Chapter 84: Second Arrangement (10)
‘Did the Death Lord come from here?’
Without intervention, Merhen would still be enduring her tormented academy life.
She would have naturally participated in the practical exam.
‘And there, she would have met the Death Lord…’
She might have become undead.
With the appearance of the demon and the lich, the knights drew their swords. The mages began casting all sorts of spells on top of that.
The students steeled their resolve as well.
Liches were known as evil undead, and demons like the balrog went without saying. A battle breaking out right then wouldn’t have been strange at all.
A suffocating silence followed.
Kim Minwoo was tense, just like everyone else.
‘This is going to be tough…’
It was that Death Lord, after all.
And the legion commander was mixed in too.
But their side?
Just a few hundred students, plus the imperial knights and mages who were only mid-tier at best.
Looking at it objectively, it felt like that Vulcan guy or whatever, the legion commander level, would wipe them all out.
‘Still… we have to try.’
He would have preferred to pass without fighting, but that didn’t seem possible.
The balrog’s eyes were already brimming with sadistic glee.
Like a predator eyeing its prey.
Soon, the balrog shrugged.
―Lord. What’s the plan?
―…
The Death Lord scanned everyone.
Only for a moment.
When his gaze met Kim Minwoo’s, he tilted his head.
―You… what are you? Why do you wield my power…?
He stared this way with the look of someone beholding a bizarre hybrid.
‘He sensed my skill?’
Death Lord (EX).
He had devoured that guy’s power whole.
No wonder he found it odd.
From the perspective of his past self, a human suddenly appearing and using power similar to his own would feel off.
“What’re you talking about?”
Kim Minwoo shrugged as he asked. The Death Lord looked like a thoroughly evil lich on the outside.
He was even hanging with a demon. With the knights, mages, and students all staring blankly while alive, he couldn’t afford to look like they were acquaintances.
The Death Lord’s silent gaze shifted to Merhen this time.
―…Excellent.
The lich nodded in satisfaction.
He turned to the balrog and spoke.
―Deal with them. But spare those two.
Kern and Merhen.
In an instant, all eyes turned to them. Merhen trembled, unable to comprehend.
Kern…
“Death to these evil demons!”
He charged forward, sword in hand.
The others, who had been watching in stunned silence, began snapping out of it one by one. No one had harbored any soft illusions of passing demons and a lich without a fight from the start.
Kern had simply taken the lead.
“Take them down!”
The knights swarmed like a pack of dogs.
A barrage of spells rained toward the balrog as well.
―Heh heh. This won’t be boring.
[Vulcan summons his favorite weapon, the Flame Fiend!]
A massive whip of fire formed above the balrog’s hand, which bared its sharp fangs. He swung it with full force at the reckless human charging first.
One hit, and the body would be engulfed in flames.
The sight of a human screaming while burning was one of Vulcan’s greatest amusements.
He wasn’t supposed to kill them, so he could just extinguish the flames when they were sufficiently scorched. The fiery whip slithered toward Kim Minwoo like a viper flicking its tongue.
[Title, ‘Law of Victory’ activates!]
[All stats increase by 150%!]
[All damage increases by 150%!]
‘Whoa.’
Kim Minwoo was inwardly surprised.
His level had risen to 180 while clearing that monster horde earlier.
And yet, Law of Victory was activating like this?
‘Late 1600s at least.’
Fitting for a legion commander—his level was insane.
At that level, his stats would be beyond imagination.
The gap was horrifically vast.
[‘Hayangi’ shares water attribute!]
[Uses Death Spirit Swordsmanship (S)!]
[Consumes 5,000 mana!]
He poured in 5,000 mana without hesitation.
Hundreds of strands of sword energy rose over the death spirit sword.
A torrent of sword ki poured forth.
The flame whip tore through the sword ki entirely. In exchange, its trajectory veered slightly off course.
Dolsae was summoned in front of the deflected whip.
[Dolsae uses Provocation (A) on Vulcan!]
[The opponent’s level is vastly superior! Provocation ignored!]
[Dolsae uses Defensive Stance (B)!]
Provocation failed, but since he was already summoned right in front, the whip wrapped around the golem.
[Dolsae is reverse-summoned!]
Even with Defensive Stance, Dolsae was reverse-summoned in an instant. In that meantime, Kim Minwoo closed in to point-blank range on Vulcan.
[Curse of Aging (D)+9 activates!]
[The gap is far too vast!]
[Curse fails!]
The curse didn’t land, as expected.
He thrust the death spirit sword into the bastard’s leg with all his might.
Clang!
Sparks flew as if striking solid steel.
Vulcan’s whip was closing in again.
It was incredibly fast.
He threw Dolsae once more to block and dodged.
Cedric, who had approached, activated his skills.
[Cedric activates Shadow Spear (SS)!]
[Cedric activates Dragon Strike (S)!]
Double damage from Shadow Spear.
Then Dragon Strike multiplied it sevenfold. The damage, ballooned to 14 times, stabbed into Vulcan’s body.
Boom!
Even so, Vulcan’s body showed not a single wound.
It was expected.
The level gap was overwhelmingly huge. He desperately dodged the guy’s attacks while hammering the same spot.
[Struck the same area! Damage increases by 22%…]
[Title ‘One-Spot Digger’…]
The charging knights stabbed from all sides with swords brimming with mana.
A flood of spells poured in as well.
―Begone.
[Vulcan uses Fist of Fire!]
Flames enveloped his fist.
The moment he thrust it forward, a massive pillar of fire erupted ahead.
“Aaagh! Spare me!”
“Kaaagh!”
The knights sucked into it were all roasted whole. A single punch had killed nearly fifty knights.
Half the knight order was gone.
From the students to the mages in the rear.
Everyone felt a chilling terror.
The knights’ swords weren’t working.
Magic fared no better.
The enemy’s level was insurmountably superior.
And even more horrifying, the lich in the back hadn’t moved yet.
Regardless.
Kim Minwoo stubbornly hammered the same spot.
[Struck the same area! Damage increases by 44%…]
[Title ‘One-Spot Digger’…]
[Struck the same area! Damage increases by 55%…]
[‘One-Spot Digger’…]
With the knights and mages drawing attention now, he had to cram in as much damage as possible.
Finally.
Crack!
A fountain of blood spurted from Vulcan’s leg.
‘Got it.’
Kim Minwoo’s eyes gleamed.
He had pierced the bastard’s tough hide.
A narrow path to victory had opened.
* * *
Merhen stared ahead with trembling eyes.
A monster even the elite knights couldn’t handle.
Only Kern was still resisting it to the end.
But the situation didn’t look favorable. His body was already a mangled wreck.
In contrast, Vulcan had taken only a minor wound on his leg and was overwhelming him with ease.
‘Again…’
Just like before.
Kern had thrown himself at the wave to protect her. This time too, she couldn’t be of any help.
Even in this situation, her magic showed no sign of manifesting.
A pathetic half-baked failure.
Nothing but baggage.
That was when.
The lich approached her.
Some mages hastily began casting, but it was meaningless.
“Guhk!”
With a single gesture from the lich, one clutched his heart and collapsed. As terrified mages retreated.
The approaching lich spoke.
―Child. Become my kin.
“…What?”
―Have you not always despaired over your blocked talent?
“…How do you know that…?”
The lich’s eyes curved in amusement.
―Some talents reveal themselves only in death. Your body is a prison.
“M-My body is a prison?”
―Yes. Talent overflows, yet you’ll never manifest it in life. But as my kin, it would be different.
The lich extended his hand temptingly.
―I sense much suffering. It must have been agony. I’ll grant you the power to overturn it all. Just grasp this hand…
“N-No.”
Merhen shook her head reflexively.
―Why?
“D-Do I need a reason to refuse becoming undead?”
―I see.
The lich flatly extended his hand again. In that instant, a nearby mage collapsed lifelessly.
―What now?
Merhen trembled.
The mage who had been breathing beside her just moments ago was dead in a blink.
―Still not enough, it seems.
The lich snapped his fingers.
Dozens of mages vomited blood and fell.
“Y-You think making kin like this will make me follow you!”
―We’ll see.
The Death Lord smiled faintly.
Conducting the turning process this way wasn’t a loss.
Though loyalty would be faint, the accumulated grudge would grant greater power.
Loyalty could be supplemented later.
“N-No, absolutely not.”
―Even if that human dies?
“…!”
Where the lich pointed.
There was Kern fighting the balrog. Merhen’s eyes shook violently at the sight.
“D-Don’t…”
The Death Lord reached out.
As if gripped by an invisible hand, Kern’s body constricted and was helplessly dragged before him.
―Having second thoughts now?
“I-I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
Merhen cried out frantically upon seeing the bleeding Kern.
―Good choice. Just grasp this hand. It’s simple…
That was when.
The Death Lord, head tilted, reached out somewhere.
―Kwek!
A bird caught mid-flight in the air let out a pitiful cry.
―Hmm…
Staring at the bird, a pitch-black cage materialized above his hand.
He trapped the white bird and stared at Merhen.
―So, your answer?
“B-But Kern instead…”
―Yes. I’ll spare him. I keep my promises.
He would let him live.
The Death Lord had never intended to kill him anyway.
A human bearing the same aura as himself. He needed to find out why this had happened.
However.
He would spare him, but how that was carried out was his prerogative.
Even if he thoroughly dissected the body over and over.
As long as he stayed alive in the end, right?
It was then, as Merhen reached out her trembling hand.
“…Don’t… do it.”
A faint voice came from behind.
Amid the crushing pressure, Kern gritted his teeth and spoke.
“You… cough… hate… undead…”
“You idiot! Worry about yourself now!”
“Anyway… that… bastard… won’t… keep… promises…”
―Annoying.
Crunch!
The pressure intensified, and the sound of bones shattering echoed. Blood gushed from Kern’s mouth.
Now he’d be quiet.
Just as he thought he’d silenced the pesky human.
“I… can… manifest…”
The Death Lord narrowed his eyes.
That level of pain should have knocked him out. Yet he kept babbling.
Inflicting more pain risked killing him outright.
Kern’s body was long past smashed.
Seeing that, Merhen’s eyes trembled mercilessly.
She had underestimated the lich.
His words about not keeping promises.
Now she understood.
This guy who crushed bodies without mercy.
He might truly just “let Kern live” in the literal sense.
‘N-No…’
That would be meaningless.
What should she do?
“I… have… to… do it…”
Kern was right.
She could only trust in her own manifestation. Her heart pounded wildly. Moments with Kern flashed by.
The first good person she’d met in life.
Just as he had saved her many times.
She too…
‘Must save him.’
She had to.
If not, Kern would die.
She couldn’t let that happen.
She focused her mind.
Never had she wished so desperately.
‘Please…’
Just once.
If she could manifest magic and save Kern, she would pay any price.
It was then.
The mana flowing through her body began to stir.
Flash!
Light burst from her hand.
It was magic.