Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: The Salseong's Legacy
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“Uh… uh…”
For a rare moment, Lee Shin fell into a brief panic.
It was because, in a completely unprepared situation, too much information had flooded in all at once.
But even in that chaotic state, a few keywords were clearly hammered into Lee Shin's mind.
The Salseong's trial.
The opening of a secret area.
Confirmation of the Salseong's legacy, and so on.
‘…!’
Lee Shin's eyes shot open.
Even amidst the confusion, he could tell this much.
He didn't know the specifics, but something related to his class was happening.
And the moment he realized that, the first thing Lee Shin did was kill Dokgo.
Having switched his gear, Lee Shin unleashed all his skills at once on the back of Dokgo's head, who was standing there blankly.
Thud thud thud thud!!
[You have attacked a party member!]
[Your notoriety is skyrocketing!]
There was a clear motive behind Lee Shin's action.
‘It can't be known yet.’
The Salseong class was one of the few legendary classes on the server.
Despite a good amount of time having passed since the game's launch, it was known to have only seven (in reality, eight) members, making it extremely rare.
Naturally, its value was proportional to its rarity.
As such, if it were revealed that Lee Shin was the owner of such a legendary class, it was obvious that various prominent guilds would take an interest in him.
‘That can't happen.’
And this was one of the situations Lee Shin wanted to avoid most.
Not only did he have no intention of joining a guild, but the attention might also cause someone to raise fundamental questions about his identity.
‘You never know.’
Who was to say there wasn't another guy like Arthur out there?
No, the world was wide and full of crazies, so it was safer to assume there definitely was.
So he killed him.
“……?”
However, from Dokgo's perspective, who knew nothing of the circumstances, it was an attack completely devoid of context.
Thanks to that, he died in vain, not even knowing what had hit him.
“What do you think you’re—!?”
[A party member has died.]
[Due to the effect of the skill, <Righteous Murder>, your fame increases instead of your notoriety.]
[You have acquired experience points.]
[Level Up!]
[The proficiency of the skill, <Righteous Murder>, has reached its limit, and the skill evolves.]
[You can now designate 2 villains simultaneously. Enemies designated as villains will have their health recovery effects halved.]
“Phew.”
The level up and skill evolution were just a bonus.
Sighing in relief that his secret hadn't been exposed, Lee Shin continued to check the messages.
[The dungeon's secret area will now open. Enter the secret area and confirm the Salseong's legacy!]
[The location of the secret area can be found via the Giant Golem's core.]
‘The core?’
The core was in his inventory.
When he took it out to examine it, an arrow in the center of the core was pointing in one direction.
When Lee Shin turned his body, the arrow's direction also turned, maintaining its original orientation.
Lee Shin nodded.
‘I'm supposed to follow this.’
He didn't know what he would find at the end, but he had to go.
It was, after all, a quest related to his class.
The problem was Gillaim.
‘I'll have to leave this guy behind.’
Gillaim didn't know that Lee Shin was a successor to the Salseong.
Of course, he knew that Lee Shin's notoriety was extremely high, but that had been given a certain degree of pardon.
Even Gillaim understood that blood had to be shed to survive while avoiding the kingdom's eyes.
In fact, after Lee Shin's disappearance incident (which he had staged), Gillaim himself had become quite aggressive, often urging the use of force.
But even so, this was dangerous.
The man who was supposed to become the new king of the kingdom is a successor to the Salseong?
No matter how similar their goals were, it was uncertain whether Gillaim, with his knightly background, would react favorably.
No, it wouldn't be strange if he began to have fundamental doubts about Lee Shin's identity, questioning if he was truly royalty.
‘It's better to go in alone.’
If he went in after singling out Gillaim, it might seem strange.
Since both Jeong Yu-ra and Arthur were exhausted, Lee Shin took the opportunity to disband the party entirely.
“You’re not logging out?”
“I'll be out in a bit.”
“…Alright? See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow, too.”
[A party member has logged out.]
The two of them logged out in a flash, as if worried Lee Shin might try to hold them back again.
After confirming they were gone, Lee Shin turned around and spoke.
“You two wait at the lord's castle.”
“Are you not coming with us, my lord?”
“I'll be logging out soon, too.”
“Is that so? Understood.”
After sending Cedric and Gillaim out as well.
Lee Shin followed the arrow alone.
He found the way quickly.
‘Is this it?’
A small crack in the dungeon wall.
When he stuck his head inside, he saw a narrow, winding path stretching downward.
Lee Shin squeezed his body through the narrow crack and entered.
*Tiring.*
[You have entered a hidden area of the dungeon.]
[The ominous energy grows stronger.]
“…Hm?”
Lee Shin narrowed his brows.
The description about the ominous energy growing stronger was something that had been appearing continuously on the upper floor as well.
At first, he had wondered why this dungeon, filled only with golems, was described as ominous…
Now, he thought he knew why.
‘It must be related to whatever is in there.’
Whatever it was, it would be related to the previous Salseong's legacy, so it wasn't strange for it to reek of ominous energy.
-Search.
-Stealth.
With his skills active, Lee Shin slowly made his way down.
* * *
[You have arrived at the Hidden Stage, <The Dungeon's Underground Prison, Reeking of Ominous Energy>.]
[This is a first-entry area. All stats increase by 1.]
The end of the stairs soon appeared.
Lee Shin carefully looked around.
‘A prison?’
A long corridor stretched forward, lined with iron bars on both sides. Peeking inside, he saw skeletons of unknown origin scattered about.
A literally ominous sight.
“……”
*Poke.*
Lee Shin extended a tentacle and prodded one of the skeletons.
*Tiring.*
Remains of ???
A skeleton that has decayed beyond recognition. A faint trace of dark magic can be felt.
‘Dark magic? Were they necromancers?’
Wondering if there were any clues, Lee Shin touched the other skeletons, but they all had the same description.
All were remains exposed to dark magic.
At this, Lee Shin's expression turned peculiar.
‘So he didn't just kill nobles?’
These people had clearly been captured and imprisoned by the previous Salseong, but he couldn't fathom the motive.
It wasn't as if necromancers were particularly involved in the kingdom's corruption, was it?
Did he just capture them because he disliked them?
‘…I'm not sure.’
Shaking his head, Lee Shin continued walking.
The arrow was still pointing forward, so he figured something would turn up if he went to the end.
…And indeed, something did.
*Rustle.*
-Wh-what was that!
“Hm?”
-Who are you!
A voice, like scraping metal, came from the side. Wondering if there was a survivor, Lee Shin turned his head.
And his eyes widened in shock.
‘…A lich?!’
A moving pile of bones.
His opponent was a lich.
A being that had reached the pinnacle of dark magic!
‘This is crazy…!’
The moment he realized this, Lee Shin instantly equipped his gear and leaped backward, creating distance from his opponent.
An excellent defense mechanism that kicked in instinctively!
However, there was no need to be on guard.
-A human here… huh?!
*Flash!*
Upon facing Lee Shin, the lich suddenly let out a sharp cry, its eye sockets glowing.
Startled by that red glow, Lee Shin unknowingly took a step back as messages scrolled before his eyes.
[Your notoriety is transcendentally high.]
[You possess numerous titles related to evil deeds.]
[The opponent is an evil-aligned NPC.]
[The opponent feels intimidated by you…]
-No, wait, this energy is…!
[…The opponent recalls memories from before its death.]
[The opponent has realized your identity!]
-The Salseong's successor!?
“No, I’m not.”
Lee Shin denied it with spinal-reflex speed.
He didn't know what was happening, but he felt a strange sense of foreboding.
But it was pointless; the highly agitated lich was no longer listening to him.
The lich burst into a mad laugh.
-Kahahahaha!! The Salseong's successor!
“I told you, I’m not.”
-Haha, nonsense! The stench of blood mixed with malice wafting from your soul stings my nose. It's impossible for you not to be!
“……”
-Hahaha!
‘…This son of a bitch?’
* * *
“……”
-Hahaha! Hooo…
After laughing for a good while, the lich finally spoke in a much calmer voice.
-I have been waiting for you.
“For me?”
-To be precise, I was waiting for his successor. Hoping that one day, someone would appear and release me from this wretched place!
“I’m… ah, whatever.”
Lee Shin, who had been about to argue further, gave up and sighed.
His opponent was already far too certain.
And it didn't seem to be showing any hostility about his connection to the Salseong.
Lee Shin just asked what he was curious about.
“Why should I be the one to release you?”
-Because the one who imprisoned me was the previous Salseong.
“……”
Lee Shin was momentarily at a loss for words.
No wonder it seemed so strangely happy. Was it delighted that it could finally get its revenge?
‘Damn it.’
Lee Shin cursed inwardly.
But seeing Lee Shin's expression, the lich shook its head.
-It is not like that.
“Then what is it?”
-I am trapped here anyway. I cannot leave on my own. Someone must open it from the outside.
“…Hm?”
At the lich's words, Lee Shin turned his head.
Now that he heard it, it was strange.
He had been too disoriented to notice, but it didn't make sense for a lich to be unable to open a simple iron cage.
The lich continued.
-As you say, these are no ordinary iron bars. They are a special device created by the previous Salseong, mixing his blood and secret arts.
“……”
Lee Shin touched the iron bars.
A jolt of electricity sparked from them.
[These are iron bars engraved with the <Seal of Malice>.]
[Due to the powerful force of malice, all magic and physical attacks are nullified.]
[Be warned! The powerful force of malice is seeping into your body.]
[…You possess the title, <Incarnation of Malice>!]
[You absorb the power of malice.]
[Dispelling is possible. Would you like to release the seal?]
‘Ah…’
The Incarnation of Malice was a title given to the person with the highest notoriety on the server.
If the seal could only be broken by someone with that title, it meant that, for all practical purposes, only a successor to the Salseong could undo it.
This explained why the lich had been so pleased.
‘So that's how it is.’
Lee Shin nodded in understanding.
But the messages weren't finished yet.
[You have discovered the Salseong's legacy!]
[Your class is Salseong.]
[Conditions have been met, and hidden information is unlocked!]
Class Story – The Salseong's Dilemma
The Salseong, who murdered nobles and attempted to assassinate the king for the revival of the Eteun Kingdom.
He stained the kingdom's nights with blood and made countless nobles and the king tremble in fear of death.
However, despite these efforts, he knew better than anyone that he would fail.
The abyss of corruption rooted in the kingdom was far too deep, and it could not be uprooted in a short time.
He needed a successor to carry on his will.
He pondered a way to select and raise his successor while avoiding the kingdom's eyes, and as a result of his deliberation, he left seven legacies scattered throughout the kingdom before his death.
This dungeon is one of them.
The Salseong captured and imprisoned numerous necromancers, then placed a powerful seal on them so that only those qualified to be his successor could release them.
The strongest necromancer to have survived among the many will surely be a help in carrying on the legacy of the previous legend.
[You have confirmed the Salseong's legacy.]
[You have acquired the Salseong's second secret sword technique.]
“……!!!!”