NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11 - Die Once More! Eat Once More!
Die Once More! Eat Once More!
When Seok-hyeon saw Kim Iseo again, his knees began to tremble.
‘Damn… what should I do? Still, he’s not the kind of person who kills people… if it doesn’t work out this time either, I can recover again.’
He had an easy plan that relied on the opponent’s mercy.
Of course, this plan was shattered by the following words.
“Do you know why I spared guys like you?”
Kim Iseo’s sword pointed directly at Seok-hyeon.
“I was going to see when you’d recover. I can’t test it myself, can I? It seems like you recover in about 3 hours. Whether your arm is reattached or regrown, I don’t know.”
Seok-hyeon’s group behind him couldn’t understand Kim Iseo’s words.
“What is he saying? Hyung-nim.”
“I-I don’t understand.”
Seok-hyeon was sweating profusely and stuttering. He understood Kim Iseo’s words.
*‘I’m going to die…!’*
If he fought now, he would die immediately.
“Hey! He’s just one person! Just kill him!”
At that moment, one of Seok-hyeon’s followers shouted. The group rushed forward.
Thud!
The first person to charge had his head pierced like a skewer. There was no hesitation.
Slash!
Another attacker from the side had his upper body severed completely.
Crackle…
Kim Iseo’s sword began to be enveloped in red lightning.
[Skill: Thunderstrike Sword Activated!]
At the same time, the chat of the constellations watching Kim Iseo erupted in cheers.
[Red Constellation: ‘Unyielding Warrior’ admires your composure!] [Red Mana +10]
[Blue Constellation: ‘Master Strategist’ admires your foresight!] [Blue Mana +10]
With the rising messages and the descending red lightning.
Boom!!
That was the end.
* * *
Among the thirty or so who were left, very few had complete corpses. Most had turned to black ash and vanished.
[Tough Body → Strong Body. Evolution!]
Kim Iseo had a wry smile at the messages that appeared in his view.
*‘… dealing with this many players is quite rewarding.’*
*‘Should have made sure no corpses were left, damn.’*
Kim Iseo frowned at the half-burnt corpses.
Usually, in games, corpses disappear. In “Mana Sword,” corpses remain because they have a use.
Kim Iseo hadn’t returned to the sauna because of this.
It was because of the “Necromancer” event that starts at 2 a.m.
The time when corpses rise.
[Why are you causing such a disturbance… disturbing this peaceful dawn…]
[The Dawn King Necromancer watches you.]
Kim Iseo stood up as if waiting for this moment, gripping his sword tightly.
“Wow, seeing it in person, you’re quite a character.”
[Did you… cause this disturbance?]
“Yes.”
The Necromancer frowned and raised his staff.
Rumble…
Immediately, all the corpses of players who had died today began to rise.
* * *
The resurrected corpses, influenced by their former abilities, vary greatly in combat power.
Thus, a 1-star player’s ghoul and a 4 or 5-star player’s ghoul have entirely different combat strengths. Additionally, there’s an undead correction factor.
Their movement speed was slow, but their health was doubled.
[You will pay for disturbing our time… human…]
The Necromancer commanded, and thousands of corpses rose.
This meant that the number of people who had died on the first day of “Mana Sword Online” was so many.
Grrrr…
They all twisted their bodies and approached Kim Iseo.
It was truly a scene straight out of a horror movie.
Flick. Thud.
In front of such a horrific sight, Kim Iseo expertly rotated his sword. He even leisurely counted the numbers.
*‘Wow… even roughly, it looks like hundreds.’*
In reality, it was in the thousands. Kim Iseo was just terrible at estimating numbers.
‘Alright. I’ll advance to intermediate swordsmanship here.’
Advancing to intermediate swordsmanship. That was Kim Iseo’s plan.
There are many who advance to basic swordsmanship in the prologue story.
However, no one advances to intermediate swordsmanship in the prologue. Because to reach the intermediate level, the number of monsters required was too high.
So he came up with the Necromancer event. With thousands of dead today, he was sure many ghouls would be generated.
Most of them were 1-star players, or rather, people who had died before realizing they were players.
In other words, weak ghouls.
Kim Iseo, with the legendary skill “Holy Sword,” which was deadly to undead monsters.
For him, hundreds or thousands of 1-star ghosts were just experience points.
“Ahahaha… I’ve made quite a mess by accidentally causing a ruckus, haven’t I?”
He muttered to himself as if to be overheard, and slowly walked towards the Necromancer and his army.
*‘It would be troublesome if the constellations thought something was strange.’*
It was meant to be heard by the constellations. It would be a bit awkward if he played as if he knew the entire game system.
“Why so slow? Come at me!”
Grrrrrr!
Kim Iseo’s body was covered in red mana.
Thunderstrike Sword was activated. A red magic circle formed around him, and blue lightning exploded.
Boom!
Soon, the blazing mana color was changed.
Flare.
A blue flame, like the dawn sky, surged with immense cold.
[Skill: Glacier Sword Activated!]
Bang!
The slowly swirling cold soon froze the opponents.
Most ghouls were frozen in place.
For Kim Iseo, it was just a matter of cutting down the ghouls one by one like mannequins.
But that wasn’t all. The sword punishing the ghouls was imbued with a pure white light.
[‘The Holy Sword… it’s activating!’]
The effect of the Holy Sword activated as the battle with the ghouls began. Every time a ghoul was cut, a brilliant light flared.
Grrr…
Kooo…!
The ghouls, whose greatest advantage was their high health, fell within two rounds.
[Ah, no… keep pushing him!!]
The 1-star necromancer, who could only summon ghouls, just shouted commands.
He merely watched as his army was torn apart.
“Ahahaha! This is great!”
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Kim Iseo swung his sword in all directions as if he were the hero of an action game, clearing the enemies with a flourish.
**[Beginner Swordsmanship Lv. 3 → Lv. 4 increased!]**
His swordsmanship level rose as he wiped out about 30% of the enemies.
‘Great. It’s working!’
Seeing the clear effect, Kim Iseo pressed on with renewed vigor.
Sizzle… Boom!
When the Thunderstorm Sword activated, nearly 10% of the ghouls turned to ash in an instant.
‘Indeed, legendary!’
The Thunderstorm Sword was enhanced by the Holy Sword effect. The blue lightning left behind a brilliant glow as it burned.
‘This is insane!’
The Holy Sword, being a legendary-grade skill, was living up to its reputation. It added an impressive 30% extra damage to the already formidable Thunderstorm Sword.
Against the undead, it was practically impossible for him to lose. That’s why he had been waiting for the Necromancer. He wanted to make the most out of having two legendary items.
**[Beginner Swordsmanship Lv. 4 → Lv. 5 increased!]**
‘Awesome! Beginner’s max level!’
He was reaping the benefits as planned.
* * *
“Huff… Huff…”
Bang.
Kim Iseo’s sword was planted into the ground. The area around him was littered with the dismembered corpses of ghouls. The ghouls that had turned to ash were countless.
Despite this, Kim Iseo looked at the Necromancer and asked, “Hey. Are there more?”
[ T-This… this is unbelievable…]
In fact, more monsters weren’t necessary. The goal of reaching intermediate swordsmanship had already been achieved.
**[Beginner Swordsmanship → Intermediate Swordsmanship. Evolution!]**
This meant that he had reached the maximum level for a 1-star player’s swordsmanship. His combat power was now comparable to that of a 2-star player.
‘Such a waste.’
But human greed was never-ending, and for Kim Iseo, it was especially boundless.
‘Opportunities like this won’t come often…’
There would be almost no more chances to farm 1-star ghouls like this. Once ghouls were raised, they couldn’t be revived.
As time passed, players and ghouls would both become stronger.
“Hey…”
Snap.
Kim Iseo grabbed the Necromancer by the collar.
“Get more out! Hurry!”
[T-This… this insane person…]
He shook the Necromancer’s body violently until, eventually…
Snap.
Unable to withstand the force, the Necromancer’s neck snapped.
**[The Red Constellation. ‘Indomitable Fighter’ admires your bravery!]**
**[The Blue Constellation. ‘Meticulous Strategist’ is astonished by your innovative tactics!]**
The constellations were entranced by the showmanship Kim Iseo displayed, and Kim Iseo was overwhelmed by the ensuing rewards.
Ding.
**[You are the first to defeat the Necromancer.]**
**[Achievement ‘Curse of Dawn’ (Rare grade) acquired!]**
**[Curse of Dawn: Increases levels of physical-related skills by 3.]**
“…The first!”
Boom!
Kim Iseo kicked the Necromancer’s lifeless body.
‘It’s 3 a.m. and I’m the first!’
He couldn’t hide his joy.
The Necromancer was a common event monster that appeared throughout the region from 2 a.m. onwards. Originally, he had given up on the first-place reward while waiting for the hooded figures.
Then, an alert rang.
Ding.
“Hm? What’s this…?”
Seoyeon Choi pointed to the message window.
“…Someone sent me 150,000 won. What does that mean…”
Ding. Ding. Ding.
“What’s going on?”
“Coin rewards…?”
“Money? 5,000 won?”
Seoyeon Choi wasn’t the only one surprised. The entire jjimjilbang was ringing with game system alerts.
The amounts varied widely.
“What the heck! Hey! I was smoking and suddenly got 50,000 won! Is this for cigarettes?”
“I got 150,000 won? Why does Team Leader Hong only get 50,000 won?”
“What?! Damn it!”
Amid the commotion, Kim Iseo was no exception.
“50,000 won? 150,000 won? What’s going on…”
**[The settlement period has arrived, and coins have been settled.]**
**[This is based on the average number of viewers and the total amount they contributed.]**
Kim Iseo was bewildered.
Messages that even his team members couldn’t see were appearing in his view.
‘…This wasn’t part of the setting?’
Coin donations? And proportional to the number of viewers? What in the world was that supposed to mean?
**[The currency unit is set according to the local cost of living and existing units.]**
**[Korean currency unit: Won]**
**[Interest Constellations: 1,134]**
Kim Iseo was shocked once again at this point.
‘When did it increase like that… it was around 500 just last night?’
Rattle.
As he was still in shock, numbers started appearing in his view, spinning like a casino roulette.
Ding!
With a clear sound, the roulette stopped. Kim Iseo’s eyes widened in astonishment as he saw the numbers.