Without hesitation, they hand over the Unique-grade skillbook.

    The NPCs Seong had encountered up until now had never done such a thing.

    Except for the Overpalace side.

    In other words, it could mean that the individual was someone important, affiliated with an organization of comparable standing, even if not the Overpalace itself.

    Once this thought crossed his mind, Seong’s expression became slightly troubled.

    It wasn’t like he had done anything bad, but...

    Wasn’t he, after all, the successor? Or perhaps a descendant? At least, something of the sort? Of Helena, the Demon King, who had been called the Dark Sorceress?

    ‘What if they see me in a bad light?’

    Should he escape?

    For now, all he had done was accept the request and complete it—nothing else.

    Maybe it’s just unnecessary worry.

    It’s said that the recognition of Dark Mages within the Overpalace has greatly improved recently.

    There was nothing to do but trust him.

    As Seong reached this conclusion, Plinky seemed to be about to say something.

    “Oh! And...”

    But he couldn’t finish the sentence.

    —Kkaeaeae—!! (Hostile presence detected!)

    —Bpaeaeae—!! (Enemy detected!)

    Kaishak and Anemore both roared simultaneously.

    To Plinky, it was just noise, but Seong understood immediately.

    Although they had only just been turned into Undead that very day...

    He already knew what those roars meant.

    He could understand the language of ghosts.

    Seong’s eyes glowed in a turquoise hue.

    Suddenly, from the wide and deep Trin Riverbank, a pillar of water shot up.

    Fwuaaaaah—!!

    The pillar of water shot up as if to reach the heavens, and a massive shadow emerged, breaking through it.

    This was somewhat different from the river trolls Seong had captured, which numbered twenty-three.

    It had webbed feet, fins, and the typical fish-like scales, but it was far larger than any troll he had encountered.

    Most notably, it had fierce and enormous tusks.

    It was obvious just from looking that it wasn’t an ordinary creature.

    [Field Boss, "Riverbank Troll Leader, Rigus," has appeared.]

    As expected.

    It was a field boss.

    As soon as the creature appeared, Seong stepped forward as if to protect Plinky.

    His priority was to protect Plinky.

    As Seong stepped forward, Kaishak and Anemore exuded fierce energy, intimidating the creature.

    —Kkaeaeaeae—!! (How dare you show your fangs to anyone!)

    —Piaeaeeaeae—!! (You filthy beast, even if I tear you apart, it won’t be enough!)

    At first, the Riverbank Troll Leader Rigus seemed to shrink back, somewhat subdued by their imposing presence.

    But soon, perhaps filled with rage, Rigus also roared angrily.

    “Goooaaarrr—!”

    It was a standoff of threats.

    But Seong’s side held the advantage in both numbers and morale.

    Rigus was alone now, having lost all his subordinates, whereas Seong had Kaishak and Anemore, both powerful field-boss-level Undead, and dozens of Ash Crows flying around.

    It was obvious who would lose if the creature decided to charge.

    Rigus seemed to know that too, and instead of charging in recklessly, he simply gnashed his teeth in frustration.

    On the other hand, Kaishak, Anemore, and the Ash Crows weren’t attacking Rigus not because he wasn’t a worthy opponent.

    ‘Wait.’

    It was because Seong had ordered them to wait.

    Normally, Seong wasn’t the type to hold back an attack.

    But there was a reason why he wanted them to wait.

    As Seong stepped forward to protect, Plinky’s eyes lit up, as though wanting to speak up.

    Did he want something?

    “Didn’t you want to say something?” Seong asked, guessing from his demeanor.

    Plinky, as if waiting for this, poured out his words.

    “Ah! Sorry to interrupt! It looks like we’re in a standoff, but... it seems like there''s a bit of room to talk, right? So, well... if it''s okay, I have something to ask...”

    Plinky said, pulling something out of his spatial bag.@@@@

    A glass bottle containing a blue liquid swirled inside.

    The liquid looked mysterious, and the bottle itself seemed rather high-end.

    Seong didn’t even need to ask what it was.

    He could already see it.

    [Plinky''s Special Mana Potion]

    But that wasn’t all.

    [Plinky''s Special Dark Magic Enhancement Potion]

    [Plinky''s Special Undead Enhancement Potion]

    [Plinky''s Special Resistance Boost Potion]

    [Plinky''s Special Mana Boost Potion]

    Plinky took out five different potions.

    And there were quite a few of them.

    When Seong quickly counted, there were at least five of each type.

    A total of twenty-five potions.

    Seong looked at Plinky, wondering what this was all about.

    “If it’s okay... would you mind drinking them and fighting for me?” Plinky asked.

    But Seong didn’t hesitate.

    He deliberately made the additional Riverbank Trolls summoned by Ad More move together at once.

    They exhaled faint green mist.

    Gwooooaar!

    Guk!

    Gwoooaaargh!

    Their intelligence appeared lacking, but for Rigus, their former leader, it was undoubtedly a horrific sight.

    Would he have to kill his own subordinates with his own hands?

    Rigus momentarily had that thought but shook his head.

    No.

    It was actually a relief.

    Now, he could send his subordinates into eternal rest with his own hands!

    He would send them to eternal rest and express his anger toward those who desecrated death!

    Rigus roared in fury.

    “Gwoooooaaaaargh!”

    The roar shook the earth.

    Even Kaishak and Anemore were startled by the intensity of the roar.

    It was clear that his rage had reached its peak.

    Rigus, as he charged, unsheathed his long claws like swords and slashed through the air, aiming to send his subordinates into eternal rest.

    Screech! Screech!

    It wasn’t the sound of sharp blades, but the dull scraping of claws, as he entered the Riverbank Troll Zombies’ ranks.

    The faint green mist corroded and dissolved his body, but Rigus didn’t care.

    The shallow wounds would heal quickly.

    It was far more important to send his subordinates to eternal rest than to care about these minor injuries.

    “Gwoooaaargh!”

    As he yelled like a warrior, Seong saw the bodies of Rigus’s subordinates ignite like flames.

    Not only the bodies of his subordinates but also within the faint green poison, flames flickered and ignited.

    Rigus, who didn’t fully understand what was happening, tilted his head in confusion.

    “What...?”

    That was Rigus’s last word.

    Fwooooosh————!

    An indescribable heat, shaking the heavens and earth, spread across the land.

    It swallowed up Rigus and even part of the Trin River nearby.

    The overwhelming heat clashed with the Trin River, creating a massive column of steam.

    Kushhiiiii———!

    Despite being the Trin River, the heat from the explosion wasn’t dissipating, and it created a strong upward draft.

    The explosion cloud and steam that formed from the blast rose rapidly, carried by the updraft, forming a towering cloud pillar.

    The shockwave from the explosion rippled across the ground, like waves.

    Kugugugugu———!

    The ground trembled as if there had been an earthquake, and in some places, it even cracked open.

    It was truly overwhelming power.

    But within the intense explosion, the two giant ash crows, who had set up a protective shield, kept Seong and Plinky safe as they watched in awe.

    “Wow...”

    “Ugh...”

    They couldn’t say anything else.

    In the face of such a majestic sight, anyone would feel the same.

    It wasn’t as powerful as a nuclear explosion, but...

    Seong was certain that this was probably the most powerful force he could muster right now.

    Even Kaishak and Anemore, now part of Seong’s army, shuddered in memory of their past lives and the shock of the explosion.

    Had the Self in the Darkness skill been used on Anemore earlier, would he have been able to defeat her much quicker?

    As Seong speculated, the notification appeared:

    [Field Boss, "Riverbank Troll Leader, Rigus," has been defeated.]

    [Experience gained!]

    [Unable to find the body.]

    [Unable to use "Legion of Death."]

    The confirmation of the kill came along with a phrase he had never seen before.

    It stated that the body couldn’t be found and that the Legion of Death couldn’t be used.

    The same went for the Riverbank Trolls summoned by Ad More.

    It seemed that with great power came great responsibility.

    ‘If they’re caught in a simultaneous explosion, even the Legion of Death won’t be able to resurrect them.’

    This was something new Seong had learned.

    If they turned to dust, they couldn’t be resurrected.

    It was a bit of a loss, but it was also a relief.

    Since he had used the explosion with only the ones summoned by Ad More, there hadn’t been any important casualties.

    He vowed to be more careful with this combination of explosions.

    After declaring a temporary seal on this power, Seong was considering returning, having confirmed the power of Self in the Darkness.

    But Plinky, his eyes sparkling, seemed about to say something, then suddenly frowned and sighed deeply.

    “Ha. It’s a shame, but I should head back now. I would have loved to stay with you, Seong, but... well, it’s unfortunate. Oh! And if you need more potions, feel free to come find me anytime!”

    Plinky said, handing something over, and as Seong took it, he tilted his head in confusion.

    Plinky, already a great distance away, waved enthusiastically, moving even farther.

    Seong thought he could go alone, but after considering the potions Plinky had given him, he decided against it.

    What had Plinky given him, anyway?

    [Alchemist’s Magic Tower Seal—Heir of the Sage, Plinky]

    “...?”

    It seemed like he had received something quite important.