Episode 123
“Richmond! Drop the staff!”
The staff began to vibrate more violently.
Richmond tried to let go, heeding Zeke’s command, but his hand wouldn’t budge.
“Ugh!”
A dark energy surged from the staff, forcing its way into Richmond’s nose and mouth.
Zeke drew Bahamut and charged straight at Richmond.
With a swift motion, he sliced through the staff with the blade of purification.
Crack!
The staff split, and the vibrations ceased.
Fsssh—
The staff lost all its power, crumbling into gray ash.
Richmond’s eyes turned pitch black as the dark energy filled him.
“Ughhh!”
Richmond’s body began to tremble.
Then, his human form started to revert to his original lich appearance.
Simultaneously, the dark energy enveloped Richmond’s body.
Zeke steadied his breath, then thrust Bahamut toward Richmond.
“Hang in there, Richmond!”
Bahamut absorbed the dark energy surrounding Richmond.
[Bahamut is absorbing the power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness.’]
“Arghhh!”
Richmond, now in his lich form, screamed in agony.
The dark energy surrounding him was completely drawn into Bahamut.
At that moment, another message appeared.
[The power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ has been purified.]
[Granting this purified power to the summon Richmond can unlock its potential.]
[Would you like to bestow this power upon Richmond?]
“Unlock its potential?”
Zeke recalled the notion of evolving a beast into a divine creature using karma points. Perhaps this was something similar.
Watching Richmond in pain, Zeke decided to grant him the power.
A crimson aura surged from Bahamut, seeping back into Richmond.
Crack!
Richmond, once an ordinary lich, absorbed the power Zeke bestowed, and his bones turned a deep crimson.
Simultaneously, a purple gem appeared in one of his hollow eye sockets.
“Ahhhh!”
[Richmond has evolved from a lich to a demi-lich after receiving the purified power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness.’]
[Richmond has acquired the ability ‘Beast Transformation’ due to absorbing the purified power.]
[The minions of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ now recognize Richmond as an ally.]
Astonishingly, Richmond, once a mere lich, had evolved into a high-ranking undead, a demi-lich.
“Huff, huff.”
Though he regained his human appearance, the aura and presence of Richmond, now a demi-lich, were unmistakably different.
“Are you alright, Richmond?”
“Yes, yes, master.”
Richmond looked at his new form, surprised by his transformation.
Zeke asked Richmond, “How does it feel to be a demi-lich?”
“A demi-lich? I’ve been just a lich for five hundred years, and now… a demi-lich? It’s amazing!”
Zeke was taken aback by something else entirely.
“Five hundred years… Now that you mention it, you did say you were active during the Holy Empire era. You’ve got quite the survival skills.”
Typically, liches, despite their immortality, rarely last beyond a century. Adventurers or knights usually hunt them down as soon as they’re discovered.
Unlike typical liches, Richmond survived by not attacking humans, quietly collecting monster bones, and focusing solely on his magical studies.
‘But five hundred years… shouldn’t he have become an arch-lich by now?’
Perhaps purifying and bestowing the powers of other demons could evolve him into an arch-lich.
While Zeke pondered ways to further evolve him, Richmond, now a demi-lich, was thrilled to find he could fly effortlessly through the air.
“Master! Look at this!”
Zeke watched Richmond flit around the chamber with a playful grin.
“Richmond, try using your Beast Transformation.”
At Zeke’s command, Richmond descended and activated his new ability.
Crack!
Richmond’s form shifted, transforming into an undead beast.
Roar!
He took on the shape of a dragon-like creature with skeletal wings, more ferocious and menacing than any ordinary drake.
“Interesting. The bones of a dragon must have influenced this form.”
With the minions of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ recognizing him as an ally, this could be useful for infiltrating the abyss.
Richmond reverted to his human form from the beastly shape.
Zeke, having completed the purification, stepped out of the cave and rejoined Wang Joomok and his group.
Together with Wang Joomok and the barbarians, they headed toward the isolated village.
“Zeke! Over here.”
The fortress village of the Rock Tribe and the village where Golyn resided were quite a distance apart.
It became clear why the village had been isolated when the beasts began acting strangely.
This village, like the Rock Tribe’s fortress, was built from massive enchanted stones.
The barbarians moved the stone blocking the entrance and led them inside.
Boooo!
As they entered, the villagers blew horns to welcome them.
“Thank you! Much gratitude!”
“Welcome, truly!”
The young barbarian warriors beamed at the villagers’ warm reception.
Though barbarians were known for their reclusiveness, they were sincere and emotionally expressive.
To honor the heroes who vanquished the beasts, the villagers prepared a feast of roasted minotaur.
Wang Joomok seated Zeke at the head of the table, enthusiastically recounting his exploits in the barbarian tongue.
“Zeke! So strong! Cut off the dragon’s head, just like that!”
“Ooh! Just like that!”
“Amazing, amazing!”
The barbarians praised Zeke’s prowess, bringing out a basin-sized bowl filled with their potent brew.
Of course, the barbarian’s liquor was far stronger than any human drink.
Familiar with barbarian customs, Zeke downed the entire bowl of strong liquor in one go.
The barbarians cheered at the sight.
“Zeke! Amazing, amazing!”
“A true warrior! So impressive!”
Thanks to his healing factor, Zeke didn’t get drunk, only full.
The barbarians, eager to befriend him, kept offering more drinks.
‘At this rate, I might burst from all this.’
As he entertained the thought, an elderly man approached Zeke.
“Thank you for saving our village.”
Surprisingly, it was an aged barbarian, a rare sight for outsiders.
Zeke, noting the elder’s use of the common tongue, guessed his status.
“Are you the village chief?”
In this context, the term ‘chief’ held a slightly different meaning than it did for human villages.
The elder nodded.
“Indeed. It is customary for former tribe leaders to spend their twilight years as village chiefs in this sacred place, imbued with the breath of our ancestors.”
The chief gestured to a massive obelisk standing behind the village.
“That is a guardian tower erected by our ancestors long ago. Each tribe has one. Our people live to protect these towers and the land imbued with our ancestors’ breath. Thanks to you, both the tower and the land remain safe. It is only right to express our gratitude and inform you of what you have saved.”
The tale of the barbarian guardian towers was new to Zeke.
Gazing at the tower with his dragon’s eye, he sensed an immense, unfathomable power within.
‘Ancient magic, perhaps.’
It might have been magic left by dragons during the Hero King era to protect the world, as Kaishir had mentioned.
Tearing his gaze from the tower, Zeke addressed the chief about his purpose.
“Chief, I came here searching for a dwarf named Golyn.”
The chief stroked his beard, nodding.
“Golyn, a stubborn yet skilled dwarf. It was quite a task to dissuade him from going after the dragon with his own weapons.”
The chief chuckled heartily as he spoke of Golyn.
“Where is Golyn now?”
The chief pointed toward the guardian tower.
“He’s likely working at his forge near there. Be prepared when you go; it’s filled with all sorts of peculiar items.”
For a barbarian to say such things about a dwarf, it could only be Golyn.
Zeke nodded at the chief’s words.
The barbarian’s welcome feast continued late into the night.
After participating in the festivities, Zeke set out the next morning, leaving the slumbering barbarians behind, heading to the location the chief had indicated.
Before seeking out Golyn’s forge, Zeke decided to take a closer look at the guardian tower.
As he approached, the mysterious power within felt even stronger.
The stone obelisk’s surface was covered in unknown runes.
Passing by, Zeke suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with the runes.
‘Wait, these look similar to the markings on my chest.’
Zeke opened his shirt, comparing the runes and diagrams etched on his chest after absorbing Bahamut’s heart.
Upon seeing the carvings on the Barbarian’s Guardian Tower, Zeke became convinced that the creators of this tower were dragons.
He reached out toward the Guardian Tower.
Suddenly, a message appeared before him.
[Detected: Administrator System of the First Defense Base ‘Giant’s Guardian Tower’]
[Accessing Administrator System]
[Verifying Code]
[Code Mismatch: Access Denied]
“The First Defense Base?”
The Celestial Sanctuary he discovered in the Join Tribe’s ghetto was the Fourth Defense Base.
Through the message, Zeke realized that this place, too, had served as a defense base against the demonic invasions during the Liberation War.
‘It’s the first time I’ve been denied access to an administrator system.’
Thanks to the titles he had been granted, he usually had access to most ruins. But it seemed this place hadn’t assigned him an access code.
‘It’s a bit disappointing not to get in like usual.’
With the system unresponsive, Zeke moved past the Guardian Tower and continued upward.
As he ascended, something strange caught his eye.
“What is this?”
Odd structures made of piled scrap metal were scattered across the hills.
Zeke frowned at the bizarre sight.
‘Did a goblin make these?’
Despite his irritation, Zeke continued up the hill, passing the strange structures.
Eventually, he spotted a house built in the Dwarven style.
It seemed to be a goblin’s forge.
But in front of the house lay something alarming.
‘Why are siege weapons in front of a house?’
High-speed catapults and large ballistae, typically used to breach walls or gates, were scattered around.
Zeke had only heard rumors of the goblin’s eccentricity and had never met him, so the scene before him was both fascinating and bewildering.
Then it happened.
Creak!
The ballistae in the yard suddenly moved, aiming at Zeke.
“What the—?”
In an instant, an arrow loaded in the ballista was fired.
Whoosh!
Zeke drew Bahamut and deflected the arrow.
Crack!
The arrow was more like a spear.
Next, the high-speed catapult activated.
Creak!
A solid rock was loaded into the catapult, aimed at Zeke, and launched with force.
Boom!
As the rock hurtled toward him, Zeke summoned his aura.
Slice—
The rock split in two against his aura blade and rolled down the hill.
Zeke shouted toward the house.
“Goblin Yobern! I’ve come on behalf of the Guild Alliance!”
Despite his call, there was no response from inside the house.
Deflecting the incoming rocks and arrows, Zeke approached the door.
Then, a flamethrower installed at the entrance spewed a massive flame.
Whoosh!
Zeke deployed a shield to block the fire.
At that moment—
Bang!
The forge’s door burst open, and a red-bearded dwarf yelled at Zeke.
“Hey! Where did you get that?!”
Zeke sheathed his shield and looked at the dwarf who had shouted at him.
“Are you Goblin Yobern?”
Ignoring Zeke’s question, the dwarf charged at him.
“Where did you get that, you punk?!”
The dwarf wielded a massive hammer, ready to swing it at Zeke.
Zeke remained calm.
“I received it as a gift from your apprentice, Gelion.”
The dwarf was taken aback.
“What? Gelion! That brat gave it to you?”
Zeke held out Bahamut.
“This sword was also crafted by Gelion.”
The dwarf fell silent, staring at Zeke’s sword.
Then he began to tremble all over.
“Gelion! That rascal dared to handle a whole dragon’s fang, something even I haven’t touched!”
The dwarf fumed, swinging his hammer wildly.
Zeke spoke to him.
“The Guild Alliance sent me to check on you since they lost contact…”
“Shut up! I’m not going!”
The dwarf was even more irritable than the rumors suggested.
‘Pushing him will only backfire.’
Since taking Goblin back wasn’t his main goal, Zeke decided to get to the point.
Besides, it was something that would likely pique Goblin’s interest, making the conversation easier.
“Hershion, activate.”
Click!
In an instant, the ancient Hershion armor enveloped Zeke.
Goblin, who had been agitated, stared blankly at the armor Zeke wore.
Then he let out a shriek.
“O-Orichalcum?!”