Chapter 51

Chapter 51.

The Deathlord’s design was simple.

‘Most pinnacle classes are like that.’

From level 1 to level 30, at the beginner-to-intermediate magic level, one could learn enhanced versions of magic that mixed the skills of lower classes.

And from level 40 to level 90.

One could use special magic exclusive to pinnacle classes: ‘Authority’ magic.

This Authority magic was on a different track from ordinary magic.

Still, was it not the pinnacle of an entire system?

Authority magic allowed one to use the ‘Ultimate Skills’ of other lower classes!

What I had just used was the Authority magic learned at level 60, ‘Ocean of Blood.’

It was the Ultimate Skill of the lower class, ‘Blood Mage.’

Of course, it could not be used exactly as it was.

Since an Ultimate Skill had been converted into an ordinary skill, a few adjustments had been made.

It had been slightly downgraded, such as having a shorter duration or a narrower range.

Naturally, I did not feel any sensation of Mana being drained from my body.

Magic manifested while Synchronization was active had its cost paid by my character, Nebula.

“Snowy, how is the Mana?”

[Ah, yes. It is fine. There is no strain.]

Still, I had to be careful.

The lifeline standard I had set was 50,000 MP.

If I used more Mana than that, I would suffer a backlash severe enough to endanger my life when Synchronization was released.

If I were hunting Demonic Beasts, I could do something about the backlash, but right now, there were no suitable Demonic Beasts to catch.

So I had to be careful.

However, I could not fight while calculating everything in my head forever, so I had Snowy monitor it for me.

“How many times do you think I can use it?”

[Five… Beyond that, you would likely have to be prepared for danger.]

‘…That is not bad, is it?’

There were six Authority spells in total.

Only the levels at which they were unlocked differed; their Mana consumption was all the same.

‘Then that means I can use up to six Authorities.’

I could hear the difficulty of the Resonar Subjugation Battle dropping.

The next experiment.

“Should I try using an Ultimate Skill?”

The Deathlord’s Ultimate Skill consumed 50% of maximum Mana as its cost.

Originally, since Nebula’s maximum MP was 99,999, that would mean about 50,000 MP would vanish in one shot.

In the Synchronization state, I borrowed Nebula’s cost, so there was no immediate problem.

But what would happen after I released an enormous amount of Mana—50,000 MP—far beyond my lifeline in a single burst?

The moment Synchronization was released, it was obvious that my body would be unable to endure the backlash and would burst apart.

‘One shot of an Ultimate Skill would have taken me off the battlefield.’

But right now, the buff from my EX-rank Achievement reward reduced Mana consumption by 50%.

In other words, the consumption was 25,000!

‘The risk is extremely stable.’

Since the Deathlord’s Ultimate Skill was Grand Magic, it would be better to test it in advance and clearly confirm its effects.

It was the reason for the Deathlord’s existence, as well as its most vicious magic.

“Grand Necromancy: Great Harvest.”

SURGE!

Pitch-black dark Mana spread outward in a circle from beneath my feet.

The jet-black wave swept through every corner of the empty underground parking lot of the old villa.

I closed my eyes.

Once my vision was cut off, the waves of dark Mana instead became three-dimensional lines and formed themselves in my mind.

In the darkness, the locations of the corpses were transmitted to me as clearly as constellations.

RATTLE—CLACK.

It began with the bones of a rat that had rotted away into a skeleton in some unseen corner.

Dark Mana began to cling to the rat’s gaunt bones like a spiderweb.

CRACK! CRUNCH!

With an unpleasant bursting sound, the bones proliferated abnormally and were carved away.

Darkness condensed in midair and covered the rat’s skeleton.

In less than a second, what stood there was no longer a sewer rat, but a ‘Miniature Death Knight’ clad in pitch-black full-body armor and holding a sharp shortsword.

CREEEAK! CRUNCH, CRACK!

From every direction, the spine-chilling bursting sounds of bones and flesh being reassembled echoed one after another.

The highlight was the insect carcasses dried into the cracks of the basement walls.

Even those corpses, which had no bones at all, were permeated by dark Mana, and their faint chitinous exoskeletons began to proliferate viciously.

Their shells hardened like steel, replacing the role of bones as they were carved and assembled, becoming small Death Knights.

Aside from them, heaps of lifeless, rotten scraps also transformed into Death Knights.

“Oh….”

Step. Step. Step.

The Miniature Death Knights lay flat at my feet, as though swearing loyalty to me.

They were rather cute. It felt as though I were watching Death Knight figurines move.

‘There is a bit of a difference.’

The first stage of Great Harvest was to turn ‘all corpses’ within a radius of 50 meters into Death Knights.

In Lost Honor, a rat corpse had transformed into a Death Knight the size of an adult male character, but in reality, its size only seemed to have grown slightly larger than a rat.

In the case of insects, they were even smaller.

‘How strong are they?’

As a test, I ordered the largest rat Death Knight to slice Cheol-su’s car.

‘What could it possibly do by swinging that tiny toothpick?’

Originally, the true value of Great Harvest was not the individual strength of each Death Knight, but…

SLASH!

“…Oh.”

The Death Knight had merely swung its toothpick lightly, but black sword energy surged up, and Cheol-su’s old car was split in half.

It was a technique that did not damage the wall or floor at all, cutting only Cheol-su’s trash-like, old car.

…Sorry, Cheol-su.

Think of it as a good life experience.

‘You said you were going to scrap it anyway.’

Anyway.

I should not look down on them just because they were small.

The Death Knights raised by Great Harvest inherited 50% of their living stats by default.

Normally, 50% of a rat’s living stats would be nothing but dust, but…

That was the result of being strengthened to an absurd degree by the EX-rank dark Mana of the pinnacle class, the Deathlord.

‘They should be capable of slicing through most ordinary Monsters.’

And there were roughly 300 of them….

“Impressive.”

However, the first stage, summoning Death Knights, was nothing more than lightly starting the engine.

Death Knights were strong. They fought well.

And they were also very good at ‘dying.’

These creatures came with the ‘Corpse Explosion’ option, which caused them to charge at the enemy on their own and explode, dealing fixed damage proportional to their maximum HP if I cast an additional spell or if their Health ran out.

“…But if I activate that now, our villa will turn to ashes.”

Let us refrain from that.

“Retrieve.”

The Death Knights crumbled without a trace and returned to their original bone dust.

However, I left the ‘rat Death Knight’ behind.

“Your name is Ratty.”

Ratty lowered his head loyally.

He was small enough to climb onto my palm.

And yet, he was a brave commander with enough valor to cut Cheol-su’s car in half and kill it.

Moreover, he was cute.

I should use him as an errand-runner.

After that, with Snowy’s meticulous control, I tried using the remaining Authorities once each as well.

“So this is about the extent of it….”

To use all this magic, did I need complicated incantations or the painful backlash Han Seol-ah said she had to endure every time she used magic?

Not at all.

Within the comfortable environment provided by Synchronization, I could freely wield these calamity-like forms of black magic simply by putting my will into them and reciting a single Starting Incantation.

“Easy.”

The Deathlord’s abilities were even more comfortable and overwhelming than I had expected.

The Resonar strategy.

At this rate, 90% of it was already finished.

If there was just one variable….

“Lee A-un… I wonder how much of the Deathlord’s magic he can use.”

I had not been able to check last time because he had been asleep.

It was a point I absolutely had to verify.

However, there was no need to move right now.

“The chicken is here.”

***

While eating hot chicken, I checked the community reactions.

“There should be some talk about me, right?”

[Would you like me to organize it for you?]

“Hm. Let us enjoy it.”

Munch.

I took a large bite of a chicken drumstick.

Ah.

While trying to eat properly, I got sauce on my mouth.

“Ratty.”

Snap.

“Can you not talk?”

Nod.

It was slightly frustrating because communication was impossible.

If this had been inside the game, I would have had no choice but to move on… but this was reality, was it not?

‘There should be a way, right?’

After injecting dark Mana into Ratty, I used the knowledge in my head and manipulated him this way and that.

It felt like I was creating vocal cords for him.

“Speak.”

[Yes, my lord.]

“That worked.”

Ratty gave me a perfectly disciplined salute, like a private standing at full attention.

[Ag-Agent…? Did you just create a living being’s vocal organ with Mana?!]

I heard Snowy sound horrified, but I lightly let it go in one ear.

“Pull out a wet wipe. I got sauce on me.”

[By your command.]

Patter, patter, patter.

Ratty moved swiftly on his short legs.

Click.

With his toothpick-like sword, he opened the wet wipe lid and quickly pulled one out before offering it to me.

“And go pour the pickled radish broth into the sink.”

[By your command.]

***

[Hey, I’m a Tanker who just got back from the open lot in front of the Association. This is not a dream, right?]

[Author: Anon]

I’m a C-rank Tanker. Today, they suddenly told all Tankers to gather, so I thought I was going to be ground down as a meat shield and went out after writing my will, you know?

But then some person dressed head to toe in a full suit came over and poured out a mountain of Artifacts from a bag;;

Things like British-made Chain Mail and German Cellsword Armor… Artifacts that absolutely cannot be obtained through normal means with the state our country is in right now were just rolling around on the ground, LOL;

Everyone was stunned and wondering what this was, asking whether they would have to take out a thirty-year installment plan to buy that thing, LOL. We were all confused when…

???: Ah… You mean this? It is ‘free.’

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL They are just giving it to us. Damn it.

I seriously thought the whole world was filming a prank against me.

A Tanker-exclusive Artifact is not some Calorie Stick, LOL. They told us to line up, LOL. Line up and take one, LOL.

Apparently, it was a gift from the ‘Apostle,’ the amazing person who caught Scathach for us.

[Comments]

└ I got one too, LOL. I was given a Soft Petal Shield. This is a B-rank top-tier shield that absorbs damage taken by nearby allies. I am crying, LOL.

└ National Pride TV: [Breaking News] Japanese and American Tankers weep, LOL. The Republic of Korea establishes the world’s first invincible meat-shield unit, with every member wrapped in Artifacts, LOLOLOL. Thanks to Lord King Apostle, national prestige is soaring. Let us go!

└ Loyalty, loyalty ^^7

└ He did not only hand out armor. He also released the hard-to-get ‘Ogre Skin Potion’ and even experimental potions made by an Alchemy Master.

“Ahem.”

The money had been worth spending.

[There is also a post you will find interesting.]

[(Predicted Holy-Site Pilgrimage) The reason Apostle = Black Market ‘Special One’ are the same person.reason]

[Author: Alchemy Major]

“The author’s name feels familiar.”

[This is the person who claimed during the last press conference that an elixir that increased Mana did not exist, so the entire press conference was a lie.]

Ah. That person.

[I’m the guy who wrote during Han Seol-ah’s last press conference that the Mana Elixir was fake.

I majored in alchemy and work as a Potion Peddler, and after seeing the actual ‘Prototype No. 9’ distributed today, I immediately slammed my head into the ground.

Now I know for certain.

That thing is a legendary potion that only exists as a blueprint; the Apostle and the Black Market’s Special One are either the same person or at least working together.

Those who know will know. The Black Market Numbers rankings changed. Is the timing not too perfect?

The day the being called Special One appeared and overturned the Black Market overlaps with the day the Apostle swept up Black Market Artifacts and distributed them to us.

Conclusion: The Apostle is the person who made that Red Elixir, and he used the money from selling the Elixir to acquire all those Artifacts and hand them out.]

[Comments]

└ Combat power that erased Pyongyang after breaking through Frost Immunity + S-rank potion-making ability that outclasses the Saintess + enough wealth to equip hundreds of Hunters with endgame gear… You are saying that is one person? Stop writing novels, LOL.

└ I have come on a holy-site pilgrimage. Please let me survive this Resonar raid.

└ That bastard Alchemy Major said it was fake last time, but after seeing the items get released, he immediately switched sides, LOL. But it is a fact, so it cannot be refuted.

└ Seol-ah Lover: The Apostle is so sweet for equipping those meat-shield bastards so they will not get hurt in front of our Seol-ah. He is pure light for setting up such a perfect board. I want to see our Seol-ah nibbling up items like a little hamster again…

└ This attention-seeking bastard showed up here too. Please block him already.

[Would you like to continue to the next post?]

Snowy displayed exactly the sort of post I would find interesting.

The public was combining the clues I had thrown out, feeling shocked, and enjoying piecing the puzzle together on their own.

What amusement could be more thrilling than watching this loop of misunderstanding?

[[Analysis] Did you see the potion lineup the Apostle distributed? This is 100% ‘that person’s’ handiwork.txt]

[“From now on… as a Tanker, I shall stand in the heavens.”]

[You guys are only excited about the Apostle handing out items, but I will tell you the truly damn terrifying part.]

Ah.

This was pure entertainment.