Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Arrival in the Sunset Desert
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After wrapping up his meeting with Flame Head,
Leyzon promptly left the Imperba Duchy.
Ovilon and Bison were saddened to see him go.
They had grown fond of him in the short time.
"Thanks for everything. Safe travels."
"Come visit again next time! We have to meet up once more!"
Bison was really just bummed about not seeing more of Syria.
But Leyzon had gotten used to Bison by now.
He simply ignored him.
"Ovilon, you be guild master next time."
"What? Pfft-haha."
Ovilon burst out laughing without thinking.
He knew full well Bison wasn't the most reliable.
"The guild master's more impressive than he looks. Try not to think too poorly of him."
Even so, Ovilon trusted Bison deeply.
From what Leyzon heard, Bison had once saved his life.
If that's how Ovilon felt about it,
Leyzon didn't argue further.
"Take care."
"Next time you're in the duchy, let me buy you a drink."
"I've already mooched off you plenty, but I'll swing by for more."
Leyzon had grown quite close to Ovilon by now.
With their farewells exchanged, Leyzon set off.
Once he left the road on foot,
the moment he entered the forest, he switched to riding his Shadow Wolf.
To reach the far eastern edge—his original goal.
Syria's wolf charged ahead without fail today as well.
"Leyzon, what skill are you planning to create?"
Syria tossed the question his way as they rode.
After receiving the SS-rank Skill Generator,
Leyzon still hadn't created a skill.
"I'm thinking of making one from the copies we have."
The hypothesis he'd formed with Poison Spider.
Leyzon planned to test it using the skill generator.
'But Poison Spider's still working on it.'
Poison Spider's research was ongoing.
It wouldn't yield results overnight, of course.
But he hoped she'd bring some progress next time they met.
'Couldn't snag anything decent from the black market either.'
While Leyzon was competing,
the Five had scoured the black market.
But there were no worthwhile skills in the Imperba Duchy.
「It seems the black market traders pulled their stock due to the recent necromancer fuss drawing imperial attention.」
Those damn necromancers.
Completely useless.
In the end, they only bought a few items from the black market.
No skills.
With lingering regret,
their journey east continued.
He'd originally planned to hit dungeons along the way,
but this time he skipped them.
'Judgment Lord said he's heading east.'
Whether the Judgment Lord was coming for Leyzon or some other reason, he didn't know.
Leyzon was the subject of the Judgment Lord's prophecy.
If they crossed paths, he'd almost certainly try to kill him.
'Better to arrive before we risk running into him.'
So he pressed on, skipping dungeons as much as possible.
Days passed like that.
"Leyzon!"
Hanok, who was training with the Five, called out to him.
Leyzon turned at Hanok's hurried approach.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"Looks like we're finally seeing the end in sight."
The eastern edge.
Vegetation thinned out, and crimson sand began piling up on the ground.
The sunlight grew intense, the air dry.
In the distance, crimson sands stretched to the horizon, sparkling under the sun.
The Sunset Desert region at the eastern fringe.
Named for the sands that glowed with sunset hues.
This was the place Leyzon had come to find the undead.
The Moving Black Castle.
The fourth undead was here, somewhere in the Sunset Desert.
"Whoa, first time seeing a desert like this."
Hanok wagged his tail excitedly as he took in the sights.
"It won't be so great once you're actually out in it."
Your feet sink in deep.
Sand gets everywhere.
The stifling heat torments you.
And there's no shade from the sun.
It's no wonder people don't live in deserts.
Thank goodness they were traveling by Shadow Wolf.
If they'd had to go on foot, even Leyzon might have given up from exhaustion.
"Syria, sense anything?"
"Hmm, not yet. Nothing in particular."
The Moving Black Castle wandered aimlessly through the Sunset Desert.
Finding it meant combing the sands like a fine-tooth comb.
'This won't be easy.'
Getting here was fine,
but searching would take far more time than expected.
"I'll send out some bats for now."
Shadows peeled off from the Shadow Wolf.
They all turned into bats and scattered in every direction.
Leyzon pulled out a map as he watched.
It showed a rough layout of the Sunset Desert region.
"Syria, follow this path and you'll hit a village. Let's head there and rest up."
Supplies were starting to run low.
It was time to restock before hunting for the black castle.
"Here's the map."
"Yep!"
Leyzon handed the map to Syria.
"Syria, let's look together."
"Sure."
Syria sat down with Eden to check the map.
They really did look like siblings.
'They technically are.'
Undead born from the same hand.
"Leyzon, may I ask something?"
The Five chimed in at just the right moment.
"What is it?"
"You mentioned the evil dragon is to the east. Is it here in the Sunset Desert?"
Oh yeah, the evil dragon thing.
With the smooth trip east, he'd forgotten about it.
Leyzon shook his head.
"No. The evil dragon's a bit further beyond the Sunset Desert."
The empire had erected massive walls around the world.
Barriers that completely cut off external contact.
Whether the empire built them or some prior nation did, who knew.
But the walls had stood for ages.
At the eastern end of those walls.
A dragonkin who burrowed into them to live.
That was the infamous evil dragon.
"What, wanna meet him now that I brought it up?"
"...I've had enough of dragonkin."
Probably scarred from getting wrecked by the young dragon, Nermacadia.
"We'll end up visiting him eventually anyway."
With the schemes he'd set in motion to skewer the old dragon,
the old one would seek out the evil dragon at some point.
"I'd prefer to catch the old dragon first if possible."
Leyzon flashed a wicked grin.
The old dragon had a history of tormenting Leyzon's undead dragon, Estelle.
Time to settle that score properly.
'More importantly, I can start chipping away at the empire's power now.'
Leyzon aimed for the Dungeon Replay ending.
To reach it, his ascension needed to surpass his current level.
But after 15 ascensions—hero rank—it required going straight to the imperial palace.
At that point, seeing the dungeon ending got tricky.
The second founding ending had the empire as a roadblock too.
He'd gathered pieces for the founding ending,
but the empire's massive obstacle made it impossible until they fell.
Like it or not, Leyzon was fated to clash with the empire.
'The game said the empire falls after 100 years, right?'
What could cause that?
He still couldn't grasp it.
'One thing's certain.'
Empire falls or not,
Leyzon had to stand against them.
Until he toppled them, no ending—and no way home.
'A head-on fight with the empire's still impossible.'
Leyzon had grown strong,
but the empire remained a powerhouse.
'So I'll whittle them down first.'
Until they couldn't stand on their own two feet.
Carve away their footing, bit by bit.
That was the point of all his efforts so far.
A sharp, vicious smile curled on Leyzon's lips.
"That's why I'm counting on the evil dragon in all sorts of ways."
The more the evil dragon shone, the easier it'd be to nab the old one.
"Leyzon! Village ahead!"
Just then, Syria called out.
Leyzon looked up to see a village emerging in the distance.
Houses built from white stone to minimize sun exposure.
Beyond the village, a massive river flowed.
Likely why the settlement formed there—water.
"Good. Let's head there and dismount."
While he was at it, time to gather intel on the black castle.
The Shadow Wolf sped toward the village.
Syria soon dispelled it.
Leyzon's boots crunched into the crimson sand.
The blazing sun made his head feel like it was cooking.
Ssshh―
Eden's straw wove a straw hat atop Leyzon's head.
"Thanks, Eden."
It cut the heat enough to feel survivable.
"Hot, so hot! C-can I go back into the shadow?"
Hanok stomped in panic.
He'd been thrilled sightseeing earlier, but his attitude flipped fast.
Sword-Tooth Clan had more fur than humans.
Naturally, they absorbed more heat and felt it worse.
"Hanok."
Leyzon called with a gentle smile.
"Sword-Tooth Clan aren't weaklings. Tough it out."
"We're not tough against heat!"
Hanok admitted defeat instantly.
Leyzon decided to give him a tip.
"Then use Haron."
"Ah."
Hanok caught on.
He quickly draped Haron over himself.
It formed an armor of chill air.
Haron could use traits from armor it consumed.
This was an application of that.
"Haaah."
Hanok went limp with relief.
Leyzon felt a twinge of envy watching him.
"Syria, you holding up?"
"UV rays aren't good for beauties."
Syria shaped a parasol from shadows.
She twirled beneath it, winking.
"This works, right?"
"Yeah. Now get back in the shadow."
"Aww."
Eden could pass as a doll, but Syria stood out.
She pouted but obeyed Leyzon faithfully.
With that, Leyzon entered the village.
The village was called Swordless.
Once famous as a blacksmith hub.
But that glory was in the past.
Now only traces of forges remained.
The smiths had fled when the village declined.
Stepping in, he saw locals in bright hoods.
Reptilian subraces dotted the crowd.
All suited to desert life.
Which made Hanok and Leyzon stand out.
Rare types here.
"Let's hit the Pioneer Association."
Swordless had a Pioneer office.
Leyzon headed there first.
Pioneers knew the best intel.
A few coins, and he'd buy what he needed.
Luckily, he found it quickly.
Small village, easy to spot.
Leyzon pushed open the weathered wooden door.
Hinges creaked, drawing every eye.
Half Dark Elf, Sword-Tooth Clan, human.
The rare trio from Swordless Village pulled stares.
Many held the wary gaze of outsiders unwelcome.
Remote villages like this shunned foreigners hardest.
So what mattered most in the world?
"Five."
First impressions.
At Leyzon's call, killing intent poured from the Five.
Whoosh!
Hot desert wind blasted from behind Leyzon.
The Five's malice swept over everyone there.
The pioneers froze solid.
The Five were hero-rank pioneers.
Now at 16 ascensions since becoming Syria's kin.
Average pioneers couldn't even meet their eyes.
In an instant, all gazes averted.
Terrified pioneers avoided looking their way at all costs.
But Leyzon was contrary.
If they wouldn't look,
he'd make them.
"Attention."
In the sudden silence, Leyzon clapped twice. Clap clap.
Malice laced the upturn of his lips.
"10 gold to whoever tells me the Moving Black Castle's location."
All eyes snapped back to him.
Too much gold to ignore.