NoveLight ™
5.
With just a single swing.
In just one strike, all the monsters were dealt with.
An overwhelmingly imposing display of power.
However, the only thought that came to Seong's mind as he watched this was one thing:
“Why is someone this strong wearing underwear...?”
Though he was genuinely impressed by the strength, he couldn’t shake off the question.
It was true that Valtar was strong.
Even though he had fallen to the same level as Seong, Valtar was, after all, a demon knight.
His strength was natural.
What truly shocked Seong, though, was:
“There’s no mana consumption at all.”
Despite Valtar using such a powerful technique, there was no sign of mana being depleted.
From what he knew, demon knights used their own inherent mana for their abilities.
Valtar was the strongest summon Seong could call.
A demon knight.
It should have been awe-inspiring, but...
“Why doesn’t he look cool at all?”
Seong eyed Valtar skeptically.
Valtar, as if sensing the scrutiny, coughed awkwardly and muttered.
“Hmm, yeah.”
Valtar stretched out his hand toward the monsters he had just defeated, and the green and red blood from the creatures began to rise into the air in swirling clouds.
It gathered into a single orb and was absorbed by Valtar like a thin thread.
[『Blood Demon Knight, Valtar』 is using the skill 『Blood Source』.] [Mana is being restored.]
Seong realized that Valtar was absorbing the mana he had just expended.
However, the quality of the mana wasn’t great, as Valtar clicked his tongue in apparent displeasure.
Despite Valtar’s visible irritation, he didn’t just rely on his skills. For the following wave, he moved into action himself.
With just his sword and body, he overwhelmed and massacred the entire army.
His blood-red sword moved gracefully through the air.
While his swordsmanship was already formidable, it was even more impressive because each movement was flawless.
Every action had a purpose, and the sword fulfilled its mission with precision.
Even Seong, with his many memories and experiences, found it hard to gauge the depth of this swordplay.
It was undoubtedly formidable.
[『wave2』 has been perfectly blocked.] [It is recorded.] [Massive experience accumulated.] [All experience will be obtained after final record.] [『wave3』 perfectly...] ... ... [『wave7』 has been perfectly blocked.]
The wave count rose in an instant.
Yet, Seong still didn’t need to intervene.
Valtar, by himself, was holding strong.
Seong wondered just how far Valtar could go on his own.
He stood there, eagerly watching.
Then, Seong realized something.
At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to use his newly acquired Shadow Transition technique.
“Hmm...”
Maybe later, when they reach higher floors, he could give it a try?
Maybe?
Seong’s gaze remained on Valtar, the thief, no—demon knight—who was handling the waves solo with ease.
There are very few office workers who enjoy their morning commute.
If they do, they’re either hopeless workaholics or incredibly strange people.
Lee Won-sang, the assistant manager, belonged to the latter group, but he didn’t exactly enjoy his commute.
With a sigh that seemed to come from deep within, Lee Won-sang sat at his desk.
“Haah.”
He had tried to report to Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong yesterday, but failed.
It wasn’t because his report was rejected.
It was simply that Team Leader Ji was out on an external assignment, so there was no opportunity.
Honestly, he really just wanted to send the report by email and be done with it.
But seeing the results Seong had achieved, he knew that couldn’t be the case.
Yesterday, it was understandable. But today, it was something else entirely.
“How did he even find out about that?”
Seong had gone to Oren Village and discovered the Hidden Piece at Rocks’ Tomb.
By now, he had almost come to accept it as normal.
But he couldn’t help feeling a bit frustrated, secretly hoping that Echo Willow at Rocks' Tomb would have yielded better results.
Of course, nothing came of that hope.
At least, that was a small relief.
Carrying these concerns, Lee Won-sang left work.
The weight of the evening commute was almost unbearable.
But when he arrived at work the next day...
He found out that Kahku’s second warehouse had been discovered and emptied out completely.
It was almost like a ghost had done it.
He had even acquired the demon knight summoning skill, but he didn’t give it much thought.
“Anyway, the demon knights won’t listen before the second job advancement.”
That was just how the Overlord class worked.
It was part of the design.
If he could dominate a demon knight under level 100, there would be no opponents left.
That’s why, after the Overlord’s second job advancement, he would be able to slowly dominate the demon knight and finally bend him to his will when he reached level 100.
It was the way the Overlord class was structured.
So, he wasn’t too concerned about it.
Even when Valtar, one of the highest-ranked demon knights, was summoned...
Lee Won-sang maintained his usual expression.
“Wow, is that Valtar!?? Incredible, really!!”
It would have been much easier to handle if his subordinate, Oh Jin-hyuk, wasn’t freaking out next to him.
It was a shame.
But then, even Valtar was subdued.
“???”
“Wow, how did he do that?! Does he know some weakness? Valtar was supposed to be a high-pride demon knight, wasn’t he?”
Lee Won-sang felt like he wanted to do something about Oh Jin-hyuk, but he knew he couldn’t.
He just closed his eyes and sighed.
Since they were already assigned to the team, he couldn’t change it now, so he mentally resolved to endure it.
Just then, a notification popped up on his screen, indicating that Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong had returned.
Lee Won-sang immediately stood up upon seeing the message.
“Oh? Senior? Where are you going?”
“...To report. Want to do it instead?”
“Oh! No, not at all!”
Once again, Oh Jin-hyuk was quick to notice.
Lee Won-sang shot him an irritated glance and sighed before heading toward Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong’s office.
When he reached her office, he saw Ji Hye-jeong had just returned from her morning fieldwork.
As soon as Lee Won-sang arrived, Ji Hye-jeong looked at him as if to ask, “What’s going on?”
“...?”
“Well…”
Lee Won-sang couldn’t even get the words out.
He wasn’t sure where to begin.
He couldn’t just report that he’d made contact with Overpalace, obtained items for the second job advancement, and consumed hidden pieces with some strange newfound power, increasing his stats by 40.
It was too much to say out loud.
So he carefully chose his words and started reporting.
It wasn’t an urgent report, but it wasn’t the regular kind either.
Ji Hye-jeong nodded, acknowledging everything with a sigh.
“Haah... It seems it turned out this way. Even though Blackstar found it first, I made sure to block most of the intervention beforehand.”
“Ah, that’s a relief.”
“Yes, but what bothers me is that he already subdued Valtar.”
“...Yes.”
The second job advancement for the Overlord class is extremely difficult, as expected of an Almighty grade.
To be precise, it's the toughest among all the Almighty classes, with extreme difficulty.
And the reason for this is the Demon Knight.
If one could subdue a Demon Knight, the difficulty would certainly drop drastically.
But that couldn't be helped.
At this point, it would be unreasonable to increase the difficulty elsewhere.
“Understood. Please keep watching.”
“...Yes, I understand...”
As Lee Won-sang responded and was about to leave, he suddenly saw someone running toward Ji Hye-jeong’s office, panting and in a hurry.
“??????”
“...?”
Both Lee Won-sang and Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong looked at each other in confusion, and it was Oh Jin-hyuk.
Why was he in such a rush?
“Se, Senior! There’s, there’s a huge problem!”
“...What’s going on?”
“Th, that Seong user... he entered the Forgotten Past Fortress.”
“...So?”
What’s so important about that?
Lee Won-sang was about to get annoyed when Oh Jin-hyuk added,
“He’s already surpassed wave 10.”
“Ah???”
“...Already?”
It hadn’t even been 10 minutes since Lee Won-sang reported to Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong.
And in that short time, he had already surpassed wave 10?
Lee Won-sang and Team Leader Ji Hye-jeong exchanged a look, and their eyes widened, their pupils shaking violently.
“Valtar!!”
“V, Valtar!!”
“Oh, o? How did you know!? He’s been summoning only Valtar and sweeping through waves up to wave 10.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lee Won-sang, looking as if in despair, gripped his head with both hands.
If Valtar was involved, this would be problematic.
“Lee Won-sang, please calm down and check.”
“...Understood.”
He didn’t ask what to check.
Lee Won-sang quickly returned to his desk, and of course, Oh Jin-hyuk followed.
As they hurried, Oh Jin-hyuk asked in confusion, “What are we checking?”
“...The Forgotten Past Fortress rewards.”
“Whaat!? There’s a clearing concept for that place?!”
“...I think Seong is probably the first to accomplish it, though...”
The first user to summon and subdue a demon knight in Eternal World, and now, the first to clear the Forgotten Past Fortress... all in a single day.
And it turned out to be the same person.
Lee Won-sang, though he knew it couldn’t be simple, couldn’t help but hold onto a tiny sliver of hope.
When he returned to his desk and checked the rewards, his face turned pale.
He closed his eyes tightly, unable to bear seeing the worst possible outcome.
He could barely keep his eyes open.
But then...
“Waaah! This is the item that drops here?! And... what skill is this...?”
Should he have covered his ears?
Today, Jinu came as an interviewer.
It was not unusual for large guilds, including the Rapid Guild, to have guild officers or high-ranking members play as interviewers using alternate characters.
Jinu, though he usually hated such menial tasks, couldn’t avoid it after causing trouble.
However, now he felt that it was a good decision to be there.
Was it because of Kim Che-geon?
Not at all.
Jinu had long since forgotten about the need to conduct an interview.
Would Kim Che-geon feel upset or resentful?
"Eh? When did you arrive?"
"…Oh, I arrived earlier."
Kim Che-geon, rather than showing frustration, was watching Seong’s gameplay as if observing a show.
Despite being high up on the fortress walls, Jinu could feel the vibrations from the ground shaking, caused by the massive waves below.
A small group of about 50 soldiers was far too insignificant in front of the massive army, but their fighting spirit was not lacking compared to the distant large legion.
If anything, it was overwhelming.
And leading that small battalion was the demon knight with reddish skin, Valtar.
As he took to the battlefield, the whole situation began to shift dramatically.
The small battalion, despite their numbers, moved like a single unit, using tactics and coordinating with one another.
Amidst it all, Seong remained completely at ease, observing the battle.
It wasn’t just that he appeared calm—he truly had nothing to do in that battlefield.
The demon knight and the specter were shaking things up, and the skeletons, goblin undead, and minor demons were wreaking havoc, tearing through the disorganized lines.
Every time mana ran low, Seong used his three-colored whistle to restore it.
It was flawless.
If anyone watched this, they might think it was just the beginning of the waves.
But in that moment, Jinu and Kim Che-geon both looked up.
They clearly saw the wave count.
『wave34』 [0:57:38]
Not even an hour had passed.
And yet, he was already just one step away from surpassing Yuna’s record.
Even if he gave up right now, second place was already secured.
And yet, the battlefield still looked easy.
“Is this even possible?”
Jinu couldn’t even begin to process what he was seeing.
Kim Che-geon felt the same way.
How much time had passed?
Yuna’s record had already been broken.
As Seong’s soldiers started to struggle, Seong stepped in and quickly turned the tide again.
He swung the Apprentice Warrior Hindel’s sword, and with Valtar leading, they fought using the same technique.
And when things got desperate, Seong used things like Sidok, corpse explosions, and even poisonous explosions, causing widespread damage before retreating with his Shadow Transition.
Such an absurd battle couldn’t last long.
[『wave 40』 has been perfectly blocked.]
[It is recorded.] [All waves have been blocked.]
[For the first time in Eternal World history, the record-based dungeon 『Forgotten Past Fortress』 has been cleared.]
[Your fame spreads throughout the entire Eternal World.]
[You have earned the title 『The One Who Escaped the Shackles』 as a clear reward.]
[You have gained a massive amount of experience!]
[You have earned the Legendary class skill 『Creeping Darkness』 as a reward.]
[You have received the Legendary class item 『Tome of Despair』 as a reward.]
[Level up!] ×16 [You are now Level 57.]
[You have reached Level 50, unlocking new skills for 『Overlord』.]
[You have unlocked the Almighty-class skill, 『Seal of Death』.]
[Level 50 reached, second job advancement is now possible.]
[The Overlord-exclusive second job advancement item, 『Overlord’s Compass』, is reacting.]
[Using 『Overlord’s Compass』 will transport you to the second job advancement location.]
There were no more waves to clear.
“Oh?”