I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

Otto, having decided to enter the Undead Den, instructed the Wyvern Knights to bring high-powered magic stone bombs from the Kingdom of Lota.

This was because in order to completely destroy the Corrupted training facility, it was necessary to collapse the entire underground dungeon, which required the magic stone bombs.

As soon as the Wyvern Knights brought the magic stone bombs while riding their wyverns, Otto immediately set out to attack the Undead Den.

There was no hesitation in Otto's step.

The heart of the enemy camp.

Even though it was an underground dungeon, leaving no place to escape if surrounded, his steps were nevertheless confident.

‘Where in the world is 100% safe? Everything is done with one's life on the line.'

At some point, Otto had completely overcome his fear of death.

That was why he was able to muster the courage to carry out such a reckless operation.

Of course, he hadn't intentionally sought out danger.

This operation aimed to eliminate a key enemy figure named Aquinas and destroy the factory that produced undead forces.

This was, in essence, a highly lethal strike that would pierce the heart of the enemy.

Since it was an operation that could significantly drain the power of the Corrupted Queen Bathory, it was worth the risk.

*Thud* *Thud*

Otto was the first to enter the dungeon.

"……!"

"……!"

As soon as they went down underground a little, the death soldiers standing guard spotted Otto, but it was already too late.

*Blink*

Before they knew it, Otto had already cast a teleport spell, swiftly slicing off their necks and continued moving forward.

Meanwhile, Camille, Qasim, and the magic swordsmen all put on their night vision goggles simultaneously.

There wasn't a single trace of light in the corrupted training ground.

Since the beings using this place were undead, there was no need for illumination.

Without abilities like Otto's clairvoyance or equipment like night vision goggles, no matter how strong the knights were, it would have been impossible to fight in the Corrupted Training Grounds.

It would have been like fighting with their eyes closed, swinging swords wildly and ending up cutting their own allies or attacking the wrong places, only to be shredded by the undead.

Whereas Otto and his companions had the power of clairvoyance and the use of night vision, which allowed them to fight without any limitations within the corrupted training grounds.

“Ugh.”

Otto grimaced at the stench of rot that assaulted his nose as he continued moving forward.

The inside of the corrupted training grounds was incredibly spacious.

Since this area housed the remains of tens of thousands of Arad Empire soldiers who had died in the past, its size was even larger than most training grounds.

Originally, a tomb had been constructed in a naturally formed underground cave, and since the corrupted training ground was established there, it was bound to be large.

“How dare you!”

“How dare the living enter the realm of the dead!”

The death soldiers began to swarm toward Otto and his companions like a mass of dark ants.

"Scatter and carry out your missions individually."

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

After giving the order to the magic swordsmen, Otto faced the approaching death soldiers alongside Camille and Qasim.

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Meanwhile, in the depths of Corrupted training grounds, Aquinas was upgrading his Death Soldiers.

Aquinas examined each of the death soldier, his red eyes glowing.

This power, known as the [Eye of Insight], had the ability to recognize and awaken the talents that the death soldiers had possessed in their former lives.

Therefore, Aquinas could use this Eye of Insight to upgrade the death soldiers into even more powerful beings.

"You possess the talent of a knight. I will make you a death knight."

Aquinas placed his hand on top of the death soldier's head.

*Swooo!*

In the blink of an eye, the death soldier transformed into a death knight.

“Loyalty to the Corrupted Queen.”

“Next.”

After the death knight stepped aside.

‘I, once a hero of my Kingdom in life, have now become undead and am committing such evil deeds.'

Aquinas felt a slight pang of guilt.

He hadn't been a vile character to begin with.

He had served as an instructor at the Knight Academy of the Erzsebet Kingdom during his life, educating countless knights.

In his latter years, he was also the headmaster of the Knight's Academy, a highly respected figure.

However, he was now resurrected as an undead by evil magic, committing horrific crimes against his own people for the sake of his homeland, the Erzsebet Kingdom.

No matter how much his nature had changed due to dark magic, he couldn't completely escape the feeling of guilt.

However, Aquinas quickly pushed the guilt out of his mind.

‘This is all for the sake of my homeland. What can't I do for my Kingdom?'

Aquinas was prepared to commit even more horrific acts for the sake of the Erzsebet Kingdom.

The condition for being interred in the mausoleum located beneath the Royal Palace was to achieve outstanding accomplishments during one’s lifetime and to sign a contract pledging loyalty to Erzsebet even after death.

Aquinas was determined to continue committing these evil acts.

Until the day the Erzsebet Kingdom became a Great Empire.

This meant that Aquinas and the guardian spirits were twisted monsters driven by a distorted sense of patriotism.

“For you….”

As Aquinas looked at the next death soldier, he continued to assess their potential.

In this way, Aquinas devoted himself to his task, examining dozens to hundreds of death soldiers each day.

And then.

“……!”

Hearing a loud commotion outside, Aquinas hurriedly left the secret chamber and went out to the courtyard.

"Graaaah!"

“Krrrrr!”

Countless death soldiers and high-ranking undead monsters within the decaying training camp were being killed off in an instant.

*Flash!*

*Crackle* *Bzzztt!*

Seeing the white flashes flying around, it seemed they were individuals capable of wielding powerful light-based energy.

“What the hell!”

Aquinas was greatly surprised to see that enemies had launched an invasion.

The corrupted training grounds was a thoroughly hidden location, making it hard to believe that someone had stormed in.

The fact that such an incident had occurred meant…

‘I need to get out of here for now.'

Without hesitation, Aquinas moved forward.

Thinking of fighting?

That thought never crossed his mind.

‘I exist to serve my kingdom, Erzsebet. If I am killed, my homeland will be in jeopardy.'

Aquinas was well aware of his strategic value and understood that he absolutely could not afford to die.

His mission was to create recruiters, awaken the potential of the death soldiers, and transform them into high-ranking undead.

It was not his duty to fight the enemy and win.

‘To a safe place….'

Until.

*Blink*

A blonde handsome man suddenly blocked Aquinas's path.

“……!”

Aquinas was startled and jumped in surprise.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The blonde handsome man.

Otto smirked at Aquinas.

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Otto did not engage in combat with the undead blocking his path.

“Camille! Sir Qasim! I need you now!"

Otto entrusted Camille and Qasim with his rear and dashed toward where Aquinas was.

‘If the battle drags on, he will definitely try to escape, whether it’s a fight with a chance of winning or not.'

Otto knew very well that Aquinas was a character with a safety-first disposition.

He had surmised that Aquinas, aware of his strategic value, would prioritize his own survival above all else.

Thus, Otto entrusted the swarming undead to Camille and Qasim, using teleportation multiple times to search for Aquinas.

During his search, he discovered the source of the most potent dark magic emanating from a location, where he was able to catch up with Aquinas, who was trying to escape.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Otto pointed his sword at Aquinas.

"If you are going to leave, at least leave that rotten eyeball nicely."

The core of Aquinas's abilities was the Eye of Insight.

Without his glowing red eyes, Aquinas would be unable to recognize the potential of the death soldiers or awaken them.

“You dare!”

Aquinas shouted angrily at Otto.

"You who disturb the affairs of my homeland! I will never forgive you!"

“Fuck your Forgiveness.”

“……!”

"To bastards like you, slaughtering your own people must count as patriotism, huh?"

Otto took another step toward Aquinas.

“Forgiveness? You bastard. I don't need your forgiveness.”

In the next moment.

*Boom!*

Otto's sword, imbued with Aura Blade, swept toward Aquinas like a storm.

“This…!!!”

Aquinas drew his sword as well.

"Do you think death is something to be mocked?!"

"I'll turn you into my slave!"

The Death Knights guarding Aquinas also drew their swords and charged at Otto.

However, neither Aquinas nor his knights were a match for Otto.

From the start, Aquinas wasn't specialized in combat, and the Death Knights protecting him were not of a high caliber either.

At this point, the corrupted training ground had not been operational for long, resulting in a limited number of high-ranking undead.

"Graah!"

"Raaaaa!"

The Death Knights guarding Aquinas fell one by one.

*Skkkrrr!*

Otto's sword pierced through Aquinas's helmet, impaling his skull.

“……!”

Aquinas's decayed body trembled violently.

"To the kingdom… Erzsebet… glo…"

*Smash!*

Before Aquinas could finish his last words, Otto shattered his skull.

"Where do you get off spouting such disgusting patriotism?"

Otto coldly spat at the fallen body of Aquinas.

Otto's anger toward Bathory and her followers, who perpetrated the massacre of their own people, was nothing short of immense.

In the game, when playing as Bathory or encountering her as an enemy, he would pass it off lightly, thinking, ‘It's just a game….', but when he felt it in reality it wasn't that way anymore.

“Huu…”

Having successfully eliminated the key figure Aquinas, Otto was about to turn away when he suddenly paused.

*Sparkle!*

A glimmering red ruby was floating above the corpse of the fallen Aquinas.

‘What is that?'

Otto absentmindedly reached for the ruby.

In the game, he had never received any items upon defeating Aquinas.

‘Ah.'

Otto instinctively realized the function of the ruby left behind by Aquinas.

[Eye of Insight]

A mysterious jewel that allows one to perceive a person's potential.

Even though the status window was too blurred to discern, it didn't matter.

[Notification: You have obtained the item !]

Otto put the ruby left by Aquinas into his inventory for safekeeping.

He felt it would be a waste to leave it behind, thinking it might come in handy later.

‘I wonder if I can use it too?’

If that were the case, it would definitely be an incredible opportunity.

If he could recruit hidden characters instead of just relying on the existing ones that had already shown their strengths…

‘When I think about it, this is seriously a goldmine?!’

Of course, this is only possible under the assumption that he can actually use it, but if he can, he can expand the talent pool of the Lota Kingdom tremendously.

No matter how knowledgeable Otto might be, he couldn't possibly have information on everyone in this world, and among them, there are surely many with exceptional talents.

If he could uncover them all, it seemed he could easily overcome the disadvantage of the Lota Kingdom's narrow talent pool.

In other words, the relic left by Aquinas might turn out to be the most essential item for Otto at that moment.