Chapter 165: Rayrn’s Servant

“It’s here.”

The place Ruan took Rayrn was a giant experiment site.

‘It’s well made for a hastily prepared place.’

Originally, this location was above a battlefield, where the largest battle on the plains had occurred.

Many had died.

‘It was also where the most servants were destroyed.’

On top of that, the mages including Ruan set up the experiment site.

They brought a large number of items from the Machinery Castle Magic Tower branch in the north.

There were even precious things brought from the Enchant Magic Tower.

‘Since I showed something, they must have thought it okay to show a bit more of their hand.’

Even for Rayrn, there were many surprising things.

Especially the device that precisely measures mana—even he found it unexpectedly excellent.

A proper measurement means accurate quantification.

Accurate quantification means the accuracy of experiments increases.

‘Precise numbers are more important than going by intuition.’

If this is what they brought, then the Enchant Magic Tower definitely has things of even higher level.

They brought in quite a lot of these huge things.

‘The mana of Helk Castle helped.’

There was no need to use mana stones.

As Rayrn, who knows how to use links, he extracted and used the mana of Helk Castle rather than his own.

If he hadn’t used teleportation magic with that massive mana…

Even with many mages, setting up this scale in such a short time would have been impossible even for him.

‘It’s a bit wasteful.’

Since it’s now a destroyed place.

It’s just regrettable that it can no longer be used.

“It’s not operating properly.”

“Hmm… Let’s go inside and take a look.”

“This way.”

They moved deeper into the experiment site.

Inside that massive testing ground, following Ruan…

‘Those are golems.’

Grrrring-

There were many golems made in human form.

Weapon golems that endlessly regenerate as long as mana flows, based on a mana heart.

Golems were powerful in themselves, but the ones in front of him looked very weak.

‘Either they’re early models… or they didn’t bring the ones actually used in combat.’

These were golems made at the Enchant Magic Tower.

The golems that were clearly brought for experiments were crude for weapons.

In fact, even at the Enchant Magic Tower, golems weren’t numerous.

Aren’t golems originally made to serve as attendants for mages?

The start certainly wasn’t as weapons.

Most golems at the Enchant Magic Tower were used that way.

Instead of being weapons, they were used to do work for mages, who tend to have weak bodies.

There were only a few strong golems passed down through generations like legends.

The Empire, which is about to fight the orcs in the north, has a few giant golems or those used as weapons…

‘Even they don’t have many.’

The majority were still at a crude level.

For humans to handle golems right now…

‘The level is low.’

It couldn’t be helped—their understanding of magic was low, and their understanding of the basic engineering beneath it was also low.

If they abandoned the humanoid form and built other shapes, that would be a different story.

Still, even this early form was impressive.

It was enough for Ruan, who was watching him, to be proud.

“It’s amazing, right?”

“Hmm… A little?”

“Pfft. You can say it’s very amazing.”

“That remains to be seen.”

The important thing wasn’t the golems.

Beyond the golems were the things further inside.

-Kiiiiik.

-Kik.

There was a group of servants.

Except for a few individuals, none of them were normal.

Some crawled around, unable to support their own weight.

Sshweeeek. Wok!

There were individuals that swung their arms, trying to attack the mages conducting experiments.

It wasn’t a good environment for experimenting.

Rayrn looked directly at Ruan and asked.

“You still haven’t adjusted them?”

“It’s hard even to approach. There are too many cases where they break when we try to subdue them with mana.”

“First, we need to subdue them.”

Thud.

He lightly leaped forward.

Puh-eok.

-Kiek!

A fist that was almost stupidly powerful swung out.

With that single blow, the servant that was trying to resist went quiet.

‘Accurate.’

It looked like a crude strike, but it was a blow delivered under precise calculation.

He hit the spot where the link was connected—the part that allowed the servant to move even without a mana heart, unlike a golem.

Thud. Tung.

Rayrn moved without pause, picking servants one by one.

-……

-Kick.

The servants fell silent like that.

“Can you even do that!?”

The mages, who tended to trust what Rayrn did, still found his touch rough.

In an instant, dozens of servants were all silenced.

If this continued, all the precious experimental subjects would disappear.

Their surprise was natural.

“I did it.”

Instead of answering, Rayrn silenced every servant.

Only then did he see the mages staring at him with astonished eyes.

“Of course. You have to subdue them like this for a proper experiment.”

“What if they’re completely ruined?”

“Is that so?”

Actions spoke louder than words.

Rayrn pressed close to the nearest servant.

He placed his hand on it directly.

‘It’s different from the existing links, but this is the correct method.’

Ten thousand.

He spread mana through his hand.

-Interesting? Isn’t it similar to the way we contracted?

-Right.

As if the method was quite interesting, the Fire Spirit, who hadn’t shown itself often lately, appeared.

Wooooong-wooong-

The link began to connect instantly.

There was no need to reveal the spirit, so he continued answering through telepathy.

-The sinister energy is all disappearing.

That’s one of the powers I have.

-Anti-Demon, is it?

-Something similar.

The link connected, and all the sinister energy that had tamed the servant was burned away.

In place of the pulsating mana of the distant Duke’s Household of Jiseoteu.

Ten thousand.

It began to drain Rayrn’s mana.

‘Enough.’

Only after absorbing a considerable amount of mana…

Burrrr.

The servant trembled like a young bird moving for the first time.

Then…

“Regeneration!?”

Like a golem, it consumed a large portion of the mana it had taken and began to regenerate its body.

The material was from its surroundings—the silent servants’ bodies of the same kind.

-Kiiiiik.

Because it absorbed the things around it, one precious servant disappeared, but no one cared.

“Oh…”

They just looked at the revived servant with wonder in their eyes.

Kuong. Kung.

The servant, having completely regenerated, stood up.

-7101.

No attack or anything occurred.

The servant, whose body was newly connected, simply stared at Rayrn through its visible parts.

As if waiting for orders.

-Looks like a baby bird.

-More like an obedient dog, but it has many shortcomings.

To the Fire Spirit, its body seemed rather frail.

But this servant itself was an entity that only a knight-level being could handle.

Thanks to being powered by Rayrn’s mana, much of its sinister nature had been washed away.

Yet it wasn’t weak.

Rather, if Rayrn adjusted and infused more power…

‘I might even create a single giant servant.’

It was possible to absorb all the silent servants here into one massive entity.

A giant servant would be born.

But that wasn’t what he started this for.

Preparing the golems and the servants was all…

‘To create a new weapon.’

To make it in Rayrn’s own way.

He had called the mages for that, and he had raised the servants.

Rayrn looked at the mages, who were recording and remembering this scene with awe.

They seemed dazed, but they were among the top talents in this world.

He explained to them.

“This is a method of connecting links. It’s the same as that of the Duke’s Household of Jiseoteu.”

“Wouldn’t there be many drawbacks?”

“That’s probably why they couldn’t make many. It’s a weapon that can’t go far. It has limitations. And the method of creation is… quite sinister.”

Rayrn spoke about the servants without reservation.

‘No matter how I look at it, it was made like a sacrifice.’

Outwardly, the servant was made of metal-like material.

But Rayrn thoroughly examined its insides.

Since he even linked to it, he was certain.

The servant was created at the cost of a human or some living creature.

Furthermore, inside the magic circle of the linking method, he felt the presence of Demonic Mana, similar to a Black Mage.

‘Everyone and their mother tries to use Demonic Mana.’

Hadn’t a group of Black Mages once appeared in the Duke’s Household of Jiseoteu and shaken the house?

At that time, Duke Jisert captured countless Black Mages.

It was Jiseoteu that completely wiped out even the undead that rose.

After that, I thought everything related to Black Mages had ended…

‘Duke Jisert also tried to use Demonic Mana.’

Marquis Owen used Demonic Mana to extend his own lifespan.

Duke Jisert used Demonic Mana itself, combined with his links, to create servants.

He tried to use it for military power, not lifespan.

It was an even more vicious method than Marquis Owen’s solitary attempt to extend his life.

‘…I’ll have to punish them later.’

He had no intention of leaving those who used sinister energy alone.

Having neighbors who use Demonic Mana only leads to ruin.

Some might think it’s a harsh generalization, but Demonic Mana itself pollutes humans.

Wasn’t that also the case with the Demonic Cult?

An existence like Cheonma, who transcends even Demonic Mana, was a different story.

‘Even one Cheonma in an era is rare.’

Such beings did not appear easily.

However, the entity known as the servant that they created was certainly remarkable.

If he used this servant well…

‘I’ll create a new servant using their method.’

And the new servant would become the first weapon used to strike them.

It would be like striking the enemy with their own power.

For that, Rayrn continued explaining to the end.

“Now I understand a bit.”

“I’m glad.”

He succeeded in helping the mages grasp the basics.

“Well, now that you understand, what should we do?”

“…Let’s make it.”

Then the next step was only natural, wasn’t it?

It was time to make it with the curious mages.

Just when they were looking like they were about to die rather than be curious…

-Iik?

That servant would be reassembled in Rayrn’s style.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

“Yes! Just leave it to us!”

The new mage who had just entered from the Enchant Magic Tower answered with a spirited, excited shout.

‘How long will he last?’

It remained to be seen how long that pure (?) sparkle in his eyes would last in the experiment.

Just as Rayrn was creating a new weapon…

The already well-trained weapons—

Without a word, understanding each other’s intentions through gestures alone…

Sshweeeek-

Were swinging rough swords.

“Guh…”

At this very moment, someone unknown was dying.