Chapter 157
Chapter 157
Chapter 157: The River of the Underworld (4)
Translation: godtl
-What the hell?
-The undead got wiped out in one shot...
-Did Turn Undead just go off or something?
-Isn't Turn Undead supposed to be a spell with a cast time?
-Nah. This feels like a completely different ability.
The chat window flooded with messages in an instant.
Especially—
-Is that old man one of Kim's summons too?
-Doesn't look like it. He called Kim a "distinguished guest."
-His cane seems to be the key.
-I think it's connected to the ship. Probably all the necromancers noticed it already.
-Yeah. Just now, I felt the exact same Death Energy from him as the ship.
-I can't be sure since I'm not seeing it firsthand, but I definitely sensed Death Energy.
Necromancers from around the world exchanged heated opinions, but ultimately, they all reached the same conclusion:
It was impossible.
The reason was simple.
-So you're saying he nullified the undead using the same necromancy...
-It's not impossible. If he knew the structure, patterns, and formulas of the undead Malina summoned.
-That's the thing—it's absurd. Is that old man some kind of god or something?
-Exactly. How could he know the summoning system of a necromancer he's never even seen before?
The old man and Malina weren't acquaintances.
They weren't even rivals who had fought each other repeatedly.
They had never even met before.
So how could he have completely dismantled her summoning system and nullified her undead?
And this—
"What the hell did you just do?!"
—was exactly what Malina, the person in question, was thinking.
For the first time since entering this arena, she raised her voice in anger.
"I'm asking you! How the hell did you nullify my summons?!"
Hrymr responded with the same chuckle as before.
"Kekeke. I merely disposed of those unworthy of boarding."
At that, Malina's veins bulged in her neck.
"Cut the bullshit!"
She snarled.
"Unworthy? On a ship saturated with Death Energy like this, who the hell is more worthy than me and my undead?!"
She flung her arm out, pointing at Si-mun, who remained seated, and Choi Jin-su, who was awkwardly observing the situation.
"If anything, those two are the ones who don't belong here! Anyone can see they're far removed from death!"
"Bold words, lass. But I can't agree with that statement."
"Ha! This old man's really lost his damn mind, huh?"
Malina roughly raised her hand.
Above her palm—
Sssss...
A sinister energy, so cold it felt like absolute zero, began to rise.
The energy of death.
Death Energy.
"If you can neutralize my summons in one shot, you must be somewhat capable. But do you really need me to prove it? Do you think there's another necromancer at my level in Platinum?!"
"Indeed, your Death Energy is quite exceptional for your rank. With more time, you'd make a fine necromancer."
"Old man. I didn't show you my Death Energy to hear that kind of crap."
Malina snapped, irritated by Hrymr's praise.
"Enough talk. You seem to be the owner of this ship. How about it? Join me."
"Kekeke! Amusing. Even if I did neutralize your undead, what reason would I have to serve under you?"
"Fine. I can see why you'd think that."
She stretched her arm to the side.
"But old man. Who said—"
Vwoom.
A series of dark green magic circles, presumably necromantic in nature, bloomed in succession along her outstretched arm.
By the time they reached her fingertips—
The magic circles, layered and rotating with a complexity reminiscent of Odin's Eye, split apart with a crack.
And from within—
"Did you really think that was all I had?"
Groooan...
Screeeech!
Undead with emerald-green eyes poured out.
***
Clatter, clatter.
Skeleton series clad in various armors and wielding weapons, zombies—
Screeeech!
Specters, wraiths, and more.
Even ghost-type undead that only Diamond-rankers could handle.
A sinister aura, a fusion of emerald-green and gray, billowed from them like smoke as the undead swiftly overflowed from the Naglfar's deck, filling the air above.
And—
"Hmm..."
Si-mun let out a quiet hum as he observed the spectacle.
But it wasn't because of the undead, each radiating an extraordinary aura.
'I thought only her brother, Malik, was involved. But it seems Malina was already under Quetzalcoatl's patronage by this point.'
The emerald-green undead summoned by Malina.
Their true master was none other than the Constellation Quetzalcoatl.
To be more precise.
[The Constellation Black Goat sneers,"Heh. Judging by the numbers, it seems they've offered quite a lot, huh?"]
[The Constellation Odin grimaces,"Ugh! First the Naglfar, and now that disgusting serpent bastard."]
It would be more accurate to say it was the price for receiving Quetzalcoatl's patronage.
Observing the Constellations' reactions, Si-mun became certain.
'So they've already performed human sacrifices. And a great many at that.'
Human sacrifice.
The act of offering people as tributes to a god.
Though such practices occasionally appeared in humanity's ancient history, they were unthinkable in the modern era.
But just as in his past life—
After the emergence of the Galaxy Arena, human sacrifices had made a resurgence.
All for the sake of appeasing the Constellations.
'Most Constellations don't accept human sacrifices, though...'
Generally, Constellations did not accept such offerings.
The exact reason was unclear.
Even terrifying Constellations like Black Goat or Baal had never demanded human sacrifices.
But exceptions existed everywhere.
'Constellations like Quetzalcoatl take immense pleasure in them.'
In his past life on Earth,
this very reason was why the infamous Siblings of Death—Malik and Malina—had earned their notoriety.
'They sacrificed entire refugee populations and survivors to expand their undead armies.'
Setting aside the value of human lives and looking at it purely objectively,
human sacrifice was an extremely profitable trade.
Unlike other Constellations, Quetzalcoatl—the Death Constellation—did not base his patronage on a player's potential or favorability.
The scale of his support depended solely on the number of sacrifices offered.
Si-mun recalled the broadcasted boasts of the siblings in his past life.
'They claimed that sacrificing 1-2 unawakened humans would grant one of Quetzalcoatl's undead.'
No matter how advanced the necromancy, an ordinary human corpse could at best become a low-tier undead.
Yet the undead granted by Quetzalcoatl's patronage were at least mid-tier or higher.
Moreover, since they were summoned directly from Quetzalcoatl's domain, they required none of the usual maintenance needed for ordinary undead.
It was easy to see just how lucrative the trade of human sacrifice was.
Of course, this applied only to Malik and Malina—the sole beneficiaries of Quetzalcoatl's patronage.
Si-mun's brow twitched slightly as he counted the undead swarming the ship's hull.
'Around eighty or ninety, I'd estimate...'
Nearly a hundred of Quetzalcoatl's undead.
In other words—
'They've sacrificed close to two hundred people so far.'
Ha.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
No wonder they were members of the worst villain faction.
Two hundred lives?
Si-mun's expression instantly turned icy.
Perhaps misinterpreting his reaction,
"Kee-kee! What, finally realizing how screwed you are? Too late to beg now."
Malina let out her signature frivolous laugh.
"I'll turn you into an undead right here, then do the same to you in the real world. After I take this ship from you, of course."
Cackling like a fairy-tale witch, Malina's laughter, amplified by the surrounding undead, sounded like that of a grim reaper.
"Hrymr."
Without so much as blinking, Si-mun called out to the old necromancer.
"Keke. Your orders, my lord?"
"Can you handle this?"
At that, Hrymr's eyes gleamed strangely.
"Curious... You seem aware of their affiliation, honored guest?"
"I don't know much. Nor do I care to. Personally, I find their kind utterly repulsive."
"Ahh! Of course. That girl is a player from your world, so it makes sense."
Hrymr let out a deep sigh.
Then—
"Keke! So you're not just any guest. Though I should've known, given how you summoned me..."
Muttering to himself in admiration, Hrymr shook his head.
"What the hell are you two babbling about? What are you doing?! Kill them both!"
Malina, now seething with fury, jabbed a finger at them.
"Grrraaah!"
"Kyaaaak!"
Nearly a hundred emerald-green undead charged forward in unison.
"First the Styx's bone ship, and now Quetzalcoatl... Quite the underworld reunion."
Hrymr stroked his white beard as he observed them calmly.
"Honored guest. Though they're only mid-to-high tier and I could dispose of them as is, I'd prefer to observe proper etiquette. May I?"
Though the words lacked a clear object,
Si-mun nodded without hesitation, as if understanding exactly what Hrymr meant.
"Do as you please."
"Kkkul-kkul! Much obliged. Then enjoy the show from your throne."
With a satisfied smile, Hrymr tapped his cane sharply against the ground.
"Let us entertain you."
And then—
[Insufficient Transmutation Power to meet the required threshold for transmutation.]
[To compensate for the lack of a Philosopher's Stone and establish Equivalent Exchange, 600 Achievement Points are required.]
[Will you accept? (Yes / No)]
A familiar message window floated before Si-mun.
Huh? 600 points?
This massive cruise ship of death—the Naglfar—had only cost 400 points. Yet now, 600?
But then again...
Well, I do have around 37,700 Achievement Points.
Thanks to the Black Smeltery in the last Special Arena, he had stockpiled a considerable amount. Even after transmuting the World Tree Seed Fragment for the guild's Growth Buff upgrade, he'd still have around 27,000 left. And factoring in the payback from the Philosopher's Stone, his Achievement Points were more than enough.
So—
"Flex."
Without hesitation, Si-mun selected Yes and—
Snap.
Flicked his fingers.
Swoooosh—!
A sudden, ashen mist engulfed the Naglfar in an instant.
This was no ordinary fog.
"Kkueeoh?!"
"Kki, kkiiaaak!"
The Undead under the Constellation Quetzalcoatl, who had been charging forward, staggered back in confusion.
For creatures that weren't high-level Undead—beings supposedly incapable of emotional expression—this was nothing short of extraordinary.
Malina, too, realized something was wrong.
"W-what?! What kind of trick is this?!"she shrieked, her face twisting in alarm.
Was it fortunate?
Her bewilderment, and that of the Undead, didn't last long.
Thud.
A heavy footstep.
From beyond the ashen mist came the sound of boots—large, sturdy, like those of a soldier.
And then—
"Uhhuhu! Captain, I thought you were the only one who enjoyed these little amusements."
"Never thought you'd give us a chance like this too."
Voices as rough and weighty as their footsteps echoed through the mist.
Helmets adorned with thick, sturdy horns—
Viking-like in every way—massive figures emerged one after another from the ashen haze.
"That's why you're our captain, eh? Battles are best enjoyed together!"
"Kehahah! More like he was just too lazy. Has there ever been a warrior as sluggish as our captain?"
From orcs to trolls—
Warriors whose builds rivaled even the burliest of Green Skins, their muscles like boulders—
Their exposed skin was deathly pale, tinged with ash, making them look like living statues.
"Gguuoooh...!"
"Kkiiii...!"
The Undead, who had been charging forward with such vigor moments ago, now displayed unmistakable fear—an emotion they should have been incapable of feeling.
Considering these were the Undead under the Constellation Quetzalcoatl—
This was a situation that defied all logic.
"Damn fools! Hurry and thank our honored guest! It's thanks to him that you're allowed this little amusement!"
At Hrymr's booming shout, the ashen giants—some like genial uncles, others like street thugs—lined up before Si-mun, who remained seated.
"Kehah! Right, right!"
"We offer our sincerest thanks, honored guest."
THUD.
In unison, they knelt—massive, brutal weapons and one knee planted firmly on the deck.
The sheer force of it made the ship tremble, as if it might sink under their weight.
But the Naglfar, Hel's vessel, would never break under the antics of its crew.
"No need for formalities."
Si-mun merely gave a leisurely nod, looking every bit like a king receiving the loyalty of countless warriors.
And then—
"W-what in the world...?"
Malina's face paled beyond ashen—utterly bloodless.
Into her ear, a clear, melodious voice whispered:
"Go."
"Just bring me her limbs, severed and delivered to my feet."
A familiar line—one identical to the command she had given her own Undead moments ago.
Before she could even process the irony—
"The honored guest has given his command! Show the power of Helheim to those insolent serpent spawn at once!"
Hrymr's thunderous roar erupted.
"KUAHAHAH! Now this is an honored guest after my own heart!"
"Limbs are my specialty."
"Move aside! I'll be the one to carve up that woman's limbs as tribute!"
"Out of the way! The offering for the honored guest is mine!"
Amidst the warriors' roars—whether laughter or battle cries, it was impossible to tell—
CRASH!
KIIIIAAAK!
Kkuh, kkuueeoh!!
A bizarre slaughter began—the dead killing the dead once more.