Chapter 52: Mythic-Level Undead

I immediately snatched the gem from his hand and asked, “Where did you get this?”

“It was an item that came from the auction house.”

“Which auction house?”

“Ugh… it was in the port city of Muriel!”

I pondered if there were any more questions I should ask, but I couldn’t think of anything. After all, I didn’t expect to find a fragment of Greed when I came here to kill him.

‘Since it’s called a fragment, it seems to be scattered into multiple pieces.’

However, obtaining the clue of the port city of Muriel gave me something to investigate. If I took it step by step, something would surely come up.

Judging from Lanox’s attitude, he seemed oblivious to the fact that it was related to Sins. He was simply unable to give up due to the influence of Greed.

“S-Save me… sob”

Nevertheless, I cleanly ended his life as a retribution for Greed.

I collected his remains and set fire to the inside of Lanox’s dungeon, erasing any traces left behind.

‘It would be nice to decorate it as if Lanox had moved out.’

I had a lot to do.

At least I had to eliminate any evidence like this.

When I emerged outside, the three remaining tribesmen were waiting for me.

“You’re unharmed!”

“Yeah. This is the head of the warlock I promised your chief.”

“Understood. We will escort you to the village immediately.”

One of the tribesmen who received Lanox’s remains walked ahead with enthusiasm. Another tribesman beside him cautiously asked me, “Um, have you seen any other tribesmen like us inside?”

“No, I haven’t.”

There was no need to mention the corpses being devoured by the insects. It would only shock them unnecessarily. I felt a bit sorry for the disappointed expression on the tribesman’s face, but that was all. I quickly moved forward.

When we arrived at the village, it was completely empty. It seemed like everyone had fled, leaving only the village chief and the tribesmen who had headed to the village earlier.

“Thank you for saving the village from crisis.”

It seemed that they didn’t care whether I was a necromancer or whatever. Their perception of sorcerers was generally negative among the imperial citizens, but to these different races, humans were all the same.

“The answer seems like a quest completion dialogue.”

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind, I was just talking to myself.”

As promised, I headed towards the cliff. Fortunately, the tribesmen understood that they shouldn’t hinder me and went to gather the villagers who had taken shelter.

‘This is where the giant sleeps.’

Although it appeared to be an ordinary cliff, if I were to destroy it…

Without wasting any time, I summoned Timur once again.

“Destroy it.”

“Crack!”

Timur raised his fist high and struck exactly where I pointed.

Kwaaang!

With a resounding noise, one side of the cliff began to crumble, creating a gap.

I found it.

I dismissed Timur and squeezed through the gap.

Inside the cliff, a massive chamber awaited me. As I illuminated the area with magic, sparkling ores surrounded me from all directions.

“Runafalt.”

It was a rare ore that could be processed into gemstones. It had a strength similar to steel but was lighter and had a beautiful appearance, making it particularly popular among nobles. However, I wasn’t here for the Runafalt.

As I ventured deeper into the space covered in Runafalt, I noticed a colossal statue standing inside. It was approximately 4 to 5 meters tall. The statue depicted a figure with a giant sword embedded in the ground and Formel resting his hand on it. The reason I had come here was because of this statue.

‘When I found out that this statue was actually the real corpse of a giant, I was truly astonished.’

At that time, I was simply amazed and didn’t think much beyond that. I was more interested in finding other things or scratching off the Runafalt. Honestly, what good was a giant’s corpse? There was no practical use for it.

Of course, now that I had become a necromancer, things were different.

‘It would be best to summon a revenant if possible, but the condition of the corpse is not ideal. It’s a shame.’

In the end, I resorted to summoning a ghoul as an alternative.

[Low-level Command: Summon Ghoul]

[One corpse detected.]

Ghouls had stronger physical abilities than skeletons but had the disadvantage of occasionally not obeying orders. They were particularly prone to prioritizing their insatiable appetite over commands.

‘However, their physical prowess is overwhelmingly superior to skeletons, compensating for that drawback.’

[Insufficient capability to cast.]

[Lesser Necromancer: Summon Ghoul failed.]

I had anticipated it, but I didn’t succeed right away.

However, I had no intention of leaving until I turned this creature into my minion.

‘I knew this would happen, so I prepared provisions in my bag. No matter how long it takes, I will make it my subordinate and go to Deschren.’

I was determined to succeed no matter what.

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In the heart of Rodren, the capital of the Empire, there existed a colossal palace.

Just the size of the palace alone was comparable to a small city.

Even in such a palace, the Emperor’s favored retreat was a truly heavenly place rarely seen by mortals.

It was adorned with harmoniously designed lakes, rare plants and flowers that bloomed year-round, and various exotic herbivorous animals.

In this lush and vibrant place, the Emperor leisurely sipped his tea.

“Sir Hegel.”

“You called for me, Your Majesty?”

In this secluded place where no one else was present, when the Emperor called out, a response came from behind the shadow of a tree.

“Don’t be like that over there. Have a cup of tea.”

“It would be my honor.”

The person who appeared was a man dressed in a black tuxedo and a top hat.

With eccentric tattoos on his face, he sat opposite the Emperor and savored the aroma of the tea poured by the Emperor himself.

“This is tea made from Durcon leaves, personally grown by Jim here.”

“I apologize.”

The Emperor observed Hegel, who took a sip of the tea, carefully.

“So, how are things lately?”

“Recently, there have been signs of pressure from the Alven family. However, it seems they haven’t formed an alliance with other families.”

“I didn’t ask because I wanted to know such things. Coming here like this means you have more important information.”

“I have found the approximate location of Fury.”

Upon hearing Heygel’s words, the Emperor let out a faint exclamation.

Then, with his lips curled up, he leaned closer to Hegel, his face inches away.

“Alright. Where is Fury?”

“It is located in the northern region…”

Hegel paused abruptly, his head tilting to the side.

Although he had acted abruptly and rudely, the Emperor simply observed him with a stern expression.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. Fury seems to be located in the land of the barbarians.”

“Oh? So, when can we obtain it?”

“I will contact you again within this year.”

“A bit late, but understood. I’m counting on you.”

The Emperor tapped the sword that he always kept by his side and spoke.

Observing this, Hegel simply smiled and left the Emperor’s retreat.

As he moved through the darkness, Hegel’s mind was preoccupied with the signal he had sensed earlier.

“Lanox is dead. Who could have killed him?”

The breaking of the secret enchantment suggested two possibilities: either the enchanter had detected it and eliminated it, or the enchanter himself had died.

Considering Lanox’s level of skill, it was highly unlikely that he could have bypassed Heygel’s magic, so the assumption of his death seemed plausible.

‘But I thought he wouldn’t be easily killed.’

Nevertheless, it didn’t concern him much. He had plenty of words to use anyway.

More than that, he felt a greater sense of fulfillment from seeing the Emperor after a long time.

It had been about 30 years since he first met the Emperor.

At that time, the Emperor had looked down on him, but now he allowed Hegel to enter even his secluded retreat, where no one else dared to set foot.

Of course, it had taken countless efforts and endeavors to achieve such a transformation, but given that he was facing the Emperor of the Empire, he had no regrets.

“The Sword of Arrogance was decisive.”

The sword that the Emperor always carried, the humble Arrogance.

It was a gift from Hegel, one of the sins, but he didn’t regret it at all.

Thanks to that, the Emperor’s judgment had become clouded, and cracks were appearing in the Empire, unseen by others.

‘By the way, we need to find Fury…’

Well, he had prepared various words for such situations.

There was no urgency, so he could take his time to investigate.

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It had been a week since he entered the place where the giants slumbered.

He had been relentlessly using Ghoul Summoning every time his mana replenished, but there was still no sign of success.

‘I need to increase my proficiency in dark magic or evolve my talent.’

At this point, even I started to feel like I was wasting time.

Now that I needed to find Deschren, every day was precious, and I began to question whether I was wasting effort on something unnecessary.

‘No, this is probably my last chance to obtain the ancient race that went extinct, the giants.”

Sometimes, I felt like giving up, but the reason I couldn’t was that thought.

The giant race, which had existed in the era of ancient mythology, had disappeared into the forgotten corners of history, much like dragons.

However, while there were still remnants of dragons, such as Dragon Rares or equipment made from dragon materials, traces related to giants were mostly discarded due to their lack of practicality compared to their rarity.

I had invested too much time, and even though the sunk cost was regrettable, I couldn’t bring myself to give up.

With that thought in mind, I absentmindedly and almost impulsively cast the spell.

[Lesser Necromancer: Summon Ghoul.]

[One corpse detected.]

[Lesser Necromancer: Ghoul Summoning successful.]

[Summoned one Titan Ghoul (Mythical).]

[The level of the raised corpse is outstanding. Stat bonuses are applied.]

[The level of the raised corpse is exceptionally high. Tier is increased. It becomes a Champion Titan Ghoul.]

[The level of the raised corpse approaches transcendence. Partial restoration of the former self is granted.]

[A mythical-level undead. Inherits some traits from its former self.]

“Huh?”

I was dumbfounded by the unexpected success.

Did it actually work?

I hadn’t counted the exact number of attempts, but considering I had been using the spell day and night for a week, the success rate was probably around 0.0001%.

The giant turned ghoul still had muscles and bones, but its skin had completely decayed, giving it a grotesque appearance.

Objectively speaking, the appearance of a ghoul was not pleasing, but to me, it looked cooler than any other undead, as if the week of attempts had finally paid off.

‘It feels like I’ve obtained a giant robot I saw in a comic.’

[Champion Titan Ghoul (Mythical)]

-Ludoludo Kahanudondo

-Undead

-Tier 6

-Mana: 3733

-Traits: Ego, Resilience, Determination, Indomitable

A mythical-level undead…

Even Nickel and Timur were legendary grade, but I managed to summon a proper one.

No wonder it was so difficult to summon. The level of the corpse was just too high.

Not only was it mythic grade, but it also had remarkably unique traits.

‘Perhaps this is even more advantageous than meeting Deschren.’

I felt like I had won the lottery without thinking. I had obtained an undead with such incredible power.

Now, if I use the remaining corpse of the Fairy Queen Mirinae, even with just a one-person party, I would have an overwhelming force.

But I should hold off on using Mirinae’s corpse until I have learned the Ghost-type skills that I haven’t acquired yet.

There was no rush since I would eventually learn the skills through the Morne’s Grimoire.

‘It’s not the time to relax, there’s no better time than now.’

Feeling overwhelmed with emotions, I decided to put the giant, along with the sword he was carrying, into the pocket dimension.

Since it was difficult to pronounce the giant’s name, I simply called him “Ludo.”

As I emerged from the entrance of the cliff, the tribe folk guarding it greeted me warmly.

“Savior, have you returned?”

Being called a savior was quite burdensome.

Since I would only see them today and never again, I nodded without making any fuss.

“I’m going now. Take care.”

“But you’re leaving already? We haven’t properly shown our gratitude yet.”

I waved my hand and left the village without making a big deal out of it.

Whether it was the gathering or challenging the emperor, I was still lacking.

I had to become stronger as efficiently and quickly as possible, as long as time allowed.

“Deschren’s abode can be reached quickly with the paper given by Bart.”

I looked forward to meeting him.

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