Chapter 159
Chapter 159
The undead aligned their ranks and scattered into three branches.
Two of those groups placed the Outlaws at the vanguard and ambushed the troll herd, while the final group followed behind their Legion Commander, 'Pain'.
Perhaps it was because they had a Legion Commander leading them, but they gave off a strangely intimidating aura unlike before.
However, what surprised Dohyun wasn't just their intimidating presence.
Guuuh… uuuh…
Clack… clack, clack…
As they approached while making bizarre noises, the startled trolls grunted, "Kuh?" and swung their clubs, signaling the start of the battle.
The basic tactics of the undead weren't vastly different from before.
They discarded basic stances or formal movements, utilizing a combat style that cared only about raw efficiency.
Rumble—
Crash— Stab! Stab-stab!
Kuh! Kuuuh!
Multiple undead would grab a troll's legs, trip it, and then relentlessly hack away.
Up to this point, it was similar to before.
However, their reaction to what came next was entirely different.
Whoosh— Smack!
Kuh?
While they were gang-beating one troll, another troll standing nearby swung its club and scored a direct hit on an undead's head.
The sensation of the heavy impact was undeniable.
Stab! Stab-stab!
Yet, the undead didn't even flinch and simply continued their hacking.
It was as if they hadn't been attacked at all.
Ku… Kuh! Kuuuh!
The trolls were stunned, but only for a moment.
Feeling a sense of urgency at the screams of their comrade being hacked to pieces, the trolls swung their clubs again.
Bang! Stab, stab—
A hit to the shoulder.
Crash! Stab! Staaab!
Another hit to the head.
They desperately landed direct hits, but the hacking did not stop.
The relatively smaller Goblin Undead were sent flying far away by the club strikes, but they stubbornly crawled right back to stab their daggers into the trolls' thighs.
Kuuuh! Kuh!
The terrifying tenacity actually caused the trolls to step back in fear.
In that brief window, the undead, who had just finished off the downed troll in a flash, all stood up simultaneously.
A troll that made eye contact with them let out a "Hic," sound and dropped its club.
It got goosebumps from their gaze, which seemed to be asking, 'Were you the one who just hit me?'
Step, step.
At that moment.
As the Outlaw standing at the very front approached with glowing red eyes, the three undead behind it followed suit.
As if that was the signal, the undead lunged like wild dogs once again, tripping the troll and starting to tear into it.
Having just witnessed its comrade's death, the troll intuitively realized its own future and let out a wail.
Kuuuuh! Kuh!
This scene wasn't just happening here; it was unfolding in three different spots simultaneously.
No, the groups led by the Outlaws were actually the merciful ones.
[The 1st Legion Commander, 'Pain', uses the intermediate black magic 'Terrible Sensation'.]
[The 1st Legion Commander, 'Pain', uses Outlaw-style Battle Mage Arts.]
Clack… clack, clack…
Kuaaah! Kuaaah!
Perhaps it was because he understood 'pain' better than anyone else.
He used black magic techniques capable of inflicting various kinds of agony to disrupt their minds, and based on his outstanding Battle Mage Arts, he ruthlessly pummeled their vital spots.
He was truly living up to his name.
'……Is that thing crying?'
It was just a passing glance, but Dohyun definitely saw it.
Tears were pooling in the eyes of the troll currently suffering the group lynching.
How often did one get the chance to see a troll cry?
Listening to the screams echoing from all directions, Dohyun couldn't help but shout out loud.
"Crazy… what the hell is this."
A hollow laugh escaped him as he watched the undead legion continuously put on such a rare spectacle.
This was what it truly meant to be a death-defying undead legion.
"Liza……"
"Hmm. It's certainly not a righteous method."
The bizarre combat style was enough to make even Eliza and Charlie frown.
"Ahem! They're doing exceptionally well!"
"Liza……?"
……However, it seemed to be entirely to Jihad's liking, as he looked incredibly proud.
Well, Dohyun was just taken aback; he actually liked it too.
Even if the combat style was a bit cruel, what was bad about displaying such outstanding performance?
What he liked the most was the Legion Commander, 'Pain'.
[The 1st Legion Commander, 'Pain', uses the intermediate black magic 'Unseen Eye'.]
'That guy is completely overpowered.'
He definitely only had two skills.
Yet, because the 'Intermediate Black Magic' skill had multiple sub-skills built into it, he was appropriately using skills with various effects depending on the situation.
'Does that mean he can use whatever intermediate black magic he has learned?'
To produce the effects of multiple skills with just one skill.
It was undeniably an overpowered ability.
Of course, it seemed the cooldown times weren't applied individually but commonly shared, and there didn't seem to be a massive variety of them, but even taking that into account, it was a massive advantage.
'I've never even heard of a skill called Intermediate Black Magic……. Is it a skill unavailable to players?'
Players in God of the World basically used the world's supernatural abilities in the form of 'skills', but that didn't mean they could use all the abilities in the game.
There were always skills exclusive to the inhabitants of Avtartel, and specifically, to certain races among them.
For instance, a player couldn't exactly use a Dragon's Breath, right?
Considering Pain was of a rare race, it made sense to think he had a skill unique to him.
Whoosh— Crack!
Pow!
That Outlaw-style Battle Mage Art, which allowed him to engage in excellent close-quarters combat despite being a warlock, was probably one of them too.
'He might have even more things hidden besides the skills he used when he fought me.'
……Could Jihad actually manage the hierarchy against this guy?
"Yes, that's it! Right there! Ah, this is so satisfying!"
"Liza, Liza!"
Looking at Jihad after that random thought crossed his mind, Dohyun saw the guy just smiling brightly and cheering alongside Eliza as if it had nothing to do with him.
"Huh? What is it, Master?"
"……Nothing. Just saying your legion is awesome."
"Ahem. Right? Zeke seems to be doing alright too. He's already used up 30% of his mana, but…… he seems to be holding up better than before."
"I see."
Since Jihad was taking it well, Dohyun decided not to say his thoughts out loud.
The possibility of that guy turning into an explosive tyrant was something he always had to be careful of.
[You have defeated a Blue Forest Troll.]
[You have defeated a Blue Forest Troll.]
……
[You have defeated a Blue Forest Troll.]
'By the way, this hunting speed is no joke.'
They said the difference between an undead legion with a commander and one without was massive.
Indeed, they were showing incredible performance even against trolls known for their resilient stamina.
Naturally, not all of Zeke's legions were like this.
[The characteristics and traits of the legion change under the influence of the Legion Commander.]
[Due to the high status of the Legion Commander, the physical abilities of the 1st Legion are significantly increased within the limits of their racial boundaries.]
It was all thanks to the undead's stats being boosted by Pain's influence.
An outstanding Legion Commander elevated Zeke's performance leaps and bounds just by existing.
'No wonder the Zekes go crazy for Legion Commander materials.'
Even if weakened, Pain was still a hidden field boss.
And a boss designed not to be killed, at that, so it was somewhat natural that he displayed this level of power.
'Oh? Wait a minute. What if I use Envelop in Darkness here too?'
Realizing he hadn't used Envelop in Darkness yet, Dohyun paused.
If they were already showing this kind of performance, what if he layered on the defense-ignoring and stealth properties of the Dark attribute?
Gulp. Swallowing hard, Dohyun activated the skill.
[You use 'Envelop in Darkness' on the '1st Undead Legion'.]
Guuuh… uuuh…!
At that, the undead, now dyed in darkness, rolled their eyes back and let out a roar.
Then, oozing darkness, the undead lunged forward.
Kuh! Kuuuh!
Stab! Stab-stab! Slaaash—
It was an absolute hellscape.
When the Undead Outlaws swung their longswords, the trolls' tough hides were sliced apart like paper, and when the Goblin Undead thrust their daggers, they pierced through to the heart as easily as puncturing styrofoam.
Whoosh— Crack!
An Orc Undead swung its club and crushed a troll's skull.
Slash— Snick—
Lycanthrope Undead turned the trolls into rags with their razor-sharp claws.
But the true star of the show was, of course, Pain.
Clack… clack clack…!
The trolls were literally being butchered by the Battle Mage Arts he executed, mixed with all sorts of techniques.
With the defense-ignoring effect of Envelop in Darkness stacked on top of his already high stats, he was easily overpowering multiple trolls as if he could take on a hundred single-handedly.
[You have defeated a Blue Forest Troll.]
[You have defeated a Blue Forest Troll.]
……
[You have acquired High-Quality Troll Hide.]
"……."
A feast of countless messages appeared.
Dohyun stood blankly, listening to the cheerful notifications chiming without a moment's rest.
'What is this…… It feels like I'm running auto-hunt on a mobile game.'
Could there be a free ride sweeter than this?
Even the combo with the Ice aura was excellent. If he stood still in the middle with the Ice aura turned on, the trolls trying to run away from the undead would get slowed down and desperately try to flee.
Then the undead legion would just surround them again and hunt them down.
What if he added Charlie and Eliza to the mix, and purposely ran around detonating Fuses?
'……The record for the fastest graduation from Fratel was 70 days, wasn't it.'
And even that was the absolute fastest; on average, you had to expect it to take at least 100 days.
Fratel was the final city players visited before heading to the Empire.
Because it scaled all the way up to level 71, the required amount of experience points was astronomical.
Because of that, Dohyun was prepared to spend a long time here as well, but…….
'……Three months? No, I could do this in two months, couldn't I?'
As long as the monster respawn rate kept up, it might be even faster than that.
Just imagining it made his body itch for action, and Dohyun gripped Cheonbyeon again. In his left hand was a silver thread.
Just as he was about to wrap the Fuse - Thread around Cheonbyeon.
Ding—
A single message popped up through the endlessly chiming cheerful notifications.
[You have leveled up.]
[You have reached Level 50 and acquired a Random Skill Draw Ticket.]
As if screaming from being unable to handle the insane experience point supply of the auto-hunting, his experience bar spat out a message.
"……Well, this changes things."
At that, Dohyun put away Cheonbyeon and the Fuse thread as if he had never taken them out.
Hunting was great, but the absolute best thing was opening card packs.
"What the, why are his nostrils suddenly flaring? Don't tell me……?"
"Mmm! I can see it now too. All thanks to your long-time teachings, my friend."
"Liza!"
"No, you're still inexperienced. Master isn't expecting as much as he usually does right now. You have to sense that difference."
"Indeed……. I learn something new every day. Your keen eye is as awe-inspiring as ever."
Amusingly, Jihad was right.
He was moving toward his "lucky spot" because he felt he had to, but he wasn't carrying massive expectations.
Instead, he was worried.
'I really need to pick right this time…….'
He was going to get an Epic (Hero) skill anyway, but if multiple good cards popped up, he'd have to rely on his intuition.
And Dohyun had absolutely zero confidence in his intuition.
He was the kind of man who always managed to miraculously dodge the winning prize and pick the dud.
"Oh? It's Kaiser."
"What's up? Is Kaiser here to do some card pulls too?"
"There was a rumor on the Gacha Gallery that Kaiser often does his pulls at the lucky spot, I guess it was true."
"Fascinating. It would be rude to talk to him right now, right?"
"You don't even poke Gandhi when he's doing a card pull, my friend."
Having reached the lucky spot before he knew it, the players who recognized Dohyun began to whisper.
There were three 'lucky spots' in Fratel, and one of them was right here, the Godong Tree Rest Area.
It wasn't officially designated as a rest area by the system, but…….
'The trolls here only make their nests near the blue trees.'
It was for the sake of stealth and ambush using camouflage.
Because of that, trolls didn't gather around the Godong Tree here, and since people frequently did their card pulls here, it naturally became known as a lucky spot.
[Would you like to use the Random Skill Draw Ticket?]
'Please let it be something good……. Preferably a Swordsman skill.'
Pretending not to hear the players whispering, Dohyun quickly tore open the ticket.
Flash—!
A blinding light poured out, and,
[The Eye of Truth is activated.]
Without fail, he could see the colors of the cards.
And sure enough, the moment of choice had arrived once again.
'Three cards again this time?'
Amongst a sea of muddy-colored cards.
Three cards were radiating a yellow light side-by-side. As Dohyun pondered and was about to reach for the left card.
"……Hmm?"
Feeling something strange, Dohyun paused and tilted his head.
'Why does the middle card look exceptionally bright?'
Even though he was intentionally avoiding it, remembering his 'curse of the middle', his eyes were bizarrely drawn to the center card.
It was strangely brighter and more sparkling, as if it had been sprinkled with gold dust.
At this level, you couldn't even call it yellow; it was more like……
'……Wait a minute, Gold?'
Dohyun rubbed his eyes.
He opened his eyes wide and looked again, but it alone was shining brilliantly.
Dohyun's jaw dropped.
Pointing at the card with a trembling hand, as if he couldn't believe it, Dohyun's lips quivered.
'G-G-Gold……!'
It was the very first time in Dohyun's God of the World life that a Legendary-grade skill had appeared.