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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The sudden appearance of a large number of monsters forced Athena to make a quick decision. She couldn’t fight and protect Untinia and Annelise alone, so she grabbed them and ran towards the tower at full speed.
With monsters hot on their heels, Athena berated herself for her carelessness.
She hadn’t sensed such a large number of high-level monsters approaching until they were practically on top of her. It was a clear mistake, one that Kayla would have scolded her for.
At the same time, she cursed her bad luck.
‘The number of monsters had decreased recently, why did this have to happen today…?’
Fortunately, as they neared the tower, numerous undead emerged, intercepting the pursuing monsters. They reached the tower safely.
“Good heavens, is this… the Tower of Ghosts…?”
“…You recognized it at a glance. Inha said it would be difficult to identify from the outside.”
“Indeed. Normally, one wouldn’t know, but I am a dark elf, after all. I haven’t learned dark magic, but I have knowledge of it. And I have rather keen senses.”
In other words, she was boasting about her perceptiveness.
-Athena-nim, you’ve returned earlier than expected. And who is this…?”
“A guest. She came looking for Annelise, but she’s also Inha’s guest. And she needs to return when she receives a message. We’ve taken refuge here due to an unforeseen incident.”
-Is that so? It’s a shame she won’t be able to meet Master.”
Orie then turned to Untinia.
-It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am Orie, a loyal servant of Do Inha-nim. Please let me know if you need anything during your stay. I will do my best to accommodate you.”
“…It’s nice to meet you. I’m Untinia. But you’re a Wraith Queen… correct?”
-You know? Yes, that’s right. Thanks to Master’s grace, I’ve grown from a lowly Specter to this.”
“He raised you from a Specter to a Wraith Queen? And… if I’m not mistaken, you’re the master of the Tower of Ghosts…?”
-That is also correct. Master has granted me this place as my domain and commanded me to manage the tower.”
“…Annelise, you said Do Inha-nim isn’t even thirty yet?”
“It’s good that we’ve established a connection. A future Archmage, a necromancer no less, with the support of a powerful figure…”
Untinia shuddered, seemingly unnerved.
Athena agreed with her assessment.
While Do Inha didn’t underestimate himself, perhaps due to his past as a warrior, he tended to overestimate Athena and Kayla’s abilities.
Of course, Athena, having experience as a mercenary, knew that she and Kayla were skilled.
However, she honestly believed they were no match for Do Inha.
Naturally, as warriors, their physical prowess was superior.
But a mage wouldn’t fight barehanded, and the undead were also part of Do Inha’s power.
Athena wouldn’t stand a chance, and frankly, she doubted even Kayla could defeat Do Inha without the artifacts he had provided.
And he had provided them with those artifacts, helped Kayla recover, created a training environment, and even supplied them with elixirs.
Despite all that support, after witnessing Do Inha’s recent display of power, Kayla had declared that no one, except perhaps a Master, could defeat him alone.
Naturally, that included Kayla herself.
Do Inha’s rapid progress, especially after reaching 5th circle, had instilled a sense of urgency in Athena, a fear of being left behind.
She wasn’t trying to surpass Do Inha. She was afraid of not meeting the minimum requirements to stay by his side, of being left behind and becoming obsolete.
This fear drove her to train relentlessly.
Her rivals weren’t other humans. They were Do Inha’s high-ranking undead.
Currently, none were stronger than her, but seeing the recently created Golun and Orie, who now had her own domain… she couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.
‘And he also acquired the dragon’s corpse…’
While Do Inha might not have noticed, Thea had complained that Kayla seemed more focused on training than her whenever she visited.
Despite sharing his resources and support with those around him, he had become the most powerful among them.
It was almost awe-inspiring.
And Do Inha’s abilities weren’t limited to his magic.
While he valued his personal strength above all else, perhaps due to his past as a warrior, he also recognized the importance of connections, wealth, and power, albeit as secondary assets.
His network of connections, carefully cultivated through a combination of shrewdness and strategic concessions, was another source of his strength.
According to Kayla, she had never heard of a dark magic user, a necromancer no less, maintaining such good relationships with powerful figures.
While luck played a role, it was undeniably Do Inha’s ability that created and seized those opportunities.
Having been born and raised in a hierarchical society, both Kayla and Athena understood the significance of connections, wealth, and power.
Therefore, Athena couldn’t understand why Do Inha overestimated her so much.
She was skilled, but Do Inha shouldn’t be the one saying that.
The moon, no matter how bright, could never outshine the sun.
‘I’m grateful he doesn’t boast about it, though.’
Honestly, she sometimes wondered if she and Kayla were truly necessary to Do Inha anymore.
Kayla was undeniably helpful as an unwavering ally, but her influence had decreased compared to the past.
That’s why Kayla focused on solidifying her position as his escort, aiming to become a Master, and viewed Prina, who had proposed to Do Inha, with suspicion.
…Of course, the main reason for her opposition to Prina seemed to be her reluctance to lose Do Inha.
Athena felt the same.
And it was understandable.
He was incredibly capable, yet humble, he had saved her and her sister, and he provided them with unwavering support.
He treated them well, even if he didn’t extend the same courtesy to others…
Athena realized anew that Do Inha was her greatest connection.
‘Stalking Inha back then was the best decision I ever made.’
She had nearly died for her recklessness, but it had changed her life.
While she was bound by a mana oath, without it, she wouldn’t have gained Do Inha’s trust and support, and she wouldn’t have been able to save her sister.
‘Even if I had saved her, I would have had to watch her die from the curse.’
The thought was horrifying. Compared to that future, a simple oath was a small price to pay.
-Huh?”
Untinia’s words brought Athena back to reality.
-…We’re under attack. One, two… no, this is…”
Orie’s face was etched with bewilderment.
-Why, why are there so many…? Wait a moment.”
Orie quickly retreated into the Tower of Ghosts.
Athena instinctively knew something was wrong.
She followed Orie into the tower, bringing Annelise and Untinia with her.
“What’s going on with that?”
She noticed the Lake of Blood rapidly receding.
It was swirling as if a drain had been opened at the bottom, the water level quickly dropping.
Inside the tower, Orie greeted them with a grim expression.
-We’re under a large-scale attack.”
“Just how many are there?”
-I can’t count them. It’s the largest attack since we established ourselves here. The undead in the underground tombs are rapidly decreasing. The other oases are probably…”
Neither Kayla nor Do Inha was here.
“Do you think we can hold them off?”
-…We’ll have to do our best. The most important thing is to prevent the underground tombs from collapsing. Replenishing the undead will be…”
Athena immediately asked Untinia to contact Do Inha using the crystal orb.
“…The communication isn’t working.”
“What? Why…?”
“I don’t know. This… this has never happened before…”
She suddenly remembered the Lake of Blood.
Something was definitely happening in the Barren Lands.
“…Inha will find out soon. We have enough supplies, so let’s hold out as long as we can. Considering the number of undead and magic accumulated in the tombs, simply surviving shouldn’t be difficult.”
While she said this to reassure Untinia, it was also true.
However, the situation wasn’t entirely optimistic.
Even if Do Inha and Kayla realized what was happening, it would take time for them to arrive, and if something had affected the entire Barren Lands… reaching the tower would be no easy task.
‘I hope they come soon.’
She was also worried about the other oases.
She didn’t care about the other undead, but Baldur was her sworn brother.
If he died… she would be devastated.
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Five days.
That’s how long it took to reach the vicinity of the oasis after leaving Desert Shield.
It was the longest it had ever taken to travel from Desert Shield to the oasis since acquiring the Skeletal Steeds.
The actual distance wasn’t that far. In fact, they could have reached the oasis within a day on the Skeletal Steeds.
However, the desert terrain, the lack of proper roads, and the need to be wary of both ground and underground monsters had always slowed them down.
With the sudden surge in monster numbers, making any progress had become nearly impossible.
Even with Kayla by his side, it had been a grueling journey.
They had traveled day and night without rest, slaying thousands of monsters along the way.
He had constantly cast spells, and Kayla hadn’t even had time to wipe the blood off her armor.
Fearing they would collapse from exhaustion before reaching their destination, he had resorted to raising the slain monsters as undead, escalating the scale of the battles.
Then, using the undead as decoys, he and Kayla had escaped the ensuing chaos.
They had repeated this tactic three times before finally reaching the vicinity of the oasis.
Throughout the journey, he had suppressed his anxiety.
He didn’t know when or which of his undead would fall.
If it was just the undead, it would be less concerning.
At least there would be a chance to resurrect them if any trace remained.
However, if Athena, Baldur, Annelise, or Untinia died… there would be no bringing them back.
With that fear weighing on him, they had pressed on, and along the way, another Elite Living Armor had fallen.
‘Cereo.’
The one who always acted as Annelise’s keeper.
Fortunately, none of his directly connected undead had fallen since then, and when they finally reached the oasis, they found their companions engaged in a fierce battle.
Golun roared.
The earth exploded, and a large bear was sent flying.
It was a monster he hadn’t seen before, but after encountering numerous unfamiliar species during their journey, he wasn’t surprised.
Orie and the Ghost Legion were battling wyverns in the sky, and Skeleton Warriors clashed with various monsters on the ground.
However, the undead were clearly struggling.
Their numbers had also dwindled significantly.
‘The underground tombs… they’re almost destroyed.’
Then, Kayla pointed towards something.
“Master, over there.”
Athena was there, tearing through a swathe of monsters.
Baldur, mounted on a Skeletal Steed, along with an Elite Living Armor riding a beast-type undead and several Skeleton Warriors, were fighting alongside her. Annelise and Untinia were supporting them.
Interestingly, Untinia was using a bone bow and arrows.
She must have acquired them on the spot.
He was relieved to see that no irreversible tragedies had occurred.
They weren’t unscathed. He could see untreated wounds on their bodies, and Baldur, in particular, looked to be in bad shape.
Despite his injuries, he was fighting valiantly on the front lines.
As if this was where he belonged.
“We need to thin out their numbers.”
Kayla hesitated for a moment, but she chose to stay by his side.
While the situation on the battlefield wasn’t good, she judged that they could hold out and that protecting him was more important.
He opened the dimensional fragment.
While there were plenty of corpses around, he had better, prepared corpses inside.
With the underground tombs destroyed, he intended to rebuild them and establish a proper base, like he had done when he first arrived.
He was concentrating on opening the dimensional fragment when he heard a voice.
-Another dark magic user… another human. How tiresome.”
The voice spoke directly to him.
It was a voice he had never heard before.
It resonated directly in his mind. He glanced at Kayla, but she seemed oblivious.
-I’m speaking only to you, so there’s no need to look around.”
“Who are you?”
He raised a hand to Kayla, signaling her to wait, and surveyed the battlefield.
-Continue what you were doing. I have no intention of interfering. However… this is interesting. Another dimension… a dimensional fragment? I never thought I would awaken in a place like this.”
Currently, only Mutre was inside the dimensional fragment.
But a thought suddenly struck him.
“…Could you be… the dragon?”
Kayla looked startled, and the mysterious voice answered.
-You’re not entirely foolish. It seems you’ve examined my body.”
‘I didn’t expect you to awaken.’
The timing seemed strangely coincidental.
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