The Limit of a Corpse
I had come up with all sorts of hypotheses regarding the removal of the cooldown for Ominous Encounter. Was the cooldown omitted simply because this was reality? That inductive reasoning was quickly rejected. If that were the case, why did Enhancement still have a cooldown?
"Enhancement..."
In reality, Enhancement was vastly different from the game. Normally, it couldn't be applied to other people's weapons, nor did the items explode upon failure. My survival up to this point was largely thanks to Enhancement. Therefore, I concluded that this altered version of Enhancement was the system playing favorites—unreasonable, overwhelming favoritism. Altered Enhancement was the system's blatant favoritism. Therefore, the altered Dragon Tongue was also the system's blatant favoritism. A rather flimsy deductive reasoning was established. It was absurd, but I couldn't think of any other explanation.
"Ah, whatever."
Yes, a win is a win. If the world wants to shower me with blatant favoritism, who am I to refuse? Putting further speculation aside, I stood still and scanned my status window. Did my level skyrocket exponentially now that I had acquired Dragon Tongue? Not at all. The level displayed on my status window remained unchanged.
Level:72 (Holy Sword Unequipped)
Just like the game. Absorbing an Ancient Dungeon core never updated one's level in the first place, because the system couldn't calculate an accurate measurement of such power. This meant that from now on, my level wasn't just what was visible on the surface.
"Leveling up is going to be the key from now on."
To use Dragon Tongue to its full potential, I had to raise my personal level. Since each command of the Dragon Tongue had a level restriction, the only way to utilize them freely was to level up my own body. Overpowered commands like Natural Disaster, Heavenly Wrath and Divine Thunder, and Meteor required a level of at least 90 to be wielded.
But of all things, why did I have to be an undead?
Why was the Undead Difficulty considered hell-tier in the 72 Dungeon Strategy Record? It was because players who became undead had their level cap hard-locked at Level 80. While other undead monsters had no such level restrictions, I alone was bound by this limitation. No matter how hard I struggled or how high I soared, my physical level could never exceed 80.
And I can't use cheap tricks like the Holy Sword either.
Level boosts from weapons were strictly out of the question. The only viable exploit was temporarily boosting my level through elixirs. Since elixirs enhanced physical attributes, temporarily breaking my limits would allow me to use Level 90-tier Dragon Tongue commands.
What about the Mana's Blessing currently in my possession? If I consumed this S+ grade elixir, would my level shoot up to 90?
Not a chance.
My current physical level was 72. The consumer would need to be at least Level 80 to even dream of reaching past 90 with it. Raising my physical level to 80 was my absolute top priority. I would also need to secure highly potent elixirs in advance. Formulating a plan in my head, I turned around.
I tried to squeeze my body back into the narrow side passage. But just thinking about my armor scraping against the stone walls and making that unpleasant screeching noise gave me a headache. Just then, a Dragon Tongue command fitting for the situation came to mind.
"Dragon Scales."
According to the game's lore, Dullahans and Death Knights perceive their armor as part of their own bodies. Testing the theory, I uttered the command, and to my amazement, blue scales actually began to sprout over my armor. Oh. An involuntary gasp of admiration escaped my lips.
As demonstrated, Dragon Tongue commands weren't limited to offensive attacks; there were plenty of buffs as well. Furthermore, combining related commands could maximize their efficacy—though normally, this was restricted to long-lasting buff commands due to cooldowns.
Of course, now that my cooldowns are gone, things might be different, but still.
The command currently active on me was Dragon Scales, which manifested physical scales. If I appended Anti-Magic, which granted magic resistance, it would become Anti-Magic Dragon Scales. Anti-Magic Dragon Scales reduced all incoming damage, granting immense resistance, particularly against magic. Synergy like this only triggered between commands of similar natures.
And I happen to know every single combination for those buff commands.
I hadn't put 30,000 hours into the game for nothing. Still, I might forget them later, so I should probably write them down in a notebook and memorize them thoroughly. A cooldown-free Dragon Tongue in the hands of someone who knew every single combination recipe?
Behold, the ultimate overpowered cheat boss.
It sounded great, but it wasn't quite that easy. In the end, physical level was what mattered, and this corpse of a body was hard-capped at Level 80. What a load of garbage. It was truly like casting pearls before swine.
"Wait, could it be?"
A sudden spark of hope flared in my chest. Since the cooldowns were gone, was it possible that the level limit had been removed as well?
"Undying Dragon Scales."
...
Nothing happened to my body. Well, expecting that to work was pushing my luck way too far. If by some miracle it had worked, I might have been able to go toe-to-toe with Roxanne in a one-on-one fight. In other words, the current me still couldn't hold a candle to the Mugan 7 Palaces. It would be stranger if swallowing a single hidden piece instantly elevated me to the level of an Abyss Palace boss.
Of course, Fear and Dragon Tongue still worked against powerful foes. However, if the gap in raw power was an insurmountable wall, they wouldn't be very effective. Against Hero-class opponents like Valmonk or Wilhelm, I stood a decent chance. The Tower Masters fell into that category as well. But against transcendent beings like the Grand Sage of the Magic Tower, Cecilia in her prime, or the bosses of the Mugan 7 Palaces? I would undoubtedly be ground to dust. Still, it was too early to despair. There were plenty of other Ancient Dungeons left. If anything, I should be satisfied with reaching the level of a Hero just by absorbing a single dungeon core.
I also need to recruit DLC bosses like Balutak.
My personal combat power came first, so leveling up and hunting down ancient dungeon cores were my immediate priorities. Once I had some breathing room, I planned to recruit the DLC bosses. The Rank 5 Lord of the Abyss Palace, ruling over the Cathedral of Faithful Apostates: the baptized demon, Sara. The Rank 3 Lord of the Abyss Palace, ruling over the Iron-Blooded Crossroads: the Thousand-Slayer Asura, Heochi Yacha. Since their ranks were so high, recruiting them would undoubtedly be far more difficult than recruiting Balutak. In fact, Heochi Yacha was notorious for doing whatever the hell he wanted, as his title suggested. To be perfectly honest, I didn't even want to meet him.
As I made my way through the side passage, I spotted two silhouettes waiting in the distance. Isabella, seemingly bored out of her mind, was kicking a pebble around like a soccer ball. In stark contrast, Charlotte stood perfectly upright, completely motionless. Seriously, she's like a machine. The moment our eyes met, Charlotte approached me with brisk, precise steps.
"You have returned, Boss. Are you unharmed?"
"Ah! You're back?" Isabella also rushed over, closing the distance in a single bound.
"It was nothing major. Let us head back."
"Oh! Are we finally going home?"
"Yes. You both did well."
"Oh yeah!"
"You have worked hard, Boss."
Before returning via the portal, I figured I should stop by the witch's cabin. I doubted she would follow us, but I wouldn't know until I tried. Besides, Charlotte seemed to be hoping for it.
Standing in the heart of the Frozen Lands, the biting cold was supposed to freeze one's sense of smell. It truly should have... yet every time the Margrave took a breath, the thick stench of blood and burning clung to the tip of his nose. Amidst the ashes, the Grand Sage clicked his tongue. The perpetrator of this devastation, however, strolled leisurely with his hands clasped behind his back.
"It should be peaceful for a while."
"..."
The Margrave was utterly speechless.
Zero casualties. Total annihilation of the monsters. Just ten minutes ago, thousands of monsters had surged forward like a tidal wave. To erase all those lives, ten minutes, a single man, and a single 9th-Circle wide-area spell were more than enough. Dozens of magic circles, each as massive as a house, had manifested in the sky. Every time the intricate runes of the circles interlocked like gears, monsters fell dead. A monster wave that had struck terror into an army of a hundred thousand was reduced to mere moths flying into a blazing furnace.
He is a true monster.
To the Grand Sage, this operation was neither an expedition nor a subjugation; it was a mere slaughter. The Margrave briefly wondered why the Grand Sage had mobilized an entire army when he could have handled it alone, but he quickly found the answer. The Empire had recently been shaken to its core due to the Tomb of Faith. Conscious of this, the Grand Sage had used this expedition to the Frozen Lands as a demonstration of power. Ultimately, his goal was to boost humanity's morale—to declare that the Empire remained unshakable as long as he stood.
The Margrave turned his head slightly to look back. At this moment, all one hundred thousand soldiers surely shared the exact same sentiment.
"Whoaaaah!"
Their eyes shone with a mixture of awe and newfound hope. They embraced one another, cheered, and the continuous roar of their voices served as their victory song. Even the Margrave was swept up in the intoxication of the moment. A burning heat welled up inside him, defying the freezing cold of the Frozen Lands. The Grand Sage's exploit today would undoubtedly be etched into the Empire's history as an unprecedented heroic epic.
With a man like him, even the Tomb of Faith could be cleared single-handedly...
Two Heroes might have perished there, but the Grand Sage was different. The so-called Four Heroes could never compare to the Empire's ultimate weapon.
Crunch, crunch.
The Grand Sage walked over, his hands still clasped behind his back. Each step left a deep footprint in the snow. As he passed the Margrave, he patted him on the shoulder.
"Astoria. Keep your promise."
"Yes, sir!"
"Let us return."
When they had first set out, the soldiers had looked like walking corpses. In stark contrast, the returning soldiers' faces were now flushed with life and excitement. One could easily mistake them for an army marching in a triumphal parade. Walking side by side with the Grand Sage, the Margrave couldn't tear his eyes away. He had thought his youthful admiration for the strong had faded long ago, but...
...It feels like I've returned to my youth.
Just standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him was an immense honor.
"I am quite famished. I would like to be treated to a meal once we return."
"Of course, Your Eminence! I shall have the finest feast prepared."
Even his disciplined, military tone made him feel as though he had reverted to his days as a young officer. Just then, the Grand Sage stopped in his tracks. The Margrave cast a questioning glance at him.
"I have some business to attend to. Go on ahead."
"Business? May I ask what it is?"
"It is nothing major. It seems someone has been playing tricks."
The Margrave couldn't grasp his meaning. Regardless of whether he understood or not, the Grand Sage veered off from the marching column. Startled, the Margrave quickly followed.
"My Lord! Where are you going?" the chief of staff called out.
"Once you arrive, have the soldiers rest and eat! I shall accompany the Grand Sage!"
Though the chief of staff looked puzzled, he quickly complied and led the march forward.
Before long, the Margrave caught up to the Grand Sage. The Grand Sage glanced at him, then continued walking in silence, occasionally patting his own lower back. The footprints of the two men stretched across the desolate, empty plain. At the very least, there was no fear of getting lost, as the tracks in the snow served as a clear guide. Suddenly, the Grand Sage stopped. He abruptly reached his hand out into the empty air. As the Margrave watched in confusion—
Crackle!
Sparks erupted in midair. It was the backlash of mana.
"They certainly prepared thoroughly."
His palm swept roughly through the air. As if tearing away a veil, a cabin materialized out of the empty void. The Margrave stood frozen, his chapped lips parting in sheer disbelief.
"Indeed. I figured a few of them would be hiding out in the Frozen Lands."
"What on earth is this...?"
"Can you not tell by looking? It is a witch's dwelling. They hid it quite well with a barrier."
A witch?
"I suspected someone would be living in seclusion here, and my expectations have been met perfectly."
Shring!
The Margrave, who had already rested his hand on his hilt, drew his sword. These were witches who had fled to the Frozen Lands to escape the Empire's extermination decree. There was no need for questions; annihilation was the only answer. Before taking a step forward, he looked at the Grand Sage.
"What do you wish to do, Your Eminence?"
As far as he knew, the Grand Sage was a traditionalist who valued conservative customs. The outcome was already obvious, but he asked just in case. The Grand Sage stretched his back.
Crack, pop.
Following the sound of popping joints, he spoke.
"What else? They are witches. We burn them all alive."
The Grand Sage grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.