Dragonslayer’s Class Regression Chapter 123

Chapter 123

“Richmond! Let go of the staff!”

The staff’s vibrations grew increasingly stronger.

Richmond tried to let go of the staff at Zeke’s words, but his hands wouldn’t release.

“URGHH!”

Black energy erupted from the staff and was sucked into Richmond’s nose and mouth.

Zeke drew Bahamut and rushed straight toward Richmond.

Then he raised the blade of purification and cut through the staff.

SLASH!

Only when the staff was cut did the vibrations finally stop.

HISSSSS!!

The staff completely lost its power and disappeared into gray ashes.

Richmond’s eyes turned black after inhaling the dark energy.

“URGHHHH!”

Richmond’s body began to shake.

Then his human form began transforming back into his original lich appearance.

At the same time, black energy enveloped Richmond’s body.

Zeke steadied his breathing, then thrust Bahamut’s blade toward Richmond.

“Endure it, Richmond!”

Bahamut absorbed the black energy that had enveloped Richmond’s body.

[Bahamut absorbs the power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’.]

“KEEEEEK!”

Richmond, in his lich form, screamed in agony.

All the black energy surrounding his body was sucked into Bahamut.

Then, another message appeared.

[The power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ has been purified.]

[If the purified power of the Herald of Blood and Madness is granted to the summon Richmond, it can draw out the summon’s potential.]

[Would you like to grant this power to Richmond?]

‘Draw out the summon’s potential?’

Zeke recalled how karma points could be used to evolve Spirit beast into a divine beast. He thought this might be a similar situation.

Watching Richmond suffering, Zeke shouted that he would grant the power.

Crimson energy surged from Bahamut and seeped into Richmond again.

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

Richmond, who had been an ordinary lich, received Zeke’s granted power and his bones turned crimson-black.

Simultaneously, a purple jewel appeared in one of his empty eye sockets.

“GRAAAAAAH!”

[Richmond has evolved from a lich to a demi-lich after receiving the purified power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’.]

[Due to absorbing the purified power of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’, Richmond gains the ability of ‘Beast Transformation’.]

[The subordinates of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ now recognize Richmond as an ally.]

Amazingly, Richmond, who had been an ordinary lich, evolved into a demi-lich, a high-ranking undead.

“HUFF, HUFF.”

Though he returned to his human form, Richmond, now a demi-lich, emanated clearly different dignity and energy.

“Are you alright, Richmond?”

“Yes, yes, Master.”

Richmond was shocked himself at becoming a demi-lich.

Zeke asked Richmond.

“How does it feel to become a demi-lich?”

“De-demi lich? I lived as just a lich for five hundred years, but now a demi-lich…? This is amazing!”

Zeke was actually surprised by something else.

“Five hundred years…? Come to think of it, you mentioned being active since the Holy Empire era. You’re better at survival than I thought.”

Usually, even though liches obtain immortal life, it’s difficult for them to survive beyond a hundred years.

No matter how well they hide, adventurers and knights eliminate them as soon as they’re discovered.

Unlike ordinary liches, Richmond was able to survive that long because he quietly collected monster bones and only studied magic instead of attacking humans.

‘But with five hundred years, shouldn’t he be able to become an arch-lich rather than just a demi-lich?’

If he purified and granted the power of other demons too, Richmond might even evolve into an arch-lich.

While Zeke was thinking about ways to evolve him, Richmond, now a demi-lich, was very excited about being able to fly through the air unlike when he was a lich.

“Master! Look at this!”

Zeke spoke while watching Richmond playfully flying around the stone chamber.

“Richmond, try using beast transformation.”

At Zeke’s words, Richmond came down to the ground and activated his beast transformation ability.

CRAAACK!

Richmond’s body transformed, amazingly becoming an undead form of magical beast.

GRRRRL!

It was a dragon-like form with bone wings, but being a magical beast, it looked much fiercer and more vicious than ordinary dragons.

“Oh? Did the dragon bones mix to create this form?”

Since the subordinates of the ‘Herald of Blood and Madness’ would recognize him as an ally, it seemed he could be useful when infiltrating the abyss.

Richmond returned to his original human form from the magical beast form.

Zeke left the purified cave and returned to King Fist’s group.

Then he headed toward the isolated village with King Fist and the barbarians.

* * *

“Zeke bro! It’s here.”

There was quite a distance between the fortress village where the Rock tribe was and the village where Golin was staying.

Now he understood why they became isolated when the magical beasts showed abnormal signs.

This village was also a fortress village made of giant enchanted rocks like the Rock tribe’s fortress.

The barbarians cleared the rocks at the entrance and guided them into the village.

BUUUUUUU!

As soon as they entered, the villagers welcomed them by blowing horns.

“Help! Thank you!”

“You’re totally welcome!”

The young barbarian warriors smiled brightly at the villagers’ hospitality.

Though barbarians were closed off, they were simple and true to their emotions.

The villagers prepared roasted minotaur for the heroes who had slain the beast.

King Fist seated Zeke in the place of honor and enthusiastically explained his exploits in the barbarian language.

“Brother Zeke! Super strong! Cut dragon head!”

“Ooh! Chop chop!”

“Amazing, amazing!”

The barbarians praised Zeke’s dignity and brought a bowl almost as big as a washbasin, filling it with alcohol.

Of course, being barbarian alcohol, it was incomparably stronger than human alcohol.

Zeke, who understood barbarian culture to some extent, gulped down all the strong drink in the bowl.

The barbarians cheered at this sight.

“Zeke! Amazing, amazing!”

“Real warrior! So cool!”

For Zeke, who couldn’t get drunk due to his healing factor, it just made him full.

The barbarians who wanted to befriend Zeke kept offering him drinks.

‘I hope I don’t die from my stomach bursting.’

While having this ridiculous thought, an elderly man approached Zeke.

“Thank you for saving our village.”

Surprisingly, it was an elderly barbarian.

It was rare for outsiders to see elderly barbarians.

Seeing the old man speak the common tongue, Zeke guessed his position.

“Are you the village elder?”

This held a slightly different meaning from how humans typically referred to small village leaders as village chiefs.

The old man nodded.

“That is correct. According to principle, former tribal chiefs spend their elderly years as village elders in this sacred village where our ancestors’ breath dwells.”

The elder pointed to a huge obelisk standing behind the village.

“That is the guardian tower built by our ancestors long ago. Each tribe has such a guardian tower. Our people live with the purpose of protecting these guardian towers and the land containing our ancestors’ breath. Thanks to you, we were able to protect both the tower and the land. As much as we thank our benefactor, I thought it right to let you know what you have saved.”

This was the first time Zeke had heard about the barbarians’ guardian towers.

Looking at the guardian tower with his dragon eyes, he felt an unprecedented power that even he found difficult to discern.

‘Ancient magic?’

Perhaps it was magic that the dragons had imbued during the Hero King era.

After all, Kaisir had said that the dragons of that time left their power in various places to protect the physical realm.

Taking his eyes off the guardian tower, Zeke told the elder about his purpose.

“Elder, I came here looking for a dwarf named Golin.”

The elder stroked his beard and nodded at Zeke’s words.

“Golin, a very stubborn and skilled dwarf. It was difficult trying to stop him when he said he would hunt the wyvern with weapons he made.”

The elder chuckled while talking about Golin.

“Where is Golin now?”

The elder pointed toward the guardian tower and said.

“He should be working in the forge he built near there. You’d better prepare yourself if you’re going there. There are quite strange objects scattered about, you see.”

Golin must be the only dwarf who would receive such comments from barbarians.

Zeke nodded at the elder’s words.

The barbarians’ welcome celebration continued throughout the night.

After properly participating in the welcome celebration, Zeke headed to the place the elder had told him about, leaving behind the passed-out barbarians when the sun rose the next day.

Before going to Golin’s forge, he took a look at the guardian tower the elder had mentioned.

As he got closer, the mysterious power contained within felt even stronger.

The surface of the stone obelisk was covered with unknown runic characters.

As he passed by, Zeke suddenly felt like he had seen these rune characters somewhere before.

‘Wait, these look similar to the ones carved on my chest?’

Zeke opened his clothes and checked the characters and diagram carved on his chest after absorbing Bahamut’s heart.

Seeing that they were indeed similar to those carved on the barbarians’ guardian tower, Zeke became convinced that dragons had made this tower.

Zeke reached out toward the guardian tower.

At that moment, messages suddenly appeared.

[First Defense Base ‘Giant’s Guardian Tower’ Administrator System Detected]

[Administrator System Access]

[Code Verification]

[Code Mismatch System Access Denied]

“First Defense Base?”

The Bird’s tribe tomb  found in the bird’s tribe ghetto was the Fourth Defense Base.

Through the appeared message, Zeke realized that this place also served as a defense base that blocked the invasion of beasts during the Liberation War.

‘Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve been denied access to an administrator system.’

Until now, thanks to his given titles, administrator access was possible at most ruins. But here, it seemed no access code had been granted.

‘It feels a bit disappointing not being able to access it like usual.’

When the system stopped responding further, Zeke passed the guardian tower and went up.

But as he went higher, he saw something strange.

“What is this?”

There were strange structures like towers made of scrap metal piled up all over the hills.

Zeke frowned at the sight of the bizarre structures.

‘Did Golin make these?’

Though frowning, Zeke continued up the hill past the strange structures.

As he went up, he saw a house built in dwarven style up ahead.

It seemed to be Golin’s forge.

But there were terrifying things placed in front of the house yard.

‘Why are war weapons in front of the house?’

High-speed catapults and large ballistas for destroying castle walls and gates were placed everywhere.

Since Zeke had only heard about Golin’s eccentric personality but had never actually met him or experienced it firsthand, the situation in front of his house was both fascinating and baffling.

That’s when it happened.

CREEEEAK!

Suddenly the ballistas placed in the yard moved on their own and aimed at Zeke.

“What?”

In that instant, arrows loaded in the ballistas were fired.

WHOOSH!

Zeke drew Bahamut and deflected the ballista arrows.

CRACK!

They were almost at the level of spears rather than arrows.

This time the high-speed catapult moved.

Creeeeak!

A solid rock was loaded into the catapult, then it aimed at Zeke and shot the rock as if pushing it straight out.

BOOM!

Zeke raised his aura as he watched the rock flying towards him.

SLASH!

The rock split by the aura blade cracked and rolled down the hill.

Zeke shouted toward the house.

“Golin Yober! I’ve come on a request from the Guild Alliance!”

Though Zeke shouted, there was no response from inside the house.

Zeke approached the door while deflecting incoming rocks and arrows.

This time, a flamethrower installed in front of the door spewed out massive flames.

Whoooosh!

Zeke blocked the flames by deploying Golin’s shield.

That’s when it happened.

Bang!

The forge’s door opened and a red-bearded dwarf shouted at Zeke.

“Hey! Where did you get that?!”

Zeke looked at the dwarf who shouted at him after changing the shield back into a scabbard.

“Are you Golin Yober?”

Instead of answering Zeke’s question, Golin charged at him.

“I said where did you get that, boy?!”

Golin held a huge hammer in his hands.

He looked ready to swing the hammer at Zeke at any moment.

Zeke calmly said.

“I received it as a gift from your apprentice Gelion.”

Golin was shocked at those words.

“What? Gelion! That kid gave that to you?”

Zeke held out the Bahamut he was carrying.

“He made this sword for me too.”

Golin looked at Zeke’s sword and was momentarily speechless.

Then his whole body began trembling.

“Gelion! How dare him?! Working with a solid dragon fang that even I haven’t touched!”

Golin snorted while swinging his hammer wildly.

Zeke said to Golin.

“The Guild Alliance requested a search for you since they lost contact…”

“Shut up! Not going!”

He was an even more eccentric dwarf than the rumors suggested.

‘Pushing this type will only backfire.’

Since Zeke’s goal wasn’t to take Golin back anyway, he decided to get to the main point.

Besides, since it was something Golin would be interested in, the conversation might actually be easier.

“Hersion equip.”

CLICK!

The ancient Hersion equipped onto Zeke’s body instantly.

The excited Golin blankly stared at the Hersion Zeke equipped.

Then he let out a scream.

“O-Orichalcon?!”