Chapter 187
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 187
Chapter Title: The Second Clash - 5
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Lee Hyun-wook threw himself into the Death’s Threshold.
Woooooosh—
Black hands dragged his body down as if into a deep swamp.
For the first few seconds, he felt a suffocating tightness, as if his breath had been stolen. Then, a light appeared in the distance, expanding until it swallowed him whole.
Whoom—
In that instant, gravity took hold, and he felt his body falling toward the ground.
He instinctively tensed his body and landed lightly on the surface.
Thud—
“Huh? W-What the hell!”
The first thing he heard was the flustered voice of a woman.
Lee Hyun-wook lifted his head and looked straight ahead.
He saw a long window, and beyond it stood several people in white hazmat suits.
“—L-Look over there! He's here!”
“Dammit, he actually came through!”
Upon spotting Lee Hyun-wook, they moved frantically, their expressions panicked. Beyond them, he could glimpse a massive room filled with all sorts of equipment. This place looked less like a Temple of Death and more like a research facility.
But the system message that appeared before Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes proved he hadn't taken a wrong turn.
- Warning! You have entered the <Player Zone: Temple of Death>.
“Tell them to close the Death’s Threshold before more come through!”
“Well, we need a little more time! ‘Alpha Mind’ is still processing the previous command!”
“Why is there such a delay?”
“It seems to be... o-overloaded—”
The conversation, broadcast from speakers in the ceiling, abruptly cut off.
‘But this place is…’
Lee Hyun-wook stood in what appeared to be a massive containment chamber… How should he describe it? It was like a place from a movie, where a test subject is locked up for secret experiments.
‘And the researchers are watching from behind that long window…’
The chamber was filled with all kinds of bones.
Living, moving ones.
Crack—
The massive skeleton of an alligator rushed toward Lee Hyun-wook, its jaws wide open.
- Great Alligator Skeleton (LV: 81)
Clutching the skull of a High Lich in his right hand, he swung Moglay with his left, utterly demolishing the skeletons that had surrounded him.
They were all fairly high-level undead, but the moment they touched Moglay, imbued with the effect of a holy sword, they crumbled as easily as sandcastles.
‘It seems they summoned undead here and sent them out as needed.’
The gateways for this, the Death’s Thresholds, were spread across the ceiling, walls, and floor. From them, countless black hands sprouted, writhing like sea anemones.
Soon, Living Armors began to emerge from them, one by one, like paratroopers.
Clank— Clank—
‘I need to get out of this chamber.’
A space like this could be equipped with weapons to control test subjects.
Lee Hyun-wook immediately hurled Moglay toward the long window in front of him.
With a crash, the window and the wall were blown away, leaving a gaping hole.
“I don't know what this place is… but I'm going to smash it all to pieces.”
Clank— Clank—
At his command, the Iron Legion advanced, squeezing through the hole in the wall.
“Stop them!”
“Aah! Wh-When are the guards getting here!”
It seemed they were trying to respond, but the Living Armors, Dragon Tooth Warriors, and Iron Golems were not beings that could be easily stopped.
Boom— Boom—
After a few explosions and gunshots, only screams followed.
By the time Lee Hyun-wook ascended into the laboratory, a dozen bodies were already strewn about. The rest had scattered, fleeing through various doors.
The Dragon Tooth Warriors pursued them nimbly like hunting dogs, and more screams echoed.
“Gaaah—!”
“Please, spare me! Gack—”
- Player (LV: 31)
- Player (LV: 45)
As Lee Hyun-wook watched, he couldn't shake a sense of bewilderment.
He had expected a formidable army of undead to greet him and had kept his guard up, but… they were all just weak Players?
‘…What in the world is this place?’
A vast space filled with the hum of machinery… A single glance was enough to tell it was a high-level research facility, packed with large, unidentifiable pieces of experimental equipment.
On one side, he saw a tank filled with a green liquid. Inside were all sorts of skeletons, and screens displaying their status flickered busily.
‘One thing is certain. This is a place for studying the undead.’
And in one corner was a facility that could be called a ‘control center.’
Dozens of monitors filled one wall… most of them displaying the giant’s fortress on Mount Otris, where Lee Hyun-wook had just been.
‘Ah, so they were watching and giving orders from here?’
It was obvious what kind of place this was.
The question, then, was where the Necromancer was…
“—Ah?”
Among the countless monitors, one in particular caught his eye.
[CAM 001]
The first camera on the far left was showing a child inside a tank.
Perhaps in his mid-teens? He was a frail, bald, white boy.
The boy was floating in an unknown solution, with electrodes attached all over his body.
Wires were also inserted into his head and spine… it was by no means a normal state.
And Lee Hyun-wook felt a strange sense of incongruity and revulsion from the boy.
The reason… was the black energy undulating from the child’s body.
‘That’s… the Power of Death.’
He knew this because, upon being designated the ‘Great Champion of Light’ by Emilia Müller, he had gained a sense akin to that of a paladin.
‘That screen, where is it?’
Lee Hyun-wook looked around and soon found another ‘containment chamber.’ A large, spherical device was installed there.
‘This is made of adamant.’
He couldn't see inside, but the surface was engraved with ‘Alpha Mind,’ and below it, in small letters, ‘CAM001’ was marked.
Moreover, he could sense the thick stench of death.
With this, Lee Hyun-wook was certain.
‘As I thought, the kid inside… is the Necromancer.’
…It was a shocking identity, to say the least.
Lee Hyun-wook had never actually seen the Necromancer's face properly.
He first encountered him about five years from this point in time, and back then, the man always wore a skull-shaped mask, revealing only his lower face.
‘So I couldn't read his expression, let alone his age or gender.’
The only time he had ever shown any real emotion was when Choi Jeong-cheol turned his army of death to ash with Semi-Armageddon. The sight of him baring his teeth in displeasure was the first and last time.
In any case, he was a mysterious being whose appearance, and even humanity, was in question…
But from the circumstances, it seemed this teenage boy was that very same cruel and absolute entity, the Necromancer.
‘Ha, this is absurd…’
That fearsome being was now just floating in a capsule, seemingly unconscious.
‘Come to think of it, I vaguely heard the researchers talking about giving commands to Alpha Mind earlier…’
Did that mean the Necromancer wasn't acting of his own free will?
Lee Hyun-wook raised the High Lich's skull in his right hand toward the first camera.
“Is the one inside your master?”
The skull’s jaw clacked, and it opened its mouth.
“Clack— He is often asleep. You fiend, if you intend to harm my master…”
“What are you going to do? You're just a skull.”
“Clack, clack! I will, without fail, tear you to pieces…”
It seemed there would be no more productive conversation.
Crack—
Lee Hyun-wook ripped off its lower jaw.
To see it praise its master even in such a helpless, lab-rat-like state, it seemed that being revived by the Necromancer’s power made one instinctively revere their master.
“Hah…”
Lee Hyun-wook let out a dry laugh.
This situation was just too absurd.
“In that case… the Necromancer didn't actually become a Villain by his own choice…”
Then why did he end up like this?
The culprit behind the creation of this worst-of-all-time weapon had to be Gordon Price.
‘That bastard is capable of coaxing, deceiving, brainwashing, and coercing a young S-rank Player.’
That man had been deceiving people by claiming to be an ‘Analyst-class’ Player. It wasn't a complete lie, as he could read the information contained within objects.
‘But that was only a part of it.’
Later, after it was discovered he was a Villain, the Guardians compiled various pieces of information and deduced that his true ability was that of a ‘Telepath.’
And that among his powers was the broken ability of ‘mental manipulation,’ or ‘mind control’…
‘That's how he brainwashed quite a few Players into following him.’
Of course, his mental manipulation didn't work easily on higher-ranking Players, so he must have deceived the Guardians through pure trickery.
‘In any case… was the Necromancer also exploited from a young age and raised as a living weapon by that bastard…?’
He had seen the Necromancer take to the battlefield himself many times in the future, so he couldn't be considered a complete victim, but for now, it seemed this kid was nothing more than a puppet.
‘Still… the fact that he must be dealt with to keep the Villains in check remains unchanged.’
Thunk—
With a single gesture, Lee Hyun-wook ripped out the spherical capsule containing the Necromancer.
He then tossed it behind him and bound it tightly with chains.
‘First, I need to get out of here.’
Wail— Wail—
Just then, the ceiling turned red as sirens blared.
- Emergency incineration in 30 seconds— Emergency incineration in 30 seconds— All personnel, please evacuate immediately. I repeat…
Emergency incineration. Didn't that sound like a building's self-destruct sequence was about to happen?
It seemed they had deemed it impossible to rescue the Necromancer and were planning to blow the entire place up.
But it was a bit strange that they would give up so easily.
After all, wasn't the Necromancer their ultimate weapon?
‘…No, they wouldn't just give up. They must have some trick up their sleeve. In any case, I need to escape now.’
Lee Hyun-wook threw the capsule containing the Necromancer into the rapidly shrinking Death’s Threshold, which was about to close, and then re-entered it himself.
Woooooosh—
The moment he returned to the giant’s fortress—
Booooom—!
An explosion erupted above his head.
“Ugh!”
Engulfed in thick flames, Lee Hyun-wook was sent flying dozens of meters before crashing into the mud.
Beeeeep—
Even though he had Hardening active all over his body, the magic must have been quite powerful. His head spun, and a ringing filled his ears.
- …Boss— Quick— esca— Dammit—
Someone’s voice came through Lee Hyun-wook’s mana messenger, broken and choppy.
He couldn't tell if the mana messenger was broken or if something was wrong with his hearing.
He exhaled, then pushed himself up from the ground, sensing the presence of beings rushing toward him.
He instinctively generated metal in his right hand, shaped it into a sharp point, and hurled it at the entity trying to pounce on him.
Keng!
The creature let out a strange noise and tumbled to the ground.
But that wasn't all.
‘Dammit, they're everywhere.’
Though his mind hadn't fully recovered, he could feel that he was surrounded by killing intent.
Grrrrrr—
His sense of smell returned first, and he realized he was surrounded by foul-smelling beasts.
He slowly steadied his breath and exerted his Metal Control, trying to locate Moglay, which must have fallen somewhere.
But it was as if he were shrouded in a thick fog; even his Metal Control wasn't working at full capacity.
‘Dammit, I need to get a grip.’
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook’s body was enveloped in wind.
And a woman descended before him.
“What are these things now? Hah— Are you okay? That was actually dangerous just now, wasn't it?”
It was Kim Se-hee.
As she surrounded them with blade-like winds, the unidentified beasts couldn't get any closer.
“Hoo…”
Lee Hyun-wook felt his vision beginning to clear. He turned his head from side to side, his eyes scanning for the capsule containing the Necromancer.
‘I’m taking that first.’
Sure enough, furry, bipedal beasts were dragging it away.
- Blood Lord's Werewolf (LV: 81)
‘As expected. Ricardo Oliveira, that bastard, is here.’
Lee Hyun-wook extended his hand, and the chains wrapped around the capsule transformed into sharp blades.
He then wrapped them around the beasts' necks and lifted them into the air.
Keng— Keng—
The area was swarming with those hideous beasts, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere. There must have been hundreds of them.
To pull something like this off without being noticed by Lee Hyun-wook's allies surrounding the area, they must have been lying in ambush nearby.
‘So this was their plan for letting me take the Necromancer so easily?’
They had timed his return perfectly, hitting him with a powerful magic attack and then unleashing a horde of werewolves to kill him.
‘Right, that surprise attack was a bit dangerous… but that’s all it was.’
But now, the Villains were no match for Lee Hyun-wook.
‘I have surpassed even the Villains who conquered the world in my past life.’
Regression, a second life, had acted like a cheat code in this game.
The countless journeys he had monopolized had made him an overwhelmingly powerful being.
‘In other words, I’ve reached a level where I absolutely cannot lose.’
Now, no matter how many Villains came at him, he was confident he would never be pushed back in a direct confrontation.
Lee Hyun-wook transferred the holy sword effect to Failnaught.
He closed his eyes and scanned the area with his now-restored senses.
Then, he drew a single line in his mind. A long line that encircled the area… using it as a rail, Failnaught launched—
Fwe—Fwe—Fwe—Fwe—
In just a few seconds, it pierced the temples of every growling werewolf in the vicinity, stringing them together.
Since they were also a type of undead, a single blow was enough to make their bodies crumble into ash and scatter.
“You, you, you son of a bitch, how is this even possible? What kind of cheat are you using?”
Lee Hyun-wook opened his eyes and turned his head toward the source of the voice.
A large Hispanic man with long fingernails was glaring at him.
- Player (LV: 104)
It was him, the Villain he had clashed with countless times in the past, the Blood Lord—Ricardo Oliveira.
But in that moment—
- (!) The Main Quest has been updated.
- Congratulations! You have reached the second branching point of Main Quest <2: Slay the Dimension Traveler>.
- Warning! A fateful enemy from your past life—the second Dimension Traveler—is about to appear. You must eliminate him!
The mysterious Main Quest, which had been somewhat stagnant until now, had progressed.
[Main Quest]
- A Second Life’s Chance, Duty, Fate…
1) Track down the ‘Black Gate’ that has opened somewhere in this world.
2) Eliminate the ‘Dimension Travelers’ who will arrive from your past life—the first world. (1/3)
3) Encounter ‘■■■’, who knows the truth of this world.
‘Right, the Blood Lord was one of the last ones standing. And since he was there when I died, I expected him to appear as a Dimension Traveler.’
At that, Ricardo Oliveira’s expression twisted in discomfort, and he staggered backward.
“Uh…”
Then he began to tremble, clutching his stomach and twitching.
“Ugh— Ugh—”
Lee Hyun-wook knew what was about to happen.
‘Now he’ll vomit something up, and the Dimension Traveler will emerge from it.’
Lee Hyun-wook drew Moglay to him and strode toward the man.
Seeing this, Ricardo hid his anger, his expression turning to panic as he held up a palm.
“W-Wait a minute… My… stomach…”
They say it's a foul to attack someone while they're transforming.
But not attacking while a Dimension Traveler was being disgorged was just plain foolish.
Lee Hyun-wook kicked off the ground and raised Moglay. Ricardo stumbled back, gagging.
He tried to suppress the strange phenomenon and move his body, but it didn't seem easy.
“Shit, j-just wait a sec— Gack—”
At that moment, his mouth flew open on its own, and something came up his throat.
“Blech—”
Shlick—
Lee Hyun-wook seized the opportunity and swung Moglay, the tip of the blade slicing through the man's neck.
As Ricardo’s head was severed and spun through the air, a black orb shot out of his mouth. It soared into the sky and exploded.
Craaack—!
From that point, a black shimmer began to bloom.
Watching the bizarre spectacle, Lee Hyun-wook thought.
‘A Black Gate…’
A man with red skin and yellow eyes pushed his way out of the strange phenomenon and leaped down toward the ground.
He whistled and looked around.
“Oh— Didn't think I'd be the second one. Alright, let's see… where is this place?”
He glanced around and spotted a corpse lying face down on the ground right in front of him.
His eyebrow twitched.
“This… Shit, that's me, isn't it?”
He stared blankly for a moment, then nudged the corpse over with his foot.
“But where's the head? Ah, fuck, I was supposed to kill me. This is screwed… But who the hell could kill me at this point in time? My regeneration should have been at its peak, right?”
He muttered to himself, scanning his surroundings until his eyes met those of a man—Lee Hyun-wook.
“Huh? You're… the Steel Great Emperor. What are you doing here?”
Hearing his title from his past life, Lee Hyun-wook gave him a quick once-over.
But…
- Quasi-Transcendent (LV: 143)
‘Huh?’
The man’s classification wasn't ‘Player’ but ‘Quasi-Transcendent’?
This was something he couldn't have known when he met the first Dimension Traveler, William Bernard, as he couldn't view Player information back then.
‘…As I thought, transcendence is the important keyword.’
Lee Hyun-wook recalled them saying that the Dimension Travelers were undertaking a ‘Transcendence Quest.’
He still couldn't grasp what that meant.
Just then, the man approached.
“Hey, what are you doing here now? Don't tell me I crash-landed in a different dimension… Nah, that can't be right…”
Just like the first Dimension Traveler, William Bernard, he seemed completely clueless about how this world worked.
He probably thought that just because he came from a future eight years from now, he had no equal in this dimension.
“…But don't tell me you’re the one who killed me?”
He looked at the greatsword in Lee Hyun-wook’s hand, Moglay.
Only then did he feel the overwhelming divine power emanating from it.
“—A-A holy sword?”
He unconsciously took a slow step back.
Then he looked up.
The sky was filled with all manner of metal weapons.
And surrounding the area were massive fortress walls, upon which stood countless Players.
Among them were even the Saintess and the World Tree's Guardian.
“Ah, I think I really did come to the wrong place… There's no way this is the right time…”