Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 37
Black ash gathering toward Emma's torn-off right arm.
TSURURURU-.
The black ash that clung to the wound area soon transformed into a perfectly intact right arm.
Emma moved her regenerated right arm this way and that, then looked at Seo-jin and asked.
[How did you notice? The disguise should have been perfect.]
Though it took Emma's form through disguise, it was a completely different being.
'A subordinate of the Lich King, a doppelganger.'
A doppelganger is a monster that parasitizes others' bodies, stealing their memories and appearance to mimic the original owner. The doppelgangers on this 4th floor have the characteristic of forming their bodies using bone dust and ash.
To the creature's question, Seo-jin smiled as if it were nothing special.
"I set a trap earlier when taking your pulse."
If Emma had been an ordinary lower priest, she wouldn't have shown any special reaction when Seo-jin took her pulse.
Lower priests don't have the ability to notice the minute amount of Reverse Heaven's mana that remained.
However, this creature instantly saw through the Reverse Heaven's mana hidden by the energy of the Primordial Unity Technique.
Moreover, even after confirming that Seo-jin was a black mage, it obediently brought him to this place.
The reason for that would be.
'Obviously to eliminate me.'
Seo-jin had shaken off the Lich King's mana at the cemetery and regained control of the undead. He had even driven out the concentrated vengeful spirits that had possessed Lea.
Through this series of events, Seo-jin's mana would have been imprinted on the Lich King's vengeful spirit.
Having read Seo-jin's mana, the creature received orders from the Lich King and lured Seo-jin to this place.
Meanwhile, Leon trembled with a sense of betrayal and shouted.
"Emma! Have you been deceiving me all this time!"
To his angry outcry, the doppelganger borrowing Emma's form said.
[Deceiving? I was sincere from the beginning.]
"Sincere?"
[That's right. As I said before, to break the seal of the Ley lines, a priest with a certain level of divine power or higher is needed. The pathetic priests in the village couldn't do it, but you conveniently appeared.]
"……!"
Leon's divine power as a Tower climber and Cleric would be able to open the stone gate of the sealed area.
[Compared to the upper priests of the religious order, it's slightly insufficient, but I thought if I grew you a little, you'd quickly reach the appropriate divine power level. But even after several months passed, you showed pathetically no growth. What a useless fool.]
Unlike before, harsh words without a trace of affection could be found.
"KEUUK……."
Leon trembled at the thought that he had been used by a subordinate of the Lich King all this time.
The doppelganger turned its gaze to Seo-jin and shouted boldly.
[You cleverly noticed my identity. But nothing changes. You will die here as planned, and I'll extract your mana to supplement that insufficient fool's divine power. And.]
BASARAK-.
A group of skeletons rose through the thick undergrowth in response to the creature's gesture.
Red eye-light glinting in the darkness.
Their number appeared to be several hundred at a rough estimate.
[I will offer the Ley lines of this land to my king.]
Simultaneously with the creature's words, a notification window appeared before Seo-jin's eyes.
TING-.
[You are entering a World Quest.]
[Subordinate of the Lich King]
The vengeful spirit of the Lich King who still dominates the 4th floor even after death. Eliminate the subordinates who are secretly working everywhere for his return.
Quest completion reward: Additional Stats +2, Achievement Points +1
'Excellent.'
Seo-jin clenched his fist.
Until now, he had hardly any interaction with the natives, so he couldn't receive World Quests.
But this time was different.
An opportunity had arisen to gain additional stats and achievements that couldn't be obtained by climbing the Tower through the Climber Association.
"KUK."
Unlike Seo-jin who was pleased to receive the quest, Leon clicked his tongue while taking a combat stance against the skeleton horde rushing from all directions.
"KIYAAK!"
The skeleton horde rushed forward making strange sounds despite having no vocal cords.
Normally, skeletons would be easily disposed of mobs, but not on this 4th floor.
'Moreover, it's now night when the Lich King's vengeful spirit exerts its power even more strongly.'
Until sunrise, even if skeletons are broken and turned to ash, they will continuously rise and attack.
No matter how much of a Cleric who handles divine power, it would be impossible to endure against infinitely regenerating skeletons, so it was natural for Leon to be tense.
PEOBEOK- PEOEOK-.
Leon smashed the rushing skeletons one by one with his fists, while Seo-jin calmly watched the scene.
"HMM."
Skeletons exploding one after another as they touched Leon's fists imbued with divine power.
But the broken ones regained their original form and rose again due to the Lich King's mana.
'This alone isn't enough information.'
He would need to turn them completely into bone dust to get definitive information.
"Help me a little!"
Even to Leon's outcry of desperation, Seo-jin didn't intervene in the battle and quietly observed the scene.
"Just hold on a bit longer."
Thinking it had cornered them, the doppelganger spoke confidently.
[KEKE. If you noticed my identity, you should have called the other priests in the village instead of following obediently. That was your fatal mistake.]
"……."
Instead of answering, Seo-jin gathered Reverse Heaven's mana and formed lightning.
Soon, black lightning shot from his hand, tearing straight through the skeleton horde.
KWAJAJAK-.
Skeletons that instantly lost their strength and collapsed as soon as they touched the black lightning.
Dozens of skeletons were shattered by Seo-jin's single strike, but the doppelganger wasn't flustered at all.
[KEK. You think you can oppose our king with just that level of power?]
When the creature raised its hand, the shattered bones stuck back together and rose again.
DALGEURAEK-.
A scene as if time was flowing backward.
From bone dust that had turned to ash, to charred bones.
They became bone fragments again, stuck together, and formed the shape of skeletons once more.
Seo-jin watched that process carefully and gained understanding.
"Aha, so that's how it works."
He had already grasped the principle of how the Lich King's necromancy worked through the vengeful spirit that had clung to Lea.
But seeing the manifestation of that necromancy directly made it even more certain.
'The creature's undead summoning isn't simply a mana supply between contractor and summon.'
This is a kind of 'curse.'
By offering the mana of the Ley lines rooted in the earth and the lives living on it as a price, it exercises a curse close to the authority of time reversal.
'No wonder burning or burying corpses is meaningless.'
The only way to fundamentally block the effect of the curse is to protect the corpses using the power of the Ley lines.
This was the reason grave keepers existed in this land, and the reason The Torch Order protected the Ley lines.
There was no need to observe any further.
Seo-jin slowly nodded and rose from his position.
"But…… that's not a very efficient method. It's not refined either. Is it because the mana is rotting and overflowing?"
Thanks to the vengeful spirits spread throughout the entire floor, it could exercise curses close to authority, but the process wasn't smooth.
It was only a bizarre feat possible by pouring out massive amounts of mana, but the utilization of that mana was terribly crude.
The reason Seo-jin had lost control of the undead to his meager mana earlier was also there.
At Seo-jin's evaluation, the doppelganger contorted its face and shouted.
[Nonsense! My power was bestowed by the king! A mere creature like you has no right to evaluate it!]
"That's your opinion."
Although he might not match his master, Seo-jin's analytical ability was sufficient to claim expertise in one field.
Such an evaluation was appropriate for the power used by a boss of these lower floors.
'No need to drag this out any longer.'
He had confirmed everything he needed to confirm, so let's end this now.
CHAREUREURU-.
Seo-jin summoned a bundle of Black Chains and shot them at the doppelganger.
Black magic chains rushing toward the creature, tearing through the night air.
[Where do you think you're going!]
At the doppelganger's gesture, the skeleton horde surrounding Leon jumped into the trajectory of the Black Chains, trying to reduce the power of the attack.
PEOSEOSEOK-.
The Black Chains' speed and power decreased due to the skeletons blocking the way.
However, Seo-jin's purpose wasn't physical impact through the Black Chains.
PIING-.
When Seo-jin flicked his finger, the chains instantly changed trajectory and wrapped around the creature like rope.
[!]
KWAAK-.
The Black Chains that firmly bound the creature pulled the doppelganger straight to Seo-jin.
"Now, come over here~"
Seo-jin looked at the doppelganger being pulled toward him and drew his fist far back.
UUUUNG-.
Simultaneously, pure white energy settled in Seo-jin's fist.
[Primordial Unity Technique. Mixed Origin Fist]
The doppelganger felt the pure yet domineering power dwelling in Seo-jin's fist and urgently shouted.
[W-wait!]
"Too late, you bastard."
JJEOEOK-.
Adding to the momentum of being pulled by the Black Chains, the energy of evil-breaking that burst from Seo-jin's Mixed Origin Fist smashed the creature's head.
The creature's body completely turned to ash due to the pure white light rays that burst out simultaneously with the impact.
KKEUMTEUL-.
The pile of ash moved once as if the creature was trying to regenerate its body again, but.
"……."
Due to the righteous mana left by the Mixed Origin Fist, the Lich King's vengeful spirit was severed and could no longer move.
When the doppelganger, which had been the medium for necromancy, fell, the skeletons that had been surrounding them also collapsed to the ground with a crash.
Complete silence settled in the forest as if asking what had happened.
In that silence, a pleasant notification sound rang out.
[You have completed the World Quest 'Subordinate of the Lich King.']
[You have acquired additional stats.]
[You have acquired Achievement Points.]
[You have acquired experience points.]
Leon breathed heavily as the enemies completely disappeared.
"HUUK- HUUK-."
"Good work."
"……."
Though the fight ended without any damage, Leon's expression wasn't bright.
Both Emma whom he had admired, and all the memories they had built together were all lies.
The past few months of time spent protecting the village had all been meaningless.
Leon trembled with his fists clenched tightly.
He struggled to swallow his emotions and said.
"I'm glad it ended safely. I survived thanks to you. And…… I've learned a truth I didn't want to know."
"I'm somewhat sorry."
"No. If it weren't for you, I would have been used and killed by that monster."
Leon called it a monster while looking at the pile of ash. But his expression still showed he couldn't let go of his attachment.
Seo-jin offered words of comfort to Leon, who wore a sad expression.
"Don't be so sad. That was just a monster borrowing Emma's form. The real Emma is probably alive."
"Is, is that really true?"
"Yes, though she won't be the person you know."
Seo-jin shrugged while looking at the pile of ash scattered on the ground.
Since it was a low-grade doppelganger, it wouldn't be able to maintain its form if the target died.
The real Emma was likely imprisoned somewhere in the village.
Only then did Leon's expression relax as he patted his chest.
"That's a relief."
"She won't have any memories of you though, will that be okay?"
All the memories Leon had built with Emma were memories with the doppelganger.
Even if he rescued the real Emma, she wouldn't know who Leon was.
But Leon answered with a smile.
"It's regrettable, but memories can be built again from now on. Thank you so much."
"If you're grateful, you should show your sincerity."
"Of course. Once this undead wave ends, I'll get something for you."
Leon readily offered to give him something at his casual remark.
Seo-jin chuckled and shook his head.
"Never mind. What could you have that would be useful to me?"
'Taking even a flea's liver.'
"That's probably true. Anyway, since we've also eliminated the Lich King's subordinate, now it's time to strengthen the barrier with the Ley lines. I'm glad we can protect the village."
Leon smiled while looking at the stone gate that sealed the Ley lines.
Though his memories with Emma had disappeared, he seemed to find comfort in the thought that he could protect the village.
Feeling somewhat sorry for Leon, Seo-jin played dumb.
"……I never said I would strengthen the barrier."
"What? But earlier you clearly……."
"To be precise, I said I would use the Ley lines to ensure the village no longer suffers from undead waves. And."
KWANG-!
Seo-jin gathered his mana and smashed the stone gate that sealed the Ley lines while smiling.
"This is that method."
The doppelganger had said that a certain level of divine power or higher was needed to open the stone gate.
But according to Seo-jin's analysis, divine power wasn't necessarily required, nor was a certain amount needed.
Energy containing the power of evil-breaking could easily substitute for divine power, and by reverse-engineering the structure of the seal through accurate analysis, it could be undone.
When Seo-jin completely destroyed the stone gate, Leon shouted in great shock.
"Wh-what on earth have you done!"
"What do you mean what, I broke the seal of the Ley lines."
"If-if you do that, the Lich King's vengeful spirit will notice the Ley lines and send legions! The village is finished now!"
"Half right, half wrong."
The part about the Lich King's vengeful spirit noticing the abnormality in the Ley lines and sending legions was correct.
Since he had broken the barrier protecting the village's Ley lines along with breaking the seal, it was natural.
But that didn't mean the village was finished.
Seo-jin looked at the Ley lines gushing with mana.
"This is bait. Bait to lure that creature to this village."
There was no need to painstakingly chase after the Lich King's vengeful spirit scattered throughout this floor.
Just make it come here.
Just as Leon was about to argue back, murmuring sounds came from beyond the undergrowth.
The priests of The Torch Order, having heard the loud noise, were gathering.
Seo-jin tapped Leon's shoulder and jerked his chin toward the undergrowth.
"Let's get out of here first. Lead the way."