Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: The Apostate's Aura
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"Ugh..."
Oson rubbed his swollen eye with an egg.
Do-jae had woken up, seen Oson's hideous face, and handed it to him, telling him to rub it.
"Stop whining and lead the way properly."
"Yes, sir!"
Oson replied with even more discipline in his voice.
There was a reason for this behavior.
He had tasted the golem's fierce fist, but it was also because Do-jae, feeling sorry for him, had given him a gift.
"Hehe, Master! I'll make you a wonderful accessory with this Luna Stone!"
Do-jae had taken an unknown ore from his subspace and placed it in Oson's hand.
The colorful boxes he received as quest rewards often contained unknown ores, but he hadn't been able to identify them back then without the Eye of the Golem.
He had since forgotten about them, but with Oson around, he gave it to him to see what it was.
"While you're at it, make it for a woman."
"Sir? Who are you gifting it to?"
"Sarieta."
"Ooh! Are you interested in Sarieta?"
"Shut up."
According to Oson, Luna Stone was a type of iron ore.
Therefore, compared to other irons, it had no exceptional differences in hardness or malleability, but it was a beautiful ore that didn't rust easily.
Its color was somewhere between gold and silver, giving it an exquisite and mystical feel, which was why it was often crafted into accessories for both men and women.
"We're here!"
Do-jae looked at a place where six pillars were embedded in the ground.
The pillars were so thick and large that it would take three or four strong men holding hands to encircle one.
And behind them stood a massive structure in relatively good condition.
"Oson, draw your weapon."
Do-jae commanded Oson, then drew his own Black Scale and summoned two golems.
He had left the remaining two golems behind to protect Sarieta and Tahul in the carriage.
"I can feel the presence of a considerable number of monsters inside that building. Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir! I, Oson Ironhammer, am always ready to fight!"
"Good. Let's go in."
Do-jae led the way into the building with his golems in front.
***
As expected, the building was teeming with monsters.
Skeletons, Skeleton Warriors, and Skeleton Mages greeted Do-jae and Oson.
*Clang-!*
"Master! Aren't these things stronger than usual? They give off a rather sinister feeling!"
Oson said, parrying the chipped sword of a Skeleton Warrior.
"They're imbued with the Apostate's aura."
"The... the Apostate, you say?"
Oson faltered at the word "Apostate."
Do-jae didn't know it, but the beings of this world were sensitive about the Apostate.
The Apostate, who had driven the world to the brink of ruin and annihilated humanity, was a great trauma for the remaining races.
Especially for races like Oson's, several generations removed from the Hundred Years' War, the Apostate had become an even more terrifying figure through repeated oral tradition.
"Oson! Are you going to fight properly or not? It's just a faint aura, like a single teardrop in a cup of noodles."
"A teardrop in a cup of noodles!"
Surprisingly, the analogy seemed to work, as Oson began to muster his strength.
Do-jae also swung his Black Scale, felling the skeletons one by one.
If their skulls were crushed, the Apostate's aura holding their form together would dissipate, causing them to collapse. So, he focused his attacks on their heads. It was easier than dealing with zombies.
*Boom-!*
"Master! The golem!"
"Don't worry about it. It's fine."
An explosion erupted from one of the golems fighting a Skeleton Mage, blowing off one of its arms.
However, the golem's core was intact, so Do-jae paid it no mind, snapped a Skeleton Warrior's sword in half, and plunged his Black Scale into the empty space where its nose would have been.
*Crack-!*
Do-jae picked up the sword of the Skeleton Warrior, now a pile of white bones, and threw it with all his might.
Something had caught his eye.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack-!*
The sword, thrown with strength enhanced by his Golem Armor and imbued with a great deal of mana, skewered the skeletons like kebabs and sent them flying.
At the end of the gap he had created, he saw a single skeleton sitting on a throne, wearing a crown and a cape.
"Oson! Get ready to leave!"
Do-jae shouted to Oson and sprinted through the gap.
He wanted to deal with all the skeletons, but it was better to save time when he could.
His plan was to grab the Leaf of Arcturia resting on the skeleton's femur and retreat immediately.
"Got it!"
Do-jae, who had closed the distance in an instant, snatched the leaf and shouted to Oson.
Now all he had to do was get out.
The skeletons and zombies seemed bound to this ruined kingdom and couldn't leave, so they could depart at their leisure.
However, as Do-jae was about to leave, a throbbing pain shot through his temples, and he felt a viscous energy.
"Oson! Run!"
"Master!"
"Quickly!"
Do-jae yelled at Oson.
Sensing something in Do-jae's eyes and voice, Oson slowly backed away.
"I'll go get Sarieta and the old man!"
Oson quickly ran out of the building, after which the Apostate's aura exploded, engulfing the interior.
***
- To think a mere human was still left.
A disgusting, high-pitched voice that was neither male nor female pierced Do-jae's mind.
"It feels strange hearing that from a mere skeleton..."
Do-jae said, gripping his Black Scale with both hands.
Right after Oson left, something like a black curtain covered the sky.
Then, the skeleton upon which the Leaf of Arcturia had been resting slowly rose from its seat.
It radiated the Apostate's aura, its blue eyes glowing fiercely.
- I know not which lowly god committed the foolish act of awakening me. But since it seems to be your doing, I shall bestow a gift upon you.
The skeleton slowly raised its hand and began to gather a dark energy.
It was the Apostate's aura, so heavy that the throbbing in Do-jae's temples grew worse.
- Come hither. I shall make you a loyal servant of Lord Gellahan.
As the skeleton finished speaking, Do-jae's body began to be pulled forward.
It felt as if dozens of hands were tugging at his clothes.
*Thunk-.*
"I don't need a filthy gift like that."
Do-jae resisted being dragged by stabbing his Black Scale into the floor.
The pull was immense; everything around him remained still, but Do-jae alone was being sucked toward the dark energy.
- To refuse my gift. How insolent!
The skeleton roared in anger and scattered the energy it had gathered in its hand.
*Swoosh-!*
The dark energy dispersed in all directions, flowing into the skeletons within the barrier.
*Creeak-.*
*Grind-.*
The skeletons that were still standing absorbed the dark energy, their eyes flashing with a black light, while those whose skulls had already been shattered rose once more.
Not only that, but the weapons they held were also imbued with the dark energy.
- Insolent human. Die before my eyes. Then I shall grant you a new life.
The skeleton sat back down in its place.
At that, the revived skeletons swarmed toward Do-jae.
"Fine, I'll hunt every last one of you."
Do-jae pulled out the embedded Black Scale.
He couldn't confirm it, but he was sure experience points were steadily rolling in.
He could tell just by how the performance of his four golems improved day by day.
Since it had come to this, Do-jae decided to hunt all the skeletons and rack up a hefty amount of experience.
***
"Haa, haa..."
Do-jae gasped for breath.
He had put up a tremendous fight against the skeletons, but he was starting to be pushed back physically.
- Cease your struggle and accept the aura. I acknowledge your valor. I shall allow you to be reborn as a new being for the sake of Lord Gellahan, who will one day be resurrected.
*Clang-!*
"What bullshit."
Do-jae flashed a grin at the skeleton sitting on the throne with its legs crossed.
He was pretending to be fine, pretending to have energy to spare.
In reality, he was exhausted from the endlessly regenerating skeletons.
No matter how many times he struck them down and cut them apart, the dark energy acted like glue, reassembling the broken and shattered bones to regenerate the skeletons.
*'My stamina is one thing, but if I absorb any more of the Apostate's aura...'*
It wasn't that there was no way to completely destroy the skeletons.
It was to absorb the Apostate's aura they possessed.
When he held out his right hand to them, the Apostate's aura covering their white bones was sucked out.
Just like with Salreuta, the Sealed Memory in his right hand devoured the aura, and only then did the skeletons crumble to dust.
And the skeletons that turned to dust could not rise again.
*'The black barrier is too tough, so getting out isn't easy either...'*
Now that he had the Leaf of Arcturia, he had tried to just escape, but the barrier was too sturdy to break through easily.
Whenever he tried to break out with all his strength, a Skeleton Warrior would interfere, and the Skeleton Mages would stop their attacks to repair the barrier.
*Cra-boom-!*
Just then, another explosion sounded, and a large amount of his mana was drained.
He thought his mana pool had grown considerably since the tournament, but with such large amounts being drained repeatedly, he could now feel it running low.
*'Should I recall the golems?'*
The two golems weren't in good shape either.
When the skeleton on the throne flicked its finger, the golems' speed would slow noticeably.
Thanks to that, they were hit by spells they could have otherwise dodged, and each time, it drained Do-jae's mana for repairs.
But he couldn't just put the golems back into his subspace, because they were taking all the Skeleton Mages' spells, allowing him to worry less about that front.
*'This is a no-win situation.'*
A war of attrition against these things was meaningless.
Do-jae decided to take a gamble.
He would absorb the Apostate's aura and use it as his own mana.
It was questionable how much of the backlash the Leaf of Arcturia could mitigate, but it seemed like the best option right now.
*'I've been through this once before. I can do it. I just have to stop right before the edge.'*
Do-jae smashed through the skeletons and advanced.
- So you intend to accept it. Very well, I shall forgive you. Humans are always making mistakes.
The skeleton on the throne stood up, its cape fluttering, and faced Do-jae.
At that, the attacking skeletons parted to either side and knelt.
*Fshhhhhh-!*
The skeleton created the dark energy again and held out its hand to Do-jae.
- A new world shall open. On the day Lord Gellahan is resurrected in a new land, you too shall enjoy glory by my side.
Do-jae raised his right hand and slowly moved it toward the skeleton's.
A hint of anxiety and tension. If he failed, he could become a slave to the Apostate, just as the creature said.
He might even turn into a monster himself, be cast into a dungeon, and end up being hunted by humans.
But he decided to walk that potentially dangerous line.
Trusting in the Leaf of Arcturia and the Sealed Memory of his right hand, he plunged his hand into the dark energy.
*Fwoooosh-!*
A massive surge of the Apostate's aura flowed into Do-jae through his right hand.