NoveLight ™
“My, my undead?”
Had his very own undead been stolen?
He had never heard of such a thing.
Moreover...
‘They look stronger...’
The undead Beziron created and their appearance were completely different.
It was as if shadows surrounded them, with turquoise energy swirling out like smoke in between.
If he had faced them as monsters, they would certainly be high-level monsters, ones he wouldn’t even try to fight.
But why was that?
‘Their levels have dropped, though?’
In reality, the undead’s levels had noticeably decreased from when Beziron had created them.
Most of them had dropped by more than 10 levels.
Well, logically speaking, the one facing him now seemed to be lower level than himself.
It looked like they hadn’t even reached level 10 yet, but they must have obtained a rare job before that.
He was shocked by the message that his undead had been stolen, but as he thought calmly, it didn’t seem like such a big deal.
‘I can handle this.’
In the game, a high-tier job?
Important, but in a game, the real power lies in levels!
The higher the level, the better!
As Beziron burned with renewed resolve, Seong was carefully inspecting his situation.
‘What... is going on?’
Beziron was clearly startled, but Seong was equally shocked.
Only now did he realize, but he couldn’t fully control Helena’s memories yet.
More precisely, he wasn’t able to yet.
Before Helena had helped him, he struggled to recall anything about the Death Aura.
The shape of it, and the way Helena had used it, were the only things that had come to him in a blurry memory.
But once Helena helped, everything changed.
He was finally able to recall a tiny bit of the memory of the Death Aura.
‘Wow.’
It felt like the fog in his vision had cleared.
He now understood exactly how to use the Death Aura.
It was like suddenly being able to see after a blurry vision, or even more, like the expansive feeling after achieving an overload class change.
It felt similar to the freedom he had felt back then.
As Seong felt that freedom, messages appeared.
[Due to "Unknown Power," you have surpassed the current limits of your skill.]
[Legendary skill, "Death Aura," proficiency has increased significantly.]
[Legendary skill, "Death Aura," level has increased.] ×4
[You have reached Lv. 5 in Legendary skill, "Death Aura," unlocking a new effect.]
‘Ah!’
It wasn’t just about gaining stats through memories and experiences.
He had still been unable to fully utilize his abilities until now.
Upon realizing that, his perception shifted.
The memories of the past instructors, including Hunter Apik and Gravekeeper Garrick, were now clearer.
He understood, even if just a little, why Helena had said Seong had a talent superior to hers.
Seong’s perception had changed.
“Attack.”
At Seong’s command, the zombies, skeletons, and, in essence, his Death Legion moved.
The movements were on a whole different level from the ones Beziron had created.
They rushed at him like living humans.
Although they were undead, their speed was no longer just that of typical undead.
Seong’s expression twisted slightly.
‘This is different from the rabbit legion.’
The movement was simple.
Unlike the Death Legion of rabbits, which had actively used tactics, these undead simply rushed forward.
Was the difference in intelligence?
“Yeah.”
Seong nodded immediately in response to Helena’s words.
The absence of souls.
That was what made the difference this stark.
Now, he understood a bit more about how to use his overload and his abilities.
Surprised by the speed of the undead moving at Seong’s command, Beziron’s eyes widened.
But even so, these were low-level undead, and they were still low-leveled.
“Bone arrow! Bone spear! Bone spikes!”
Beziron quickly cast all three skills, attempting to block the advance of the undead.
The first skill to appear was the bone arrow.
Three bone arrows shot toward the zombies and skeletons.
Thud, thud, thud!
The arrows struck the chest of the leading zombie.
It seemed like the damage was considerable, but it wasn’t enough.
He couldn’t stop the zombie’s advance.
But Beziron wasn’t done yet.
Next, two bone spears appeared in the air, spinning and shooting automatically toward the zombies and skeletons.
Whooooosh!
As the vicious sound cut through the air, two skeletons, who were slightly faster than the zombies, took the hit, with the bone spears piercing their skulls.
Crack! Crack!
The two skeletons exploded on impact.
But still, three skeletons and two zombies remained.
Their speed had increased, and they quickly closed the distance, nearly reaching Beziron.
Realizing the danger, Beziron grinned.
It was time for his final magic, which had been delayed by the cooldown.
From the ground around Beziron, a white reflective light shone, and bone spikes emerged like thorns.
Spikes that looked like traps had been set!
Cha-cha-cha-cha-cha!
Grrr!
Grrr!
Crunch, crunch!
Crunch, crunch!
Crunch, crunch, crunch!
The bone spikes pierced through the bodies of the zombies, dealing substantial damage and causing their shadowy forms to blur.
The skeletons didn’t suffer much damage, but the spikes lodged between their bones, leaving them unable to move.
Beziron smirked at the skill that both attacked and bound the enemies’ movements.
Though the accumulating damage from the turquoise mist was significant, he was confident.
He just had to deal with Seong.
‘Now, I’ll really kill you!’
With no undead left to support him, Beziron seemed to be gaining the upper hand, but in that moment, a turquoise spear flew at him.
“Ugh!”
The turquoise spear flew too quickly for Beziron to react, but with his level advantage, he managed to avoid a fatal blow, though it still pierced his shoulder.
Thud.
“Arghh!”
The damage was severe.
What kind of damage from a beginner is this!?
But he couldn’t afford to be too shocked.
[Dark damage applied.]
[For 3 seconds, all vision and senses are impaired.]
“W-what is this?”
It felt like his head was spinning as if he had spun in the air for dozens of times.
He couldn’t see clearly.
Everything was a mess.
It was hard to tell whether up was down, or left was right.
He would’ve been less confused if he couldn’t see at all.
Something was wrong with his senses.
At the same time, through Beziron's dizzying vision, Seong was getting farther away.
Was he trying to run?
“Ah, no! Don’t run!”
Beziron, yelling out pitifully, saw Seong suddenly close the distance again.
What was happening when his vision spun?
Huh?
“Why am I…?”
Why was he lying on the ground?
Amid the dizziness and blurry vision, only the messages were crystal clear.
[Critical hit!]
[You are being eroded by uncontrollable energy.]
[Your health reaches 0 and you are forcefully logged out.]
[Due to notoriety, your death penalty is increased.]
[Due to notoriety, you drop one of your highest-grade items.]
“Not… d—…”
He wanted to scream, but couldn’t even manage that before he was forcefully logged out.
Without completing his final words, Beziron crumbled into dust and disappeared.
The highest-level user in Persville, Beziron, had been defeated.
Finally, Seong let out a short sigh of relief.
“Huff.”
He had thought this would be a tough opponent.
But with all the favorable conditions, he barely managed to win.
Most of the help came from Helena, though.
“Thank you.”
As Seong looked at Helena, grateful, he saw the tiredness clearly on her face through the veil of her bonnet.
Had she exerted herself?
“Okay.”
After hearing Seong’s reply, Helena flashed him a seductive smile from behind the veil and disappeared into his embrace.
Was she living inside his body?
Could a ghost live within their body? Seong wondered, but he didn’t think much about it.
If there were any issues, he would have sensed it instinctively.
Right now, he didn’t have that feeling.
He simply felt exhausted after the victory, as if all the tension had drained from him.
The messages kept flooding in.
[You have won your first player-versus-player battle!]
[You have earned the title, "Fighter."]
[You have won against a user with a drastically higher level!]
[Achievement unlocked!]
[The title, "Fighter," evolves into the title, "Master of Combat"!]
[You have gained experience points!]
[Level up!] ×7
[You are now Level 8.]
[You have defeated an infamous opponent.]
[You have earned the title, "Heroic Adventurer."]
[You have defeated an opponent who attacked first.]
[You have obtained the item, "Sturdy Beginner Dark Mage’s Robe."]
“Hmm?”
With the tension easing and the feeling of power returning, Seong felt a surge of energy.
So many rewards.
Right after getting the title, he had earned another title, which seemed to be an upgrade.
He had leveled up by 7 levels, reaching level 8, and even received an item?
This was like finding a gold mine.
Now it made sense why some people hunted players.
He didn’t plan to do it, though.
‘So, that’s why some people hunt infamous players.’
There were bounty hunters who made more profit from hunting players than from hunting monsters.
Now, he understood why.
In any case, there were many rewards, but Seong didn’t check them right away.
Because…
Garrick, standing nearby, urged Seong to take his rewards quickly.
Seong smiled faintly, understanding.
It was a little amusing how Garrick, who was normally slow, was urging him like this.
Though it was tempting to tease him, Seong, being a kind person, just listened to Garrick and walked into the hut.
Light shone through the roof of the shabby hut.
It had been a long time since anyone had been here, as thick dust had accumulated.
The quiet hut had just a simple bed and desk, and there was a box placed on top of the desk.
Garrick said excitedly, urging Seong to open the box.
Without hesitation, Seong opened it.
Creek.
The old hinges creaked as the box opened, revealing a book and an envelope.
[You have obtained the Hidden Piece, a unique-level skill book for Dark Mages, "Skill Book - The Growing Dead"!]
[You have obtained the Hidden Piece, a unique-level item, "Recommendation Letter for the Elite Dark Mage Academy"!]
‘A Unique Skill Book? And...’
An Elite Dark Mage Academy recommendation letter.
Seong swallowed and scratched his cheek.
He was surprised to see a Unique-level skill book, but an Elite Dark Mage Academy recommendation letter too?
This was better than he had expected.
Would this solve his worries about getting other skills?
[The "Recommendation Letter for the Elite Dark Mage Academy" can be used by players level 10 and above.]
‘I still need to level up to 10.’
Well, that didn’t seem too difficult.
So, should he check the other rewards?
4.
[User "Seong" has surpassed the current limits of his skills due to "Unknown Power."]
[User "Seong" has greatly improved the proficiency of his Legendary skill, "Death Aura."]
When humans encounter something they cannot understand, they tend to become fearful.
But sometimes, there are those who become enraged by the inexplicable.
Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong was one of them.
“What is this?”
“...”
Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang and Junior Staff Oh Jin-hyuk couldn’t say anything.
If they didn’t know, they couldn’t speak.
They were both seeing this for the first time, so how could they explain?
What was worse, Oh Jin-hyuk couldn’t even open his mouth.
He had boasted that the Beziron user couldn’t be defeated.
But what was this?
Another appearance of "Unknown Power"?
Now it wasn’t just stats but skill proficiency increase?
Not only a huge improvement in proficiency, but the level of the Legendary skill had increased by 5 in a single go.
If that didn’t happen, could he have defeated the Beziron user?
Could he have won against an opponent with a 29-level advantage?
‘Perhaps...’
Looking at Seong’s increased synchronization and vital stats, they wondered.
Although Ji Hye-jeong, who emphasized facts over speculation, thought that Seong had probably won.
Levels were crucial.
As the saying goes, levels dominate in Eternal World.
In RPGs, there was nothing more intuitive than a higher level showing stronger strength.
Job rank?
Yes, it could make a noticeable difference when the level difference was significant.
If a user with a normal rank job at level 230 fought against an All Mighty rank user at level 200, the All Mighty rank user would likely win.
The difference in rank was clear as levels increased.
But a level 1 defeating a level 30 with an All Mighty job didn’t usually happen.
Even Overlord was special in the All Mighty class.
But in the end, Seong had won.
‘That’s impressive.’
While there can be small fluctuations in stats, such a drastic change had never been seen before.
What was this "Unknown Power"?
Leaving that aside, Seong’s movement, judgment, and synchronization were incredible.
He seemed more like a resident of that world than an NPC.
“I’ve never seen a user like that.”
“Right...?”
“I, I agree. He seems more impressive than the rankers?”
“Hmm, yeah, definitely different from the rankers at level 1.”
Ji Hye-jeong had to agree with those words.
Even just observing the fluctuating stats was a historic event, but the way Seong used those stats in his play was remarkable.
Both Lee Won-sang and Oh Jin-hyuk had to acknowledge that.
They had never seen a user like this before.
“I wonder if he’ll catch up to the rankers soon.”
If anyone else had said that, they would have scolded them not to make such a fuss.
But when Ji Hye-jeong said it, the weight of her words felt different.
She acknowledged his greatness, but was it really to that extent?
Oh Jin-hyuk was taken aback by those words.
Ji Hye-jeong’s judgment was well-regarded in the User Management Team.
Could Seong really catch up to the rankers, who had been playing for over a year and a half?
Could it actually happen?
Doubting it, Lee Won-sang explained to Oh Jin-hyuk.
“Before level 10, he obtained a unique Necromancer skill book and an Elite Academy ticket. His starting point was already different. Sigh, and we still don’t even know what this ‘Unknown Power’ is.”
“Ah???"
The starting point was drastically different.
Not all rankers had started with a unique skill.
Ji Hye-jeong responded to Lee Won-sang’s explanation.
“Hmm...”
Shudder!
Both Lee Won-sang and Oh Jin-hyuk flinched, sensing something in her tone.
She seemed displeased.
‘Hmm, the atmosphere is actually pretty good, though?’
‘Yeah, I guess so?’
In fact, Lee Won-sang and Oh Jin-hyuk weren’t at fault.
They weren’t going to scold them.
“Let’s observe for now. Since Immortal said there’s no issue with the player, there’s no leak of confidential information.”
“Y-yes, that’s true!”
“Of course.”
If Immortal, the greatest AI, had checked Seong’s family relations and all the investigations, then they were already beyond it.
All they could do now was...
“If there’s another anomaly, we’ll have to stop it.”
“Well, then…”
“If we find anything, report it immediately. Even if it’s annual leave, we’ll need to come in.”
Ji Hye-jeong’s complaining had a noble feel to it.
Seeing her like this, Lee Won-sang nodded in understanding, his dark circles deepened.
“Phew, this Unknown Power is more of a concern than the Overlord class. Let me know if you find anything else. Prioritize him over other rankers.”
“Understood.”
Ji Hye-jeong returned to her seat, walking in a tired manner.
Although she had left the observation to the others, she still had things to do.
‘I need to look into Overlord.’
There might be more oddities, and she needed to learn more about the history of Overlord.