"Mr. Othman, can you spare some mana... Are you alright?"
"No problem. In the 'Wave' I cast just now, I barely used any of my own mana. I just added the finishing touches to the framework my students set up."
The act of using a spell with the mana prepared by his students. Come to think of it, Isaac also used a similar method to cast spells within the influence of the public magic crystal, by having his students extract mana from the tower's mana source and pass it to him, allowing him to cast the spell.
"Is such a collaboration common in water magic?"
"Hmm... It's easier compared to other types of magic. Since water is a relatively easy medium to handle, it makes it more feasible. Actually, I didn't plan to use such a grand spell from the entrance, but the young ones must have felt a lot of pressure and overdid it. Maybe because you scared them so much, they felt the need to show off."
As the professor and Othman were having a friendly conversation about magic, Aldrich interjected with a scowl.
"Hey, I hope you haven't forgotten that we're in the middle of the enemy's territory? The corrupt energy flowing through the nearby ground is so thick that if we don't stay alert, we'll lose our minds in an instant."
Concerned by Aldrich's warning, the professor looked around and replied.
"I know. We won't lose our minds at this level, so you don't need to worry."
“Me neither. Although I'm not specialized in combat, I am a mage with five insights. My body may die, but I won't lose my mind.”
"....I hope so. It would be troublesome if the guy next to me went crazy during a fight."
"I can assure you that won't happen."
[No! I can't guarantee that! What's all this crawling in?]
The professor couldn't help but chuckle at the angry complaint echoing in his mind.
[Disgusting! Horrible! Shell, get out of here quickly, or destroy that wretched tower! I hate this!]
"Ah, I see. You're having a tough time."
[Come in and help! Just like when I dominated you, do it with a whoosh-]
"Good luck with that."
The image of Hyde, a shapeless entity dressed in a janitor's uniform and wielding a large broom, pushing away the creeping black magic energy, appeared in his mind.
"Hyde is essentially a life form made of consciousness. It's only natural that he finds the black magic energy, which affects the mind, unpleasant."
One of the most frustrating aspects of dealing with a black mage who has established their domain is that even without being directly hit by any black magic, just being in the domain causes the black magic energy to accumulate in the body. This allows the black mage to cast curses at will by resonating with the energy inside.
Thanks to Hyde, the professor inadvertently gained some resistance against such attacks from black mages.
As they slowly approached the center of the village, the tower shrouded in black mist finally came into view.
"....I'm glad I didn't bring the students."
"Grumble... I completely agree. If the young ones saw this, they'd faint on the spot."
Even the professor, who prided himself on having seen everything dirty and disgusting in both the game and real life, was momentarily speechless at the sight before him.
What they thought was a tower was actually a giant tree.
If the ground filled with bones could harbor such resentment, could it give rise to something like this?
Thick, pulsating blood vessels climbed the massive trunk, formed by a dense cluster of spines, and branches made of thigh bones and ribs extended from the trunk, sprouting countless flesh-colored leaves at their ends.
Each time the blood vessels in the trunk pulsed, the capillaries, like leaf veins, on the human skin leaves at the ends moved in unison, causing the bone tree to sway continuously like an ancient tree on a windy hill, shaking its branches. The black ash that filled the air was being emitted from the swaying tree.
The tree was so tall that one had to look up for a long time to see its top. How many corpses would it take to create such a structure?
"This is...."
"""My greatest masterpiece. There, blind hero and black mana-walking child, do you still think my domain is only a 6? Seriously?"""
A voice like a fingernail scraping on glass pierced through the stunned group. The black mage appeared silently, as if he had been there all along, floating in the air a short distance from the group, with the appearance of a pale-faced boy.
Seeing the black mage, the professor said with disgust.
"You sound like an old man, but you have a terrible hobby. Do you like kids? Do you get more excited by toddlers just learning to walk than by grown adults?"
"""Hmm. You seem more like a mercenary from the marketplace than a hero of the cult. A mage defines the world through their own imagination. Appearance is just a shell, isn't it? I chose to look young because I thought it would be better.""""
Muttering
“What doesn’t make sense?”
“He’s a mage. Just let it be.”
While the professor and Borka whispered,
The boy turned his back to the group and gazed at the giant tree as if they didn't matter.
"""Aren't you amazed? The world is designed to give one thing in exchange for another. This human skin tree has become the greatest by using the most insignificant. It has successfully broken free from such a cycle. Fellow child, who has been silent, why don't you answer? You should understand how beautiful this creation is, shouldn't you?"""
Aged voice filled with anger responded to the boy's question, which sounded as if spoken directly into the ear.
"Zero. It's the epitome of inefficiency. The ashes of burned souls are piled up so visibly. It's so crude that I can't believe it's the work of someone who studies magic. You know less about the cycle of spirits than a layman."
In response to Aldrich's curses, the black mage, in the form of a boy, laughed and replied.
"""The poor man treasures even a small coin as if it were a lifelong treasure. Child, one who handles spirits should be bold. The countless spirits are as insignificant as grains of sand on a beach. Look at this great achievement made by burning the souls of livestock-like beings who would have lived meaningless lives plowing fields and herding cattle."""
The empty eyes of the black mage, in the form of a boy, glowed with a thick green light, and the entire village began to resonate as if in response to his hand movements.
"""Griefs that have settled in the heart, rise up. Grievances that couldn't even become nightmares, arise."""
[Life of Despair]
Rumble-
The black mage's incantation resonated, and the thick black ash around them began to stir. At the same time, the tree made of bones and flesh opened its mouth.
"Oaaaaaaah-"
Thud.
"Uuuuuu-"
Thud-thud-
"Aaa-"
Fruits grew on the white and red tree. Wrinkled faces of old men, soft faces of girls like spring rain, and stern faces of young men. The countless faces of human crowds growing on the tree were all tinged with a strange ecstasy.
Strange cries, pushing the air aside, echoed from the mouths of the faces filled with pain and joy.
Amidst the screams that shattered the mind and shook the insides, Aldrich shouted.
"5th Circle! A black mage who has at least reached the end of the 5th Circle! And one specialized in rooting in an area and dealing with enemies!"
"....They didn't leave it easy for us, did they?"
Crack, crunch!
The professor, seeing Borka transform into a wolf and Othman floating on the rippling water, stepped forward.
"Good thing we had a practice run."
"Are you saying that the rabble we saw earlier and this monster are the same?"
"Then, Borka, are you saying that you and your earlier self are the same?"
In response to the professor's words, Borka bared his teeth, filled with sharp fangs, and raised his claws.
Squeal!
"Not at all."
Crack!
"""Now, struggle, dear children. The obsession with life is the best catalyst for ripening despair. I will honor your souls! [Undead Rise]!"""
As the black mage spread his hands, splattering blood, undead rose instantly from where the blood fell. From Durahans holding their own heads to bloated Ghouls and Wailing Ones born from the corpses of children... An army of undead, far superior in both