The Second Life of a Legendary Necromancer

Chapter 36: The Power of Decay (7)

As I exited the dungeon, Duke Dilen was collapsed on the floor, drenched in cold sweat.

Since it wasn’t a bad sign, I didn’t make a fuss over it.

“Are you alright?”

“My body… it feels as though the heavy and unpleasant energy has entirely left me. Did you truly clear that dungeon by yourself?”

“This was nothing significant.”

Duke Dilen glanced at me to assess my condition.

No matter how he looked, I was battered and bruised all over.

Despite going through hell, I spoke as if it was no big deal.

‘Is he being considerate of me, or does he just have an iron will? Either way, he’s a remarkable warrior.’

Of course, contrary to Duke Dilen’s thoughts, this really wasn’t much for me.

This wasn’t the first time I’d poured everything I had into a challenge.

“At first, I was worried since you’re an alchemist… but now I see you’re an exceptional warrior. Truly, I’m grateful.

“You are the savior of me, my daughter, and all of my people.”

Even while covered in cold sweat, he couldn’t hide his joy.

It was clear to him that the corrupt energy dormant in his body had been entirely removed.

“I must go to my daughter. I must check on her.”

As Duke Dilen hastily moved, I followed him.

We climbed upstairs and headed to the lady’s room, where high-ranking priests wore startled expressions.

“Your Grace! The young lady’s corruption is subsiding! How is this possible?”

The priests looked deeply curious.

Even the clergy of the Helios Order, second to none in healing and purification, had failed to unravel this curse, yet an ordinary alchemist managed to solve it?

If they could investigate this incident thoroughly and report it to their superiors, they could claim credit for interpreting this newfound curse.

“…That is something I cannot share.”

“Ah… Understood.”

The priests looked as though they had much more to say but ultimately couldn’t press further since they hadn’t contributed to cleansing the corruption.

“What is my daughter’s condition?”

“It’s a miracle. The corruption… it has completely halted.”

“Is that true…?”

“Yes! Not only has the corruption stopped progressing, but with the blessing of the divine, her corrupted body is gradually recovering! However, to fully restore her body, expensive potions will likely be necessary.”

I seized this moment to present my handmade corruption recovery potion.

“How about trying this?”

This was an opportunity to establish a connection between the Sellatan Guild and the Dilen Ducal Household.

If potion transactions began here, this network would surely prove invaluable in the future.

I rattled off my words quickly, a habit from my days as a poor alchemist trying to scrape together any earnings.

“This potion removes decayed flesh and promotes the growth of new skin. Since internal corruption progresses slower than external, her internal organs seem fine. Addressing only the external issues should suffice. Additionally, it aids in recovering fatigue and stamina, improves skin health, and contains vitamin D. Given that the young lady has likely had limited exposure to sunlight, vitamins are essential.”

“…”

The priests’ eyebrows twitched.

They had intended to sell their holy water, only for an alchemist to steal the opportunity.

“Your Grace, substances formulated with chemicals are far less safe and effective than divine holy water imbued with the power of prayer.”

“Precisely. The alchemist’s contribution should be commended, but we cannot allow the young lady to consume chemical concoctions.”

As the priests hurriedly chimed in, Duke Dilen shot them a frosty glare.

“…Are you suggesting I use your holy water, which has been of no help in treating my daughter?”

“T-that’s because… now that the curse has lifted, our holy water would surely be more effective…”

“Enough. I have no intention of using even a single drop of your holy water in my territory. You may leave now.”

“Ugh…”

The priests flushed red with embarrassment and bowed their heads as they left.

“I will use your potion. I don’t need any further explanation. Since you crafted it, I trust it will suit my daughter perfectly.”

“Trust me. If you administer the potion alongside her ongoing treatment, it will yield remarkable results.”

Of course, this was half true and half a lie.

The corruption recovery potion I made wasn’t vastly different from those made by other alchemists.

In fact, even with my knowledge of future techniques, its performance couldn’t compare to one crafted by a top-tier alchemist.

This was because my alchemy proficiency was only at the lower level.

A corruption recovery potion made by an alchemist who had reached the pinnacle of their craft would be far superior in performance.

However, the sole reason those superior potions hadn’t worked before was simple.

Duke Dilen hadn’t stayed away from his daughter.

The corruption had progressed faster than the recovery, making it seem as though the potions were ineffective.

In truth, the potions Duke Dilen had been using were incredibly effective, yet no one realized it.

To promote my potion, I added a little exaggeration.

Even though it wasn’t particularly superior and might even be weaker than others, I hyped it up as the best.

From now on, no matter what was used—or even if nothing was used—the young lady would recover on her own!

‘In reality, this potion will be more helpful. What the young lady needs most is not rapid corruption recovery but regaining her lost stamina.’

Duke Dilen stroked his chin, studying the potion with a serious expression.

“Hmm… It does seem somewhat different from other potions…”

Lacking the expertise to discern its quality, he couldn’t distinguish even if he scrutinized it closely.

Most combatants were like that, which made selling easier.

“It’s quite different. Even if other potions didn’t work, this one will show immediate results.”

“Alright. I trust you. You saved my daughter’s life, after all!”

Duke Dilen took the potion and administered it to the young lady.

The lady swallowed the liquid slowly.

After some time, the decayed skin on her cheek gently peeled away, revealing clean, healthy skin beneath.

Though it was a tiny patch, barely the size of a clipped fingernail, witnessing the decayed flesh turn to dust and scatter into the air felt like a miracle to Duke Dilen.

“Ah…”

Before he could finish administering the potion, Duke Dilen dropped to his knees.

While his retainers hurriedly took the potion and continued the treatment, he clasped his face in his hands.

“…Thank goodness, truly, thank goodness.”

After losing his wife, his only remaining family was his daughter.

She was his world, his everything.

If he lost her, he wouldn’t have been able to go on.

‘Because of my mistake, I nearly lost my daughter. Because of my mistake…’

His heart felt as though it was crumbling.

For years, his daughter had been bedridden because of him.

Even when she was briefly lucid, she couldn’t even walk, merely reading a bit before falling asleep.

‘Because of me, my daughter was confined to this small bedroom…’

Tears streamed down his face.

How could he ever atone for this sin?

He felt as though he should take up a blade and carve out his own heart.

If only I hadn’t been here.

Then my daughter wouldn’t have been so miserable.

“Please, calm yourself, Your Grace.”

The one who consoled Duke Dilen was none other than me.

“Regular treatment will restore the young lady’s health. The rate of corruption’s progression hasn’t yet surpassed 50%, so it can be completely reversed.”

“Yes… that must be true.”

“This is the most critical moment for her. Now that there’s hope, you must remain composed and focus on her recovery.”

“…You’re right. This is no time for self-reproach. For my daughter’s recovery, even pouring all of myself into it wouldn’t be enough.”

Duke Dilen steadied his resolve and rose to his feet.

Not long after, he began gathering renowned physicians and clerics from across the world.

Additionally, it was necessary to summon a significant number of priests.

He couldn’t just focus on the young lady—he had to treat the people in the castle and the citizens as well.

“The priesthood is already in the city? What on earth is going on?”

Duke Dilen was taken aback.

It turned out that the player guild, Calisodia, had privately funded the deployment of a large priesthood to his domain.

Despite knowing there would be no rewards or benefits, they extended a pure gesture of goodwill for the duke’s land.

“What a gracious guild. I must meet them personally to express my gratitude.”

Time passed.

Numerous experienced priests were invited, and when they were informed about the truth of the “Zombie Virus,” they were stunned and began sharing their knowledge.

Thanks to them, the duke learned something.

He realized the horrifying disaster that would have occurred had more time passed and his daughter fully succumbed to the corruption.

“Upon reviewing ancient texts after hearing Your Grace’s account, we can now say with certainty. This is the Zombie Virus created by the Lord of Decay from ages past. It seems the young lady would have been the origin point for its spread across the world.”

A being capable of infecting the living with the zombie curse.

His daughter had narrowly avoided becoming such a dreadful existence—a harbinger of the zombie plague!

Had that come to pass, the world would remember her name as “the terrible source of the zombie outbreak.”

People everywhere would see her as a grotesque monster and take up arms to hunt her down.

It was too horrifying to bear.

Unforgivable.

His daughter, his precious daughter.

She had almost become a dreadful creature that would doom others to death and zombification.

And the cause of it all lay with him.

“…Father?”

Snapped out of his thoughts, Duke Dilen looked toward the bed.

His daughter, Lady Charanelle, had woken up and was looking at him with a soft smile.

“My dear daughter, have you come to your senses?”

“Yes… Father.”

Now nearly fully recovered, Lady Charanelle’s face showed no trace of corruption.

The only thing left was to restore her stamina.

Bathed in sunlight streaming through the window, her radiant golden hair glowed brilliantly.

“…Thank you, my daughter.”

“F-Father?”

When Duke Dilen suddenly lowered his head onto the bed and broke into tears, Lady Charanelle, just newly awake, looked startled and unsure of what to do.

“Thank you for coming back… Truly, thank you so much, my daughter…”

Hearing his words, Lady Charanelle smiled warmly and embraced him.

“I love you too, Father.”

Meanwhile, the rankers gathered to resolve the Duke’s crisis were dumbfounded.

NPCs who had been dying from the corruption were regaining consciousness and standing up, and townsfolk were singing praises of someone’s name.

“Alchemist Yeonwol! That person, acting on Duke Dilen’s request, eliminated the source of the corruption.”

“Thanks to him, we’ve also been cured of our corruption.”

“The priesthood sent by the Calisodia Guild is much appreciated, but we cannot overlook the gratitude we owe Alchemist Yeonwol for eradicating the source of the corruption.”

When a player accomplishes a significant achievement, the NPCs in that area sing their praises.

Moreover, in this world, NPCs have an active communication network, so truly remarkable deeds spread far and wide.

“Yeonwol, huh…”

“Could it really be that Yeonwol?”

“There didn’t seem to be any way to solve this, and yet he did it?”

“I heard he just completed his second class advancement not long ago. How did he manage this with such a low level?”

Even Velkiri couldn’t hide her surprise.

She had spent days helping Song Yeon-Ju investigate the source of the corruption at Dilen Castle, but they hadn’t unearthed a single clue.

And now, a newbie, assumed to be just level 100, had resolved the situation.

Not even a single ranker had managed to solve this crisis!

‘This isn’t just the level of a talented rising star—it’s beyond that.’

His control was undeniably better than even the top-tier rankers.

Still, in RPGs, level was king.

Given that Yeonwol was still at a low level with inadequate gear, many rankers dismissed him.

Beyond level 200, leveling up becomes nearly impossible without the support of a large guild.

Even with excellent control, newbies like him often faded away unnoticed.

But solving a quest that rankers hadn’t dared to attempt changed the narrative.

‘…Yeonwol. I don’t know who he is, but he’s drawn too much attention. He’s bound to catch the eyes of rankers now.’

Whether that attention would bring good fortune or ill would depend entirely on Yeonwol’s actions.

“I’m glad…”

Oblivious to Velkiri’s complicated thoughts, Song Yeon-Ju wiped tears from her eyes, watching her beloved Lady Sedilen return to normal.

Seeing Song Yeon-Ju so pure-heartedly happy despite her usual fragile demeanor made Velkiri smile as well.

“I acted all bold, but I didn’t really help. Still, it’s good that Lady Sedilen is better now, Yeon-Ju.”

Song Yeon-Ju shook her head and expressed her gratitude to Velkiri as well.

From what she’d heard, many people would have been in grave danger without the priesthood’s support from the Calisodia Guild.

Even after the source of the corruption was eliminated, purification efforts by the priests had been crucial, making the healing process much smoother.

“I only offered minor help, but you have a true savior elsewhere. Have you heard his name?”

At Velkiri’s question, Song Yeon-Ju lifted her head.

Her teary eyes, looking up at Velkiri, were so beautiful and poignant that Velkiri almost lost herself for a moment but restrained herself with superhuman effort.

“…I heard. His name was Yeonwol, right?”

“That’s what I heard. Isn’t he the guy you were curious about?”

“N-no! I was just… curious about his unique swordsmanship habits…”

That was truly it.

Contrary to Velkiri’s teasing, Song Yeon-Ju had no particular interest in Yeonwol beyond that.

But now, things had changed slightly.

He was the one who saved her benefactor.

Someday, if she had the chance to meet him, she’d at least like to express her thanks.

“If you stay here long enough, you might meet him. But I doubt it. He’s such an elusive newbie. With so many rankers around, there’s no way he’ll show himself.”

Velkiri was skeptical.

Meeting Yeonwol would be nice, but whether he’d join the Calisodia Guild or reveal himself seemed uncertain.

“Well, if you want to wait for him, I’ll wait with you!”

“That won’t be necessary…”

Song Yeon-Ju abruptly stood and pushed Velkiri out of the room, shutting the door.

For now, it seemed she intended to stay and nurse her benefactor, Lady Sedilen, back to health.

“By the way, as promised, you have to wear the gear I prepared for you!”

After some hesitation, Song Yeon-Ju opened the door slightly, peeked out, and accepted the gear.

“T-thank you… I’ll repay you someday.”

Then she quickly retreated again, leaving Velkiri smiling like a doting uncle.

“She’s just adorable.”

Stretching as she left the shop, Velkiri shook her head at the bustling players running about the streets.

“There are a lot of people curious about Yeonwol. He’s shrouded in so much mystery.”

“If we find out Yeonwol’s class and level, the information fee would be enormous.”

“Master rankers of large guilds are already commissioning information guilds to find him.”

“It’s lucky we happen to be in this city. Let’s track him down quickly!”

Watching people rushing around to locate Yeonwol felt surreal.

Who would’ve thought a mere level 100 newbie could make such an impact?

‘I’m curious, but in time, we’ll know everything.’

A phoenix cannot hide its presence forever—it will spread its wings and reveal itself to the world.

There’s no need to rush now.

If he has the potential to become a ranker, they’re bound to meet someday.