Blacksmithing Is Child’s Play for a Dark Mage - Chapter 81
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 81
‘This is worth investigating.’
Soul Suppression. A spell that forcibly subdues and confines wandering spirits or malevolent ghosts.
With it, he could later create Spectral Property Undead like Wraiths, and even process souls themselves to use as materials.
A foundational spell for preparation, in a sense.
Tay leafed through the five Dark Magic Grimoires once more.
“In any case.”
The corners of his mouth lifted.
Expensive as they were, there was no doubt these would elevate Tay’s military strength considerably.
Skeleton Warrior Creation. Ghoul Creation. Corpse Explosion. Necro Dark Magic Imbue. Soul Suppression.
A 3rd-class Black Mage’s arsenal had just expanded by five weapons.
“Good. Let me master them one by one.”
Tay opened the first Dark Magic Grimoire.
* * *
‘This Rant. A true genius……’
Tay sat aboard the Bone Horse carriage, lost in thought.
‘Or perhaps 3rd-class Dark Magic knowledge is included in that aristocratic education of his?’
The product of Knowledge Injection magic that Rant possessed.
If vast knowledge directly injected into his mind included even 3rd-class Dark Magic knowledge, it made sense that Rant wielded advanced Dark Magic freely the moment he reached 3rd-class.
The carriage jolted.
The road was well-paved, but the carriage itself had little shock absorption to speak of.
Fortunately, Tay had installed a Hammock Chair inside the carriage, so he could bear the vibrations reasonably well.
Whenever his body swayed, the hammock absorbed the impact on its own.
‘In any case, I’ve mastered all five 3rd-class Dark Magic spells.’
Thanks to the Hunter System.
Reading the Dark Magic Grimoire and acquiring it through the system made it usable immediately, without training.
An ordinary Black Mage would take months to master a single 3rd-class spell, but Tay only had to read the book—convenient.
The power of a cheat key.
‘I’ll need to purchase the remaining Dark Magic Grimoires later.’
After earning a bit more money.
He’d spent five thousand gold coins at once……a considerable loss.
There were five more 3rd-class Dark Magic Grimoires he could buy later.
According to the list he’d checked at the bookstore, there were Limited Resurrection, Dark Magic Force Explosion, Corruption Cloud, Area Curse, and Wraith Creation.
Dark Magic Force Explosion and Corruption Cloud were the closest to what could be called area-effect Dark Magic, so they tempted him.
They said that from 3rd-class onward, you could change the tide of battle, so these two spells were absolutely necessary to learn.
Corpse Explosion was certainly a useful area-effect Dark Magic spell too, but the drawback was needing a corpse as material.
‘But how did that Rant create the Spectral Horse……’
The Spectral Horse that Rant commanded.
An Intermediate-tier Undead with a Spectral Property—a Bone Horse capable of briefly galloping through the air.
There was no spell describing such a thing in any Dark Magic Grimoire at the bookstore.
It was Rant’s own unique knowledge.
‘I should ask Rant to teach me.’
With that thought, Tay leaned back against the carriage and closed his eyes.
While thinking that the journey to Harundel was still too long.
* * *
Upon arriving at the Territory, there had been no particular problems in the interim.
The population had grown, and the Territory was bustling and teeming with vitality.
People moved along the streets, and merchants shouted in the marketplace.
From the chicken farm came the endless sound of fowl, and ships came and went at the harbor.
It seemed that even without doing anything special and simply letting time pass leisurely, the Territory’s population would keep growing and it would gradually flourish.
Arriving at the mansion while thinking such thoughts, Tay saw Rant waiting to greet him.
“What Dark Magic have you brought, my lord?”
This fellow.
He’d grown fond of practicing Dark Magic, hadn’t he?
“These.”
Tay placed five Dark Magic Grimoires on the table.
Rant examined the titles one by one, his eyes brightening.
“Skeleton Warrior Creation, hmm. And Ghoul Creation too. Corpse Explosion. Necro Dark Magic Imbue. Soul Suppression.”
Rant picked up one of the Dark Magic Grimoires and spoke.
“I wish to learn as well.”
“That’s good, then.”
Tay nodded, then something occurred to him and he asked.
“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask you. Where did you learn those 3rd-class Dark Magic spells you’re using now? I haven’t seen incantations like that in any bookstore.”
“They came from Knowledge Injection.”
Rant answered matter-of-factly.
“The family’s accumulated knowledge contains many things, including a considerable amount of Dark Magic lore. My bloodline inherits knowledge across various schools of magic, after all.”
“So you don’t need to buy any of the five Dark Magic Grimoires they sell in bookstores? You’ve already got them in your head.”
“Only the essential secrets remain in my memory. General-use incantations often aren’t included.”
Rant shook his head.
“Knowledge Injection doesn’t transmit everything perfectly. It preserves only the core secrets, and routine spells frequently go missing.”
“I see.”
Tay nodded in understanding.
“Then teach me how to make a Spectral Horse.”
The corners of Rant’s mouth lifted.
“We shall learn from each other, master.”
And so began Tay and Rant’s study sessions together.
* * *
Time passed, and winter arrived.
After the harvest festival, the cold settled in earnest, and the first snow fell on the Territory. The fields lay barren now, and the port’s trading volume had dwindled along with the winter winds.
Yet the Territory did not grind to a halt.
The chicken farm continued to operate smoothly, and expansion work was underway.
To keep the chickens from freezing to death during winter, heating apparatus were installed throughout the farm.
A Rocket Stove-Water Ondol Boiler, which Tay had designed using knowledge from his past life, was exactly what they needed.
A rocket stove is the most efficient wood-burning heater.
It burns a single log to produce remarkably intense heat, making it an extremely efficient heating apparatus with high thermal conductivity.
Connect it to a water tank and copper pipes through which water flows.
Lay those pipes beneath the ground.
And you have a water ondol boiler.
“Wondrous! The lord’s wisdom is truly magnificent!”
“It’s so warm! What were we doing using fireplaces all this time?”
“I want one of these heaters too!”
“My lord! Please sell us these heaters!”
After installing it in the chicken farm to protect the birds from the cold, the Territory’s residents who saw it petitioned to have their own made, so Tay was now manufacturing and selling them as well.
In any case.
While the Territory hummed along, seemingly idle yet bustling with activity,
Tay and Rant were absorbed in magical study.
You might call it days of mutual teaching and learning.
Tay loaned Rant the Dark Magic Grimoires he’d purchased, while Rant taught Tay the secret knowledge stored in his own mind.
As winter drew to a close, Tay had learned four additional 3rd-class Dark Magic spells from Rant.
Essence of Life.
Spectral Undead Creation.
Complete Life Force Absorption.
Bone Jar.
Spectral Undead Creation.
This was the Dark Magic spell that Rant had used to create the Spectral Horse.
The principle was this:
Grant an already-embodied Undead an additional Spectral Property.
An Undead infused with the Spectral Property could temporarily defy the laws of physics. It could gallop through the air, pass through walls—such things became possible.
Rant’s Spectral Horse was exactly such a being.
A Bone Horse granted the Spectral Property, it normally ran across solid ground but could harness spectral powers to soar through the air when needed, making it an Intermediate-tier Undead of formidable capability.
‘The applications for this are insane.’
Tay grasped it immediately.
This spell wasn’t meant only for Spectral Horses.
Use it on a Skeleton Warrior? You’d have a Spectral Skeleton Warrior—one that could pass through walls and ignore physical attacks while wielding a blade. Terrifying, from an opponent’s perspective.
An absolute nightmare, if you thought about it.
Use it on a Ghoul? It could evolve into a Spectral Ghoul.
Add Spectral Property to a body already dense with power, and you had combat strength at the upper end of Intermediate-tier Undead.
‘This was definitely worth learning.’
Next was Essence of Life.
This was a Dark Magic spell that required mastery of the prerequisite Complete Life Force Absorption before it could be used.
Complete Life Force Absorption was far more efficient than the standard Life Force Absorption spell.
While 2nd-class Life Force Absorption could extract barely half of a target’s life force, 3rd-class Complete Life Force Absorption could draw out nearly all of it.
The Essence of Life was the process of solidifying the extracted life force into crystalline form.
A mass of condensed life force, compressed into the shape of a small sphere.
It could replenish life force when consumed like a recovery potion, and it could also be used as a magical ingredient. It was Black Magic—arguably a form of Alchemy.
‘If I mass-produced these, I could start a whole recovery potion business…….’
Tay’s merchant instincts stirred, but he decided to shelve the idea for now.
And finally, the Bone Jar.
Surprisingly, this too was an interior-use Black Magic spell.
A jar made of bone, left alone, would generate water on its own.
About ten liters per day.
Not a tremendous amount, but if he made them in quantity, the picture changed entirely.
Create hundreds and position them throughout the Territory, and the water shortage problem would be completely solved.
Of course, beyond bone, the materials required were considerable, so mass production would carry some cost.
Still, once made, it was an item that would pay dividends indefinitely—economical in the long run.
Tay’s Territory currently ran along a stream, so water was not scarce at the moment.
But when he eventually expanded the Territory, it would become an essential resource.
‘Keep it on the list for now.’
After mastering all four Black Magic spells, Tay stretched and yawned.
He now had a total of nine 3rd-class Black Magic spells.
Skeleton Warrior Creation. Ghoul Creation. Corpse Explosion. Necro Dark Magic Imbue. Soul Suppression. Essence of Life. Spectral Undead Creation. Complete Life Force Absorption. Bone Jar.
He still had five more spells to buy from the bookshop, but even with just these, Tay’s combat power and Territory management capabilities had strengthened considerably.
‘I’ve made good use of winter.’
Outside the window, the snow had begun to melt.
Spring was coming.
The Black Mage Makes Blacksmithing Too Easy
Author |
Automaton G
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Team
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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