Episode 154
The sorcerer of the Abyss sneered at the words.
“You cursed spawn of Draker. I’ll make sure you suffer the most agonizing death… Ugh!”
As the power of decay activated, the sorcerer writhed in agony, his body succumbing to necrosis.
Without hesitation, Zeke tossed him aside and turned to another sorcerer.
The sorcerer of the Abyss, trembling, attempted to poison himself.
But Zeke wasn’t about to let that happen. He quickly administered an antidote before the poison could spread, reviving the sorcerer for further questioning.
Yet, the sorcerer remained silent, and Zeke, without a second thought, used the power of decay once more.
Watching two of their comrades dissolve into nothingness, the remaining sorcerers were paralyzed with fear.
Finally, one of them raised a hand in surrender.
“I-I’ll talk! B-but there’s a curse on us.”
Zeke recalled how one of the Abyss sorcerers had uttered a single word from the “Book of the Dead” and was devoured by worms that erupted from his body.
“So, speaking of anything important triggers your death?”
The sorcerer nodded, trembling.
“Y-yes. The apostle placed a curse on us…”
Suddenly, another sorcerer lunged at the one speaking.
“You fool! Do you want to drag our souls down with you?”
The attacking sorcerer tried to strangle the other, but Zeke intervened, swiftly decapitating him.
Thud!
Zeke sheathed his sword and cast a wide-area curse reflection skill on the last remaining sorcerer.
“You’re safe now. Tell me about the apostle who placed the curse.”
The sorcerer clutched his throat, stammering in fear.
“T-the apostle is… huh? Huh?”
Suddenly, veins bulged across the sorcerer’s face.
“No, no!”
Boom!
Before he could finish, the sorcerer’s head exploded.
Zeke grimaced at the sight of the sorcerer’s remains scattered everywhere.
Even with curse reflection, he couldn’t counter the apostle’s curse from the Abyss.
“These maniacs… What kind of curse is this?”
Zeke clenched his teeth, surveying the debris.
“An apostle, huh…”
The true nature of the Abyss remained a mystery.
After dealing with the sorcerers, Zeke summoned Richmond.
Despite being a lich, Richmond looked visibly worn out.
“Ugh, I’m dying here, Master.”
Zeke looked at Richmond incredulously, then pulled out the artifacts he had obtained from defeating the Arch Lich and Death Knight.
Description: A worn crown once worn by an Arch Lich
Unique Ability: Summon Skeleton Knights
Special Note: An artifact exclusive to dark sorcerers
Description: The cursed armor of a Death Knight
Unique Ability: Breath of Death
Special Note: If the wearer is not undead, a random curse is applied
“What is this? I can’t use any of it.”
The artifacts were only usable by the undead or dark sorcerers.
Richmond’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the Arch Lich’s crown.
“M-Master, that, that…”
“Do you want it?”
Richmond nodded eagerly.
Zeke tossed the crown to Richmond, who caught it mid-air.
“Thank you, Master! I pledge my loyalty!”
Richmond excitedly placed the worn crown on his head.
Vroooom!
The crown on Richmond’s head began to vibrate.
“Ah! M-Master!”
A familiar energy, reminiscent of when he absorbed the essence of the Blood and Madness Knight, emanated from the crown.
Zeke drew Bahamut and purified the energy as he had done before.
[You have purified the power of an ‘Unidentifiable Entity.’]
[Granting the purified power to the summoned Richmond will unlock his potential.]
[Would you like to grant this power to Richmond?]
“An unidentifiable entity, huh.”
The dark sorcerer who turned Cardinal Verdi into an Arch Lich seemed to have made a direct pact with a demon bearing a celestial name, just as Richmond had suggested.
“Is that apostle the one?”
Sensing the power within the crown, Zeke gauged the mysterious apostle’s level.
He granted the purified power to Richmond.
The energy from Bahamut seeped into Richmond’s body.
Crack!
Richmond, who had been a demi-lich, began to transform.
[Summoned Richmond has evolved from a demi-lich to an Arch Lich after receiving the purified power.]
[Richmond can now summon undead ‘Skeleton Knights’ using the crown’s power.]
[Due to the influence of the dark sword Bahamut, the dormant power of a lowly dragon within Richmond has been enhanced.]
[Richmond, infused with the bones of a lowly dragon, awakens certain traits under the influence of the dragon’s power.]
[All summoned undead can now possess the traits of dragon-type monsters.]
[The unique ability of Dragon-Type Domination is significantly enhanced.]
Richmond, now an Arch Lich, had both eyes transformed into purple gemstones, and the worn crown on his head turned into a radiant crown adorned with multicolored jewels.
Unlike Verdi, the Arch Lich, Richmond had two large horns sprouting from his head.
Richmond was overjoyed, admiring his new horns and crown.
“Master! Look at this! H-horns! They’re so cool!”
It seemed the dragon traits had awakened, giving him horns.
Zeke spoke to the jubilant Richmond.
“Richmond, can you raise these guys again?”
Though the Arch Lich had vanished after Zeke devoured him, the skeletal knights made from the paladin’s corpses still lay on the ground.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Richmond extended his hand and chanted a spell, causing the fallen skeletal knights to glow once more.
Creak!
The skeletal knights rose, aligning themselves in rows. Simultaneously, their appearance began to change.
Their armor, swords, and shields transformed into purple bone, and their heads took on the reptilian form of dragon-type skeletons.
[The Skeleton Knights have evolved into Skeleton Dragoons under Richmond’s power.]
[The summoning of Skeleton Dragoons is limited to ten units.]
“Skeleton Dragoons, huh.”
Being undead born from paladin corpses, their strength was palpable.
Zeke calmed the ecstatic Richmond and promptly dismissed the summons.
As Richmond was unsummoned, the skeletons vanished with him.
Having fended off the undead legion, Zeke finally approached the ark.
He placed his hand on the ark and channeled his mana into it.
Suddenly, a white light emanated from the ark’s surface.
[Accessing Administrator System]
[Code Verification]
[Title of Heir to Terrakan Draker Confirmed]
[Entry Permission to ???‘s Ark Granted]
A message appeared, and a black hole formed on the ark’s surface where Zeke had placed his hand.
“What is this?”
Peering inside, he couldn’t see anything.
Zeke cautiously inserted his hand. It slipped inside effortlessly.
It seemed to be an entrance, but without being able to see inside, he hesitated to enter.
”…It should be fine.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Zeke carefully stepped into the ark’s opening.
As he entered, the hole on the ark vanished.
“Wow, what is this place?”
The interior of the ark felt surprisingly familiar to Zeke.
It resembled the Sanctuary of the Dragon Slayer, Kaishir’s Sanctuary.
White, pristine corridors stretched out on either side.
Zeke attempted to open a map to navigate, but to his surprise, the interior of the ark wasn’t marked at all.
“This is a first.”
Puzzled, Zeke decided to explore on foot.
Since he had been granted access through the system, he assumed there wouldn’t be any issues.
As he walked down the corridor, a door eventually appeared.
Zeke was taken aback by what he saw.
“Huh? That emblem…”
It was the emblem of the sun, just like the one he had seen in the catacombs beneath Fab Valencia, on Agamemnon’s mask, in the ruins’ murals, and now on the ark.
“They must be connected somehow.”
Zeke placed his hand on the door and channeled his mana.
[Title of Heir to Terrakan Draker Confirmed]
[Access to the Control Room Granted]
The door split into four sections and opened.
Zeke cautiously stepped inside.
It wasn’t an immediate space; he passed through a corridor before arriving at a new location.
“What is this…?”
The system had referred to it as the control room, and it seemed to be just that.
It was a large hall with a steering wheel for navigating the ship, seats for multiple people, and crystals of unknown purpose scattered around.
Zeke surveyed the control room.
“Is this where you steer the ship?”
It was indeed a control room, but unlike any naval vessel he had seen before.
He couldn’t even begin to imagine how it was operated.
The control panel, embedded with crystals, seemed like something only a sorcerer could handle.
“A sorcerer steering a ship? Does that even make sense?”
With questions swirling in his mind, Zeke approached the central steering wheel.
The wheel was a traditional helm for steering a ship.
“I can at least figure this one out.”
With that, he grasped the wheel with both hands.
And then it happened.
[Title of Heir to Terrakan Draker confirmed]
[Initiating inheritance process]
A low hum filled the air as the wheel tilted back, revealing a cylindrical container rising from within.
“What is this?”
Seeing the sealed box inside the cylinder, Zeke was reminded of something he’d encountered at the ruins of the Joins.
It was similar to when he inherited the chains left by Terrakan Draker.
Without hesitation, Zeke opened the sealed box.
His instincts were right.
“This is the Holy Grail?”
Zeke had imagined a dazzling, treasure-like chalice, given that it was said to contain the power of the Fairy King.
But the cup inside the box was a rough, wooden goblet, the kind you might find at a market stall.
Its surface was uneven, as if carved by an amateur, and it was riddled with scratches.
Zeke picked up the grail from the box.
“A miraculous cup that grants the power of immortality.”
Just then, the grail began to emit a brilliant light.
“What now?”
A series of messages appeared before his eyes.
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” detects the heir to Terrakan Draker.]
[In accordance with the inheritance process, a class skill will be granted.]
Zeke was taken aback by the sudden messages.
“A class skill?”
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” detects the unique class ‘Immortal.’]
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” grants the unique class ‘Immortal’ the skill ‘Healing Factor.’]
[An error occurred during skill granting.]
[The skill is already possessed.]
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” grants another exclusive skill.]
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” grants the unique class ‘Immortal’ the skill ‘Infinite Stamina.’]
[An error occurred during skill granting.]
[The skill is already possessed.]
“Exclusive skills for the Immortal class?”
The skills the grail attempted to grant—Healing Factor and Infinite Stamina—were ones Zeke had possessed when he was a healer, which had transformed when he became an Immortal.
Another message appeared.
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” creates a new exclusive skill for the Immortal class.]
[A new skill, never before seen, has been created.]
[“The Chalice of the Radiant Light of the Fairy King” grants the unique class ‘Immortal’ the skill ‘Limit Break.’]
“Limit Break?”
The name was unfamiliar.
As the grail bestowed the skill, its light gradually faded, returning to its original, unremarkable form.
“What just happened?”
Everything had happened so quickly. Zeke tried infusing mana into the grail, but nothing happened.
He examined the grail from every angle, but found no changes.
Convinced there was nothing more to discover, Zeke decided to check the information on the skill the grail had granted.
[The skill is currently locked.]
[Skill information is inaccessible.]
[To unlock, the soul’s tier must be elevated.]
“What?”
Zeke was baffled by the skill description.
He had received a skill, but it was locked, making it impossible to access.
“Hmm, is it similar to the state of the old incantation skills?”
The requirement to elevate the soul’s tier was hard to grasp.
With dragon skills, even if they were locked, he could view the information and unlock them with karma points, so this felt strange.
“Well, it’s an exclusive skill for the Immortal class, so it should be useful once it’s unlocked.”
Putting aside thoughts of the skill, Zeke examined the seemingly plain grail, pondering another question.
“Granting class skills as part of the inheritance process… Was leaving the grail here part of Terrakan Draker’s plan for his heir?”
Zeke had been inheriting the legacy left by Terrakan Draker, growing stronger with each piece.
The Heart and Fang of Bahamut, the secure archives, and now the soul-binding technique. The grail seemed to be another piece of the puzzle.
“What was Terrakan Draker preparing for with all these arrangements?”
As he gazed at the grail in his hand, Zeke recalled something Arataso had mentioned.
“Right, the demon lord was searching for this relic. If something other than dragons is targeting the material world…”
But the idea of a demon king invading the world seemed too far-fetched.
Zeke shook his head.
“No point in pondering alone. Maybe the Hermit of Stories will know something.”
He packed the grail and prepared to leave the ark.
Just as he was about to store the grail in his inventory, a message appeared before him.
[The power of Fortune activates.]
[In conjunction with the power, the dragon skill ‘Dragon’s Sense’ activates.]