The Necromancer Villain in the Game Novel
Sihyun. In the middle-to-late stages of the original novel, her fame had placed her among the top 100 players out of tens of billions. There were two main reasons for this.
First, Sihyun was a named player on the Korean server. With Flush and other flying or climbing users active on the Korean server, the fame of the rankers was naturally much greater.
Second, she had become a named player simply because she was a blacksmith. She had a high success rate in repairs and enhancements, but the truly astonishing part was her direct crafting of equipment items.
Sihyun’s crafted equipment!
You have to buy this no matter what! Bidding!
Sihyun’s equipment items surpassed not only the drop items of the same grade but also the gear of other blacksmiths. Her basic specs were already excellent, and every time she engraved new patterns, she could add special effects to the items.
Bimill was, of course, secretly the hidden class Starlight Blacksmith.
‘By randomly adding one desired effect each time, they said they would always go to Sihyun for the same price.’
She was a powerhouse at the very top in both combat power and job characteristics. In the original story she had traded with the protagonist, but she was the type who could always drive a knife into his back.
‘In the novel she was a ruthless heroine, but here it’s a bit different.’
Still, her combat prowess matched the description exactly. She tanked an orc’s charge that would have felled lesser defenders and struck back!
‘Her gear is really something.’
Fafnir swallowed hard. Honestly, he was envious.
‘If I equipped Nos. 1, 2, and 3 with those same items, they might be twice as strong as they are now.’
Already the three skeleton soldiers had moved beyond individual combat and were learning to coordinate. With equipment they could even surpass a single user.
‘Plus…… that person named Siyeon isn’t ordinary either.’
Fafnir’s gaze shifted to Siyeon, who was carrying Sihyun and moving with her. Siyeon’s class was Tattooist, a buff-type job that raised allies’ specs.
‘I never imagined that the tattooist job even existed in the novel……’
Whenever combat began, the henna tattoos Siyeon drew reacted instantly. Each time a message appeared.
-Battle state engaged.
-The bleeding-tooth tattoo activates.
-Blood-sucking effect generated at 6.3%.
‘The presence or absence of tattoos makes all the difference.’
Tattooist tattoos did not stack with other buffs. While Siyeon’s personal combat power remained average, the buffs were overwhelmingly strong.
‘A blood-sucking tattoo.’
Adding 6.3% to Fafnir’s existing 12% Vampiric Aura brought the total to 18.3%. At this point Fafnir felt he had reached a level where potions were unnecessary.
‘Things are looking smooth.’
After several more orc packs were eliminated, they finally reached their destination.
Chew. Chwack.
A makeshift supply depot woven from logs.
Sixteen orcs patrolled around it.
‘No other parties have appeared yet. We can hunt leisurely.’
Vane, after completing reconnaissance, said.
‘Planning the strategy……’
‘Hey! You! You’re all dead!’
Just as Vane was about to brief them, Sihyun raised her hammer and charged forward.
‘Hehe, why do kids all act like that these days.’
Vane sighed heavily, as if the ground had swallowed him, and raised his bow.
The battle began.
Chiiik!
‘You humans dare come here!’
The orcs charged straight to meet Sihyun’s charge. In an instant, white light burst from Sihyun’s armor.
Flash!
The orcs’ eyes were blinded by the powerful light, and hammer strikes rained down without mercy.
Chiiik!
Vane and Fafnir, stationed in the rear, were also charged by the orcs.
‘Miss, fall back!’
Vane pulled away and loosed arrows. The sharp arrows pierced the orcs’ arms and chests.
Roar!
Despite being a warrior race, the orcs were so tough that a single or two arrows could not fell them.
Vane clicked his tongue in front of the howling orcs.
‘If I were only five years younger, I’d hit every shot……’
Fafnir approached from the front.
Chew!
An orc warrior roared in anger and swung his greatsword down.
At that moment Fafnir’s wrist rotated; the sword blade spun in a magic-like arc, bounced upward, and struck clean.
The sight startled the orc, and Fafnir’s blade pierced its neck.
-Summoning a skeleton soldier.
The slain orc immediately became a skeleton soldier, from there Fafnir systematically reduced the orc numbers one by one.
Chwack!
The orc pack dwindled in seconds.
Sihyun, who had cleared the front, joined and the fight ended quickly.
-Battle complete.
-Battle contribution: 40 obtained.
-Party leader additional battle contribution: 20 obtained.
The final message after slaying the last orc!
‘Ten per orc.’
Fafnir lit a fire and burned the entire depot to the ground.
-Supply depot destroyed.
-Terror contribution: 100 obtained.
-Party leader additional terror contribution: 20 obtained.
‘Battle and terror are calculated separately.’
Contributions were awarded by category, and the party leader received extra. Other parties were probably competing fiercely for their own leader right now.
‘It’s fortunate there’s no such thing here.’
Suddenly.
-Red ore stained with blood acquired.
“Whoa! An item!”
Sihyun, rummaging through the orc corpses, held up a chunk of red metal.
‘That’s……’
Fafnir’s eyes widened.
‘Luck is on my side. With this I can strengthen the skeleton soldiers even more.’
I could craft weapons or armor for the skeletons, or reinforce their bones with iron. It could even serve as an ingredient for necromancy.
This was definitely the best material, and it dropped extremely rarely. Sold for cash it would be worth at least 100,000 won as a material!
The problem was that Fafnir wasn’t the only one who wanted it.
“Party leader, can I take this one?”
Sihyun asked. Fafnir licked his lips.
“I need it too.”
“No, I’m a blacksmith. How could you say no?”
“If that’s the case, shall we roll the dice?”
“Sure, I go first.”
The dice function was in the party status window.
Clink, Sihyun rolled.
-Sihyun: 81
“Yes!”
The other two did not bid on the metal.
Eighty-one meant she had almost won.
“Hmm……”
Fafnir placed his finger on the dice button.
‘If I had Flush’s luck, it would be perfect.’
But he had none, so he had to use a trick.
‘Should I try the casino extra from back then?’
Remembering the novel’s description, Fafnir tensed up.
Just before pressing the button he spun it counterclockwise, then pressed firmly the moment it caught……
-Fafnir: 98
“Ah.”
Sihyun’s face turned gray.
“A, aaah. Aaaaaaaaa……”
She looked like a child whose favorite toy or freshly made ice cream cone had been snatched away right in front of her. Tears finally spilled from Sihyun’s eyes.
“My oreeeek! My oreeeek……”
“I can’t control the dice.”
“Waaaaang!”
Now she collapsed onto the spot and wailed loudly.
“Hey, what happened? Why is she crying?”
Vane, who had approached, asked.
Fafnir shook his head.
“The dice just came out well.”
After explaining the whole story, Vane looked at Sihyun with pity, but there was nothing he could do.
The ore had already been distributed according to the dice rules.
At that moment.
“Unnie, are you okay?”
Siyeon, who had suddenly appeared, hugged Sihyun and patted her.
One over 180 centimeters and the other under 160 centimeters. The two together created the scene of a mother comforting a sobbing child.
“Sob, I want to be party leader. I want to fight on my own terms. Sob……”
“I know, I know. Unnie worked so hard. Don’t cry, it’s okay, it’s okay.”
Siyeon patted Sihyun, and the older sister gradually calmed down.
Vane, watching, wore a vacant expression.
“Are kids all like this these days?”
“I wonder……”
In the novel there had been no such thing as a big sister. Had iron been beaten into her in just one year?
Suddenly Sihyun’s gaze turned toward them.
“What did you just say?! Kids?!”
“Ah, no…… Sorry.”
Vane got startled and immediately apologized.
In the meantime Siyeon approached Fafnir and bowed her head.
“I’m sorry. My sister cries too easily……”
“It’s fine.”
“She’s already thirty-four years old and acts like this……”
Thirty-four?
Kim Ganghan was 27. Oh, Jinhwan’s body was 23.
“My god……”
“That ore you just got, Unnie seems to have really wanted it. Are you willing to sell?”
She had finally obtained it but ready to sell?
Fafnir, about to shake his head, suddenly licked his lips.
“Then how about this.”
“Eh?”
Fafnir passed Siyeon and headed straight for Sihyun.
“Sihyun-ssi.”
“Haaaaang……”
“Sihyun-ssi.”
“Sob……”
“Here, I’ll give it.”
“Really?”
“Yes, just pay the bid.”
“Really? You’re really giving it?”
“Yes.”
“Sob…… Thank you! I should be happy but I’m crying.”
Sihyun wiped her eyes and smiled.
“Good. Your name was Fafnir, right?”
“Y-yes?”
Fafnir tilted his head.
“Come find me later. I’ll give you a surprise gift that’ll shock you.”
Sihyun spoke proudly, but the weight of those words was anything but light.
“I look forward to it.”
“Good, then let’s keep moving!”
Energized, Sihyun took the lead. From then on Fafnir’s party continued chasing the orcs’ traces.
“Chiiik! Humans!”
“Call the boss! Chiiik!”
The orcs charged the moment they spotted the party.
Each time Sihyun took the lead, Vane and Fafnir loosed arrows or thrust swords in joyful unison.
They were monstrously strong in melee.
Yet thanks to Sihyun’s gear neutralizing charges, and Vane and Fafnir’s perfect harassment and weak-point strikes, the battle concluded far more smoothly than imagined.
‘This is too smooth.’
The battle points had already reached 800. If it continued, snatching first place before the large-scale event would not even be a dream.
‘I hope it stays like this.’
Fafnir smirked.
***
Another location near the orc fortress.
“Hey, attack!”
“Uwa!”
A party of five surrounded and was slaughtering orcs.
“It’s done! Now!”
“Flame Strike!”
At the signal the male mage swung his hand.
A massive explosion swept through the orcs and they vanished without even a scream.
The users stared in shock.
“Whoa, real damage……”
“As expected, pure evil-doer backup member.”
Shining Musket was different from other mages.
He had obtained a powerful arcane skill and knew how to use it effectively. His talent was recognized, and he was currently an alternate member of the Pure Evildoer Guild.
When his skill and specs improved further, becoming a full member would not be a dream!
“……”
Despite his achievements, Shining Musket’s expression was not good.
Wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he checked the rank table.
‘What is this Fafnir guy……’
Fafnir was firmly in first place for battle contribution.
Meanwhile the man himself had reached the 600-point range but was still second.
‘I don’t know who he is, but I’ll have to keep an eye on him soon.’
The way to first place was not only orc hunting.
‘I’ve learned PVP, so there's no problem.’
Strength returned to Shining Musket’s grip.
At that moment, just as the cooldown of his skill was about to end.
The users in front pointed to the opposite side.
“Musket-nim! Orcs incoming!”
“Orcs? Where……”
Shining Musket’s expression hardened as he looked toward the voice.
[Green Axe Fortress Commander Kunzbar]
A single orc larger than the others, spewing a red aura.
Around it stood ten elite orcs bearing titles like ‘Large,’ ‘Mutated,’ and ‘Mad.’
“……Insane.”
Shining Musket was a veteran at combat, because of that he immediately cast his highest-damage skill the moment he saw the orcs.
Hit Curse, which lowered flame resistance, and the strongest skill Regasha’s Flame Strike!
After the massive explosion, smoke slowly cleared.
……Chew.
Kunzbar stood perfectly intact except for a slight scorch.
……Chiiiiee!
In that state Kunzbar roared and hurled his spear with both hands with all his strength.
It was the last image of the man who had appeared before Shining Musket logged out.