[12th Round] One by One!
▷ Race: Human
▷ Level: 999+
▷ Job: Wizard (Vitality = Magic ↑)
▷ Skills: Magic SSS, Vitality SS, Sorcery SS, Intelligence S, Analysis S…
▷ Status: Anger, Provoked
Phwat!
I hastily checked the wizard’s ability.
Overall, his skill level was higher than those at the elementary course, but he hadn’t reached transcendence yet. If he did, wouldn’t he have already achieved his dream?
“A hero? Don’t make me laugh. You’re just delusional. Get lost!”
“Wuuuuu!”
“Wuuuuuu!”
The chimeras, controlled by the wizard, rushed at me. They had surpassed Level 999 for sure, but they were too weak to stand in my way.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The wings of the righteous hero dealt with them.
The wings unfurled like a giant’s palm spreading out and ripping off every chimera it came into contact with.
Of course, my speed didn’t decrease even a little.
“No! My chimeras!”
The appalled wizard sneakily retreated using teleportation.
“They’re not enough to scare me, the Holy Hero, wizard.”
I didn’t disappoint and narrowed the distance again.
Teleportation magic by high-ranking wizards was very annoying, but their bodies momentarily stiffened right after casting it.
Moving through space was easy, but the more magic and EXP points one carried, the heavier they became. I wouldn’t be wrong to say it took time because the total amount of data needed to be transferred had grown.
There was one more factor about it.
“There.”
Its pattern repeated itself.
That spatial magic wasn’t based on predetermined coordinates. It simply allowed the caster to move a certain distance in any direction.
And under such a critical moment, he had no time to think, leaving every decision to his instincts.
His habits when using it became evident.
I pulled out a sharp wing bone from the wings of the righteous hero and held it like a javelin, throwing it hard in the direction I predicted he’d appear.
It glided over the wind.
“Ugh!”
The scream of the wizard echoed.
But the result wasn’t as I had expected.
My weapon slipped slightly and struck the wizard’s lumbar vertebrae on the side.
Fssshhh…
Getting further away by using teleportation magic, he tried preparing for a long-distance attack but instead vomited blood. Of course, his magic was canceled.
The holy chimeras tried to heal him, but they couldn’t overpower my divine retribution!
“What is this terrible poison…”
“The power of justice.”
Correcting the wizard’s confusion, I pulled out another wing bone and threw it.
Poof! Poof! Poof!
The wing bones flew right through the naked bodies of the chimeras that tried to block it.
Pak!
Immediately after that, it pierced the wizard’s paralyzed body.
Accurately, this time.
There was no scream.
The wizard’s upper and lower bodies were flung like debris in different directions. It was a sad ending for a dungeon boss.
▶ Perplexed: It wasn’t supposed to be that easy… The overall difficulty of the world has increased significantly since up to ten cadets can team up and cooperate in secondary education. It’s not comparable to cadet Kang Han-soo’s entrance exam, but still…
‘That’s why I prepared a strategy, Trainee Teacher.’
The true strength of the wizard could only be demonstrated when fighting in the lab.
He would teleport around countless rooms and release chimeras so powerful that they couldn’t be controlled and had to be locked in the lab’s basement.
If we fought in there, he would’ve been able to move freely even with his eyes closed, and even I would have wasted quite a bit of time.
“There’s nothing special about being stronger. Come with me.”
I gestured towards the random things at the entrance of the lab.
There was no need to worry because the uncontrollable chimeras started fighting among themselves.
“Huuuk!”
“Unforgivable!”
“Oh my God.”
“How could he do this…”
The knights and priestess who followed me trembled as they exclaimed. Those with squeamish stomachs started throwing up.
It was considered a sophisticated lab, but the interior was simply a human experimentation site.
Far from angels, there were bodies piled up that couldn’t even be called chimeras. There were also humans with severe deformities among them.
They were left half-dead.
“K-kill me…”
“Kill me, please…”
I made my way to them, fulfilling their wishes.
There were two main missions to do in this dungeon.
The first one, the spiritual submission of Saintess A, which I had already accomplished. Now, I needed a new Holy Knight to protect the Saintess in place of Tomato, who was uncooperative with me to the end.
It didn’t have to be just one person.
“You and you. Listen to me.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, sir!”
Their abilities didn’t matter.
I could compensate for their lack of skills. What I needed was absolute loyalty.
The Holy Knight A and B I picked fitted right in. They were the ones that took care of Saintess A, who was determined to watch the process to the end.
I didn’t forget their efforts.
“Wuuuu…!”
Before us was a heavily bound chimera so powerful that the wizard gave up trying to control it.
There are about ten of them in the lab. There were safety devices attached to them that would kill them with ease in case of an emergency.
“The job is simple. Stab that chimera with your sword.”
“Got it.”
“And I’ll pull this lever.”
Danggang!
The chimera’s neck fell off.
“Huh?”
“You’re going to absorb a lot of EXP and become stronger. From now on, you two will be the new heroes of the Holy Kingdom, replacing Tomato.”
“Ah!”
That wasn’t an exaggeration at all.
Holy Knight A and Holy Knight B, who had become significantly stronger thanks to the modification of their EXP by a pushover hero, had already surpassed Tomato.
Although their skill rating wasn’t passable, their immense levels made up for their shortcomings.
Dang dang! Dang dang!
Holy Knight A and Holy Knight B, who would dedicate the Holy Kingdom to me, developed rapidly. And by the time this work was done, we had already arrived at the center of the lab.
***
“Oh? It’s still intact. Is it because we came early?” We found the angel’s body in a huge glass tube.
Only the bones remained as its flesh had been torn off to use as materials for the chimeras.
In the first round, not even bones remained. Only the angel’s head and wings did. I could consider its current condition to be satisfactory.
“How could you…”
Saintess A was speechless. But not me.
“This is much more humane than dissecting someone of the same race. Think of the angel as a chicken. It’s not as big as a deal anymore, is it?”
“Angels aren’t chickens. They belong to a noble race that serves God. Such an insulting act on the body of an angel is unforgivable… Hero? Are you okay?”
I didn’t answer, for I discovered something I wasn’t aware of during the first round.
▷ Race: Chaos Angel
▷ Level: 1
▷ Job: Mayor (City → Management↑)
▷ Skill: Confusion Z, Divinity MAX, Management MAX, Flight SSS, Agility SSS…
▷ Status: Dead, Weakened, Physical Defects
It still had stats.
Preservation magic that could be used to prevent bodies from disintegrating didn’t last for a lifetime, and it definitely didn’t prevent stats from disappearing.
The same went for animals, plants, and humans. After a certain period, the remaining experience in the body would completely disappear, bringing them back to level 1. After that, their abilities would suffer the same fate, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell.
“The mayor…”
When only the head was left, I dismissed it as the unnamed Angel A. I remained true to that idea, but since its job was to represent the angel’s city and was ranked higher than Village Chief A, I decided to rename it to Mayor A.
And there was only one city of angels in the entire Fantasy Continent.
El Molando.
“Did you discover something, Hero?”
“Saintess A, can you resurrect this angel?”
“It’ll be difficult. It’s lost all its strength, and its level had dropped to 1 already. If I try to revive it, its body might not be able to handle it, causing it to crumble instead.
“That means it’s possible with enough levels, right?”
“Uhh… Yes?”
Clank!
I broke the glass tube and put my hand on the angel’s head. I then shared my EXP with it.
Level 1 → Level 500
I accumulated a lot of EXP by killing chimeras and the wizard. Compared to the entrance examination hall, which was overflowing with Level 9999+, it was a drop in the ocean, but it was still more than enough to recycle a birdbrain.
“How is that possible?”
“This is nothing for a true hero. Come on, resurrect it.”
“Okay.”
Most of the levels were used for resurrection, leaving only 140 levels intact.
“Ugh… Where in the world… Huh?!”
“Hi. I understand you’re confused by your sudden resurrection, but I was hoping you’d answer the questions of a busy hero before anything else.”
I gave it a smile that displayed my 60 years of experience since it often relieved people’s minds. I caressed the angel’s neck as I asked it for a favor.
“D-demon?! I can’t believe I’ve been captured… Cough, cough!”
“Your senses are still probably disoriented due to the resurrection process. Birdbrain, look me in the eye. What do I look like?”
“You look like a hero!”
The heroes and companions, who safely completed the recommended Level 900 dungeon “Chimera Haven S,” returned to the Holy Kingdom.
*
I took possession of the Holy Kingdom much earlier than the Dumpling Kingdom, even though I worked on it first.
Among the five factions, the Saintess and the Knights had real power. Hence, after gaining their support, the most problematic faction, the Royalty, immediately joined me.
Many factors influenced that outcome.
There was no politician who didn’t have a skeleton in his closet.
The newly modified Holy Knights A and B, who had become stronger than Tomato, shook royalties and aristocrats of their wealth.
They then sent them one by one to the guillotine.
“However, I am a generous hero.”
Greedy royals and nobles were also useful. If I eliminated every evil, then it would be harder for me to get into heaven.
Executing every last one of them would paralyze the country as well.
In the first round, my colleagues killed them all carelessly, leaving us short of working staff. That caused the politics and economy to become chaotic in no time at all. This time, I made sure to take a different approach.
Only idiots with no useful skills and nobles with political roles were disposed of, and the rest were spared no matter how corrupt they were.
Under the supervision of the knights, those found guilty, regardless of age, would be assigned with paperwork until they died from overwork.
Of course, control was necessary to avoid death.
“Sir Hero, not all aristocrats and royals are to blame. Moreover, if you make women and children, people who know nothing about politics at all, work for you, it would cause negative reactions…” Saintess A cautiously protested, having received the right to rule the Holy Kingdom.
I was well aware of that.
However…
“If I waste my time on such small details, then who’ll save this world before it falls and crumbles? You?”
“…”
“Today, I will move to the New Holy Kingdom with this angel. I’ll leave the little problems here to you.”
“I will also accompany you!”
Saintess A cried out with a frightened look on her face. She thought I would really leave her. She failed to pass the Hero’s Test, after all.
I gave a declaration out of the blue.
“Saintess A, you’re not ready yet!”
“B-but I’m a saintess… Haa… I understand, sir. I’ll prepare for your test once more and wait for your return.”
The week I spent in the Holy Kingdom proved fruitful.
“Well, then.”
I opened the map of the Central continent and circled out the Holy Kingdom.
In addition, I received the “Queen’s Handwritten Letter” that stated that the moment I went back, I could have her and the country at any time. I circled out the Dumpling Kingdom as well.
Now, three main forces were blocking my way.
1. The Elven Kingdom
2. The Merchant Republic
3. The Holy Empire
And Master Mollan!
He wasn’t one of the three, but he was the greatest creature to ever exist, and he had more power than all of those countries combined.
“I’m at a loss. It would be perfect if I could have the Holy Empire.”
If I subdued the Holy Empire, the Merchant Republic, which was sensitive to the tide, would kneel to me on its own. Then Prince Nasus, fearing isolation, would merge with the Elven Kingdom and stage an early coup.
But I couldn’t do that.
Master Mollan lived in a secluded village in the Holy Empire. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t feel provoked during the subjugation.
It was a very dangerous gamble.
“The Drug Hero seems to be having too many thoughts.”
“You’re just too simple-minded.
If so, then I should just approach from the other side.
I pushed off the Holy Empire to the bottom of the list. After taking possession of all the neighboring countries, we could absorb them under peaceful political pressure.
“Are you going to the Elven Kingdom?”
“Yeah. They’re the easiest target of the three.”
My shadow rattled, and Shadow A soon popped out. As an elf herself, she spoke with a tone of dissatisfaction.
“Sir, aren’t you looking down on elves too much in my presence, his Elven Majesty the King’s wife?”
“We’ll see.”
It took less than an hour for me, the righteous and kind-hearted hero, to leave the Holy Kingdom and start taking over my new prey.
