Episode 86.
Jung Si-woo succeeded in somehow keeping Seria Wilson human. They looked at the remaining Emperor guild members, but as expected, they had already crossed a river they couldn’t return from.
[You abandoned Louisos and followed that human…]
[I feel like a fool for calling you, my Master.]
[I’m going after you once I’m done dealing with Setnak.]
“You, you guys…”
They had already lost their player’s wings, their becoming ragged and rough as their eyes dilated. They were wiping out the undead with a strength that incomparable to when they were players. Maybe they were able to hold out the barrier until the end because of them, but he didn’t think of expressing gratitude.
“Oppa, will it be possible? They look better than the Lizardmen from before…”
“No, they look worse than that to me. At least the Lizardmen didn’t have intelligence.”
Jung Si-woo answered her and picked up his hammer. It was the giant’s roar.
[Giant’s Roar]
[rank – C+++]
[Attack – 1,450 – 2,050]
[Skills – 205/400]
[Option – 1. Can be enlarged 2. ??]
[Hammer with the power of an intermediate undead. The living are afraid to touch this hammer, and a lot of power is hidden within.]
He already expected it, but it had the function of enlargement. It was a miracle that both of the hammers he acquired in the dungeon had it, but more importantly, the secrets of the weapon have yet to be fully revealed. To put it bluntly, the use of weapons lower than Jung Si-woo’s level wasn’t only because he had no other weapons, but it was also because he believed in their potential.
“Wait, hold on. Are you planning to kill them?”
“Yes.”
Jung Si-woo briefly replied to Seria Wilson, who was holding onto him. He grabbed the bike’s handle, but she held onto him.
“Can’t you save them as you saved me?”
“You were special. They’re not.”
Unlike Seria Wilson, who resisted and endured until the end, they were no longer themselves. They maintained a human appearance, but they were no different from monsters that obeyed god’s will. There may be a possibility that their former self would regain control after many years, but now they were too dangerous to let loose.
“Keugg…”
“And I already warned you once; now it’s their turn to take responsibility. Oh, and you should take responsibility in a different way.”
“Of course, that’s what I’m gonna do! But still, still…!”
Jung Si-woo looked back at Seria Wilson. Because they couldn’t erase all of Louisos’s influence, she had a slight radiance to her skin, and her eyes were completely gold-colored. But the emotions in her eyes were anxiety, sympathy, and self-blame. She was definitely human; monsters didn’t have those.
“But still?”
“…I’m sorry. Thank you.”
Due to Jung Si-woo’s objection, she finally bowed her head and stepped back. She thought she shouldn’t put any more pressure on him since she already owed him enough. That was an excellent judgment. If she had bothered him more, he would have just held her in his arms and swung her at the monsters.
“Then just watch from there. Marina, do you have any spare power left?”
“Yeah, I’ve only been screaming.”
“I’m also fine, Hyeong-nim.”
Yong Se-ha, who helped Marina to stop the Emperor guild, was still energetic. It was because their target changed to the undead in the middle.
“Then…is Ah-rin alive?”
“I think I can somehow give you a blessing…”
Soo Ah-rin returned to her mini-size after lifting the barrier and went back into Jung Si-woo’s arms. Having maintained the sacred shield for such a long time, it wouldn’t have been odd if she passed out. But every time he sucked up Setnak’s Mana and leveled-up, she leveled-up with him, so she was physically stable.
“Okay, let’s wrap everything up and get some rest. I’m so exhausted.”
“You look fine on the outside…”
Marina murmured. She knew that his ability was outstanding since they fought together on Mt. Seorak before, but the sight she saw today was beyond her imagination. All of them were beyond her wildest expectations, so she didn’t even feel jealous. No, it wasn’t jealousy; it was…she stopped thinking at that point.
“Le-let’s let them go!”
“Yeah, so they won’t feel any more pain.”
“Why are these people’s lines the worst!”
They rushed toward the undead that had lost their subject of worship and the servant of Louisos, who was wading through them in battle.
[They can’t wait for their turn!]
[Those who defy god’s will! If that’s the case, I’ll start with you right now…]
They were also conscious of their companions, so the battle was quick…
[Kaheug!]
“Be a smarter, more rational person in your next life.”
[Keug!]
[Keuaaaag!]
“Push through!”
…But that didn’t happen. They must have been reinforced by Louisos, yet they died in front of Marina’s overwhelming skills and the mighty power of Jung Si-woo. Even Yong Se-ha didn’t have a chance to step up. Marina and Jung Si-woo were already in a class that was different from their level of strength!
“Whoo. Are you done?”
“No one ran away. This is perfect.”
It took them only seven seconds to annihilate everything. Still, they didn’t have unnecessary sentimental concerns, such as whether it was okay to kill a human being. They were working on the front lines at the risk of their lives. Except for him and his colleagues, everyone else was an enemy to be killed. They couldn’t survive without that mindset.
“The body…it’s melting.”
“…But they left behind mana stones.”
Marina picked up gold mana crystals from the floor. The fact that there were no mana stones left even after a player died has already been proven before. That meant only one thing; they had completely turned into monsters. One salvation was that their souls were sucked into Jung Si-woo’s tattoo. Somehow, due to the nature of the player’s skill in collecting souls, it may prove that their souls hadn’t completely changed…but the fact that they died as monsters was undeniable.
“You bastards…I still don’t like them.”
“It’s a coincidence, and I feel the same way. I guess we’re soul mates.”
“Don’t overdo it, please.”
“Ah-rin, you’re jealous!”
Jung Si-woo looked around, ignoring Marina and Soo Ah-rin, who were arguing. He thought there was nothing strange about being attacked by the undead, but strangely, they couldn’t face him and were standing back.
[We can’t win.]
[That man has reached god for a moment…the man overcame his mana.]
[Memories of my life come to mind. If I could have acted like him…]
“Whoo.”
They sounded like they were about to retreat! But he couldn’t let them go. This is because the disappearance of Setnak’s power didn’t reduce the contagion of death.
“Marina, let’s stop playing around and start.”
“I got it.”
“I’m coming, too!”
They didn’t need Mana against those who were scared even though they hadn’t faced a single weapon yet. Jung Si-woo swung his two huge hammers to crush the undead while Marina rained mana down upon them, and Yong Se-ha rushed in with his lance.
[Kyaaaa!]
[Finally, the real rest…]
“Ugh, don’t read the lines! Don’t recite it. Just die!”
[Th, thank you for the rest…]
“Stop reciting!”
Every time he blinked, a group of undead was swept away. However, the amount of undead that had gathered around the fragments of Setnak was so high that it was unlikely to end anytime soon.
[Gooooooooooooooooooooh!]
“Wow.”
Furthermore, when monsters naturally occurred in the Grand Canyon and joined the undead, the monsters just seemed to keep increasing. Jung Si-woo frowned instead of retrieving the armor left by the monsters.
“My inventory is going to be full soon.”
“I’m similar, Hyeong-nim.”
“I still have some inventory left, Oppa.”
He had three times more inventory thanks to his supporters, yet they were all on the verge of being full, so it was worth knowing the seriousness of the situation. For her part, Marina had been puffing her cheeks and throwing only the better items into her inventory.
“I need to call Ethan. We can’t just leave them like this!”
“Congratulations, Marina. There’s a bunch of armor monsters coming behind you.”
“Oh, no! How long do we have to fight like this…hmph?”
When Marina was about to turn around annoyed, a ray of light from the air wiped out the undead group that was about to reach her. It was so powerful that the undead couldn’t approach past the traces of light left over. The identity of the person who shot it…of course, they didn’t know.
“Seria…”
“I’m a little better now…let’s get this over with.”
“…Yes, thank you.”
Seria Wilson finally joined the front line after organizing her own feelings to a certain extent. He didn’t know what she was thinking with her head lowered, but the strength of the loser Emperor guild master in the western United States had definitely increased.
“Ha!”
[Keuaaaaag!]
[Th-that’s a curse…! This hurts so much!]
[It, it resembles the power of our enemies. But it’s different!]
Furthermore, in the process of turning Louisos’ mana into her own, her mana also mutated to include the light property into her bullets, making it possible to launch a much more effective attack against the undead.
“Is there any change like that on you, Oppa?”
“Nothing like that.”
“I’m glad you’re still the same.”
Unlike Jung Si-woo, who made Setnak’s completely his, Seria Wilson had mana mixed with Louisos’s because of the limitations since she received help from him. In terms of success, Jung Si-woo was 100% successful, and Seria Wilson was about 82% successful, but the results alone showed that her power had increased by 150%.
“Hyeong-nim’s Mana is good as it is. It’s strong. It’s proper.”
“Hmph.”
If he were going to kiss his ass, it was a success. Jung Si-woo felt a little better. But that was the moment…
[Soul Collection Skill has evolved into Soul Force Skill. You can summon out the souls you have. The soul is released when it receives a certain amount of damage and cannot be recalled for a while. If you go up to a higher level, you will be able to use more diverse abilities. Number of souls in possession: 106]
“…I can’t believe it.”
After a little bit of waiting, the skill’s ability had changed from before. Jung Si-woo intuitively realized that Setnak’s power influenced the evolution of the skill. He didn’t change himself like Seria Wilson but focused all his influence on one skill. Indeed, it’s the way he liked it. Perhaps this wasn’t the end of the skill’s potential. The more proficient he became, the more things he could do with this skill.
“Soul Force.”
The spirits popped out of the tattoo when he recited it. Among the spirits were the Emperor guild members who had just died. Everyone had a slightly blank look as if not everything was maintained from their lifetime. It was a lie if he said he didn’t feel weird facing them, but even revealing that feeling, they wouldn’t understand him anymore. Therefore, Jung Si-woo decided to think of only the present.
“…You know what you have to do, right?”
[I will defeat the enemy]
Though seemingly ghosts, they were essentially subordinate to Jung Si-woo. They also realized Jung Si-woo was dealing with a skill. At the point of being absorbed, they became a part of him. It was natural that his intention was reflected immediately.
“Oppa, these people…”
“Si-woo, you!”
“Did you say, ‘Soul Force’? That’s exquisite.”
He raised one hand with a bitter smile. The tattoo of the completely transformed soul force skill shone faintly.
“Rush! Defeat my enemies!”
[Yes!]
The spirits poured into the undead. Following that, Jung Si-woo also ran vigorously. It was the moment the star on the ground captured the souls of the sky.
