Chapter 10:Finden Ai
In the field of Necromancy, the most difficult part was none other than communication with the spirits.
Unless they were extremely powerful and deeply rooted spirits, ordinary people couldn't see them.
Even the Necromancers, according to the book, could only perceive a few souls or spirits.
Because this was the realm of talent, not mana.
'But I’m not like that. I am different.'
I could see all spirits, even the most common ones, and although it caused me great pain, I could use them to my advantage.
Did mana reside in the spirits?
“No, they’re just mana mass with consciousness.”
They were just a bunch of talking mana mass, and I converted their mana into magic.
[Kekeke!][My body is burning! It’s on fire!]
[Die! You will all die!]
The magic that followed the enemy, burning until its own mana was completely consumed.
‘Even though it’s just fireball magic, it is really effective.’
The fact that magic could have willpower and act on its own was clearly a huge advantage.
Even novice magicians could easily handle it, confusing and defeating their enemies was easy with simple fireballs.
‘But...’
That was not the problem.
If it was just the Resistance, the Giant of the North, Darius, would have taken care of it.
They wouldn’t even have thought of crossing the mountain range.
It was the white wolf that bit the giant’s ankle.
And that same white wolf was running violently toward me.
I clicked my tongue at Finden Ai's speed which made me wonder if she had something attached to her feet.
“She is indeed a monster.”
She was a woman who was the final boss of a chapter. The fortunate thing was that she still didn't have her weapons or equipment properly adjusted.
‘There’s no reward given as a drop. No landing machine, no vampire touch.’
I expected it, but she was quite different from the Finden Ai I knew as the boss.
It was shabby, with poor equipment.
I thought about digging into it, but as I watched her running towards me, I changed my mind.
“Not yet.”
Even if she was a far cry from her level, I was still not enough to face her.
Darius made a terrible mistake by confronting the monster one-on-one.
I took another soul from my hand and converted the mana it contained into magic.
In an instant, it became an ice pick.
-Bang!
Despite this, Finden Ai showed no hesitation and smashed the ice while maintaining her speed.
Furthermore, she caught the shattered fragments to prevent them from reforming and turned them into dust.
[Keaeaak!]
The anguished screams of the evil spirit echoed through the air. To say it became magical was, in some ways, equivalent to saying it materialized.
It was only natural for them to suffer as well.
“You’re playing with them so amusingly, Necromancer.”
Finden Ai jumped high into the air. Despite the snow falling heavily, she attempted to strike me from above.
But with a loud clang!
Suddenly, a white god-like figure rushed at her, and Finden Ai's body spun several times in the air before landing on the ground.
"Krk, cough!"
Finden Ai groaned as she vomited blood. The Sangun who had taken her down with one hit was now standing next to me.
[We, spirit beings, must not take lives recklessly.]
"I know. Leave the finishing to me."
Saying that, I glanced at the Gocheolsang members who had adapted to my magic.
"Beat it! Keep beating it until it falls over, and eventually, its mana will be exhausted and it will disappear!"
[Damn you son of a bitch!]
[Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!]
[Do I have to die again? No! I hate it!]
“Ignore the bullshit, it’s only magic anyway!”
“Stop talking like a human to a fireball!”
[No! I’m alive!]
“F*cking bastards! You burn the whole inside of McTerry’s mouth? How can I kiss my wife!”
The Gocheolsang members reacted quickly after realizing that slashing the fireballs would cause them to vanish due to mana consumption, but they were also angry because of their initial panic, which resulted in the death of their companions.
That was what would have happened if Sangun hadn’t appeared.
- Kuwung!
As if a sports car had rammed into them, they failed to properly confirm the appearance of Sangun before their bodies collapsed to the ground.
"Kk, ugh!"
"Crack!"
Unable to even scream properly, they just moaned in pain from the sudden shock and broken bones, rolling in the snow.
‘There was a reason he was full of confidence.’
I realized that Sangun was not bluffing when he said he could easily kill ten thousand men single-handedly.
The enemies that Darius and the North Whedon's soldiers had struggled with so much were wiped out in the blink of an eye.
It wasn't an exaggeration, it really happened in the blink of an eye.
Sangun strode majestically among them, his deep blue eyes pressing into mine once more.
[I hope you don’t forget the Promise.]
"Of course. The North Whedon Mountains will no longer allow humans. I will make sure of it."
[Creak.]
With a single throaty sound, Sangun disappeared into a crystal of white light, which gradually rose into the sky in contrast to the falling hammer snow.
"Ugh!"
“As expected, your endurance is amazing.”
Finden Ai, who was struggling to get up in front of me, even after being hit by the Sangun's blow, still had the will to fight.
She was truly a difficult boss monster to deal with, growing even stronger in moments of crisis.
I used one of the trapped evil spirits to create a chair to sit on.
I was going to make a simple Ice-stump-like chair.
[Art. Although I have no hands or feet, I am an artist.]
But the soul I chose was a bit of an oddball, and he put his own design on the chair, resulting in a fairly elegant ice chair.
However, it was not bad.
Sitting there with my legs crossed, I spoke to Finden Ai.
“The Resistance of the Leaf Kingdom. Finden Ai, the leader of the Gocheolsang and your allies.”
"…!"
In an instant, Finden Ai’s neck straightened and her blood-shot eyes trembled in confusion.
“Uh, how did you… … !”
“Do I really have to explain that?”
"…."
She may not have realized what had happened, but she knew the outcome was her defeat anyway.
Clenching her fists, Finden Ai tried to get up with her limp arms.
However, she continued to slip and fall in the piled-up snow again and again.
“Deus Verdi. I’m the second son of the North Whedon Count's family and the younger brother of Darius, the man you ruthlessly destroyed.”
“Deus… Verdi.”
“I’m not very well known. Darius’s name was so prominent that it was overshadowed.”
Even in this situation, Finden Ai continued thinking of my name. I was convinced that one day she would surely bite and kill.
So I clicked my tongue.
Finden Ai had a beastly side to her, and while she was among the best in the continent in terms of strength, she lacked a cool head.
“Why do you think I am keeping you alive?”
“……Huh”
“Answer me. If you can’t answer that much, there’s no need to waste any more time.”
If Fendenai couldn't make a rational decision beyond my expectations, I was ready to kill her without hesitation.
However, Finden Ai answered, biting her lip.
"You want something."
"It's an insufficient answer, but I'll give you a passing grade for it."
Before I knew it, my chin was resting on the armrest of the chair created by the evil spirit.
This guy might be more useful than I realized.
“I’ve heard that the crackdown on the Resistance has intensified in the Clarke Republic. I’m told it’s due to a specialized group called the Relief Unit.”
Relief Unit.
A professional organization was created in the Clark Republic to eliminate Resistance such as the Gocheolsang and others.
Before fighting Finden Ai, I could briefly use one of the Relief Units as an ally, but this guy was quite strong.
“Relief Unit, huh. Isn’t it just a group that exterminates pests?”
The meaning was being used as if it saved citizens and eliminated Resistance, but it was just the same as the extermination used to eliminate pests.
It was no different than the remedy used to eradicate pests, and the pests, in this case, were the Resistance.
My lips twitched with cynicism.
It was a part where I could feel, at least in part, how they were treated.
“For you to be crushed to death here like this is a fitting end that the Republic wants.”
“You bastard… … !”
After several attempts to get to her feet, Finden Ai finally managed to lean her back against a tree. However, the shaky legs showed no sign of recovery yet.
“However, if I had intended to do that, I would have already trampled you to death.”
"What's the meaning of all this since earlier?"
“Two things.”
I raised the index and middle fingers of my right hand.
“I give you two choices. One was to stay here, buried in the snow, and be crushed to death by me. Like a worm.”
Finden Ai was a popular character because she had her own backstory and was quite good-looking in design.
But I didn't need any of that. It was so useless that it could be thrown in the trash.
What was important to me was…
She made countless players rack their brains, made them challenged several times, and created a level of difficulty that forced them to level up.
The strength of Finden Ai.
“The only thing left for you is to be mine.”
I needed her strength.
“What?”
Before she could react properly, I slowly rose from my chair.
“If you obey my commands, if you follow them, I will give you everything you’ve ever sought in the kingdom.”
Finden Ai had fled the Clark Republic over the mountain range to the Griffin Kingdom for a variety of reasons.
The Relief Unit was too powerful for her, so her flight began there.
They were running low on supplies, had no power, and had no base of operations.
So, Finden Ai planned to go over to the relatively spacious kingdom, hoping to establish her own base, grew the size of the Resistance again in the kingdom, and returned to the Republic.
In fact, in the game, she never made it to the Republic, but she did manage in growing size.
“I will provide you with supplies, I will give you a place to stay, and give you a job to fund it.”
“What, what are you talking about?”
It was not difficult to grasp.
Even an elementary school student should be able to understand this.
I was scouting her.
“Even the Republic will not be able to attack us, the nobles and margraves of the Kingdom.”
“...”
“The other members are secondary. Only you. If only you would come under me.”
I got up from the chair and got down on one knee in front of Finden Ai who was leaning against the tree.
Our gazes were leveled.
I gently stretched out my hand to the startled and flustered woman.
"I will be the wall that protects you."
The younger brother of the Count of North Whedon.
The second son of the Verdi family.
The disbarred Professor of the Academy.
A damn near insignificant position.
However, for a wolf who had lived as a slave, fought in the Revolutionary Army, and needed a moment of rest.
It was a position that could serve as a windbreak.
“Five years...”
“...”
“...And after that, I will set you free. At that time, whether you go back to the Republic and start a revolution or give up and live, I won’t care.”
By then, I would know if the end of this world was a happy ending. Or a f*cking tragic one.
Therefore.
“Be mine, Finden Ai.”