Chapter 16

Chapter 16 :The Ego Sword Picked Me Up 

Abyssal Backlash

There was no child who would be happy if I killed that violent father. It was because even a father like that had to be there for them to survive one more day.

For a moment, the neighborhood atmosphere grew grim. It was because they had washed cleanly when it was not even a holiday and had supposedly lost their luck.

Leaving behind the complaints of filthy, stupid people, I placed Flambeju atop the Necronomicon.

“……Necromantic secret art, Spirit Invocation!”

―Thank you for calling me again, Master.

The summoned Baluka fell prostrate before me and gently grasped the hem of my pants.

Drip, drip.

Bright red tears of blood flowed from Baluka’s eyes. It probably was not real blood, but because his body was achromatic, the red color stood out all the more.

Judging by appearance alone, Baluka looked like nothing but a simple, innocent boy.

“Is Hell still the same?”

―It is always the same there.

“Did you think about the answer to my question?”

―I do not regret the slaughter I committed. I was a soldier, and I fought for the kingdom. Those who praised me when I killed enemy soldiers changed their attitudes. They were the ones in the wrong.

Baluka shuddered. His eyes blazed toward people who must have long since died and vanished.

‘This bastard. So that’s why he fell into Hell?’

No matter how long Baluka was buried in Hell, it seemed impossible for him to walk the path of rehabilitation.

‘Is Hell in this world a place of punishment?’

Unlike Earth, where the afterlife was only vague, this world clearly had the existence of Hell. Even the existence of the Creator God had been proven.

“I don’t care what kind of life you lived. But if you intend to live the same way beside me as you did before, I have no reason to bother calling you, do I? Because of you, even I would be treated as a massacrer in the same bundle.”

―Please!

“Hunt within a 5-kilometer radius. Only monsters and beasts, not people. Keep the corpses as clean as possible. If you tear corpses apart again, I will send you back to Hell and never call you again. Can you do it?”

―Of course! Anything, I will do anything!

However, I could not simply feel relieved. Even a bastard who was quick and obedient at first was bound to reveal his nature as time passed.

“Take this with you. Do not die by overdoing it for no reason. If things go wrong, run.”

―Yes, Master!

I placed Flambeju in Baluka’s hand.

―Why are you taking me with you?! Hey, you bloodless, tearless master bastard! Stop! I said stop! Are your ears blocked? You can hear me. You can hear what I am saying! Fuuuuuuuck!

***

I sold the Vulf corpses to the mercenary office and fed the horned rabbits to the children.

Even without me stepping forward directly, monster corpses and money piled up every day.

‘So this is why people use servants.’

I understood the vice chairman, who had used me, just a little.

It seemed 2 servants who would become my hands and feet would be better than one. So I tried various things, but the success rate of spirit invocation was unexpectedly low.

No, Baluka was the first and the last.

―Worship! Revere! Offer your life force! I shall grant you victory!

It was when I placed the artifact “Grok Naal,” which grew noisy again if I relaxed its restraint even a little, on the Necronomicon.

―Worship aaaack! Haaaack!

Grok Naal resisted with bizarre sounds like a hissing cat.

However, its resistance was meaningless. The black liquid flowing from the Necronomicon wrapped around the helmet, and before long, it absorbed the artifact’s unique energy.

―Grok Naal (Artifact). A helmet made with the heart of the demon race as its core. It increases the wearer’s physical abilities. The curse of life force absorption had been engraved on it, but after being absorbed by the Necronomicon, it lost its ability.

FLIP, FLIP, FLIP!

The Necronomicon opened on its own and showed the page explaining “spirit invocation.”

“What am I supposed to do with this?”

Though I had not touched it, one of the Necronomicon’s pages turned. There, a secret art that had not been visible until now was recorded.

―Secret Art Engraving.

Unlike spirit invocation, which summoned a dead spirit every time, it was an art that sealed a dead spirit into a medium.

It required a special “medium,” and also required the technique to engrave the secret art into the medium.

“That’s simple.”

I gripped the black helmet and focused.

When I pictured the form of the helmet I wanted in my head, light gathered in my hands.

The ability of the Achievement “One Who Awakened the Form of a Sacred Object” had activated.

I must not damage the artifact’s essence, and I also had to refrain from excessive change. I maintained the existing form exactly as it was, but engraved the necromantic secret art inside the helmet in tiny characters.

“……Is it done?”

At that moment, one corner of my chest tingled.

It was similar to the sensation I had felt when imitating Knight Babel’s swordsmanship. It was also similar to the chill I had felt when fighting the Lizardmen.

No, it was intense beyond comparison to that time.

‘Is this Abyssal Backlash?’

―You may change the form within a range that does not damage the essence of the sacred object, and excessive change may cause “Abyssal Backlash.”

It was backlash that occurred when a sacred object was transformed recklessly.

Taking that into account, I had pursued only the minimum change, but it seemed engraving the sentences of the secret art inside the helmet had been the problem.

Fortunately, the intense confusion that shook my very existence did not last long.

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, I felt that my entire body was soaked. In that short time, I had grown extremely tense and exhausted myself.

‘I need to be more careful from now on. Whether it’s a sacred object or an artifact, if I transform it carelessly, I could die a sudden, miserable death.’

I steadied my breathing and gripped the helmet.

“Necromantic secret art, Spirit Invocation.”

The instant the incantation activated, ashen flesh swelled from inside the helmet like bread with yeast and burst out.

When I dropped the helmet, it rolled across the ground and grew in size.

A long head formed around the helmet, and beneath it, a large body grew. Not only limbs, but also a long tail swelled and rose up.

Before long, it took the form of a Lizardman wearing a helmet.

“Karkash?”

Karkash had been the warrior who led the Lizardman race.

His bewildered eyes moved wildly between the gaps in the helmet.

―I…… why…….

Karkash’s voice cracked. It seemed his vocal cords were not intact, and his movements also looked somehow unstable.

He used the language of the Lizardmen he had used in life.

I was just as puzzled.

Baluka, whom I had summoned with spirit invocation, was in a half-spirit state, but Karkash looked like a living creature.

―Called. Me. Came. I did.

―I am the one who called you, Karkash.

What flowed from my mouth was not the common tongue, but the language of the Lizardmen. Without realizing it, I had spoken a language suited to the other party.

―Called me. You did.

I was glad that I had summoned another existence to work under me after Baluka, but I wondered where I could use this stupid and grotesque creature.

I tried making him do several things as a test.

―……No. Sprinkle the gravel more evenly.

―Sprinkle. Gravel.

―No! Do not just scatter it like that. A little more carefully…….

Only after 4 oak barrels were destroyed did I stop entrusting the making of water purification filters to Karkash. That was something only those with at least as much intelligence and dexterity as the street children could do.

“He’ll only be useful as a porter or for fighting.”

A commotion arose because of the Lizardman who had appeared out of nowhere.

A guard knight came with soldiers and aimed their spears, but because I held out my mercenary badge and stood guarantee for him, the situation somehow passed.

“I killed a barbarian warrior and obtained a helmet, and it seems that was an artifact. This monster came out of it.”

It was a clumsy explanation, but everyone else was just as ignorant about magic and artifacts.

Since I had already become known as an artifact owner, Carlton did not doubt me.

“Be careful. If a problem arises because of that thing, it will be your responsibility.”

Even while people crowded around, the Necronomicon did not attract anyone’s gaze. It stayed quietly in one corner, aiming only for a chance to absorb blood.

When I tried to retrieve the Necronomicon, it waited for me with a new page spread wide open.

There, a necromantic secret art I had never seen before was written.

―Life Force Absorption.

It was not a simple necromantic secret art. It seemed to be the result of absorbing the curse that had been engraved into the artifact Grok Naal.

‘Did it absorb the artifact’s curse and make it its own? Does the Necronomicon have no limits?’

The Necronomicon could absorb all of the curse arts of an artifact made in imitation of a demonic object.

And by analyzing it, it could teach curse arts to its owner.

“O flame of life flowing through the bloodline, O foolish breath intoxicated by being alive. O authority of darkness dividing the boundary. Here, I command you: stop that breath and become my ember. Necromantic secret art, Life Force Absorption!”

I tried reciting the incantation as a test, but nothing in particular changed.

―W-What are you doing? Are you trying to become a black magician while you are at it? You foolish master, if a priest or paladin discovers you doing such a thing, you will be burned alive!

As I was thinking hard about what had gone wrong, letters appeared above the Necronomicon.

―Necromantic Secret Art: Life Force Absorption

An art that extracts life force from living beings and converts it into energy needed for necromantic secret arts. It is performed through direct contact or a dead-spirit medium, and the absorbed life force is used for the maintenance, recovery, and strengthening of the caster or summoned dead-spirit body. However, because it is performed under Yog-Sothoth’s regulation, it cannot be converted or used for purposes other than necromantic secret arts.

“Through contact or a dead-spirit medium……. How do I use it through a dead spirit as a medium?”

―Do not think about it! Forget it! Do not dig too deep! Master, look only at me! Be satisfied with the Holy Sword!

Contrary to Flambeju’s wish, I became completely absorbed in the Necronomicon.

And I found one secret method.

First, I sent Karkash back. The bones, flesh, and muscles that had swollen up and settled firmly in place melted down in an instant and were absorbed into “Grok Naal.”

Afterward, I gripped the black helmet and focused.

First, I changed the helmet’s form. I widened its area so it suited Karkash, and designed it to cover part of his long snout.

Then I performed the most important part, “Secret Art Engraving.”

I engraved “Spirit Invocation” and “Life Force Absorption” at the same time.

“……Done.”

I felt a slight backlash, but this time as well, it was not intense enough to deny my very existence.

As I grew accustomed to this work, I was beginning to get a sense of how much I could do safely.

“Necromantic secret art, Spirit Invocation.”

Flesh surged explosively from Grok Naal. It was much faster than before, and it also seemed larger.

―Karkash!

Karkash, wearing the helmet, had blood-red eyes. Each time he panted, his muscles repeatedly contracted and expanded, and he looked like Karkash in his prime.

―Stay still without causing trouble. I was about to go test your ability anyway.

―I wait, Master!

―Yes. Stand right there and do not move.

I left Karkash standing in an empty lot and visited the Veronica Mercenary Office.

In my hand was the mercenary badge I had renewed not long ago.