Fragment of the Immortal King (1)
It was dangerous.
'Bit his neck out of nowhere, but the teeth didn't sink in...'.
Whether it was a constant protective barrier or the intensity of the undead enhanced by dark magic wasn't too high, Jeraf managed to break free from the biting force.
Even when Jeraf's dark magic pushed me away, it was quite disconcerting.
Without knowing about the magic of this world, it was difficult to respond.
Fortunately, I was able to use the zombie behind him to stop him, and I almost failed to attempt the plan.
I gazed down at Jeraf's lifeless body.
A young zombie from the village was still hanging from his corpse, gnawing at his neck.
They were bad from the start.
All the undead here, including that zombie, were people killed by them.
That's probably why the first time I killed someone, the psychological shock wasn't significant.
No, actually, if it weren't for the 'Mind Hub,' it would have been dangerous, but luckily it just felt like killing a character in the game now.
But now there was a problem to consider.
'In fact, I was planning to hit him on the back of the head with a rock later.'
Watching Jeraf's actions made me angry, so I decided to act right away.
As I harbored the intention to attack, Hans's body instinctively aimed for his neck and attacked.
The subsequent response was almost guided by the body.
'That's not to say it was beyond my control.'
Although it moved instinctively, the situation was urgent, so I could have controlled it if I had left it alone.
And it was definitely more effective than aiming for the back of the head with a rock.
If I had followed the original plan, maybe the barrier wouldn't have been broken.
'Still, if you really think about it, this feeling is...'.
Yes, it was like an ingrained habit in the body.
I could control it sufficiently if I was conscious, but unconsciously, I moved without realizing it.
I realized that I couldn't ignore the influence of the instincts engraved in the undead body.
Of course, it didn't necessarily have a detrimental effect on the main body on Earth, and it could even be used to my advantage, but for now, I had to be cautious.
It was time to proceed with the next plan.
***
Village Head Malcolm .
No, one of the elders of the organization 'Oath of the Reversal' that operates on the continent, 'Marcos Giocali,' was watching the scene in front of him with satisfaction.
The black jewel pulsating with the aura of death absorbed from the surrounding undead.
He had been searching for the 'Heart of the Immortal King' for decades.
But what he finally found after much hardship was just an incomplete fragment.
And in the process of moving it to the headquarters, there was a risk of being exposed to the continent's sects, so he chose a remote mountain village where no one would come and sealed the fragment there, starting the maturation process.
A year had passed.
'It's almost time. If I wait a little longer, finally...'.
The resources poured into the 'Fragment of the Immortal King' were not insignificant.
Even his own position was precarious.
'But when this is completed, everything will be overturned. Stronger than ever before...'
[Master?]
Suddenly, his disciple who was guarding the entrance contacted him.
[What's the matter?]
[Master, it's, it's outside right now...].
***
"So, my brother is in there!"
"So, that friend left not too long ago."
I was causing a ruckus in front of the village.
The person in front of me was the middle-aged man I first met when I discovered the village.
"Well, the signal is undoubtedly leading this way! Just let me in to confirm."
"What if I let a stranger in without any assurance?"
"Well, then, please let me speak to the village head!"
If I could coax the village head out, that would be the best, but it didn't matter if he didn't come out.
I could still gather information.
Not coming out meant he was busy with something crucial, and there was only one significant thing in this village.
"I am the village head. What is the matter that's causing such a commotion?"
I anticipated that he wouldn't easily ignore or harm me.
Someone had come looking for the one he had thought was already eliminated, so he wanted to assess the situation before anything else happened.
I greeted the village head, Malcolm, with a gracious smile.
"Hello, I am Heinz. I have inadvertently caused a disturbance because I believe my twin brother Hans is here."
"Hmm, Hans... that name rings a bell. But wasn't that young man here because he got lost while traveling alone?"
"Well... embarrassed as I am, we had a big fight not long ago and parted ways. But I feel we need to reconcile, so I came to find him."
He would have no choice but to believe me.
After all, my face probably looked just like Hans's.
And now, it didn't matter how I came out from that side.
I had already achieved my goal.
***
As Heinz caused a commotion outside the village and confirmed the appearance of the village head, Malcolm, Hans immediately made his move.
He must have wanted to be thorough even with minor details, considering the possibility of being ignored.
There might be an unexpected point where the dangerous situation would not come from the outside but from the heart protected by the boundary.
Thanks to that, I could stand in front of the "Fragment of the Immortal King" without any hindrance.
Without going through the intermediary Alfred, I could directly touch the fragment and understand what maturation meant.
Also, why were the undead surrounding it like that?
Were they absorbing dark magic from the undead?
No, was it resonance?
The fragment wasn't simply absorbing dark magic.
It was in an incomplete state, simultaneously absorbing deficient information, synchronizing, and stabilizing.
Come to think of it, there were only imposing entities standing around, including ghosts and headless knights.
The weakest seemed to be the skeletal knight, yet it still looked far superior to the entity I had seen in the warehouse.
'Wait, was the warehouse I was in a defective goods warehouse? Suddenly I feel upset.'
In that "maturation" process, the low-grade undead would have ended up as impurities.
Perhaps they were thrown to the fragment as fodder if any useful undead emerged.
In the end, I was stuck in a defective goods warehouse, unable to meet expectations.
'It's actually fortunate, but strangely frustrating.'
As I approached, I felt my body's dark magic being sucked in alongside an overwhelming presence.
Simultaneously, I realized its danger.
If it were a living organism, merely touching it would turn one into an undead, and the weak would perish even with a few breaths nearby.
Apart from the power it possessed, it was like a potent conglomeration of curses itself.
I reached out my hand towards the "Fragment of the Immortal King."
'Overindulgence won't do any good. Taste some defective goods.'
Of course, I had no intention of letting it consume me willingly.
I had my own beliefs.
***
"So, we're twins. We've known where each other is since we were born."
"Heh, that's a hard one to believe..."
The village head's face, which had been softly smiling, suddenly stiffened.
Then, slowly, it twisted into a malicious expression as he looked towards the village.
Something abnormal had happened to the fragment.
This wasn't the time to be dealing with this trivial nuisance.
"Kill that guy!"
Malcolm immediately used dark magic and headed toward where the fragment was, shouting his command.
The middle-aged man, Baucal, an oath knight of the Reversal, turned his head to kill Heinz, but...
"When?"
There was no one there.
***
[Kill them all.]
...terror, despair, anguish, oppression, madness, deficiency, hatred, desire for flesh, anger...
All sorts of negative emotions rushed in incessantly.
[Hate all living people. Cover this land with despair. As the world becomes more stained with death, your power will become stronger. Take away what you don't have...]
The volume of information filtered through the "Mind Hub" was immense.
At a certain level, anyone exposed to this inherent energy would become an undead, and their minds would be completely consumed by the fragment.
Or could anyone remain sane in the face of this?
'It's none of my business, though.'
I continued my work.
Malcolm must have noticed and headed this way, so time was running short.
'He must have taken some measures here too.'
At this point, it could be called an obsession.
Perhaps, if he could withstand the influence of this fragment, he would have lived with it all day long.
'Well, let's give it a try. I hope it works. It's almost done, though.'
Using the dark magic being absorbed, I attempted to synchronize with the "Fragment of the Immortal King," resurrecting the sensation of controlling the undead.
Ordinarily, this would be impossible.
However, I was undead and could ignore the violent mental attacks transmitted from the fragment, maintaining my self-awareness.
'Even if it doesn't work well and I become unusable, I'll consider it an accomplishment that I interfered with them.'
The fragment was incomplete and vulnerable, resonating with its surroundings to fill in the gaps.
I inserted 'Hans' into that deficiency.
The result was quickly apparent.
[Individual has fulfilled the conditions for growth. Acquired special skill 'Vile Wisdom.']
The message appeared before my eyes.
Yet, even before seeing it, I could sense my own transformation.
My body, nothing but bones, remained the same, but the quality of my existence had changed.
And new knowledge was naturally engraved in my mind.
[Oh! Can I speak now?]
By resonating the vocal cords with dark magic, I could now speak, but it was just a minor change.
I lowered my head and looked at my body.
A black jewel pulsating between the ribs.
A heart had appeared.
<Individual Information>
-Name: Hans
- Species: Undead (Demilich)
- Common Traits: "Mind Hub," "Rapid Regeneration"
- Individual Traits: "Decayed Heart," "Vile Wisdom," "Magic Affinity"
- Special Note: The individual's power has increased with the power of the "Fragment of the Immortal King (1/3)." The latent dark magic within the fragment has harmonized with the individual. No mental contamination occurred due to the influence of the "Mind Hub." Furthermore, it evolved from an "Elite Skeleton" into the "Demi-Lich," a master of immortality magic.
***
Juan was once again guarding the front of the secret passage today.
Not dealing with the zombie rat that had escaped yesterday on time was proving to be a punishment.
"Ah, just because of that Jeraf guy, I had to deal with it for nothing."
Thinking about it, quite some time had passed, and Jeraf still hadn't appeared.
"Of course, it's obvious. He must be having one of his tantrums."
Juan leaned back and rested his back against the chair.
A year had passed, yet the remote village was as quiet as ever.
All he had done today was pass on the news from the village entrance to the master inside.
"Juan! You, you! What are you doing right now?"
Boom!
Suddenly, the master's communication magic rang out, and Juan, along with his chair, fell backward and tumbled.
"Yes, Master! There's nothing unusual here!"
Despite quickly getting up and sitting back in his chair, rubbing the back of his head, Juan's voice didn't calm the master.
"Nothing unusual?! What the... No, quickly check the fragment! Quickly! Contact Jeraf too!"
"Yes, yes! I'll check right away!"
Due to the barrier surrounding the location of the fragment, communication had to be relayed into the warehouse using a special magical device placed at the entrance.
"Hey! Jeraf! Stop and check the fragment... Huh?"
As Juan hurriedly sent a communication to Jeraf, he stopped and checked the magical device again.
Then he sent another message.
"Jeraf? Hey, can you hear me?"
There was no reply, which was expected.
It wasn't connected in the first place.
"What... what's going on?"
It was when a startled Juan suddenly got up from his seat.
Woong—
The magic circle at the entrance to the warehouse reacted and the door quickly opened.
"Hey! Jeraf! Why are you suddenly..."
Staring back at the open door, Juan froze in place.
It wasn't Jeraf standing in front of the door.
"What... what... why..."
Hundreds of undead emitting a sinister aura filled the passage, wriggling and squirming.
***
Commanding the undead wasn't difficult.
The amount of dark magic in my body now was on a different scale compared to when I had used just a tiny bit.
While I couldn't share sensations as I did when connected to Alfred, the control was still satisfactory.
Under my command were not just zombies and skeletons but also higher-ranking species near the fragment.
'Due to absorbing energy from the fragment for a long time, their states aren't the best...'
Even just making them stand up was fortunate.
The floor around the "Fragment of the Immortal King" was littered with the remains of the undead, indicating how many had been sacrificed.
I confidently led the undead, blocking the passage.
Soon, I saw the entrance leading outside.
'There's a barrier there, so I can't just leave... Should I break it?'
After briefly contemplating, I quickly realized something and, just like Jeraf had done, raised my hand above the door.
Then, I was able to experience the effects of "Vile Wisdom" firsthand.
Woong—
The magic circle responded, and the door opened.
Dark magic was no longer a mysterious unknown to me.