The Necromancer Who Was Despised - The Necromancer Who Was Despised chapter 172
“I want to say don’t overdo it, but it’s sad that we can’t.”
The tower I had built over time was on the verge of collapsing. And now I knew the Empire’s plan…
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it myself.”
“Someday, we’ll be able to share the heavy burden. Just wait a little longer.”
“…I should be the one saying don’t overdo it.”
“I’ll do my best to the end.”
“Don’t die.”
“I don’t plan to. I can’t let the Lord take the first place.”
Kyra’s words, which were almost a joke but also a determination, allowed me to feel a little more at ease.
Kyra approached me, hugged my neck, and gave me a short kiss.
“…I’ll be back.”
It was a side of me that I didn’t usually show, a side that I only revealed when I was alone with him.
***
The top-notch internal powers of the Tower suddenly disappeared like a fleeting wind.
If an excessive attack came, it could be dangerous, but with Ori and me present, and the defensive walls we had built, it wasn’t a situation that could be easily breached.
Moreover, the fact that our powers were not to be underestimated had spread, and the frequency and scale of the attacks had decreased, so I didn’t think it would be that dangerous.
Thanks to our group’s great accomplishments in one region, there were no attacks on our main base during the week after they left.
And during that time, I completely immersed myself in the dragon’s blood and heart.
I thoroughly investigated the process, but there were no special tricks involved.
So, I called Ori and asked for their help with the aftermath, and then I swallowed the blood and heart fragments whole.
◈ Sorcerer
The dragon told me how to use the blood and heart fragments most efficiently.
The heart was the core’s nucleus, and the blood was to be guided to spread naturally throughout the body.
It also recommended taking it all at once if possible.
If I could control it, taking it all at once would amplify the effects and help each other, it said.
Of course, with the blessing of magic, I had no reason not to be able to control it, so I chose to take it all at once.
The magic of the heart separated from the magic of the blood, preventing it from mixing with the core.
The magic of the blood was blocked from accessing the core, and the heart fragments were scattered, naturally guiding them to the center of the circle, the core’s nucleus.
If the core, which had absorbed the dragon’s heart fragments, became even stronger and could accept more magic, the circle’s size would increase, and its density would become higher.
This meant that the amount of magic I could handle at once would increase, and the power of magic itself would become stronger.
And I had Elosett’s staff, which was said to be able to compress the dragon entirely.
So, it wouldn’t just end with a slight increase in magic power.
Meanwhile, the dragon’s blood was being absorbed into my body, naturally gathering in one place.
‘The vessel…’
The dragon’s blood seemed to think that my body no longer needed to adapt to magic, and it was using up all its energy to expand the vessel.
In other words, the dragon’s blood had judged that my body was as compatible with magic as the dragon itself.
‘Hard to believe.’
I already knew that my body was optimal for learning black magic.
But I didn’t know it would be this extreme.
As the dragon’s blood was used only for expanding the vessel, a massive vessel began to form at an alarming rate.
As the density of the core and circle increased, the amount of magic I could handle would also increase, and the amount of magic consumed would increase accordingly, but the vessel’s expansion was too fast.
If this continued, even my robust body might not be able to handle that vessel.
‘Is it trying to kill me…?’
No, that wouldn’t be it.
Honestly, neither I nor the dragon could have predicted this.
Who would have thought that my body would have a compatibility with magic rivaling that of the dragon?
This was information that even the dragon didn’t know.
Moreover, the problem was that the dragon handled mana, while I handled magic, making it difficult to intuitively understand.
‘This can’t be…’
If I continue like this, I’ll die.
I hastily opened the seal and pulled out the magic.
‘7 Class, is it possible?’
The possibility was too slim.
Forcing a circle to form like that… it’s only possible when you’re at a lower circle level, and the limit is around 4 circles.
Achieving 7 circles like that is basically suicidal.
To make matters worse, I didn’t even reach 7 Class in the previous cycle.
I may have refused to acknowledge it, but the fact remains that I didn’t achieve it, which makes it a suicidal act.
However, I couldn’t just die like this.
The situation was like a vase on the verge of shattering.
A size like this is beyond what a 6-Class magician can handle.
The magic was overflowing, pressing down on the core and circle.
I desperately tried to pull out the magic and form a new circle.
But, as expected, the magic scattered, and I failed to form a circle every time.
I couldn’t give up, so I kept trying, and every time, I repeated my failure.
My mental strength, which was once solid, was depleted, and I started to lose control of the magic, feeling the cracks in the vase that had reached its expansion limit.
If the vase breaks, it’s no different from losing my magic.
What’s the use of a good engine if there’s no fuel?
That’s why I desperately tried to protect the vase, but my efforts were in vain, and my vase was on the verge of shattering.
‘What the…?’
The dragon had clearly given me its heart and blood with good intentions.
But neither of us expected this outcome.
I was shocked and angry at the same time.
But reality didn’t change.
In the end, my mental strength was exhausted, and I struggled to maintain control over the core and circle.
If I lose this too, I’ll truly be left with nothing.
As a result, the dragon’s blood, which had gone out of control, shattered my vase and started spreading throughout my body.
There was no pain.
Originally, I should have felt excruciating pain, but there was none.
It was only later that I remembered the dragon’s advice.
The dragon’s blood would spread throughout my body on its own if I left it alone.
Neither of us had expected that process, but it turned out to be true.
‘…Is it broken?’
He had said.
If I absorb the heart and blood properly, I won’t feel like my body is lacking later.
I finally understood his words.
My body had become the vase, and magic was seeping into every part of it.
I had used almost pure magic, but I should have gone through a refining process.
However, that was no longer necessary now.
‘Was it intentional?’
No, that’s not it.
I must have thought of an enormous affinity and a vast vessel.
But my body and the dragon’s blood created a strange synergy, and as a result, the dragon’s words became a reality.
I felt a full-body sensation, and the seal on my chest and my body strangely synchronized.
Along with that, a feeling that had briefly visited me in the distant past returned to me.
My exhausted mental power, which had made me want to fall asleep immediately, disappeared, and I entered a half-dazed state.
The magic I had learned and used from the previous session to the present began to quickly disassemble and reassemble, including the arrangement of magic, incantations, startup phrases, and rune language.
I observed and remembered the process.
I knew what this was.
The realization I had rejected in the previous session was returning to me, as if my body had evolved.
This was the moment I had been waiting for.
The moment I transcended my previous self and reached a new level.
I quietly watched as the magic transformed to fit me, in a dazed state.
***
When I woke up, many things had changed.
I was lying on a bed in a different room, wearing new clothes.
Orie was guarding around me.
“You’re awake, sir.”
“…Hmm?”
I was momentarily confused, but my memories quickly returned.
“How long did I sleep?”
“You’ve been asleep for about two days, sir.”
“What about the tower? What about Oasis?”
“There was one attack, but it wasn’t a threatening number. It was a manageable scale. We also informed Untinia and Anelis.”
I felt relieved.
I suddenly thought it was fortunate that the other party members were outside. If they had been inside, it would have been chaotic.
Even just Kaila would have sensed something was off and rushed into my room.
‘Artina wouldn’t have stayed still either.’
Especially since I had been asleep for two days….
“Congratulations, sir.”
Orie’s words brought me back to reality.
And at the same time, I realized that I had surpassed the wall.
When I closed my eyes and observed my internal state, I could confirm that my body had become extremely clean and my core had solidified.
My entire body had become a vessel, and I could use magic that flowed from the seal as is.
The number of circles had increased to seven, and the fragments of magic I had confirmed in my dazed state began to emerge one by one.
The unfortunate thing was that even though I had examined it in detail, most of it was not accurately remembered.
The number of things I could use immediately was limited to a few, and even those were unclear.
“That’s right. So, I’m not a mage, but a demon mage.”
Until the 6th class, I had been matching myself to the existing magic.
I had been learning the existing magic, which was either improved by my predecessors or passed down through generations, and using it as is, including the arrangement of mana and magic, runes, spells, and incantations.
However, from the 7th class onwards, the story is different.
It’s about pioneering my own path and customizing magic to fit myself.
‘No wonder temporary magic construction was difficult.’
It turns out that temporary magic construction was also a hint for the 7th class.
It was about changing the existing magic to fit myself from the start, which was why it took a long time to complete.
It’s not about making small adjustments to fit my style or tweaking the magic a little; it’s about customizing the magic itself to fit me.
It’s like the difference between buying a ready-made suit and tailoring one to fit me perfectly, which is what the 7th class is all about.
The realization was like my subconscious showing me the method and process as a hint, and now I have to consciously research and develop magic that fits me and use it in my own way.
The framework of magic is the same, and the materials are similar, but it’s like giving birth to individuality.
It’s going to be extremely difficult and arduous.
But at the same time, it suggests infinite possibilities.
‘So, I didn’t learn the 7th class magic, did I?’
I have to create it myself.
I have a rough outline.
My subconscious has also given me some hints.
That’s enough.
I can use existing magic, so I don’t have any complaints.
But that’s not all.
I have something that other mages don’t.
From noble mtl dot com
‘Infinite magic.’
Even if I become a mage, I won’t be like others who can’t contain magic in their bodies.
There’s a limit to mana, and using atmospheric mana to support magic has its limits too.
But I don’t have those limits.
I can experiment much more, and my growth rate will be incredibly fast.
My combat endurance will also be unmatched compared to other mages.
Of course, there’s a maximum limit, but recovery is extremely fast.
I just need to fill up my magic with the mana I extract from the artifact….