The Ominous Signs of the End
He was slightly unhinged, and the way he interpreted everything to his own advantage was incredibly similar to Galakpad. The moment Tae-hyun realized this, he quietly removed his hand from the black mage NPC's shoulder. Then, he took three steps back!
"Is something the matter?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
When he took three steps back, the black mage NPC followed him right along.
"By the way, what is your name?"
"My name is Galakpa..."
"Gasp!"
"...den."
How incredibly ominous! Tae-hyun was horrified by Galakpaden's name. How could a name be this cursed?
"Anyway, has the number of adventurers wanting to become black mages decreased?"
"Isn't it only natural that few can recognize true value? Just look at those pathetic pieces of trash over there."
Galakpaden possessed a remarkable talent for provoking every single mage player in the vicinity. His Speech skill had to be at least intermediate! The players glared at Galakpaden with eyes that clearly said, If we weren't inside the Magic Tower, you'd be dead meat. He really had a way of making even normal words sound incredibly obnoxious!
"I get that, but why? Since when did the numbers start dropping?"
"Hmm... Come to think of it, those adventurer bastards started running away around the time of that quest."
"...The Lich Support Quest?"
A quest that sounded incredibly suspicious just from the name alone! What on earth kind of quest was that?
"Yes. It was a grand gesture of benevolence to turn pathetic black mages into Liches."
"Ah, is that so?" Tae-hyun said, his voice dripping with skepticism.
"And there are no side effects?"
"There are no side effects to speak of."
"Really?" If there were no side effects, wasn't it worth a shot? Although a Lich had weaknesses to holy power, HP, and defense, it was an insanely overpowered race aside from those drawbacks. An immense pool of mana, an absurd MP recovery speed, broken magic casting speed, and exclusive spells that only a Lich could use. It was something every single mage contemplated at least once! If they were offering to turn people into Liches, there was no way mages wouldn't flock to it.
"But there's no way there are absolutely no side effects."
"Well... if you fail, you don't become a Lich, but surely that doesn't count as a side effect, does it?"
"I suppose... Wait. If you don't become a Lich, what happens to you? Do you go back to normal?"
"Haha. Your Majesty, you do love your jokes. To become a Lich, one must discard their physical body, so how could they possibly return to normal?"
"Then what?"
"They just become a corpse, of course."
"..." You crazy bastard! That is the side effect! Who in their right mind would do a quest where failure means instant death?! Besides, the success rate probably wasn't even high...
I'm pretty sure this place wasn't like this in the past...
Carbanog says it seems to be because of you.
Why is this because of me?
Because Chese-do became a Lich...
"..." Tae-hyun was left speechless. No, seriously, did it make any sense for the entire Black Magic School to go completely off the rails just because one guy, Chese-do, became a Lich?
It did make sense.
"Lord Chese-do? He was a magnificent man. Ah, he was the one who taught the novice black mages."
"Lord Chese-do managed the adventurers who came to become black mages. He is a wonderful person. That is why he must have received the honor of becoming a Lich."
"Who manages them now? Well, I wonder. Who does?"
"Don't they just manage themselves?" The black mages shrugged and walked past.
Tae-hyun was dumbfounded. To think things could fall apart this badly just because one person was missing!
Carbanog tells you to imagine what would happen if Tae-hyun left the Archisus Cult.
Okay, now I completely understand.
Because Chese-do had been turned into a Lich, the Black Magic School had become an absolute circus! Players who came to learn black magic were utterly appalled and fled in droves.
Well, it is what it is. Even if the Black Magic School had become incredibly hostile, there was nothing he could do about it now. What's done was done! Tae-hyun confidently went to see Chesia.
Click. "I suppose I must address you as Your Majesty now." Chesia offered a polite bow the moment he saw Tae-hyun. In the past, Chesia had acted arrogantly regardless of whether someone was a noble or not, but Tae-hyun's status now was on a completely different level. Besides, royalty was in a whole different dimension compared to mere nobility!
"Haha, Chesia. I've learned so much from you, and we're practically close friends. There's no need to stand on such ceremony." Ah, this was why people wanted titles! Seeing the eccentric and arrogant Chesia bow his head first was incredibly satisfying.
"Then, may I speak more casu—"
"—ally?"
"...Do not do that, and continue to act with utmost respect. However, you may feel free to speak casually in your heart."
"..." What kind of absolute nonsense was that?!
Chesia's affinity has decreased by a tiny fraction.
"So, what did you summon me for?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have summoned you for a matter concerning the future of the Magic Tower—no, the future of this entire kingdom."
"?" Why did he sound so grandiose? Tae-hyun suddenly felt a bad premonition. Usually, when an NPC started a conversation with such dramatic words, it meant an incredibly annoying quest was about to drop.
And Carbanog says they're going to dump it all on you.
That's definitely true. There was a distinct side effect to having his reputation and social status rise so high. Whenever a continent-scale quest or a legendary quest popped up, NPCs would immediately call him over, saying, Haha, of course our great hero must handle this!
"What is it?"
"Your Majesty. A truly great mage can read the signs and peer into the future."
Future foresight magic! No player could use it, but occasionally, high-ranking Archmage NPCs could. While it didn't look flashy on the surface, it was an incredibly powerful skill. It could instantly solve or guide the way through ridiculously difficult quests. This was obvious when considering how effectively Tae-hyun utilized his own Avatar of Archisus class skill, Foresight. Although it didn't look like much, Foresight was one of the most broken skills in the Avatar of Archisus's arsenal!
"Right, seeing the future. And?"
"Recently, I read the signs and felt it. A great archdemon has broken free from an ancient seal..."
"...Ahem." Tae-hyun flinched. Surely the archdemon you're talking about isn't the one I set free, right?
"And Demon Dukes keep manifesting."
Well, that one isn't because of me.
Carbanog tells you to jog your memory. The one who summoned a Demon Duke right inside the Magic Tower was...
Aside from that, there were quite a few demons who had descended upon the continent harboring a deep grudge against Tae-hyun. He was definitely the indirect cause!
"And the incarnation of an evil god like Sadiq has appeared."
"*Cough*, *cough*."
"And on a distant continent, an evil emperor has awakened..."
"Ah. That's because of a very wicked Necromancer named Lee Se-yeon." Thank goodness! That one actually wasn't his fault!
"The World Tree connected to the Demon Realm is growing on the continent, and demons are pouring out of it..."
"..." This one was undeniably Tae-hyun's fault! Tae-hyun simply listened in silence. With so many accusations piling up, he couldn't even attempt a rebuttal.
"Do you feel anything after seeing all these signs, Your Majesty?"
"W-well, let's see." I sure have caused a lot of trouble, haven't I? Maybe I should hold back a bit in the future?
"These are the signs of the end times!"
"The... the end times? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"
"No, it is not. Among us black mages, a legend has been passed down about the first Lich, Nevuchadnezzar."
Nevuchadnezzar! Treated as a legend among black mages, he was an ancient imperial black mage and the first Lich in history. The mages of the Ancient Empire were far more brutal and arrogant than the mages of today—to the point where they slayed dragons and fought head-to-head with the incarnations of gods. Yet, even those ancient imperial mages were utterly appalled by one man: Nevuchadnezzar. One could easily guess just how atrocious his personality must have been.
"He was a role model for all black mages. If only it weren't for the jealousy of the other mages..."
"..." Of course, Chesia respected him precisely for those terrible traits. Infamy was a badge of honor for a black mage! At any rate, Nevuchadnezzar had drawn the ire of countless ancient imperial mages and was ultimately brought down by their combined forces. And in his final moments, Nevuchadnezzar was said to have roared:
"When the dragons leave the continent, when the gods leave the continent, and when the demons return to the continent, I shall surely return and rule over all in death!"
Having finished his explanation, Chesia stomped his foot and shouted, "Do you see, Your Majesty? This is the omen!"
"Honestly, it just sounds like he was throwing a tantrum and cursing everyone right before he died..."
"Nonsense! How could such a magnificent black mage truly die?"
"So what are you trying to say? Are you suggesting we prepare to welcome Nevuchadnezzar when he returns?"
As he spoke, Tae-hyun realized that this was actually a surprisingly good idea. If Nevuchadnezzar was truly such an incredible mage, there was no harm in getting on his good side. If he could secure his help, he might even be able to go toe-to-toe with the Emperor of the Asbian Empire. That's not bad at all, is it? Although the Emperor of the Asbian Empire was an ancient monster who used to slay dragons, Nevuchadnezzar was a formidable ancient monster in his own right.
Carbanog recoils in disgust and advises against trying to borrow Nevuchadnezzar's power.
Why?
Carbanog says he is not the type of person to lend his power. He is an incredibly rude, insolent bastard...
Well, every single guy I've met so far has been an insolent bastard. Yet, he had always managed to force them to lend him their power anyway!
Carbanog is flustered, unable to find a counterargument.
Meanwhile, Chesia replied, "Prepare to welcome him? What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Aren't you planning to serve Nevuchadnezzar when he arrives?" Chesia seemed to respect Nevuchadnezzar immensely. After all, he was the ultimate senior of all black mages! If Chesia tries to act friendly with him, I should jump in on that too. Since Tae-hyun was also the successor of the Black Magic School, he would easily be able to play the familiarity card. He had a much better starting position than anyone else!
"Pardon? Absolutely not. If Nevuchadnezzar is resurrected, we must send him straight back to his grave by any means necessary."
"??" Tae-hyun was taken aback. Wait, didn't you say you respected him?
"Didn't you say you respected him?"
"Respect is respect, but if Nevuchadnezzar returns, he will undoubtedly try to seize this Magic Tower."
"...He's your ultimate senior, and you can't even hand that over to him?" Tae-hyun stared at Chesia as if he were looking at a pathetic creature. Chesia nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Yes!"
"...Y-yeah. I like your shameless confidence. Is there no other issue besides that?" Tae-hyun was secretly contemplating abandoning Chesia and siding with Nevuchadnezzar. If the power gap was that massive, wouldn't it be better to align with Nevuchadnezzar?
"If we're talking about other issues... Ah, there is one minor problem."
"What is it?"
"Nevuchadnezzar was a mage who sought to rule over everyone in death. If he is resurrected, he will try to slaughter everyone on the continent and turn them into the undead."
"You crazy bastard!" That is a way bigger problem! How is your position as Master the thing you're worried about right now?!
Yet, Chesia looked genuinely bewildered. "Pardon?! Surely my position as the Master of the Magic Tower is far more important than that!" What a proud piece of garbage! He hadn't become the Master of the black mages for nothing.
Sigh. I wanted to side with him, but I guess that's out of the question. It seemed Nevuchadnezzar was completely incapable of compromise. No wonder he had been beaten to a pulp by the other mages. A novel idea to slaughter every living being on the continent and rule them as undead! He absolutely deserved to get gang-beaten.
But still, since he died and is coming back to life, wouldn't his personality have changed to be a bit more open to compromise?
Carbanog asserts that there is absolutely no way that would happen.
Sigh. Tae-hyun abandoned his greedy ambitions. He had been hoping to join forces with Nevuchadnezzar and target the Asbian Empire...
Wait. Isn't it possible that Nevuchadnezzar might resurrect inside the Asbian Empire? A clash between two incredibly prideful, ancient bastards! Just thinking about it made his heart race.
Carbanog says that you are expecting a bit too much.