Chapter 6: Darkness

Everything returned to calm; the world seemed utterly silent. Komer slowly collapsed to the ground, knowing that it was all over. The sky was clear and brilliant, with warm sunlight bathing Komer. Blue skies and green trees provided shade, and even the air felt fresh. Komer just wanted to sleep, but he knew he couldn’t rest now. Overcoming the dangers of magical backlash meant that his control over magic and his mental strength had reached a new level. Each crisis brought an improvement in his magical abilities, which filled Komer with both joy and concern. Yet the risks were too great. Unless absolutely necessary, he preferred to train steadily step by step rather than resort to such a reckless method to enhance his powers. After all, he was still young, with plenty of time and opportunities. Failure in such a life-threatening approach could mean irreversible consequences.

Eloth stood happily in front of the ogre. He didn’t know what spell Komer had used to make the frenzied ogre collapse after exhausting all its strength, allowing him to easily pierce its vital point under the armpit with a sword. The magical beast, which had struggled for nearly an hour, finally fell heavily before him. Eloth, who had narrowly escaped death, was overjoyed, not even noticing when the assassin, who hadn’t made a sound the entire time, disappeared.

After proudly stepping on the ogre’s massive body and posing in what he thought was a heroic stance for a while, he realized his boss was still lying limp nearby, while the assassin had long since vanished.

“Eloth, quickly cut open the heads of these ogres. There’s a crystal core deep in their foreheads. Look carefully—it might not be large, but it’s very useful.” At this moment, Komer couldn’t even move his fingers. Other than using all his willpower to fight against his eyelids, which felt as heavy as tons, he could only emit a weak voice to give orders to his companion, still immersed in his joy of survival.

“Hehe, I’ll do it right away.” Illot, now back from his excitement, fell into ecstasy once more. His greed for the treasures on such magical beasts was no less than Puber’s. The function of core crystals was self-evident—they must be important materials used by archmages to craft artifacts. He had heard before even arriving here that the war drums made from ogres’ skins had a mind-controlling effect; he wasn’t sure if it was true or not, but one thing was certain: such drums were undoubtedly far more valuable than ordinary ones.

“By the way, Illot, carefully cut out the venom glands under these ogres’ armpits. I have a dagger here that can be used for cutting. Also, wear gloves to protect yourself from the poison when cutting the skin and glands. There’s a pair in the cutting pouch at my waist. Illot, come help me lie down so I can rest against that slope.” After saying this, Komer truly had no more strength left and could only lie on his back, waiting. Illot didn’t even realize how uncomfortable it was for Komer to lie there, but expecting him to consider such details was pointless—direct orders were far more effective.

After helping Komer lie down in a flat spot on the slope, Illot remembered that another helper seemed to have disappeared. He quickly looked around but found no trace of them, as if they had vanished into thin air.

Seeing his companion’s puzzled expression, Komer didn’t want to hide anything, but he really didn’t have the energy to explain at the moment. So he simply closed his eyes, sat up straight, and entered a state of meditation.

However, Komer’s desired meditation didn’t last long. Before Illot even finished skinning the beasts, a series of howls woke him up from his trance. Though it was only a little over half an hour, Komer felt as if a whole day had passed. The magical energy within him surged like tides. With this half hour of rest, Illot had regained most of his strength and could now handle any unexpected situations calmly.

The howls coming from afar were undoubtedly from the same kind of ogres that had become their prey. The howls of those four ogres before they died had also drawn responses from their kind. Fortunately for Komer, it seemed that even after those four ogres died, their kin hadn’t rushed to bury them.

Even in a meditative state, Komer did not dare to relax his vigilant search. After regaining a bit of magic power, he cast a minor air magic that required little energy—Level 3 Sky Wave Absorption. This small spell could use the air as a medium to effectively monitor changes in magic power within a mile. If any creature that failed to conceal its magic aura entered the area, the spell would transmit signals through the air to the caster, allowing them to prepare in advance. However, this spell was useless for wizards who could hide their magic power and was not very effective in complex terrains, so its range was limited. It could only function in relatively flat areas without any special geographical obstacles.

Turning his gaze south, the roars seemed to be coming from that direction. Komer estimated they were coming from at least ten miles away. Orcs not only had skin suitable for making drums but also could roar so loudly that their sounds could be heard up to twenty miles away. It seemed that if he could cut off their throats and process them, he might even be able to invent a new type of military horn. As he stared into the distance, Komer thought maliciously.

“Ilot, it seems there are quite a few orcs over there. It looks like we’ll have a hard time mining here. With these orcs lurking around, I doubt anyone will want to come here to mine.” Scratching his head in frustration, Komer pursed his lips. “Has that dwarf made any new discoveries?”

“Boss, isn’t it a bit late to back out now? The workers have already started preparing for mining, and all of Kafli’s mining equipment and tools have arrived in Bahomun. We just need to deal with the orcs before the workers can start working. Besides, a lot of money was spent building a temporary road from Bahomun to Ugru. Now we’re having to repair and widen it again. Pube and Kafli have invested a lot of money. If you give up now, won’t they fight to the death against you?” Shrugging, Ilot whistled softly and absentmindedly tapped the blade of his sword, which was as sharp as clear autumn water. He casually said, “Boss, you have quite a few strange magical artifacts. Just using two of them could defeat those orcs easily. Why be so stingy?”

Komer understood the meaning behind his companion’s words. With a bitter smile, he shook his head. “Ilot, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you and Pupber, but many things are simply too bizarre. You might not believe them even if I told you, and it would only confuse you. Besides, there are many things I myself can’t explain clearly—only a general idea. Alas, my own mind is in chaos; I can’t put it into words.”

“Boss, what in this world can’t be explained clearly? Ever since you returned from exile, Pupber and I have noticed how much you’ve changed. Even though we came to the Caucasus with you, we still can’t see through you. You’re no longer the old boss. But Pupber and I can feel that your passionate heart remains unchanged. However, we feel the responsibilities and pressures you bear are too heavy. Pupber and I have always regarded you as our boss. If you still see us as brothers, then tell us everything you’ve encountered. We’re brothers—no matter what, we’ll face it together!” Ilot grew angry suddenly, his tone becoming more passionate as he fixed his intense gaze on Komer’s helpless face.

After much thought, Komer realized that hiding things anymore wasn’t the solution. He couldn’t hide from Ilot the fact that he was a dark mage, nor could he conceal the fact that he knew necromancy—Ilot had seen it all with his own eyes. It was better to explain everything clearly, so as not to cause doubt in his two lifelong friends who had never betrayed him.

Komer briefly recounted his three years in exile—how he wandered across the continent, met a dark sorcerer and became his disciple, how he came into contact with dark magic and became a dark mage. He described how, on his way home, he witnessed an assassination by the Light Church and how he was pursued by them. Then he talked about how he accidentally obtained dark crystals and parchment scrolls from that corpse, how the dark crystals merged with his dark magic under certain conditions, leading to various strange phenomena, and his experiences and discoveries in nightmares. All these terrifying adventures sounded more like the legendary tales of heroes from ancient times. From astonishment to sighs, from eagerness to longing, Ilot was completely immersed in Komer’s mythological stories, which he wasn’t good at telling.

The mystery and eeriness of the Dark Sorcerers, the relentless pursuit by the Church of Light, the despicable tactics of the Rema Knights, the strange origins of the zombie thieves, the extraordinary background of the Dark Crystals, and the profound mysteries of the parchment scrolls all made Eirwen sometimes sigh in admiration and sometimes deliver impassioned speeches. It even made Komer almost believe that he had become a bard who spread heroic legends far and wide.

Eirwen, who already had little interest in the Church of Light, grew even more contemptuous and disgusted after learning that the Rema Knights resorted to ambushes to kill their opponents, and that King Kenifer III had allowed his vast Dark Empire to be destroyed due to the Church of Light’s seductive tactics. What interested him most, however, were the palace treasures of the Dark Empire and King Kenifer III’s unparalleled martial skills and combat experience. But because it was located in a distant and dangerous wilderness, Eirwen couldn’t abandon everything right away to go on an adventure in search of treasures. He could only focus all his interest on the martial knowledge and combat experience stored in Komer’s mind.

Yet Komer poured cold water on Eirwen’s enthusiasm, who was excited at the thought of inheriting King Kenifer III’s experiences. Although King Kenifer III’s memories contained experiences of becoming a supreme warrior, such experiences couldn’t be acquired through mere narration—they required endless training and refinement. Of course, Komer could guide Eirwen when necessary, but that didn’t mean everything could be skipped; it merely meant avoiding many detours. Still, this was enough to fill Eirwen with joy.

Regarding Komer’s concerns about his identity as a dark mage and necromancer, Eirwen showed extraordinary openness. He even suggested that Komer allow the Dark Church to regain its legitimacy in his territory. After all, on the Continent of Azure, organizations following various doctrines emerged in abundance. Aside from the areas in the central regions where mortals were in the majority and where the Church of Light held an advantage, it was impossible to ban the worship of other deities. In many remote mountainous areas and rural regions, belief in primitive deities remained deeply rooted. It was just that the Dark Church had been in decline on the Continent of Azure for so long that it seemed no races still believed in such doctrines.

Upon dismissing Eirwen’s almost fantastical suggestion as absurd, Komer felt a stir in his heart. Although the Dark Church had declined on the continent, according to Kenifere himself, it had once been widespread among other races. In other words, though it lacked acceptance among mortals, the Dark Church might still have roots or origins among other races. His own land was already filled with various races other than mortals.

As Eirwen had casually mentioned, since the Light Church could become such a powerful force—even surpassing nations—it seemed reasonable to find a sect suitable for himself that could assist in his rule as a proxy for religious belief. At the very least, having another sect to compete with the Light Church would be beneficial for Komer. Weakening the Light Church’s authority and influence in his territory was precisely what he desired the most.

Faint yet angry roars once again interrupted Komer and Eirwen’s discussion about the Dark Church, pulling them back to the dangerous reality. Through his psychic senses, Komer sensed that beneath the ogres’ roars were also sounds similar to human screams, which left him deeply puzzled.

“Eirwen, what’s beyond that southern hill?” Staring at the distant hills, Komer’s gaze stretched beyond them toward the source of the sounds.

“Boss, actually we’re already at the border of the barbarians’ territory. From the map, it seems that once we cross this ridge, it should be considered barbarian territory. But this is just our side’s map, drawn casually by adventurers—no one can say for sure whether it has any legal validity. We’ve never had any formal discussions with the barbarians about territorial boundaries. It’s just a deserted wasteland; even the barbarians rarely come here, let alone people from our side. If it weren’t for Pupber dragging that drunk dwarf around, no one would have believed there were iron ore deposits here, and no one would have come just to enjoy the scenery. Last time, as you ordered, I secretly brought along many markers and boundary posts. While exploring with that drunkard, I planted those posts and markers over there. I think the barbarians probably won’t be interested in this land—thousands of miles to the south is their territory; why would they pay attention to such a tiny patch of land?” Ilot seemed indifferent. In his view, Comer’s instructions were utterly unnecessary. It was already unusual for anyone to set foot on this land, so surely no one would pay attention here. Besides, if the barbarians really insisted that this land belonged to them, even if you moved here, they wouldn’t acknowledge it.

Comer didn’t agree with Ilot’s view. Perhaps this place would remain a vast wasteland until the iron ore was mined, but once mining got underway, Bahomong’s prospects would be limitless. With so many mortals gathering here for large-scale development, it was inevitable that the barbarians would notice. Comer wasn’t worried about attracting their attention. On the contrary, the mysterious barbarian territory had always been Comer’s goal for exploration. To visit a barbarian land untouched by any mortal was exactly what Comer had long dreamed of.

Another set of howls came from afar, different from the previous ones. This time, Comer and Ilot could clearly hear the sound of war drums mixed in, rhythmic and steady. This made them exchange glances in surprise.

When Comer and Ilot finally mustered the courage to climb to the top of the distant hill and look down, a massive battle scene unfolded before them.

Hundreds of barbarian warriors formed several attack circles, with seven or eight orcs trapped inside. Shouts, roars, and howls echoed continuously as a massive encirclement battle raged on. Komer and his companion even witnessed the most thrilling scene of their lives: three giant earth dragon warriors, wielding sharp dragon lances, were constantly searching for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the orcs already trapped in the circle.

The arrival of Komer and his companion did not escape the keen eyes of the barbarian sentries. As soon as they appeared on the top of the hill, several barbarian soldiers rushed toward them at full speed.

When Komer tried to explain his purpose to the hostile-looking barbarian soldiers in fluent mountain dialect, he realized he had overestimated their goodwill. Sharp spears and javelins were firmly aimed at him and his companion. Komer guessed that any movement on their part would likely result in the javelins being thrown, pinning them to the ground. With no other choice but to repeatedly explain his intentions to the soldiers, Komer understood that according to them, it was unforgivable for mortals to violate the ban and enter barbarian territory. He and his companion had to surrender immediately to face punishment, otherwise they would be attacked without hesitation.