The Death Mage Who Doesn’t Want a Fourth Time Chapter 125

She didn’t want to let it out.

She used reason as a weapon to firmly resist her instinctive urge.

Letting it out was, in itself, a very natural thing; it wasn’t something to be embarra.s.sed over. In fact, it was one of the essential processes in development, and reaching that stage was something to be happy about.

In fact, her companions and kouhais like Pete and Pain, the ones taking care of her and even Vandalieu were happy and congratulated her when told that she would soon let it out.

However, the timing was terrible. Once she let it out, she wouldn’t be able to move for a while, at least for a few months. It was difficult to say that she was “able to move” now, but she would become completely immobile.

That was why she didn’t want to proceed through this stage until the matter of the reincarnated individuals, which was apparently a large problem, and the matter of the n.o.ble Orc Empire, were settled.

“Pigiih~”

Quinn, who was several times the size of a regular larva, let out a frustrated cry inside her chamber in the Cemetery Bee nest.

“There, there. Unlike the business with the n.o.ble Orcs, the reincarnated individuals will take at least a decade… no, depending on how they act, multiple decades, to deal with. I’m sure you’ll make it in time,” Vandalieu said as he used his extended tongue to lick Quinn, stimulating her growth.

Indeed, Quinn was about to finally become a pupa.

Bees didn’t form coc.o.o.ns, but they closed their chambers with lids made of string-like fibers, with the soon-to-be pupa inside. It was no different for the monster bees that were Cemetery Bees.

And it seemed that the same applied to Quinn, the Cemetery Bee queen who had undergone a pseudo-reincarnation into an egg filled with death-attribute Mana.

“Pigih, pigipigippigih.”

“You’re worried about the time during which you’re a pupa? It does seem like it will take longer than ordinary bees,” said Vandalieu.

Normal Cemetery Bees took about a month to emerge with wings. Even the pupa that would become the queen bee would apparently take half a year.

However, Quinn, who had undergone a pseudo-reincarnation, was already a member of a different race that was not the Cemetery Bees. Her biology was similar, but that didn’t mean everything was the same.

It was possible that she would stay in pupa form for over a year.

“But that doesn’t mean I can keep you equipped with Insect Binding Technique as a pupa…”

“Pigih…”

The inside of a pupa was completely liquid other than the nerve cells. Thus, excessive movement would cause the pupa to die.

The pupa would be isolated from any vibrations from the outside world while equipped inside Vandalieu’s body, but there was the possibility that it would slip outside of Vandalieu’s body.

Knowing this, Quinn reluctantly backed down.

And then, seemingly having made up her mind, she began producing thread from her mouth.

“Pigih…”

“I’ll come and visit you every day when I can,” Vandalieu said rea.s.suringly as he looked at Quinn’s beautiful eyes.

Vandalieu’s image reflected off Quinn’s beautiful compound eyes until the lid made of her thread blocked him from her vision.

Once the lid completely covered Quinn, Vandalieu suddenly looked to the side.

Buzz-buzz-buzz.

Cemetery Bees used their jaws to chew up what appeared to be enormous caterpillars, rolling the minced meat into spheres. It seemed that this was the replacement for the tea cakes that Vandalieu had been feeding her.

“Fire shouldn’t be used here should it…”

It seemed that the Cemetery Bees knew better than to feed Quinn meatb.a.l.l.s made of the meat from the Reborn Sauron Duchy Army. It might simply have been because all of that meat had already been eaten, however.

The night before the journey to the Sauron Duchy, Vandalieu had Zadiris, Tarea, Datara, Luciliano and the Lich Nuaza, the leader of the Church of Vida, gather in his workshop.

“Now then, we will begin the investigation to find out the reason Lump-of-flesh-chan turned into Legion, as well as examining the Life Gold and the disappearing silver,” Vandalieu said.

This was the topic of discussion.

It seemed that Legion itself didn’t really remember why it had been reincarnated in another world with Lump-of-flesh-chan as its body, as a single organism.

But if Vandalieu could figure out just why Legion had been reincarnated into the living lump of flesh that was a failed attempt to create Darcia’s body, it was possible that it could lead to Darcia’s successful reincarnation that Vandalieu desired so badly.

“Well, not that I expect that much to come from this,” Vandalieu added.

“Indeed… Even if it is possible, it could simply result in more Legions,” said Zadiris.

“More importantly, where is this ‘Legion?’ I wanted to hear more about the time it ate the mysterious silver,” said Datara.

Legion was not present in the s.p.a.cious underground workshop. The pool that she(?) had been in as Lump-of-flesh-chan was currently empty.

“Legion seems to be tired from her first leveling session, so she is sleeping with Pauvina and Privel, who were also leveling with her,” said Luciliano with a distant look in his eyes.

“First? I heard that in that ‘Origin’ world, she was a group of warriors that went wild and ma.s.sacred over a hundred elite soldiers and even killed a number of that world’s heroes, but… have I misremembered?” Datara said, scratching his head with a baffled expression.

“It seems that in this world called Origin, there were no levels, Jobs, Ranks, skills or Experience Points,” Zadiris said. “That is why she never gained Experience Points no matter how many enemies it killed, and, of course, her level did not increase.”

“What?! It is surprising that there are more of such strange places other than ‘Earth.’”

Everyone in Lambda understood the concepts of levels, Jobs, skills and Experience Points the moment they became aware of themselves. Even toddlers who couldn’t read letters and foolish Goblins and Orcs.

The Status that could be seen through the no-attribute spell ‘Status’ that could be cast by anyone was displayed in kanji and numbers for those who could read them, like Vandalieu. For those who could only read hiragana and katakana, it would automatically be displayed in only those characters rather than kanji.

Statuses were perceived orally for those who couldn’t read at all, and those who didn’t understand words at all or those with extremely limited vocabulary simply felt a vague feeling that allowed them to understand their own Status.

For monsters with the intelligence of animals or even lower, they simply instinctively understood that they could become stronger by eating others.

However, beast and insectoid monsters instinctively understood the concepts of Ranks and levels.

That was how ordinary these concepts were in Lambda.

It seemed that it was difficult for Datara and the others to imagine a world without these concepts.

“Well, I don’t know whether there are more worlds with levels and Experience Points than without, but at the very least, Earth and Origins were worlds without them,” said Vandalieu. “So, Legion has been feeling the sensation of gaining Experience Points and hearing the announcer informing her that she has learned skills non-stop for the first time, so she seems to have become tired.”

“Experience Point intoxication, isn’t it? That once caused me an embarra.s.sing experience while I was alive,” said Nuaza.

“Yes, that is something that all who acquire battle-related Jobs must experience at least once,” said Zadiris.

There was a certain pleasant sensation a.s.sociated with gaining Experience Points. For Vandalieu, it felt something like a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.

And that pleasant sensation became a sense of exaltation when gaining a large amount of Experience Points at once. One entered a state similar to a runner’s high, or the high-tension state that resulted from staying up all night.

Apparently, this had caused troubles for Nuaza and Zadiris while they were young.

“During my first real battle, I experienced terrible Experience Point intoxication; my fatigue vanished and I went on a rampage while facing weak monsters, but… when I became sober, my fatigue returned and I felt exhausted. I made quite the embarra.s.sment out of myself in front of the other priest-warriors of my age,” said Nuaza, reminiscing.

“I experienced something similar,” Zadiris said with a nod. “When I experienced my first battle, I gained a large amount of Experience Points no matter what I was defeating.”

“I remember that as well,” said Tarea. “It was not enough to put me into high spirits, however.”

“Oh? You have not acquired a combat-related Job, but you have experienced Experience Point intoxication?” Luciliano asked her, as she had only ever acquired creation-related Jobs.

However, his question was soon answered.

“Van-sama took me with him to level up, after all. I experienced it then,” Tarea said.

When the non-combatant civilians of Talosheim were made to level up while wearing Rita, Saria and the Living Armors of the former Red Wolf Knights’ Order, Tarea had become a Rank 5 Ghoul High Artisan. Apparently, she had plainly experienced Experience Point intoxication in doing so.

“Ah, that time. Well then, that means that all of Talosheim’s citizens have experienced Experience Point intoxication,” said Luciliano.

“No, I haven’t,” said Datara.

Those with creation-oriented Jobs such as craftsmen or farmers gained Experience Points at a slow pace. Those with such Jobs earned Experience Points by performing work related to those Jobs. They couldn’t perform advanced work that would earn them a large amount of Experience Points while their levels and the levels of their skills were still low.

That was why they didn’t normally suffer from Experience Point intoxication. The citizens of Talosheim were a rare exception due to the advanced leveling that Vandalieu had made them do.

However, the craftsmen among the Undead t.i.tans, like Datara, were already far stronger than the average soldier if they were to swing their hammers as weapons, so they hadn’t required such training.

“Well, not that I want to experience it. More importantly, the topic at hand is the investigation, isn’t it? Apologies for getting off-topic,” Datara said, trying to return to the main topic, having sensed that Vandalieu might suggest that they leave the investigation until after the business in the n.o.ble Orc Empire was dealt with.

He was more interested in spending his time in the workshop with the Ghoul crafting team, which was made entirely of women, than increasing his level and Rank.

“Ah, yes. First, the cause of Lump-of-flesh-chan becoming Legion. It’s probably the doing of a G.o.d. That’s all,” Vandalieu concluded.

“Master, that is too vague,” said Luciliano. “Well, it seems to be the result of the actions of multiple G.o.ds.”

Legion’s Status displayed the divine protections of three G.o.ds.

The divine protections of Zuruwarn, the G.o.d of s.p.a.ce and creation, and Ricklent, the genie of time and magic, who were two of Lambda’s original G.o.ds, just like Vida and Alda. Plus, the divine protection of the G.o.d of Origin.

It was commonly thought that Zuruwarn and Ricklent had fallen into slumber in order to recover their power after the battle with the army of the Demon King Guduranis, but surprisingly, it seemed that they were working actively.

According to legends, Zuruwarn had manipulated s.p.a.ce and opened a door that connected worlds with one another when he summoned Zakkart, Bellwood and the other champions from the foreign world known as Earth. With him acting, it would have been possible to bring the souls of the Eighth Guidance and Gazer, Legion’s form in its previous life, to the world of Lambda.

Ricklent was a G.o.d who ruled over the time attribute as well as magic, and statues of him were enshrined in every Mages’ Guild branch. He had almost certainly used some spells to a.s.sist Zuruwarn.

However, the G.o.d of Origin was a mystery.

“Master, what kind of a being is the G.o.d of Origin?” Luciliano asked, looking curious and confused. “I have never heard you mention him at all.”

“In fact, the Holy Son once told me that it is possible that no G.o.ds exist on Earth and Origin,” Nuaza added.

But Vandalieu gave them a puzzled look himself. “I don’t know, either,” he said. “As Nuaza said, I thought that they didn’t exist, or at least that there are no G.o.ds with their own personalities and individual intentions like the G.o.ds of this world.”

When he was on Earth, he hadn’t really been a religious person. However, he hadn’t been an atheist, either.

He had simply vaguely thought that there was probably a supernatural, transcendental, divine being somewhere that was beyond human wisdom and knowledge.

It was only after he died and learned of Rodcorte’s existence that he had become aware that G.o.ds existed, however. But this had actually made him more doubtful that Earth and Origin had their own G.o.ds.

He had thought that if a G.o.d with its own personality like Rodcorte existed on Earth and in Origin, there would be more miracles and tragedies and such.

Particularly in Origin, where not only science, but magic existed as well. Even though utilizing spirits had been impossible until Vandalieu awoke to the death attribute, their existence was known.

However, hard proof that a G.o.d existed had apparently never been found in Origin.

Leaving aside the existence of religious figures, it had only been recorded in small writing in specialized books that a G.o.d likely existed, as various phenomena could be explained by the existence of G.o.d from a magical perspective.

“That’s why I thought that there wasn’t a G.o.d. The reincarnation of souls is something that Rodcorte should be in charge of, too. But this has made it clear that a G.o.d does exist in Origin,” Vandalieu said.

It was a great discovery if it could be shared worldwide. There was no way to share it with the people of Origin, however.

“And it seems that it is interested in you as well, boy,” said Zadiris.

“I’m thankful for that,” said Vandalieu.

Legion hadn’t received any messages from Zuruwarn and Ricklent, and she didn’t have any memories of being saved in the first place. Immediately after her individual souls died, the next time she awakened, she had been in that state.

However, Vandalieu couldn’t think of any other reason that Zuruwarn and Ricklent had made the effort to have Legion reincarnated where Vandalieu was.

Their exact motives for them acting as his allies was unclear, but… perhaps they were more loyal to Vida than the myths said, or perhaps they wanted to declare that they stood on Vida’s side, not Alda’s.

And the reason for the G.o.d of Origin cooperating with them and granting Legion its divine protection was even more incomprehensible.

After all, Vandalieu had no knowledge on what kind of being it was. He had the feeling that if by some miracle it had taken a liking to him, it was fine whether that was due to something that had happened while he was alive in Origin, or perhaps after he became an Undead.

After considering things up to this point, Vandalieu shook his head. “Well, I’m sure G.o.ds have their own circ.u.mstances, there are not enough materials to work with to conduct an investigation into the G.o.d of Origin, so let’s set that aside for now,” he said.

“Indeed, we do not know what kind of G.o.d it is, so it cannot be helped. If only we knew the effects of the divine protection it gave Legion, we might have a hint,” said Zadiris.

With that, it was decided that the matter of the G.o.d of Origin would be set aside. It was a mystery as to why that G.o.d had lent its a.s.sistance. Perhaps Zuruwarn had offered something to it in negotiation, or perhaps it just hated Rodcorte.

Rodcorte didn’t appear in the myths and legends of any world; he was simply a G.o.d who ruled over reincarnation. Thus, his relationships with the G.o.ds of the various worlds was unknown.

At the very least, according to what Vandalieu had heard from Fidirg and Merrebeveil, the G.o.ds of Lambda… those on Vida’s side, apparently didn’t think of him very favorably.

“I cannot go into detail, but he is s.h.i.t.”

“Sc.u.m.”

“Worse than vile.”

This had been Fidirg’s response when Vandalieu asked him about Rodcorte.

“I cannot speak in detail, but if he existed in a place my tentacles could reach him, I would wish to strangle him to death. That is the kind of G.o.d he is.”

This had been Merrebeveil’s response.

It seemed that Rodcorte had been making a mess of things in the past as well.

As G.o.ds, Fidirg and Merrebeveil hadn’t been able to explain matters regarding souls, reincarnation and past events to Vandalieu in detail, but he got a clear picture of what they thought of Rodcorte.

“There are statues of Zuruwarn and Ricklent in the Church of Vida, aren’t there?” Vandalieu asked.

“Of course, Holy Son,” said Nuaza.

G.o.ds other than Vida had also been enshrined at the Church of Vida that was currently being run by Nuaza. Statues of Alda, the G.o.d of law and fate, who was responsible for heavily wounding Vida, as well as his subordinate G.o.ds and other subordinate G.o.ds who were said to have joined his side had been destroyed, and the other statues remained as they were.

Of course, Zuruwarn and Ricklent’s statues were enshrined there.

“Well then, let us make sure to pray to them the next time we visit the Church. It seems that prayers reach the G.o.ds in Lambda, after all,” Vandalieu said.

It was difficult to imagine that the G.o.ds understood all of these prayers, however. Perhaps they would eventually send Divine Messages or something similar.

“Now then, next is Lump-of-flesh-chan that became Legion’s base, the Life Gold and the disappearing silver,” said Luciliano. “For now, let’s discuss what we know –” He began announcing what was known about each item. “First is Lump-of-flesh-chan. I believe that it was likely one of the three holy grails that Alchemists are trying to create – the base form of life.”

“… What is that?” Vandalieu asked.

“… If the one who created it does not understand, that makes things difficult, Master.”

Vandalieu had simply created Lump-of-flesh-chan as a result of using the G.o.ddess-created resurrection device after magically reconstructing it in an attempt to fix it. That was how Vandalieu felt, but Luciliano looked at him with a gaze that was as if he were looking at something disappointing.

“The three holy grails are the supreme Alchemy techniques that are considered impossible unless one becomes a G.o.d. It is said that the G.o.ds used one of these techniques when they created new life. It is otherwise known as ‘life with no soul,’” Luciliano explained.

“Is it more incredible than the Homunculus that Van-sama is trying to create as a body for Darcia-Ogibosama*?” asked Tarea, referring to Darcia as her mother-in-law.

TLN*: This is an honorific that means “mother-in-law.”

Luciliano nodded. “A Homunculus is ‘artificial life.’ It would normally be considered the step before creating the ‘base form of life.’ A Homunculus is also ‘life with no soul,’ but the versatility after creation is what makes them different. A Homunculus can only become an artificial human, but the ‘base form of life’ can theoretically become any form of life. From a mouse to a true Elder Dragon or Colossus.”

“Even an Elder Dragon! Borkus says that he can only defeat regular Dragons… Holy Son, you’ve gone and created something incredible,” said Datara. “Wait, why are you sleeping?”

Vandalieu had been attempting to create a Homunculus for the purpose of Darcia’s resurrection; it was apparently a great shock to learn that he had created something a step above Homunculi in doing so.

“No, it seems that he has simply gone limp like a dead tree from the shock,” said Zadiris, stopping him from falling onto the ground with her arms.

Why was it that he had managed to achieve a holy grail of Alchemy but failed to create a Homunculus, the step before that holy grail? It seemed extremely absurd to Vandalieu.

Still being held from falling onto the ground by Zadiris, he asked Luciliano a question. “If I created a new Lump-of-flesh-chan and put my mother’s spirit into it, would it be possible to resurrect her?”

Luciliano looked not at Vandalieu, but at Zadiris. “Zadiris, make sure you hold Master properly,” he told her. “Master, it is theoretically possible. It is possible, but it is impossible for you as you are now. That Lump-of-flesh-chan… even after it was complete, it did not accept the souls around it at all. You even tried to put spirits into it yourself, did you not? But the fact that it was impossible means that both creating it and making use of it are impossible without becoming a G.o.d or acquiring the supreme techniques of Alchemy.”

Incidentally, Vandalieu would later ask the G.o.ds that he was able to go and meet, Fidirg and Merrebeveil, to see if they could help him, only to find that it was impossible as he had expected. It was apparently possible if he didn’t mind Darcia becoming a Lizardman or a ma.s.s of tentacles, however.

“How tragic, Van-sama…” said Tarea.

“… Say, Tarea. Stop embracing both me and the boy,” said Zadiris.

It was as if Vandalieu had somehow created a nuclear fusion reactor while trying to build a steam engine.

The result was incredible, but the technology was too advanced and he couldn’t make use of it.

“Well, it is unlikely to become a living organism on its own without powerful G.o.ds acting as they did in this case, so there is no harm,” Luciliano added.

It seemed that it wouldn’t be either harmful or beneficial at this point.

“… Now then, let us pull ourselves together and move on to the Life Gold and disappearing silver,” said Vandalieu’s spirit form, which had floated out of his body.

“Judging from the fact that you’ve used Out-of-body Experience, it seems that you haven’t really pulled yourself together, but… Anyway, what I can say as a blacksmith is that both are metals, but at the same time, they are things that aren’t metals,” said Datara. “Life Gold would be simple if it were simply a metal that could change its shape. It’s as soft as clay, you see. But whether I heat it up or cool it down, it stays soft, and it keeps moving around and its shape keeps changing. If I try to hit it with my hammer, it ends up running away.”

Unlike the Death Iron and Dark Copper that Vandalieu had previously created, which were liquid metals that solidified as they were heated, Datara had struggled to make something out of Life Gold.

It was completely unaffected by the temperature. It was meaningless to put the slime-like Life Gold into a mold, and it couldn’t be forged with a hammer, either.

Tarea had also struggled to process Life Gold.

“I tried mixing it with monster materials to create paints and adhesives, but it was a complete failure. No matter what I mixed it with, it wouldn’t stop moving around,” she said. “But I found out something interesting when Datara ate the Life Gold.”

“I’m not sure if it can be called a processing method, though,” Datara said with a strange expression before opening his mouth wide, showing his teeth. There were several golden teeth among his thick, white ones.

“Are those gold teeth made of Life Gold?” Vandalieu asked.

“Yeah, these have made me feel better. Hmm, the moment the Life Gold entered my mouth, it went and became teeth for me. After that, it stopped moving on its own and stayed solid,” Datara said.

Vandalieu, who had regained his willpower, looked to see that Datara’s golden teeth were indeed motionless, staying in the shape of teeth.

“Ever since I got these gold teeth, my body’s been feeling good. My Vitality has increased; it’s like I’ve become younger,” Datara said.

“Judging from this, Life Gold cannot be used like normal metals; I think there are plenty of ways to use it other than having it eaten by Undead,” said Tarea.

It seemed that the living metal, Life Gold, could be used to repair missing parts of non-living beings such as Undead. Apparently, it even increased the Undead’s Vitality and improved their health.

“If Undead can use it, could Living Armors and Cursed Weapons not use it?” said Zadiris. “Why not test them on Rita and Saria? It could even become an accessory for them, killing two birds with one stone.”

“Indeed. I’ll test it next time,” said Vandalieu, who was still being held in Zadiris’s arms. “By the way, Luciliano, is this Life Gold another one of Alchemy’s holy grails?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea,” Luciliano said, shaking his head. “Since it is a life form without a soul, it is likely something similar to the ‘base form of life,’ but I am not a specialist when it comes to Alchemy… though I do not believe any Alchemist would know anything about the mysterious things that you create, Master. However, the disappearing silver is likely one of the holy grails, the ‘base form of spirit.’”

The disappearing silver that only Legion had been able to notice and absorb. Judging from that result, Luciliano had guessed that it was the ‘base form of spirit.’

It had been recorded in myths that in the age of the G.o.ds, the G.o.ds had used the ‘base form of spirit’ to create their own Spirit Clones and familiar spirits. When they created the humans, Elves and Dwarves, they had used the ‘base form of life’ for their bodies and the ‘base form of spirit’ to create their minds.

“However, among the three holy grails of Alchemy, the ‘base form of spirit’ is the one that is shrouded in the most mystery. To the point that most Mages believes that it is a mere concept that does not actually exist. There is not a single detailed description of it in any myths or legends,” Luciliano continued. “That is why I cannot make a certain conclusion, but Legion is likely an organism that was born when Zuruwarn and Ricklent drove the souls from the foreign world of Origin into the object that was a combination of the ‘base form of life,’ Lump-of-flesh-chan, and the ‘base form of spirit.’”

That was apparently how things were. The technology was excessive even for Luciliano, so this was the only conclusion that he could make.

“For the work of a group of G.o.ds, I feel like it was rather crude,” Tarea commended. “If they were going to do this, it would have been better to have them separate one by one and be reincarnated as humans or something similar.”

“Now, now, there is no need to say that. I am sure there were some circ.u.mstances that did not allow them to do this. And it is possible that if they were not put into that form, something might have prevented the reincarnation from being successful,” said Nuaza.

If Zuruwarn and Ricklent had been listening, they might have winced at Tarea’s words and then given the thumbs up to Nuaza’s response.

“In that case, I can’t think of any way to use the silver. For now, let’s try using it on Undead like the Life Gold,” said Vandalieu. “We’ll lose track of it without Legion holding it for us, so we’ll have to test it later, though.”

“So, Holy Son, what will you name it?” Nuaza asked.

“Let’s call it ‘Spirit Silver.’”

The ‘disappearing silver,’ or ‘mysterious silver,’ was now known as Spirit Silver. It was apparently one of Alchemy’s three holy grails. But creating it from silver caused even Vandalieu and the Undead to lose sight of it, so it was a slightly troublesome metal that needed Legion’s a.s.sistance to find a way to make use of it.

“Incidentally, what is the other holy grail of Alchemy?” Vandalieu asked.

“The creation of the divine metal, Orichalc.u.m,” Luciliano replied. “Thanks to you and some others in Talosheim, it seems to have become less impressive, however.”

“There was a Dragon-shaped Orichalc.u.m Golem, after all,” said Zadiris. “Even my staff is made of it.”

“And with the Holy Son’s fragments of the Demon King, there are plenty of materials that are easy to smith despite rivaling Orichalc.u.m,” Datara added. “It’s only natural that Orichalc.u.m seems less impressive now.”

“Now that I think about it, we are truly blessed,” said Tarea.

Since the investigation couldn’t be carried out in any more detail, it came to an end and idle chatter began.

At this rate, Vandalieu would enjoy the idle chatter for a while and then say, “See you tomorrow” and dismiss everyone.

At that moment, Vandalieu suddenly felt a gaze from above his head and looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling of this underground workshop was incredibly high. However, it appeared to Vandalieu as if there was a distorted ‘hole’ open at a height below the ceiling.

“That’s…”

Through the ‘hole,’ Vandalieu could see an enormous, shining, familiar-looking silhouette as well as a dozen more silhouettes lined up in front of him, some that looked familiar and some that didn’t.

They matched the descriptions of the deceased Bravers that Vandalieu had heard from Legion… though there were some among them who were supposed to still be alive.

Leaving that aside, this was an emergency situation.

“Is there someone’s spirit or something there, boy?” Zadiris asked curiously.

Vandalieu didn’t know what Rodcorte and the reincarnated individuals were intending to do before they were even reincarnated, nor did he know what they were able to do, and there was no reaction from Danger Sense: Death, either. But for now, he decided that everyone should step back.

“Everyone, step back –”

The moment Vandalieu felt a pain that felt as if something was gripping his heart, and he felt Danger Sense: Death reacting, he realized what they were trying to do.

This wasn’t a declaration of war, a call for discussion or reconnaissance.

It was an attack.

Material explanation:

【Life Gold】

A living metal that has transformed from gold after being imbued with death-attribute Mana. It is something similar to one of Alchemy’s three holy grails, the ‘base form of life.’

In this form, it is something resembling slime with the same ma.s.s as gold; it is alive but does not possess the ability to fight, nor can it multiply. It continues moving even when exposed to temperatures that would evaporate gold or absolute zero, but it simply moves and is not able to do anything.

Also, it does not possess a mind or a sense of self. It is impossible to have spirits inhabit it.

Its first use is that it can be eaten. Eating it grants a small amount of Experience Points. Also, it causes a slight increase in the Vitality Attribute Value.

It possesses the ability to improve health; it does not produce effects in healthy children and young people, but it improves the condition of unhealthy creatures and incomplete Undead.

By ingesting enough Life Gold, it is possible to replace chipped or missing teeth, heavily-damaged organs and bones. Also, it works as a medicine to boost s.e.xual function.

When ingested by monsters, it can cause special evolutions as their Rank increases.

For monsters without mouths (Cursed Weapons, Living Armors), there are cases where it takes effect just through direct physical contact.