NoveLight ™
Seong was the type to eat the delicious things later.
The rewards were no different.
‘Let’s check the titles first.’
The titles earned this time were "Master of Martial Arts," which evolved from the "Fighter" title, and "Adventurer of Justice."
Two in total.
『Master of Martial Arts』 →《Epic》 →A title awarded to a user who has defeated an opponent of much higher level in combat. →Increases attack power by 5% when fighting humanoid monsters, users, or NPCs.
『Adventurer of Justice』 →《Rare》 →A title awarded to users who have defeated infamous users or NPCs. →Increases rewards by 10% when defeating those with a bad reputation.
‘Oh.’
The "Adventurer of Justice" was hard to use for now, but the "Master of Martial Arts" was quite useful.
It applied to all humanoid enemies.
It had great versatility, and its effect was considerable.
Since skeletons were classified as humanoids, the range was wider than expected.
Even the "Adventurer of Justice," which couldn't be used immediately, seemed quite good.
‘Now, next...’
The level-up effect of "Aura of Death."
『Aura of Death』 →《Legendary》 →[Lv 5] [Growth] [Continuous Effect] [Active] [Cooldown: 25 minutes]↓ [Duration: 4 minutes]↑ "All the deceased shall offer their blood and bones to their Lord. The Lord shall achieve immortality by feasting upon the dead." →Exclusive skill for Overlords. →Consumes the souls and bodies of the dead within a 50m radius.↑ →Consumes and turns them into nourishment. →Living beings that come into contact with the aura are overwhelmed by pain. →Can command the dead consumed by the aura into the Death Legion. (NEW!)
‘Wow.’
He was already familiar with the newly added effects.
Since he had read Helena’s memories.
But the cooldown was reduced, and the duration and range increased.
It was a bit noticeable, but seeing it in figures made him even more surprised.
‘Definitely.’
It had improved considerably compared to just dealing continuous damage.
With this, he could use the Death Legion without needing to kill directly.
It was an essential skill.
When he used it on Beziron, the psychological effect was immense.
Seeing his undead being taken away caused Beziron to panic, opening up a gap for Seong.
‘This is a nightmare skill for necromancers.’
He felt satisfied with his steady growth as a dark mage.
If Beziron had heard this, he would probably be screaming that it was unfair.
‘Next, an item?’
The item Beziron left as a gift.
『Sturdy Beginner Necromancer’s Robe』 →《Rare》 →A sturdy robe made for beginner necromancers. →Despite being a robe, it provides considerable defense. →Increases defense by +2%. →Slight increase in the power of dark magic skills.
So it’s a robe for necromancers?
It had decent effects and looked quite usable.
Beziron had left a lot behind.
At this point, it was almost comparable to the village chief of Hindel Village!
The slight increase in skill power was a good option, but
His eyes were drawn more to the defense.
‘It’s quite something since it increases defense.’
Seong, still a beginner, knew it well.
It was rare for robes to add defense.
Now, could it be time for the main course?
[Unique Necromancer Skillbook, "Skillbook - Increasing the Undead" has been taken out.] [This skillbook meets the conditions.] [Do you wish to use it?] [Yes / No]
Why even ask?
The answer was already decided.
[Using the Unique Skillbook, "Skillbook - Increasing the Undead"!] [You have acquired the Unique Skill, "Increasing the Undead"!] 『Increasing the Undead』 →《Unique》 →[Lv 1] [Growth] [Continuous Effect] [Passive] →Exclusive skill for necromancers. →Reduces the mana cost of undead summoning or undead creation skills by 10%. →The mana reduction increases as the level rises.
"Wow."
Seong, who had been calmly reviewing the rewards, let out a sigh of admiration.
A passive skill!
A skill that reduces the mana consumption of undead summoning and undead creation by 10%?
It would increase the mana reduction even further as the level went up.
‘It’s basically a skill that increases summoning or creation.’
Now, he could somewhat understand why Beziron had attacked him first.
Though it was still wrong for Beziron to attack him.
For a dark mage, especially a necromancer, this was a skill worth drooling over.
He didn’t know how much the reduction would be, but if it reached up to 50%, it would effectively double the number of undead.
Imagining that power made him shiver in his body.
That was already pretty impressive.
『Special Necromancer Training Facility Recommendation』 →《Unique》 →Restrictions: Necromancer class, Level 10 or higher. →A recommendation letter for admission to a special necromancer training facility. →Something special might happen if you bring this recommendation!
‘Perfect, even dessert.’
Another unique hidden piece.
A recommendation for a special necromancer training facility.
First, he would need to raise his level to 10, but now his next destination was clear.
Once Seong knew his destination, Garrick, noticing it, grinned and said:
"Thank you very much."
With Garrick’s charming personality, Seong smiled and waved him off.
There were no purer beings than the ghosts who always helped him.
Seong also wanted to help, but the ghosts always politely declined.
It was a shame, though.
As long as they used the help they gave him well, that was all they asked for. He couldn’t wish for more.
‘Let’s go hunting.’
Only two steps left until level 10.
The amount of experience gained had increased.
It might take a little while, but...
‘With Aura of Death and the Death Legion, it should be different.’
If he did some mob hunting before his mana ran out, things should improve.
First, let’s wait for the cooldown and decide where to hunt.
As soon as he left the hut, he arrived at the graveyard.
Still many skeletons.
Now, let's test the effect of the title.
Although his level had gone up, he hadn’t distributed any extra stats.
So, his attack power and damage should be the same.
It would be simple to compare.
“Clatter, clatter.”
Without needing to look far, Seong dashed toward a skeleton nearby.
He swung the shovel he had picked up earlier at the skeleton’s skull.
Thud!
A heavy, chilling feeling ran through his hand!
[Critical Hit!] [The effect of 『One Strike!』 is triggered!] [Experience gained.]
With a single strike, the skeleton's skull shattered.
The body crumbled into dust, and the skeleton collapsed.
His attack power had certainly increased.
Last time, he would have had to strike two or three times.
But now, he knocked it down in a single blow.
‘Oh.’
Seong couldn't help but be surprised.
Even though it had increased, he thought it would still take at least two hits.
But a single blow?
Now, this was different.
Should he wait for the cooldown of Aura of Death to expire before trying again?
Seong lightly stretched and loosened his body.
At the same time, he called upon the memories of Garrick and the previous instructor.
Like when he had received help from Helena, he focused on the memories themselves.
"Whoooo."
Exhaling a long breath, his eyes sank deeply.
The two memories flowed before him like a panorama.
No, should he call them histories?
The lives of Garrick and the previous instructor came pouring into him unfiltered.
Within them, Seong clearly distinguished himself.
No, it happened naturally without him trying.
It was like watching a movie but not confusing himself with the protagonist.
Seong read through the history of both men as if watching two films.
He even learned the previous instructor’s name was Eddie and that Garrick had a late wife.
With intense focus, Seong’s eyes turned teal.
The faint teal hue surrounded Seong, softly glowing.
It was a mystical aura that surrounded him, attracting attention with its magical presence.
“Eh!? That user from earlier!”
“Let’s go over and make an offer!”
“No! I’m going first!”
As the scouts noticed Seong, they tried to approach with their usual banter, but their steps stopped at his aura.
‘Wh-What is this atmosphere?!’
‘I-I can’t approach him like this!’
‘Such intense concentration.’
Even though the surroundings were noisy, when someone was concentrating, the area would become quiet.
The scouts were no different.
They couldn’t see the mystical teal aura around Seong, but they could feel the atmosphere.
Being guild scouts, they all stopped and sensed it.
Slurp—
The sound of someone swallowing was loud as the surroundings quickly became quiet.
Seong started moving in that silence.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
He ran, kicking the ground without pause, swinging the shovel like an extension of his arm.
As it hit the ground, sparks flew with a sharp clink.
The sparks blossomed in mid-air, drawing a red arc in the air.
And at the end of that arc was the skeleton’s head.
CRACK—!
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is triggered!]
[Experience gained.]
Without even looking at the message, Seong readied himself again, aiming at the skeleton next to him.
He adjusted his stance, stepping forward with the opposite leg from earlier, and then twisted his waist to swing the shovel in the opposite direction.
Thud—!
[Critical Hit!]
[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is triggered!]
[Experience gained.]
Another message rang out.
Ignoring it, Seong swung the shovel again, targeting another skeleton.
The sound of the thud mixed with a sharp crack as the surrounding skeleton dust scattered in the air.
“Wh… What’s that…?!”
“Did, did that shovel just hit him?!”
“It was a shovel!? I thought it was a sword!!!”
“I thought so too!!!”
The scouts all jumped, surprised, and looked at Seong.
No matter how you looked at it, that movement of swinging the shovel was swordsmanship.
Or should it be called sword style?
The kind of movement you’d see in martial arts novels, the kind that Seong used to watch as a kid—or even still occasionally watches when bored.
The scouts had seen sword masters in action before.
But had they ever seen someone like this?
None could answer that.
‘Didn’t even the early videos of rankers look nothing like this...?’
‘...Do you think someone like that would join our guild?’
‘...I don’t know about recruiting, but damn, this is insane.’
The thought of recruiting had long been forgotten in their minds.
There was no one here who could nod in agreement if asked whether their guild could contain someone like this.
They were all just watching Seong, admiring his display.
And it wasn’t just the scouts who were watching.
“Is this insane?!”
“What, what is that?!”
“Wait, is he going on a killing spree with a shovel??”
“Is that even possible??”
“Wait, but the shovel is a blunt weapon, right?”
“Wow, this is a mad movie...”
The players who had been hunting could only stand there in awe, unable to tear their eyes away.
It wasn’t just about the skill—no, it was about the swordplay? The shovel play? They couldn’t look away from the way he moved.
Could it be some kind of magical charm?
Unaware that everyone was watching him, Seong continued with a gleam in his eyes, using his skill.
A heart-shaped figure of teal light appeared from his back.
And the sound of its beating.
Thum—!
As the heartbeat echoed, the surrounding 50 meters were engulfed in a teal mist.
The scouts and other players within the radius were also affected, but that was fine.
For those who weren’t hostile, it had no effect.
Seong hadn’t even noticed that part.
As the teal mist spread, the players all reacted in shock.
“What, what’s going on!?”
“Mist...!?”
“Is... is this a skill?!”
It was an unusual phenomenon, but they quickly realized it was a skill Seong had activated.
The mist came from the heart-shaped figure on his back.
Even if they wanted to ignore it, they couldn’t.
They were just thankful that there was no attack coming.
“But wait... do swordsmen even have a skill like this?”
“No? Usually, warriors or swordsmen learn these kinds of area skills later on, right?”
“Huh? Then what’s this?”
“Right... what’s this?”
Just as the players were perplexed, something strange happened.
The skeletons that touched the mist raised their heads to the sky, as if vomiting something.
“Sahaaaaa!”
“Sahaak!”
“Saaaaah!”
Then, as if they were spewing out teal-colored energy similar to the mist, they started to rise.
Seong narrowed his eyes and used the Death Legion.
All the skeletons in the radius started to have their pure white bones shrouded by shadows, turning black.
The black shadows emitted teal energy.
Their appearance was drastically different from the previous skeletons, and everyone couldn’t help but gape in awe.
“Wait, wasn’t he a warrior?!”
“He... wasn’t a swordsman?!”
“I thought he had knight-type skills!”
“Wh-what!? How is a necromancer fighting like that!?”
“No, even more than that—he doesn’t even have a bracelet! He’s not even level 10!!”
They had thought Seong was a swordsman.
But in reality, he was a dark mage?
A necromancer?
And that wasn’t all.
When Seong issued his command, all the skeletons simultaneously began to move and started slaughtering the area.
Clatter! Clatter!
Clack! Clack!
Thud! Clatter!!
“Clatter!?”
“Clack—!?”
The same undead clashed with each other, but Seong’s Death Legion was on a completely different scale.
Overwhelming power!
The black skeletons, emitting teal energy, swept away all the white color.
It was pure slaughter.
“This, this can’t be...”
“Wh... what kind of skeletons are those...?!”
“I... I couldn’t even handle those...”
“That’s... a skill that a beginner can use...?!”
“That’s... breaking news!!!”
The scouts and other players were in chaos.
Seong, who hadn’t even reached level 10, using such a skill meant one thing.
It was a higher-tier class, not a normal one.
To show such power and influence...
“Epic, at least?!”
They all swallowed their breath as they watched Seong’s impressive display.
Meanwhile, Seong didn’t care about the spectators and glanced at the message in front of him.
[Experience gained.]
[Experience gained.]
[Experience gained.]
…
[Level Up!]
[You’ve reached Level 10.]
‘The hunting’s going well.’
As expected, necromancers were the best for hunting.
After a brief moment of admiration, Seong turned his attention to the next message that appeared.
[You have unlocked the Job Training Facility upon reaching Level 10.]
[You may now use the 『Special Necromancer Training Facility Recommendation』.]
‘Now I can go.’
It was time to use the hidden piece.