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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘They also have absolute obedience to their master.’
That’s why I chose to become a necromancer.
The magic I was currently using was skeleton creation.
It was a type of undead creation that wasn’t used temporarily but could be maintained indefinitely as long as magic was properly supplied.
It could be said that it was too high of a difficulty level for a necromancer using undead summoning for the first time.
Even for me, the possibility of failure was high. No, to be honest, the chances of success were extremely low.
Corpses that failed to be summoned in such a way couldn’t be reused, so in a way, it could be considered a loss, but…
‘It’s a benefit for me.’
It didn’t matter if I failed. No, in the first place, I was attempting it with the premise of failure.
It was a method my Master and the Demon Lord had used in the past for my growth.
If I tried magic slightly above my limit, even if I failed, I would still grow.
My body would become more familiar with magic, and the vessel itself that contained magic would grow, so if the purpose was to expand the vessel, there were few methods better than this.
In a way, it was similar to muscle growth. However, it wasn’t without its drawbacks.
‘It’s good for expanding the vessel as a mage, but not so much for improving skills.’
A mage isn’t strong just because their vessel is large.
Just as a warrior isn’t good just because they have great strength, a mage isn’t all about having a large mana pool.
There were also limits. When the mana pool had grown to the point where it couldn’t be further expanded with the previous method, attempting higher-level magic would result in severe backlash.
When the skills were severely lacking compared to the body, the side effects of magic failure could even lead to death.
There were cases where high-level mages attempted high-level magic while seriously injured and died because their bodies couldn’t withstand it, which could be considered the opposite case.
However, in my case, I didn’t have to worry about that. I had already accumulated sufficient skills in the previous round, and I had chosen the magic considering my current physical condition.
In other words, from my current perspective, this method was the best way to grow, taking only the advantages without any drawbacks.
Sssss, clatter.
“Hm?”
As the magic manifested, the sound of rattling bones could be heard.
Surprised, I lowered my gaze and saw a skeleton struggling to get up.
‘Nenson’s corpse.’
“…I can’t believe it succeeded.”
Words unconsciously escaped my mouth.
To be honest, I thought they would all fail.
No matter how much it was my second time and how outstanding my skills were, the vessel of my body was far too small.
Although I had used sacrifices, they were of such a low level that I never imagined I would already have an undead in my possession.
I calmed my surprised heart. This was an event that was beneficial to me, not a loss.
Rather, a faint smile began to appear on my face.
An unexpected situation occurred immediately after that.
“Heuk!”
The sound of someone suppressing their surprised emotion came from somewhere, and I quickly drew my weapon and charged in the direction of the sound.
It could be considered a mistake if it was one.
There was no reason for anyone to be wandering around at this hour.
There were no slash-and-burn villages nearby, and vagrants wouldn’t be moving at this time.
There was also a slight feeling of carelessness.
‘I can’t believe there was someone… Could it be someone sent by Kuman?’
The possibility was low.
I wasn’t a fool either.
I had already checked.
Kuman hadn’t assigned anyone to me.
‘Then who?’
No matter how lacking my current physical performance was, or rather, because it was lacking, I had meticulously checked, so I thought there was no one tailing me.
However, the reality was that someone had seen me using black magic.
Therefore, I was both surprised and immediately took action.
‘I have to kill them.’
The witness must be dealt with.
I couldn’t afford to let anyone find out that I was using black magic yet.
‘At least 4th Class.’
I needed to reach that level to become an official mercenary and receive protection from the mercenary guild.
If it was revealed that I was using black magic now, I could be thrown into the world without any protection.
If that happened, it would be the end.
Other Warlocks might have ways, but I didn’t.
‘I can’t end up like in my previous life.’
I would become either the Demon Lord’s vessel or an artifact for Warlocks.
Therefore, I couldn’t let the witness live.
The other party seemed surprised, probably not expecting me to respond so quickly.
As I charged, the other party raised their body and blocked my sword.
Clang!
“Ugh…”
I had a slightly strange feeling.
‘They’re… weaker than I thought?’
It wasn’t the typical weakness of an assassin in a head-on confrontation.
As the number of times our swords clashed increased, I could tell. They simply seemed to lack combat experience.
Or perhaps they weren’t accustomed to fighting in the dark, but it was nonsense for someone presumed to be an assassin to be unfamiliar with fighting in the darkness.
Moreover, the condition of their sword was also strange.
Every time our swords met, I could instantly feel that the quality of their sword was rather poor.
When I first noticed the other party’s presence, I thought they were an assassin-type.
I had expected them to be quite skilled, thinking that if they weren’t at that level, there was no way I wouldn’t have noticed their pursuit.
This wasn’t arrogance.
Mana, or in my case, magic, when realized and used, the senses of those who possessed it reached a level higher than that of ordinary humans.
No matter how lacking my physical performance was, it wasn’t to the extent of allowing the pursuit of low-level individuals.
Moreover, I was in my second round. Even if my physical performance was unknown, my experience and skills hadn’t deteriorated.
Even with such vigilance, I had thoroughly checked.
Nevertheless, I hadn’t noticed the other party at all, so the thought that they were a high-level assassin was not arrogance but a reasonable inference.
However, upon actually clashing with them, their skills and the condition of their weapon were strange.
Clang, clang!
“Kuk, ugh…!”
It wasn’t just their combat experience.
‘Come to think of it… a high-level assassin wouldn’t be surprised just by seeing an undead.’
Their physical performance was also inferior to mine.
To put it bluntly, they were at the level of a low-level mercenary.
Nevertheless, they blocked my attacks several times while quickly surveying the surroundings.
‘Are they thinking of escaping?’
Naturally, I had no intention of letting them go.
With a slight suspicion, I discreetly created an opening for them to escape.
The other party’s eyes lit up.
“Haap!”
They immediately aimed for the gap I had intentionally created and launched a strong attack.
I easily dodged the attack and simultaneously extended my leg in the direction they were trying to escape.
“Ah!”
The other party moved according to my intentions with almost pathetic ease.
They reflexively tried to roll their body and get up, but my sword was already touching their neck.
‘Originally, I planned to kill them immediately, but…’
Since the other party’s condition was strange, I decided to probe further.
“You, what are you? Who sent you?”
At that moment, the moon, which had been hidden behind the clouds, revealed itself and illuminated the surroundings.
‘A woman…’
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
This world wasn’t Earth.
Even if one was born female, there were plenty of ways to become stronger than men.
In the first place, I could sufficiently guess that she was a woman based on the intermittent voice I had heard.
However, her appearance was unusual.
Black hair and red eyes. Black hair wasn’t very common in this world, but it wasn’t nonexistent either.
Red irises were certainly unique, but that wasn’t what caught my attention.
‘…Based on appearance alone, she looks like a complete vagrant…’
Worn-out clothes, dirty appearance.
As expected, the quality of her weapon seemed quite poor.
It was so poorly maintained that rust had formed in various places.
Moreover, she looked as if she hadn’t eaten well, with her arms and legs appearing quite thin.
‘To have endured my attacks with such a body…’
A mana user.
‘This is… talent.’
She might even be a genius.
Using mana required a combination of talent and effort.
Especially sensing mana without mana breathing techniques was impossible without considerable talent.
‘Judging by her appearance, the possibility of her having mana breathing techniques is low.’
Unless her ancestors were knights and mana breathing techniques had been passed down through generations, she didn’t seem to have the means to acquire mana breathing techniques from anywhere.
I quickly made a judgment about the other party.
However, regardless of that, my question continued.
“What was your purpose in tailing me?”
“No intention of answering?”
A talented individual, possibly even a genius.
If they were an enemy, I must never let them live.
I was contemplating whether I should torture them to extract information or simply kill them as they were when the other party’s mouth opened.
“The slave trader’s new dog is a Warlock…”
She definitely wasn’t someone sent by Kuman.
The anger and hatred felt in her voice when she referred to the slave trader didn’t seem like an act at all.
‘Someone who holds a grudge against Kuman?’
Given his profession, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he had enemies.
But suddenly, I had a strange feeling that the other party’s face was familiar.
‘Where have I seen her?’
I could have just let it pass. However, I felt that I must never overlook it.
Using my sword, I lifted her chin.
Tightly sealed lips.
She glared at me with strong hatred and a hint of fear in her red eyes.
“…Ah.”
I remembered.
‘Why is she here?’
I hid my surprised feelings.
She was indeed a genius. I even knew her name.
‘Athena.’
Kuman’s personal slave and guard.
At the same time…
‘The one who slit Kuman’s throat.’
When the territory fell, Kuman had tried to escape through a secret passage he had prepared in advance.
He had taken only a few useful, expensive slaves and those loyal to him through the secret passage, and among them were Athena and myself.
I was a candidate for an expensive servant and sex slave to be sold to the upper class, while Athena was both Kuman’s personal guard and, like me, a candidate for a high-priced slave.
Overflowing talent, beautiful appearance.
Along with me, she was Kuman’s greatest asset to aid in his resurgence.
However, Athena had single-handedly staged a rebellion, killing all of Kuman’s other guards and even slitting Kuman’s throat.
‘After that… she committed suicide, I think.’
I finally understood.
‘This… can be used.’
I knew the reason for her grudge against Kuman.
At the same time, I realized that she had no backing whatsoever.
Because I had moved differently from the first round, the future had changed.
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Convenient