Chapter 24 - Tervis Zerbin (2)
Chapter 24
Tervis Zerbin (2)
Viscount Volta of the Crane Kingdom.
His brother had died while engaged in a drug habit, and Viscount Volta, enraged, had ordered Derok to kill him.
“Bring him to me.”
Derok was a knight.
He was accustomed to fighting with a sword, but had no talent for finding someone.
Days spent with nothing to show for it.
At that time, when he couldn’t help but think about leaving while taking the anger of Viscount Volta, he got a call from Burning Hell’s Special Task Force.
-Found Headerlock.
With all the knights, they reached the Colloum, where there was a woman in Burning Hell’s uniform.
“I’m Riena, Special 7th Division. Are you the leader of the Knights Derok of Viscount Volta?” Reina introduced.
“Right, Where’s that Heatherlock?” came his dismissive reply.
“My subordinate on site will explain the details.”
They followed her to the inn.
In the room she opened was a man. Tall and cold in appearance. His brow furrowed at the unfortunate sight.
In particular, holding his head high.
“Hand over to us everything you find out with him.”
“Wha?”
“From now on, we’re on this case.”
Every word he said after that made his blood pressure boil.
Speaking in a tone that makes it sound like he’s above him.
“His tone was so aggressive that I thought he was a mugger trying to steal credit.”
“What, how dare you, a mere prison guard… try to disgrace a knight!”
“Can you kill me?”
He scoffed at Derok.
And Riena, behind him, looked on, unwilling to stop him.
Things like that fueled Derok’s anger.
‘How dare a mere prison guard…’
He wanted to whip out his sword and slit his throat, but he couldn’t, so he stifled his anger.
Derok watched the situation unfold.
“He’s a necromancer, and he’s feeding off the corpses of fighters through Jaino to further improve his skills.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“It is clear if I compare what I saw on the first-level wanted manifesto made by the arrest team and what I’ve heard from Jaino.”
He was intrigued by the Burning Hell Task Force’s story.
He saw a wanted manifesto with this information in Viscount Volta’s office.
‘If he does this well…’
By capturing Heatherlock, he’ll gain the favor of Viscount Volta and reap the rewards of capturing a highly wanted criminal.
Additionally.
Now there’s a way to kill that asshole prison guard. The process of catching a wanted criminal is never easy, and it’s fraught with danger.
In such a situation, no one is to blame for the loss of life. A situation where he could kill him quite naturally.
“I think it’s here.”
At his subordinate’s words, Derok snapped out of his reverie and looked at the caverns ahead.
“Let’s go in first.”
The knights made simple torches to light the cave, and went in first. Derok moved in behind them.
*Drip!*
*Drip!*
Every time Derok heard the sound of falling water, He stopped and was alert to his surroundings.
And then for a moment.
*dududududu!*
The floor shifted and black skeletons rose to the ground. The knights drew their swords and moved to cut them down.
“Smash their heads in. That’s their weakness.”
*Bam!*
*Bam!*
The knights smashed the skeletons’ heads to clear a path, picking up speed and quickly entering the cave.
“Captain, there is a crossroads.”
“Search in teams of one, two, and three.”
“You don’t have to. Go to the center and you’ll find it.”
At the sound of a voice behind him, Derok turned. Redin was pointing a finger at the path in the center.
“You can go over there.”
“How do you know that?”
“I learned that during the interrogation earlier.”
The condescending tone made his anger flare up again, but he held it in.
At least he can’t kill him right now.
This is because he have to find Tervis first, and if he can’t find him, the situation can be troublesome.
‘Wait just a moment. I will cut off your head myself.’
Derek hid his true intentions and told Redin.
“If he gets away… I’ll hold you accountable.”
“Whatever you say.”
Redin replied nonchalantly.
“Everyone, to the center path.”
Whenever there was a crossroads, they followed the direction Redin indicated.
And then.
A giant clearing emerged.
And there, a man in black robes smiled and greeted Derok and the others.
“The sacrifices came in on its own accord.”
“You must be Tervis, all of you, charge in and subdue him!”
At Derok’s command, the knights drew their swords and charged the robed man.
“Arise.”¹
Hundreds of black skeletons appeared throughout the open space with the order of Tervis.
“Kill them all!”
* * *
Burning Hell Special Lease.
There is a headquarters, headed by a specially appointed chief, and then there are independent organizations from the 1st to 7th Divisions.
The things each section does are similar.
To keep tabs on the seven major criminal groups they are responsible for, gather intelligence, and arrest them when they have the perfect piece of evidence.
The 1st Division for Magnes.
The 2nd Division for Pierre.
.
.
.
And the 7th Division is in charge of Brassel.
Already, the organization’s leader, Henry Baskervan, was imprisoned in a dungeon, and the organization was disintegrating.
Although there are some remaining pockets of the organization.
It didn’t take a lot of people to monitor them, so the mission was more about intelligence and support.
Riena’s job was to compile the information gathered by the troops and send it to headquarters. She was used to dealing with information.
“First, we need to move to a place where no one is within a 10-meter radius.”
Riding their horses out of the colony, Riena and Rebecca galloped toward the nearby forest.
*clip-clop*
*clip-clop*
Rebecca asked, looking at Riena from atop her galloping horse.
“But shouldn’t I have stayed?”
“What makes you think that?”
“I’m stronger than Redin, so I think I’ll have a better chance of surviving the worst of it.”
While this is usually the case.
In this line of work, you realize that it’s not all about being strong. You need to be flexible, level-headed, and quick on one’s feet.
Those things are more important.
Most importantly, She had spoken with Instructor Rohan separately while receiving Redin and Rebecca on the mission.
And then he said,
‘Rebecca is a great trainee in every way, but she’s inexperienced and emotional. She’ll need time.’
‘Redin, on the other hand, is normal in every way, but he acts strangely and doesn’t get easily emotional.’
‘If I had to choose between the two, I’d take Redin.’
And, as Rohan says, their movements were different on this mission.
Rebecca’s lack of experience almost put her in danger.
Redin figured out the drug’s supplier and pulled Heatherlock to the surface while performing as a fighter.
Furthermore.
From the way he handled friction with Derok, to the way he calmly waited for orders when he could have grabbed Tervis and set the ball in motion.
“Even if I say it now, it won’t make any sense. You will naturally realize it over time, so don’t fret.”
“Yes.”
Riena disembarked in a small clearing and pulled out a small orb from her chest.
Then she drew something on the floor.
“I wouldn’t normally recommend this because of the eavesdropping concerns, but in an emergency like this, there’s no other option.”
*Chink!*
A light flashed from the small orb, and a muffled voice emanated from it.
-Reception is good. Picture quality is good.
The voices were amplified and carried everywhere. Riena’s drawings on the floor lit up in sequence.
–check code. What is it?
“Level 1 Wanted, Tervis Zervin, located. Requesting an emergency dispatch. Subject is an Arresting Group and a Paladin of the Holy Empire.”
-Receive content. Location.
“Free City Colloum”
-Confirm.
The moment the light from the beads goes out.
*kuuuuung!*
A huge earthquake rumbled through the land.
* * *
Immortal Bahad.
This was the first boss raid to be released alongside the Burning Hell Zone, where players competed for the title of being the first to clear it.
A lot of different occupations were involved.
There were a lot of different combinations.
But only one job.
The Necromancer class was never a viable option for the Bahad raid because of the Phoenix’s power.
“Crack, crack!”
As the black skeleton snapped its jaws, Redin reached out and grabbed its head.
Then he used the [Fire of Purification]
*Sizzle*
The black skull’s head began to smoke, then quickly turned to dust and disappeared.
“For an undead, it’s a total scam.”
Black magic is mostly about magic and curses, and undead monsters are also affected by it.
Unholy Energy.
And it was the ability of the power of purification to get rid of that energy. It is the antithesis of the Unholy Energy being emitted by the skeletons and undead.
Well.
Necromancers were also active against the Bahad, albeit later, with the opening of the Arch Lich profession
It doesn’t matter, because there’s no Arch Lich here.
*Sizzle*
He made light work of them, one by one, and watched the battle between the Knights and Tervis in front of him.
The battle was dull.
Viscount Volta’s knights smash the skeleton, and Tervis springs another skeleton to life.
Dwindling skeletons.
And the increasingly exhausting Knights.
Tervis’s harsh laughter filled the clearing as he watched the knights.
“Keulkeulkeul. Arise, my knights.”
*Boom!*
The floor cracked open, revealing three black skeletons. They were unlike anything he’d seen before.
A skeleton without a head.
Dullahan.
The Dullahans, clad in black bone armor, moved with his blade, and the knights, already drained of stamina, offered no resistance.
“Kaaahhhh!”
“Ugh!”
The Dullahan’s assault caught Redin off guard, and before he knew it, two more Durahans were running toward him.
He drew his sword and took up a defensive stance.
Redin decided to try an experiment against them. At the first Durahan to arrive, he swung the blade filled with purifying power.
*Crumbles*
The dullahan turns to dust and disappears.
The conditions for ascending to the pinnacle were not met.
“Fight with just pure physical skill.”
He didn’t use [Fire of Purification] against Durahan, who rushed after him.
*clang!*
*bang!*
Dullahan parried his fast-swinging blade, drawing on his mana to drive it back.
Even without the power of purification.
Redin shouldn’t have too much trouble against the undead. He can kill them by breaking the ‘core’ somewhere in their body.
And if it’s hard to locate…….
just smash them all to bits.
He leaped to his feet and lunged forward, unleashing a flurry of slashes. Mana shot out from his sword and engulfed Dullahan.
*kwagagagagagang!*
[Gained actual battle experience].
[Swords Saint’s Enlightenment Rate 10.3%].
[Victory over someone stronger than you (9/10)]
Is there one left?
His gaze shifted to the Knights and the Dullahan. He was the leader of the Knights.
They were driving the Dullahan back.
But Tervis, who was crouched off to one side, was still letting out an eerie laugh.
Wha?
The moment Dullahan was destroyed by the Knights Commander’s blade, Arrakis’s eye was triggered, and the clearing was colored red.
*Ruuumbblllleeee*
A chill spread through the clearing, and something inexplicable tugged at his skin.
A giant gust of wind blew across the clearing.
Tervis’s robes fluttered in the wind, revealing his face. Its twisted mouth moved.
“Open your eyes, Death Knight.”
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Reference to Seoul Station Necromancer by Jin Seol woo, Shin Ji Hun