Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Twins of the Skyscraper (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
01.
— Keeaaah!!
The giant zombie collapsed powerlessly under Kim Arin's sword strike. It was one of the higher-tier undead that necromancers could summon, yet it met its end all too pathetically at the hands of Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun.
"Phew, second floor cleared."
Kim Arin muttered as she stretched her stiff back. Just as she said, they had successfully taken out every undead on the second floor after the first.
And, as expected, not a single shadow of a Cemetery Guild member had appeared during the process. At this rate, rescuing the hostages seemed like only a matter of time, so why hadn't they shown themselves yet? What were they thinking?
"This is weird."
"Yeah?"
"It's impossible that none of the guild members have even poked their heads out. Did they escape or something?"
Lee Min-jun voiced his doubts, sensing something off about the situation as well. But in response to his question, I silently shook my head.
"No way they got out. Absolutely not."
I'd erected ice walls comparable to Jamsil Tower's height all around. No ordinary player could punch through Selverion's ice walls. A Scientist's spaceship might try escaping via the sky, but unfortunately, Cemetery Guild was composed entirely of necromancers.
Thus, escape from this skyscraper was impossible for them. They had to be hiding somewhere inside the tower.
'The hostages are too quiet, too...'
If they'd heard us and rushed to the fifth floor to take the hostages hostage, there should have been combat noises from Perolrn, whom I'd sent ahead first. But there were none.
"Are they all in Building B...?"
If so, maybe the entire guild was holed up in Building B with the observation deck, not the shopping mall in Building A.
"...Let's keep going up."
That was the only way to find out.
"Yes! If we smash everything, something's bound to turn up!"
"It'd actually be better for us if we reach the hostages while they're still like this."
Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun nodded. As Lee Min-jun said, if Cemetery Guild just handed over the hostages without a fight right now, it would be nothing but good for us.
"Let's go."
...And that was the moment we tried to take the escalator to the third floor of the shopping mall.
"...Arin, Min-jun, duck."
I muttered upon sensing a distortion in the surrounding air, and Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun immediately ducked their heads at the sound of my voice.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Passive: Piercing Frost has activated. Shing.
What skimmed over their heads next was a black blade like compressed shadow itself. Just brushing against it would surely cause a fatal wound—it was incredibly sharp.
And I knew exactly what it was.
Necromancer skill: Shadow Blade.
"Finally decided to show up, huh."
"Yeah, hiding forever wasn't gonna fly."
Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun instantly recognized the skill too, flashing meaningful smirks as they looked toward where the blade had come from.
The blade had flown from the end of the escalator—the starting point of the third floor of the shopping mall we were heading to.
There, two figures in black cloaks stood crookedly.
"Cemetery Guild..."
I could tell at a glance.
Those were Cemetery Guild's vaunted necromancers.
— Ugh, annoying.
A voice thick with irritation echoed from above. It was deep and gravelly—a man's voice, probably.
— What the hell is this? Interrupting our meal?
— Yeah...
A woman's voice, dripping with exhaustion, followed the man's. She stretched languidly, as if she'd just rolled out of bed, and muttered.
— Let's just finish them quick and go...
With that, she unfurled a magic circle before her eyes.
Having sensed the impending battle, my passives began activating one by one in turn. The first to trigger, as always, was Piercing Frost, which revealed the foes' identities.
Text slowly floated above the necromancer pair's heads.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: [Kim Dae-hoon (Endless)] 💨 Agility: Lv. 2500 ✨ Magic Power: Necromancer 💪 Stamina: Dark 🍀 Luck: Cemetery Guild 🛡️ Endurance: Status Effects: None ⚔ STATUS ⚔ ⚡ Strength: [Cha Ha-neul (Blind)] 💨 Agility: Lv. 2500 ✨ Magic Power: Necromancer 💪 Stamina: Dark 🍀 Luck: Cemetery Guild 🛡️ Endurance: Status Effects: None "Both level 2500..."
The two necromancers before us were veteran players who'd reached the max level.
— Hey, aren't those the ones?
— Those ones...?
— You know, the girl who's good at pirating and that Sol-sol lackey guy.
— Oh, yeah, it is.
Recognizing Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun, the necromancers giggled and whispered among themselves. Thanks to their small statures being blocked by Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun, they hadn't noticed me yet.
— This'll be fun after so long.
— Shouldn't we report to the guild master...?
— Kill 'em first, report later.
Were they confident because they were max-level players too? Any ordinary player would retreat against Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun, but these necromancers just scoffed dismissively.
"Unbelievable."
"Hah, they're underestimating us."
Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun furrowed their brows, clearly offended by the necromancers' attitudes.
Being treated like nobodies by top players not just in Korea but worldwide was bound to piss them off.
Meanwhile, the Cemetery Guild necromancers holding the high ground at the escalator's end kept smirking down at us.
— SPR trash was boring, but now I can finally loosen up.
— Capture 'em and torture 'em. Wonder why non-SPR punks came here.
— Torture? Good idea.
They continued their sleazy banter with lecherous grins. Then the male necromancer pulled something from his back pocket and took a big, satisfying bite.
— After torture, let's roast those bastards too. Never eaten a player before.
— Yeah, sounds great. Can't wait.
"Wait, that..."
"Those psychos..."
Seeing it, Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun froze in place.
'...That's seriously bad.'
I didn't show it, but I was startled too.
And for good reason—the male necromancer held a human right hand skewered on a spit. Human flesh.
"Fuck, are they seriously eating people...?"
"Ugh, urp..."
Kim Arin trailed off in shock at the cannibalism, while Lee Min-jun dry-heaved. The Cemetery Guild necromancers just cackled at the sight.
— What, so surprised? You'll be next soon enough.
— Hope you've got some good meat on you...
They licked their lips, eyeing us not as enemies, but as prey. Dark red bloodstains trickled from their filthy mouths, flecked with chewed human flesh. They'd long shed their humanity.
"They're complete lunatics..."
"This is way worse than we thought..."
The number one pirate and former Ace Guild vice-master stood before me, their relaxed smiles gone, replaced by expressions of contempt and disgust as they glared at the necromancers.
"These real crazies... They took the hostages just to eat them...?"
Furious at the insane act of cannibalism, Kim Arin drew her sword.
"This is dizzying. No idea where to even start processing this..."
Overwhelmed by the tower's graver-than-expected situation, Lee Min-jun sighed deeply and raised his tablet again.
The air crackled with imminent battle.
— What, you think that'll scare us?
— Max level ain't just you guys...
Pulling out their spellbooks for summoning magic, the Cemetery Guild necromancers faced us across the single escalator, the battlefield set.
...Admittedly, though their fame paled next to Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun's, these max-level players brimmed with even more confidence, seemingly enjoying the fight ahead.
"Step aside..."
"Ah."
"S-Selverion?!"
With a short breath, I shoved Kim Arin and Lee Min-jun aside and stepped to the center.
— ...?
— Who's that?
The necromancers frowned upon spotting me. I said nothing, merely staring them down with my crimson eyes.
— ......
"......"
Silence stretched as we sized each other up. Only after a moment did realization dawn on them, their faces draining to pale blue.
— S-Selverion...?
— No way, Selverion...?
Stumbling back at the sudden appearance of Frost of Ruin, Selverion, the two necromancers recoiled. It was instinctive avoidance born of eight years' experience and learning.
"Correct."
And the only thing I had to say to them was this.
"If you love eating people so much, why don't you try eating me."
If you can.