Trapping the Abyss energy and releasing it little by little allowed one to obtain massive destructive power, but the disadvantages were just as clear.
The usage conditions required one to reach the 6th Circle, the entry stage of a superhuman.
One had to be able to protect their internal organs by wrapping them in Magic Power, and their mana control had to be excellent enough to handle the Abyss while simultaneously casting spells.
Furthermore, if there was even a slight failure in regulation, the Abyss would devour the forming magic, causing the spell to fail and triggering an extreme backlash.
When he first started practicing this, Hio constantly questioned whether this was truly the right method.
However, after succeeding with Abyss-infused magic a few times, many of his thoughts changed.
‘This is… usable.’
The destructive power had clearly increased several times over.
He had merely added a spoonful of that energy to a completed spell.
Of course, it looked somewhat ominous.
No, it wasn’t just the appearance; it was actually ominous.
Abyss energy was being mixed into his magic.
This was something he could not use once he returned to the Continent.
Ultimately, using it meant releasing Abyss energy into the world, and if there were people nearby who could not resist that energy, they would inevitably be affected.
He would likely have no reason to use it there.
Or, he would have to do something incredibly tedious, like cleaning up the residue himself using Holy Power after using it.
But that was a story for when he finally returned to the Continent.
‘Here, it is a perfect technique.’
At the World’s End, this was a perfect technique that could boost the destructive power Hio needed most.
Since Abyss energy was spread everywhere like oxygen, there was no shortage of it.
Hio’s goal now was to escape this place and return to the Continent as soon as possible.
To do that, he needed strength.
He needed enough power to leave Kreutzvalt’s house—the only safe zone—and roam freely.
Eventually, he would reach Tetradia, enter the Wizard’s Tower himself, and escape.
That was the only way to return to the Continent that Kreutzvalt had told him, and it was what Hio was aiming for.
The structure of this place, called the World’s End, was simple.
Tetradia was the center.
The further away one was from it, the fewer Strange Entities there were, and the frequency of the Watcher’s Eye appearing was lower.
As one approached the center, the number of Strange Entities increased, their strength rose drastically, and the Watcher’s Eye remained present at all times.
‘Honestly, I feel like we could go right now if Kreutzvalt went with me.’
Hio glanced sideways at his third master.
Kreutzvalt was sitting in a creaking rocking chair, flipping through an old book he must have read hundreds of times.
He wanted Hio to be able to reach Tetradia on his own.
He said he would help him grow his strength, but he explicitly stated he would not help with the escape itself.
Perhaps he was doing this so Hio could become strong enough to protect the Continent…
‘…It’s strange.’
In truth, there were too many strange things about Kreutzvalt.
‘If he could leave using the Wizard’s Tower, why hadn’t he?’
If he were researching Abyss energy, that research had already ended in partial success.
The only people who could use it were Kreutzvalt and Hio, and it would be difficult to even use on the Continent.
If he had other work to do, he wouldn’t be staring at books all day doing nothing.
It wasn’t that he lacked the strength to escape, either.
If his goal was to grow Hio to protect the Continent, it would be much simpler for him to go out and protect it himself.
In short, there was absolutely no reason for Kreutzvalt to remain here.
Yet, he lived as if he had no intention of ever returning to the Continent.
Hio had tried to ask about it indirectly, but no proper answer ever came back.
He only received replies that deepened his suspicion, saying he would find out once he reached Tetradia.
“Why are you idling about?”
“Ah, I was just getting ready…”
To think he noticed a momentary glance immediately.
One had to be careful with every action and thought in front of this ghost-like master.
Regardless, the immediate task was to get stronger.
He had to willingly accept Kreutzvalt’s teachings.
“I am ready, Master.”
When Hio summoned Theodore before him and called out politely, Kreutzvalt stood up with a dry cough and approached.
Seeing how much the man enjoyed being treated with such formality only made Hio more suspicious.
Well… maybe he had just always been that kind of person.
“Now that you can handle Abyss energy decently, let us begin the real enhancement.”
Kreutzvalt stepped between Hio and Theodore.
“We are using Abyss energy instead of Death Aura, but in a way, the effect is even superior. However, you must be careful. If you are not, your soul might be stained by the Abyss…”
And so, the time of teaching flowed once more.
After being indoctrinated with the concept of enhancement and learning the method, they moved on to full-scale undead production.
There were more than enough bodies available for the process.
[Skill: Sarcophagus of Death is activated.]
Inside the Sarcophagus of Death were 255 corpses.
They were originally human or other living creatures, but they had been twisted into more destructive entities by the Abyss.
However, since their corrupted souls had been annihilated and only their enhanced bodies remained, they were highly compatible due to their human roots.
If the production succeeded, they would undoubtedly be born as powerful undead with incredibly high limits.
The problem was the lack of powerful souls to match them.
“Heh… Souls, you say.”
Kreutzvalt solved that problem.
“Do not worry about that.”
Exuding the scent of death befitting a Necromancer, Kreutzvalt picked up his staff for the first time in a long while.
As he tapped the air, a massive door, at least 5 meters tall, suddenly emerged.
It was a black wooden door flickering like a mirage.
“This is the warehouse where all the souls I have collected throughout my life are stored.”
Kreutzvalt opened the door, and Hio followed him inside.
[Trait: Ghostly Eyes is activated.]
It was a new world shining in various colors.
It was a static space where countless souls floated like stars.
The numerous souls, staying still as if frozen or asleep, were glowing intensely in their respective colors.
Hio wondered if this was the effect of his Ghostly Eyes or if every soul Kreutzvalt had collected was unique.
“My disciple, it seems you can see souls as well.”
Kreutzvalt’s voice sounded somewhat excited.
“You already possessed those eyes, which took even me hundreds of years to barely obtain.”
“…Yes. Well, it just happened somehow.”
“Heh… Good, very good.”
Kreutzvalt burst into laughter before walking ahead again.
“It will be easier since you can see them. The souls in this space belonged to those who held high status during their lives.”
“Hmm…”
“Worry not. There was no coercion involved; I only gathered souls with desperate stories and deep grudges.”
“They are all asleep, right?”
“Indeed. Your task is to find the souls that match the bodies stored in your Sarcophagus of Death and turn them into undead. Focus only on that.”
“Matching souls… Is there a way to distinguish them?”
Hio asked while looking at a soul floating right next to his head as if on display.
Kreutzvalt answered without looking back.
“Do you think such a convenient function exists? You have no choice but to test them one by one.”
“…I suppose.”
As expected, Kreutzvalt could not see the brilliant colors emitted by the souls.
Just as Hio once did, the master likely saw everything in shades of gray.
That meant…
‘The colors these souls have probably represent the abilities they had in life or the emotions they held at the end.’
If Furnel were here, he could have asked about this phenomenon.
For some reason, he didn’t want to tell Kreutzvalt about this specific trait.
It felt as if he shouldn’t reveal all the abilities he possessed.
That was his intuition.
“I guess I’ll just have to keep repeating the process until I get lucky.”
Hio spoke with a heavy sigh of frustration.
Only then did Kreutzvalt turn back to him with a chuckle.
“That is exactly the mindset a Necromancer should have. You’re finally starting to look like one.”
“Wait… You mean I have to keep repeating it until I get lucky?”
“Yes. Since the only way to know if it will succeed or fail is to put the soul in yourself, it is a task that requires extreme patience and repetition. Heh. I will leave the warehouse door open. You should aim to turn every body you possess into an undead.”
“After I finish all of them… what’s next?”
“Then you must subordinate and enhance the undead you’ve created.”
“And once that’s done?”
“Then I will teach you the other spells of the 6th Circle.”
“…There’s still a long way to go.”
Hio sighed again, his heart full of the desire to escape quickly.
Kreutzvalt patted Hio on the shoulder and passed him toward the warehouse entrance.
“If you learn quickly, you can leave that much sooner. If you are slow, it will take that much longer. So, do your best.”
Leaving those words behind, Kreutzvalt stepped outside.
Hio stared at the spot where his master had disappeared for a while before turning his gaze back to the surrounding souls.
He was right.
For now, Hio decided to focus on getting stronger rather than overthinking things.
‘First, I need to find out what these colors mean.’
As for how to find out, there was only one way.
He had to match them one by one.
[Skill: Sarcophagus of Death is activated.]
The 255 sarcophagi appeared once more.
[Select the undead to register in the Skill: Sarcophagus of Death.]
[Select the undead you wish to withdraw.]
[List of undead registered in Skill: Sarcophagus of Death]
[Slot 1 — Corrupted Flame Knight]
[Slot 2 — Corrupted Flame Knight]
[Slot 3 — Corrupted Flame Knight]
[Slot 4 — Corrupted Flame Knight]
***
[Slot 255 — Mass of Ancient Lightning Elemental]
Keeping the list floating before him, Hio wandered around until he found a soul as bright red as a flame and stood beside it.
If these colors truly related to abilities, creating an army of 255 powerful undead wouldn’t take that long.
Of course, he would have to do some acting since he didn’t want to show Kreutzvalt his full capabilities.
[Slot 1 — Corrupted Flame Knight has been selected.]
The Corrupted Flame Knights were fire-wielding Abyss Monsters that appeared on the 55th Floor.
Originally flame knights, they had been corrupted by the Abyss and became more destructive.
Their armor had become their skin, turning so hard that it couldn’t be cut by even a single stroke of Aura.
They had grown four arms and were terrifyingly strong foes that charged while radiating Abyss instead of flames.
However, their blackened souls had been annihilated by Hio’s ‘Celestial’ skill, leaving only their bodies behind to be stored in the Sarcophagus of Death.
“I hope this fits well…”
He had a staggering 255 of these powerful creatures.
If they were combined with high-ranking souls and consistently enhanced, just how powerful would this legion become?
[The ‘Corrupted Flame Knight’ is being summoned.]
A bright red soul on the left.
And a black corpse, easily two meters tall with four arms, directly in front of him.
He reached out toward both simultaneously, stirring his Magic Power as he thought.
‘How strong would he become after receiving Kreutzvalt’s teachings?’
‘When would he be able to escape the World’s End?’
‘And until then, would those on the outside be able to hold out?’
‘…No, I decided to focus only on this for now.’
They would hold out.
He had to believe that and get stronger as fast as possible.
With that resolve, he channeled his Magic Power, and the resulting bright light filled the interior of the soul warehouse.
Hio might have been taking things a bit too lightly.
He might have underestimated the sheer volume of knowledge Kreutzvalt possessed, the depth of the 6th Circle, the time required to move beyond the entry-level of a superhuman, and this place called the World’s End itself.
Contrary to his thought that he would escape soon, 1 year passed.
And in the world where Hio did not exist…
[Abyss — 62nd Floor conquest has failed.]
[Abyss — 63rd Floor conquest has failed.]
[Abyss — 66th Floor conquest has failed.]
That time was an incredibly painful one.