A Dragon Zombie is a magic beast created by resurrecting and enraging the corpses of Dragon Species.
They are fundamentally devoid of reason or intellect, solely focused on defeating their opponents.
For an ordinary person, their capabilities pose a threat on par with a natural disaster.
If we simply focus on their raw power, their disinhibited state allows them to exert even greater strength than the original Dragon they were based on.
The Dragon’s signature Breath, combined with their Undead nature, makes them even more formidable.
Furthermore, their lack of complex thought allows them to relentlessly push forward with brute force, leveraging their significantly increased vitality as a shield.
In essence, they employ sheer brute force tactics.
Mages and Healers, being backliner classes, stand no chance against such an onslaught.
Even frontliners could be crushed by their sheer mass and violent attacks, highlighting their troublesome nature.
As for weaknesses, like with all Undead, Holy and Light attributes are effective. However, the Fire attribute, which Dragons typically excel at, also becomes effective against them due to their Undead state.
Given their formidable abilities, a frontline fighter wielding only simple sword techniques would find them to be nothing short of a mortal enemy.
“Or so I thought.”
As I witnessed such a threat, a dejected sigh escaped my lips, accompanied by a puff of white smoke.
“You seemed eager to bite me without hesitation, so I assumed your defense was solid… Was I mistaken?”
I tilted my head in confusion, having easily dealt with the Dragon Zombie.
If Kaido were to hear my current words, he’d likely shake his head vigorously and retort,
“Senpai, you’re the abnormal one!!”
It ended that easily, so I hope my near-complaining words can be overlooked.
In response to the Dragon Zombies’ pincer attack, I first dashed towards the one directly in front of me, landing a single blow as I passed. Then, turning back, I leaped at the other charging towards me with the intent to crush it, landing another strike on its neck.
That was all it took to sever the thick dragon necks.
Yes, I cleanly severed the necks of both dragons.
The entire exchange lasted mere seconds.
If they had retained their reason and intellect, the outcome might have been different, but that’s purely hypothetical.
The scene unfolding before my eyes remained unchanged, no matter if I blinked or looked away.
“Well, it’s fine. If it requires little effort, it’s easier for me.”
Though I felt a slight lack of challenge, I accepted the result and filed away the surprisingly short battle in the back of my mind, deeming there was nothing more to do here.
Then, while remaining vigilant of my surroundings, I slowly began walking towards my destination once more.
Sensing the slightly damp ground beneath my feet, I submerged myself into the gradually thickening miasma.
My vision was unimpaired.
Although the visibility was so poor it could be called dense fog, I could ascertain my surroundings with the aid of my other senses.
My beast-like sensory perception is a honed skill; without it, I would be utterly trounced by those instructors. It’s a testament to my instincts and honed physical abilities.
The harmful miasma posed no immediate threat to my body.
Instructor Fushio had taught me that miasma invades and corrupts the body by being absorbed, where it then erodes the internal magic, transforming it from its normal state into a poison.
It is absorbed through all forms of respiration, not just the nose and mouth, but also through the skin. At this concentration, anyone venturing forth without countermeasures would quickly fall ill.
Naturally, I had learned how to prevent this.
After all, I had trained extensively with individuals who emitted such miasma.
Instructor Fushio’s miasma, even when suppressed and released in small quantities, was so concentrated that it exceeded the effects of a potent poison if received directly. How do I know this?
Because I once took it directly and was brought to the brink of death, damn it.
If not for Suella’s treatment, I might have had an appointment with Enma, the King of Hell. It’s a bitter memory.
Thanks to that experience, I’ve acquired the skill to withstand this level of miasma with no more than slight breathlessness.
Now, to stray from the topic.
One method to protect against miasma involves preventing the absorption of external magic and instead purifying the magic within the body through internal circulation.
This method allows for an increase in internal magic output without absorbing external magic, and furthermore, this magic can then create a protective membrane around the body to ward off miasma.
To put it simply, it’s like kneading dough: the more you knead it, the chewier it becomes.
Similarly, by circulating and layering magic like a blacksmith repeatedly folding steel, I raise the quality of my magic, increasing its output while simultaneously reducing the cost of magic-use in inverse proportion.
Of course, without external absorption, my magic reserves deplete much faster than usual.
This is merely an economy measure, not a solution.
Ideally, it would be far more efficient to erect a barrier or purify the miasma.
However, as I am incapable of doing so, I resort to these methods.
Even so, it extends my activity time within the miasma by more than tenfold, so it’s a useful technique to know.
“…A magic circle, just as I predicted. It’s outside my area of expertise.”
Finally, I arrived at my destination.
In a small hollow, a subtly crafted magic circle glowed purple.
Lines of the same color extended from the circle in four directions, suggesting, from a layman’s perspective, that they were supplying magic power to other locations.
“Can I just cut this thing apart?”
Judging by its appearance, it seemed less like a summoning circle and more like a device that draws magic from ley lines to supply other magic circles.
The two Dragon Zombies earlier were likely guarding it.
The standard method for dispelling such magic circles is to deactivate them according to the established procedure.
However, that would likely only be known by the creator, and for me, who can only use basic magic, it’s like being told to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem out of the blue.
Therefore, my options are limited to the brute-force, brainless methods.
I leaped into the hollow and approached the purple crystal, roughly my height, at the center.
“This must be the origin.”
It exuded an aura of great importance.
It radiated a significant amount of magic, as if to prove its significance, but I felt no resistance to its destruction—it could likely be cut and broken.
However, if this crystal were acting as a valve to regulate magic flow, destroying it would mean the magic currently being released would become a torrent, causing a catastrophic flood.
In that scenario, even my considerable resilience would be in jeopardy.
“So, should I cut the magic circle itself? Or perhaps I should cut through the surrounding rocks and bury it? Or maybe I should try to cut through the surrounding miasma with sheer willpower?”
An array of increasingly brainless methods began to run through my mind, but none seemed ideal or likely to resolve the situation cleanly.
“Haa, I thought I could solve this with impulse, but some things just can’t be done. Summoning Valse-san and freezing this space would be the quickest, but… that’s not an option either, is it?”
I cautioned myself against acting without thinking.
Spirit summoning, the ultimate resort. Even that method was merely a postponement, not a solution.
Perhaps it would be better to simply eliminate the surrounding enemies and wait for the Supervisor’s unit to arrive.
Despite thinking I’d surely be laughed at by Valse-san for just turning back without accomplishing anything, I judged that inaction was unavoidable and decided on a course of action. Just as I was about to move.
“Gah!?”
The sense of heightened alert to killing intent, drilled into me by the instructors, sent an electric jolt through my brain.
A chill ran down my spine, and trusting the ominous premonition, I swung my ore tree with all my might towards the seemingly empty space behind me.
I felt the distinct sensation of cutting through something.
Immediately after.
“Aaaaagh! My arm!? My arm!?”
“Who the hell are you!? And this sword…”
A scream erupted from the space where I had swung.
He wasn’t there moments ago.
That much is certain.
But before I knew it, I was attacked, and instinctively swung my ore tree. Blood splashed, and a man knelt there, clutching his arm.
Turning around swiftly, I checked the man’s face, but only a vague sense of familiarity came to mind.
However, I had a strong hunch about what applied to this situation.
Moving only my gaze, I looked at the fallen short sword near the man, its hilt still attached to his wrist. I was certain.
I immediately determined it was a dangerous artifact and cut it with my ore tree.
“Phew, that’s that. Huh?”
Having bisected the short sword right in the middle, I confirmed its ominous aura had vanished. Once that was done, my attention shifted to the attacker.
Black hair, black eyes, a face that looked undeniably Japanese.
Without needing to question why he would be here alone, I deduced that he must be the culprit behind the magic sword incident. The attack on me, coupled with the short sword that resembled a magic sword, provided too much circumstantial evidence.
I wondered why he had gone silent so quickly after screaming in pain earlier. Upon checking, I found…
“It came off, it came off, ahhh, it came off.”
Seeing the sword split in two, all his previous cries of pain were gone. He muttered to himself, muttering something that exuded a dangerous aura.
I really didn’t want to deal with a man clearly not in his right mind, but I couldn’t just leave him here.
“Jeez.”
Concealing my resigned attitude, I drew a potion from my waist and applied it to the man’s hand to stop the bleeding. Then, I collected his severed hand and the magic sword I had cut, and carried the man, whose hostility had vanished, away from the scene.
As I carried him, I remained wary, expecting some kind of resistance, but the man only let out a dry chuckle.
Even as I ran, he merely stared at his missing hand, repeating “It came off” over and over, the sound grating on my nerves and mentally exhausting me.
After about ten minutes of running, the miasma thinned, and the area returned to a level where magic circulation was no longer necessary. I set the man down.
I propped him against a tree, but he didn’t once look away from his hand.
“Hey! Can you understand me?”
“Hahaha, it came off, it came off.”
I forcibly grabbed his face, trying to make eye contact, but his unfocused pupils seemed to be looking at something else entirely.
“Damn it, I’m not a psychiatrist, what am I supposed to do?”
I clicked my tongue and realized this man was beyond my capabilities.
Potions couldn’t treat mental issues.
Whether he had been drugged or had a genuine mental illness was impossible to determine in this situation.
While I had brought him along for information, there was nothing more I could do.
“Ah? The timing was good.”
As I stood there in despair, feeling utterly lost, I sensed a presence.
It wasn’t the unsettling aura of an immortal, but the clear presence of a living being.
And this distinct, dark aura was characteristic of demons.
My sense was not mistaken. They must have detected me.
The group, their presence intensifying, changed course and revealed themselves.
“Jiro Tanaka, why are you here?”
The demon at the forefront, likely the leader, called out my name and questioned my presence.
“I’ll report the details later. I came here to resolve some trouble, but I was unable to intervene and was on my way back. Your timing is fortunate. There was a magic circle ahead. That’s likely the cause. And this man is the recent troublesome assailant.”
“What?”
I decided to put aside my urge to retort, “What unit are you from?”
The demons, clad in woodland camouflage, showed no hostility. From specialized emblems on their shoulders, I identified them as the Supervisor’s unit. I concisely explained the situation.
Finally, pointing to the man leaning against the tree while lighting a cigarette, “And? What is the current situation? What about the other Testers?”
“They are safe. Evacuation is complete, and they are currently waiting within the village. So, is what you said earlier true?”
“There’s no point in lying here, is there? I have the evidence, the magic sword, right here. He’s the culprit behind the recent disturbances. Whether it’s due to the magic sword, some other factor, or even my doing, he went insane after I severed his wrist. Does anyone in your unit possess healing magic? I need to treat his spirit and reattach his hand.”
“Understood. We will also collect the magic sword. I’ll have a subordinate deliver it to Evia-sama.”
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
Handing over the magic sword and the man’s severed hand, one of the unit members approached the man and began treatment.
With three others having gone ahead to inspect the magic circle, I sighed in relief, believing the situation would likely be resolved.
Unbeknownst to me, this was merely a small part of a larger plan, not even the prelude to what was to come. I felt reassured knowing that the task before me was nearing its end.
Another side
The man wore a smile behind his hood throughout.
This despite the fact that the magic sword user, who was supposed to be the linchpin of this plan, had been captured.
“I rather wanted to see a little more of his true strength, but even with the magic sword, he was no match. Well, well, this is the end for now. The results are excellent. He did quite a good job. My original plan was to use him as a disposable pawn and have him die here, but I’ll grant you the right to survive as a reward.”
No, that purpose had likely become redundant by now.
The disturbances in the Spirit Forest were gradually subsiding.
The summoning circle for the immortal was being sealed.
Finally, the magic circle, drawing from the ley lines and serving as the summoning origin, was also apprehended.
With no further assets to deploy at this location, the man turned his cloak and departed as if watching the grand finale of a play.
“Ah, I’m looking forward to the harvest.”
Only those words echoed in the space before the man vanished via spatial transfer.
Another side end
Today’s quote:
The reaction to being faced with something beyond one’s capabilities and being unable to act will determine one’s future course of action. I felt that way today.
This concludes today’s chapter.
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*The first volume of the paperback edition has been decided for release by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
The release date is scheduled for October 18, 2018.
The content includes revised and expanded material from the serialization on Shousetsuka ni Narou, along with an additional, previously unpublished interlude.
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