NoveLight ™
4.
Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang woke up feeling well-rested for the first time in ages.
For some reason, it felt like he’d had a pleasant dream, though he couldn’t quite remember it.
What was even better, he felt refreshed the moment he opened his eyes, and when he checked the clock, he realized he wasn’t late.
Was his exhaustion truly gone?
With a smile, he greeted his colleagues and settled into his desk, ready to begin his day.
As part of his role, he reviewed user activity videos, organized situations that arose due to player actions, and formulated responses.
However, since yesterday, one specific user had dominated his workload.
It was standard for the User Management Team to monitor high-ranking players capable of creating significant variables.
But this user, Seong, wasn’t just creating variables comparable to those top-ranked players—he was producing even more disruptive changes.
Watching Seong had become Lee’s primary task.
"Today will probably be calm," he muttered to himself.
Yesterday had been bizarre.
In just a single day after logging in, Seong had swept up countless hidden pieces and even achieved the Almighty-tier profession.
Could such a thing even be possible?
Sure, perhaps once.
But doing it again, two days in a row?
That was highly unlikely—no, outright impossible.
With that in mind, Lee began his day’s work.
The moment Seong logged in, Lee started tracking him.
At level 15, Seong was diligently hunting monsters, and Lee couldn’t help but be impressed.
"Almighty-tier professions aside, his undead are incredible. Their AI is on another level compared to others."
The undead under Seong's control moved with a lifelike fluidity that was unprecedented.
Even for Lee, who worked in the industry, it was the first time seeing something like this.
"Is this how it's supposed to be?"
He wasn’t sure.
Asking his superior, Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong, was out of the question—especially after she had to forfeit her day off yesterday because of this.
As Seong swept through a goblin village, Lee noted how extraordinary the undead AI truly was.
It hadn’t seemed this advanced when Seong took control of Beziron’s undead.
"At least he’s sticking to regular hunting today."
Lee let out a small sigh of relief.
Yes, just keep hunting peacefully.
Lee watched Seong on his monitor with a relaxed expression.
Time passed.
When Seong set off for the second village, Sekhan, something strange started happening.
He stared into the air briefly before heading to the village center to sit on a bench.
Resting, maybe?
That seemed plausible.
Not a big deal.
But then—
[『Seong』 has permanently increased their stats using ‘Unknown Power.’]
A sense of foreboding crept in.
Lee blinked at the screen, focusing on Seong’s video feed.
And then—
"Why is he going there?"
The second village, Sekhan, had a secret: it was home to a fearsome entity sealed by Hero Hindel, the malicious beast Barfur.
It was also the location of a hidden piece that another user had nearly obtained.
But more importantly—
"That… that’s off-limits!"
Barfur, the beast central to an upcoming raid event, had been kept under wraps.
Though the seal hadn’t yet been broken, making it unraidable, Seong heading there now was a problem.
How did he even know?
No, wait. Hadn’t Seong only gone to obvious places before?
Lee shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Trying to calm himself, he recalled Barfur’s stats.
"Phew, at least there’s that."
Seong was only level 20, while Barfur’s minion, the Warden, was level 35.
Even with an Almighty-tier profession and impressive control, it shouldn’t be possible to defeat it.
Especially considering the Warden’s nature.
As an undead, it summoned other undead from the underworld to attack.
That strategy wouldn’t work on it.
Neither would death’s aura.
The level gap was too vast.
Ultimately, Seong was destined to fail here.
"Let’s see what happens," Lee said, leaning in with anticipation.
But then—
[『Seong』 has subdued Barfur’s Warden using ‘Unknown Power.’]
"???"
How was that even possible?
Lee’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he stared at the screen.
His junior colleague, Oh Jin-hyuk, who had been quietly working, tilted his head.
What’s he so worked up about?
Curious, Oh glanced at Lee’s monitor.
"Huh? Senior, isn’t that Barfur? The Barfur we were planning to feature in the second village raid event? What are we supposed to do now?"
Suppressing a twitch, Lee replied with a thin smile.
"We’re screwed."
"Excuse me?!"
The raid event had just been rendered obsolete before it even began.
Sure, this could cause issues during their next team report.
But that wasn’t the immediate concern.
Losing Barfur’s Warden wasn’t catastrophic.
Barfur’s strength lay in its body, not its soul.
No matter how powerful Unknown Power or death’s aura might be—
"He can’t take the body. There’s no way he can drag it into the underworld."
"Oh, Senior? He’s doing it."
"???"
"It’s going in. Wow, he’s actually doing it."
Lee stared blankly at Oh Jin-hyuk, who was marveling at the situation.
For the first time, Lee seriously considered quitting—not because of Seong, but because of his colleague.
5.
Upon reaching the end of the cave, a massive corpse larger than an elephant lay before him.
A single sword was embedded in the chest near its heart.
It was astonishing enough that such a colossal creature was being held in check by a mere sword. Even more impressive was the corpse itself, still intact and lifelike, despite the passage of time.
But that sense of wonder lasted only a moment.
The body would soon vanish from sight, disappearing before his eyes.
"Wow, it actually worked."
Though Death’s Aura had been effective, it wasn’t supposed to work due to his significantly lower level.
Barfur’s ghost had resolved the issue.
[『Seong』 has accomplished a feat impossible at his current level using ‘Unknown Power.’]
[Strength +5, Stamina +3 have been permanently increased.]
By absorbing the memories and experiences of the beast Barfur, Seong had gained the knowledge to manipulate its body.
With Barfur’s assistance, he successfully sent the massive corpse to the Underworld.
Not only that, but he had also gained additional stats.
After storing the body, Barfur’s Warden disappeared into the Underworld alongside it.
The moment the body entered the Underworld, the sword embedded in it—the one wielded by Hindel—fell to the ground with a resonant metallic ring.
Chaeng! Chaeeng—!
Despite being lodged in the beast’s flesh for countless years, the sword’s elegant appearance remained unmarred.
Seong picked it up.
"So, this is a hidden piece?"
He had achieved multiple gains at once: subjugating the Warden had earned him titles, leveling up, and now acquiring the sword.
Although he was tempted to inspect the sword immediately, Seong, ever the type to save the best for last, decided to check the new titles first.
"Let’s start with this one."
He opened the details for Exalted Leadership.
『Exalted Leadership』
→《Epic》
→A title awarded to users who subjugate summons, subordinates, or undead of a higher level than themselves.
→Increases allies’ loyalty and morale.
→Boosts all allies’ speed by +5% when issuing commands.
*This title stacks with the effects of the title Lord.
"Hmm."
A good title, albeit a slightly inferior version of Lord.
Still, since it could stack with Lord’s effects, it was more of an asset than a drawback.
Next was the title The Endurer.
『The Endurer』
→《Epic》
→Awarded to users who accumulate 100 bonus points without spending them.
→Increases Willpower by +100.
*Percentage-based enhancement effects apply.
*No further titles are awarded for exceeding 100 bonus points.
"Oh?"
Willpower, a key stat for resistance and maintaining skills, had just received a flat +100 increase.
And not only that—percentage-based enhancements applied to it as well.
Given Seong’s Almighty title, which increased all stats by 10%, the +100 from The Endurer translated into an additional +110 Willpower.
"This is insane."
Even Seong, calm and logical as he was, couldn’t help but be astonished.
Now curious, he checked his updated stats.
【Status Window】
『Seong』
『Lv 25』
『Profession』 → 『Overlord』
『Titles』 → 『Lord (Legendary)』… and 18 others.
『Stats』
→《Strength: 20 (18+2)》《Agility: 17 (15+2)》
《Stamina: 15 (13+2)》《Intelligence: 23 (20+3)》
《Wisdom: 28 (25+3)》《Willpower: 133 (120+13)》
《Dexterity: 7 (6+1)》
『Bonus Stats』 → 《120》
"This… is crazy."
Even Seong, still relatively new to Eternal World, found his stats at level 25 staggering.
And with 120 bonus points yet to be distributed, it was time to decide.
"How should I allocate them?"
As an Overlord, a dark mage by nature, increasing Intelligence and Wisdom was the obvious path to enhance his magical prowess.
But Seong’s playstyle wasn’t limited to magic.
Thanks to memories from the former instructor Eddie and the hunter Apik, his combat approach was versatile.
And considering future memories he might acquire, a balanced allocation seemed wise.
"For now, let’s focus on Intelligence and Wisdom."
He poured 30 points each into Intelligence and Wisdom, then evenly distributed the remaining points—20 each—among Strength, Agility, and Stamina.
【Updated Status Window】
『Seong』
『Lv 25』
『Profession』 → 『Overlord』
『Titles』 → 『Lord (Legendary)』… and 18 others.
『Stats』
→《Strength: 42 (38+4)》《Agility: 39 (35+4)》
《Stamina: 37 (33+4)》《Intelligence: 56 (50+6)》
《Wisdom: 61 (55+6)》《Willpower: 133 (120+13)》
《Dexterity: 7 (6+1)》
『Bonus Stats』 → 《0》
The changes were immediate.
He could feel his physical and magical capacities expanding.
Mana reserves had doubled, significantly reducing the strain of maintaining high-level undead like Barfur’s Warden.
"With this, I can summon both Barfur’s Warden and the goblin undead simultaneously without issue."
Satisfied, Seong turned his attention to the final hidden piece: the radiant sword.
『Hindel’s Apprentice Sword』
→《Unique》
→The sword used by Hindel during his apprentice days. Later, it was used to seal the beast Barfur.
→Despite the years, the sword retains its power and elegance.
→However, it has also absorbed sinister energy from the beast over time.
→Increases Cutting Power by +10%.
→Increases Attack Power by +5%.
→Absorbs malevolent energy from defeated enemies.
"Wow…"
A Unique item, the highest-grade equipment Seong had acquired so far.
Unlike the Elite Necromancer’s Recommendation, this was a combat item with no restrictions.
"I could sell this for a fortune…"
Excitement built as he considered testing the sword.
But first, he thought of someone—or rather, something: Helena.
She hadn’t appeared since helping him.
"I guess I’ve grown used to her presence. It feels odd without her."
Helena’s memories and desires had given him a sense of purpose in Eternal World.
"The Overlord’s pinnacle…"
Reaching the goal Helena had failed to achieve was now his aspiration.
And then, there was another goal—one entirely his own.
"Following Hindel’s footsteps."
Barfur’s memories provided no clues about Hindel’s destination after sealing the beast.
"I’ll uncover it eventually."
For now, it was time to move forward.
Seong returned to the village to prepare for his next adventure.