After nearly two hours of trekking and the occasional skirmish with the undead, we finally crested the summit of a rocky mountain. The path had been so rugged I hesitated to even call it a road, but the view from the top was breathtaking. Spread out beneath us was a vast network of valleys, carved into the rocky plateau by rainwater over an unthinkable span of time. It was the kind of majestic landscape that would have been a prime tourist destination in my old world, but...
"It looks like a scene straight out of hell."
Down at the bottom of the canyon, right along the route we intended to take, was a literal sea of undead. The sheer number of them swarming below ruined the scenery and promised to make our progress agonizingly slow. Even the experienced veterans in our group looked troubled as they gazed down at the horde.
"How should we handle this?"
"They look like zombies and skeletons, but there are so many of them. It wouldn't be surprising if a few high-tier species were mixed into the crowd," Remily noted.
"Taking a detour would certainly be faster," Reinbach added, "but it weighs heavy on my heart to leave them like this after seeing them."
"The main highway is still quite a distance away, but a horde this size could eventually disrupt trade with neighboring countries," Siber observed. "It would be for the best if we cleared them out now."
"We have a destination, of course, but we aren't exactly in a hurry. I see no problem with taking a little extra time here," Sebas said.
In this kingdom, the undead were viewed as monsters born from corpses. Therefore, exterminating them wasn't seen as mere disposal; it was considered an act of mercy—releasing the souls of the dead from their earthly prisons and sending them to the side of the gods. Since our group had time to spare, it seemed everyone was in favor of a purge.
"I think we should take them out, too," I agreed. "The only question is how to manage that many. Based on our battles so far, I think my slimes could handle it if I let them loose... but is it actually okay for slimes to eat the undead? I mean, both religiously and in terms of the slimes' health."
"The clergy and the more devout believers might scowl at you, but that’s about it," Remily replied with a shrug. "I doubt many people use slimes for this sort of thing, but the method doesn't really matter as long as they’re destroyed. Besides, just because it’s a form of memorial service doesn't mean we should take on unnecessary risks. I certainly don't mind. As for the slimes' health, though, I couldn't say."
"I am of the same mind," Siber said. "The top priority is our own safety. The success of the extermination comes second. The method used is a distant third."
Lord Reinbach and Sebas both nodded in agreement. If the adults had no objections, then I saw no reason not to involve the slimes. I would have to observe them carefully to see how they reacted to fighting and consuming the undead, but for now, I figured my main force would consist of Scavenger Slimes to handle the rotting meat, Acid Slimes to dissolve the bones, and Light Slimes for their elemental advantage. The others could provide support.
"Master Ryoma, before we leave the slimes to their work, perhaps we should thin the herd ourselves?" Sebas suggested. "I do not know how eating the undead will affect them, but when that many congregate in a single spot, they can generate 'miasma.'"
"The harmful mana, right? You're right. Even for an experiment, letting them eat that many at once might be overdoing it. I agree."
"Then let me handle the opening salvo," Reinbach offered. "I’ve been taking it easy so far, so my mana reserves are full. If I rain down Fire Magic from the cliffside, I can start a blaze that should spread through their ranks. That alone should cut their numbers significantly."
Since the zombies and skeletons couldn't fly, Reinbach's plan carried very little risk of us being surrounded.
"Oh, that reminds me," I said. "Lord Reinbach, I have a large supply of oil and gunpowder in my Item Box. Why don't we scatter that first?"
"Oh? If you're offering, I’ll certainly use them. With oil and gunpowder, the fire should spread even faster—"
Reinbach stopped mid-sentence and turned toward me, his eyes wide. The other three were looking at me with equal parts confusion and suspicion.
"Did I just hear you say 'gunpowder'?" Siber asked.
"During my research into slime fluids, I found I could manufacture a substance similar to gunpowder. I did a few tests, and then I prepared some to use as traps when I was targeted by that squad of assassins at the end of last year."
Back then, I had anticipated a serious attack and set numerous traps in advance. In the end, between my exhaustion and the late-night adrenaline, I had bypassed the traps to face them directly. However, during the preparation phase, I had fully intended to run away like a "normal child."
But since running away wouldn't stop them from following, I had planned to use the traps to stall them—or, ideally, to deal a crippling blow. Among the materials I had prepared were oil and the gunpowder I’d been prototyping.
"I didn't end up using them, so I still have the raw materials. Since I heard fire was effective against the undead, I brought them along just in case."
"Mm. I’m not even sure which part of that to address first," Reinbach muttered.
"You mentioned acting like a 'normal child,'" Siber said, "but I don't think normal children manufacture gunpowder and set lethal traps to deal with assassins. For that matter, how did you even know how to make something as inefficient as gunpowder?"
"My grandmother was very well-read, and she left behind a vast collection of literature."
"Is that so? Well, if you have the knowledge to make it safely, I won't lecture you, but do be careful with how you handle it."
After I first learned to make gunpowder, I discovered that it was almost never used in this world. The reason was simple: magic and magic tools powered by mana stones existed.
When comparing explosives made from equal weights of gunpowder and mana stones, the mana stones were more powerful, easier to manufacture, safer to handle, and cheaper to produce. Furthermore, mana stones could be used for everything from cooking to heating, making them far more versatile.
Gunpowder was, for all intents and purposes, a completely inferior substitute. It existed, but its reputation was so poor that even those who knew about it considered it a useless novelty. Ironically, this meant the laws regarding gunpowder were incredibly lax. As long as you didn't cause an accident that hurt anyone else, you could experiment and manufacture it to your heart's content without any legal repercussions.
I had wondered if Siber, as a former man of the law, would have a problem with it, but he let it go remarkably fast. It seemed the general assessment of the technology really was that low.
I had no intention of trying to revolutionize the world with gunpowder anyway. If anything, I wanted to burn through my stock so I didn't have to carry it around anymore, so this was a perfect opportunity.
"In that case... let’s set up our vantage point over there," Reinbach said, pointing to a specific bend in the valley. There, we could see a sheer drop and the remains of a suspension bridge that had snapped and rotted away long ago.
As we made our way toward the bridge, Reinbach mentioned that it had once been called the "Bridge of Hope."
"The prisoners sent to the jail that used to sit beyond these cliffs were high-risk offenders—men sentenced to life or death. When the prison was operational, the guards were notorious for violence and sadistic abuse that went far beyond their duties. There were even rumors of illegal human experiments..."
"To put it simply, it was a prime spot for suicides," Remily added. "And not just suicides. Apparently, the guards would sometimes push prisoners off the edge for sport. In a place where that much death and misery has occurred, the undead tend to spawn and congregate naturally."
"So that’s what they meant by 'Hope.' How bitter," I remarked.
"A sad reality, but humanity isn't made of only beautiful things," Siber said.
"Let us at least do them the favor of releasing their souls with our own hands," Reinbach concluded.
We arrived at the ruins of the bridge shortly after. The area was open and clear of obstructions, making it an ideal staging ground. We set our luggage down a safe distance from the edge and began our work.
First, we secured the perimeter. I used earth magic and rope combined with my Wire Slimes to create safety lines to prevent anyone from falling. I wasn't sure exactly how high the cliff was, but it was easily the height of a five-story building; safety measures were non-negotiable.
Once we were secure, I began pulling barrels of oil from my Item Box and lining them up near the edge. The adults took turns hefting the massive barrels and hurling them down into the canyon floor.
I was surprised to see everyone—even the more refined members of the group—picking up the barrels and throwing them with their bare hands rather than rolling them. These were large wine barrels, and filled with oil, they had to be incredibly heavy.
They were clearly using mana or Qi to reinforce their physical strength, but it was still a jarring sight to see elderly men and a slender woman tossing barrels around like they were made of balsa wood.
"Fufu, I don't usually go looking for a close-quarters brawl, but I can manage this much," Remily said with a smirk. "A mage who can't handle themselves when an enemy gets close is worse than useless in a real fight."
"I suppose you're right..."
She was clearly in top form, but seeing her strike a pose while holding a massive barrel with one slender arm felt like looking at a poorly edited photo. I guess I still haven't completely adjusted to the common sense of this world.
"Master Ryoma, while 'Court Mage' is a broad title that covers researchers and educators alike, Remily-sama was primarily responsible for the subjugation of monsters and bandits," Sebas explained. "Her combat prowess and research into battle magic are among the best the kingdom has ever seen."
"So it’s not just that any Court Mage is that strong?"
"Precisely so."
Body reinforcement magic is like Qi; the more you use it, the more efficient and powerful it becomes. Apparently, an expert can even dump massive amounts of mana into it for a temporary burst of superhuman power.
As we worked and chatted, the valley below began to ring with the sound of shattering wood and the groans of the undead. Because the horde was so densely packed, every barrel we threw was guaranteed to crush at least two or three of them.
"That should be enough, Ryoma-kun."
"Are you sure? I’ve only put out about half of my oil stock."
"Thirty large barrels is more than enough."
"Actually, the fact that you have thirty more is the surprising part," Siber noted.
"Between the slimes and magic, I can produce the raw materials for vegetable oil in massive quantities."
With the oiling complete, I summoned my slimes from the Dimension Home. I brought out one Emperor Scavenger Slime and one Big Acid Slime for the cleanup, supported by about fifty each of Metal, Iron, and Spider Slimes to keep the undead from escaping.
"The slimes are ready. Let us begin."
Lord Reinbach unleashed a volley of Fireballs. They streaked through the air and struck the oil-soaked ground with pinpoint accuracy. Flames erupted instantly, quickly growing into a massive wall of fire that began to devour the undead ranks.
The undead tried to flee, but between their natural sluggishness, the crowding, and the sheer scale of the blaze, they were trapped.
The wind whistling between the cliffs fanned the fire even further. Plumes of black smoke choked the air, occasionally clearing to reveal the human bones and rotting corpses writhing in the inferno. It was a literal scorching hell.
"...Say, Reinbach-chan," Remily said, squinting down at the blaze. "That was just a standard Fireball, wasn't it? Isn't it spreading a bit too fast?"
"Indeed... even with oil, it should take more time for damp corpses to catch fire like that."
"The oil was meant for traps," I explained, "so I mixed in some adhesive fluid from my Sticky Slimes as a thickening agent. It sticks to skin and clothing much better than regular oil and is almost impossible to wipe off. That’s probably why it’s burning so fiercely."
Because of that little "improvement," the oil had become useless for cooking or as a commercial fuel, which was exactly why I had so much of it sitting in my inventory.
"You even went to those lengths?" Siber asked, sounding impressed.
"That's less of an oil spill and more of a weapon of war. At this rate, the cleanup will be much easier than I anticipated."
"I'm just glad I could be useful."
Still, looking at the devastation below, I wondered if this would just finish them all off then and there. I asked the group for their opinion.
"Unlikely," Reinbach said. "The undead are notoriously stubborn."
"Even with your special oil, I think three-quarters of them is the best we can hope for," Remily added.
"Even so, they were countless to begin with. Getting rid of half would be a massive win," Siber said. "The survivors will be weakened from having to regenerate so much in such a short time. This was well worth the effort."
I accepted their expertise. It looked like it would take a while for the fire to burn itself out, but it was certainly better than charging into that mess head-on.
"While we wait... I noticed earlier, but the scenery here really is incredible," I said, looking out over the jagged horizon.
"Now that you mention it, you were looking around with quite a bit of interest," Remily said. "Is this your first time seeing a view like this?"
"I've spent a lot of time in mountains and forests, but I've never seen a canyon this vast. I can't even imagine how many thousands of years it took to carve this out."
"Actually, this canyon is only about fifteen hundred years old," Remily said. "It’s said that a 'Child of God' used this area for magic training back then, and the terrain changed as a result."
"Huh... Like in the fairy tales?"
"Child of God" was the term used for people who had been transferred from another world. Some of them had their exploits recorded so clearly that they were still talked about today. The books Gain and the others gave me when I first arrived had mentioned several of them.
"I’m sure the stories have been embellished or distorted over time, but the man himself was no fairy tale," Siber explained. "After all, the person who carved this canyon was a past king of this very nation. His name and his legends are clearly preserved in the royal archives.
King Masaharu, a Child of God, was said to possess immense mana from the moment he was born. The magic he used for his training supposedly created mountains, split the earth, and washed away entire landscapes with massive waves. This canyon is the result of that training. It’s also written that he used that power to push back enemy frontlines during a Great War when he was just a boy."
"I had no idea."
It was hard to wrap my head around. What kind of magic would you even have to use to reshape the world on this scale? Even with all my slime magic, I couldn't imagine doing something like this. Maybe if I worked at it for decades, but all at once? And he became a king, too. Wait... if he was a king, that means...
"Um, if I'm not mistaken, does that mean King Masaharu is Elia's ancestor?"
"That is exactly right," Sebas replied.
So he really was the magic-specializing otherworlder Gain had mentioned! I hadn't heard the details, but apparently, he had traded all his other potential transfer perks for a single, massive specialization in magic. If that was the case, then perhaps reshaping the earth wasn't so impossible after all.
I found myself reflecting on the untapped potential of magic and my predecessor as a fellow otherworlder. As the fire below finally began to die down, the extermination of the unexpectedly large horde moved into its final stage.