TN: If you’re wondering why mc is using magic circles so much, it’s because deploying a magic circle could increase the casting speed of magic skills or, conversely, slow the duration of activation. Furthermore, it allowed for the simultaneous activation of multiple skills. This has been quoted from Chapter 3.
TN: The difference between magic circle and trap magic, I think, is that trap magic needs an enemy to fall in the designated spot while magic circle does not, In exchange,. I would assume it takes a lot of magic power, which has been mentioned here: when deploying the magic circle, it consumed an excessive amount of magic power.
TN: One other thing: when he says something like “summon, skeleton・Magic Boost・Dark Element.” it means summon the skeleton, add a boost or enchantment, and then add the dark element to the creature.
Ah, let’s take proactive action and bring the minions to the vanguard from here. It appeared that the enemy’s attacking power had significantly decreased, so they should be able to withstand his attacks quite well now.
However, the issue lay in the lack of firepower. I desired to inflict more damage while the minions held the enemy back. There was only one solution.
“Summon the Will-o’-Wisp・Magic Boost・Dark Element.”
The Will-o’-Wisp, which had become summonable after our previous encounter, possessed attack methods limited to ball-type spells with the assigned element and physical collisions. However, when its element was changed to the dark element while the Black Field spell was deployed, it surprisingly amplified its power.
Moreover, as the level of the [Enchantment] skill increased, it became possible to bestow two enchantments upon the summoned beast. After conducting various verifications, this seemed to be the optimal solution for the current situation. By the way, the enchantments I had granted to the two defense-role skeletons were Defense Boost and Health Boost, while the power-role skeleton had Attack Boost and Health Boost. There was a proper reason for this too….but it appeared irrelevant for the time being.
“Shiiyaaaah!”
The nobleman launched another assault. Although he had lost his previous composure thanks to my tactics, I also believed that he was being too monotonous.
“Shhh!”
“Uh!?”
While I was thinking, the nobleman leaped. He jumped up vertically for about five meters. What kind of physical ability is this guy displaying?!
“Go!”
However, I had an anti-flying attack measure. Of course, it was the Will-o’-Wisp. The nobleman didn’t seem to possess the inhuman ability to change his trajectory mid-air, so the Will-o’-Wisp’s sideways collision hit and sent the nobleman crashing down to the ground. Taking advantage of his fall, I quickly cast a spell.
“Remote placement, Stone Lance.”
Normally, Stone Lance was a magic that simply threw spears made of stone. However, by utilizing the skill [Magic Control], which allowed a certain degree of control over the shape of magic, I could fix the spears in an extended state from the ground. What would happen if someone were to fall into that?
“Guuah?!”
“Alright! Remote placement, Dark Arm! You guys, attack too!”
“””Clatter clatter clatter!”””
As a result, the nobleman turned into a motionless statue, like a startled bird. He shouldn’t be able to move for a while! It was the perfect opportunity to unleash a relentless assault!
I activated the Dark Arm behind the nobleman using remote trap activation. This spell had an interesting characteristic: the arm’s strength seemed to be referencing my magic-related stats. Since the stats were masked data, the exact numbers were unknown, but I was a player specializing in pure magic. At the very least, turning a Big Slug, into mincemeat with a single blow was a piece of cake for me.
If I could freely unleash the Dark Arm like this, I wondered just how much damage I could deal.
“Take this and this and that!”
Feeling pumped up, I unintentionally punched the nobleman, using a virtuous protagonist’s catchphrase. Well, I was already doing a sadistic act by surrounding the enemy together with my four minions (1 Will-o’-Wisp and 3 skeletons), who was impaled, and pummeling him mercilessly, so my choice of words didn’t really matter. In fact, with me being an undead, this actually might appear incredibly evil.
“Gaaaah!”
“Whoa, let’s step back.”
The nobleman found himself in a desperate struggle, attempting to free himself from the deep impalement. However, as he realized the futility of his efforts, he resorted to a last-ditch move, smashing the Stone Lance with his staff. It was a rational decision given the circumstances.
Unfortunately, this act had taken a toll on his health, significantly depleting it. I had been relentlessly beating him, and he was now below half his original health. He must be feeling cornered as well. Now, how will he respond?
“Keeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
The nobleman let out an otherworldly scream. His initial arrogant demeanor was completely overshadowed by his monstrous presence. Perhaps humans (undead) were already monsters themselves.
“Aaaaaaaa…”
“Oooooo…”
“Huh?!”
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Wait a minute… Did he just call for reinforcements at this critical moment? Were they responding to his voice? Damn it, retreating seemed to have been a mistake!
For now, I need to use [Appraisal]! I can’t proceed without knowing who or what I’m up against!
――――――――――
Race: Zombie Knight Lv15
Job: Knight Lv5
Skills:
- [Sword Mastery]
- [Spear Mastery]
- [Bow Mastery]
- [Heavy Armor]
- [Night vision]
- [Status Resistance]
- [Fire Weakness]
- [Light Weakness]
――――――――――
It felt like something out of a movie or a historical textbook from the Heian to Kamakura periods. These warriors resembled the samurai I had seen and read about. But their race was Zombie Knight, and their job was Knight. So….were samurais similar to knights….Well, I had heard that Kamakura samurai were fierce warriors, just like those during the Warring States period, or even more so… Ah, but that’s not important now!
Naturally, these enemies were high-grade, as if it were their rightful privilege. Their skill set clearly indicated that they were formidable vanguard fighters. Four of them… What kind of difficulty level was I facing? But there’s no use complaining! The key is to strike first and secure the advantage! Luckily, they were grouped together, so I should unleash a powerful attack exploiting their elemental weakness!
“Dual Magic Circle, Remote placement! Fire Wall”
“””””Uooooo…!”””””
The onslaught of two consecutive Fire Wall spells struck not only the enemies but also engulfed the nobleman. I had maximized their power, but as expected, the boss and his minions—these superior foes—still had nearly thirty percent of their health remaining. And the nobleman had only suffered a minor decrease. It seemed that my unevolved [Fire Magic] had reached its limit capabilities against them!
“Aaaaaa!”
“Oooooo!”
“Engage! And…”
As my opponents, being zombies, took the brunt of my preemptive attack, it was expected that they would not experience fear or pain despite being momentarily staggered by the impact. As soon as they regained their mobility, they predictably turned their attention towards me.
I commanded my minions to take the vanguard. The two defense-role minions took their positions, each engaging two enemies. It was fortunate that the adversaries consisted of two sword-wielders and two spear-wielders each. Since they didn’t possess blunt weapons, it meant I could minimize the damage inflicted on my minions.
However, the most crucial development was that the enemies’ movements once again came to a halt. This meant I had the opportunity to use magic once more!
“Dual Magic Circle, activate! Fire Wall!”
“”””Aaaaahhh…””””
Finally, my magic completely engulfed and burned the enemy minions. I was grateful that friendly fire wasn’t a factor in this game. Otherwise, my minions would have been charred to a crisp.
“Now, only the nobleman…..remains?”
Come to think of it, why didn’t the nobleman do anything while urging his minions into battle? He neither entrusted the vanguard to his minions and used magic like I did, nor did he fight alongside them. Could it be that he was a healer? But there were no signs or effects of healing magic.
“Grrrooaaaarghhh!!!”
Suddenly, the nobleman, who had been silent until now, let out a roar that sounded more like that of a beast or a monstrous creature. While he already had an uncanny presence, this was different. His voice had completely ceased to sound human.
His stature and attire remained unchanged. However, white scales covered his visible skin, his claws and teeth extended sharply like knives, horns sprouted from his head, and his eyes became vertically elongated like those of reptiles. Clearly, he had not only lost his human voice but also his human appearance entirely! Could it be because of the shining gem in his left hand? I had no idea what was going on, but first things first, I needed to use [Appraisal]!
――――――――――
Name: Moon Obsession
Race: Human (Dragonized) Lv25
Job: Senior Noble (?) Lv18
Skills:
- [Sword Mastery]
- [Spear Mastery]
- [Bow Mastery]
- [Dagger Mastery]
- [Curse of the Dragon God]
- [Acrobatics]
- [Summoning Magic]
- [Necromancy]
- [Fire Resistance]
- [Poetry]
- [Court Music]
――――――――――
Dragonization… that’s the name of this transformation! It’s clearly a massive power-up state, but can I really win like this? Wait… huh?
“His health is continuously decreasing…?”
What could it be? Poison? I’m not being inflected with any. The marker… is it a cursed status ailment? I shouldn’t have cast any curse on him.
Could it be because of the skill listed as [Dragon God’s Curse]? Well, that’s the only thing that comes to mind. Perhaps while in this dragonized state, the nobleman suffers from ongoing slip damage.
Will this continue until his death, or will there be some minimum health guaranteed somewhere? I didn’t know. But relying on defensive measures to buy time—a passive approach—went against the boss battle I envisioned and my aesthetics! I’m going to do it!
“Dual Magic Circle, Remote placement! Dark Arm!”
I activated two Dark Arms, one on each side, and attempted to crush the nobleman with these large palms. I didn’t expect the powered-up boss to be defeated so easily, but it should give me an idea of how much the enemy has been enhanced.
“Gaaargh!”
“What?!”
To my surprise, the nobleman effortlessly caught my Dark Arms with one hand each! Did his single-handed strength match or even surpass the power of the Dark Arms? That’s ridiculous!
“Graaaah!”
“Tch, Will-o’-Wisp!”
Instead of just blocking, the nobleman swiftly brushed away my Dark Arms as if they were insignificant. He tossed aside his staff and dashed forward with his right hand behind his back as if drawing a bow. His claws gleamed with the reflection of starlight, intending to pierce through me! I must defend myself!
Only the Will-o’-Wisp could keep up with his speed. It’s a shame to use it as a disposable shield, but desperate times call for desperate measures!
“Gu, gaaaa!”
The Will-o’-Wisp unleashed its magic as it approached the nobleman’s head. While the damage inflicted was minimal, the sudden impact running through his head obstructed his vision and caused his initial trajectory to veer off.
Thanks to that, I remained unscathed, but it seemed that the Will-o’-Wisp had managed to draw the nobleman’s anger. Engulfed in a roar of fury, the Will-o’-Wisp was blown away by the sheer force of his vocal shockwave alone.
W-Wait, so there’s even an attack hitbox on his voice?! I can’t afford to let my guard down. But the sacrifice of the Will-o’-Wisp was not in vain. The fact that this It showed me this spell was a testament to that!
“Remote placement, Dark Mask!”
“Gugaga?!”
A black mist from my Dark Mask spell enveloped the nobleman’s head. The damage it inflicted would likely be negligible, but it had the additional effect of casting his field of vision into total darkness. I didn’t expect the effect to last long against a boss, but even if it buys me just a few seconds, it’s worth it.
“Hold him!”
“””Clatter, clatter!”””
The opponent’s health had dropped below twenty percent due to the continuous damage over time! Now was the time to go all out! I gave orders to the remaining skeleton minions and had them launch an attack on the nobleman, who was attempting to brush off the dark mist clinging to his face. The three of them somehow managed to cling onto the nobleman’s body. Now then, let’s go!
“Explode!”
In an instant, the bodies of the minions shimmered, and following my command, all three of them self-destructed. Fire~~Works~~, or so to speak? Jokes aside, you guys have done well to come this far. Thank you!
“Grrrrrr!”
Alright, it seemed that he didn’t come out unscathed from the simultaneous self-destruction of the three minions. Let’s check the marker… his remaining health was less than ten percent. Furthermore, the curse persisted, and he was infected with bleeding! The chances of bleeding getting infected may have been low with just one minion, but with three, it naturally increased!
However, now I had nothing left to protect myself and my remaining magic power was less than thirty percent. It was a delicate situation where I might not be able to last much longer.
Retreating passively from here was out of the question. If that were the case, I would have been running around long ago. I would use up all the resources I had, if necessary, to defeat this guy!
“Guoooooooooo!”
He came charging at me again. It seems he really wants to close the distance. Well then, I’ll counter with a difficult-to-perceive magic.
“Dual Magic Circle, Wind…!?”
“Gaaaaaa!”
Oh no! If the other party was a dragon, there should definitely be an attack to be wary of, whether it’s in novels, movies, or manga!
Yes, the dragon’s breath, Dragon Breath! Just as I thought, the enemy inflated his throat and unleashed a deadly strike. Perhaps he charged in to catch me off guard or to ensure a direct hit. Either way, if I get hit, it’ll be instant death!
“Make it in time! Water Wall!”
Fortunately, I had already deployed the Dual Magic Circle spell. So somehow, the incantation for the Water Wall, made it in time! I swiftly placed two Water Walls as a means of defense. With this…
“Guaaaah!”
…it couldn’t be fully blocked! There was no way I could completely withstand that attack. I was burned by the flames unleashed from the nobleman’s mouth. However, it seemed that the two Water Walls had significantly reduced the impact. I managed to avoid instant death. But the shockwave from breaking through my defense alone sent me flying.
“Haha…”
It seems that even as undead creatures, players still experienced damage feedback. Thanks to “Status Resistance” I didn’t lose consciousness, but the damage rendered me completely powerless. It seemed like all hope was lost!
“Gugguggu.”
Seeing my pathetic state, the nobleman appeared utterly delighted. Although he seemed to have lost his sanity, did he still possess that sadistic pleasure in reveling over a weakened opponent? It made me sick.
However, no matter what I think, my body remains motionless. I am just a player bound by the game’s system. Abilities and skills do not grow during battles, and as a result, I will never conveniently awaken to new powers at crucial moments like the protagonist of a story. After all, this is just a game.
“That’s why…”
With a sinister grin, the nobleman approached me step by step. Each step must have felt like a countdown to my defeat in his eyes.
“I am… nothing special, just a mere player. That’s why…”
The nobleman reached the area right above my prone head. Slowly, he raised his foot, intending to crush my skull. Indeed, that sadistic nature still lingered within him.
“To be victorious is to win.”
“Gaaaah?!”
The moment he swung his foot up, four dark arms seized his supporting leg and pulled it back. The nobleman, robbed of his balance, clumsily fell forward onto his hands and knees.
――――――――――
Name: Isam
Race: Skeleton Level 8
Job: Apprentice Mage Level 8Titles:
- Knowledge Seeker
- Title Earner
- Heretic
- Underdog
- Mastermind Strategist
Remaining SP: 106
Skills:
- [Staff Mastery] Lv11
- [Magic Control] Lv13
- [Earth Magic] Lv8
- [Water Magic] Lv8
- [Fire Magic] Lv9
- [Wind Magic] Lv8
- [Black Magic] Lv0
- [Non-Elemental Magic] Lv9
- [Summoning Magic] Lv8
- [Enchantment] Lv5
- [Magic Circle] Lv7
- [Necromancy] Lv5
- [Curse] Lv4
- [Trap Magic] Lv5
- [Archaeology] Lv7
- [Linguistics] Lv5
- [Pharmacology] Lv7
- [Alchemy] Lv7
- [Appraisal] Lv8
- [Night Vision] Lv-
- [Stealth] Lv9
- [Sneak Lv8
- [Ambush] Lv6
- [Status Resistance] Lv-
- [Light Weakness] Lv6
- [Blunt Attack Weakness] Lv10
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