Chapter 86: Merhen (1)
Familiar surroundings.
Before he knew it, he was back in his room.
“Hayangi.”
―Kuu.
“Hoo…”
Kim Minwoo let out a sigh of relief. When he'd been caught by the Death Lord.
Despite strictly telling it to stay hidden, it had charged in anyway, ending up trapped in a cage.
The Death Lord must have recognized its potential and locked it away.
A pitch-black custom-made birdcage.
It looked impossible to break out of at a glance, so he'd gritted his teeth and pushed forward with the strategy. Fortunately, with the plan complete, Hayangi had returned unscathed too.
“You have no idea how worried Daddy was. That's why I told you not to butt in.”
―Kuuu.
Hayangi rubbed its head against his cheek, acting all cute.
He flipped the creature over and checked it thoroughly.
“No wounds or anything. From now on, you have to listen to Daddy, got it?”
―Ku!
Seeing it nod eagerly brought a fatherly smile to his face.
What a hopelessly adorable little guy. How could he resist not buying it attribute items?
He gently stroked it for a bit.
Then he checked out his gains. First up was the Death Command Sword.
[Death Command Sword]
[Grade: Legend+]
[The sword passed down through generations to the Leader of the Demonic Alliance. Having absorbed the blood of an unfathomably mighty warrior, its growth potential has greatly increased.]
[Restriction: Kim Minwoo]
[Effect 1. When it hunts a satisfactory foe, the sword absorbs their blood. (0/10)]
[Effect 2. Inflicting wounds on enemies absorbs some of their health and mana.]
[Effect 3.???]
“Huh?”
The description had changed a lot.
Not only had the grade gained a +, but…
‘Its growth potential has greatly increased?’
What would the old Death Command Sword have been like?
It probably would have stopped growing after absorbing maybe ten thousand foes.
But now it was different.
‘Maybe…’
Hunting ten foes that satisfied the sword might even push it to ancient grade.
He still didn't know the criteria.
‘Well, that'll…’
Come with time.
The equip restriction had changed from Leader of the Demonic Alliance or their killer to his own name.
And then.
‘… Effect 2, this is insanely good?’
Absorbing health and mana from wounds inflicted on enemies.
Potions weren't infinite resources.
Most people relied on natural regen.
‘Like having a built-in recovery tool?’
Even if the amount was small, it didn't matter. Just having the function made it incredibly useful.
Especially for him, who went around slicing enemy necks with a sword.
Next, he checked his titles.
[New Title List]
[1. Fossil Student ID]
[Became a student of an ancient academy.]
[Effect: Strength, Vitality +5]
[2. Owner of the Banshee Queen.]
[Became the owner of Banshee Queen Merhen.]
[Effect 1. All ghost-type undead learning capacity greatly increases.]
[Effect 2. Ghost-type undead can reach their ultimate form.]
[Effect 3. All magic-type summons' spellcasting speed rises by 20%.]
[Effect 4.???]
[Effect 5.???]
Fossil Student ID seemed like a bonus title from entering a special stage.
The real deal started with the second.
Owner of the Banshee Queen.
Effects on par with Cedric's title. Where Cedric buffed skeletons powerfully, Merhen buffed ghost-type undead powerfully.
Specters, banshees, reapers, etc.
Most ghost-type undead appeared in the mid-to-late game. Each one was pretty strong.
‘And spellcasting speed boost too…’
Like a staple dish. And it applied to all magic-type summons. Skeleton mages would benefit too.
‘Nice.’
A title that would shine more over time.
[3. The One Who Took Vulcan's Eye.]
[Stole the eye of Vulcan, the strongest balrog in the Demon Realm and Death Lord's legion commander.]
[Effect 1. All stats +30]
[Effect 2. Instills powerful intimidation in demon-type monsters.]
‘Whoa.’
No wonder it felt strong.
The title effects were no joke.
All stats +30.
He'd obtained in one go what he'd rolled in orc gates for.
‘It was that strong, after all.’
If the fight dragged on, he'd have lost eventually.
The level gap was huge.
‘And the second effect is solid too.’
Intimidation on demon-type monsters.
‘Conveniently, there's a gate like that on the horizon…’
One with fitting difficulty, swarming with rampaging demons.
‘Perfect to make use of.’
Nodding in satisfaction, he examined the next title.
[4. The One Who Stopped the Grudge.]
[Eased the endless despair of Merhen.]
[Effect 1. Merhen's interest deepens greatly.]
[Effect 2. Her interest occasionally creates special events.]
‘…?’
Deepened interest made sense. He'd racked up some points.
But…
‘What the hell are special events?’
Hard to grasp for now.
“… Guess I'll find out later.”
He checked the epic list.
[Epic List 9/10]
[Heir of the Death Lord]
[The One Who Ended the Eternal Curse]
[Warrior Remembered by Mutakta]
[Hero of the Northern Kaisar Continent]
[Owner of the Divine Beast]
[Champion of the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament]
[Slayer of the Leader of the Demonic Alliance]
[Monster of the Entry Realm]
[Necromancer Who Took Vulcan's Eye]
‘One more to go.’
Filling that last one would unlock the mid-tier, plus a very special effect.
His heart raced like a gift box sat before him.
‘Now then…’
Time to summon the hard-won Merhen.
[Merhen Summon (SSS)]
[Type: Active]
[Mana Cost: 100]
[Summons Banshee Queen Merhen. Merhen's level follows her owner's. Abilities unlock as level rises.]
Straightforward skill description.
Almost identical to Cedric's.
Both were legion commanders, so no big difference.
Alright then…
“Come forth.”
[Merhen is summoned!]
[50 mana consumed!]
Banshees were ghost-type undead.
Their usual appearance was horrific.
Rotting flesh in patches, ghost maggots crawling around as a bonus.
If he had to describe it, a bit better-looking than a specter, maybe.
He'd never seen a banshee that wasn't hideous, so he'd braced himself.
But what appeared was a very familiar face.
‘… Merhen?’
The academy.
It looked just like her living self from back then.
If her body weren't semi-transparent, it might've been hard to tell she was a banshee.
In her hand was a black parasol, unfurled. Merhen, under the round parasol, stared right at him.
Soon, her lips moved.
―You… I remember.
She said.
―Kern. The one who saved me.
Must be because his face matched Kern's era.
“Not Kern, Kim Minwoo. Anyway, I'm your owner.”
―… Owner?
“Yeah.”
―No. We're friends. We promised.
She shook her head firmly as she spoke.
Friends, huh.
Did she need mental conditioning?
He checked her status window.
[Merhen]
[Class: Archmage]
[Level: 180]
[Held Skills: Archmage (SS), Scream of Terror (S)]
[Archmage (SS): Ability grown as Merhen awakened her talent. Handles not only death magic but the four elements too.]
[Scream of Terror (S): Lets out a banshee's grudge-filled scream. Hit enemies fall into fear status.]
[Loyalty: 100]
[Special Notes: Most skills and stats are sealed. Already pledged loyalty.]
[Strength: 180(+90)] [Agility: 180(+90)] [Vitality: 180(+90)] [Magic: 540(+270)]
‘Huh?’
Loyalty was already at 100. Basically the same as having sworn fealty.
Once it hit 100, loyalty was fixed and wouldn't drop.
‘No conditioning needed?’
Friends or whatever.
The form didn't matter. What counted was hesitation-free obedience to orders.
Merhen was already there. At 100 loyalty, she'd jump into fire if told.
Must be the fruits of his efforts in that past stage.
Fair enough.
He'd earned some points back then.
‘No guidance required.’
Kim Minwoo smiled warmly.
“Yeah. We promised. We're friends. My bad.”
―Yeah. Minwoo. My precious friend.
Merhen sidled closer and took his hand as she spoke.
Kim Minwoo stared at her.
‘Her personality's a bit different.’
Human-era Merhen.
Banshee Merhen.
Seemed like quite the contrast.
The human one had been lively, while banshee Merhen seemed quieter.
‘Well, makes sense. She's been undead for decades at least.’
Emotions and senses dulled as an undead.
No surprise her personality shifted quieter.
He asked while gazing at Merhen.
“But you remember everything? You weren't directly involved.”
―Memories flooded straight into my head.
“Yeah?”
―Yeah. I hated the Death Lord for sure… but you're okay, Minwoo. So let's stay together.
As expected.
Worth easing her grudge.
She was fine with him despite using the same Death Lord powers.
‘And Archmage too…’
Banshees usually wielded death-related magic. Lower tiers varied, but higher tiers specialized in their race's magic.
Merhen seemed the same.
[She can now use not just death magic, but many more kinds!]
‘The description said so.’
Probably focused on death magic before.
But now it had changed.
With the four elements added.
The four elements meant water, fire, earth, wind.
How amazing that was went without saying.
‘At SS-grade…’
Wide range, insane damage.
Just then.
The door burst open.
Naye peeked her head through the gap.
“Big Brother! You’re back!”
She lit up and came running.
Soon, hugging his leg tight, she puffed her cheeks.
“Where the heck were you? I waited every day.”
“Sorry. Been busy.”
Before the strategy, he'd told the family he'd be hitting a hidden gate.
Everyone took it in stride.
Except this kid.
‘Must've waited a lot.’
Fair.
To Naye, winter break ended soon, then back to America. This was their only time.
Then.
Her eyes shifted to Merhen beside him.
“… Who's the big sis?”
“Oh, Big Brother’s friend.”
“Big Brother’s friend?”
“Yeah. Say hi, Merhen. This is my little sis Naye.”
―… Hi.
Merhen waved awkwardly, tiny gesture.
“Wow, big sis is so pretty.”
―… Thanks.
“So, big sis, you gonna play with me?”
―Huh?
“I’m bored. Big Brother broke his promise. He said he’d play with me…”
Kim Minwoo scooped Naye up.
“I’m sorry. Were you upset?”
“… A little.”
“Today, I'll play as much as you want. Wanna see something fun?”
“Something fun?”
“Yeah. Flashy, dazzling stuff.”
Magic was usually like that.
Especially SS-grade—better than fireworks. Like with Cedric.
He needed to test Merhen's capabilities anyway.
Killing two birds: test her and keep his promise to play with Naye.
“I wanna see!”
“Alright, let's go.”
Time to test the legion commander's power.