Chapter 61
A few days after one of the lords of the Dead Country, a world boss, suffered from slander and grueling overwork, an unprecedented air of war hung over Beijing and Tianjin in China. Major cities like Anshan, Jinzhou, and Tangshan had fallen one after another.
"Thirty million undead? Have you ever seen a number like that?"
"Hah... Normally, you take down Nevaros before his minions spawn. That's the standard strategy."
Players from the People's Liberation Army sighed in despair. The undying horde was still marching relentlessly. Soon, they would reach this place—Beijing, the final defensive line.
"Move faster! Reinforce the line as much as you can!"
"Over here! We're short on barricades!"
Beijing's streets, evacuated of civilians, lay eerily deserted. Roads were sealed off, and trenches stretched along the long front line. Triangular concrete barriers, barbed wire, sandbags, electric barricades, and all manner of anti-tank mines blanketed the ground without a gap.
"Can we really win this?"
PLA players let out heavy sighs. The wind brushing their skin felt chillingly cold, raising goosebumps.
The world boss Nevaros. The Chinese military had always been the ones overwhelming enemies with human wave tactics—they'd never been on the receiving end. For a force that had solved everything with sheer numbers until now, this was profoundly disorienting.
"Has anyone here fought a Nevaros with minions?"
"Ugh, if we'd known the spawn point in advance, this would've been easy... But with all the civilians dead, their numbers exploded."
"Don't worry. We've got way more on our side, right?"
Doubts filled the air everywhere, but they still firmly believed in victory. After all, most of China's top players had gathered here at Beijing's final line.
In the suffocating tension, a soldier in uniform shouted.
"Enemy approaching! Distance 20km—moving fast!"
"Everyone, get ready!"
At the commander's cry, players swallowed hard and drew their weapons. Soldiers aimed rifles and cannon barrels.
The undead horde's footsteps vibrated through the ground. Moments later, hazy shapes began appearing in the sky.
"No way... Are those all gargoyles?"
"There's even a bone dragon!"
"Damn it, why are there so many?!"
Flying monsters flapping their vast wings filled the darkening sky. Below them stretched tens of millions of ground troops.
"This is insane."
Undead players and civilians, skeletons armed with swords and armor, headless knights on warhorses, colossal bone monsters. The empty horizon transformed in an instant into a breathtaking panorama of menace.
The endless undead legions charged toward the players.
"I didn't think it'd actually bring a whole army."
A shield-bearing man shook his head. At that moment, a missile launched from the player lines streaked into the undead ranks and exploded.
BOOOOM!
It was the signal.
"All forces, attack!"
"WAAAAAAAAAH!"
Shouts and roars blended into a thunderous roar, kicking up clouds of dust. The clash of two massive forces dyed Beijing's night red.
"How pitiful."
Gazing at the fierce battlefield, Nevaros gave a bitter smile. Magic and skills in numbers too vast to count poured into each other, turning night into day.
"Struggling futilely, bound by the curse of life."
Life was a chain binding mind and body. That was Nevaros's belief.
People acted cautiously to protect it, reacting sensitively even to trifles.
"If there's nothing to lose, there's no need to defend."
Nevaros dreamed of true freedom. And he achieved it.
He was an undead necromancer, freed from life's shackles.
"I shall liberate you all."
Nevaros slowly extended his hand toward the front. Black energy erupted explosively from his palm.
BOOOOM!
The swelling black energy surged like a tsunami, engulfing the player lines.
"W-what is that?!"
"It's Nevaros! Nevaros is here!"
"Don't panic! Falling back will only make it worse!"
"Where's Nevaros?!"
Nevaros melted into the shadows, moving toward the battlefield. His target: the magic swordsman showcasing the finest combat prowess at the forefront—Panhwan, world rank 20 in magic swordsmen.
"Found Nevaros yet?"
"No, the undead are blocking the view!"
"Drones can't spot him either."
"Find him quick!"
Tsk. The moment Panhwan clicked his tongue—
SPLURT!
A razor-sharp scythe pierced his heart.
"Guh!"
"Become my servant."
Nevaros's voice spread, chilling and grave.
"PANHWAAAAAN!!"
"Damn it, Panhwan's down!"
"Snap out of it! We need to retreat first!"
The players, robbed of an elite, fled in panic without time to grieve. But lightning-quick, one pursued them—Panhwan, now undead.
Mana-infused blade struck the ground.
BOOOOM!
"Hngaaah!"
"Panhwan, calm down! W-we're friends!"
The pale-faced players' bodies launched into the air. Panhwan activated a skill mid-air.
Octuple Slash
SHHHHRIP! SHHHHRIP! SHHHHRIP!
"ARRRGH!"
Not a moment's hesitation in slicing his former comrades. Eight slashes left afterimages in the air, dismembering the players' limbs.
No human emotions remained within him.
Nevaros strolled leisurely through the corpse field, satisfied, and intoned.
"Rise and obey my command."
THUD!
A heavy aura spread, and the newly undead rose.
"Grrrrowl."
"Go, my servants. Spread true salvation to this world!"
The undead lurched forth, seeking fresh victims. As time passed, corpses piled up, turning into more undead, forming an uncontrollable wave.
"It's Nevaros!"
"KYAAAH!"
Nevaros personally hunted down strong players. Blood dripped from his gleaming scythe's tip.
"Rise."
He raised his hand once more and commanded.
"GRRROOOOAR!"
Seeing corpses revive as undead, players despaired. Their eyes held only hollow terror.
It was unstoppable now.
A wave of death sweeping all life. The tsunami of annihilation devoured China.
I was thrust into bewilderment by Choi Ah-rin's early morning call. The news jolted me fully awake from my half-asleep daze.
"China lost?"
-Yes. Beijing, the capital, ultimately fell to Nevaros.
Forcing my groggy brain to turn, I spat out a single word encapsulating my myriad questions.
"Why?"
-Well... Partly because Nevaros had mass-produced minions beforehand, their matchup was unfavorable in several ways, and also...
Choi Ah-rin seemed to struggle piecing together the reasons. But that wasn't the point now.
I hurriedly changed the subject.
"So, what's the situation now?"
-Almost all Chinese players are wiped out, so there's no manpower left to stop the undead. Major cities are falling one by one... At this rate, all of China will be overrun before tomorrow.
"W-wait... You mean..."
-Yes. Confirmed reports say the undead alone number over hundreds of millions...
I doubted my ears for a moment.
"Hundreds of millions? Overnight?"
-Including civilians with low combat power. Asia's on highest alert right now.
"Uh... uh-huh."
No wonder. It was like waking up to a nuclear timer ticking in your front yard.
I felt dizzy too.
-Talks of forming a World Allied Force are emerging from various countries... Oh? Hold on. Call from the Vietnamese president.
I fell silent, waiting. Her voice came through the receiver.
-Yes, yes, I'm on another call right now. Yes. Please tell him I'll call back right after.
After leaving a message for someone, Choi Ah-rin picked up again. She let out a long sigh before cautiously speaking.
-Um, Sertina. I'm really sorry to ask this, but... could you at least handle the undead?
"The undead...?"
-Yes. If you use your Phase 3 skill to clear just the undead, we can somehow manage Nevaros on our end.
She knew I didn't want deep involvement in China's mess and was being considerate. Commendable.
But now wasn't the time for personal feelings. After a moment's thought, I gave my answer.
"Probably not."
-Ah...
"No, I'm not refusing to cooperate."
-Then?
"My Phase 3 skill, Stage of Death, only targets living beings. It likely won't work on undead."
-I-is that so...?
The skill description stated it clearly. I'd never tested it myself, but I instinctively knew its targets.
Choi Ah-rin's voice darkened noticeably.
-Th-then we have to fight hundreds of millions of undead head-on...
Hundreds of millions of undead, immune even to health drain. Honestly, I had no confidence against that.
According to a Nevaros analysis post I'd seen on the community from "FirepowerFetishist," undead players retained their original stats. Without Stage of Death, I'd struggle against even ten million. Against hundreds of millions under the same conditions? Impossible.
No solution in sight.
"Hmm..."
Isn't there some clever way?
I furrowed my brow, recalling Nevaros's traits from the community.
-Undead necromancer freed from life's bonds.
-Revives corpses as minions.
-Wields a massive scythe chained to his hand.
Among the minor details, I spotted one overarching trait.
In the end, Nevaros is still a world boss. That means he's under the game system.
Unlike an irregular like me, all monsters fell under system control. Nevaros couldn't escape it either.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
"I found a way."
-Pardon?
"A surefire way to win."