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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Inha, what do you plan to do once you secure the dragon’s corpse?”
Athena asked, turning towards me.
“Turn it into an undead, of course.”
“…A dragon?”
While crafting various equipment was certainly a possibility, my true desire was to create an undead.
‘Ideally, I’d like to reach 7th circle before attempting it…’
If, like in the previous iteration, I couldn’t find an opportunity to advance to 7th circle after reaching the peak of 6th, I might attempt creating it at 6th circle, using that as a catalyst for advancement.
My interest in studying the dragon’s corpse stemmed not only from curiosity about the creature itself but also from a desire to create a perfect undead dragon.
It was also a safeguard, a contingency plan in case, unlike the previous iteration, reaching 7th circle proved difficult.
“If possible, I want to create a Legion Commander.”
“A Legion Commander…?”
A necromancer’s dream, a Legion Commander.
Ordinarily, it was a feat achievable only at 8th circle, the pinnacle of undead creation.
While 7th circle necromancers could technically create and possess a Legion Commander, they couldn’t fully utilize its power, and the inherent risks involved made it advisable to wait until 8th circle.
7th circle, equivalent to Master level, was also known as the realm of the Archmage.
It was a formidable level, yet even then, possessing a Legion Commander was a daunting prospect.
My former master had told me that even an Archmage-level necromancer couldn’t create a true Legion Commander, and even if they succeeded, controlling it was another matter entirely.
Some had even been destroyed by their own creations. Legion Commanders possessed strong egos and were known to disobey if they deemed their master unworthy.
While such insubordination was unthinkable in the typical necromancer-undead relationship, it was a possibility if the Legion Commander’s power significantly surpassed its master’s.
While outright rebellion usually resulted in the Legion Commander’s destruction, there were historical accounts of such defiance.
Despite these risks, Legion Commanders were incredibly alluring undead. True to their name, they wielded control over countless undead, rivaling, and in some cases, surpassing even their necromancer masters.
A true Legion Commander, created at 8th circle, was akin to gaining an incredibly powerful ally, a force capable of leading armies of undead.
Depending on the undead’s nature, it was like forming a team with an 8th circle Archmage and a Grand Master level warrior, an unprecedented combination of magical and physical might.
With sufficient skill, a necromancer could even possess multiple Legion Commanders.
Even demon kings had Legion Commanders among their ranks, powerful individuals who had proven their loyalty.
It was no coincidence they shared the same title, the power wielded by an 8th circle necromancer’s Legion Commander was formidable.
Naturally, a Legion Commander created by a 7th circle Archmage was inherently incomplete.
However, even an incomplete Legion Commander surpassed its creator in power and could control thousands of undead.
This drove countless necromancers to pursue the creation of Legion Commanders even at Archmage level.
Both Athena and Kayla looked surprised after hearing this explanation.
“A Legion Commander… I can see why it’s so tempting.”
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Athena asked,
“But you said even 7th circle necromancers struggle to control them. Wouldn’t it be dangerous for you? Especially if you use a dragon’s corpse as the base…”
Kayla, seemingly agreeing with Athena’s concern, looked at me with a worried expression.
“Of course, there’s that risk.”
If I couldn’t find a breakthrough and attempted to use the dragon’s corpse to advance, failure would mean losing it.
However, having already reached that level once, I had a higher chance of success.
“Even if I succeed, controlling an incomplete Legion Commander created from a dragon wouldn’t be easy.”
This was different.
7th circle and beyond was uncharted territory for me. Even if I succeeded in advancing, I wouldn’t be able to immediately control the resulting power, unlike my previous breakthrough.
“I’ve prepared some safeguards. I’m not that reckless.”
The Tower of Ghosts was one such safeguard.
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“It seems advancing truly changes things. Entin, Golun, Gagar… without your Domain Construction, they’re practically your equals in terms of raw power.”
Indeed, they possessed power comparable to my current level.
The same could be said for Orie, though her abilities were different.
However, that was their limit. Moreover, having many powerful undead wasn’t always advantageous.
Controlling them required significant control capacity, and in combat, they would drain my demonic energy if their own reserves were depleted, limiting their effective combat time.
A typical necromancer would struggle to manage them.
‘But I’m different.’
I had access to black water, my own capacity was vast, and I refined pure demonic energy for my own use, increasing its efficiency.
My circumstances were different from those of ordinary necromancers.
Acquiring pure demonic energy was a challenge in itself, a significant disadvantage for most.
“That’s their limit. Creating Master or Archmage level undead requires corpses of that level, and even then, fully awakening their potential is nearly impossible.”
This was why past necromancers sought to create Legion Commanders, even incomplete ones.
A Legion Commander created from a Master level corpse, even if incomplete, would have its full potential unlocked and be significantly enhanced.
It was practically reborn as a completely different being.
On the other hand, creating a regular undead from a Master level corpse, even if its potential was fully realized, would result in a weaker being than its living counterpart.
“They say it takes three Master level undead to match a single living Master.”
Reaching Master or Archmage level required not only exceptional talent but also immense effort and a considerable amount of luck.
Even if their corpses were used to create undead, their incomplete power couldn’t match the original.
They could even be defeated by a group of peak Experts.
Ordinarily, a Master level warrior could be contained but not killed by a large group of Experts, and even containment came at a heavy cost.
Master level undead, however, were occasionally slain by groups of Experts.
In other words, Master level undead were difficult to create and, even when created, occupied a rather precarious position.
‘Being undead, they can be resurrected under certain circumstances, but their inherent weakness is a fact.’
“Then, Master, does that mean the undead under your command can’t reach Master level through growth?”
“Well, it’s not impossible… but it’s highly unlikely.”
It was even more difficult than a peak Expert reaching Master level.
Lower-ranking undead could be enhanced, but once they reached higher ranks and developed egos, their growth potential was limited.
“Then I can’t become a Master level undead?”
“…You and Golun have the highest chance.”
“Master, did you call, me?”
“No, not you.”
I waved dismissively at Golun and continued, addressing Orie,
“You’ve absorbed a large amount of Soul Shadows, and you, Orie, have the Tower of Ghosts as your domain. Your potential is higher, and while it’s a bit of a shortcut, it’s not entirely impossible.”
“Then…!”
“I said you have a higher chance, not that it’s guaranteed. Frankly, the probability is still quite low.”
Orie’s expression deflated slightly at my follow-up, but she quickly recovered, forcing a smile.
After several days of travel and conversation, we finally reached our destination.
“It’s around here.”
“There’s nothing here.”
The hill was just a barren mound in the wasteland. A few withered trees dotted the landscape, but there were no signs of life.
“…It’s strange.”
Athena suddenly spoke,
“Something feels… off. No, am I imagining things?”
She tilted her head, and Kayla, sensing something, focused her attention.
“…Indeed, something is… irritating.”
I glanced at Orie, but she shook her head, seemingly unaware of anything unusual.
I felt nothing either.
“Is it because of the different type of energy we use?”
“It’s possible. The mana flow is… strange.”
Now that she was aware of it, Kayla frowned slightly, clearly finding it unpleasant. Athena seemed to share her discomfort.
“It seems it’s my turn now.”
Mutre, who had been silent until now, stepped forward.
“I’ll need to examine the surroundings.”
Having reached this point, we had to rely on Mutre’s expertise.
I looked at Athena and Kayla.
“Are you alright?”
“It’s just a faint sensation, it won’t affect my combat abilities.”
“I’m fine too. It’s not that bothersome.”
Since they both claimed to be fine, I nodded.
“Let me know if it gets worse.”
After some time, Mutre spoke,
“…My suspicions were correct.”
“You found something already?”
Mutre pointed at the ground.
“There’s a dragon’s lair here.”
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Just as Mutre had said, there was a dragon’s lair.
It had been built by dwarves. He requested my assistance and, borrowing some undead, began excavating.
Soon, an entrance leading underground appeared in the center of the hill.
“There’s no need to widen the entrance.”
Surprisingly, Golun wasn’t needed.
‘I thought it would be a major excavation.’
The shorter the time required, the better.
“Golun, guard the entrance.”
“Understood, Master. I, will guard, here.”
As a precaution against other monsters approaching, I left Golun and half of the Skeleton Warriors at the entrance.
The interior widened rapidly as we descended, illuminated by my light spell.
“They say dragons are as big as houses…”
The others murmured in agreement with Athena’s observation.
“But why would a dragon build a lair in a place like this?”
“Perhaps it was an earth-attributed dragon.”
Sea dragons were known to build lairs in the ocean, so there was no reason a dragon couldn’t build one in this barren land.
“I can’t say for certain, but…”
“Do you know something?”
Athena asked as Mutre hesitated.
“I’ve heard some dragons dislike the presence of intelligent beings.”
“So it built its lair here, away from humans?”
“Or perhaps it prefers dangerous locations.”
“Prefers dangerous locations?”
“According to dwarven lore, dragons are incredibly arrogant and lazy. They might build their lairs in dangerous places to deter other intelligent beings.”
“So they choose these locations to feel superior, knowing it’s dangerous for others but not for them?”
“Or perhaps they simply don’t want their location known.”
“Hmm… they don’t seem to have very pleasant personalities.”
“If they did, they wouldn’t have enslaved us dwarves.”
“…That’s true.”
Athena nodded in agreement with Mutre’s somber statement.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never heard a positive story about dragons.”
Most were depicted as evil.
Just then, something caught our attention.
“Dragon Tooth Soldiers.”
Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
Magical constructs created from dragon parts, almost akin to magical creatures.
“It seems the dragon used them as guardians.”
Countless remains of Dragon Tooth Soldiers littered the area, along with what appeared to be Golem fragments.
“These seem to be ordinary monsters.”
As Athena pointed out, besides the Dragon Tooth Soldiers and Golem fragments, there were bones from various other monsters.
“It seems there was a battle here. They were all… killed by a single person.”
“A single person?”
Athena echoed Kayla’s surprised statement.
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