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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: Wrapping Up (1)
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I scoured the village thoroughly, gathering all the usable items in one place and sorting them out.
Of course, I just pointed with my finger while my nearly two hundred subordinates did all the work.
Hmm, even for a slash-and-burn village taken over by black mages, I expected they might have a decent haul. This is pretty good.
After ransacking personal quarters and belongings, we hit the jackpot in the village chief's house—plenty of currency and precious metals that looked like operational funds from their schemes.
They'd been camped out here for quite a while and used a lot, but damn, these guys were richer than I thought.
I didn't know the exact value of the local currency, but gold coins were surely high denomination, so this was a lot.
Especially since we'd found a few gold bars too.
...Is this real gold?
I'd never touched gold in my life, so how would I know?
I tentatively bit down on a bar with my teeth. Since it left a mark, it had to be real, right?
My mood skyrocketed, and I turned to inspect the other items.
The weapons and armor used by the minions would go straight to equipping the undead.
But the real standouts were the magic tools wielded by the black mages.
From staves and robes to handy conveniences for daily life—there were plenty.
I slipped on a particularly sleek-looking robe for myself.
It had temperature regulation—which I didn't need—and basic defensive functions, which would help a little at least.
And I couldn't keep wandering around as a bare skeleton forever, could I?
...Ah, this won't do.
I checked myself in the robe and immediately took it off.
With only bones for a body, it had zero style.
If I layer it like this...
I put on some cloth clothes underneath, topped with thick leather armor around the shoulders, then draped the robe over that.
Hmm, much better than before.
A man had to have broad shoulders, after all.
Next, I looked over the staves and picked out the finest one.
Hey, Malcolm. Come here.
...Yes.
Here, take this one. Give me the one you've got.
We swapped.
Malcolm's old staff was bound to be the best anyway.
I gripped the skull-topped staff embedded with gems and tapped the ground once.
The earth beneath my feet turned black, and the undead—clad in gear and carrying spoils—sank into it one by one.
Finally, I surveyed the village.
It was the first otherworld village I'd ever visited, but now it was a desolate ghost town without a single living soul.
I walked slowly, taking it all in.
I passed the water barrel and firewood stack by the chief's house where I'd stayed, brushing by what looked like the village hall where the undead had been confined.
Whoosh—
Black flames erupted wherever I went, setting the village ablaze.
With the inferno at my back, I reached the center when I paused.
There lay the pile of completely destroyed undead.
Off to one side were the corpses of what seemed to be the original villagers, gathered together.
The weakest zombies had mostly been wiped out in battle.
A fair number could have been revived, but I left them and piled them in the village square instead.
My eyes met those of the sole surviving zombie standing in the center of the villagers' corpses.
Grrraaah...
It was damaged from the fierce fighting, but I recognized it instantly.
The young zombie who'd helped me take down Jeraph.
I held its gaze for a moment, gave a light nod of respect, and turned away.
Soon, the black flames consumed everything.
He'd fought to protect his loved ones, and only in death did he complete his vengeance, joining his family in eternal rest.
Roar—!
The entire village was burning.
I passed the wooden palisade I'd helped repair and approached the entrance.
I could feel the barrier, now hazy from the fire's influence.
'Detection of outsiders, concealment of black magic power, emergency defense functions... Even the inner barriers were advanced. Pretty high-level stuff.'
The black magic concealment was a staple in every barrier we'd passed.
'Probably to hide the Immortal King's fragment.'
'Well, it's part of me now, so it doesn't matter anymore.'
Still, they seemed useful, so I mimicked what I'd learned and erected a black magic concealment field around myself.
Black magic seemed taboo, so better safe than sorry.
As I exited, I set the palisade ablaze too.
Fwoosh— Fwoosh—
This magic fire would burn only what I wanted, dying out naturally once everything was ash—no risk of forest fires.
And so, I left the first village I'd visited and headed into the eastern woods.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In the Auterica Dimension, at the holy site in the continent's heart.
In the worship hall of the central Roselia Grand Temple, a girl knelt before the statue of the main god, deep in prayer.
Silver light began to softly envelop the silver-haired girl as she prayed with eyes closed and hands clasped.
As the light faded, she opened her eyes, rose slowly, bowed reverently to the statue, and cautiously exited the worship hall.
"Saintess."
The priests in pristine white robes waiting outside approached and bowed to her.
"Bishop Martin, could you contact the others?"
"Pardon? What for..."
The girl—Riesta, Saintess of the Main God Church—gazed westward with a grim expression.
"Omens of the Immortal King's resurrection have been detected in the west."
"I-Immortal King? Understood. I'll notify everyone and convene a meeting at once."
The shocked Bishop Martin bowed to the Saintess and hurried off.
The Immortal King, who had terrorized the entire continent centuries ago, was no small matter.
I won't let that happen again!
The Saintess clenched her fists, biting her lip in resolve.
Hans had thought concealing his black magic would suffice, but the Saintess's power was beyond his imagination.
Thus, one of the continent's greatest powers took notice of Hans and began tracking him.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Hmm... Craving some seolleongtang today.
Heinz, finishing his workout and heading home, detoured to a nearby seolleongtang joint instead.
No need to agonize over the menu.
"One kongnamul gukbap, one sundae gukbap, one somen head gukbap. To-go on the yukgaejang and seolleongtang. Oh, and a large boiled pork too, please."
He just ordered whatever called to him.
With more mouths to feed and bigger appetites, he'd gotten into sampling a variety of dishes.
Normally he'd hold back a bit, but today he was in high spirits, so he indulged and packed plenty.
Hmm... What's the gold price these days?
With the unstable times, gold prices had risen nicely.
He slurped the packed seolleongtang while checking online.
A rough calculation warmed his belly and filled him up nicely.
This place's gukbap is killer.
Hans was trekking through the forest eastward, so he couldn't fetch the gold bars right away, but it was as good as in hand.
Everything felt lenient now.
He could even laugh off trolls in team games.
"What the hell is that asshole doing?! Come on, man!"
Hmm... Maybe not that lenient.
He calmed himself via Mind Hub while Heinz snacked on the boiled pork, digested, and gamed.
Peace settled in.
This could help with mental training too.
He cleared the empty bowls and checked on Hans.
Since becoming a Demi-Lich, Hans naturally emanated a fear aura.
With black magic concealed, it only triggered on direct encounters, but that was enough—magical beasts rarely attacked.
The occasional ones just relieved his boredom.
And I can turn those into more undead.
A week had passed since leaving the village.
Were they sure there was a city east? Just as doubt about Malcolm crept in, a realization hit.
I've taken down a ton of bad guys. Karma should be stacking up nicely by now, right?
They were schemers operating in the shadows, pretty high-level too.
Expecting a tidy profit, he opened the Karma Shop.
⚙ KARMA SHOP ⚙ 『Unique Skill Enhancement (600,000)』 『Status Enhancement – View Details』 Current Karma: 792,208
He'd hoped for a good amount, but this was absurdly generous.
Last check was just over 400k... Were they that big a deal? Or did I do something extra?
He pondered but found no other reason.
Guess they were just that evil. Anyway, time to enhance the unique skill?
All he'd done was snag the Immortal King's heart and crush the black mages.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Mental strength has exceeded the threshold. Acquired skill 「Clear Mirror Still Water」.
Enhancing the unique skill brought a brief headache and the new skill notification.
It stabilized the mind against external stimuli and defended against mental attacks.
I have Mind Hub, but that's avatar-only. A version for the main body would be ideal.
Perfect timing—he realized he could deploy another avatar now.
Hans can't mingle with crowds easily. Send Heinz out, use the new one for outdoor stuff.
Hans spotted signs of human passage.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Hans rode a massive skeletal saber tiger along the forest path.
After battling through beast-infested woods with Malcolm and a few undead for what felt like ages, he'd turned assailants into undead mounts.
Faster than walking, and it looks badass!
An undead mage on a skeletal beast? Peak gamer fantasy!
He could mass-hunt and make an undead cavalry unit.
But it wasn't perfect...
Uncomfortable! Riding this thing is insanely bumpy!
Skeleton body, remember?
The rattling shakes were no joke, and no saddle meant constant effort to stay on.
Feet wedged between ribs keep me from falling, but... Maybe specialized riding undead?
Daydreaming while navigating, the trees thinned until he reached the forest's edge.
...There.
Malcolm on his skeletal wolf pointed with a bony finger.
Far off, city walls rose into view.
Ooh... A real city! Malcolm, you old coot, weren't lying after all.
Glancing at the wolf-riding Malcolm, who flinched and edged away.
Days of nothing but forest had led to constant grilling of the necromancer.
No past memories for undead, but wrongs didn't vanish.
He'd tormented him with excuses galore.
No pain or emotions for undead, so probably meaningless.
He turned from Malcolm to the distant walls.
Alright, let's move. You lot, stay put.
No need for the whole group in the outskirts; he'd go solo from here.
But undead spotted outside the forest would cause misunderstandings, so he skirted the edge toward the walls.
Hans couldn't enter the city, but he'd get close, then switch with Heinz.
A full day remained until the Otherworld Transfer Circle cooldown.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ⚔ ENTITY INFO ⚔ 📛 Name: Heinz 🔗 Common Traits: 「Mind Hub」, 「Super Recovery」, 「Clear Mirror Still Water」 🧬 Entity Traits: 「Sturdiness」 📝 Notes: Han Seonghyeon's second avatar. 「Sturdiness」 boosts stamina and physical durability.
Heinz completed the transfer and opened his eyes.
The city walls Hans had found loomed ahead.
A fair distance, but an hour's walk would do it.
He turned to look at Hans and involuntarily flinched.
Whoa, that's one menacing bastard...
First time another avatar faced Hans post-undead transformation, and the intimidation was off the charts.
The high undead Demi-Lich's innate fear aura, the ominous vibe radiating from his whole form.
Sitting astride an imposing skeletal saber tiger, skull staff in hand, glaring down with glowing blue eyes—an undead mage straight out of legend.
Run into that at midnight? Pants-wetting terror.
Without Mind Hub and Clear Mirror Still Water, he'd be shaking too.
If he looked this scary to himself, imagine to others.
Trauma on sight.
Keep Hans out of sight.
He sorted their positions and prepared to part ways.
Heinz changed into otherworld clothes and leather armor Hans had packed, grabbing weapons and ample travel funds.
Hans took gold bars, gems, and useful magic tools by hand.
Unsure if Earth summons worked, better to carry manually.
Moments later, Heinz headed to the gates alone.