There Is a Weakness
“Oh, no, stay back! Stay back!”
China’s President Wang Chunfeng flailed his hands on the ground as he stared up at Nevaros. Flanking him were two bodyguards—Xiao Wei and Wei Changhua. Both were China’s strongest players, affiliated with the Communist Party.
·····But right now, they were undead.
Nevaros looked down at Wang Chunfeng and curled his lips in a sinister sneer.
“Hoo... So you’re the so-called leader of this country I’ve only heard about. From the way you’re scampering off, you look more like a rat.”
“P-please, spare me! I’ll give you everything I have, just... please!”
Wang Chunfeng dropped to his knees, clasping his hands together in desperate begging. The authority that had once been the nation’s heartbeat had plummeted into the dirt. When you died, you were just a hunk of meat—nothing more. Knowing that all too well, he poured every ounce of his strength into his plea.
“I have hidden assets! Money? Gold bars? Just say the word, and I’ll bring you anything!”
“Hmm...”
Nevaros stroked his chin with a bony hand. His face was shrouded in shadow, but Wang Chunfeng could instinctively sense the glint of intrigue in those unseen eyes—like he was gazing at some fascinating specimen.
That spark of hope lingered... until Nevaros spoke.
“Why is it that every so-called ruler of a nation spouts the same drivel? Is it a shared flaw among you lot—being so chained to vulgar materialism that you can’t recognize true value?”
Wang Chunfeng’s heart sank at the deep, resonant voice. In short, everything he could offer was mere trash to Nevaros. Cold sweat poured from his rigid body.
“N-no, I, that’s not...”
“Enough. You’re not even worth debating ideals with. Pathetic creature.”
Clang!
Nevaros’s chains slithered like serpents, surging toward Wang Chunfeng’s head.
“Hrk!”
Crack!
Wang Chunfeng crumpled without so much as a proper scream, his skull exploding. Then, the thick black miasma that blanketed the area flowed into his corpse.
Crunch. Crackle.
A gruesome sound of twisting flesh and bone echoed as his shattered head regenerated.
“Grraaah...”
Nevaros gazed down at him with utter disdain.
“To think a vessel this worthless ruled a nation. The bodyguards would’ve made better material.”
He kicked the newly undead Wang Chunfeng. Boom! The president flew back, smashing into the wall, limbs snapping—yet he stubbornly rose and shuffled after Nevaros.
“Grraaah...”
Nevaros looked up at the blood-red sky.
“Plenty of nations clustered around here, it seems.”
His gaze slowly shifted behind him. There, swallowing even the horizon, stood an army of death. Countless undead stood in silent ranks, awaiting orders.
Nevaros flashed a wicked grin.
“With numbers like these, why not sweep them all away at once?”
One word from him, and that endless sea of corpses would devour the world.
“You’re saying there’s a definite way to win?”
Choi Ah-rin seemed hesitant to take my word at face value. A way to beat an undead horde numbering in the billions? And yet, she couldn’t quite hide the flicker of hope in her eyes.
“Astria Online might’ve become reality, but it hasn’t fully replaced the real world. We’re still living in it, after all. The monsters that spilled out are still game entities at heart. They can’t escape the game’s systems.”
A brief silence, then:
“Uh... could you explain that a bit simpler?”
“Simple. Treat this like a game, not reality. You’ve cleared Nevaros before, right?”
“Yeah. I’m a top-tier player, after all.”
“Then you get it. Clearing out his trash mobs all day won’t do shit. To beat a world boss raid, you take down the world boss.”
“Ah...?”
Choi Ah-rin caught on in that instant. Yeah. That was the crux of it.
“We smash Nevaros’s main body.”
“...!”
She swallowed hard. Kill the world boss, and the field mobs vanish automatically. No need to fight billions one by one.
“That... yeah, that’d work!”
Choi Ah-rin sounded impressed. Only someone like me—Sertina—could think of it. Ignore the minions, go straight for the boss. Impossible for normal players.
“Nevaros’s army is already massing near every country’s borders. Looks like he’s aiming to overrun all of Asia... Actually, hitting now might mean fewer undead in the way while they’re still gathering.”
“Gathering near the borders? Korea too?”
“Yeah... We’ve spotted a massive force moving from Jilin toward Korea. We’ve stationed players along the North Korea-China border, but... honestly, holding them off...”
Her voice lacked confidence.
“You guys just buy time. I’ll take out Nevaros in the meantime. Oh, any idea where he is right now?”
“Confirmed in Beijing’s Zhongnanhai. That’s where Wang Chunfeng’s official residence is. Sending you the coordinates.”
“Quick work.”
“Heh