WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Surviving the Frozen Dark Fantasy as a Genius Mage ◈
Chapter 66: This Thing Called Compatibility
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“Let's make them lower their guard, then hit them all at once.”
‘So far, I've only used Arcane spells, Kulkin can't use his full strength because of the terrain, and Darnen has only cast Animate Dead once.’
‘Mages and Shamans all have oversized egos.’
‘They'll consider Daisy, a Priest, more threatening than Darnen, another dark mage.’
But they had monsters under their control.
Wouldn't they lower their guard if we made them think we'd used up plenty of spells?
The so-called “mage hiding their strength” plan.
Kulkin was cautious.
“Going easy on an opponent in the middle of battle is dangerous. Unexpected variables could arise. Is it worth taking that risk?”
“I think it'll work as long as we act convincingly.”
The Dark Eye spell wasn't all-powerful.
Darnen nodded.
“I agree. Deception is also a tactic.”
Kulkin agreed as well, perhaps because he couldn't think of a better plan.
“What about me? What do I do?”
“Elena, just do what you normally do.”
“Huh?”
This was a battle between mages.
Smiling, I watched the darkness deep within the frozen mine.
Let's give it a try.
* * *
Something lurked deep underground in the frozen mine.
Isanna, the Witch known as the Cursed Crone, watched the unexpected intruders and thought.
At first, she had only planned to threaten the lord and extort money at that person's request.
But now that they had come after her, the situation was different.
‘Three mages. One Priest.’
‘They must have been sent by the Magic Tower.’
One was an Arcane support mage. There was also a Fire Mage, but the environment she had created prevented him from using his full power. Another was a Necromancer.
‘The Priest isn’t very skilled either.’
Through her minions' eyes, Isanna assessed her opponents' abilities.
Other than the Priest and Fire Mage, none of them posed a threat to her.
Besides, she had used the monsters to make them burn through plenty of spells.
Isanna decided it was worth a try.
She coveted the knowledge inside those mages' skulls and their equipment, but more importantly, she had a trump card.
“Hehehe. This is a mage's domain. I'll teach you what it means to enter a dungeon.”
How surprised had she been when she found this thing deep within the mine?
As Isanna continued her sinister spell upon the spot where her gaze fell, cracks spread across the transparent block of ice.
Thud! Thud!
A moment later, the being inside awoke with a bizarre noise.
Within the transparent ice cavern, an enormous silhouette was reflected, revealing the grotesque creature's shape.
* * *
Farmer, miner, warrior, mage, archer.
Draugr types varied depending on what they had been in life.
Yet because of Winter’s Curse, grotesque variants sometimes appeared among them.
After breaking through the mine owner's traps and monsters, we reached a vast cavern.
The massive shadow emerging before us put us on guard.
‘So this is what that dark mage had been counting on.’
Creeeeak!
The bedrock screamed and shook. Cracks spread across the icy walls, while icicles hanging from the ceiling came crashing down.
What emerged from the darkness of the vast cavern was an embodiment of blasphemy beyond human comprehension.
Thump! Thump!
A golem made from a block of ice, standing well over four meters tall.
But it wasn't an ordinary artificial life-form.
It was a flesh golem made by grotesquely twisting and fusing together the decaying limbs and faces of dozens of Draugr.
Fused arms, legs, eyes, and countless faces covered its chest, shoulders, and thighs. Their mouths opened wide as they screamed.
“C-cold...”
“It hurrrrrts...”
“Kill me...”
“My lord... forgive me...”
Dozens of corpses screamed in different tones.
Their wails echoed through the enclosed cavern, creating a dreadful harmony.
“...”
Every step it took shook the ground, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.
Fwoosh...
The flames Kulkin had raised flickered precariously, while the undead's baleful energy pricked at our bodies.
‘A Draugr Fusion.’
It was far more dangerous than anything like the Heavily Armored Draugr we had faced until now.
“Do you regret it? Too late now. Kihihihi. Once you step into this purgatory, it's over. I'll crush your skulls and take the power contained in your brains.”
That wasn't all.
Behind the Draugr Fusion, evil spirits in the shape of bluish women smiled wickedly.
Hehehehe!
They were Frozen Wraiths.
Unlike ghosts that only spewed resentment, these undead could possess the living or breathe out Frost.
Creeeeak!
The enormous abomination and the evil spirits charged.
“Eek...!”
It was a horrifying sight, enough to make the soldier assigned to watch us piss themselves, but we remained calm.
“The plan worked, Junior Ian.”
“I'm glad it did.”
Right. Every mage thought they were the strongest.
Darnen pulled a black book radiating sinister energy from within her robe and cast a wicked spell.
The Necronomicon, the magic item Darnen had obtained after defeating the guardian in the outer dimension, opened on its own and resonated. The wraiths came to an abrupt stop.
“W-what...?!”
The mine owner, who had been watching through the wraiths' eyes and mouths, panicked.
The Frozen Wraiths had slipped from her control in an instant.
“Follow your new master.”
Not only that, they obeyed Darnen’s command instead.
Fwoooooosh!
In that opening, Kulkin completed his spell.
“If Fireball won't work... I'll use something else.”
After crushing a catalyst, Kulkin held a flaming wedge nearly two meters long in his hand.
Flame Spear.
Its explosive force might have been weaker than Fireball's, but its piercing power and heat were exceptional.
Fwoooooosh! Boom!
The solid ice melted away, and the corpses beneath it burned as they screamed.
The Draugr Fusion staggered, its chest blown wide open.
“Merciful Meia, grant your servant strength!”
Daisy clasped her hands and cast her spell.
[Blessing]
The newly learned Divine Power spell was Blessing.
Elena's body glowed yellow for an instant.
“Elena! Now!”
“W-what is this power...?! It feels amazing!”
Elena's physical abilities rose dramatically. Without even trying to dodge, she blocked the Draugr Fusion's desperate swing with her shield.
Boom!
“Grrrgh!”
Then she drove her sword into its hollow chest and tossed the glass bottle hanging from her waist.
Crash!
It was a Potion of Melting, crafted by Kulkin using a secret alchemical art.
Kyaaaaaaah!
Its body, already melting away, collapsed even faster.
“Move, elf.”
Darnen spoke coldly and cast spell after spell.
Ominous marks of dark magic were branded across the Fusion's body, and the undead she controlled swarmed the melting monster.
Snap!
She flicked her finger.
[Corpse Explosion]
Kwoooooom!
The swollen corpses exploded all at once.
When the storm of blood, scattered bones, dust, and sinister mana subsided, the Draugr Fusion had been shattered to pieces.
“...”
Darnen looked at me without a word.
It was as though she were asking what I thought of her skills.
“Hmm, not bad. Still, you're no match for this super genius.”
I shrugged.
“...”
Boom!
For some reason, Darnen's spells became much more powerful after that.
* * *
A laboratory deep within the mine.
“What... is this...?”
Isanna, who had been watching through her minions' eyes, was flustered.
They had dealt with the Draugr Fusion so easily, even though it was beyond her control and all she could do was release it...
‘Those fucking bastards... They were hiding their strength!’
‘I'd expected the Fire Mage might have been holding something back. But what is that dark elf...?’
Darnen was a monster far beyond Isanna's level.
Isanna flinched, then smiled.
A mage was someone who always prepared.
She had a plan for this situation as well.
If an enemy appeared that she couldn't handle with her own power?
She only had to run.
She had survived this way even when temples, Paladin orders, and bounty hunters had chased her long ago.
“Hehehe. I'll bury you along with this mine.”
With her belongings packed, Isanna clicked her tongue as she operated a mechanism.
“There you are, evil Witch!”
The intruders smashed through the laboratory door and burst in far sooner than she expected.
“Tch! Stop them!”
Isanna ordered her remaining minions.
Several hidden traps lay between her and the intruders, and dozens of minions still stood in their way.
It was enough to buy time.
She could escape.
...Or so she thought.
“Where do you think you're going?”
At that moment, the silver-haired mage stepped forward.
Among the dangerous group that included the powerful Fire Mage, the Necromancer hiding her strength, the elf swordswoman, and Meia's Priest, he had been the least noticeable.
As Isanna thought that, light flashed in the silver-haired mage's hand.
Crackle!
The air seemed to sizzle, and the fine hairs on her skin stood on end.
“Huh?”
The next moment, Isanna's entire vision filled with blinding Lightning.
She had no time to think or cast a spell.
Excruciating pain tore through her body as her organs twisted all at once.
“───────!”
The Witch turned into a lump of charcoal and rolled across the floor.
Urrrgh...
Before her minions could collapse or the traps could trigger, a single bolt of Lightning shot from the silver-haired youth's fingertips, completely ignoring space and distance as it burned her.
Crackle. Crackle.
Without even realizing why she was dying, Isanna closed her eyes.
...!
The battle had ended in an instant.
A laugh broke the terrible silence that followed.
“Heh.”
Ian, the owner of that laugh, brushed the dust from his robe, spread his arms wide, and shouted.
“Light-ning is the stroooongest against people!!!”
Kieeeeeeeek!
Footnotes:
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