NoveLight ™
3.
‘He’s dodging that? And as a beginner?’
The user who shot the bone arrow at Seong was utterly baffled.
He had aimed for the perfect opening and thought it was a guaranteed hit!
But he dodged it?
The user’s name was Beziron.
Beziron was the one who had discovered Garrick’s hidden piece first, and with a level 30, he was a high-level user.
That made it even more unbelievable.
How could he dodge an attack from a level 30 user?
A mere beginner?
‘Did I miscalculate the aim?’
No! That couldn’t be right.
Beziron was objectively an excellent player.
However, it was strange. Usually, users would leave the first village after reaching level 20, but Beziron stayed here. Why?
Was it because of a lack of talent?
No.
There was only one reason.
The hidden piece.
The story about the hut in the Labyrinth Forest had been circulating for quite some time.
But no user had been able to fulfill the conditions to enter.
Beziron was no different.
However, Beziron couldn’t just leave the hut, which was definitely the hidden piece.
While others were focused on leveling up quickly and advancing to the next village, spending time on the hut was difficult for most.
It was uncertain, and no user had managed to find it until now.
But Beziron was different.
Even if it took longer, he was determined to get the hidden piece.
After doing extensive research and investing significant time, he eventually figured it out.
‘It’s Garrick’s hut!’
After completing numerous quests from libraries and villagers, he gained enough reputation to acquire the information.
He found out that Garrick frequently visited the Labyrinth Forest.
He also learned that the hut contained a dark mage's vision.
For someone like Beziron, a dark mage, this information was nearly impossible for others to obtain.
It was an accomplishment born of sheer determination.
Beziron was confident that he had beaten everyone else to it.
No one even knew of the hidden piece's existence.
But now, there was a user who had arrived before him.
‘What is this?’
He was sure that no one had come before him.
He could affirm that.
There were no traces of anyone having visited Garrick’s gravekeeper residence.
Beziron was the first to step foot there.
So how was this happening?
At first, when Seong dodged the attack, Beziron misunderstood.
Was Seong another high-level user, like himself, exceeding the recommended level for Persville?
But no.
Seong was clearly a beginner.
His equipment seemed decent, but it was clear he was a beginner.
Equipment didn’t matter.
Beziron could see through that.
In Persville, and the first village in general, there was a mandatory bracelet given to players after reaching level 10 and completing their basic job training.
But Seong didn’t have the bracelet on either of his wrists.
‘He’s under level 10.’
Not having it meant that Seong was under level 10.
In fact, Seong hadn’t even gone through the class-change quest yet, making him under level 10. He came to Garrick’s hidden piece before reaching level 10.
That was a fair guess.
Even the scouts had figured out Seong was a beginner by that point.
It was a common way of distinguishing users in the first villages, including Persville.
‘Is it a coincidence?’
Even if he wasn’t a beginner, any user in Persville would have been hit by that attack.
But Seong dodged it.
That fact was starting to really annoy Beziron.
“Hmm.”
The voice that seemed so calm.
Without changing his expression, Seong looked back and tilted his head, as if wondering why Beziron was attacking.
Did he not know why?
That irked him.
He had stayed behind in Persville, where his friends mocked him for being foolish, all for the sake of the hidden piece.
He had to get this piece.
Leveling up could wait, it was worth more than that.
If he got the hidden piece, that would put him ahead of everyone else.
And now, to have someone ahead of him.
“It’s mine! Get lost!”
Beziron yelled.
Seong looked at Beziron, confused, and said, “Excuse me? I was the one who got here first.”
Beziron’s rage grew even further. He couldn’t respond, and Seong’s calmness left him speechless.
But it didn’t matter.
“…Anyway, it’s mine!!”
Warning messages started appearing one after another.
But Beziron ignored them.
He figured it wouldn’t matter as long as he killed Seong.
He was simply trying to take what he thought was his.
What was so wrong with that?
The ugly sight of Beziron throwing a tantrum made Seong frown.
In truth, before seeing Beziron in person, Seong had felt a bit sorry for him.
After all, Beziron was someone who had worked hard to get to the hidden piece, while Seong had just arrived as a ghost.
If there was anyone with a legitimate claim, it would be the one who worked for it.
If Beziron had approached with a conversation instead of attacking, Seong might have been willing to hand it over.
But attacking?
Seong couldn’t understand that approach.
‘Why attack first when you’re in such a hurry?’
He’s not worth it.
Seong’s eyes deepened.
That was the look of someone angry.
But being angry alone wasn’t going to solve anything.
What did Seong need most right now?
The opponent was clearly much higher in level than Seong.
His status appeared as soon as he attacked, and Seong immediately saw the information.
[User Beziron-Lv.30 is attacking you.]
[Entering full combat mode.]
[You are facing a notorious user.]
[Attacking will not increase your notoriety.]
Level 30.
Beziron had hunted a few skeletons, but his level hadn’t risen even with the experience boost from the Supernova title.
It seemed like leveling up was really difficult for him.
Overcoming the large level difference with that state wasn’t going to be easy.
Seong’s eyes darkened as he evaluated the situation.
This wasn’t a good position.
‘This is going to be hard in all aspects.’
Seong himself didn’t have typical level 1 stats.
If anything, he had the stats of about a level 13 character.
With various title effects and item bonuses, his stats were closer to a level 20.
Still, there was a 10-level difference.
Would he be able to pull through using the memories and experiences he had?
At least, with Helena’s memories and experiences, he wouldn’t be helpless.
The opponent also appeared to be a dark mage, so he could leverage his own memories and experiences against Seong.
“Die!!! Morgue Unleashed!!!”
The Morgue.
A skill a dark mage learns around level 30.
Its effect is simple, just as the name suggests.
It’s a skill that creates a space to store the undead created by the user.
And now, Beziron summoned the undead he had stored.
Two zombies and five skeletons.
It wasn’t a small number.
While Seong could handle the five skeletons, the two zombies would be tricky.
The typical zombie level was only around 10.
But the zombies Beziron summoned were...
“Grrr…”
“Grrraaaagh!”
[Lv.23 Zombie]
[Lv.23 Zombie]
The zombies were level 23.
The skeletons, which Seong had fought earlier, were between levels 2 and 3, with one being at level 15.
Though lower than Beziron's level, it still wasn’t an easy fight.
No, those undead might be even more troublesome.
Should he fight them with his sword?
No.
If he did, Beziron behind him would definitely start casting magic to interfere.
Bone arrows, and other dark magic attacks would be in play too.
“Grrr!”
The zombies and skeletons sluggishly charged forward.
Seong bit his lip.
‘Death Aura? No.’
The Death Aura only deals dot damage to living beings.
It has a description about devouring the soul and flesh of the dead, but what does that mean?
As Seong tried to recall Helena’s memories, a voice from a female ghost interrupted.
He had clearly been alone with Garrick's ghost earlier. Who else was here?
‘Hmm?’
As Seong turned his head at the feeling of déjà vu, he saw someone small.
No, more precisely, a small ghost?
It was a ghost he had seen before.
A woman in a black dress, with a black bonnet typical of medieval women, her luscious red hair wrapped in black silk threads, blowing in the wind. She wore a black parasol and flashed Seong a seductive wink.
Even though Seong knew she was a ghost, her alluring appearance almost made him falter. But when he saw the zombie’s arm swinging toward him, he quickly stepped back, evading the blow.
Whoosh!
“Grrr!”
Seong didn’t wonder how he had avoided the attack; he was more focused on dealing with the zombies.
Without explanation, Helena revealed the black cloth tied to her bonnet, and her black eyes began to turn turquoise.
“Ah.”
Seong realized in that moment, after hearing Helena’s brief words and seeing her turquoise eyes.
The memory of the Death Aura, which Seong himself couldn’t fully access, began to make sense.
He realized the hidden effects of the Death Aura, which he would be able to use soon.
The moment he realized this, Seong’s eyes began to glow with a turquoise light.
Beziron saw Seong and chuckled, knowing it was as expected.
At first, Seong had dodged the bone arrow by chance.
He had dodged all of the zombie’s and skeletons’ attacks, but soon enough, they would catch up.
Then it would be the end.
So, should he push it a little more?
He had dodged by chance before, but now, it was unlikely he could do so again.
“Bone arrow…”
As Beziron began to deploy his skill, something unexpected happened.
Seong’s eyes began to glow turquoise, and at the same time, turquoise energy began to swirl from his back.
What was that?
It was incomprehensible.
It looked like a dark mage skill, but a beginner under level 10 had just class-changed?
It was strange.
Class-changing was usually done at level 10, and if he had changed classes, he wouldn’t be without the bracelet.
But that was definitely a dark mage skill.
Beziron, being a dark mage, could feel it.
Then, the eerie turquoise energy gathered behind Seong and formed the shape of a heart.
It was so vivid that it almost seemed real.
It looked exactly like the heart from the old training materials, and Beziron’s eyes trembled with shock.
Could it be an enormous skill?
He felt a chill down his spine.
‘No, it can’t be!’
But he tried to deny it.
It must be just an effect of a special skill.
He denied it to himself.
There was no way a beginner could have such an enormous skill.
However, that thought didn’t last long.
Thump—
As the heart began to beat, Beziron's thoughts scattered, and the turquoise energy spread eerily throughout the surroundings.
The turquoise mist didn’t obscure his vision, but it surrounded a wide area.
And when that energy touched him…
[You have been exposed to an uncontrollable energy.]
[Your health is continuously decreasing.]
Uncontrollable energy?
A level 30 user like Beziron in Persville?
No, that couldn’t be.
It must be some kind of curse, and he needed to dispel it.
If he were a dark mage, having a countermeasure for curses would be essential.
“Dispel!”
[Your level is too low.]
[This is uncontrollable energy.]
[The normal skill, “Dispel,” will not work.]
“Eh?”
Beziron rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
What was this?
He couldn’t use “Dispel” as a level 30 user?
Too low level?
He couldn’t understand the sequence of messages.
At the same time, he felt the damage accumulating.
It was still bearable, but it was much more substantial than he had expected.
If he stayed like this, he might take more damage, but he remained calm.
‘Maybe I got lucky and obtained a higher-tier skill?’
But even so, his undead were still intact.
No matter how powerful the curse, curses were a blessing to the undead.
He’d crush Seong with his two zombies and five skeletons!
Just as Beziron was thinking this…
“Grrr!?”
“Grrrk!?”
“Clatter!?”
The zombies and skeletons made strange noises.
Why had they stopped attacking?
“Go, attack! I said attack!”
Beziron yelled, but instead of following orders, the undead opened their mouths toward the sky.
Then, from their gaping mouths, a turquoise smoke, like mist, began to rise.
The undead couldn’t be affected by curses, could they!?
What in the world was going on!?
Shaking with fear, Beziron hurriedly began to cast a bone arrow.
It was almost like an instinctive movement.
As soon as Beziron completed his bone arrow…
“Bone arrow!!!”
Beziron completed his chant, and the bone arrow created in the air shot toward Seong at full speed.
But…
Thud!
A shadow-like arm appeared and snatched the arrow out of midair.
The arm was dark like a shadow, but from the cracks in it, turquoise smoke billowed out.
The owner of the arm was a zombie.
The same zombie that had just been under Beziron's command.
[With overwhelming difference, your undead, “Zombie 1,” is stolen.]
[With overwhelming difference, your undead, “Zombie 2,” is stolen.]
[With overwhelming difference, your undead, “Skeleton 1,” is stolen.]
...
...
[With overwhelming difference, your undead, “Skeleton 5,” is stolen.]
“Eh?”
Now, not just the hidden piece, but his undead were also stolen.
What? Give me back my undead!