Chapter 174 - Fully Charged

Big things start from small things.

But if the small things don't grow and only big things keep happening, that's a big problem.

That was exactly the case now.

“Y-Young Lord-nim! I'm going to die!”

Just 10 minutes after coming out of Gate 15, we encountered a formidable opponent.

“You won't die.”

A single Skeleton Soldier shot up from the ground and stood in front of Eddie.

However, one Skeleton Soldier was not very reassuring in front of a snake that was over 10m long.

The snake, whose belly was already bulging from having eaten something, flicked its tongue at Eddie as if it wanted dessert.

“Th-this fellow is a Titan Serpent! It's not supposed to be fought face-to-face like this, but with gunpowder weapons from a distance, uwaaak…!!”

He barely dodged the tail that flew in like a whip. The snake cunningly continued to target only the weak.

“If you get caught and squeezed by it, a human's bones will shatter like a cracker!”

“Yes. It seems so.”

I calmly affirmed and looked at the Skeleton Soldier that had been sent flying and shattered by the tail.

It did not end with just one. Dozens of Skeleton Soldiers faced the snake, and the outcome was the same.

“This should be useful enough.”

Walter shouted at the Youngest Son, who was muttering softly with his chin propped on his hand.

“Skeleton Soldiers alone are not enough! Please use other sorcery!”

Or I'm going to die! You bastard!

The last part was muted.

Even in the face of death, he held back from cursing a bloodkin. The Youngest Son responded to the patience that the legion commander praised.

“No. Do not disrespect the Skeleton Soldiers.”

Fuck!

Eddie, who had shouted inwardly, rolled on the ground once more.

The Skeleton Soldier was a basic Bone Sorcery that any frontline soldier could perform.

There was only a difference in speed; the fact that the created soldiers were weak was all the same.

Clatter─! Clatter─!

More Skeleton Soldiers were being created. A skull was created, and then other bones had to be attached… but.

Eddie's thoughts momentarily slowed.

“H-how are the broken skeletons…”

The fragments that had been broken into fist-sized pieces by the Titan Serpent, which had not grown tired of breaking them just a moment ago, flew through the air.

The skull, which was the center of the Skeleton Soldier's creation, was also naturally not intact.

The jaw had fallen off or was half-caved in, but another piece flew in from somewhere and filled the empty space.

The fragments clung together without exception, and heavily armored Skeleton Soldiers, with bone layered upon bone, appeared.

Armed with weapons of the same bone, each one of them was reminiscent of a Death Knight.

[Bone Sorcery - Jin Skeleton Soldier]

[Skeleton General]

In the end, it was the form of thirty soldiers compressed into ten.

Compressed? Was this possible? Was something like this possible with a Skeleton Soldier?

The feeling of having his basic common sense denied was something he couldn't say was fine, even as a joke.

Kuuuuung─!!

A thick greatshield held by a thick gauntlet and the tail collided.

Thinking it would shatter again, he crossed his hands to block the flying fragments, but it was a meaningless action.

This was because there were no such things as flying fragments.

“A-a Skeleton Soldier did this.”

“Is it that surprising?”

He was startled by the voice that came from behind him and his shoulders trembled. But he wasn't as surprised as he was by the scene just a moment ago.

“Th-that's impossible. That snake's tail attack is powerful enough to dent the black iron of a train…”

“Of course, a single bone can't handle such an attack.”

However, the bones that made up that greatshield and the Skeleton General were not just one.

“They are stacked as sturdily as a building to disperse the impact. They won't be broken by a mere snake's tail.”

So how is that possible?

The Youngest Son, who had kept his mouth shut at the most important part, moved the generals.

The soldiers, holding great bone swords in one hand and greatshields in the other, moved as one.

They dodged attacks without looking behind them and slowly bound the snake's body.

After that, it was simple.

Puuuk─

“It has a lot of blood since it’s big.”

A Bloodstone, flying like a bullet, lodged itself in the snake's forehead.

In the meantime, the great bone sword rummaged through the snake's flesh and pulled out its heart.

Jjeojeojeok─

The breastplate, made by patching together hundreds of bone fragments, opened. The ribs inside also opened.

The still-warm heart entered the empty space that felt almost void. At the same time, a change occurred.

W-w-w-w-w-w-whack─

“W-what is this now!”

The private soldier's body suddenly began to swell.

The snake, whose blood was being sucked by the Bloodstone, gradually shrank, while on the contrary, the private soldier's body grew larger and larger.

Its arms and legs gradually became one, resembling the owner of the heart. It grew longer and longer, filling the field of vision.

“Uh huh…”

At some point, a snake identical to the one whose heart had been taken out appeared before his eyes.

“The foremost frontline is certainly the best place to replenish Undead Private Soldiers. Isn't that right?”

“Yes, yes. That's right.”

He just nodded without even knowing what was being said. His head wasn't working because he had seen too many incomprehensible things.

But even the smartest person would not be able to explain what he had just experienced in one go.

A snake was killed, and a snake came out. What kind of sorcery was this? No, was it even sorcery?

Nevertheless, the talent that the legion commander had recognized could understand one thing.

“My role today is just to run away hard. While trusting you, Young Lord-nim.”

“Correct.”

Eddie Walter. As an excellent soldier on the frontline, he was quick-witted and had good judgment.

I had noticed it when he was running from the snake. Even though it looked like he was running away with his tail between his legs, the direction was too precise.

Where to flee to make future evasions easier and even aim for a counterattack.

Before being a genius of combat, he was a genius of survival. He possessed a talent similar to mine.

“I'd like to catch a few more of these snakes.”

“There are expected habitats, but…”

“Is there something you're reluctant about?”

There wasn't. If there was, it would be his life?

“N-no. It's not that far, so we should be able to arrive soon.”

“I'm counting on you.”

“Follow me.”

Eddie took the lead. As he did, he briefly looked up at the sky, which was gloomy with dark clouds as usual.

It was a perfect day for someone to die. He just hoped it wasn't him.

***

Wisdom's messenger was shown to a room by Ransis.

It was an ordinary room, neither particularly spacious nor special.

However, the inside would be completely different. There must be measures in place to block external communication or to monitor him.

“If you stay here, an attendant will assist you with your daily needs.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“As you know, leaving this room is prohibited. The same goes for bringing someone in without permission.”

“I am aware. And Wisdom's proposal will continue to be offered, so please let me know at any time if you change your mind.”

As Ransis nodded, the messenger continued.

“I will give you the Elixir after meeting the Fifth Son-nim. As for confirming it in person now─”

“That's fine. You don't seem like someone who doesn't know the consequences of lying, and you can give the Elixir to the Fifth Son-nim, not me.”

“…To the Fifth Son-nim.”

“That's right. Then, I shall take my leave.”

Ransis bowed her head briefly and left the room.

The messenger, who had dropped his smile for the first time, let out a hollow laugh.

“To think they would casually entrust an Elixir to the youngest of the family, even if he is a bloodkin. They don't know the value of things.”

What could you expect from fools who only saw the barbarity of magic?

He clicked his tongue lightly and went straight to the bed. He did not lie down to relieve the fatigue of his journey.

Not long after closing his eyes, he fell asleep and began to dream.

“I greet the Family Head-nim.”

The messenger, who opened his eyes in a black space, simultaneously knelt on one knee to show his respects.

-Paras.

The voice in the darkness called the messenger's name. It was the master of Wisdom and the master of the West.

“I report. Although Millesdusk did not accept the proposal, a meeting with the Fifth Son has been arranged. I am currently waiting for that meeting.”

No matter how tight the surveillance of his residence was, it could not stop his dreams. The messenger, Paras, spoke resolutely.

“I will meet with the Fifth Son and try to understand the Dark Elixir.”

-Do not be careless.

The Family Head's words were brief, but their meaning was not.

He must not be careless about the Fifth Son's young age, he must not be careless in the enemy's territory, and he must not let his guard down regarding security.

-You have set foot in the most dangerous place for Wisdom right now. Do not let your guard down until you cross the frontline and sit in the West.

“I will keep that in mind.”

-The smuggled Dark Elixir is a clue, but there are some things we've figured out during our research, so you shouldn't be too greedy.

“Of course.”

Paras, who had been answering, cautiously changed the subject.

“May I ask what you plan to do with… Josephine?”

-That child kicked away her chance. If so, there is only one outcome.

“She is still a young child. I will make her realize her mistake and persuade her well, so please give her a chance.”

-Paras Blue Wisdom.

The Family Head called the messenger's name. He had inherited the name as a bloodkin, but not all bloodkin were the same.

-I know you have a connection with Josephine as a collateral branch member, but premature intervention or judgment is forbidden.

“…Understood.”

-The sorcerers we have planted near Wisdom's land are in the process of creating a teleportation circle, so there is no need for you to be hasty.

“Understood. I will focus only on my mission.”

-You should. If you are truly a being that can compare to the pure-blooded.

The dream ended with that.

The collateral branch of Wisdom opened his eyes, and his body was even more tired, feeling as heavy as waterlogged leather.

“Josephine…. You foolish girl.”

He bit his lip and thought of her, who must be somewhere in the eastern lands.

Paras himself was from a collateral branch, and she was an illegitimate daughter. Josephine, with whom he had gotten along well since they were young, was a smart younger sister.

She had gone down a strange path called Magitech, but the family was slowly starting to take notice of it.

If she repented her mistakes and apologized well, she could fully return to the family.

“Josephine. I don't know what you're thinking, but let's go back together. This is not the place for you.”

Just looking at the sky told him so.

The warm sunlight shining pleasantly with the clear weather. The days of lying on the fresh grass and reading a book.

In contrast, Millesdusk's sky was dark and gloomy, and the air was strangely cold.

“What's so good about a land like this that you keep staying here?”

He sighed and looked forward to the moment he would meet the Fifth Son, Dante Black Millesdusk.

The brat had shamelessly escalated the tense relationship between the East and the West, inducing the East-West war.

Whether he was still young and didn't know the world or whatever, it was clear that his mind was not sane.

He would get his family back from such a madman and prove himself.

“Fifth Son…. I hope you live up to my expectations, at least a little, to see how high you can fly and crawl.”

***

[Bloodstone Charge: 100.0%]

“Done.”

About half a day after coming out of the Polar Night Wall, the Youngest Son said abruptly.

Eddie wanted to ask what was done, but he was so damn tired that his voice wouldn't come out.

So he just sent a look with his droopy eyes, and the Youngest Son smiled brightly and held up a red stone.

“Do you see? It's impossible for it to get any redder than this.”

“Yes, yes. It's truly, haa, red. Phew, yes. It's red. Good.”

Eddie repeated mechanical answers without even knowing what he was saying.

Half of it was his panting breath.

The Youngest Son smiled slightly and blew a light whistle.

The sound, which spread out wide like a mountain bird's call, induced something.

Grrrrrrrrrr─

“A-a dragon…!!”

He was so surprised that all his immediate fatigue flew away.

His jaw dropped open, but in the meantime, the Youngest Son had climbed onto the Magic Dragon's head. Then he held out his hand.

“Get on. There's a place to go.”

“A-a place to go, you mean, are you returning now?”

Magic Dragon or not, when he saw the sign of returning, the soldier's eyes sparkled.

I was sorry to betray those eyes, but unfortunately, he was wrong.

“We are going out for reconnaissance.”

“R-reconnaissance, you say?”

“Yes. We're going to Wisdom.”

…Did I hear that right?