Three Seconds of Terror
# 176
Skeleton Master Chapter 176
Three seconds turned out to be longer than expected.
Boom, kwarung!
On a battlefield where a split-second mistake could mean death, the sensation would feel even more pronounced.
Mu-hyuk, too, had gained a fresh realization during those three seconds—there was so much he could do.
To keep enemy players unaffected by the confusion potion in check, he fired off Multi-Shot. For those he needed to eliminate, he commanded his mages and archers to attack.
Countless arrows and spells painted the sky as they surged forward, sweeping over the foes.
To finish off the survivors, he ordered his archers into rapid fire, then used Wind Step to douse dozens of Skull Snakes with the veil potion.
He sent the potion-coated Skull Snakes ahead to lie in wait. By then, the three seconds had elapsed, and Mu-hyuk returned to his position, eyes fixed on the front.
They must be pretty rattled.
His prediction was spot on.
The enemy players' morale had plummeted. Their comrades had suddenly frozen in bizarre poses before dropping dead like sacks of meat.
Anyone could tell Mu-hyuk was behind it, but the problem was no one could figure out how.
"Don't chicken out!"
Rudolph shouted belatedly from the rear.
"I don't know what weird shit he used, but it can only work once at best! Push hard, everyone!"
His words made a certain sense.
The rattled guild members nodded, reigniting their momentum.
"Yeah, he won't have any more."
"Let's end this!"
Mu-hyuk smirked and directed his Skull Snakes.
From the ground before the advancing enemies, the snakes that had been lurking silently sprang up, climbing their legs.
"Ah, get it off! What the hell is this?!"
"Ignore it!"
The Skull Snakes burrowed into their flesh.
"Uh...!"
At that instant, the veil potion took effect.
Cannot see anything for 3 seconds.
Their vision vanished.
"Ah, I can't see!"
"Fuck, what is this?!"
Darkness shrouded their sight, instinctively breeding fear.
What if they died?
A 24-hour login ban penalty.
The mere thought sparked irritation.
"Damn it!"
Who was nearby right now?
Before the blindness, there had been allies.
But now?
Could they really trust them?
The doubt didn't linger long.
The answer—no—came immediately.
Terrified of dying if they stayed still, they began swinging their swords wildly.
Even if it killed a guildmate, it didn't matter.
They'd gathered for PK, after all.
The only thing that mattered was killing the enemy and surviving.
That was it.
Clang, ka-kang!
Fierce metallic clashes echoed.
"Hup!"
Even blind, they could sense incoming attacks. With strikes coming from all sides, reactions were inevitable.
Whoosh, swish.
Guessing the attack's origin, they swung back. Allies turned foes in the dark, hacking at each other.
"Stay away from me if you don't wanna die!"
Mu-hyuk smirked again and ordered an assault.
Pang, paang!
Arrows shot out, blanketing them.
You have killed user 'Ever'.
Infamy does not increase.
You have killed user 'Kalibun'.
Infamy does not increase...
The lives of over 80 users.
The harvest from using one confusion potion and one veil potion.
*
The enemy players weren't idiots.
After that, they moved cautiously, watching for Skull Snakes. Any suspicious move from Mu-hyuk sent them retreating.
Annoying.
But that didn't make them advantageous.
The situation remained evenly matched.
They were just overly wary of the potions, adopting a passive stance. This let Mu-hyuk roam freely, disrupting the balance.
Of course, he sacrificed dozens of skeletons as bait, but he didn't care. Winning was what mattered.
But in his excitement, he overdid it.
Oh no, MP...
It had bottomed out.
The silver lining: with so many skeletons dead, just waiting would restore his MP.
In the end, he sacrificed the remaining unsummoned skeletons to buy time.
This recovered most of his MP, allowing him to unleash overwhelming might and finish off the rest.
They struggled to the end but couldn't withstand his onslaught.
Left alone, Rudolph bowed his head. Losing the duel meant no transparent arrows.
"Well, it was pretty tough, but..."
"..."
"I win. Right?"
Rudolph just bit his lip.
This can't be.
His guildmates were over level 100—not ten, but 150 of them—against one player, and they'd lost.
Impossible.
Of course, he'd heard the rumors.
Two people wiping out a whole guild.
He'd dismissed it as exaggeration.
Figured there were hidden helpers.
But no.
Mu-hyuk's skeletons were extraordinary, and the summoner himself was exceptionally strong.
"I don't like you much, but you're pathetic, so I'll give you a chance."
"A chance...?"
"Yeah. Fulfill three requests of mine, and I'll return the transparent arrows."
"Requests?"
"Yeah, requests."
Rudolph couldn't answer lightly.
Three requests.
Who knew how long they'd take.
"And copy some transparent arrows for me on the side."
His eyes lit up.
"You'll copy them?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"Make a contract at the temple."
With a priest presiding, breaking it meant suffering the user-set penalty—hard to violate.
Especially if severe.
"What's the penalty?"
"All stats reset."
"..."
Character deletion wasn't possible, sadly.
This was the max.
"Stats... reset?"
"Yeah."
"No way I'd break it."
"You in or not?"
Rudolph had no choice.
Might hadn't worked.
His spirit broken, he nodded.
Good.
Mu-hyuk grinned inwardly, dragging him straight to the temple. With the priest, they drafted the contract and swore by the gods.
The contract is now in effect.
"Thank you."
Outside the temple, Mu-hyuk told Rudolph,
"Now go."
"Copy first."
"Ah, right."
Mu-hyuk handed over a transparent arrow.
Rudolph hurriedly copied it on the spot.
"Call me soon."
Shoulders shrugging, Mu-hyuk pocketed the arrow.
The contract let them track each other, so summoning when needed was easy.
No need?
Then the contract might last longer than expected.
"Haa."
Guessing as much, Rudolph sighed deeply and turned away.
*
He raised his soju glass and extended it forward.
Clink.
After toasting Sung Min-woo's glass, he downed it in one go.
"Kuh."
The side dish was pork belly.
"Ah, good, so good."
"Quest?"
"Yeah, should wrap up soon."
"Good."
"Oh, it's broadcast day, right?"
"Yeah, called you to watch together."
"Aha."
Their seats had a perfect TV view.
Sound was just right.
"Already started."
"Yeah?"
He turned to the screen.
Mu-hyuk kept glancing back in a creepy dungeon, blending with the eerie atmosphere for a chilling effect.
The tension drew viewers in automatically.
Editing was powerful.
Mu-hyuk shook his head, forcing a calm expression.
Watching himself, Mu-hyuk occasionally furrowed his brow.
"Feels weird every time."
"What?"
"Seeing myself on TV..."
"Dude, imagine how I feel. Good thing I wear a helmet."
"Truly a blessing."
Sung Min-woo tilted his head at Mu-hyuk's words.
"What do you mean?"
"Just don't worry about it."
"You saying I'm ugly?!"
"You know it."
Pure teasing, of course.
Sung Min-woo knew and laughed.
"Hey, hey. Focus and watch."
Back to the screen.
Mu-hyuk halted abruptly.
Panicked staff.
Shadows emerging from the dark—robe-clad users.
Flash.
Mu-hyuk loosed an arrow without hesitation, then summoned and commanded skeletons.
The scene aired unfiltered, and Illusion's homepage exploded with related posts.
The broadcast continued.
Mu-hyuk defeating Asrahan.
Then triumphing over his dragged-in allies.
Meanwhile, Kalion was watching the broadcast and the homepage post.
"As expected..."
Mu-hyuk was definitely a Gangster Necromancer.
The question: his direct disciple?
Most posts and comments speculated Mu-hyuk was the first.
As the pioneer, high chance of being the disciple. Now, just track his location.
Or no need.
Kalion knew another key piece—info any player would crave.
Vir Kingdom.
Wait there, and he'd come.
Definitely.
Unsure when, he logged into Illusion hastily.
"Where to?"
"Vir Kingdom."
"1 gold."
Via warp gate to Vir Kingdom, he headed to the central lake.
Sitting on a bench by the lake, he stared at the temporary structure ahead.
Kalion was certain: soon, players from across Forma Continent would flock here.