Blacksmithing Is Child’s Play for a Dark Mage - Chapter 57

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 57
If I summon two, I can only bring three each, which is a bit disappointing, but even so, the combat power of three Wolf Cavalry Skeleton Soldiers should surpass six ordinary skeleton soldiers.
“Good. Now I’ll hire three mercenaries and we can head in right away.”
The dungeon has a 5-Person Entry Limit.
So it’s best to hire additional mercenaries and enter with a full party.
Safety first, after all.
That’s how Tay had lived all this time.
And so Tay and Lant moved to clear the dungeon.
* * *
“I’m Bilton. My specialties are Shield Technique and Mace Technique. I can handle Aura a bit as well.”
“I am Hayan, a servant of the Mother of Life. As requested, I can wield 3rd Class Holy Magic.”
“I am Bolbao, an Elementalist who commands earth spirits. I look forward to working with you.”
A male warrior named Bilton who could use Aura. Hayan, a female cleric who wielded Holy Magic. And Bolbao, a male Elementalist to round out the group.
Thus Tay had hired three additional members.
They were mercenaries from the Gold Great Sword Guild, a higher tier than the Black Spear Guild.
The Gold Great Sword Guild’s baseline was Silver Rank. They didn’t even bother with Bronze Rank.
In a place composed solely of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Ranks, Tay had requested at least Silver Rank, and Gold Rank if his budget allowed.
Gold Rank mercenaries were not hired merely for having coin.
Why was that?
Gold Rank was popular. Their job queue was perpetually backed up.
With so many commissions to process, it was entirely possible their turn would never come.
But by good fortune, two Gold Rank mercenaries had become available.
Hayan and Bolbao were exactly those two.
3rd Class Holy Magic meant being equivalent to a 3rd Class mage.
However, in protecting allies and healing, she surpassed typical mages.
Moreover, an Elementalist like Bolbao was a rare Class, and their scarcity made hiring one far more difficult.
Naturally, their fee was higher than others.
Yet Tay hired them all regardless.
A cleric wielding Holy Magic was obviously necessary to heal the party in critical moments, and adding an earth Elementalist was largely due to the dungeon’s particular nature.
The Ant Dungeon.
In other words, the Ant Warren, as some called it.
Being a maze-like underground cavern, getting lost was less a possibility and more an inevitability.
But.
An earth Elementalist changed that calculus.
They could alter passages entirely or carve new routes where none existed.
‘Now that I think about it, I wish I’d brought more Undead with the Undead Control Ring and distributed them among the group.’
Tay reflected silently on this regret and resolved to do so next time.
And so the party made their way toward the Trencle Ant Dungeon.
Located in the northeast of Harundel, the dungeon entrance stood halfway up a barren rocky mountain, and the group arrived there without incident.
The entrance resembled a massive anthill’s opening.
It was wide enough for three people to walk abreast, with a downward-sloping passage that descended into darkness.
Stone tablets inscribed with the dungeon’s rules were embedded in the rocks surrounding the entrance, and before them a faint magical barrier shimmered.
“Then let’s enter. You three mercenaries first.”
At Tay’s word, Bilton nodded and passed through the barrier, shield held before him.
Bolbao followed in his wake, with Hayan slipping in quietly as the third.
Confirming they’d all passed without incident, Tay turned to Lant.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Tay and Lant crossed the barrier, followed by twelve Wolf Cavalry Skeleton Soldiers.
Tay’s six. Lant’s six.
As they crossed, there was a slight resistance, but all twelve undead entered without any problem.
‘They’re all in.’
Tay felt relief wash over him. Wolf Cavalry Skeleton Soldiers consumed two Command Stack each, but according to dungeon rules, they counted as a single entry.
It was good news.
‘Should I try making a three-unit amalgamation later?’
The dungeon interior was pitch-black darkness, exactly as expected.
Then Bolbao withdrew a Magic Lantern from his pack.
A soft green light spread outward, barely illuminating several meters around them.
It appeared the earth Elementalist drew light from minerals, as befitted his calling.
But that alone would not suffice.
“Mental Protection.”
Tay cast the Blackmagic spell first.
Dark light spread from Tay’s hands, enveloping the entire party and seeping into them.
Mental Protection—a Blackmagic spell.
The most fundamental mental defense magic that Black Mages learn.
Most Blackmagic causes mental erosion anyway, so there’s no way to skip this.
“Floating Hellfire.”
As Tay raised his hand, several dark-crimson flames manifested in the air.
The flames, forged from hellish magic, hovered in place of their own accord and cast bright light all around them.
A radiance that put Bolbao’s lantern to shame.
The entire structure of the cavern came into view at a glance.
The main passage stretching from the entrance was roughly three meters wide, with a ceiling height to match.
The walls were covered in earthen patterns carved by the ants, with small side tunnels branching off in places.
“Hayan.”
Tay called to the priestess.
“Can you locate the exit for us?”
Hayan raised her hands together without a word.
Her lips moved faintly, and white light bloomed between her palms.
Holy Magic.
The light transformed into a small sphere and left Hayan’s hands.
It drifted slowly deeper into the cavern, bypassing the left side tunnel and following the main passage until it vanished into darkness.
“Found it.”
Hayan spoke briefly. That was all.
A priestess of few words, certainly. But as a Gold Rank mercenary who wielded 3rd Class Holy Magic, her competence was beyond question.
“Good.”
Tay turned to address the group.
“We’ll proceed while taking down as many monsters as possible. Everyone follow the plan we discussed before entering.”
Tay’s gaze fell on Bolbao.
“Bolbao, conserve your strength as much as you can. Only use it when we need to create or reshape passages.”
“Understood.”
“Bilton, you protect all of us. Block any enemies that approach from our surroundings.”
“Yes.”
“Hayan, focus entirely on protection and healing.”
Hayan nodded.
“Combat falls to my undead, myself, and my disciple Lant.”
It was something they’d all heard before entering.
“Understood, Baron.”
“Yes, Baron.”
Only Hayan did not respond.
Likely because Tay was a Black Mage.
Black Mages might operate openly in this age, but a priestess taking kindly to one? Hardly.
“Then let’s begin. It seems our guests have already arrived.”
The moment those words left his lips.
Click-click-click.
Countless footsteps echoed from the darkness beyond.
And beyond the reach of the Floating Hellfire’s light, black shapes poured forth.
Ants.
Massive ants, each the size of a medium dog.
The pair of mandibles on their heads were sharp enough to sever a human forearm in one bite, and their six legs raked the ground in a rapid charge.
Even if each one was only medium-dog-sized, thirty-six of them surging forward at once created considerable pressure.
“Thirty-six… no, more are coming.”
Tay’s eyes gleamed.
This would be sufficient.
“Lant.”
“Yes.”
“Together.”
Tay and Lant cast Blackmagic simultaneously.
“Undead Enhancement.”
Black magic poured from both their hands, engulfing the twelve Wolf Cavalry Skeleton Soldiers in its surge.
At that moment, Dialogue stirred upon Tay’s shoulder.
Light flashed, and the creature’s metallic body copied Tay’s spell and cast it directly.
“Undead Enhancement.”
So Undead Enhancement was now stacked three times over.
Once from Tay. Once from Lant. Once from Dialogue.
A black aura wrapped thickly around all twelve Wolf Cavalry Skeleton Soldiers.
Black wisps rose from the bone surfaces like heat shimmer.
“Forward.”
Tay gave the command.
The Wolf Cavalry Skeleton Soldiers charged as one.
Their four legs kicked the ground with speed matching any cavalry mount, and from their human-form torsos, two hands wielded clubs in sweeping arcs.
Shriek! Crack! Bang!
Impact.
The lead Wolf Cavalry plunged into the heart of the ant swarm.
While the skeletal wolf’s lower half tore and crushed the ant’s head with its fangs, the skeleton soldier’s upper body brought down the club.
Crunch.
The ant’s exoskeleton split. Body fluid sprayed, limbs snapped, and one ant fell.
The skeletal wolf’s foreleg beside it stomped down and crushed another.
All twelve trampled through the ant swarm simultaneously.
Tearing, slashing, cutting, crushing.
The strength of skeleton soldiers under triple enhancement was incomparably greater than usual.
The ants fought back, their massive jaws clamping down on the skeletal wolves’ leg bones or hurling themselves at the upper skeleton bodies.
But bone-made undead were immune to such attacks.
With no flesh to tear, their fangs only skidded across bone, and the reinforced skeleton under triple enhancement was too solid for the ants’ jaws to break.
Tay watched the battle with satisfaction.
‘Fighting far better than I expected.’
Meanwhile, Tay’s shadow writhed.
As burst from the shadow and landed directly on Tay’s shoulder.
The mercenaries flinched visibly, but Tay paid them no mind.
It was common for a Black Mage to summon an imp, and he’d already told them about it.
Long, slender fingers stretched from the darkness, and violet magic condensed at their tips.
“Hell Magic Arrow.”
With As’s low voice, violet arrows launched continuously from the shadow.
The arrows pierced through the Wolf Cavalry’s encirclement and struck the ants that tried to flank from the side with perfect accuracy.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk-thunk-thunk.
Five magic arrows penetrated five ants respectively. All instant kills.
Thirty seconds.
Less than thirty seconds from the start of battle, and all thirty-six giant ants lay sprawled across the floor.
Silence fell.
Bilton lowered his shield and opened his mouth.
“……Aren’t we unnecessary, then?”
It was an honest observation. They’d been told to raise their shields and stand in the vanguard, yet there’d been nothing for the shields to guard against.
Bolbao made no effort to hide his shock.
A Black Mage made the blacksmith’s job far too easy.
Author |
Automaton G
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor in Chief |
Editorial Department
Publishing House |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7F Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260511100
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submission |
[email protected]
Copyright © Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. This work may not be reproduced, distributed, or used in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Dream Books.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————