The Game Novel's Necromancer Villain
Prince Conqueror.
The VR game that once dominated the Chinese continent even before the launch of Horizon.
Xia Hei was a pro gamer in Prince Conqueror.
Although it wasn’t a full-dive 100% real virtual reality like Horizon, it used motion capture to recreate every body movement.
To become a prince and then a king, you had to fight in this battle royale game called Prince Conqueror.
Xia Hei’s nickname was the King of the Streets.
His online win rate hovered around 80%.
His practice room evaluation rate was a perfect 100%.
In terms of pure skill, he was a living legend.
But he was cursed with bad luck.
Like every battle royale game, Prince Conqueror reset the stage with every new round.
Xia Hei had never lost in internal battles or ranked online matches, yet he kept getting crushed in tournaments.
Eight runner-up finishes, one third place, and twenty-six tournament exits.
Just then, a new opportunity arrived.
Horizon.
Not another reset-based battle royale like Prince Conqueror, but an RPG where levels and stats accumulated.
If I’m here, I won’t lose.
After taking a fat scouting fee and starting on the Korean server, Xia Hei had racked up an undefeated record so far.
He was none other than Cursed.
“Please help me.”
“Hmph.”
As Cursed stepped forward, one member from the Umigan gang also advanced.
“Hahaha! If you wanna fight Brother Tuble, you gotta take me out first, you bastards!”
Derhaim, the warrior user who clashed his shield and right hand together.
Just like a back-alley brawl, no one even said a word before the fight erupted.
The first move belonged to Derhaim.
“War Cry!”
The roar echoed out, and the low-level guild members clapped their hands over their ears.
“War Cry? You have to be level 270 just to use that!”
The Chinese guild members gasped in shock.
270 was higher than even Jinpingwei, let alone Tuble.
And the level of the Cursed standing right in front of them was a measly 225!
“It’s not over yet! Bash!”
Derhaim seized the initiative and charged in with his body.
Whick. He kept chasing Cursed as he dodged to the side and swung his axe.
Oh, looks like the main event.
Fafnir watched the fight unfold from inside the shop.
Shield warrior Derhaim versus spear wizard Cursed…
In close-range duels, few classes could claim an edge like this.
A solid metal wall blocked arrows and blades effectively, and once it absorbed the attack, you could instantly seize control and counter.
The most effective strategy was to keep hammering from range with arrows or magic.
But in this situation, even that was impossible.
Still…
But this matchup… Derhaim is going to lose.
Fafnir’s expression hardened.
Everything is so readable… Even with the best synergy, nothing works.
It was like picking the strongest character in a fighting game only to get pushed back because of the player’s skill.
Time passed, and the winner became obvious.
“Hah… hah… hah…”
Derhaim, covered in blood and panting, staggered.
While the other guy stayed perfectly calm, not even breathing hard.
It was like a hunter methodically tightening the noose around a beast.
Because he never once allowed a single counter or attack the entire duel.
-Derhaim: 2%
-Cursed: 100%
The only reason this was possible was because of one thing.
Skill gap. And an overwhelming one!
“The tier difference is just too big.”
“……AAAAA!”
Cursed muttered.
Instantly, Derhaim rushed forward in desperation.
“Stop!”
The moment Tuble shouted in panic, Cursed lightly dodged the axe swing to the side and slashed his spear.
-Derhaim has been eliminated.
“Damn it.”
“A high-level user over 270 levels… just like that.”
The Umigan players stared ahead with disbelief.
“Hahaha…”
Jinpingwei’s lips curled into a smirk.
As a Chinese player who climbed the ranks, he had received countless requests and achieved a perfect 100% completion rate.
Jinpingwei had spent tens of millions of won just to recruit him.
But it was worth it.
If Umigan was driven out, the back alleys of this city would be under the sole control of the Huanglong gang.
Even taking over the entire free city of Alouin, the cost would be paid back within two months!
-1v1 PVP has ended.
-The winner is Cursed.
Shit…
Meanwhile, cold sweat trickled down Tuble’s spine as he watched the fight.
Game over…!
Tuble imagined fighting Cursed.
I’d never win. Even if I die and respawn, I still lose.
Accepting the truth, he had only one choice left.
For now, I’ll surrender and hand over the territory!
He would block any level-down on his members, then wait for Kindorhan’s support after the report.
That was the best option available right now.
……Damn it, if I were a little stronger…
Tuble gritted his teeth.
He should have trained harder instead of playing gangster games.
If he had hunted strong monsters and raised his skill mastery, he wouldn’t have had to surrender to that kind of guy.
“Potion.”
Glug-glug.
Cursed downed an entire recovery potion and turned toward Tuble.
“Only weaklings like this in Umigan? Bring out the next one quickly.”
“……Victory.”
“Hm?”
If you surrender, don’t touch the guild members.
Just as Tuble was about to say that, the door creaked open.
“It’s not over yet, is it?”
Clang. Clang.
A young man with black hair stepped out from the shop.
His sharp features and appropriately long hair looked striking.
In his hand was a spear that had been standing decoratively in the shop.
“Huh?”
“What’s that guy…?”
The Umigan gangsters tilted their heads at the unfamiliar newcomer.
In the meantime, Tuble shouted.
“You don’t need to come out! Do you know who that guy is?!”
“Not sure.”
How would I know an NPC that doesn’t even appear in the novel?
“But… it looks like it could be fun.”
Fafnir stepped forward, gripping the spear.
“Wait a sec…”
“The next opponent is you?”
“That’s right.”
Fafnir grinned.
“Come on. Let’s see how good you are.”
***
Fafnir and Cursed faced each other, spears raised.
Any moment of carelessness led to death in this duel.
Even though it was a virtual reality, the tension felt more intense than a real fight.
Swish.
Cursed swung his spear forward in measured arcs.
He pulled back slightly every time Fafnir advanced.
Creating an area of control.
The zone where the weapon’s reach could reach.
Once inside it, you had to prepare to take the hit.
Since he reached that level of control, he wasn’t going to miss it.
He was slowly tightening the grip, expanding his area.
Derhaim had fallen for exactly that tactic.
He was fighting without care in the same way.
But…
What if I do this?
Fafnir took a light step as if strolling.
Instead of retreating, Cursed did.
Every time Fafnir stepped forward, Cursed pulled back, and the controlled area crumbled.
…!
Shock appeared on Cursed’s face.
But that was it.
He maintained a safe distance and kept retreating.
I thought he’d charge in at any second. That’s impressive.
It had the same sharpness as two medieval knights fighting each other, or two duelists on a tightrope.
But patience alone wasn’t enough.
Fafnir put strength into his legs.
Thrust!
A spear thrust at an incredible speed.
Although it was a normal attack, the concentrated damage could one-shot a player.
His distance and control are both on his side.
Because the spear grade was different, there was no choice.
This was the only situation where Fafnir could avoid a direct clash.
Counter with the spear shaft to the spear blade.
Pat, pat. Fafnir’s spear deflected Cursed’s.
Crack, boom!
“……!”
A shallow wound appeared on Cursed’s chest as he staggered back.
But Fafnir had already followed through.
“……!”
Cursed spun his spear like a windmill.
Anyone holding a spear had no choice but to dodge and retreat.
But he had overlooked one thing.
Fafnir wasn’t a spear wizard from the start.
Boing, thud.
A metal-coated fist struck Cursed’s cheek.
Cursed collapsed, scattering six or seven teeth.
The match was over.
“Phew.”
From the remaining stage, Fafnir dusted off his hands.
Easy.
Control was definitely high-tier, but against even better control, there was no escape.
Maybe Derhaim would have been tougher.
Derhaim and Cursed were polar opposites.
Derhaim played the game system more than his own skill, while Cursed relied on his own skill over the system.
For Fafnir, the former was more threatening.
No matter how strong you were, stats always won.
Especially for a Necromancer vampire like Fafnir, a tank who wore top-tier gear would be impossible to break through with fists.
But Cursed was a pure technician.
He maximized his honed skills and used improvisation as his weapon.
I’ve fought dozens of Dragon Hunters like them.
Even they brought gear at the highest level.
Fafnir wasn’t someone who would lose to Cursed easily.
“Hey! Finish it! Finish him!”
Tuble shouted.
Cursed’s remaining HP was a pitiful 1%.
He wasn’t dead yet, but he was at death’s door.
One punch and you’re at death’s door. Is it because of the low level?
Even though Fafnir was a Necromancer and his fist strength was weak, he had still suppressed him.
Yeah, well… In the original novel, some players who played with low levels on purpose even got into the Guinness Book.
They avoided gaining experience to the extreme, hitting level 190 while hunting level 300 monsters.
Compared to that, this was nothing special.
“Then…”
Fafnir raised his spear to finish it.
At that moment, a man stepped in front of him and blocked his path.
“Wait! My name is Weiching.”
A man with a striking blue willow-leaf tattoo on his cheek.
Action leader of the Huanglong gang and a ranker who would soon take over the entire city.
“The match is already over. Our defeat. Please show us mercy.”
Without hesitation, Weiching bowed deeply.
“Your level is low, so if you die here, there’s no turning back. Please help me.”
After all, Cursed was already at a low level.
If he died again, he would lose the gear on his back or be unable to use several skills.
“Please. I’ll accept the defeat.”
“What… Hey, hey!”
Weiching looked back at Jinpingwei.
“Mr. Jinpingwei, we lost this time.”
“It’s not decided yet…”
“It’s better than Cursed dying.”
“……”
Jinpingwei’s beard twitched, but he couldn’t say anything and lowered his head.
“Mercy…”
Fafnir stroked his chin.
If he really killed Cursed, the Huanglong gang might keep resisting until the end.
That would only cause more harm to Umigan, and worse, the army might even get involved.
That’s not something Tuble wants either.
Fafnir nodded.
“Fine. So we won this main event?”
“What else? Of course we did.”
As Weiching nodded, the message appeared.
-Victory in PVP.
-Led the back-alley gang conflict to victory.
-Fame +10.
-No experience gained.
-Spear Mastery skill level increased.
-Metal Domination skill level increased.
-Showed excellent spear skills.
-Karami’s favorability +1.
Oh.
The rewards were better than expected.
The corner of Fafnir’s mouth lifted.
Meanwhile, Weiching carefully tried to help Cursed up and drag him away.
“Hey.”
Tuble, who had been watching, suddenly spoke up.
Weiching’s shoulders trembled.
“Where do you think you’re going? You have to pay up before you leave.”
“……What do you want?”
“Release the collection guys immediately, and pay compensation for all this incident. Plus, the back-alley rights of the alchemist guild you guys just bought last time.”
“What…!”
“And one month of probation as well. If you don’t like it, drop the stuff you’re holding and fight again.”
With that, Tuble, who had regained his confidence, stepped forward with a swagger.
“Why, wimp?”
He looked exactly like the essence of a street thug gathered into one body.