MAEPG: Episode 9
Episode 9 Immortal King’s Fragment (2)
I made eye contact with the dark mage guarding the entrance.
He was the friend who had helped me a lot with gathering information, along with Jeraph.
[Hello? The weather is nice today, isn’t it?]
I tried to greet him, feeling happy, but I was met with a cold shoulder.
As soon as I spoke, he turned around and started running away without looking back.
[Hey, don’t ignore me like that. It hurts my feelings.]
I soothed my hurt feelings at the cold reaction and looked around at my reliable friends who were with me.
[Groooan…]
Rattle— Rattle—
Ghostly wails echoing through the passage, darkened to pitch black by the death energy emanating from the undead, and hundreds of glowing eyes.
The silhouettes that were faintly visible were all extraordinary, and their strong appearance was very reassuring.
‘Well… they do look a bit scary.’
But even if my friends looked threatening, it was unforgivable to discriminate against someone based on their appearance.
Inner beauty was more important than outer appearance.
And I was confident in my inner self.
‘Yeah, my skull is a pretty handsome head shape. My bones are nicely sculpted too.’
[Kiiiii—]
“Ugh—! When did you get here?! Get away from me!”
Boom—!
The dark mage, who was running away, was surrounded by ghosts that popped out of the floor of the building’s entrance and couldn’t run away any further, starting to fight back.
To be honest, I had no intention of letting him go from the start.
I was planning to eliminate all the dark mages and their subordinates in this village.
I immediately gave the order to all the undead under my command.
[Kill all the humans in this village. Don’t let a single one escape.]
I didn’t even worry about the possibility of innocent people being held captive.
My ‘Life Detection,’ which had evolved after becoming a Demi-Lich, covered the entire village, and I could even sense the dark magic power of the beings within it.
There were no innocent people among the living in this village.
[Kyaaagh—!]
Clatter, click!
Hundreds of undead behind me rushed past the dark mage at the entrance and into the village.
They would surround the village from the outskirts and attack inwards, preventing anyone from escaping.
Whoosh— Bang!
“Ugh, for me to… for me to die in a place like this…! To these guys!”
The dark mage, trapped in the midst of the undead, was desperately fighting back, using all kinds of magic.
And I moderately adjusted the undead’s attacks to allow him to use all his abilities.
It wasn’t out of consideration. Rather…
Whoosh—
[Hmm… Is it like this? It’s not that difficult.]
I muttered as I looked at the black flames burning on my hand.
“Wicked Wisdom” granted absolute understanding and talent for dark magic.
However, it didn’t directly teach me the ‘knowledge’ needed to use it, so I had to learn it separately.
I was able to decipher the barrier at the entrance of the secret passage after directly contacting and understanding it, but other dark magic was different.
[Groooan—]
Slash—!
And there was an excellent teaching material here.
I watched as the undead were dismembered by dark magic and absorbed all the practical knowledge like a sponge.
And “Wicked Wisdom” didn’t just allow me to imitate, it also allowed me to understand more advanced improvements, applications, and derivative abilities.
“Ugh… Cough!”
I thought I had been pressuring him while giving him plenty of leeway, but the dark mage seemed to have reached his limit from overusing magic, coughing up blood and collapsing.
‘Well, I think I’ve sucked out all I can, so he’s useless now.’
I glanced at the dark mage being buried under the rushing undead and organized my thoughts.
‘It was really lucky that I was able to kill Jeraph with a surprise attack.’
It would have been impossible for me to face an opponent of that level as an Elite Skeleton.
Jeraph must have been on the same level as that dark mage, so I would have been crushed without being able to do anything if things had gone wrong.
‘Now, preparations are almost complete. Let’s welcome the guest… no, the robber who stole the house.’
Crash—!
The barrier surrounding the entire building shattered, and something flew towards me and broke into pieces.
It was one of the undead I had sent out earlier, one of the strongest, a Death Knight.
“You… You dare…!”
An old man, Malcolm, with a distorted and trembling face, entered the building.
He was wearing a black robe that he must have put on at some point, and he was holding a skull staff in his hand.
I looked behind Malcolm.
I had attached all three Death Knights I had to buy time, but they must have all been defeated, as I could only see the fragment.
I had already guessed it when the connection was cut off, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Even though they weren’t in good condition, Death Knights were top-tier undead that were hard to come by.
It was a waste to use them just to buy time, but there was no other way.
I had sensed the old man’s power when I scanned the entire village, and I judged that the undead I had wouldn’t be able to do anything but buy time.
So I needed time to get used to dark magic before I faced him directly.
[Hello. Village Head? It’s been a while. How have you been?]
“What?! Who are you?!”
[Huh? It’s me, me. Don’t you recognize me?]
Did he already forget my face and voice?
I scratched my skull with one hand and continued speaking in a voice resonated with magic power.
[Well, it can’t be helped if you don’t remember… Didn’t we agree that I would stay for two days, help out with the village chores, and then leave?]
“Two days…? You’re… Hans! You were supposed to be an Elite Skeleton, how…?!”
[Figure that out yourself. Anyway, I ended up staying longer than expected. So I’m here to help out with the village chores a little more.]
“Help? What nonsense are you talking about after making a mess like this!”
Malcolm gritted his teeth and shouted, but I was confident.
[I’m talking about cleaning up the trash. I’ll clean up this entire village, which is full of waste that can’t even be recycled. Oh, no need to thank me. Shouldn’t people like us help each other out? Hahaha.]
I laughed good-naturedly, feeling proud as I spoke.
I didn’t know volunteering could be so rewarding.
I should start volunteering on Earth too. With an avatar, of course.
“…You bastard, what did you do to the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’?”
‘Ah, is this it? I wanted to provoke him a little more.’
I calmly prepared my magic, following Malcolm, who was raising his dark magic power as if he was about to attack at any moment, and continued to get under his skin.
[You mean this? You took away my heart, Village Head. So I put in a new one from the warehouse. It’s still lacking, but what else can I do but make do with this for now?]
Crash—!
As soon as I finished speaking, black thorns surged from the ground and attacked me.
I immediately reacted and blocked the thorns by erecting a shadow barrier around me.
And as I counterattacked by firing off the black flames I had just learned,
“[Finger of Death]”
Whoosh—
A black flash shot towards me in an instant.
In the split second I heard Malcolm’s voice, the magic barrier I had deployed around my body along with the shadow barrier was pierced through, and my right arm was blown off.
[Tsk… Old man, isn’t it embarrassing to shout out the skill name every time you use magic?]
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. [Hell’s Call]”
‘That old geezer with nothing but style.’
The magic system I had grasped in this place emphasized the construction of magic power; there was no need to chant spells like that.
I wouldn’t say anything if it was a routine to help him focus, though.
Rattle, clatter—
[Groooan…]
Demons crawled out from under Malcolm’s feet and tangled with the undead under my command.
Amorphous beings that looked like lumps of clay and skeletons clashed, trying to destroy each other.
We continued our exchange of attacks while also continuing our verbal sparring.
“You’re only at that level after taking the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’? Do you even know what that is! It wasn’t something that would end with just turning a measly Elite Skeleton into a half-baked Demi-Lich. [Guidance of the Dead!]”
[Oh, come on! What was I supposed to do, it was incomplete! It’s only because it’s me that I could even use it like this, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything!]
“To forcibly fuse an unmatured, incomplete fragment into that lowly body, all my hard work has gone to waste. Do you know how much effort I put into this…! [Chain Bone Explosion!]”
Ghostly wails echoed through the battlefield, and black flames and bone fragments exploded everywhere.
And amidst all that, the bickering continued.
‘Hmm… It’s like applying a top-tier enchantment to a beginner’s wooden sword. I feel a little sorry.’
I was lying, though. I didn’t feel sorry at all.
“I don’t know how you managed to overcome its erosion, but I’ll dissect your body piece by piece and use you as a test subject! [Broken Ectoplasm]”
I hurriedly deployed a black barrier to block the destructive energy that erupted.
But I was starting to feel offended by the constant insults.
It was too much to play the victim, wasn’t it obvious who the real victim was?
And it was also annoying that he kept adding the skill name at the end of every sentence!
It was also strangely bothersome that only the last spell had a different naming convention! Be consistent!
Anyway, I was getting used to the high-level dark magic that Malcolm was using.
Thanks to that, I hadn’t suffered any additional damage after my arm was blown off in the first attack, even though we had exchanged blows several times.
I had learned enough from Malcolm, so it was time to end this.
Crash!
Black thorns sprouted from the ground and surged towards Malcolm.
At the same time, a black flash shot from him, shaking my barrier, but I wouldn’t fall for the same attack twice.
After exchanging one more spell, I pointed my finger at Malcolm, filled with annoyance and resentment, and declared confidently.
[I will kill you and avenge Alfred.]
I made eye contact with the dark mage guarding the entrance.
He was the friend who had helped me a lot with gathering information, along with Jeraph.
[Hello? The weather is nice today, isn’t it?]
I tried to greet him, feeling happy, but I was met with a cold shoulder.
As soon as I spoke, he turned around and started running away without looking back.
[Hey, don’t ignore me like that. It hurts my feelings.]
I soothed my hurt feelings at the cold reaction and looked around at my reliable friends who were with me.
[Groooan…]
Rattle— Rattle—
Ghostly wails echoing through the passage, darkened to pitch black by the death energy emanating from the undead, and hundreds of glowing eyes.
The silhouettes that were faintly visible were all extraordinary, and their strong appearance was very reassuring.
‘Well… they do look a bit scary.’
But even if my friends looked threatening, it was unforgivable to discriminate against someone based on their appearance.
Inner beauty was more important than outer appearance.
And I was confident in my inner self.
‘Yeah, my skull is a pretty handsome head shape. My bones are nicely sculpted too.’
[Kiiiii—]
“Ugh—! When did you get here?! Get away from me!”
Boom—!
The dark mage, who was running away, was surrounded by ghosts that popped out of the floor of the building’s entrance and couldn’t run away any further, starting to fight back.
To be honest, I had no intention of letting him go from the start.
I was planning to eliminate all the dark mages and their subordinates in this village.
I immediately gave the order to all the undead under my command.
[Kill all the humans in this village. Don’t let a single one escape.]
I didn’t even worry about the possibility of innocent people being held captive.
My ‘Life Detection,’ which had evolved after becoming a Demi-Lich, covered the entire village, and I could even sense the dark magic power of the beings within it.
There were no innocent people among the living in this village.
[Kyaaagh—!]
Clatter, click!
Hundreds of undead behind me rushed past the dark mage at the entrance and into the village.
They would surround the village from the outskirts and attack inwards, preventing anyone from escaping.
Whoosh— Bang!
“Ugh, for me to… for me to die in a place like this…! To these guys!”
The dark mage, trapped in the midst of the undead, was desperately fighting back, using all kinds of magic.
And I moderately adjusted the undead’s attacks to allow him to use all his abilities.
It wasn’t out of consideration. Rather…
Whoosh—
[Hmm… Is it like this? It’s not that difficult.]
I muttered as I looked at the black flames burning on my hand.
“Wicked Wisdom” granted absolute understanding and talent for dark magic.
However, it didn’t directly teach me the ‘knowledge’ needed to use it, so I had to learn it separately.
I was able to decipher the barrier at the entrance of the secret passage after directly contacting and understanding it, but other dark magic was different.
[Groooan—]
Slash—!
And there was an excellent teaching material here.
I watched as the undead were dismembered by dark magic and absorbed all the practical knowledge like a sponge.
And “Wicked Wisdom” didn’t just allow me to imitate, it also allowed me to understand more advanced improvements, applications, and derivative abilities.
“Ugh… Cough!”
I thought I had been pressuring him while giving him plenty of leeway, but the dark mage seemed to have reached his limit from overusing magic, coughing up blood and collapsing.
‘Well, I think I’ve sucked out all I can, so he’s useless now.’
I glanced at the dark mage being buried under the rushing undead and organized my thoughts.
‘It was really lucky that I was able to kill Jeraph with a surprise attack.’
It would have been impossible for me to face an opponent of that level as an Elite Skeleton.
Jeraph must have been on the same level as that dark mage, so I would have been crushed without being able to do anything if things had gone wrong.
‘Now, preparations are almost complete. Let’s welcome the guest… no, the robber who stole the house.’
Crash—!
The barrier surrounding the entire building shattered, and something flew towards me and broke into pieces.
It was one of the undead I had sent out earlier, one of the strongest, a Death Knight.
“You… You dare…!”
An old man, Malcolm, with a distorted and trembling face, entered the building.
He was wearing a black robe that he must have put on at some point, and he was holding a skull staff in his hand.
I looked behind Malcolm.
I had attached all three Death Knights I had to buy time, but they must have all been defeated, as I could only see the fragment.
I had already guessed it when the connection was cut off, but I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Even though they weren’t in good condition, Death Knights were top-tier undead that were hard to come by.
It was a waste to use them just to buy time, but there was no other way.
I had sensed the old man’s power when I scanned the entire village, and I judged that the undead I had wouldn’t be able to do anything but buy time.
So I needed time to get used to dark magic before I faced him directly.
[Hello. Village Head? It’s been a while. How have you been?]
“What?! Who are you?!”
[Huh? It’s me, me. Don’t you recognize me?]
Did he already forget my face and voice?
I scratched my skull with one hand and continued speaking in a voice resonated with magic power.
[Well, it can’t be helped if you don’t remember… Didn’t we agree that I would stay for two days, help out with the village chores, and then leave?]
“Two days…? You’re… Hans! You were supposed to be an Elite Skeleton, how…?!”
[Figure that out yourself. Anyway, I ended up staying longer than expected. So I’m here to help out with the village chores a little more.]
“Help? What nonsense are you talking about after making a mess like this!”
Malcolm gritted his teeth and shouted, but I was confident.
[I’m talking about cleaning up the trash. I’ll clean up this entire village, which is full of waste that can’t even be recycled. Oh, no need to thank me. Shouldn’t people like us help each other out? Hahaha.]
I laughed good-naturedly, feeling proud as I spoke.
I didn’t know volunteering could be so rewarding.
I should start volunteering on Earth too. With an avatar, of course.
“…You bastard, what did you do to the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’?”
‘Ah, is this it? I wanted to provoke him a little more.’
I calmly prepared my magic, following Malcolm, who was raising his dark magic power as if he was about to attack at any moment, and continued to get under his skin.
[You mean this? You took away my heart, Village Head. So I put in a new one from the warehouse. It’s still lacking, but what else can I do but make do with this for now?]
Crash—!
As soon as I finished speaking, black thorns surged from the ground and attacked me.
I immediately reacted and blocked the thorns by erecting a shadow barrier around me.
And as I counterattacked by firing off the black flames I had just learned,
“[Finger of Death]”
Whoosh—
A black flash shot towards me in an instant.
In the split second I heard Malcolm’s voice, the magic barrier I had deployed around my body along with the shadow barrier was pierced through, and my right arm was blown off.
[Tsk… Old man, isn’t it embarrassing to shout out the skill name every time you use magic?]
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. [Hell’s Call]”
‘That old geezer with nothing but style.’
The magic system I had grasped in this place emphasized the construction of magic power; there was no need to chant spells like that.
I wouldn’t say anything if it was a routine to help him focus, though.
Rattle, clatter—
[Groooan…]
Demons crawled out from under Malcolm’s feet and tangled with the undead under my command.
Amorphous beings that looked like lumps of clay and skeletons clashed, trying to destroy each other.
We continued our exchange of attacks while also continuing our verbal sparring.
“You’re only at that level after taking the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment’? Do you even know what that is! It wasn’t something that would end with just turning a measly Elite Skeleton into a half-baked Demi-Lich. [Guidance of the Dead!]”
[Oh, come on! What was I supposed to do, it was incomplete! It’s only because it’s me that I could even use it like this, you wouldn’t have been able to do anything!]
“To forcibly fuse an unmatured, incomplete fragment into that lowly body, all my hard work has gone to waste. Do you know how much effort I put into this…! [Chain Bone Explosion!]”
Ghostly wails echoed through the battlefield, and black flames and bone fragments exploded everywhere.
And amidst all that, the bickering continued.
‘Hmm… It’s like applying a top-tier enchantment to a beginner’s wooden sword. I feel a little sorry.’
I was lying, though. I didn’t feel sorry at all.
“I don’t know how you managed to overcome its erosion, but I’ll dissect your body piece by piece and use you as a test subject! [Broken Ectoplasm]”
I hurriedly deployed a black barrier to block the destructive energy that erupted.
But I was starting to feel offended by the constant insults.
It was too much to play the victim, wasn’t it obvious who the real victim was?
And it was also annoying that he kept adding the skill name at the end of every sentence!
It was also strangely bothersome that only the last spell had a different naming convention! Be consistent!
Anyway, I was getting used to the high-level dark magic that Malcolm was using.
Thanks to that, I hadn’t suffered any additional damage after my arm was blown off in the first attack, even though we had exchanged blows several times.
I had learned enough from Malcolm, so it was time to end this.
Crash!
Black thorns sprouted from the ground and surged towards Malcolm.
At the same time, a black flash shot from him, shaking my barrier, but I wouldn’t fall for the same attack twice.
After exchanging one more spell, I pointed my finger at Malcolm, filled with annoyance and resentment, and declared confidently.
[I will kill you and avenge Alfred.]
_____________________
Marcos was momentarily taken aback by Hans’s sudden words.
‘Alfred? Avenge? Did he know someone in this village?’
He didn’t remember the names of the villagers who had been sacrificed a year ago.
No, he didn’t even know them in the first place.
Perhaps his subordinate, who had been dispatched to this village to gather information when they were looking for a suitable place for maturation, might know.
‘If he already knew someone from this village, it means he infiltrated from the beginning even though he knew… Is he also connected to that guy named Heinz who came to the village earlier? How much does he know?’
His head was filled with thoughts, but that wasn’t important right now.
Whoosh— Bang!
‘That bastard is getting used to the dark magic I’m using!’
Not only was he figuring out how to counter my attacks, but the level of dark magic he was using in his counterattacks was also rapidly increasing.
It was getting to the point where it was difficult for me to hold on.
‘That ignorant fool who knew nothing about magic just happened to gain power by luck!’
There was no way an ordinary person who had become a Demi-Lich with only an abundance of dark magic power could grow so quickly in such a short time.
‘His learning speed is clearly abnormal. Is it the power of the fragment he possesses?’
Marcos, who didn’t know the effect of “Wicked Wisdom,” had no choice but to think that way, but it wasn’t entirely wrong since it was also a skill he gained thanks to the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment.’
‘I can’t waste any more time here! Even if I have to sacrifice others, I’ll pour everything I have into this!’
“[Pact of Ruin!]”
Marcos was momentarily taken aback by Hans’s sudden words.
‘Alfred? Avenge? Did he know someone in this village?’
He didn’t remember the names of the villagers who had been sacrificed a year ago.
No, he didn’t even know them in the first place.
Perhaps his subordinate, who had been dispatched to this village to gather information when they were looking for a suitable place for maturation, might know.
‘If he already knew someone from this village, it means he infiltrated from the beginning even though he knew… Is he also connected to that guy named Heinz who came to the village earlier? How much does he know?’
His head was filled with thoughts, but that wasn’t important right now.
Whoosh— Bang!
‘That bastard is getting used to the dark magic I’m using!’
Not only was he figuring out how to counter my attacks, but the level of dark magic he was using in his counterattacks was also rapidly increasing.
It was getting to the point where it was difficult for me to hold on.
‘That ignorant fool who knew nothing about magic just happened to gain power by luck!’
There was no way an ordinary person who had become a Demi-Lich with only an abundance of dark magic power could grow so quickly in such a short time.
‘His learning speed is clearly abnormal. Is it the power of the fragment he possesses?’
Marcos, who didn’t know the effect of “Wicked Wisdom,” had no choice but to think that way, but it wasn’t entirely wrong since it was also a skill he gained thanks to the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment.’
‘I can’t waste any more time here! Even if I have to sacrifice others, I’ll pour everything I have into this!’
“[Pact of Ruin!]”
______________________
I, who had been pushing Malcolm back, immediately sensed a change.
The fight that had been raging in the village suddenly tilted heavily to one side.
It was because the dark mages who had been resisting the undead I sent had all died on the spot.
Now the only ones left resisting in the village were the subordinates who used dark magic power.
However, unlike that, I could feel Malcolm’s dark magic power suddenly amplifying as he absorbed the souls of the dark mages.
“[Crown of the Unrighteous], [Haven of the Dead]”
A black crown appeared on Malcolm’s head, and the ground beneath his feet turned black as undead crawled out.
‘Ah… Phase 2? It’s nice to see new magic, but I wish he would just end it already.’
But I just looked at it indifferently.
《The individual gains enlightenment through knowledge. You have acquired the skill “Dark Magic”.》
Malcolm seemed to think there was still a chance to turn things around, but it was already too late.
_________________
As expected, Malcolm’s struggle didn’t last long.
“Cough… Ugh!”
I absorbed all of Malcolm’s dark magic and returned the magic that had blown off my right arm, piercing a hole through Malcolm’s chest.
“Ugh… So… pathetically… If only I had more undead…”
He wasn’t wrong.
Although his other dark magic was also high-level, Malcolm’s specialty was necromancy, using undead as his main force.
If he hadn’t sacrificed a large number of high-ranking undead as offerings to quickly complete the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment,’ it would have been a difficult fight.
I looked around at the undead surrounding me, battered after the fierce battle.
And I crouched down in front of Malcolm, who had collapsed on the ground.
[Old man, your undead were awesome, weren’t they?]
“Ugh—!”
Malcolm coughed up blood and breathed his last.
His eyes were so wide open in frustration that blood was coming out of them.
[Tsk, it’s truly poetic justice. You should have been a better person.]
The battle in the village also ended at the right time, and silence fell upon the village in an instant.
There were no living people left in this village.
I stood up and raised my head.
The ceiling had been completely blown off in the fierce battle, revealing the night sky with its beautiful twinkling stars.
[Alfred… Are you watching?]
I have avenged you, so rest in peace now.
At that moment, the shooting star streaking across the night sky seemed like Alfred’s final farewell to me.
Or maybe not.
I, who had been pushing Malcolm back, immediately sensed a change.
The fight that had been raging in the village suddenly tilted heavily to one side.
It was because the dark mages who had been resisting the undead I sent had all died on the spot.
Now the only ones left resisting in the village were the subordinates who used dark magic power.
However, unlike that, I could feel Malcolm’s dark magic power suddenly amplifying as he absorbed the souls of the dark mages.
“[Crown of the Unrighteous], [Haven of the Dead]”
A black crown appeared on Malcolm’s head, and the ground beneath his feet turned black as undead crawled out.
‘Ah… Phase 2? It’s nice to see new magic, but I wish he would just end it already.’
But I just looked at it indifferently.
《The individual gains enlightenment through knowledge. You have acquired the skill “Dark Magic”.》
Malcolm seemed to think there was still a chance to turn things around, but it was already too late.
_________________
As expected, Malcolm’s struggle didn’t last long.
“Cough… Ugh!”
I absorbed all of Malcolm’s dark magic and returned the magic that had blown off my right arm, piercing a hole through Malcolm’s chest.
“Ugh… So… pathetically… If only I had more undead…”
He wasn’t wrong.
Although his other dark magic was also high-level, Malcolm’s specialty was necromancy, using undead as his main force.
If he hadn’t sacrificed a large number of high-ranking undead as offerings to quickly complete the ‘Immortal King’s Fragment,’ it would have been a difficult fight.
I looked around at the undead surrounding me, battered after the fierce battle.
And I crouched down in front of Malcolm, who had collapsed on the ground.
[Old man, your undead were awesome, weren’t they?]
“Ugh—!”
Malcolm coughed up blood and breathed his last.
His eyes were so wide open in frustration that blood was coming out of them.
[Tsk, it’s truly poetic justice. You should have been a better person.]
The battle in the village also ended at the right time, and silence fell upon the village in an instant.
There were no living people left in this village.
I stood up and raised my head.
The ceiling had been completely blown off in the fierce battle, revealing the night sky with its beautiful twinkling stars.
[Alfred… Are you watching?]
I have avenged you, so rest in peace now.
At that moment, the shooting star streaking across the night sky seemed like Alfred’s final farewell to me.
Or maybe not.
So long Alfred
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