Chapter 8: Dragon Knight
A pitch-black space devoid of any light.
From it came a gloomy voice.
[If this has activated, it means someone has taken my power.]
My power?
“Could you be Death Lord himself?”
[Asking is pointless. This is just a recorded voice. Just listen.]
The immediate response.
He realized.
Whatever it was, once those lines ended, things would kick off.
This was prep time!
“Rise, my minions.”
[Uses Skeleton Summon!]
Clatter.
Clack!
Skeletons erupted from the ground. With the items equipped, an enormous number burst forth.
Over three hundred skeletons!
[Opens Intermediate Subspace Ring!]
Piles of gear stacked up before the skeletons.
Alongside the cost-effective Black Heart Set were countless other pieces of equipment lined up.
Swords, spears, halberds, maces, and more.
Vicious weapons that looked like they’d pack a punch even swung wildly.
“Equip fast! Grab one weapon each! No time! Hurry!”
He gulped down a mana potion and issued commands.
This was the only window to gear up the skeletons.
Meanwhile, the voice kept playing.
[I came for revenge. I dyed the continent in death. I thought I’d achieved my goal.]
Clatter!
Clack!
Helmets, armor, pants, gloves, boots.
The skeletons diligently donned the dark five-piece sets.
“Not just sets—wear whatever’s left! If you don’t know, at least throw on spare armor!”
The Black Heart Sets numbered about two hundred. The rest had to be patched with individual pieces.
[But then I realized. I was merely… one puppet on the stage…]
“Pretty lame, huh.”
[Even with my power, I couldn’t stand against them. So I planned for the future.]
No reaction to that?
The lines flowed on without even a moment’s pause.
It really was just a recording.
‘Did he get used or something?’
Someone who’d dyed the continent in death wasn’t some pushover.
What kind of powerhouse could a necromancer like that not face?
‘An outer god, maybe?’
Outer gods could influence other worlds easily.
Not the priority right now, though.
Look—even a brief distraction, and one idiot was dangling its arms, holding two heavy shields.
“Hey, you moron! One shield only!”
He flicked its skull and snatched one shield, shoving a sword into its hands.
[Now I shall test your worth.]
[Survive and prove yourself, and you shall gain my authority.]
[Fail to prove yourself…]
[And you’ll be trapped with me for eternity. Even a peaceful death will be a luxury.]
Scary talk.
“Yeah. We’re all geared up already.”
This boosted their combat power at least fivefold.
Whatever it was, just come out already.
[The first arrangement begins…]
The scenery shifted once more.
Everything blurred.
[Eternal Battlefield – Participating in the Hrulrunif Battle!]
[You have entered an ancient battlefield!]
[Acquired Title: ‘Where Are You Going?’!]
* * *
Kim Minwoo now stood atop a massive wall.
A space gripped by dead silence, as if time itself had stopped.
‘Huh?’
He scanned his gray surroundings.
Fortunately, the freshly armed skeletons stood neatly beside him on the wall.
What stood out…
‘Those aren’t my summons?’
Endless ranks of skeletons he hadn’t summoned were arrayed as well.
Skeleton Mages.
Skeleton Warriors.
Skeleton Archers, and more.
The undead didn’t stop there.
Dullahans, Liches, Specters, Death Knights, and even…
‘A Bone Dragon?’
Down below, a colossal dragon made of bone.
It was a city of the undead incarnate.
[This is a past battlefield created from ‘Dragon Knight Cedric’s’ regrets.]
[You are in a ‘virtual body’ state. Skills, stats, and inventory remain the same.]
[However, you cannot gain experience.]
[Player participates.]
[Stopped time begins to flow.]
Color flooded the gray stage.
Fires ignited one by one in the undeads’ eyes.
Then…
A voice echoed in his mind.
—Are you the one the Lord arranged?
His head turned instinctively.
Atop the Bone Dragon.
A massive golden skeleton knight was mounted there.
‘What the hell is that monster…?’
A skeleton knight with a body of golden bones. Blue flames blazed in its eyes.
An overwhelming pressure, suffocating.
Death Knights looked like child’s play.
“…Are you Cedric?”
The golden skeleton knight nodded.
—…Clumsy necromancer. I expect little from you. Just survive. If you can.
[Authority granted by Supreme Commander Cedric!]
[You can command the undead unit in Wall Sector 16!]
[Currently commandable undead: Death Knight 1, Lich 1, Dullahan 5, Specter 5, Skeleton 500]
[Acquired Title: ‘Baby Commander’!]
Right then…
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Orc! Orc! Orc!
A massive roar erupted from ahead.
The plain before the wall.
Countless orcs stood in formation there, beyond what the eye could count.
Clad in pitch-black armor, they rhythmically slammed weapons against the ground, whipping up their battle fervor!
That wasn’t the only problem.
‘This is insane…’
Not just some Bone Dragon.
Far off, a truly gigantic real dragon flapped its wings, visible even from here.
Nearby: wyverns, hydras, cyclopes, kodos, Death Witches, etc.
Top-tier monsters, each one spine-chilling, lined up.
‘Whoa, this is brutal.’
Problems everywhere at a glance.
Even with the wall’s advantage, their numbers overwhelmed.
Quality on our side?
No.
A living dragon outclassed a Bone Dragon any day.
We had high-tier undead like Death Knights and Liches, but it was like beans in a drought.
Inferior in both quality and quantity, low and high ends.
‘No escape?’
Front: orc horde like a pack of wild dogs.
Back?
A sheer, bottomless cliff.
‘The fort’s a dead end setup.’
No way the clear was jumping off for some hidden opportunity…
‘Gotta fight, then.’
First thought: time limit.
Survive long enough, earn that Cedric guy’s approval, battlefield ends. Or reinforcements arrive.
‘Sure, Cedric looks strong…’
One issue.
Orc! Orc!
In the center of the orc elite guards, a massive orc hero.
That orc was no ordinary one.
It looked seriously strong.
A chilling aura dominated the surroundings.
Stronger than that dragon over there…?
Could they hold out long?
‘Think. Straight assault is murder-level difficulty.’
Limit stats at 50, one summon skill—summons couldn’t be that strong.
At best, level 30-40 for a clumsy necromancer.
Death Lord (EX) or not, no chance against that.
Toss someone like that here and say survive?
Gate Hunter was tough.
But fair.
‘There’s a workaround. Regret’s the key?’
Battlefield from regrets.
Didn’t know what our Cedric regretted yet, but solving it probably ends it.
‘Clear method exists, whatever it is.’
Find it.
To survive, must!
Groooaaarrr!
The orc hero thrust its glaive forward.
Orc! Orc! Orc!
Orcs charged toward the wall, long ladders in hand!
“Fire! No holding back—loose everything!”
“Commander orders: fire.”
The Death Knight on the wall extended a hand.
Swoosh!
A rain of arrows poured down.
Some orcs toppled, but it was a drop in the bucket.
Thud!
Ladders hooked onto the wall en masse.
Orcs surged like a tidal wave.
“Grab your tools, lads!”
Shing!
Death Knight drew its sword beside him. The Lich raised its staff, eyes gleaming ferociously.
Dullahan hefted its double-bladed axe, black smoke curling from the Specter’s mouth.
His baby skeletons prepped too—weapons raised, ready to strike!
Ignore their level 1 arms trembling from weakness for now.
The instant orc heads crested the wall, he swung with all his might.
Slash!
Minwoo realized one thing instantly.
‘My body moves so much smoother!’
Stats identical.
But the movement felt different.
Like a butterfly shedding its cocoon—fluid.
Virtual body ditched his physical talents, apparently.
‘Even better!’
Orc heads flew clean off.
But delivery was just starting. Orc heads popped up everywhere like whack-a-mole.
“Swing weapons down hard!”
Boom!
Crunch!
Groooargh!
[Skeleton 1 has dropped an enemy far stronger than itself! Combat experience surges!]
[Skeleton 171 has dropped an enemy far stron…]
[Skeleton 223 has…]
Wall advantage.
Full-force downward smashes crushed climbing orcs.
But only briefly.
Baby skeletons hammered orc heads as drilled.
A climbing orc grabbed a hammer with one hand.
Clatter?
Skeleton yanked desperately, but the orc’s grip stuck like glue.
Grooo!
Orc pulled—the skeleton got sucked in and plummeted off the wall.
Clatter!
Skeletons shattering one by one.
[Undead revives…]
[Skeleton 1 summon canceled!]
[Skeleton 16 summon canceled…]
Revive or not, orc fields everywhere.
Skeletons got unsummoned helplessly.
Trouble didn’t stop.
Swish!
Orc archers firing from below!
Minwoo barely dodged an arrow grazing his face.
“Lich! Break ladders! Acid magic!”
[Lich ‘Hans’ uses Acid Touch (C)!]
Acidic hands formed in air, gripping ladder tops.
Ladders snapped instantly.
Climbing orcs plummeted with pitiful screams.
But endless orcs kept coming.
Worse still.
First just orc soldiers and warriors.
Now elite orcs appeared.
Grooo!
Orc Berserker.
Grows stronger with kin’s blood.
Its massive axe barely missed his head.
He thrust his sword into its gut.
Sword slid in smoothly.
Orc vomited blood, mouth gaping to bite his face.
He kicked it away, then cleanly severed a neighboring orc’s neck.
[Hunted 100 orcs far above your level!]
[Acquired Title: ‘Orc Hunter’!]
What was the effect?
Right—damage boost vs. orcs.
Resummoned the canceled skeletons.
Mana drained fast.
Nearly two hundred replenished in a flash, but sadly, most unarmed.
Long fallen below, unrecoverable.
“Grab anything quick!”
Skeletons snatched weapons hurriedly.
Even ant hands needed in the chaos.
30 minutes.
1 hour.
2 hours.
Hold, hold.
Mid-tier undead like Dullahans and Specters fell one by one.
Far off, Death Knight and Lich fading.
Slashed orcs nonstop.
[Hunted 500 orcs far above your level!]
[Title ‘Orc Hunter’ upgrades to ‘Orc Slayer’!]
[Warning!]
[Too many potions in short time! Overload beginning!]
‘Can’t keep this up.’
No choice—rationing’s worthless.
“Hans! Big one!”
[Lich ‘Hans’ uses Earthquake (A)!]
Rumble…!
Ground before wall split like a crevasse, sucking in hundreds of orcs. Brief breather.
Somehow holding.
Up to here.
Grooo!
Orc Hero’s roar began dominating.
Flap!
Massive dragon wings beat.
Kraaaagh!
Dragon shape rocketed toward the wall.
Straight at Sector 16—his spot.
‘Can’t dodge this!’
Death Knight and Lich Hans there, but zero faith!
He yelled reflexively.
“Cedriiiiic!”
Do something!
I’ll die!
Then.
Flap!
Bone Dragon from behind slammed into the live dragon.
Golden skeleton knight atop leaped at it full force.
Dark-energized spear tip plunged into dragon’s head.
Dragon thrashed wildly in agony.
—…I was about to anyway.
Bullshit—you just watched arms crossed till now.
Minwoo swallowed a retort and beheaded a charging orc.
That guy.
If he joins my crew, I’ll work him like a dog.
Minwoo vowed inwardly.