Chapter 81: In the Name of Honor (15)

Chapter 81: In the Name of Honor (15)

He did say to pass them to the back, but that didnt mean he planned to actually just sit back and watch.

Itd be stupid to cause any injuries because of the test.

Because monsters like zombies or ghouls naturally have a toxin within them, even a slight scratch from their attack could easily become a serious wound.

So, do you really want me to pass them all to the ones behind?

Mmm Borka, youve worked at an arena before, right?

Borka stared at him as if asking how he knew that. It would be harder for him not to know looking at the way he fought. I also used to go to arenas for money when I played a warrior character, so I was familiar with their movement.

Anyway, his experience in that field made it easier to explain.

Our side is the shield, the mages are the net!

Have you worked at an arena?

In my past life!

Borka seemed more confused after hearing that, but seemed to understand what he was supposed to do. Shield and net. It was a common technique used in the arenas when a few people fought against a large number of monsters, such as goblins, where the members who had a short sword and shield concentrated on blocking the attacks of the monsters while the members in the back with long spears and nets made the final blow.

Since we need to fight more enemies the further we go, this will be decent practice for the future.

Kghaaak!

The first one to charge in was a ghoul, which was a monster that commonly appeared from large masses of corpses. A monster thats stronger and swifter than its relative, the zombie, with sharp claws tipped with toxin.

Craack!

Easily grabbing hold of the ghouls arm, Professor threw it back towards the swarm of undead.

Bammm!

Graghhk!

Gwaarrr!

Gaghhhh!

The undead that had been charging wildly towards them crashed down like bowling pins.

You see that? All we have to do is break their formation and let the mages do the rest.

Ahem, I understand, but

He must have thrown the ghoul a little too hard, as its arm was still in Professors hand. In Borkas eyes, Professor, who nonchalantly shook the arm as he explained the plan, seemed no different from the undead in front of them.

Wshhhhh

Just then, the mages completed their chant, and he could feel the mana surrounding them shift.

With the two Level 3 mages in the lead, the hand motions they used were then connected to the other mages for mana.

*To flow against thy will.*

[Dorman Baldaniss, Culling Water Fall]

[Reverse]

The mana of the five mages gathered together and reformed into the base structure of the image that was built with the hand motions, then expanded out. The first image was of a waterfall that poured down from the sky. The second is a reversal.

- Pop!

The start was just a small stream of water that shot out of the ground near Professor.

- Pop! Pop! Pop!

Starting with the small spout in the middle, several more spouts of water appeared on each side in a line.

Craaack, Crashhhhh!!!

And in an instant, the ground split open and an incredible amount of water spouted up from the ground, creating a wall of water.

They expanded the water they collected using mana and twisted the waterfall skill to make it spout upwards from the ground. They probably did this in order to make it so the Level 2 mages could also participate, since Waterwall is a Level 3 spell. And they can use the underground water sources with this method, so it makes the casting speed faster as well.

While Professor was being pleasantly surprised by the mages quick response to the situation, Ottman, who had been making several hand signals, stepped forward. It was a process that cycled the mana used in a previous spell to be used for the next one. As the mana of the Level 5 mage started to take form, it caused a strong wind around his surroundings.

Clack.

Once Aldrich raised his hand after collecting a decent amount of darkness, something transparent started to come out of the completely still undead corpses and got sucked into his hand.

I retrieved the souls that were used in the necromancy. Since the dark mage settled down in this place, they probably corrupted this entire area. In areas like this, if you dont ascend the souls through a holy ritual or retrieve them like this, the corpses can absorb the mana from the ground and get back up.

As he spoke, Aldrich let go of the shadows that were collected in his hand, and the souls that were in his palm flew into the jar hanging around Professors neck.

Ugh, thats creepy.

Thats a stereotype. In the first place, dark magic isnt some kind of evil magic but a study started by ancient burial priests. The origin of dark magic was seeing off souls that needed to travel long distances and soothing those who had regrets about their lives. Soulbinders refer to those who make a contract with especially powerful spirits and use their power instead of releasing their regrets. Not all dark mages are evil!

And why are you telling me this?

Thats

Rumbleeee

Just as Aldrich was responding, the gate in front of the group started to open.

Lets talk again later. It looks like the owner of this place is inviting us.

Mmm.

As the gate opened, what they could see was the definition of a traditional dark mages territory. The countless blood splatters scattered everywhere, and the pieces of flesh that seemed to be spread out on the ground on purpose were covered in maggots and letting off a disgusting smell.

Aldrich. How would you rate this territory as a dark mage?

Its a 3. This decoration is not one out of study but a personal taste. Its incredibly simplistic. Because they cut up all of the corpses like that instead of using them for rituals, itll be difficult to use them as undead. Id say the most those things can do is cause a little bit more fear among intruders.

Professor and Aldrich nonchalantly continued their conversation. Professor had seen much worse than this in reality, and Aldrich was a soulbinder who paid more attention to what was inside after all.

Borka and Notum looked a little pale. Notum especially had a disgusted expression, as if she had just stepped in a box of fish heads.

Blerghhhh!

The mages that had been excited after displaying their magic were barfing from the horrifying view.

Looking at the mages continue to throw up even after emptying their stomachs, Professor turned to Notum.

Notum, can you protect these people?

Grwuh. I said before. Weak humans, about to die. They are sick. Going to die now.

No, they wont die. Just stay here and ward off the corpses that come close. Ill come back soon.

Grwuh. Does it take long? Human needs to be buried in ground when dead. Notum is good at digging.

Theyre not going to die.

Gwuh.

Mage Ottman, you can come with us, right?

Mmmm. Yes.

Leaving Notum with the four mages, Professor took the rest of the group and entered the village. It wasnt difficult to find where the dark mage was located. In the distance, near the center of the village, they could see a massive tower that was emitting some kind of dark ash. With every step they took, the malice that stuck to their skin got thicker and thicker.

Um Ill change that to a 6. It seems that he decorated his own room decently.

Aldrich, what level dark mage do you think they are?

Im not sure. Necromancy and soulbinding sound similar, but they are completely different fields of study. Id say theyre around Level 4, though. Looking around, they seemed to use the entirety of the villages population to create that building.

The entire village?

Yes. That tower. Seeing that I can feel the death even from afar, they did not spare any corpses building it.

Thats a little weird.

It wasnt odd for a dark mage to use corpses, but there was also no reason for them to waste them like that. The mutes are currently struggling with a huge shortage of resources. It would be much more efficient to use just what they needed to and pass the rest to the mutes.

Thinking about it, a Level 4 is a high-ranking mage that is more than useful on the battlefield. Even more so if theyre a necromancer. But why are they in the quiet east guarding this place instead of fighting on the western front, where the main force of Rodrick and the mutes are?

To a dark mage, a large-scale battlefield was a dream come true. Corpses of countless high-ranking knights were scattered around, and tens, maybe even hundreds of spirits were created in a split second. It was the perfect place for a dark mage to increase their mana. But theyre all the way over here instead of being where any dark mage would want to be?

Whats wrong?

Hmm I think Im going to have a lot of questions for this dark mage.

Professor warmed up his body as he stared at the dark tower in the distance.

Lets start by capturing them first. Looking at that, they dont look like an easy opponent.