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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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My companions silently supported my decision while the request was being selected.
We packed our belongings and headed towards the location of the orc tribe.
We traveled by carriage to the nearest village, and from there, we had to proceed on foot.
Even after entering the monster-infested forest, we moved forward relentlessly.
Monsters were slain by Athena’s hand, and those who initially targeted us, mistaking us for prey, quickly fled after witnessing our overwhelming strength.
It took us about a day to reach our destination.
Despite being in a monster-infested forest, we rested comfortably using life-enhancing artifacts and prepared for the attack.
And then, finally…
Click, clack.
Clank.
My evolved undead revealed themselves.
Doubt
“Wow…”
We had refrained from summoning the undead until now to conceal our presence since the vicinity was orc territory.
However, now that it didn’t matter, I summoned all of them except for the Bone Golem.
“So these are Skeleton Knights.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t provide them with skeletal steeds, but unlike before, they wore sturdy bone armor, and their swords and shields looked quite impressive and durable.
They were also much larger.
Taller than me, standing at around 180cm, and their wider frames, thanks to their enlarged skeletons, gave them an imposing presence.
And they even had bone armor.
“It looks like real armor…”
“Unfortunately, its defensive capabilities are inferior compared to real plate mail.”
Their defense would improve with my efforts and abilities, but I had only managed to elevate them to the Knight level due to time constraints.
Therefore, they would need my enhancements to reach the level of decent plate mail.
‘I wish they had developed a will of their own.’
The Knight level marked the boundary between mid-level and high-level undead.
If they developed a will, they could ascend further.
If not, they would remain at this level.
When that time came, they would also receive their own names.
‘Should I give them their former names?’
The names of their bodies.
Their souls had already departed, and their newly formed consciousness would be connected to me and born under the influence of demonic energy, making them completely separate beings.
But there was no harm in passing on their names.
“Then what is this? It seems a bit bigger, but there’s no significant difference.”
“Elite Living Armor.”
It was simply an upgraded version of the Living Armor.
However…
‘This is also a stepping stone to becoming high-level undead.’
I had also infused them with Soul Shadows.
Their armor was stronger, their regenerative abilities were enhanced, and above all…
‘Their combat intelligence has increased.’
They had become more efficient and ruthless combat machines.
They had absorbed the combat experience of the souls they consumed, so their growth would be accelerated.
Moreover…
“But this one seems a bit larger.”
Athena pointed at one of the Living Armors.
“Ah, that one…”
‘That one’s special.’
It was an Elite Living Armor, but its appearance was distinctly different from the other three.
Instead of maces, it wielded a sword and shield, both crafted by me from black bones.
‘Because it’s special.’
Normally, it should have simply absorbed some of the soul’s experience and been upgraded to a higher level of undead, but this one was an exception.
‘Was he that resentful?’
It was Cereo, the Elite Living Armor infused with his soul.
My enemy, the mid-level mercenary who used Aura in his final moments.
He hadn’t let go of his grudge even in death, and he had ultimately become a Soul Shadow in my hands, awakening as a Living Armor.
In other words, he was a high-level undead with a will of his own.
‘It doesn’t seem like his memories are intact.’
He couldn’t speak, but I could feel his will.
If he grew stronger, he might even be able to communicate through his will.
Despite his incomplete memories, he recognized me and even attempted to resist my commands.
He seemed to consider me his enemy.
However, an undead couldn’t defy its master’s commands, and although he hadn’t completely submitted, he obediently followed my orders, forming an interesting dynamic.
‘Come to think of it, both Nenson and Cereo, my former enemies, didn’t end up well even in death.’
He recognized me as his enemy, and he wasn’t entirely wrong.
Although they were the ones who tried to escape first, I had essentially driven them to their deaths.
‘If I wanted to save them, it wouldn’t have been impossible.’
But for my own ambition and personal revenge, I had ruthlessly pushed him to his death the moment he gave me an excuse.
Therefore, I could understand why he hated me, even in death, even as an undead.
‘Not that I care.’
My first high-level undead was my former enemy from my first life.
Come to think of it, my first undead was also my former enemy from my first life.
As a high-level undead with many of his former memories, Cereo could use Aura infused with demonic energy.
‘It was called Unholy Aura because it was based on demonic energy, right?’
It was still Aura, even if the underlying power was different.
However, Unholy Aura, composed of demonic energy that was harmful to humans and had a more volatile nature, inherently possessed greater power.
Therefore, it was much more difficult to manifest.
But it was different for the undead under my command.
‘The demonic energy influenced by me is quite docile.’
To be precise, it was ferocious, but it obeyed me.
Therefore, the Elite Living Armor enhanced with Cereo’s soul was confirmed to be able to use Unholy Aura.
‘Even so, its destructive power is higher.’
It was the same as how my black magic was stronger than other black magic.
I explained to my companions that it was a high-level undead with a will and intelligence.
“A high-level undead…”
“It can use swordsmanship and even Aura.”
“Aura too?”
“It’s based on demonic energy, so its destructive power is even stronger. It should be quite useful.”
Kayla seemed quite surprised.
“You don’t have to worry about the rear.”
“…Indeed, with such beings protecting you, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“And we can really go wild this time.”
“We still have one left, right?”
The Bone Golem.
It would attract attention the moment it appeared, and although it wasn’t slow, it would inevitably reveal our location, so I planned to summon it right before the battle.
“Are we taking Annelise with us?”
She had been doing the chores I assigned her on our way here.
Fortunately, as a mid-level mercenary with experience working in a party, she wasn’t incompetent, but to be honest, I wasn’t completely satisfied with her performance.
‘Athena openly expressed her annoyance as well.’
“She’s of no help in battle, so why not leave her behind?”
I felt the same way, but I couldn’t do that.
“Her safety can’t be guaranteed.”
“Tsk.”
From Athena’s attitude, I realized that her feelings towards Annelise hadn’t subsided as easily as I thought.
‘I thought she would slowly become indifferent since we’re connected to the royal family because of her…’
Athena had gained significant benefits from Annelise joining our party.
Although there was no material support, I was able to establish myself quickly and securely, which meant that the day we could reunite with Thea had been brought forward.
At this rate, it was even possible that we could see Thea within a year.
She must have realized that, yet she couldn’t hide her extreme dislike for Annelise.
Kayla frowned, but she didn’t directly express her displeasure like Athena.
Baldur seemed completely indifferent.
However, I had no intention of interfering with Athena’s behavior.
Her reaction was different from what I expected, but it wouldn’t endanger Annelise’s life, and I was only concerned with her physical survival, not her mental well-being.
‘She wouldn’t kill herself just because she’s being bullied.’
She had even chosen to abandon us and flee when we were in danger at the temple.
Therefore, I didn’t think she would resort to extreme measures.
“…Considering the scale, it seems like what I’ve heard. How many guards are you planning to deploy?”
Kayla ignored Athena’s attitude and asked a practical question.
“Three Elite Living Armors should be enough.”
“Three to protect two…”
Honestly, I thought even three was overkill.
But it couldn’t be helped because of Annelise.
However, Kayla seemed to think that even three wasn’t enough.
“Then I’ll stay behind.”
“That’s a bit…”
“We have Skeleton Knights, and there’s also the high-level Elite Living Armor. They don’t tire, so they should be enough.”
She said that even without her, they would be fine with the Bone Golem, Athena, and Baldur.
“Especially with Master providing support from the rear.”
I shook my head at Kayla’s words.
“They’re still not as good as you.”
She knew that too.
That was why she offered to stay behind instead of deploying them.
She knew that she was more useful than all of them combined.
“Well, they might be better at handling multiple enemies since there are more of them…”
Even Kayla could achieve more than all of them combined if she went all out.
“Don’t worry. I’ll run away if it gets dangerous.”
Kayla looked reluctant.
I suddenly realized that she was acting a bit strange.
I knew she cared deeply for me and prioritized my safety above all else.
But now that I had reached 5th class and displayed a completely different level of power…
“Could this also be because of Annelise?”
I glanced over and saw Annelise with a tired expression.
‘What did she do?’
She couldn’t do anything.
Yet they were being this wary of her…
Even though I was a mage who was weak in close combat, I was still a 5th class mage.
And my physical abilities were comparable to a mid-level mercenary.
Annelise was also a rear support type who specialized in archery, so she couldn’t be considered stronger than me in close combat…
I sighed inwardly and ordered Kayla to move forward with a gesture.
Realizing that her stubbornness was futile, Kayla seemed to think for a moment before speaking.
“Alright. But please promise to run away if it gets dangerous.”
“I value my life too. Oh, right.”
I called Athena and Baldur over.
“Give me your hands for a moment.”
I cast a simple spell on all three of them, including Kayla.
[Protection]
It was a bit different from a regular shield.
It was a kind of friendly fire prevention shield.
‘They will be less affected by my magic.’
They would still suffer indirect damage from my explosive magic, but they would either be immune to or less affected by large-scale curses.
Considering their resistance, it would be negligible, so it wouldn’t affect the battle.
I also cast the same spell on Annelise.
I explained this to my companions, and Kayla seemed to understand what I was planning as soon as she heard my explanation.
“You’re planning to cast a wide-area curse, aren’t you?”
This was a precaution to prevent our allies from being affected by the curse.
After completing our preparations, we waited for the time when the orcs hadn’t even left for their hunt.
“I don’t want a sneak attack.”
I had no intention of letting them regroup after hearing the commotion.
We could easily wipe them out head-on even if their forces weren’t dispersed.
“It’s different from before.”
Dispersal, luring, traps…
Unlike the past, where I had to resort to all sorts of tactics.
We approached the orc village openly, and the orcs who spotted us looked puzzled.
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