Magic Is Learned For Nothing [EN]: Chapter 28

Lich’s Revival 2

It was almost time for bed.

I took a hot bath, brushed my teeth, and toweled myself dry.

After settling their overdue wages all at once, their goodwill skyrocketed. They even gave me a small bonus.

They were so happy.

-Your Luck stat has increased by +1.

Seeing the experience points increase like this…

The maids even heated the bathwater with extra enthusiasm. Indeed, a man must have authority. After washing up, just as I was about to lie down, Jonas came to find me.

“Legion.”

She said, tearfully.

“Legion, please save our village.”

* * *

It had been a while since Legion’s face turned serious.

“What did you say?”

She seemed calmer after drinking warm water. Her trembling had subsided, and her voice was low and composed.

“A lich that was sealed in the dungeon has been resurrected?”

Legion repeated her words exactly.

“Yes.”

“There was a dungeon like that near the village? And you didn’t know?”

“I had no idea. The earthquake revealed the sealed dungeon. Someone opened it…”

“And the undead came pouring out?”

“That’s right. The lich’s undead army poured out in enormous numbers.”

Legion massaged his temples.

It was all so surreal. What age are we living in that there are undead? That’s something out of old stories, isn’t it?

In any case, undead are among the most dangerous monsters in the world, possessing tremendous infectious power. They carry diseases that spread rapidly.

Once infected, you become one of them, neither dead nor alive, wandering the world.

And not just one undead, but an entire army has poured out?

Moreover, a lich is commanding them?

Among the undead, there are races you should never encounter.

The beautiful but dark aristocrat vampires who drag humans into endless despair. The violent lich, a manifestation of hatred. Aren’t they almost final boss-level monsters?

Just appearing would be enough to devastate an entire territory in an instant.

“Are there any living orcs?”

“Almost all of them are still alive.”

“They haven’t become undead?”

“No, they haven’t.”

“Then?”

“I don’t know exactly, but they haven’t become undead. It seems like they’re under a spell.”

Legion tilted his head. Why would they do something so troublesome?

-It’s a low-level lich. There’s a limit to the number of undead they can control. So, they put other races under mind control and use them to fill the ranks as the undead are destroyed.

Ah, a low-level lich.

-Don’t ever underestimate a low-level lich. A high-level lich can single-handedly destroy a city. A lich king can even go toe-to-toe with a dragon.

Then what level is a low-level lich? I’m not sure.

-If we’re talking about a wizard’s level, about 6th Circle?

6th Circle? Damn, that’s low-level? That’s amazing!

A 6th Circle wizard is a rare find even in the royal palace.

Almost a strategic weapon. Those who use powerful magic that can blow away any ordinary castle wall in one shot with enough time are 6th Circle wizards, aren’t they?

-It’s not just ‘amazing.’ That’s just the level of their magic. They store their life force separately [in a phylactery, often hidden], so they don’t die easily from direct attacks. Even if you turn their body to dust, they’ll slowly revive over time. They’re not easy opponents.

How do you catch them?

-Destroy their life force container.

If they hide their life force container far away somewhere, we can’t kill them, can we?

-Not necessarily. The life force container is usually near them. They can’t use magic if it’s too far away. So, they hide it well so it can’t be found.

That’s quite troublesome.

-Very troublesome.

Can’t another wizard undo the mind control magic?

-It’s possible, but very difficult. First of all, only the user knows the formula for control. If you mess with it, there’s a high probability that the orcs will experience mental confusion.

So, the only way to save the orcs is to catch him?

-That’s right. That’s why liches are so dangerous.

Damn it, why did such a guy appear in our territory?

Legion scratched the back of his head. He made quite a bit of money from trading with the orcs and was looking forward to making even more. He thought he could live a comfortable life now, but suddenly a lich?

-By the way, there are quite a few ancient dungeons in the Dusselph Mountains.

Really?

This alone makes my eyes light up.

-Unlike other places, the dungeons in the Dusselph Mountains have too many monsters, many strong beings, and the borders are intertwined, so they haven’t been explored much. If you do well….

“I can become rich? Mark, you know the dungeon locations, right?”

-Haa.

Mark sighed.

What? How can an AI sigh like a human?

-Don’t underestimate future technology. Artificial intelligence can learn and feel human emotions as they are. Anyway, you’re having a stroke of good luck meeting me. Surprisingly, I know the location of 40 percent of the dungeons in the Dusselph Mountains.

F, forty percent?

-That’s why you should serve me like a master.

That’s amazing.

-But if you open a dungeon with your current skills, you’ll end up like a brainwashed orc. If you mess up, your soul will be completely plundered. For now, quietly hone your skills.

Okay. How strong do I have to be to explore a dungeon?

-You need a minimum total combat power of 1,000 or more. And that’s with a party. If you go alone, you might have to marry a spider-human and lay eggs.

A s, spider-human?

-There are so many races in the world that you don’t know about.

Scary. Scary.

-If you understand, be true to reality.

“Legion, Legion?”

Jonas called out to Legion. Only then did Legion’s mind return to reality.

“Huh? Oh, why?”

“I called you several times.”

“Oh, did you? Sorry.”

“Will you help?”

Jonas looked at Legion with anxious eyes. They weren’t allies. They were just in a business relationship. If one side goes wrong, they can say goodbye without looking back.

Giving help is just a matter of morality, and even if he doesn’t help, Legion can’t be blamed.

“Yeah, I’ll help.”

“Really?”

Jonas’s eyes showed relief.

“Then the human army?”

“You can see for yourself. Where’s the army here? The ones stopping the monsters are just the vigilantes. There is a private army, though.”

“Private army?”

“Yeah, the private army my uncle is raising. But there are only about 50 people. How many undead are there?”

“It looked like there were over 200.”

“Hmm, 200.”

-The combat power of the undead that a low-level lich can control isn’t very high.

How much is it?

-Roughly estimated at 30.

Oh, weaker than me?

-They’re stronger than ordinary people. But their most terrifying aspect is that they don’t die. Unless you smash their heads or turn them to dust, they’ll constantly revive. In addition, their virus is deadly to humans. If the virus penetrates the human body, the time limit is about 15 minutes.

Does that mean they turn into the same undead after 15 minutes?

-That’s right. With the power of 200 undead, it would take half a day to devastate Alexander Territory.

That’s amazing.

After listening to Mark’s serious talk, I realized that this was no ordinary matter.

It would be a disaster if Sepia got infected by them.

-Sepia is fine. The natural enemy of humans is the undead. The undead virus cannot infect other races with thick skin. Even if the virus penetrates elves or dwarves, they will not be infected.

So, they only target humans?

-That’s right.

So, Sepia can definitely fight them, right?

-It’s possible. It’s possible, but I don’t know if she can withstand the lich’s magic. Insufficient data.

We can just do it. Yeah, let’s do it. Anyway, if Jonas is telling the truth, there’s a very high probability that the lich will invade our village.

-Not just high, but a 100 percent probability. The undead search for human life forever, like bees searching for honey.

Legion nodded. He patted Jonas on the shoulder.

“I’m going to go save the orcs myself. So, don’t worry too much.”

“No, not you, the human army….”

“I said don’t worry too much. I’m going.”

“So, I’m asking if there’s a human army besides you.”

“Oh, Sepia is going with me too.”

Jonas’s brow furrowed. This guy is terribly hard to understand.

* * *

Legion and Jonas hurried to leave the next morning, but they couldn’t even get out of the territory.

Silke knocked on his door early in the morning, and when he came out, still half asleep, her face was pale.

Even the expression of the rude captain of the guard, whom he rarely met, wasn’t very bright.

The captain of the guard of the territory is ‘Payne’.

His uncle put him in the position of captain of the guard as he pleased. Well, who cares who is the captain of the guard? As long as he does his job well.

Payne said.

“The undead army is attacking.”

The northern wooden fence of Alexander Territory.

The wooden fence had been repaired and built high to prevent monster attacks. Therefore, it was not easy to get over the wooden fence unless it was a wyvern [a dragon-like creature] or harpy [a winged monster] that could fly.

Wyverns and harpies live deep in the Dusselph Mountains, so they don’t usually fly here.

When he climbed the wooden fence, Baron Julian and the knights and soldiers were already in formation. It seemed that they were also preparing to leave for the Orc village.

Baron Julian glanced at Legion and turned his head.

Legion snorted and moved away from Baron Julian.

Legion assessed the situation.

Baron Julian’s private army of 50 and about 100 vigilantes were preparing for battle on the wooden fence.

The opponent is 200 undead.

And… 150 orc female warriors who have been mind-controlled.

They were also preparing to advance, making strange ‘grrr’ sounds.

On the surface, there didn’t seem to be much difference in power. This side has a 5-meter-high wooden fence. The undead’s slow movements made it impossible to jump over it.

The dangerous ones are the orc female warriors.

Their combat power far exceeds that of humans.

“Mother….”

Jonas groaned.

Amadeus was also visible. Her intense fighting spirit could be felt even here. In a word, it was amazing. He guaranteed that she seemed stronger than Payne and Shalom combined.

Who on earth is going to stop Amadeus?

Legion looked around. There was no one who could stop her.

-Kwargh!

The undead and orc female warriors’ charge began. They quickly advanced, cutting through the bushes.

“Fire!”

With Baron Julian’s command, hundreds of arrows fired by soldiers and vigilantes cut through the air. The arrows turned the undead’s bodies into hedgehogs.

The orc female warriors blocked all the arrows with their shields.

Not a single enemy fell from the arrow attacks. The undead, who had become hedgehogs, got up with the expression of ‘Did a mosquito bite me?’ and rushed towards the wooden fence.

Swaeeeeek!

Arrows continued to fly. Some undead were hit by more than 10 arrows.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!”

Someone shouted urgently.

The rain of arrows that had been flying in droves stopped for a moment. However, the undead and orc female warriors did not stop and narrowed the distance.

I think I know why someone shouted ‘Cease fire’.

Isn’t Zenon, Saikop, and four warriors mixed in with the charging orc female warriors? Their eyes were rolling back as they shouted, ‘Kill the humans!’

Legion frowned as he looked at them.

“They really do everything.”