The Second Life of a Legendary Necromancer

Chapter 31: The Power of Decay (2)

Human transmutation.

A forbidden field that countless alchemists had challenged in the past but inevitably failed to conquer.

Unlike inert matter, manipulating living cells always involved countless variables.

In his previous life, Yeonwol was the only person to have achieved some degree of success in human transmutation.

It was also one of the main reasons he had managed to survive on the battlefield for so long.

The talent for alchemy does not correlate with one’s level.

Although his level was low, Yeonwol compensated for his lacking stats by directly manipulating his muscles through alchemy.

Of course, such transmutation came at the cost of his body’s longevity, accompanied by countless side effects.

He constantly suffered from tremors and muscle pain, and his strength permanently weakened over time.

Even if Yeonwol hadn’t been killed by Chensolla in his past life, he would not have aged gracefully and would have died young.

However, that was because Yeonwol had unlocked human transmutation through pure talent, though in a flawed and misguided way.

“Now, I’ve truly learned it.”

Thanks to advancing to the Necromaster class, he had absorbed all the knowledge of the great alchemist Deathcalibon as a skill.

As a result, he had learned a proper method of human transmutation.

Although that knowledge was only meant to be applied to dead corpses, Yeonwol, who had once used alchemy on his own living body, found it relatively easy to integrate this knowledge.

“Of course, this can only be applied to my body or corpses. Transmuting others is absolutely impossible.”

He could identify and manipulate the structure of his own body to perform alchemy, but it was impossible to do the same for others.

“Still, I can excise rotten parts and regenerate new flesh. Since decayed areas are essentially the same as corpses, it’s not much different from Soul Purification Transmutation.”

Yeonwol focused his concentration and placed his palm on the young lady’s face.

Crackle!

Blue flames shimmered and began peeling away the decayed flesh that had covered half of her face.

[The proficiency of the skill ‘Spectral Transmutation’ has greatly increased.]

[The proficiency of the skill ‘Basic Alchemy Mastery’ has greatly increased.]

[The skill ‘Basic Alchemy Mastery’ has ranked up to ‘Low.’]

Although it was unintentional, the procedure to remove the decay drastically boosted his proficiency.

After expending all his MP in intense concentration, he managed to remove the decay from just a few finger-lengths of area.

“Phew… This is just a temporary measure. I’ve halted the decay from reaching her brain and heart, so we’ve bought some time.”

Duke Dilen, who had held his breath ever since Yeonwol began working, finally exhaled and approached.

“Her condition has improved…”

The young lady’s complexion had indeed improved, and the decayed skin seemed somewhat subdued.

Divine power alone had only ever managed to suppress the decay, but never reverse it.

“A miracle… This is a miracle…”

Could his desperate prayers have reached the heavens? To think such a providential figure had been sent to them.

However, Yeonwol’s expression remained grave.

“…You mentioned that we’ve only bought time. Does that mean it’s impossible to fully treat and remove the decay?”

“It’s possible, but it would take an enormous amount of time. And even if we succeeded, unless the root cause is completely eliminated, the decay will return. Unless I stay here for the rest of my life, she’ll ultimately be living on borrowed time.”

“…”

Duke Dilen fell silent, then asked, “What do you want? Money? Fame? Power? Whatever it is, name your price.”

Only then did Yeonwol realize the misunderstanding.

“If I were to treat the young lady here for an astronomical sum for the rest of my life, I could certainly become fabulously wealthy. But I’m a player; I can’t stay in one place. Besides, if there’s a better solution, wouldn’t it be the right thing to do to pursue that?”

“What better solution?”

“Obviously, finding and eliminating the root cause. Isn’t that a simpler and more efficient option?”

“Is that… really possible?”

Duke Dilen asked urgently.

His usual lion-like, imposing demeanor had utterly crumbled. If his enemies, familiar with his fearsome reputation, could see him now, they wouldn’t believe it.

“Based on my examination of the young lady, there is no fundamental cause of the decay within her body. It doesn’t exist.”

“Such…”

Just as Duke Dilen began to lose hope, Yeonwol continued.

“Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t mean I couldn’t find it. I mean it doesn’t exist in her body. That’s actually a hopeful sign.”

“…How is that different from not finding it?”

“Not finding it means there’s at least a 1% chance the cause exists. Saying it doesn’t exist at all means there’s 0% chance it’s inside her. That’s a significant difference.”

In other words, Yeonwol concluded that “the cause isn’t within her body.”

This was a conclusion completely different from that of the priests and doctors who had previously examined her.

It meant he had advanced one step further than they had.

“In short, the root cause lies outside of her body.”

“…!”

Duke Dilen’s eyes widened as Yeonwol stood.

“Recently, haven’t the attendants and soldiers also shown symptoms of decay?”

“…Yes.”

“It’s likely the animals, such as the horses, are affected too. Soon, similar symptoms will appear among the residents of your domain. This is… an incredibly horrific epidemic.”

As he spoke, Yeonwol pulled out a book from his belongings.

It was an old tome that could easily be found in libraries and contained stories of legends and myths.

“This is…?”

“It’s a tale about a demon lord who controlled zombies. A well-known legend.”

Duke Dilen was not ignorant about zombies.

While not common, zombie outbreaks occasionally occurred in this world, and he had seen them firsthand during his time on the battlefield.

“Are you suggesting my daughter’s condition is some form of zombification? That’s impossible. Zombies are reanimated corpses raised by necromancers.”

Zombies, which appeared sporadically throughout the world, were simply corpses animated by the power of a special sorcerer or necromancer.

Once their mana was depleted, the zombies collapsed.

“You’re correct. This, however, is a disease of decay fundamentally distinct from that.”

Yeonwol met Duke Dilen’s gaze directly.

“This disease is a form of ‘zombie plague.’ It transforms the living into corpses.”

At one time, this phenomenon was briefly considered as powerful as the ultimate class, Necromancer.

Of course, that was a misconception from a time when people hadn’t yet witnessed the true power of a Necromancer.

Necromancers could raise corpses, even those dead for millennia, on a massive scale, retain over half of their original stats, and immediately resurrect fallen enemies as their own minions.

Their powers were incomparable to those of mere necromancers or zombie masters.

“Then… what must be done?”

“This plague spreads whenever zombie blood or bodily fluids come into contact with the living. Until now, the decay progression was slow, so the contagion wasn’t active. But recently, her close associates would have begun suffering symptoms, correct?”

“…That’s correct.”

Duke Dilen’s expression darkened.

“But didn’t you say infection occurs through contact with blood or bodily fluids? Many here have no direct connection, yet nearly everyone in the mansion is infected.”

“That’s true. Transmission through bodily fluids is the mechanism of an ‘ordinary zombie.’”

Yeonwol fixed his gaze on Duke Dilen.

“But the ‘host’ is different. The host possesses the power to decay anyone who enters its domain.”

Taking a step closer, Yeonwol spoke, his words filled with gravity.

“Duke, what has become of Sir White Tiger, the leader of your knights and your right-hand man?”

“…He has been infected.”

“That’s correct. No matter how strong someone is, they cannot avoid infection if they remain within the host’s domain for long. However…”

Yeonwol scanned Duke Dilen from head to toe.

It was an incredibly rude gesture for a commoner to perform toward a noble, but the balance of power had completely shifted.

“Duke Dilen, you’re the only one in this mansion who remains unaffected?”

“…!!”

Thud.

It was as if the sound of his heart dropping could be heard.

The reality he had desperately tried to ignore became a guillotine, cutting through his denial.

Duke Dilen stumbled backward, his face filled with disbelief.

However, Yeonwol wasn’t the kind of person who would patiently wait for him to compose himself.

“The reason the young lady fell ill—the host of the decay is you.”

Duke Dilen.

In Yeonwol’s previous life, he was a well-known “raid boss monster.”

As a host zombie, his power to turn all living things in his vicinity into the dead was so overwhelming that even the assembled top-ranking players of the time failed to defeat him.

Later, paladin players blessed by the Sun God Helios finally took him down, but by then it was far too late.

Countless southern cities, including the Dilen Dukedom’s estate in the Kingdom of Watyrion, were steeped in death.

All plants and animals rotted and decayed, rendering the region uninhabitable for years.

The area was later designated as one of the “Top 10 Forbidden Zones of the World,” and no one dared set foot there.

Yeonwol hadn’t participated in the raid against Duke Dilen at that time.

His level was too low.

Thus, he hadn’t even known that Duke Dilen had a daughter.

“Perhaps after his daughter fully turned into a zombie, he realized that he himself was the cause and went berserk.”

Yeonwol looked at Duke Dilen with a calm expression.

The duke wore a serious look as he stared at his daughter, Lady Charanella, lost in thought.

He likely wanted to reach out and comfort her, but now that he had been told he was the one who infected her, he couldn’t even bring himself to approach her.

Instead, he watched her from afar.

Yeonwol’s words likely echoed in his mind.

“There must have been some reason why the seed of decay sprouted within you, Duke. Have you fought against demons in recent years? Perhaps brought back spoils of war…?”

There was.

No, there were many such instances. Too many to count.

“…Something does come to mind.”

After a long silence, Duke Dilen finally spoke with difficulty.

“In the underground vault, I’ve stored some of the spoils of war.”

Yeonwol followed Duke Dilen to the mansion’s underground.

After descending several flights of stairs and passing through three magical barriers, they reached a museum-like space filled with various items the Duke had seized from his battles.

Yeonwol frowned.

“This place would’ve been cursed eventually, even without the plague of decay.”

The severed head of a giant monkey was mounted as a trophy, and a blood-soaked beast, half-crushed, was encased in glass.

The museum was filled with the corpses and remains of various monsters, as well as weapons and artifacts.

It was a testament to Duke Dilen’s formidable martial prowess.

“I’ve wandered countless battlefields and defeated many monsters. This is where I’ve kept parts of their corpses as trophies. A place I wouldn’t show to the priests.”

Duke Dilen spoke with a troubled expression.

Perhaps it was the realization that his grotesque collection had nearly killed his daughter.

What he once saw as a source of pride now seemed shameful.

“Th-That’s…!”

Duke Dilen gasped in shock as they ventured deeper into the museum.

A green fissure had appeared, ripping through the air and oozing an aura of decay.

“It’s a growing dungeon. Is this what caused the catastrophe in the Dilen estate?”

Yeonwol approached and checked the dungeon’s level requirements.

[Dungeon: ‘Source of Decay’]

[Recommended: Party of 4, Average Level 127]

The level restriction was ambiguous.

Because the dungeon was still growing, its challenge level seemed to be increasing gradually.

Yeonwol’s current level was 85.

It would be incredibly difficult, but not impossible to attempt.

“It’s fortunate we discovered it early. If we’d arrived any later, it might’ve grown beyond our ability to challenge.”

Having made his decision, Yeonwol spoke.

“It’s a dungeon. Since it hasn’t been around long, it’s still weak, but delaying even a little further will make it extremely dangerous.”

“You’re an alchemist, are you not? Perhaps if I assist you, we could resolve this quickly.”

“You cannot, Duke.”

“…I see. I may already be severely infected. Entering that place could lead to who knows what.”

“For the same reason, no one from your estate may enter this dungeon. Everyone has likely been infected with decay.”

Duke Dilen fell silent.

He had finally discovered the cause of the accursed decay, yet he could do nothing about it.

The fate of his estate and his daughter now rested entirely in the hands of this strange, low-level player-alchemist.

He clenched his fists in frustration, his hands trembling with helpless anger.

But there was nothing he could do now.

He could only trust Yeonwol.

“Please… save my daughter and the people of my estate…”

Yeonwol nodded once, then stepped directly into the fissure.