SSS-Rank Hunter Reborn: Private Tutor to the Count's Bastard Son

Whoooosh—

The first change that occurred was color.

The graves gradually began to turn black, and soon even the grass, earth, and plants all turned black.

Like looking at a black and white photograph.

In the world dyed completely black, only one thing shone.

Silvan Arcdute.

Hisssss—

Hazy fog spread out centered on the cemetery. It was grayish, misty fog.

Ferda's eyes changed ominously as he watched this.

'That's not fog.'

His eyes could see it.

The true identity of what looked like fog.

'...Nether mana.'

The nether mana that had been dwelling in the cemetery.

This was a cemetery that had been made at least several decades ago. It naturally possessed an enormous amount of negative energy.

All of that had burst out and taken form.

Gulp—

After swallowing dry saliva, Ferda watched the situation closely.

That's when it happened.

Crack!

Something burst through the earth.

A rotting arm. Decayed bones. And it wasn't just one.

Thud! Creak!

Countless arms shot out.

Their number reached several hundred. Far more than the number of graves.

Some time after that, the owners of the arms began to reveal themselves to the world one by one.

"Grr, grroooar."

"Ahhroooar!"

Walking corpses with rotting flesh.

They were zombies. Zombie hordes crawled out, their eyes filled with dirt and bugs glinting.

And the strange phenomenon wasn't over yet.

Thud! Thud thud!

The zombies prostrated themselves on the ground. They knelt and pressed their heads to the ground.

What their heads were pointing toward was.

Silvan standing there blankly.

"Grroooooar."

Without a single exception, hundreds of zombies bowed their heads in unison.

Like welcoming a great king.

As he was watching that scene with fascination, something else entered Ferda's field of vision.

'What's that now?'

It was hard to see clearly, so he narrowed his eyes.

Looking closely, he could roughly make out what it was.

'Bugs?'

Centipedes and grasshoppers, crickets and spiders, etc.

They were the insects that lived gathered in the cemetery.

But they weren't ordinary bugs.

'...Undead.'

What he felt from the bugs was nether mana.

He roughly understood how this had happened.

Silvan had forcibly turned living beings into undead.

And not by his own will, but simply as a byproduct of awakening.

[Whooooooo!]

[Whoo! Whooooooo!]

The strange occurrence wasn't limited to the ground.

In the sky too, he could see plenty of something whitish like smoke.

They were specters.

Hisssss—

Having appeared at some point, dozens of specters circled around Silvan.

Hundreds of zombies on the ground.

An enormous number of specters in the sky.

Just by awakening his talent, he'd summoned this many undead.

'This is mythical-grade talent.'

Ferda honestly admired it while stroking his goosebump-covered arms.

But the leisure didn't last long.

Crack! Crackle—

All the Fangs of the Sun he'd placed began to develop fissures.

Ominous cracks. They looked like they might shatter at any moment.

Ferda hastily pulled himself together.

"Silvan!"

Flinch—

Was it thanks to hearing a familiar voice?

Silvan, who had been standing blankly, reacted. Ferda shouted again with more force.

"Put on the necklace! Quickly!"

At those words, Silvan slowly turned his head.

The face that appeared next. His golden eyes had completely disappeared.

Instead, empty purple eyes stared at Ferda.

Shiver—

The moment their eyes met, goosebumps rose instantly.

But that was only momentary.

Grr!

He bit his lip hard to regain his composure.

He was a former SSS-rank hunter, after all. Would he be intimidated by a mere look?

"Silvan! Can't you hear me? Put on the necklace quickly!"

But Silvan remained unmoved.

Looking at his unfocused eyes, he didn't seem to be in his right mind.

"Damn."

He grimaced.

If he wasn't in his right mind, there was only one choice.

He'd have to break through that zombie horde and forcibly put the necklace on him.

He didn't like it, but there was no choice.

If he didn't do this, the Holy Kingdom would notice.

"Just wait a little."

I'll come right now.

Ferda loosened up his body lightly.

Then he took a deep breath and poured mana into both his legs, ready to dash out at any moment.

But that's when it happened.

"...Ferda."

Silvan's voice came from far away.

Though it seemed somewhat weak, it was his voice.

What? Wasn't he unconscious?

As surprised Ferda's eyes went wide.

"It's okay."

Silvan's words continued again.

"I was just a little surprised."

Silvan grinning.

Though his eye color was different, that was definitely Silvan's smile.

At this fact, Ferda let out a sigh of relief.

"Haha, this is really amazing."

Then suddenly Silvan burst into laughter.

"This refreshing feeling is a first for me."

That made sense. A talent that had been buried for so long had awakened.

Plus, all the nether mana had been released.

It would be strange if he didn't feel refreshed.

But that wasn't what was important right now.

"Silvan, first put on the necklace..."

"Ah, you mean this thing?"

Before Ferda could even finish speaking.

Silvan poked at the Eyes of the Moon lying on the ground.

An unpleasant expression.

After a moment, he looked back at Ferda and asked.

"Do I really have to wear it? I don't think I need to."

"You have to wear it. Absolutely."

He answered with force in his voice.

If not, he was ready to put it on by force.

Because he had seen it.

When he was a reader of "The Savior", how much Silvan had suffered from the Holy Kingdom's pursuit.

He knew all about how many companions he'd lost, how much tears and anguish he'd swallowed.

So he'd resolved.

This time, he definitely wouldn't let that happen.

"Trust me, Silvan."

Determination was etched in Ferda's eyes.

"..."

Then Silvan silently stared at him.

Ferda too, without blinking an eye, met Silvan's gaze.

Some time after that.

"Got it."

Silvan nodded obediently.

"If it were someone else, I would've ignored them, but..."

He bent down and picked up the necklace.

For a moment, his face seemed to crumple. It must be from feeling the divine power the holy relic was emitting.

But this time he didn't throw it away like before.

"Since it's Ferda saying it, I'll listen."

Silvan grinned sheepishly as he put the Eyes of the Moon around his neck.

Whooom—!

At that moment, the atmosphere vibrated instantly.

The specters floating in the sky distanced themselves from Silvan.

The zombie horde prostrating on the ground backed away. It was because of the enormous divine power.

His eyes gradually returning to golden.

The changes didn't stop there.

The fog of negative energy that had filled the cemetery began to clear.

It was a natural phenomenon that occurred as the Eyes of the Moon suppressed the nether mana.

And...

Wobble—

"Huh?"

Silvan swayed.

As strength left his legs, his body tilted backward.

Fortunately, he could avoid falling disgracefully.

Thanks to Ferda, who had approached at some point and supported him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, except for feeling a bit stuffy."

Silvan smiled faintly.

Soon he let out a long yawn.

"Yaaawn. What's this? I'm suddenly sleepy..."

"It's because you used up all your magic power."

Silvan's current magic power was barely in the single digits.

He'd consumed all his magic power in less than ten minutes.

It would be stranger if he didn't feel tired.

"Leave the rest to me and get some sleep."

At those words, Silvan shook his head.

As if he didn't want to sleep yet. Then he moved his lips.

Was he trying to say something important?

Ferda quietly listened.

"But the lamb..."

For a moment, he was deflated by the trivial reason.

But Silvan muttered with a voice full of regret.

"My lamb..."

"I'll ask them to make it tomorrow, so don't worry and sleep."

Only after hearing confirmation from Ferda did Silvan fall asleep with a relieved expression.

Looking at how his limbs went limp, he must have been quite tired.

Ferda carried Silvan on his back, then laid him down on a rock outside the cemetery.

"Good work. My student."

After stroking the head of the peacefully sleeping Silvan.

Ferda turned around.

"Now then..."

His gaze turned toward the cemetery.

More precisely, toward the undead and specters standing around blankly.

Of course, they were under Silvan's control, but he couldn't just leave them as they were.

He loosened up lightly and picked up a nearby tree branch.

"Shall I do some free leveling up?"

The undead who wouldn't fight back unless Silvan commanded them.

Wasn't this literally free for the taking?

Ferda grinned.