The Necromancer Who Was Despised

Dozens of orc corpses were scattered around, separated into bones and flesh.

The magic drew in the bones, forming a double wall, and the orc flesh stuck to it.

With dozens of corpses, including those that had once been strengthened zombies, there were over 100 bodies scattered around, providing more than enough materials.

“Ugh….”

That appearance wasn’t pleasant to look at, but it was extremely efficient.

However, even that gruesome appearance was short-lived, as some of the blood splattered and began to cover the flesh.

The repulsive appearance was obscured, leaving only the red and white walls that surrounded me.

At that moment, Anelis said, as if she was puzzled.

“Is this… a magic circle?”

I didn’t bother to respond. I didn’t have any obligation to answer.

Next, a faint mist began to seep around the walls.

“The soul of the orc…?”

Anelis had somehow grasped their true identity.

And in the meantime, the magic I had used earlier began to take effect.

“Ugh…”.

The remaining residue was absorbed into the flesh, forming a solid mass.

Although I was surrounded by walls, there was no problem with securing my field of vision.

A single eye was watching from the sky.

This was also part of the magic, allowing me to share my field of vision through that medium.

The undead that had revealed itself was a gigantic, humanoid zombie with two legs.

However, to be honest, its appearance was closer to that of a monster than a human.

Its skin was pale, its teeth and nails were sharp, and its upper body was disproportionately developed compared to its lower body.

It stood over 3 meters tall.

Instead of eyes, there were only dark, empty sockets that evoked a strong sense of rejection.

Draugr.

A high-level zombie that could only be created from Class 5 or higher.

To be precise, it was closer to a demon than a zombie.

Even as an undead, it was still…

“It’s still lacking.”

I had created it, but this was a growth-type.

Moreover, this guy was a special individual, and even though it wasn’t a permanent undead, it could continue to survive under certain conditions.

“But this time, it’s impossible.”

From the start, the cost-effectiveness was poor, so I didn’t even think about it.

If necessary, I would make it a permanent undead, but it wasn’t worth it.

“I already have my main golem.”

Although the temporary stronghold was still absorbing the surrounding resources, this was enough.

Even though I spoke softly, the sound was amplified and accurately delivered to the intended person.

It was a type of messaging magic.

From the start, the stronghold itself was designed to support the mage’s protection and magical abilities, so it had many functions attached to it.

“Let’s follow the Draugr and wipe out the remaining orc forces with our party.”

“Are you telling me to support that?”

“What is that thing…?”

Even Cayle seemed to be seeing the Draugr for the first time.

“You can think of it as a type of zombie.”

As my will was conveyed, the undead charged towards the orcs in unison.

Among them were the three elite Living Armors that had been protecting me.

Since the temporary stronghold was built, it was useless, so I chose to invest in the front line.

“…Kuaah!”

Our attack signaled the resumption of the battle.

While I built the temporary stronghold, I took a short break, but they couldn’t fully recover their stamina.

‘That’s why I used the swamp’s mist.’

They were bewildered by their unrecoverable stamina.

As expected, their movements had slowed down significantly compared to the beginning.

Dravug charged towards those sluggish orcs.

With its enormous size and powerful strength, it trampled the orcs and pierced their vital spots with its sharp claws and teeth.

And then, it swallowed the incapacitated orcs whole.

“This is…”

Their mouths were agape, and the sight of an orc being swallowed whole was extremely surreal.

Dravug’s massive body grew a little larger as it swallowed the orcs.

Its momentum also became slightly more ferocious.

That was Dravug’s ability.

“Blood, bone, flesh. Those are Dravug’s food.”

By devouring the living, it gained energy and strengthened itself.

Even if they were dead, as long as they hadn’t been dead for too long, Dravug could use them as food.

The most efficient way was to swallow living beings whole.

In the process, it could also change its physical structure as needed.

In the end, it could even create a Dravug that walked on four legs.

“Form is meaningless.”

A growing, enormous zombie. That was Dravug’s true identity.

It wasn’t for nothing that it was called an undead close to a monster.

The brutal sight of devouring monsters alive made even Artina, Kaila, and Valdur momentarily freeze.

However, they soon regained their composure.

They had already seen undead made of bones.

My party members knew that I was a necromancer, and yet they became my allies.

Although our relationship started with a forced oath, it had become strong through shared experiences and gratitude.

Therefore, they didn’t show much disturbance.

“…Let’s support Dravug in devouring as many orcs as possible.”

“Maybe you’re planning to use this to take care of the Basilisk?”

That was correct.

Although Dravug was a growing zombie, its efficiency would decrease over time.

Still, if it devoured everything here, it would become a fairly strong undead that could withstand petrification.

‘1:1 is difficult, though.’

Of course, I didn’t plan to take down the Basilisk with just one Dravug.

I intended to use it as a main tanker.

As my party and the undead quickly took down the orcs, the orc warriors and the Basilisk clashed.

————!

The screaming Basilisk.

Its petrifying breath spread in all directions, and the orc warriors agilely evaded the attacks.

Despite revealing their true nature, they calmly surrounded the Basilisk and struck from all sides.

The Basilisk, despite its enormous body, moved agilely and responded, but it couldn’t take down nearly thirty orc warriors alone.

However, during that time, it was getting closer to being cornered.

“They’re handling it pretty skillfully.”

The orcs’ performance against a high-level monster like this clearly showed that they had experienced this kind of battle many times before. Yet, they still couldn’t easily take down the Basilisk.

No, it seemed like their goal wasn’t to take it down but to drive it away.

But my goal was to capture the Basilisk, not drive it away.

“Let’s intervene a bit.”

Of course, I had no intention of helping either side.

I was going to create a situation where they could fight more fiercely and actively.

I immediately raised my staff and arranged my magic.

Eloset’s staff screamed, and the temporary fortification resonated, amplifying the magic’s power.

[Restraining Shadow]

The target was the Basilisk.

The moment the magic was activated, countless black hands sprouted from the Basilisk’s shadow, binding it.

It was taken aback and reacted, but its movements were slower than before.

Thanks to its high resistance and strength, it couldn’t be completely restrained, but this became an opportunity for the orcs.

However, from the start, their goal wasn’t to kill the Basilisk but to drive it away.

The reason was easy to guess.

“They must be lacking in attack power.”

They could handle mana, but there was no one who could use proper aura.

Therefore, they couldn’t kill the Basilisk.

And when the Basilisk was restrained, it unleashed its breath, strongly suppressing the orcs.

Even if I created an opportunity, the orcs’ lack of attacking power became a problem.

I raised Eloset’s staff again.

[Madness Temptation]

A mental magic, Madness Temptation.

It was a magic that summoned a red, tempting light with a provocative effect.

The effect wasn’t significant when used on humans or other species.

But if the target was a monster, especially an orc, the story changed.

“I’ll make them go crazy.”

Orcs were inherently violent by nature.

They controlled their anger to survive in the pack, but if they were stimulated from the outside, the story was different.

“After all, orcs are a species with low magic resistance.”

They could handle mana, but their species itself had low magic resistance…

“It’s no wonder they’re affected by dark magic, to the point of being enchanted by shield magic.”

It’s not like it’s going to be any different – the Orc warriors’ encirclement began to waver.

They started to reveal an unprecedented level of ferocity, and soon even the Basilisk was momentarily stunned by the eerie screams that echoed throughout.

The Orc warriors’ war cry.

With that as the signal, the battle to the death finally began on the other side as well.

The battle between the Orc warriors and the Basilisk was leaning in favor of the Basilisk.

The Orcs managed to inflict wounds all over the Basilisk’s body, but it was only to the extent of superficial injuries.

In contrast, whenever the Orc warriors were hit by the Basilisk’s body slams or petrification breath, they suffered at least moderate injuries.

As time passed, the number of Orc warriors dwindled, and simultaneously, the Basilisk’s health rapidly decreased.

I could feel the difference of being in the 5th class.

Compared to when I was in the 4th class, I could do much more, much better.

When the number of Orc warriors had decreased by more than half, our battle came to an end first.

‘Draug…’

Its physique was entirely different.

With a height and build that was twice what it was when it was first created after devouring hundreds of Orcs, it boasted an enormous strength and endurance.

‘Was there no change in its appearance?’

But that was all.

Although its size had increased, it seemed to have gained no special abilities.

‘Well, the Orcs didn’t pose a threat in the first place, so…’

There was no reason for it to change its appearance.

And I didn’t intervene either.

“That side… “

“It’s intense, but it doesn’t seem like the Basilisk is taking much damage. Is that not lacking?”

Artina spoke to me as if she knew I was listening, in a casual tone.

“If necessary, we can raid the Orc village and obtain additional Orcs.”

I rejected Kaila’s advice.

“The warriors won’t be able to hold out for long.”

“…It seems likely that will be the case.”

In the meantime, five more warriors died.

‘Is this the limit of our temporary base?’

I formed an invisible third wall using the gathered Orc souls.

Although its physical defense was weak, it would thoroughly resist attacks based on mana, such as petrification breath.

‘At this level… ‘

The Basilisk was at a level where it wouldn’t even flinch even if we laid everything on the line.