
"Ah, Leyzon, you're here. Come over here to renew your Pioneer ID."
Leyzon hurried to the clerk from before.
She held out a crystal orb toward him.
"Place your Pioneer ID in the slot below and put your hand on top."
Leyzon inserted his Pioneer ID into the orb's base.
Then placed his hand atop as instructed.
The orb flashed repeatedly for a bit.
How long had it been?
Click—
His Pioneer ID popped out.
"Renewal complete."
Leyzon snatched it up.
He quickly checked his Ascension EXP.
And froze on the spot.
"Leyzon?"
The clerk eyed him curiously.
But Leyzon couldn't snap out of it.
"...18 Ascensions."
Leyzon murmured blankly.
His current Ascension was Lv. 6.
With this EXP, he could hit Lv. 18.
In other words...
More than double all his prior Ascensions combined.
Even optimistic Leyzon started feeling the fear.
This was too much generosity.