Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 42
FLASH-.
The Lich King's spirit core was destroyed, and a brilliant pillar of light shot up into the sky.
The pillar of light cut through the clouds and rose up, piercing through the red-stained sky.
CRASH-.
The red sky that symbolized the undead wave shattered like broken glass and fell down, and the sky gradually regained its original blue color.
Not the gloomy gray that symbolized the 4th floor, but a deep blue sky that had never been seen before.
The blue light had returned to the sky that had always been filled with ash-gray.
Then, as the pillar of light exploded, sparkling light powder scattered across the entire sky.
The light powder that fell like the first snow settled one by one on the heads, shoulders, and hands of the people looking up at the sky.
Among them, the priests felt some change occurring in their bodies as soon as they were touched by the light powder.
"Huh?"
The curse that had clung to them like a tattoo and tormented them disappeared like melting snow.
It must be that the curse of the upper dantian created by the Lich King's obsession had been healed with the Lich King's disappearance.
CRUMBLE-.
Then, one by one, the skeleton army lost its strength and returned to being piles of bones again.
CRUMBLE CRUMBLE-.
Those holding old iron swords and shields, those wearing rusted armor, those riding skeleton horses.
All became silent white bones and collapsed, so that in an instant all around became quiet.
"……."
Complete silence that had descended upon this land.
In this silence, they would be able to take the eternal rest they had long desired.
In the midst of that quiet, an announcement rang out across the entire floor.
[The undead wave has been completely terminated due to the subjugation of the Lich King. Once again, we inform you. The Lich King's…….]
***
[Congratulations. You have subjugated the Lich King, the boss monster of the 4th floor.
[You have achieved the 'The More The Merrier' achievement.]
[You have achieved the 'Ashes To Ashes' achievement.]
[You have obtained the authority to ascend to the 5th floor.]
[You have achieved a new record in the 4th floor test site. Chain quest is unlocked.]
[You have cleared the World Quest.]
[Clear Rewards]
Distributable Stats + 5
Achievement Points + 3
Ring of Ash and Death
[You have obtained the 5th floor teleportation stone.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Would you like to share your record?]
.
.
.
Notification windows that appeared one after another before Seo-jin's eyes.
But Seo-jin didn't have the leisure to check them.
"URGH."
Seo-jin prostrated himself on the ground and dry heaved.
Even though he had severed the mental connection with Baduki, tremendous nausea came rushing in.
It felt like his intestines would pop out at any moment.
No matter that it was a creature he had made, possessing an undead made from the flesh of the dead had too high a mental contamination level.
It was an unavoidable choice to find the Lich King's spirit core, but he never wanted to do it again.
GRROWL-.
After he had been vomiting blood, saliva, and gastric juices for a while, Baduki had returned to Seo-jin at some point and was wagging its tail.
"Good work."
Seo-jin, who had regained his senses, petted Baduki and pulled out the Eye of Insight connected to its eye, replacing it with its original eye.
Then he looked at the Eye of Insight and sighed.
This operation had greatly benefited from the magic eye.
'The work of continuously operating the [Eye of Insight] by borrowing the power of the ley lines, and finding the Lich King's spirit core while transplanting it into Baduki.'
It sounds easy in words, but it's crazy enough that an ordinary mage wouldn't even dare to attempt it.
Both drawing on the magic power of ley lines and possessing an undead he had created.
An extremely dangerous and delicate work where even the slightest mistake in magic power operation could cause the mana circuit to burst.
Of course, it was worth the risk.
Seo-jin checked the loot he received as a quest clear reward.
[Lich King's Spirit Core (靈核)]
Grade: S-
Classification: Equipment Item
A spirit core containing the authority of the Lich King who dominated the 4th floor. It specializes in summoning the dead.
Magic power consumed for summoning the dead is reduced by 30 percent and duration is increased by 30 percent.
As the level of summoning the dead increases, the number of undead you can command without magic power consumption increases. (Currently 1 unit.)
[Demerit] While the effect is active, the wearer's health decreases by 1 percent every second.
An item that necromancer-type black mages who command undead could only dream of.
It reduces magic power consumption by 30 percent and also extends the duration of summoning.
Unless it's a special case like this time where he borrowed the power of ley lines, he would have to raise undead with his own magic power, and this would be of great help then.
Moreover, the additional effect of being able to command undead without separate magic power consumption is extremely important.
'If I use this structure well……'
He might be able to command tremendous armies without magic power consumption through subjugation.
"WHEW."
Seo-jin, who had somewhat regained his composure while checking the item's excellent performance, examined the test results in detail.
'Both the World Quest and the tower climbing quest were cleared at once.'
The Lich King's obsession that previous tower climbers had failed to handle.
Through handling that aftermath, he had passed both the World Quest and the tower climbing test at once.
Also, thanks to that frivolous blue-haired guy's broadcast, he had sufficiently stirred up publicity.
There couldn't be a better result than this.
While Seo-jin was lost in thought.
"AHHH, let go of this!"
Just then, a frivolous scream came from beyond those bushes along with signs of people.
Soon Se-yeon and Min-ho appeared, pushing through the bushes.
Se-yeon threw Min-ho, whom she had dragged along, in front of Seo-jin and said expressionlessly.
"I caught him…… sir."
"Why this guy?"
When Seo-jin tilted his head, Se-yeon suddenly held out Min-ho's camera that she had confiscated.
"Here."
Seo-jin looked at the camera and roughly figured out the situation.
"Ah."
It seemed that Min-ho, who had figured out Seo-jin's identity, had rushed to film Seo-jin, and Se-yeon had caught and held him.
"Well done. You're quick-witted."
Even though he hadn't given Se-yeon any particular hint, she had noticed that Seo-jin was reluctant to have his identity exposed and had blocked Min-ho in the middle.
Meanwhile, Min-ho, who had fallen to the ground, stammered and asked back.
"A-are you really that person? That supernova?"
"Let's talk about that later. Before that."
CRACK-.
Seo-jin pierced and broke the camera lens with his finger and threw it to Min-ho.
"Ah, no!"
"There's still work to be done, so follow me."
Seo-jin headed toward the village, leaving the screaming Min-ho behind, and Se-yeon followed.
***
After the battle ended.
Seo-jin arrived at the church where the villagers had gathered together with his companions.
Leon, who had participated in the battle together, had arrived first and was checking on the villagers.
Most of the injured were not seriously hurt, so they could be easily treated with the divine magic of the priests gathered here.
But
"HAH, HAH."
Priest Mattie's condition was serious.
A sharp, long bone embedded in her chest.
The injury was clearly serious at a glance, and there was nothing the priests gathered in the church could do about it.
Seo-jin looked at that sight and asked.
"How did this happen?"
"During the battle with the flying-type skeletons that attacked the church, she was injured while protecting Lea."
At Leon's answer, Seo-jin frowned.
"This old hag did?"
She was injured protecting Lea?
She had been dying to devour her before, so what kind of change of heart had there been?
Seo-jin looked at Priest Mattie and Lea, who was clinging to her side, with puzzled eyes.
And he soon got his answer.
'She awakened.'
The faint divine power flowing from Lea.
Lea had probably awakened divine power in the crisis situation and protected the villagers, but was inexperienced in combat situations and got into danger.
Then Priest Mattie must have recognized her power and had a change of heart, then threw her body to protect her.
This would have been the best apology that old woman could offer to Lea.
Even in her confused mental state, Priest Mattie slowly raised her hand when she saw Seo-jin.
"D-did you come?"
"Yeah."
She squeezed out her last voice and asked Seo-jin.
"What happened to…… the Lich King?"
Seo-jin answered calmly.
"It was annihilated. As promised, there will never again be anything like the dead walking around alive on this land."
Since he had completely removed the Lich King's obsession that was the source of the undead wave, the undead wave would no longer be found on this 4th floor.
The natives wouldn't suffer, and the tower climbing test would also change to different content.
Only then did Priest Mattie catch her breath with a comfortable expression and express her gratitude to Seo-jin.
"……Thank you. No, thank you very much."
COUGH-.
After coughing up blood once, Priest Mattie grasped the small hand of Lea, who was held in Lubal's arms, with her trembling hand.
"I'm…… sorry, but I have one last request for you."
Priest Mattie made a request to Seo-jin while squeezing out her last strength.
Seo-jin could infer the content of that request without listening to the end.
"Take Lea to the religious order in the central city?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
Although Priest Mattie didn't explain in detail, Seo-jin read her intention.
'Lea's divine power aptitude is excellent.'
She was thinking of sending Lea to the religious order's main mountain in Reveli, the central city of the 4th floor, to raise her as a high-ranking priest.
Even though the Lich King had been annihilated, many people on this land were still suffering from injuries and illnesses.
High-ranking priests were always in short supply.
Moreover.
"……."
Seo-jin felt the gazes of the villagers pouring toward Lea.
Although Priest Mattie had changed her mind and thrown her body to protect Lea, the other villagers hadn't.
In the eyes of those who didn't know the detailed circumstances, Lea was still a heretic, and was even the very person who had caused the death of Priest Mattie, who had been the village's spiritual pillar.
There would be no way to continue residing in this village.
Priest Mattie's judgment to send Lea to another city was rational.
But Seo-jin had neither the leisure nor the reason to take Lea to the central city.
"You do it yourself."
"……I would very much like to in my heart."
Priest Mattie touched the sharp bone embedded in her body with trembling hands.
Her futile hand movements that slipped helplessly without being able to pull out the bone.
The fear and regret of one facing death could be felt.
"It's an old person's last wish. Shamelessly, I beg of you."
Priest Mattie making her last wish to Seo-jin.
"……."
Seo-jin, who had been watching that sight for a moment, grasped the bone embedded in Priest Mattie's body.
And.
SQUELCH-.
He forcefully pulled out the bone.
When he pulled out the embedded bone, blood flowed from the wound area.
It was an act that put an end to Mattie's life, which hadn't had much left anyway.
At Seo-jin's sudden action, the priests and villagers who had been quietly watching cried out in shock.
"Wh-what."
"What are you doing now……!"
"Shut up."
Seo-jin snapped sharply and took out a recovery potion from his inventory and poured it on Priest Mattie's wound.
HISS-.
The wound that bubbled with smoke and was instantly healed.
Leon, who saw that sight, shouted with wide eyes.
"Th-this is a Super Regeneration potion! It must cost more than a penny or two!"
"I have a lot of money."
Money wasn't the problem in the first place. If he had the materials, he could make any potion.
Normally, he would need to be level 200 for the crafting method to be unlocked, but in Seo-jin's head, the mixing methods and ingredient ratios for various potions remained intact.
If push came to shove, he could extort a few more from his master.
"……."
Priest Mattie's wound was completely healed in the blink of an eye.
She was touching the wound area with her hand as if she couldn't believe it.
She would need to recuperate for a few days due to the shock to her body and blood loss, but there was no danger to her life.
Seo-jin handed the empty bottle to Priest Mattie and said.
"Don't run away through death and solve it with your own hands. That would be true atonement to Lea."
Priest Mattie, who had been staring blankly at Seo-jin for a moment, smiled brightly.
"Yes. I will dedicate the rest of my life to atoning to Lea."