Chapter 148

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 148: Overwhelming Strength

The orcs walked cheerfully.

On the contrary, the elves approached in horror and halted.

“Over 10,000 orcs have died! But you want to march straight into the center where the witch is?”

“This is suicidal!”

―Nonsense! These pointy-eared cowards are all the same!

―Cowards need not follow! Our orc forces alone are sufficient!

―Let’s crush the witch’s head!

Divergent reactions.

‘Actually, the elves are the sane ones.’

After the fortress siege, only 20,000 orcs remained. The punitive force consisted of only about a hundred elves mixed in.

Moreover, the situation had worsened.

The witch and the ice dragon.

The two great evils that occupied the continent.

In addition, there was a high possibility that an even higher being than them had come to the continent.

A competent commander wouldn’t move straight towards the center.

Now that the north has warmed up, they would stall for time, gather more orcs, and then occupy the eastern and western fortresses.

They would try to sow discord between the witch and the ice dragon, making them fight each other.

Such miscellaneous actions would be the normal course of action.

But it all boiled down to one thing.

‘Ultimately, it’s because they’re weak.’

The occupation of the northern fortress was the same.

The reason for holding a festival and causing all sorts of commotion to attract the orcs was, in all honesty, because their own strength was that low.

Without the backing of orc numbers, they couldn’t break through.

But now, there was no need for that.

Instead of responding to the elves’ clamor, Minwoo asked Merhen, who was trailing behind.

“Merhen.”

―Yeah.

“Have you ever fought a witch before?”

―I have.

“What was it like?”

―They’re all idiots. Well, except for seven of them.

“Seven?”

―Yeah. The grand witches.

Ah.

Beings that Merhen didn’t consider idiots.

Grand Witches.

Even their name seemed formidable.

Minwoo asked curiously.

“Are the Grand Witches better at magic than you, Merhen?”

At that, Merhen puffed up her cheeks.

―Minwoo. Do you not trust me?

“I do. I’m just curious since you said they weren’t idiots.”

―They can’t outdo me in magic. Cedric?

―Called?

―Testify quickly.

―She’s right. In her prime, she could handle three Grand Witches by herself.

“Oh, she was that strong?”

Kim Minwoo looked at Merhen with a slightly surprised expression.

Of course, he knew her magical abilities were remarkably outstanding.

Even so.

He didn’t expect her to outclass even the top brass of the Eastern Witches’ Coven.

With a gaze mixed with admiration.

―Ahem!

Merhen cleared her throat.

Her nose was held high, as if proclaiming, “This is how great I am!”

“But why did you fight?”

―The Witches’ Coven and the Dragon Legion. They came from their dimension to ours. Their initial purpose was trade.

“Trade?”

―You can think of it as something similar to a merchant guild.

Kim Minwoo nodded as if understanding.

If witches and dragons could travel between dimensions, it wouldn’t be strange for them to enter the dimension where the Death Lord resided with the intention of bartering goods.

―Both factions made offers. They said they would sell what the Lord lacked. The method was bartering.

“So?”

―But, as you know from witnessing it, the Lord in his early days…

“Uh… It was still in its early days back then?”

―Roughly. At that time, the Lord seemed to think, instead of making small trades, wouldn’t it be better to take everything at once, from the merchants to their headquarters?

Kim Minwoo nodded as if understanding.

‘His character hasn’t changed much.’

During their academy days, the Death Lord was the epitome of an evil lich.

What would it have been like if he had faced the Witches’ Coven and the Dragon Legion with a similar temperament? Wouldn’t he have thought of annihilating them and taking everything at once instead of bothering with trade?

‘The witches wouldn’t have stood a chance.’

Merhen faced three grand witches. It went without saying that the Death Lord, who was even stronger than her, would be even more formidable.

Even if all seven Grand Witches came together, it wouldn’t have been a fight.

It meant that he could have killed them all and taken their loot without any burden.

“With that kind of power difference, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the Eastern Witches’ Coven was destroyed.”

―Five Grand Witches died fighting the Lord. And then they hid.

“Hid?”

―Yes. It was similar to a kind of sealing. Even the Lord couldn’t break that seal. So he waited for the future… but by then, our side was the one that was destroyed.

“So the Witches’ Coven is roaming around now because the seal is broken?”

―Probably. A very long time has passed since then.

“What about the Dragon Legion?”

―They sealed themselves in a similar manner. Four ancient dragons died. They became my new body and comrades.

Once again.

It was an anecdote that made him realize just how much of a tyrant the Death Lord was.

Also.

He realized one thing…….

“If what you say is true, it seems like it’ll be very troublesome for me.”

―The surviving former Grand Witches will vividly remember that nightmare. If they find out that you are the successor, they won’t stay still. The same goes for the Dragon Legion.

―Hmph, Minwoo doesn’t have to worry. I’ll protect him.

―You’re far from your prime. In your current state, you’d struggle to even stop one Grand Witch.

―Doesn’t matter, right? It’s not like a Grand Witch is here right now.

―If they become aware of our existence, it would be different.

―Are you an idiot? Even if those cowards find out, they won’t be able to move right away. They’ll just be watching from the sidelines.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough.”

He mediated between the two.

Both Cedric’s concerns and Merhen’s confidence were understandable.

Especially Merhen, who wasn’t just using death magic like in the past, but could use all four elements. Even if not now, as her level increased and the seals continued to break, she could probably handle several Grand Witches.

Still, it was right to be cautious for now.

Whether it was a grand witch or a dragon.

They didn’t look easy to deal with, and their names alone sounded like they needed a nuke to fight.

Anyway.

The bottom line was…….

“….”

It was no different than explaining to the elves, who were listening blankly to the conversation, why he was confidently moving forward.

The witches and the ice dragon… none of that matters right now. This was the key.

Of course, from the elves’ perspective, it was quite a sudden turn of events, with the fortress being captured and then suddenly this side going berserk.

But what could they do?

There was neither time nor inclination to persuade each one individually.

The orcs advanced reluctantly.

Eventually, even the elves cautiously began to follow behind.

* * *

The warmth of the north.

But as we entered the continent’s center from there, the winter wind blew again.

As if that wasn’t enough.

―Hiiiiing!

Riding on eerie specters, an undead horde blocked the way ahead.

Their numbers alone, over five hundred armed, were significantly higher than ordinary spectral knights.

“S-Spectral Knight Legion!”

The elves cried out in terror

Their eyes were injected with ingrained fear.

This was the witch’s personal knight order, infamous for leaving no bodies behind in their wake.

Even Elise’s ears trembled.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Kim Minwoo had been a trustworthy leader so far.

A mere human who united the northern races and conquered a seemingly unbreakable fortress.

That’s why she had joined his audacious plan to sweep through the center and reach the ice dragon’s southern lair.

He wasn’t one to act recklessly.

Besides, if the resistance and Kim Minwoo fell here, their hard-won victory in the north would be meaningless.

But even with that in mind…

Gulp.

She couldn’t hide her fear of the Spectral Knight Legion blocking their path. There were only about five hundred of them, but each one’s strength was unimaginable.

20,000 orc army and a hundred elves?

Sometimes, numbers didn’t mean much.

‘We’ll be torn to shreds…’

This was one of those times.

Even with desperate resistance, they’d be lucky to take down a hundred of the knights. The difference in quality was almost violent.

Their only hope was Kim Minwoo.

Please.

Let him have something up his sleeve.

Just then, a figure emerged from the Spectral Knight Legion.

An undead wearing a crown, unlike the other spectral knights.

The Spectral Knight Commander, Medelan.

The most infamous of the witch’s undead servants.

―I shall deliver a merciful judgment. Turn back. I will spare your lives.

A gloomy voice echoed through the air.

The orcs and elves trembled, chills running down their spines.

Only Urkhan and the chieftains glared, as if mustering their courage. The pressure was so overwhelming that even the battle-crazed orcs flinched.

On the other hand, Kim Minwoo’s eyes gleamed.

The witch’s undead.

Each one was a valuable source of experience points.

And the Spectral Knights before him had an average level far higher than the undead in the northern region.

Roughly estimated to be around 600-700?

Considering that the undead in the north were roughly level 200 to 300, this was a significant jump.

And there were about 500 of them.

It was a sight that made it clear why the Spectral Knight Legion was so infamous.

If 500 of those guys charged on ghost horses, what could the demihumans do to resist?

Furthermore, the undead at the front was differently equipped with more ornate armor than the others.

At first glance.

‘This is a power-leveling opportunity, isn’t it?’

He couldn’t miss this.

He looked at Merhen.

“Let’s get them.”

She nodded.

Flap!

Wings sprouted from her back. Merhen soared into the sky in an instant.

[Rampage is activated!]

[For 10 minutes, the power of all magic increases by 30%!]

[You can stack up to five spells!]

Blue mana surged into Merhen’s hands as if she was stacking magic.

“…?!”

Medelan, who saw this, was terrified.

As a servant of the witch, he had seen countless spells.

But he could say with certainty.

Even his master, the witch Iris, couldn’t emit such a wave with a single spell.

‘I have to stop it!’

He didn’t know what would happen if he couldn’t stop the casting. He hurriedly drew his sword and was about to fire a sword energy at Merhen when…

Swish!

Something approached at high speed.

Boom!

Medelan, who had hastily blocked the path with a chilling aura, widened his eyes. A giant bone spear collided with his sword.

‘A skeleton?’

Moreover, it was a being with a head that resembled a dragon. It was mounted on a large ghost horse, but there was no difference in height.

This was because, like the mage floating in the sky, wings were flapping behind this bizarre skeleton’s back.

Dragon-like wings, no less.

Medelan was continuously pushed back by the relentless spear attacks.

His murky pupils were filled with countless questions.

Did the Northern Resistance have such a being in their ranks?

No.

If such monstrous beings existed, the fortress would have fallen in less than half a day.

Only one thing came to mind.

―You guys, don’t tell me… you joined forces with the Dragon Legion?

Overwhelming strength.

Wings that resembled a dragon.

What if the Dragon Legion had provided something to the Northern Resistance?

The motive was more than enough.

In the first place, the fall of the Northern Fortress was due to the witch’s inaction. The skeleton continued to press on without answering his urgent questions.

Medelan, starting to lose ground, shouted desperately.

―Spread out!

The magical energy felt from the sky now exuded its presence like the sun.

If they were hit while grouped together, it would be the end.

The Spectral Knights quickly scattered.

Just then.

A gust of wind blew.

By the time the ghost horses felt it, it was already too late.

―Neigh!

The spectres rose into the air. As if caught in a giant whirlpool, the Spectral Knight Legion was sucked in. Medelan couldn’t escape the disaster either.

As he struggled, he witnessed a bizarre sight.

Despite the storm raging around them, the objects on the ground remained untouched.

The soil, insignificant branches, even small animals and plants.

They remained motionless, as if unaffected.

He was shocked.

‘She controlled the wind?’

The stronger the magic, the greater its impact. Even a mage couldn’t easily control that impact.

Moreover, if she could perfectly control the surrounding waves while using a typhoon strong enough to sweep away the entire Spectral Knight Legion…

‘Just how high is her level?’

That was Medelan’s last thought. Cedric’s Dragon Blood Slash, combined with Merhen’s five-fold explosion magic.

The two attacks overlapped, wiping out the Spectral Knight Legion that had been swept up in the wind.

[Level increased by 23!]

“Wow.”

Kim Minwoo, who saw the message, was amazed.

He had just been breathing and his level jumped from 270 to 293. He wasn’t the only one who got on the comfortable bus of the legion commanders.

Skeletons.

Skeleton Mages.

Specters.

And even Dullahans.

It was a leveling party, indeed.

[The average level of the Skeleton Mage unit has reached 101!]

[The Skeleton Mage unit is growing!]

[They have learned special magic!]

[The title, ‘Master of the Dragon Knight’ effect is activated!]

[The class change system is activated!]

As a bonus, a class change window appeared for the mages.

“You guys really found a good master. You know that, right?”

Clatter!

Myra nodded vigorously and gave a thumbs-up.

^_^.

The cute emoticon expression she learned from Merhen was a bonus.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]