Chapter 81

Chapter 81

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 81: Second Trial (7)

Over time, the skeletons had learned many skills, from crafting and alchemy to combat techniques.

‘I’ve been a bit neglectful when it comes to mages.’

Kim Minwoo admitted.

But he had his reasons. Typically, ordinary skeletons, which he could summon twice as many, were much more advantageous to train.

In most fields, that was the case. Except for one.

If any field in which mages had an absolute advantage in, it would be magic.

‘So, if I want to utilize mages, I have to teach them magic...’

That wasn’t easy.

Teaching magic in reality was foolish. Magic was one of the most difficult subjects. But teaching magic to skeletons, who couldn’t even learn like humans?

It would have ramifications far beyond tackling an A-rank gate.

It’s hard to ask unless you really trust someone.

So, usually, you’d have to find a teacher at the gate. Mages were mainly found in fantasy worlds.

However, summoning skeletons was often prohibited in those worlds.

They were usually seen as agents of evil, and religious organizations were often sent to eradicate them.

Even if summoning was possible, it was hard to imagine esteemed mages educating skeletons.

Being able to inherit crafting skills from dwarves and elves was because the roles and stages aligned well. It also enabled an attempt to learn magic.

‘Luckily, there was a death school.’

In a world where summoning skeletons was possible, there were mages who mainly dealt with related death magic. And they desperately wanted what Kim Minwoo possessed.

To him, it was like a miracle.

Thanks to this, he could conduct magic classes for his skeleton mages.

‘It wouldn’t have been possible with any other school.’

As he spent days educating them, the practical training period approached.

[‘Myra’ has grasped the essence of ‘Corpse Explosion Magic!’]

[Condensed experience creates a new skill!]

[Skeleton mages can now use Corpse Explosion (F)!]

[All mages are hit with lightning-like inspiration!]

[‘Myra’ realizes the essence of ‘Magic Circle Composition!’]

[‘Essence of Bone Rain’ is realized!]

[‘Essence of Bone Shield’ is realized!]

[‘Essence of Blindness’ is realized!]

.

.

Teaching one leads to understanding ten.

Just like the saying, Myra’s acquisition of one magic led to a chain of insights.

‘He’s probably learning multiple spells from one school.’

There was usually a correlation between each spell of a school. That’s why rapid acquisition seemed possible.

He examined the skill window.

[Skeleton Mage Summon (E) +9]

[A skill enhanced to its limit.]

[Consumes 20 mana to summon LV32 Skeleton Mages 2 (1+1).]

[Possesses Corpse Explosion (F), Magic Circle Composition (F), Essence of Bone Rain (F), Essence of Bone Shield (F), Essence of Blindness (F)]

[Corpse Explosion (F): Causes powerful damage by exploding corpses.]

[Magic Circle Composition (F): Constructs magic circles to combine multiple spells cast by many into one.]

[Essence of Bone Rain (F): Creates a rain composed of sharp bones in a designated area.]

[Essence of Bone Shield (F): Creates a shield made of bones.]

[Blindness (F): Casts a curse to obscure the opponent’s vision.]

‘Oh, lucky.’

Corpse Explosion seemed like a very useful magic at first glance.

Magic Circle Composition was similarly promising. Combining spells cast by many into one. Even though each is just 1, what if you combine 100, 200?

‘It’ll amplify the power.’

Perhaps he didn’t even realize he might come up with magic that could be effective against high-level monsters.

Bone Rain...

‘This seems like quite a wide-area attack.’

Bone Shield was a defensive magic akin to a rice bowl, and finally, Blindness was a curse that obscured vision.

Having all five of them would mean having spells you could use frequently.

The professors watching the mages casting spells brightened up.

“Wow! You’re really learning magic!”

“Wow, that’s incredible potential! If only we could summon undead like this...”

“Bringing the realm of magic under control with the Death School might not be just a dream! Haha!”

The professors seemed to display a sense of satisfaction, looking like they were about to happily burst.

Summoning undead might be somehow possible if luck was on their side.

But summoning undead that could learn?

‘That’s probably impossible.’

That was the prerogative of the Death Lord.

Could that ever be easy?

Yet, they didn’t say anything to shatter their dreams. There were still plenty of spells to learn, and the professors’ enthusiasm needed to be maintained.

He looked at them.

“Professors. I’m going to practice soon.”

But if you thought of them as goblins and charged in, you’d be in trouble.

Their average level was close to 170.

Kim Minwoo summoned Cedric.

The creature lurking around immediately met its eyes with Merhen.

After a brief silence, Cedric looked at them and asked.

—Long time no see. Master, are you performing your duties as usual?

Kim Minwoo nodded.

Merhen’s eyes widened at the sight of the talking skeleton.

The fact that Cairn summoned undead was already widely known.

Yet, there wasn’t much commotion within the academy.

He only summoned skeleton troops, which were the lowest tier of undead.

Moreover, it was one of the smallest death-related magic among all the mages.

Knights weren’t interested from the start, and even the mages were indifferent.

Whether or not there was a new discovery in the death school wasn’t really relevant.

Naturally, Merhen also just passed by without much thought.

However,

“Umm, did it speak?”

The talking skeleton was a bit shocking.

Seeing Merhen staring wide-eyed at him, Cedric let out a hollow laugh.

—Haha. She used to be a perfect lady back then.

“Have you two met before?”

—No, never. I only joined the ranks of the Lord much later.

“...What are you two talking about?”

“Nothing.”

Kim Minwoo shook his head.

It wasn’t his place to tell him she would become undead in the future.

“We’ll hunt and be back soon. Just wait here.”

“Okay.”

Just in case, he summoned Dolsoe and placed him beside her.

Merhen, who was initially startled by the sudden appearance of the monster, soon relaxed and stuck close to the golem.

“Let’s go.”

—Alright.

They charged towards the gremlin horde alongside Cedric.

—Kikik!

The gremlin horde, shrieking sharply, began to attack with their spears. They also unleashed magic from their hands as a bonus.

Their movements seemed slightly faster than what Minwoo had seen from gates, probably influenced by the magic.

But ultimately,

After deflecting the incoming fire arrows with his sword,

He swiftly slashed their throats.

The massacre of the nearly twenty gremlins began in an instant. Their stats alone were formidable enough to pose a challenge.

[You have leveled up!]

With the experience gained from the battle, he leveled up in one go.

The battle ended in a flash.

Soon after,

The magic began to absorb into the gemstone. The crystal, which was initially white, started to darken slightly.

― 20 points.

It was a bonus to see such a number.

‘Is each gremlin worth one point?’

At that moment,

The blood scattered on the ground also began to be absorbed into the command sword in his hand. The corpses shriveled up like mirages as their blood was sucked into the blade.

[The command sword has absorbed the blood of the prey! (20/10,000)]

‘Kills contribute to leveling up.’

Well,

The instructions seemed to suggest as much.

Didn’t it kindly mention that enemies of the same level or higher would count as ‘prey’?

The reason the command sword hadn’t absorbed the blood of Cho Pilwook was probably because it hadn’t completely dealt with him.

‘One fortunate thing is...’

It was the fact that not only he but also Cedric’s kills were contributing to the blood absorption. Did kills by summoned creatures count towards the kill count?

‘This might significantly reduce the grind difficulty.’

Just ten thousand kills.

Perhaps it would be easier than expected?

“Merhen.”

“Uh, yes?”

She quickly responded with a dazed look, gazing at him after he swiftly massacred the gremlin horde.

“We’re going deeper inside.”

“Isn’t that... dangerous?”

“We have to secure the top spot. Don’t we?”

“Uh, yes...”

Gulp.

She nodded, swallowing her saliva.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]