Blacksmithing Is Child’s Play for a Dark Mage - Chapter 9

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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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Episode 9
Walking Mushroom’s Nest.
Tay had decided to call it his larder.
Luring out one of them carefully and disposing of it was child’s play.
After that, it was just a matter of cooking and eating.
There was clean water here, so he wouldn’t starve for lack of food or fresh water.
Once he’d secured provisions and water, Tay began to explore cautiously.
He picked his way through the nest, moving carefully.
It became clear that several monsters were dwelling here as well.
“Rat Warriors, it seems.”
Eight Rat Warriors were dragging two corpses—one a goblin, the other human.
“Will you avoid them?”
“No. I’m hunting them.”
The Hunter System was back online—there was no way he was letting these creatures pass. He needed to level up.
“You’re aggressive. But you must gauge your Mana carefully.”
“I learned Soul Theft recently. I’ll be fine.”
“Hmm… it does replenish your Mana quite well, but still—be careful not to die. I have no wish to lose my contractor yet.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Tay aimed his Staff as he spoke. The distance to the Rat Warriors was considerable.
He’d approached from behind, so they hadn’t noticed him yet.
Perfect conditions.
“Curse of Pain.”
As Tay cast the black magic, Grasharabol Asias began to cast as well.
The Imp’s Curse of Pain erupted—two Rat Warriors shrieked and collapsed at once.
While they panicked and cried out, Tay fired off another Curse of Pain in quick succession.
The third creature convulsed in agony.
The remaining ones spotted him.
“Shrieeek!”
Just as they lunged in fury, the Imp’s Flame Black Magic detonated.
Whoosh!
Flames clung and seared flesh. The fourth Rat Warrior was neutralized instantly.
The rest hesitated, realizing the dire turn, then fell victim to Mental Erosion.
All four remaining creatures smashed their heads against walls, curled into balls and trembled, or turned their claws on themselves.
All eight disabled in a single volley.
“Lucky—no berserk phase. Now then. Soul Theft.”
Tay murmured and cast Soul Theft. A spirit tore free from one of the dying creatures.
The Ratman fell dead. A fragment of soul settled into Tay’s palm.
What came next was simple.
Soul Theft again, close in, and finish them with the Ratman Skull Staff.
Killing creatures broken by despair, roasting under clinging flame, or writhing in agony from Curse of Pain was effortless.
Eight Rat Warriors dispatched in moments.
“How is your Mana?”
“Fully restored.”
“Interesting… are humans truly so efficient?”
“Perhaps.”
‘That’s the Hunter System at work, no doubt.’
Tay thought as much to himself.
“Come then. Let’s continue exploring.”
He pressed deeper into the Sewers, marking his path as he went. Though it resembled a maze, the markers ensured he could always find a way forward.
The problem was simple.
He had no idea where he was going.
But one thing was certain.
He had to move upward.
That was the only way to reach the surface.
* * *
“Damn it! What’s all this commotion?”
“You don’t know?”
“How should I? Melissa, you’re a mage—don’t you have any information?”
“I specialize in Destruction Magic. Stop asking me when you already know.”
Murmurs and chatter filled the air.
All the masters of the mercenary guilds with substantial power in Harundale had gathered together.
Brendal, master of the Black Spear Guild.
His nickname was the Black Spear, the same as his guild’s name—a title earned because his Aura was black.
Melissa, master of the Magician’s Shelter Guild. A 5th Class mage specializing in Destruction Magic.
Her nickname was the Red Witch, and she was notorious for her volatile temperament.
Heron, master of the Steel Shield Guild, who bore the nickname Iron Wall, was famous for owning a Full Plate Armor enchanted with powerful magic.
They were all accomplished masters with their own disciplines.
Thirty-six mercenary guild masters had gathered in this way.
As befitted a massive commercial city, countless guild masters had assembled.
A Great City with a population exceeding two million—a scale rare even in this pseudo-medieval world—so it was only natural that multiple mercenary guilds had established themselves here.
Then a knight entered the meeting room, which had been loud as a marketplace floor.
And several more knights filed in behind her.
At that, the guild masters fell silent.
Clang. Clang. Clang. Clang.
And then a beautiful woman entered, the metal of her armor ringing with each step.
Clad in Full Plate Armor, her very presence commanded both an overwhelming sense of pressure and an undeniable majesty.
As she took her seat at the head of the table, the elderly knight standing behind her spoke.
“All rise. The rightful ruler of Harundale and its legitimate master, the Marquis of Harundale, has graced us with his presence. Show proper respect.”
Scrape! Click!
Every master of the mercenary guilds rose from their seats at once.
They dropped to one knee and bowed their heads in obeisance.
“We greet you, Marquis of Harundale!”
“I am grateful for your welcome. Please, be seated.”
The Marquis of Harundale.
More precisely, the woman who bore the long name Grimoire Arcane Spell Elfin Harundale.
She was the master of the vast commercial city of Harundale and ruled the broad surrounding territories in the name of the Marquisate, centered on this great city.
Though her appearance suggested a woman of twenty summers, her capacity for governance and personal martial prowess were among the kingdom’s finest.
That such a one would appear in person at a meeting of mercenary guild masters—who would have expected it?
‘What? Why is the Marquis here……?’
‘Damn it. Is the Sewers incident larger than we imagined?’
‘The anomaly in the Sewers only happened recently. She wouldn’t have come to rebuke us already, would she?’
‘What in the world is going on?’
The mercenary guild masters had gathered to discuss the anomaly that had occurred in the ancient underground Sewers—a relic of old Harundale.
Few of the mercenaries who had ventured into the Sewers had returned alive, and all of them spoke of the sewers transforming into something like a dungeon.
Controlling the monster population in the Sewers was the primary responsibility of Harundale’s mercenary guilds.
If they failed in this duty, the Marquis’s household—who had granted them permission to remain in Harundale—would not forgive them.
“It appears my arrival has taken you all by surprise.”
The silence that fell over the assembled crowd grew heavy.
“You have, by and large, handled your duties admirably, ensuring that monsters do not overflow from the Sewers according to your contracts. I wish to make clear that I have no complaints in that regard. However, you must be curious why I have come here myself, are you not? Is that not so, Deluan?”
Among Harundale’s mercenary guilds, there was one with the largest and strongest power base.
It was called the Burning Sword Guild, and its master was a man named Deluan Pakion, who possessed the prowess of an Upper-Class Knight.
Originally a Knight-Errant, he had established himself here and founded a mercenary guild—a self-made man of remarkable ambition.
Since Knight-Errants themselves lived lives not so different from mercenaries, it was hardly unusual.
Still, the rank of knight itself was genuine.
In other words, he held a place, however modest, among the nobility.
“If I may be so bold as to ask, Your Highness—what brings you to grace our council with your presence?”
“It is a grave matter, or perhaps a trivial one, depending on your perspective. Some fool has triggered the Great Purification from deep within the Sewers.”
“The Great Purification, you say……?”
“Ivan.”
“I shall explain from here.”
The elderly knight stepped forward.
He was Ivan Terpart, the captain of the knight order of the Marquis’s household—an Upper-Class Knight.
“You all know that the Sewers beneath Harundale are the remnants of an ancient ruin. They are…….”
The old knight’s explanation continued thus.
The ancient Sewers purify water and supply clean water to the city—a purpose achieved through ancient magic and techniques long lost to time.
What that magic and those techniques were cannot be discerned by our current knowledge. For that reason, we cannot tamper with them.
However, certain knowledge regarding this ancient ruin has been passed down through generations to the rulers of Harundale, the Marquis’s household.
The Great Purification is one such piece of knowledge.
When a certain level of filth accumulates, or when significant damage occurs within, the Great Purification is triggered.
It then works to purify all the accumulated filth within or to restore damaged sections on its own.
During that time, the water supply is cut off, and nothing inside the Sewers can emerge outside.
The duration of Great Purification varies, but regardless, the issue is that no one can enter or exit before it concludes.
And.
Once Great Purification begins, the Golems that maintain the Sewers are programmed to treat any living creature inside as a “pest” and eliminate them entirely.
“B-but then, our guild members who went inside……?”
Someone asked that question.
“They will probably all die.”
Ivan answered plainly.
The guild masters were aghast.
All of them would die?
Some guilds fell into despair, others wore bitter expressions, and still others exhaled sighs of relief.
The fates of the guilds diverged sharply depending on how many members had entered the Sewers.
Then the Marquis spoke.
“That is merely rudimentary information. I did not come here for such trifling matters.”
At the Marquis’s words, all eyes turned toward him.
The loss of most of the mercenaries was a trifling matter?
The Dark Mage Blacksmith is Too Easy
Author |
Automaton G
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Samyang C&C Corp.
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Editorial Department
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The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Corp. – 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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