Chapter 41: Divine Beast (1)
First, he examined the ring.
[Ring of the 4th Apostle (1/4)]
[Grade: Unique/Fragment]
[Requirements: Level 101 or higher]
[This is the ring worn by the 4th Apostle Belitas. It feels like some kind of incomplete ring…]
[Effect 1. Magic Power +50]
[Effect 2. Mana Recovery Speed +20%]
“Fragment?”
Kim Minwoo's eyes lit up.
A fragment item.
Once all the fragments were collected, its true power would reveal itself.
There were three more fragments needed in total.
‘The other apostles must have them.’
Collecting them all would elevate the item's performance to at least plus-grade levels, maybe even higher. With some real luck, the grade could jump an entire tier.
‘Even a unique accessory is worth a fortune…’
A unique-plus or legendary-grade accessory?
You couldn't buy them even if you had the money.
Any Awakener would equip it first and think later.
“Nice.”
He'd run into the apostles eventually.
He could collect the rings then.
He removed one of his subspace rings and slipped on the apostle's ring.
[You equip the Ring of the 4th Apostle!]
[Magic Power +50!]
[Mana recovery speed…]
‘The options are solid.’
Magic Power +50 went without saying.
The mana recovery speed boost was equally precious.
‘It's a rare option outside of certain buff skills.’
Recovery speed boosts were typically held by priests or shamans.
It was one of the rarest options on items.
‘Extremely valuable.’
Potions were expensive, and even if you had a mountain of them, overdrinking led to overdose or addiction—you couldn't chug them endlessly.
That was why he relied on natural recovery in most situations.
1% per minute.
Without buffs, health and mana regenerated at that exact rate.
Boosting that speed was an incredibly valuable option.
And it even had room to grow.
This was just one fragment, after all.
He picked up the skillbook.
[You acquire a bound skillbook.]
[Necromancer Skillbook: Equipment Attachment (B) acquired!]
‘Hm?’
Equipment Attachment?
Was this the skill he was thinking of?
Eyes gleaming, Kim Minwoo checked the details.
[Equipment Attachment (B)]
[Level Restriction: 115 or higher]
[Fixes equipment onto a summon. Fixed equipment won't drop upon the summon's death. Additionally, the performance of fixed equipment increases by 20%.]
‘That's the one.’
The skill to fix equipment onto summons. It was an essential skill dreamed of by every summoner class.
The reason was simple.
Summoning and arming them was a huge hassle.
Take skeletons, for example.
You had to pull them out, distribute gear from your subspace ring, and have them equip it.
‘Tediously complicated.’
Enemies didn't give you prep time.
Sometimes you had to summon at your feet to block mobility, or resummon immediately after a dispel.
In those cases, there was no time for arming.
The summons would just fight with their basic bone weapons.
But with Equipment Attachment?
The gear stayed fixed, so you could deploy fully geared summons right where needed.
No skill matched it for strategic versatility.
Reverse summons didn't drop the gear, and fixed equipment got a performance boost.
‘This is seriously good.’
Until now, he'd kept his skeletons' gear at magic-grade.
Not just the cost, but mainly to guard against mishaps.
He still vividly remembered challenging the Death Lord's arrangements in the past.
Coming back without recovering hundreds of armor sets.
If something like that happened with rare-grade gear?
He couldn't afford it.
Money aside, replacing it would take ages.
‘No more worrying about that now.’
And with his crafting skills, he could mass-produce plus items.
This one skill alone would inflate his forces by at least 50%.
Jackpot.
Now, the only thing left was…
He glanced at Belitas's corpse.
‘Toss it in or not?’
Turning a corpse into an undead was tricky.
You needed the relevant skills, plus a ton of materials.
And crucially…
‘The corpse quality has to be high.’
Lee Seoyoon had high potential.
That's why he'd kept her.
Even if he got undead creation skills later, she was worth the effort.
But Belitas?
‘Meh.’
This guy's strength came from being a boss monster, not personal talent or potential.
“Hmm…”
He pondered briefly.
For now, he stored it in his subspace ring.
The guts to call for a final duel at the end deserved that much.
‘Maybe raise it someday.’
Or just use the bones for replacements.
Space was free since he'd eaten all his food, so no harm in grabbing it.
―Hiss! Big bro! All cleared here!
Urkan shouted proudly, hefting his bloodied axe.
“Good. Don't go inside the inner castle. Wait there.”
―Hiss! Got it! Anyone stepping in gets their skull split by this axe!
He stepped through the wide-open inner castle gates. An intense cold slammed into him.
Elise, clinging to his side, shivered slightly as she spoke.
“… The fragment's probably in the inner castle basement. It'll get colder the deeper we go.”
“Wait here. I'll smash it and come back.”
“You sure you'll be okay?”
“I've got something prepared for this.”
She nodded.
“Cedric!”
He called to Cedric, who was cleaning up the inner castle. They entered together.
[Fierce cold assaults you!]
[Body temperature drops sharply!]
[You consume a Fever Potion (Top-grade)!]
[You consume a Cold Resistance Potion (Top-grade)!]
Money is god, and potions are invincible.
Gulping top-grade potions one after another, the cold eased.
He pushed straight to the basement.
When he reached the lowest room, he found a door encased completely in ice.
“Smash it.”
[Cedric uses Dragon's Strike (S)!]
Boom!
The door shattered, revealing the interior.
In the center of a vast cavern.
A small blue fragment floated lightly.
Tremendous cold swirled above it. Looking at the fragment brought up its info.
[Winter's Fragment]
[Grade: Special]
[A fragment split from winter's essence. It holds enough cold to freeze an entire region. Best not to touch it.]
[Effect 1. If you consume it and overcome the cold, you can wield ice attributes. Fail, and you freeze to death.]
[Effect 2. If you consume it and overcome the cold, you gain ice attribute resistance. Fail, and you freeze to death.]
“Hmm…”
―Master, what's wrong?
“Doesn't look safe to approach.”
―Same to me.”
“But we can't just leave it…”
Destroying the fragment would stop the cold.
Consuming it might do the same.
‘No way I'm eating that.’
Guts had limits.
Approaching looked tough enough—actually eating it?
This wasn't about strong soul or not.
You needed a clear strategy to attempt it.
Top-grade cold resistance potions wouldn't cut it.
“Go, Cedric. Dragon's Strike it from afar.”
―…
Cedric hesitated briefly, then charged the fragment.
Loyalty 100% in action.
Soon.
[Cedric uses Dragon's Strike…]
[It freezes!]
Crack!
At ten steps from the fragment, Cedric's body iced over completely.
Then.
Crack!
The ice shattered, and Cedric was reversed.
Death Lord effect revived him once, but he was already doomed. After breaking twice.
He resummoned Cedric.
“Breath.”
Its mouth gaped wide.
A massive flame shot toward the fragment.
When the breath came within ten paces, it fizzled out.
The flames scattered and vanished completely.
“… This is insane?”
Kim Minwoo's face hardened.
An attack that wrecked a B-grade boss couldn't even approach?
‘Tougher than the apostle.’
Ranged?
He'd learned from the last attack.
Magic or arrows would freeze solid before touching it.
‘Meteor might work…’
Meteor was S-grade magic.
Sadly, Kim Minwoo wasn't a mage.
“There must be a clear method…”
But he didn't know it yet.
Then.
―Coo.
“…?”
―… Not me.
“Did you hear that?”
―I did. Like a bird's cry…”
―Cooo.
“What the hell.”
Something was crying out clearly, but no presence.
‘A gimmick here?’
Then.
[The divine beast watching you reveals itself!]
Flutter!
Wingbeats sounded, and a light weight settled on his shoulder.
It was a small bird.
Pure white all over.
With a peculiar horn on its forehead.
Kim Minwoo stared at the bird.
Divine beast.
He had a hunch.
‘Title effect?’
The one who halted eternity.
The title from ending the Hrulrunip battlefield.
One effect was definitely…
[Effect 2. You smell delicious. A divine beast is watching you.]
‘So this is the divine beast?’
Then.
Cedric spoke.
―I think I know what it is. A Seven-Colored Bird.
“Seven-Colored Bird?”
―Yes. We used its feathers when crafting my body.
Come to think of it, he'd mentioned it in passing.
Gold Dragon Lord's bones, Abyss Lord's bloodline, Seven-Colored Bird feathers…
“This is it?”
―Yes. Seven-Colored Birds are white-bodied, horned on the forehead, with a bluish nape. This one matches. But they exist in this world too?
Cedric tilted his head.
“Probably the one that was following me. I saw the notice last time.”
―Last time when?
“When I left the Hrulrunip battlefield.”
―… I see. Seven-Colored Birds usually absorb seven attributes. Death is one of them. It was probably drawn to the Lord's aura.
That's why it smelled delicious.
“And with the ice fragment here, it couldn't resist popping out?”
―Probably? In your world's terms, it's like pizza and chicken placed in front simultaneously.
Ah, yeah, can't resist that.
He got it instantly.
He looked at the Seven-Colored Bird on his shoulder.
Pointed at the fragment, and its gaze followed.
“That thing—you wanna eat it?”
―Coo.
It nodded.
“It understands speech?”
―If it's been watching as you say, it probably followed you around. Must've picked up human language in the meantime.
He nodded.
A divine beast would be smart.
Learning speech wasn't surprising.
‘It chased me through the hidden gate…’
A solo gate.
Meaning no one else could enter.
But a bird wasn't human.
Then.
A thought flashed.
“Wait. You wanna eat me too?”
―Coo.
“Hey, don't nod to that!”
―Coo?
The Seven-Colored Bird cocked its head.
He looked at Cedric.
“Seven-Colored Bird expert. Got advice here?”
―Judging by size, it's a hatchling. Trainable.”
“So it won't eat me?”
Cedric nodded.
―Never seen one raised, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. They just usually aren't.”
Fair enough.
“But can it actually eat that?”
―… Probably? It's not a dumb creature. Won't crave what it can't handle.
Right, trust the expert.
He looked at the Seven-Colored Bird.
Incredible stealth.
Smart enough to learn language.
Could solve this mess.
Handles seven attributes—future potential too.
‘No reason to refuse?’
Classic late-bloomer pet.
Conclusion.
Just tame it for jackpot.
He stroked the Seven-Colored Bird's head.
“Say daddy. Daddy.”
―… Coo. Coo?
“Oh my! Good job! My baby!”
He gently petted its head. Pleased, it cooed softly.
He spoke to it.
“I'll give you lots of tasty stuff besides that—wanna stick with daddy?”
―Coo?
“Yeah. Here, daddy. Stick with daddy, get tons of treats, no more hiding.”
That moment.
―Cooo.
The Seven-Colored Bird rubbed its head against his finger.
[The divine beast wishes to stay with you!]
[Accept?]
‘Jackpot!’
Kim Minwoo grinned.
The divine beast had fallen right into his hands.