The Mage’s Nemesis Has Reincarnated - Chapter 175

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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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The Natural Enemy of Mages Has Been Reincarnated – Episode 175
[You may now use Dragon Speech.]
‘Dragon Speech?’
Zeke McLafflin’s eyes widened in surprise.
I hadn’t expected a new technique to unlock.
‘Did it open when the Dragon Power stat reached 20?’
I’d sensed it was a special stat, but I never imagined something like this was hidden away.
Zeke paused the slaughter momentarily and focused on the emerging explanation.
[Dragon Speech is a technique unique to the Dragon Race, an utterance-based skill that interferes with the material realm using a distinctive frequency.]
[It requires neither mana nor magical energy—the skill can only be activated while in a state of Dragon Power emission.]
[Dragon Power automatically dissipates each time you use Dragon Speech, remaining inactive otherwise.]
In all my life, the system had rarely continued explaining like this.
‘Is it because such a special function has been unlocked?’
Even after hearing the explanation, I couldn’t grasp how to use it, but the message wasn’t finished yet.
[A Dragon Speech skill list has been added to your status window.]
[Dragon Speech Skill: Dragon Fear]
―Effect: Instills fear in enemies within a 20-meter radius. If fear is already present, the effect is greatly amplified. The probability of instilling fear in high-ranking beings is reduced.
―Special Notes: Target your opponent, then speak the skill name to activate it. You can adjust the desired range. The higher your Dragon Power stat, the greater the range and the increased probability of instilling fear in high-ranking beings.
[Each time your Dragon Power stat increases by 20 units, an additional Dragon Speech skill is unlocked.]
‘Ah, so that’s what it was. The reward that came through.’
The Quest reward that had been obscured by a question mark earlier was exactly this.
Dragon Speech, Dragon Fear.
‘Looking at my status window, the Dragon Speech skill list really has been added.’
Though Zeke McLafflin smirked, to the Lich Dragons, that expression was pure terror itself.
How could it not be frightening—suddenly stopping mid-slash to grin at empty air?
“Hey, break the barrier quickly!”
The Lich Dragons began pounding on the barrier near the Exit in unison.
But there was no way ordinary strength could shatter a wall made of mana.
“Hey! You slave!”
“Y-yes?”
“Why are you standing there like an idiot? Get over here and use that strength of yours! You’re strong, aren’t you?”
At the command of the master Lich Dragon, the slave dragon moved.
But oddly enough, it walked toward the master instead of the barrier.
“Why are you coming this way? Not here—over there!”
“You don’t need to shout. I can hear you just fine.”
“What?”
The master’s eyes went wide with shock at the slave’s defiance.
“Has this bastard gone mad?”
“Yeah, I have.”
The slave spoke and threw a punch in the same motion.
Hack!
“Crack!”
My teeth shattered as the Lich Dragon staggered backward.
Just as I’d said—raw strength was my forte.
“Y-you insane bastard, you’re gonna die!”
“Die? Who’s dying? You’re the ones dying. Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I’ve been eating scraps for years.”
Unless one was a fool, no slave among the Lich Dragons could fail to recognize the crisis they faced.
That their magical power and mana were being severed.
As my master flinched at the truth of my words, my fist—laden with years of resentment—came flying.
Crack! Smash! Bang!
I unleashed a one-sided barrage of blows.
Venting all the grievances I’d suppressed, I pummeled my master dragon relentlessly.
“Die! Die! Die, you bastard!”
I’d beaten his face beyond recognition, but a Lich Dragon was a Lich Dragon.
The mana flowing from his very soul swiftly restored his visage.
“You… damned slave worm…!”
“Ah…”
The creature, now whole despite being a pulped mess moments before, rose to his feet—and I panicked.
How could I kill him?
No method came to mind in that instant.
Thrust!
“Gasp!”
Zeke’s blade did what I could not.
Thud!
The fallen Lich Dragon did not rise again.
It could not restore its body.
Regardless, Zeke was reading the messages.
[Lich Dragon Defeated 43/53]
[Slave Dragon Liberated 20/20]
[Dragon Force +1]
[Located and eliminated the source of mana.]
[Absorbing all mana held by ‘Carsiphlianos’.]
[Absorbed 4,533 mana.]
[Skill proficiency increased by 4,533.]
[Proficiency remaining until 9-Star Achievement: 216,252/300,000]
By slaying forty-three Lich Dragons, I absorbed their mana—the very essence of their being.
Even the mana latent within their souls.
‘Mana absorption alone couldn’t draw out the mana embedded in their souls.’
That’s why soul-severing was so effective.
It could kill Lich Dragons and absorb their mana simultaneously.
‘I wondered when I’d reach the ninth star, but this might happen faster than I expected.’
Zeke McLafflin smiled as he gazed upon the Lich Dragons.
‘Let me test out this newly acquired skill.’
He decided to demonstrate the skill on these fear-stricken creatures.
“Dragon Fear.”
Dragon tongue flowed from Zeke McLafflin’s lips as a surge of draconic power radiated outward, however briefly.
It lasted only an instant, so no one noticed, but the effect was unmistakable.
A shudder rippled through them.
The ten Lich Dragons that had been targeted convulsed suddenly, as though seized by epileptic fits.
They had been gripped by terror.
“Aaaaahhhhh….”
“Uuuuhhhhh….”
The creatures that had been pounding against the walls moments before now stood rigid as statues.
Through their thoughts, I could sense they no longer possessed the courage to attempt escape.
‘This is convenient. I won’t even need to chase down fleeing ones.’
Zeke McLafflin walked forward at a leisurely pace.
Thunk!
A sword thrust through each chest was all that was needed.
Then the magical essence was absorbed automatically, and the Quest counter incremented.
“Kardeipor. You were here?”
“Aaaaahhhhh….”
“You’ve suffered under my torment all this time, haven’t you? Let me put you at ease.”
Slice!
A message appeared along with the severed head falling.
[Absorbing all magical essence possessed by ‘Kardeipor’.]
After dispatching the Lich Dragons one by one, I finished off the trembling administrator last.
[Absorbing all magical essence possessed by ‘Carvilrud’.]
[Lich Dragon Elimination 53/53 Complete!]
[Enslaved Dragon Liberation 20/20 Complete!]
[Main Quest Cleared!]
There was no separate reward message, but the rewards had already arrived.
Twenty draconic power stat points and the dragon tongue skill Dragon Fear.
My magical essence absorption skill proficiency had nearly reached 250,000.
‘If I absorb just fifty thousand more magical essence, I can achieve my seventh awakening.’
While I was smiling at the satisfying results, there was a being moving with the silence of a cat burglar, attempting to slip away—not a person, but a dragon.
It was Clifford Stewart, a spy planted by the Lich Dragons and a Forerunner.
Zeke McLafflin was aware of him through his hunter’s senses, but deliberately averted his gaze and pretended ignorance.
‘I won’t touch the Forerunners. No Quest has appeared for them yet.’
Seeing his face was enough.
If I wished, I could locate him anytime through Earth Tracking.
Tap, tap, tap!
Carbollearos shouted as he watched me dash rapidly beyond the Corridor.
“Zeke! Over there—!”
“Let him go. We need someone to spread word of what happened here.”
“What? Ah….”
Carbollearos nodded in understanding.
If rumors spread that I’d annihilated the Lich Dragons single-handedly, attention would shift away from the enslaved dragons.
The focus would be on tracking me, not coercing the slave dragons.
―To think you’d show such consideration for my brethren….
A voice filled with emotion reached me through our connection, but I could only feel bewildered.
I hadn’t intended any of this—I’d simply followed the Quest.
‘Well, it works out fine. There’s nothing wrong with helping dragons.’
Even if they’d misunderstood my motives, I had helped them, hadn’t I?
Perhaps that’s why the enslaved dragons gazed at me with such peculiar expressions.
Expressions of disbelief that they’d ever escape the Lich Dragons.
Expressions of shock at receiving aid from a human.
Expressions of uncertainty whether this was dream or reality.
Their looks varied greatly, yet one thing remained constant.
Gratitude—genuine gratitude in their hearts toward me.
One of the twenty enslaved dragons, who’d been hesitating, finally gathered courage and approached me.
“Human, thanks to you we’ve been freed from the Lich Dragons. We are truly grateful.”
“We wish to know the name of our savior, the one who vanquished our eternal enemies.”
“Would you please tell us your name?”
Just as I was about to speak.
“This fellow’s name is Zeke McLafflin. He’s your savior and a descendant of the divine.”
Carbollearos cut in and answered for me.
I shrugged indifferently, but the dragons’ expressions toward Carbollearos turned ice-cold.
“Why, why are you looking at me like that…?”
“You said Zeke? Why are you with that sinister Lich Dragon?”
“You killed all the other Lich Dragons—why did you spare that one?”
It seemed they’d mistaken Carbollearos for a Lich Dragon, having seen him at the meeting.
Carbollearos, who’d been flustered, grasped the situation and moved to clarify.
“I am Carbollearos, a Gold Dragon. I merely pretended to be a Lich Dragon to extract information from them.”
Once he explained the circumstances and purpose of coming to the meeting, the wariness vanished from the dragons’ eyes.
“We apologize for the misunderstanding, Carbollearos.”
“It’s fine. Just call me Carbol.”
“I am Cardiplian. Please call me Cardi—ugh.”
Cardiplian’s brow furrowed as he spoke.
The Arcnium collar prevented him from using mana, making wound recovery impossible.
“Wait. Let me remove that collar for you.”
Zeke McLafflin also stepped forward and unfastened the collars, freeing the twenty enslaved dragons from their oppression at last.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, Zeke McLafflin.”
The moment the collars came off, the enslaved dragons set about restoring themselves.
They had taken a thorough beating from the Lich Dragon moments before, and their bodies were in terrible condition.
The most severe case was Cardiplian, whose knees had been shattered.
A low rumble escaped his throat.
“Tch, the healing isn’t taking effect.”
Carbollearos attempted to restore Cardiplian’s body, but it proved largely ineffective.
Healing magic works best for those who have mastered it through practice, but when learned superficially like Carbollearos had, the results were minimal.
“Step aside.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Zeke McLafflin came forward.
A radiant shimmer filled the air.
The Blessing of Light completely restored Cardiplian’s knees.
The recovery was so swift that even a high priest would have been astonished—both Cardiplian and those watching felt their eyes widen in disbelief.
“Such… such rapid healing…”
“Truly… remarkable, Zeke McLafflin.”
Despite being human, they spoke to Zeke McLafflin with formal respect and courtesy.
When someone has pulled you from the depths of despair where not even a glimmer of light remains, whether human or dragon, gratitude becomes inevitable.
Zeke McLafflin, too, elevated his speech as a gesture of respect.
“If I may ask—how did you come to be captured by the Lich Dragon?”
“That was…”
Zeke McLafflin inquired about the circumstances of their capture, and the dragons had to dredge up memories spanning thousands of years.
“It was three thousand years ago. After we suffered a devastating defeat in battle against the Lich Dragon, we were forced to choose: death or slavery. In truth, there was no choice at all.”
Though they had chosen slavery, they soon realized they had made a grave mistake.
Life as a slave was more agonizing than death itself.
“Slavery was a torment worse than hell itself. The suffering was so unbearable that I wished to end my own life, yet a stubborn resolve took root within me. I swore I would not die in peace until I had avenged myself and my kin against those traitors who abandoned us and made pacts with demons.”
“So I endured, gritting my teeth. I waited for the day of vengeance.”
“Yes. Thinking of my brethren in the same predicament, I persevered through the pain. If I died, I would find peace, but my kindred would still suffer.”
Zeke McLafflin found himself thinking they were truly remarkable.
They had endured thousands of years of torment through nothing but love for their kin and a sense of solidarity.
“Meeting you today, Zeke McLafflin, makes me feel that our perseverance was worthwhile.”
“Indeed. All the suffering we endured was for this moment, this very instant.”
“Meeting you, Zeke McLafflin, is the greatest fortune of my entire existence.”
“You’re too kind. You’re making me embarrassed…”
Even as he spoke those words, a smile played at the corners of Zeke McLafflin’s mouth.
Who wouldn’t feel pleased upon receiving such gratitude?
While basking in the warmth of satisfaction, Zeke McLafflin recalled something important and asked.
“By the way—do you happen to know the whereabouts of the other enslaved dragons?”

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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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