Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Spendthrift Necromancer (10)

Normally, an Orc Guard was around Level 250.

Even looking at nothing but level-based stats, that meant every one of its stats was around 250.

And fitting for Orcs that loved fighting, they were brutally good at combat too.‘And these bastards are even worse.’They were far stronger than the ordinary Orc Guards he knew.

He could guess why.

The Orc Hero currently pushing Cedric back.

Just as that monster was extraordinarily powerful, these Guards probably had some sort of additional boost too.‘Level 300? Probably around there.’He lightly redirected the incoming glaive with his sword. After receiving it with much less force, he immediately swung back.

The Orc's eyes widened as it hurriedly raised one arm.

Slash!

The blade bit slightly into its thick bone.

Blood sprayed upward.‘Too shallow.’The doping had raised his stats considerably.

But his weapon wasn't good enough.

It cut through skin, but couldn't sever bone.

Meanwhile, the glaive came crashing in.

He let go of his sword and rolled across the ground.

The Guard, moving to kick him in fury, suddenly staggered.‘I didn't fill my mana for nothing.’Skeletons were summoned from beneath the ground. The hands of the Skeletons climbing up had seized the Guard's legs tightly.

Roooar!

Irritated, the red-eyed Guard stomped on the Skeletons.

The overwhelming level difference caused them to shatter helplessly.

But far more Skeletons were being summoned.[Opening Spatial Ring(Intermediate)

!]

Equipment burst from the ring and scattered all across the ground.

The Skeletons quickly grabbed weapons and rushed in from every direction.

With such an overwhelming level gap, even weapons wouldn't deal much damage.

Still.

It would sting all over.

They stabbed into every part of its body.

And others clung desperately to the hand holding the glaive.

By then, Minwoo had already pulled a hammer from his inventory.‘Try blocking this too.’He swung the hammer down at the Orc's face with all his strength.

The Orc instinctively raised an arm.

The sword was still embedded in that arm.

The hammer came down directly on the sword.

Claaang!

The blade sank deep and severed one of the Orc's arms.

Gwooo!

Normally, someone would clutch their severed arm and writhe in agony, but this one-armed Orc was different.

Its eyes turned blood-red as it stepped forward and swung the glaive instead.

Minwoo blocked with the hammer.

Clang!

Sparks flew as his body was pushed backward.‘This is why Orcs are such a pain.’They never stopped just because they were wounded.‘But actually, that's good.’Their actions were easy to read.

Skeletons were already stabbing weapons into its back.

With the Orc completely defenseless, the damage should be adding up nicely.

Yet true to its nature, its gaze remained fixed solely on Minwoo.

He redirected several attacks.‘Slowly.’The impatient one loses a fight.

Like that Orc.

Charging like a bull, it suddenly hurled its glaive.

Minwoo twisted his face aside.

The vicious weapon flew past, lightly slicing his cheek.

Meanwhile, the Orc spread its arms and leaped at him with all its strength.

A good decision.

It must've decided fighting with weapons was troublesome. So it was trying to grab him first.‘But you know…….’[Using Dreadful Evil Eye(F)

!][Using Haste(F)

!]

For the briefest instant.

The Orc flinched from the evil eye.

And Minwoo himself grew just a little faster.

That tiny difference decided the outcome. The savage hands missed him by the width of a finger.

He slammed the hammer down onto the Orc's bewildered face. Its own charging momentum combined with the force of his swing.

The Orc's face was crushed properly.‘I can read you completely.’Did it think this was his first or second time fighting Orcs?

They were Gate staples.

And on top of that, the current Kim Minwoo was in ‘peak condition.’

That horrific lack of talent was gone.

Skeletons swarmed over the groaning Orc. After several more weapon strikes, strength finally drained from its body.[You have won a battle against a monster overwhelmingly stronger than yourself!][You have acquired the title, ‘Strong One Hunter!’]

That was when it happened.

Gwooooooooooo![Orc Hero uses ‘Difference in Rank(EX)’!][Overwhelming Presence!][Your soul is shaken violently!]

Thud!

The bodies of the surrounding undead collapsed instantly.

The forms of the Death Knights and Liches began fading.

Cedric, who had been struggling against the Orc Hero, staggered violently.

The Bone Dragon crashed to the ground.

And the undead weren't the only ones affected.

Thump!

Kim Minwoo.

His heart was pounding like mad too. He could physically feel what it meant for his soul to be shaken.‘This is insane…….’He couldn't put any strength into his body.

The skill perfectly embodied the name Difference in Rank.‘This is the second time, after the Dragon Lord.’An existence capable of using an EX-rank skill.

Was there some connection between them?* * *Cedric.

Staggering, he stared at the Orc Hero before him.

A battlefield endlessly repeating inside his regret. He could no longer remember how many times he'd fought that monster.

The result was always the same.

He lost.

The spear in his hand trembled.

He had once been a knight.

A common story.

He was betrayed.

He died.

He became undead for revenge.

Death Lord.

As one of the four Legion Commanders under his command, Cedric swept across the continent.

Never in his life had he encountered an equal.

Until they appeared.

Even Death Lord had been no match for them.

The four Legion Commanders were each thoroughly defeated as well.

Cedric was no exception.

The Orc Hero.

It had repeatedly spared him as though playing with a toy.

Again and again.

Being undead did not mean having no emotions.

They were merely faint.‘When was it?’When had his competitive spirit become fear?

The creature overwhelmed him.

The Battle of Hrulunif.

Here, Cedric had finally met eternal rest.

Even as he closed his eyes, regret consumed him.

What knight?

What Legion Commander!

He was nothing but a coward desperately trying to flee.

And yet, part of him had also felt relieved.

Relieved that the creature would no longer hunt him.

Unfortunately, his wish had not been granted.

At some point, he awakened again.

And after that, time repeated infinitely.

For what felt like eternity.‘Lord, why…….’Only after the first participant appeared did he understand.

This hell where he could not attain eternal rest was an arrangement left by Death Lord.

From then on, participants occasionally entered the Battlefield of Eternity.

The results were almost always the same.

They failed to endure and died.

Then their souls were stuffed into ordinary Skeletons.

They became trapped forever in this Battlefield of Eternity.

Very, very rarely, someone managed to endure.

Then they were given a choice.

Remain on the stage.

Or escape.

Even if they escaped, the battlefield continued repeating.

But even if they remained…….‘They die.’Always.

And their soul was preserved here.

This time too, Cedric would fall to the Orc Hero.

And eventually he would once again participate in the repeating battlefield.

He could not overcome it himself.

Everything repeated as though the result had already been decided.

To Cedric, this place was nothing less than hell.

The Orc Hero approached.

Its glaive rose high like an executioner's blade.

An ending whose conclusion was already decided.

Cedric stared blankly at the Orc's weapon.

Then.

“Don't give up, you bastard!”

A human charged in.

Booom!

The descending glaive barely missed Cedric's head.

His eyes widened.* * *Regret.

At last, Minwoo thought he understood what Cedric regretted.

An EX-rank skill was certainly powerful.

But not so powerful that an existence like Cedric should be incapable of resisting at all.

Yet he was utterly helpless.

As though fear had crushed him.‘Yeah. That's something you'd regret.’Cedric was a powerful knight.

His ego was probably equally strong.

Minwoo had gotten that impression from their conversations.

And commanding countless undead meant he'd probably been a big shot in his day.

Yet he died pathetically like this?

Of course he'd carry regret even after death.

So how could Minwoo stop that regret?

One thing was certain.

The Orc Hero was about to execute Cedric.

First, he had to stop it.

You had to stay alive before you could overcome regret!‘Move, damn it!’Even through nausea-inducing dizziness, Minwoo desperately gathered his mind.

He fought to move his body, which had frozen like that of a vegetative patient.

Just slightly.

His lips trembled.

He moved his teeth and bit down on the inside of his lip.

The pressure gradually increased.

Blood burst inside his mouth. The salty taste cleared his head a little.

His cold body slowly began warming.

Feeling returned to his fingers.‘I can do this.’The talentless body that had shackled him was long gone.

He focused.

A thousandth.

A ten-thousandth of a second.

Those fleeting instants.

He had become the best because, inside the game, he had focused during every single moment.

Even if this place was reality rather than a game.‘Who gives a shit?’No matter the situation, he would clear it.

That was Kim Minwoo the gamer.[Incomprehensible

Willpower!][Your soul begins transcending rank!]

He took one step.

The second was easier.

And finally…….

His body launched forward.

Toward the Orc Hero's glaive![Your soul has refused to yield in any situation!][You have acquired the title, ‘Indomitable Soul!’]

The glaive descended slowly, as though the Hero wanted to savor the execution.

Thankfully.

Claaang![Your weapon is destroyed!]

His sword had broken, but he'd managed to save Cedric.

“Don't give up, you bastard!”

Grrr…….

The Hero narrowed its eyes, annoyed that its entertainment had been interrupted.

“Someone weaker than you is still moving around just fine. And you're giving up?”

―…….

Cedric remained silent.

The Orc Hero approached.‘Oh, fuck me.’How many seconds could he last?‘Just avoid instant death.’The Hero swung its glaive.

Minwoo clearly saw it.

And thought he'd dodged.

Spurt!

Blood erupted from his chest.

A speed he could see, but couldn't evade.

Burning pain seared through him.[Your armor is destroyed!]

His breastbone had been sliced cleanly.

He was incredibly lucky his heart hadn't been cut.

He barely remained standing.

The Hero tilted its head.

A pathetic insect.

It had tried to kill him.

Yet he hadn't died.

Clatter!

Something like soft fuzz tickled it.

Skeletons were clinging to its body.

Boom.

A single stomp reduced every one of them to powder.

Meanwhile, Kim Minwoo hurriedly poured potion over his chest.

The bleeding barely stopped.

His gaze met the Hero's.

Its eyes became slightly more serious.―You.

It spoke.

Strangely, Minwoo could understand it.―Warrior.

One Orc Guard threw its weapon to the ground.―Pick up.

This bastard.

What a generous guy.

Minwoo grabbed the glaive instead of his broken sword. He wouldn't receive any bonus effects since he didn't meet the level restriction.

He could only be grateful that it could still function as a weapon.―Come.

The glaive arrived in an instant.

Its trajectory would split his body cleanly in two.‘I'll give it.’He twisted his body with all his strength.

Slash!

The arm not holding the weapon was severed.

In exchange, he cut into the Hero's forearm…….

Claaang!

The glaive struck the Hero's arm with a noise like metal hitting steel.

Damn…….

He'd planned to sacrifice bone to carve flesh.

Apparently the stat difference was so miserable he couldn't even scratch its flesh.

“…….”

His eyes met the Hero's.

Fortunately, instead of attacking, the creature asked a question.―Why?

The Orc's expression seemed genuinely puzzled, as though asking why Minwoo was struggling so desperately.

What a considerate guy.

Minwoo decided to return a little of that consideration.

“Protect. Need. Reason?”

Grin.

The Hero smiled, seemingly understanding the gist of it.

Its yellow teeth gleamed.

Then…….

Baaam!

Its kick sent Minwoo flying across the battlefield.[Orc Hero Mutakta uses ‘Destructive Strike’!][You have suffered massive damage!][All equipment has been destroyed!]

He frantically summoned Skeletons at his expected landing point.

Booom!

Even so, his body slammed into the ground with tremendous force.

“Cough……!”

His chest had been crushed by the kick. Blood poured from his missing arm.

His body wouldn't move even slightly.‘Potion…….’His eyes threatened to close.[Caution!][You have suffered critical injuries!][‘Indomitable Soul’ effect activates!][Your soul is enduring the death of your body!][Soul Value begins decreasing!][Soul Value (46/50)][Soul Value (42/50)][Soul Value (38/50)]‘Am I dying right now?’It seemed that way.

If that number hit zero, things obviously wouldn't be fun.

Each second seemed incredibly slow.

As though time itself were crawling.

The Hero approached and placed the glaive against Minwoo's neck.―Good. Warrior. Me. Mutakta. You. Name.[Soul Value (34/50)]

Minwoo moved his lips.

Fuck off.[Soul Value (30/50)]―Fuck Off. Remember.[Soul Value (26/50)]

Well, thanks.

The glaive drew closer.

Little by little.

Little by little.[Soul Value (22/50)]

Just before it touched.

Bang!

A familiar spear knocked the glaive aside.‘You bastard…….’[Soul Value (18/50)]

Cedric.

The bastard had finally gotten off his heavy ass.―……

Do not touch him again.[Soul Value (14/50)]

The world turned gray.

Messages appeared in the frozen time.[Perfect Escape Condition!][Cedric has overcome his regret!][You have won the heart of the man once known as Death Lord's Legion Commander and the Dragon Knight!][Cedric will now fight for you!][Death Lord's Authority, Summon Cedric(SSS)

has been activated!][You have acquired the title, ‘Master of the Dragon Knight!’][You have acquired the title, ‘One Acknowledged by Mutakta!’][You have acquired the title, ‘One Who Stopped Eternity!’][The Battlefield of Eternity slowly begins to fade.][Leaving the battlefield.]

Ha, you put me through all that shit?

I'd originally planned to work him moderately hard.

Not anymore.‘Once I summon you, you're fucking dead.’He made a firm resolution.