<Chapter 35. The Call of Death >
"Lee Shin Woo and Kratia Melloi. It's a pleasure to meet you. You must've suffered so much to reach where you are without dying. Thank you for surviving."
"It's nice to meet you too... Senior Retadane."
"Hi."
Red eyes and red hair. Lee Shin Woo had only seen one person with those traits thus far: the beauty from the secret shop (if he told her, she would be happy and smile unpleasantly, so he had no plans of telling her), Pleine.
Although God herself possessed red hair as well, her eyes glittered in the five cardinal colors, so he excluded her.
"Are you bothered by my hair?"
"That's..."
But now there was one other with those specific traits: Seira Von Retadane. She was so unbelievably beautiful that she almost didn't fit in with everyone else.
There was no hint of confusion within her clear red eyes, and her pale pink lips were closed shut, seemingly embodying her iron will. Contrary to her cold expression, her ardent, long red hair fluttered in the wind, as if it would catch aflame at any moment.
"My apologies, Senior. I was just wondering whether you gain red hair for becoming a priest."
"...I see. That's obviously not true."
"Oh, you don't?"
"No, you don't. My red eyes and hair are hereditary traits."
She was baby-faced, looking like a young girl, but also voluptuous. He was concerned that their size would become a hindrance on the battlefield but thought her bust and narrow waist were striking.
The white priest robe she wore couldn't hide her voluptuous figure. If he were to take a picture of her, others would react with 'this is definitely photoshopped'. They would say 'she must be an alien, not a human being with a bust that large and a waist that thin', but she was definitely the real deal.
She must be a mutant. Lee Shin Woo was very slightly in awe of her.
'I can understand how Shino Rendu fell in love with her at first sight. Of course, it doesn't matter to me, but there's something else that bothers me...'
Lee Shin Woo's sexual desire had evaporated, but he could still recognize beauty. However, Lee Shin Woo was currently only worried about keeping his guard up against her. He was sure the moment he met her. This girl was level 8. He had somewhat expected it, but she was indeed level 8!
"I feel like you could take down one or two of the 12 generals by yourself, Senior."
"I think so too. However, there's no guarantee after that. Because of that, I don't want to make any large moves yet. My goal isn't the 12 generals. It's eradicating all the undead in the Empire. Therefore, there's so much I want to say to Ethan Cruz, but..."
Lee Shin Woo carelessly blurted out, and Seira Von Retadane replied seriously. She sounded so serious, causing Lee Shin Woo to think. She didn't know, but Lee Shin Woo had already killed two of the 12 generals.
But was that a mistake? ...Of course it wasn't. Lee Shin Woo had merely picked what was most advantageous to him at the time. When this was all over, he would have to move more carefully than before. Though it might've been too little too late.
"Hoo, let's begin when Yasunori Akira comes and joins us. Would you like some tea?"
"Thank you, Senior."
"I wanted to tell you this before, but... I don't really like being referred to as 'senior'. Please just call me Retadane."
"Ah, ok."
Of course, Lee Shin Woo, as an undead, couldn't drink tea, but he could at least fake it. He would let it go down his throat and then evaporate it with fire.
"Please wait a little bit."
She removed various tools to make tea from her inventory. Lee Shin Woo watched as she boiled water for her tea, and came to the realization that she was no ordinary hero. Who would go through all that trouble to steep tea leaves!?
Moreover, one couldn't procure tea leaves from the Empire, which meant that she acquired them from the secret shop... By comparing it to wine, it was clear how inordinately expensive such an item of personal preference was.
"Here, please enjoy."
"Thank you. With pleasure."
Lee Shin Woo was surprised when he grabbed onto the tea cup. He didn't have a sense of taste, but for some unknown reason, he was able to smell the fragrance of the tea.
A fragrance so pleasant that it was shocking. He would often have to meet with other people for work, so he had drunk a variety of different teas, but it was of such quality that he could easily say it was the best he'd ever had.
"It smells really nice."
"This tea didn't exist in my world. It's delicious."
"Hoo, you can appreciate good tea. It's my favorite tea amongst all the ones available on the surface. I assume it's made by using the Kunoa leaf (which is grown in places with powerful fire magic) and Korite leaf (which is grown in places with powerful wind magic)..."
How can this be? To think she'd continue the conversation! Lee Shin Woo was shocked as she, who had remained passive and calm, suddenly began to talk about the tea leaves and the water in depth.
At the same time, he couldn't help but see the resemblance with Pleine, who would change whenever he brought up wine...! Lee Shin Woo was curious and asked.
"...Are you close to the shopkeeper by any chance?"
"No, that woman's the worst. That's quite rude of you to say."
"I-I'm sorry."
She cussed out Pleine! Now that he thought about it, Pleine had a lot of things to say about her as well. Moreover, she had the same red eyes and red hair...
At that moment, Lee Shin Woo formed a hypothesis. However, when he saw Retadane's expression, which had turned frigid instantaneously, he knew that this wouldn't be easy to bring up. But fortunately, that vibe didn't continue for very long. Yasunori Akira had arrived.
"I'm late. Sorry about that. I was moving so cautiously that it just turned out that way."
"That's fine. Would you like some tea?"
"Yeah, of course. ...Mm, the fragrance reminds me of my homeland."
"Hello, Senior."
"Mm!? Ah, is that you, Lee Shin Woo? ...That's surprising. You look a lot different than what I'd expected. I'm Yasunori Akira."
He possessed black eyes and black hair, giving off the feeling of an Asian man, but even so, he didn't really evoke the feeling of being Japanese.
Then again, when he'd met Ye Jin Jin last, he felt like she was a lot taller and had nigh-white skin, unlike other Chinese people. It was the same feeling. Perhaps they both came from a world similar but ultimately different from his own Earth.
"Thanks for the tea. ...So you already knew about this dungeon, huh."
"It's a dungeon that I cleared by myself in the past. There are dungeons that disappear after they're cleared and dungeons which remain, due to the large traces of residual magic. This is the latter."
That's right. They were gathered inside of a dungeon within the level 3 danger zone right now. Dungeons are normally filled with danger, but ironically, empty dungeons were the safest place that heroes could reside.
"Now that the Heaven Defying General has gone on a rampage... I might have to find a dungeon and hide too."
"The Heaven Defying General... I wonder if he's connected with Ethan Cruz as well."
"He probably isn't. The Heaven Defying General isn't doing Ethan Cruz any favors in baiting the 12 generals and gathering the other heroes."
"That's true. I realized that Ethan Cruz's movements were strange because of it, but... Shall we begin talking in earnest? Regarding what Ethan Cruz is plotting."
Retadane said seriously, and Yasunori nodded his head stiffly. They wanted to protect their juniors and took their jobs as seniors seriously, so Lee Shin Woo couldn't tell them that he 'actually had his own corps and that while they kept the 12 generals busy, we can take care of Ethan Cruz'.
'I can't tell them my true identity, let alone the fact that I lead the undead, or things will go wrong fast.'
Lee Shin Woo sighed and decided to go with the flow. They started off with the Beast General, Jilun Pelta, went on to Ethan Cruz's plans that he may or may not have, as well as any other unknown variables. They told the 'human hero Lee Shin Woo' all this information, believing that it was safe to tell him all this.
"At first glance, this looks like a good place to fight against the Beast General, but if there's a foe that is unhindered by the mountain range, there's a high chance that the heroes will be stabbed in the back."
"A foe that is unhindered by the environment... Lee Shin Woo, do you have any guesses?"
"I don't know if it's one of the 12 generals or not, but I took down an undead mounting a flying monster just a little while ago."
"A flying monster, undead... Ha."
Retadane gritted her teeth, as though it suddenly clicked.
"The Vulture General, Bureuche Von Golden Eagle...!"
His title was 'Vulture', so why was his family name 'Golden Eagle'!? Lee Shin Woo anguished over that irony, and Retadane gave them the answer.
"He's bald. The Emperor thought it was funny and gave him that title, but he doesn't like his title very much. Amongst the 12 generals, he's probably the one who hates being called their title the most."
"I see..."
So that's how it was. He suddenly felt sympathetic and became fond of the Vulture General. But when he asked Retadane why she had such detailed information on him, she said...
"It probably worries you. ...Yasunori Akira, isn't it the same for you as well?"
"It does worry me, but I'd rather not force someone to talk when they clearly don't want to."
"It's alright. I feel like I'll work closely with you in the future, so I'll just tell you and move on. Since I'd rather not experience Ethan Cruz's foolish taunt ever again..."
Lee Shin Woo's ears perked up. However, Kratia, who never went into the chatting channel, didn't know what was going on and tilted her head. Then, she revealed a bombshell.
"Seagald Von Retadane is my older brother."
"..."
"...?"
He knew that Seira was a descendant of the Retadane family, but he hadn't expected her to be Seagald's younger sister. Lee Shin Woo remained silent at her unimaginable confession, and Yasunori was likewise silent, as he couldn't comprehend what she was saying for a brief period of time. However, Kratia informally spoke.
"An old lady?"
"Hey!"
"It's alright. If you take into account my age, that actually fits. ...I am one of the few citizens of the Empire that survived on Sun Day, [1] and I am also the first hero picked by God. Of course, at the time, I was only level 2..."
"Level 2..."
Lee Shin Woo couldn't even begin to imagine what she went through to go from level 2 to level 8. Moreover, she had to survive in the Empire with a living body!
He didn't know if Retadane knew how they were feeling or not, but she remained calm as always.
"But most importantly, I'm a hero. And my brother, Seagald Von Retadane, is undead now. I promise you that I won't hesitate when facing him. Eliminating all the undead and purifying the Empire is not just God's will, but my own as well."
Retadane said firmly. It would be impossible to 'ask her about Anti-Skull'. She likely knew what Anti-Skull represented. Despite that, she would still say that Seagald was undead now and that he had to be eliminated.
"Now then, let's go back to our main topic. There's a high chance that the Vulture General, Bureuche Von Golden Eagle, will show up. There'll be enough forces to sow chaos amongst the heroes. So I'll protect the heroes while you (Yasunori)..."
Their war council continued for another few hours. Because of them, Lee Shin Woo knew how he would have to mobilize his army; so he hadn't lost out.
Two days later, the participants of the 12 general hunt had gathered in one place.
"It's good to see you, everyone. Some of you I know, but there are also some new faces here."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Senior."
"Wow, you're Lee Shin Woo? You look nice. I totally thought a wild animal would show up..."
"Pot calling the kettle black there, Lloyd."
"So the lady over here is Kratia? The rumors were right, you are beautiful. I feel like God has been picking heroes based on their beauty lately."
"Hi, you're ugly. Unlike Shin Woo. Even his bones are good looking."
"..."
"And you look weaker than Shin Woo too."
"R-Really..."
"Senior Orun, those two are really skilled. Don't just sit there shaking and come over here."
Aside from Ye Jin Jin and Silene Viesa (both of whom couldn't participate due to their low levels), Lee Shin Woo was able to meet all of the other heroes face-to-face, which was deeply moving (of course, Yasunori Akira wasn't present, but he should be hiding somewhere nearby).
It was ironic, as it was difficult to meet with them when it was peaceful, but when it came time to fight the 12 generals, all the heroes gathered in one place and chatted.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to meet you."
"I as well, Senior. Please take care of me."
The handsome middle-aged man, Ethan Cruz looked right at Lee Shin Woo and initiated a conversation; in response, Lee Shin Woo flashed him a bright, clean, and confident smile and replied. He would have never even suspected that Lee Shin Woo was conspiring to kill him just a few hours ago!
"I trust you. You'll definitely be a huge help."
"I'm almost sick of hearing how you spare no expense to help your juniors."
Ethan Cruz and Lee Shin Woo laughed and conversed, but Jin, who was listening in, couldn't help but laugh. A big help? Spares no expense? They were both lying to each other, and Jin, who knew the truth, would probably say something like 'Can you really be talking to each other like that?'.
"Haha, you really do have a silver tongue."
"I said this before, but I'll trust in you, Senior. Hahaha."
But Lee Shin Woo was clearly the better swindler. Lee Shin Woo smiled, as he had already seen through Ethan Cruz's plan, but Ethan Cruz had no idea what he was planning.
At this point, Lee Shin Woo's Acting skill wasn't just perfect, it was peerless, as it fooled Ethan into thinking that he was just a junior that respected his senior. With the very modest nature that he'd shown everyone in the chatting channel! Who could know that there was another side to him hidden behind that face?
Lee Shin Woo's energy made him the superior con man. Although he wasn't showing his darkness magic at all, Ethan was different; he was covered in chaotic darkness.
'As I thought, his darkness energy is ridiculously strong. He sure is good at faking it...'
Ethan Cruz hid his specialty well; he was a specialist in darkness magic debuffs, though he acted like he was a buffer. On the other hand, he didn't hide his darkness magic.
Ethan told his juniors that he used some sort of darkness buff, but... because Lee Shin Woo was able to see it, as he could use a high rank darkness magic, and possessed a high affinity with mana. Eight threads that originated from Ethan Cruz trailed off to a place quite far away.
'Rem.'
[I will begin pursuit. Would you like for me to do something else once I have found them?]
'You wouldn't be able to if they're grouped up, but it seems like there are two of them that are acting separately.'
Obviously, Ethan Cruz couldn't show his undead heroes to the other heroes. And it was also obvious why Ethan Cruz was mobilizing a portion of those undead heroes. After all, he had to prepare for someone like Yasunori Akira.
If someone from the outside learned of what he was planning, then Ethan Cruz would have to drop his facade, so he was using his undead to scout out for anyone who might interfere with his plan.
'In any case, the fact that he's sending two out means... that I have to assume that Ethan Cruz is prepared as well.'
Although Yasunori Akira was hidden, it seems like he hadn't fooled Ethan Cruz. He should've hidden better. If he just let them do as they pleased, Yasunori Akira may be in trouble, but it largely depended on Yasunori Akira's skill.
'I can't let that happen. After all, he's a precious ally who could have a huge impact on the battlefield.'
Of the Paul Corps under his command, Lee Shin Woo picked a few of the most powerful and fastest amongst them and gave them separate orders.
Their mission was obvious. They were to pursue the undead heroes and kill them! His subordinates' kills counted as his kills, so he gave the order without hesitation.
'Before the true hunt begins, I suppose I should cut off an ankle or two.'
[I will go and help them now. Beginning the program for optimized hunting and flight.]
'Alright. I'm counting on you.'
Lee Shin Woo made Rem, who had borrowed his darkness magic and was beginning to search for them, completely responsible for this task. Then, he looked at Ethan Cruz and smiled 'naively'.
Ah, the other 6 undead heroes were probably joining up with the 12 generals' troops. Since that was the simplest way to kill the other heroes.
"Hey, Lee Shin Woo. Let me see your skills."
"Oh my, Lloyd's the one challenging him?"
Lee Shin Woo, who had been looking at Ethan Cruz, heard someone call him and turned his head. There was a blonde haired, blue eyed man looking at him, who resembled a prince from a fairy tale; Lee Shin Woo wondered why this handsome man looking at him was emanating such a fighting spirit.
So much so that he wasn't even worried about the fact that a charming elf, Erian Ruparte, was glued to his side.
'Was he always this hot-blooded?'
Lee Shin Woo looked at Lloyd, felt dubious, and muttered inwardly. From what he remembered, Lloyd was always friendly to his juniors. In addition, he was also a popular guy who hogged Erian and Prince to himself... What exactly had changed? His eyes were looking at Lee Shin Woo as if he were a competitor, so Lee Shin Woo just naturally tilted his head.
"Senior, we'll be fighting against one of the 12 generals soon..."
"There's still time before their forces show up, and besides, it should be fine; it'll just be a light duel. I'd like to see those skills that everyone is always complimenting you for."
Lloyd sounded cool and collected, but he couldn't conceal the passion within his voice. No matter how friendly he was, once a warrior, always a warrior, huh. Lee Shin Woo shrugged his shoulders and softly gripped the Breath of the Lightning God. It would completely ruin the mood if he were to reject this challenge.
"Hey, Lloyd... Do you have to be so juvenile and fight to decide who's stronger? Are you a little kid?"
"Sit tight, Prince. It's just a duel."
Prince tried to stop him, but he wouldn't budge. Most of the other seniors watched on in curiosity. Since all of them wanted to see Lee Shin Woo's skills first hand.
What was the saying, 'a tall tree catches much wind'? If he thought from their perspective, then he and Kratia were both powerful and had popped up out of nowhere. It was obvious that they'd want to assess his skills. Moreover, it was difficult to test a magician's ability out of the blue, so it seems like all of them had 'aggroed' onto Lee Shin Woo.
"Damn, you're being a dumbass."
"Why are you getting all worked up over a duel?"
"Hoo... Whatever, go ahead you idiot."
Prince had already seen Lee Shin Woo's frightening abilities firsthand, so she knew that Lloyd would be humiliated if Lee Shin Woo went all out. She obviously didn't want to see the man she loved lose so badly.
"Then, shall we move?"
"You don't need to do that. We can fight here."
"Alright."
However, Lloyd hadn't taken notice of Prince's concern and just solely focused on Lee Shin Woo. His body shone and he became stronger than before, so it was clear that he had just buffed himself.
"Ah, you really are an idiot. I guess you won't understand until he kicks your ass."
"...Prince, aren't you a bit off today?"
"Hah? You want a piece of me? Your ears are long, just like a donkey's!"
"What did you say!?"
"If you're not coming, then I will!"
Prince and Erian argued 'amicably' and then, Lloyd, who acted like he'd give Lee Shin Woo the first move, spoke and came rushing over to him. Not only was he level 7, but he was also buffed as well, so he was incredibly fast!
'Oh, I can see it easily even without Jin's help.'
Unfortunately for him, Lee Shin Woo's stats were always being buffed by his Rebellion skill, while Rule of Bone also reinforced his body. His own buffs far outclassed Lloyd's.
Moreover, Lloyd had only just become level 7, while Lee Shin Woo was level 7 and had increased his stats exponentially, with a stat total of 9,200. Even if he doesn't use all of his skills... he could take on Lloyd with one hand.
"Heup!"
"Good!"
However, Lee Shin Woo didn't unleash his full strength, and acted as though he could barely dodge Lloyd's strikes. Hiding his skills in front of Ethan Cruz was the optimum decision, but... it was also in Lloyd's best interest, or Lloyd's confidence to be more specific, to take it easy.
'If I want to do that, then I have to act perfectly.'
And because he possessed such peerless acting skills, it wasn't very difficult for him! It was his first time acting like he was unskilled, but it was nice in its own way. Lee Shin Woo clashed blades with Lloyd, and matched his swordsmanship just by acting.
"You're blocking me well!"
"Keuk, Senior. You're too fast...!"
It would look strange if he lost too easily, but at the same time, winning would count as a loss for him. Lee Shin Woo leisurely ran around in order to maintain that fine balance. He could only move like that because he had complete control over his body. And... in the midst of 'barely' matching up to Lloyd, he felt like his abilities were improving for some odd reason.
'The fact that I'm matching his level of swordsmanship might be increasing the precision of my own.'
He could see so many weak points, but he acted like he wasn't aware of them and wouldn't attack. Then, he would lead Lloyd into attacking where he wanted. He acted as though he had a weak spot, and then would barely block that attack. Doing all of that naturally was certainly very difficult.
That enabled him to improve both his swordsmanship... and his acting ability as well.
[The Acting skill has become Lv19. There is no limit to your acting ability. You can act anywhere. You can act as though you are losing to an ant, but you can also bluff a dragon into leaving.]
[The High rank Bursting Thunder skill has become Lv4. Strength and Magic have increased by 10.]
Lee Shin Woo’s movements became even smoother. He wasn't turning the course of the duel around, but he made the fight look much closer than before.
"Ah, I guess we should stop here."
How many times had they clashed blades? In the end, Lloyd smiled regrettably, as he hadn't been able to overpower Lee Shin Woo, and took a step back. His expression looked much more refreshed than it had just a little while ago; so much so that Lee Shin Woo felt better as well.
"Thank you for taking it easy on me, Senior."
"I wasn't taking it easy on you. You really are strong. Then again, there's no way you wouldn't be skilled when your level is so high. I feel like you have at least intermediate level 7 swordsmanship..."
"...I don't know what to say."
'I reached high rank level 4 because of you'... is something he couldn't say.
"It guess that makes sense. I'm the same. To be honest, God gave me another secret skill... It's a skill that always kills its target, so I can't use it on my allies. You have a skill like that too, right?"
"Of course, I don't know if it'll work on your or not, but I do indeed have another skill from God. Please use that skill on the 12 generals."
"Haha, alright. Take good care of me."
"That's my line. Please take care of me."
Lee Shin Woo and Lloyd sported refreshing smiles and shook hands. If an outsider had seen the fight, then they would've assumed that the two were rivals that had acknowledged each other after a fierce battle... though he just looked like a swindler to Kratia and Prince.
And that's how Lee Shin Woo succeeded in completely fooling the other heroes about his abilities.
"Why did you do that?"
Once they had finished their duel, Prince grabbed Lee Shin Woo's arm, not Lloyd's, and dragged him away from the other heroes. She wanted to know why he had hidden his abilities.
She didn't want to leave Lloyd behind, but it seemed like she didn't like Lee Shin Woo hiding his abilities either. While thinking that she was a really troublesome person, Lee Shin Woo maintained his smile and replied.
"I just didn't want to embarrass Senior Lloyd."
"Are you an idiot? We're going to be fighting one of the 12 generals soon. Do you really think you'll be able to hide your abilities then?"
"Yes."
Lee Shin Woo's nonchalant response caused her rosy cheeks to thin.
"You're really..."
"Ah, I'm not saying I'll be playing around while you're all in danger. There are so many ways that I can do my part without revealing my abilities."
Prince was fed up with Lee Shin Woo, as he spoke while smiling unashamedly. However, she wasn't able to criticize him anymore, as Lee Shin Woo's expression turned serious and suddenly grabbed onto her shoulder.
"W-What is it?"
"More importantly, you remember your promise with me, right?"
"That's... I know, I got it. I just need to stay next to you, right? Anyway..."
It seemed like she'd say something strange if he just let her be, so Lee Shin Woo took the initiative.
"No, please stick with Kratia."
"...Huh?"
"You have to stick with Kratia for the duration of this battle. Since Kratia will need your help for something. Please, you have to."
"Wait, that's... Huh?"
Prince tilted her head, as she couldn't understand his words or intent. But then, a single strand of mana coiled around her. It was Lee Shin Woo's darkness mana. He was trying to find the root of Prince's boundless trust and confidence in Ethan Cruz.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"It's nothing."
Ethan Cruz had used a high rank spell on her. While the other heroes might not have noticed, it couldn't escape Lee Shin Woo's notice when he was actively trying to find it.
It would've been easier if Lee Shin Woo had found the spell when he had initially formed a contract with her, reminding him that he still had a long way to go.
'Ah, is this it?'
Lee Shin Woo discovered the darkness magic and gently erased it on the spot. Of course, he did it covertly enough that the caster, Ethan Cruz, wouldn't notice. He would probably notice eventually, but by then it would be too late.
"Hey wait, did you just do something?"
"I just dispelled a small debuff that was applied to you."
"A debuff? Mm, now that you mention it, my body feels refreshed for some reason."
It's likely her mind, not her body that's refreshed. She wouldn't feel the effects, as the spell had been applied to her so covertly. Which meant that she would still find it strange if he started talking to her about Ethan Cruz.
"In any case, you just need to remember one thing: please stick with Kratia."
"You want me to stay with her instead of with you? I-I'm straight! No matter how cool or mature I look as a man..."
"Please don't worry. Since I'm straight too."
Lee Shin Woo smiled bitterly and returned to the group with Prince. No one was suspicious of them, as they were aware that they had worked together before.
"If I could, I would keep talking with you guys forever, but... Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that. The Beast General will be here soon. Everyone, get ready for battle."
Ethan Cruz gathered all the heroes in one place. Aside from Seira Von Retadane and Kratia, everyone was focused on him. Lee Shin Woo was the only person to see the quietly exchanged glances, their plot, and their resolve.
'I guess it's true. Mentes Orun...'
Mentes Orun was the more obvious of the two; he looked at the perpetrator, Ethan Cruz, with irritation, resignation, and fury, and also looked at the other heroes as well.
It may look like he was anxious before the battle, but to Lee Shin Woo, who knew his true intent, it looked ridiculous. Mentes Orun was one of the variables that could affect the coming battle...
'Yeah.'
Lee Shin Woo decided quickly that he would have to take this guy down first. For that reason, he had arrived here before anyone else and had made preparations. A secret weapon that had even escaped Seira Von Retadane and Yasunori Akira's notice!
[Master, Chi Paul and Shino Rendu have caught up with Target 1.]
'Oh, good. What about Yasunori Akira?'
[He is still hiding. Target 2 is getting close, but Bisher Moon will stop him soon.]
Lee Shin Woo received his long-awaited report from Rem, raised his head, and secretly looked at Ethan Cruz's complexion. The once relaxed and smiling middle-aged man had instantaneously stiffened. Yeah, he was shocked.
"What's wrong, Senior?"
"Oh, it's nothing... Mm, don't worry about it."
Ethan Cruz hadn't been able to properly control his facial expression. Lee Shin Woo knew he would act like this, as two level 7 elites had popped up out of nowhere and attacked his subordinate. There was no way he wouldn't be surprised. Also, since one of them was Shino Rendu, it made him feel like the world was against him.
"Senior, are you alright?"
"You're the most important person here, so please tell us if something is wrong!"
"Haha, you rascals. I told you, there's nothing wrong."
Ethan Cruz's comrade, as well as the other heroes soon realized something was up. His juniors were concerned about him, and Ethan Cruz flashed them an uncertain smile. It would have been better if they had left him alone so he could think, but he couldn't come up with a suitable response with all of them fussing over him. Oh, how embarrassing it must be!
"Senior, are you really ok?"
"Ah, yeah. Of course I am. Even if something did happen, shouldn't we be focusing on the upcoming battle?"
He was absolutely right. Lee Shin Woo acted as though he were moved by Ethan Cruz's statement and nodded his head. While he was doing so, Ethan Cruz's expression worsened even more. Ah, the other undead hero must've been taken out by Bisher Moon.
Bisher Moon was powerful. He could use the darkness element, which made him and his element the undead heroes' worst enemy. Moreover, Lee Shin Woo's contract strengthened him significantly, so Bisher Moon could take on as many level 7 undead heroes as you could throw at him!
"Why is that bastard showing up now..."
"What did you say, Senior?"
"Hahahaha! Nothing!"
He must be pissed! Ethan Cruz must want to punch Lee Shin Woo, as he was so nosily asking questions! But he couldn't, as it would shatter his image as a friendly senior! Ethan Cruz smiled arduously; it was like Ethan Cruz's mind was laid bare before Lee Shin Woo.
'Are you having that much fun?'
'Ah, this is the best.'
Lee Shin Woo acted as though he were genuinely concerned for Ethan Cruz, and only Jin knew Lee Shin Woo's true intentions. He'd once said that Lee Shin Woo was nice in the past, but that was a mistake. This guy was definitely something else; he was more wicked than the devil himself!
[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 76,335,710 Perium.]
[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path he could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]
Then he noticed that Chi Paul and Shino Rendu had killed the undead hero. The first of Ethan Cruz's 8 undead heroes had gone down!
"Keuk..."
Ethan Cruz acted like there was nothing going on and wore a serious expression, as if preparing for the upcoming battle with the Beast General, but it was obvious that he was desperately thinking something like 'what the hell is going on?' or 'what should I do to ensure that the other one doesn't die?'.
However, he was already too late. He should've been prepared for this when he had left his subordinates to operate independently. Once Lee Shin Woo had tracked their movements, they were as good as dead!
[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 31,632,240 Perium.]
[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path he could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]
Ethan Cruz was here, while his remaining six subordinates were with the Beast General's forces, so he couldn't do anything about it. Ultimately, his second undead hero was killed.
Right before it died, Lee Shin Woo saw Ethan Cruz flinch and attempt to use his darkness magic. It seemed like it was a technique that buffed his subordinates, or perhaps it was a healing ability of some sort.
But because all eyes were on him, he stopped himself, as his plans would be ruined if he got caught right now. As a result, the undead hero was futilely killed by Bisher Moon.
'To think I'd be able to take down two level 7 undead heroes so easily.'
He had gained 6 secret shop permits, as well as 100 million Perium. He'd also be able to collect the bones soon, so he saw Ethan Cruz as Santa Claus coming with a present bag. Moreover, there were six more presents he had yet to open!
"Senior, you look uncomfortable. Shall we call everything off?"
"No... It's fine. If we don't do it now, we'll lose our opportunity. My condition’s just not great today. Don't worry about it too much."
"But still..."
He had just wanted to eliminate anything that could put his plans at risk, but he had instantaneously lost 25% of his forces. Thus, Ethan Cruz's expression had noticeably crumpled up.
Even he, who had spent all his time hiding his true intent from everyone, would find it troublesome to remain calm in light of this situation. Moreover, he had no way of knowing who his opponent was, so he felt screwed.
'That's why I can't back down.'
Avoid this opportunity to procure several undead heroes just because of some unknown variables? No way. Although he had lost two of his undead heroes, there was no going back for Ethan Cruz. He had no choice but to account for the unknown variable and succeed in his mission.
"Everyone get ready! Concentrate. Our opponent's one of the 12 generals. You never know when you might die!"
"Yes sir!"
Though they were worried about Ethan Cruz, the heroes immediately stiffened and nodded their heads.
Lee Shin Woo saw one of Mentes Orun's hands shake. He saw Lloyd, Prince, and Erian looking at each other, restless. Seira Von Retadane was gently looking at him. And he felt like he could hear Yasunori Akira grabbing his sword from afar.
"Before we go, let me buff all of you..."
"I don't need it."
Kratia flatly refused, grabbed onto Prince with one hand, and gently jumped into the air. Her orb appeared and gleamed in the air, creating a disc of ice, and allowing her to land upon it.
"Since the magic we've prepared doesn't mix with darkness. We'll be going first."
"H-Hey!?"
Kratia wasn't someone Ethan Cruz could control. He gaped, as right before he cast his 'buff' on Prince, Kratia had grabbed her and gotten away, far enough that they couldn't be seen.
"But I'd like to get the buffffffffffff!"
Prince's voice echoed, so they had definitely entered the mountain range. Ethan Cruz looked agitated, and Lee Shin Woo gave an excuse for Kratia in her stead.
"She's a magician who didn't even want to receive God's power. But she'll do her part, so please don't worry about her too much."
"Is that so...?"
There was nothing he could do, so Ethan Cruz just nodded his head. He kept his eyes fixed in the direction they left - the mountain range, and Lee Shin Woo didn't miss the wicked intent behind it.
"To think they'd refuse Senior Ethan's buff. It was a bit too much of her to have not let Prince get the buff either."
"Magicians may have different rules, no? Senior, I'm in your care."
"Yeah. There are fewer people, so the buff will be even stronger than before."
Lee Shin Woo also received Ethan Cruz's buff. He had Darkness Resistance and had to restrain it from activating as much as possible. If his resistance took effect, then Ethan Cruz's 'buff' would disappear at any time. Ethan Cruz had no idea, so the moment the buff took effect, he smiled secretly.
"How is it? Do you feel stronger?"
"So it's true."
Once the duration time passed, the body would become heavy, and the target would be defenseless against Ethan Cruz's curse; it was incredibly wicked energy. Once the buff took effect, one would be playing in the palm of Ethan Cruz's hand.
'But that's only if you don't have Darkness Resistance: MAX and High Rank Darkness.'
Lee Shin Woo was actually happy about this newfound connection with himself and Ethan Cruz. Now all he needed to do was flip who was superior in this connection... This difficult task would be great for advancing his darkness element.
"I'm fine. Light and darkness do not mix."
"Is that so..."
Retadane also refused his buff. As she did so, she looked at Lee Shin Woo worryingly, but he just nodded his head as if to say that he was alright. Ethan Cruz had no idea that the two were in on this together, and decided that he would have to procure Retadane from this no matter what.
10 minutes later, he saw the tip of the force led by the Beast General, Jilun Pelta.
[You are facing an irrational number of opponents with only a small handful of allies. Through the Rebellion skill, all stats have increased by 16%. All effects are shared with your partner.]
"Wow, the hell is all that?"
"He's called the Beast General, right? As expected..."
The Beast General was a Werewolf, a level 7 elite, and led a force of beasts. Thus, his undead troops possessed a characteristic that differentiated them from any of the 12 generals' troops he'd seen thus far, which was...
"They're huge...!"
"Bears, tigers, wolves... Why are animals part of the Empire? It looks like a monster army rather than an Imperial Army."
"They have the bodies of beasts but the minds of humans. Don't be reckless or you'll be dead before you know it."
To think the Beast General's force was only about 10,000 strong. You couldn't convince anyone that that force was large. However, they all radiated danger. It was surprising, as they weren't normal soldiers and all of them were elites, each and every one of them trained to the very limit.
"They're all at least level 4 . That's ridiculous."
"We won't lose. We can do this."
"Leave the rear to me. I'll protect Llo... everyone."
The heroes surveyed the undead with unease and then raised their weapons. Lee Shin Woo did the same. The sight of sparks crackling from his Breath of the Lightning God surprised all the heroes.
"Lightning element...!?"
"That's the first weapon I've seen emitting such intense lightning. Did you get it from God's garden?"
"I'll be going first!"
Lee Shin Woo yelled out and charged atop Jin. Ethan Cruz had already formulated a strategy and a battle formation, but if Lee Shin Woo did exactly as Ethan Cruz said, then wouldn't he just be playing in the palm of his hand? After all, Lee Shin Woo would 'have to hide' his abilities in this battle.
"O-Oh no! Lee Shin Woo! Wait, why is that horse so fast!?"
"That idiot...! Let's go too!"
"Erian, back him up before he's overwhelmed by the undead!"
"Understood!"
The other heroes acted in a hurry. Of them, Seira Von Retadane's weapon was most striking; it was a flail, an iron mace covered in sharp spikes attached to a handle by a chain.
"Huaaaaaahp!"
The sight of a slender woman swinging an iron mace connected by a chain even caused the other heroes to pause.
"R-Retadane, that's your weapon...?"
"I was sure she was a light element magician."
The beasts, with their good eyesight, were soon able to see the heroes. The sound of a horn resounded throughout the battlefield, and the giant undead beasts in the forefront rushed forward.
[You hero scum, how dare you so fearlessly challenge the Beast General's forces!]
[We'll turn you all into undead and have you join our army!]
[Get ready... Keok!]
Lee Shin Woo quickly charged into the vanguard and crushed them with the Breath of the Lightning God. His dash to the enemy troops looked like exploding lightning itself! He sat atop his horse and provoked his enemies with a bold declaration.
"I'm the hero, Lee Shin Woo! I'll burn you all to a crisp, so come try me if you dare!"
"That guy, was he always so impetuous...!?"
"Follow him! It'll become dangerous if we face off against Jilun Pelta face to face!"
The other heroes followed behind him and clashed with the beasts. Lloyd H.K. and Mentes Orun both wielded a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. They differed in that Lloyd was skilled with his sword, while Mentes used his shield better. A shield wasn't good at penetrating an enemy's defense, but it enabled them to take on a portion of the swarming enemies and fight safely while Lee Shin Woo did his thing.
"Heuryaaaap!"
[Keheok!]
[Kahk!]
[S-Stop them! We're being pushed back!]
Meanwhile, Seira Von Retadane swung her flail around, crushing a portion of the enemy troops with the attached iron mace.
She pulled back the attachment without difficulty and spun the mace once more. The beasts were shocked at the sight of her and attempted to set up their defenses, but it wasn't very effective. She swung her flail again, and the mace killed dozens of beasts.
"I'm here too!"
"If you're going to support me, do it right!"
The archer, Erian Ruparte, and the magician, Ethan Cruz supported the heroes from the rear. Although she was still level 6, she not only shot out a ton of arrows, but the force behind said arrows was extremely powerful. Meanwhile, Ethan Cruz shot out his incredibly powerful darkness magic, inflicting damage upon the Beast General's forces.
[Kuoooooooooooooh! Those who look down upon the Empire... Kneel!]
By the time the heroes had broken through the enemy lines, the Beast General, Jilun Pelta’s voice resounded through the battlefield.
Befitting his name, the Beast General's lion roar was wild and bloodthirsty. So much so that the heroes whose stats were lower than his flinched and stiffened.
'Is that it?'
Not only had Lee Shin Woo experienced screams before and had gotten used to them, but he was also the 'authority' on the subject, so much so that he could write a one hundred page thesis on screams. Thus, Lee Shin Woo was able to shrug off the scream.
But he was unsure over whether he could defeat Jilun Pelta one on one. It was the same with Metafel, but this guy was definitely on the cusp of level 8. There was some worth in staking his life in the battle in order to advance his skills, but it wasn't the right time for that.
'Moreover, there's something I need to do.'
Killing the beasts and cutting down their numbers? No, his job wasn't so trivial. What was Lee Shin Woo's original objective? It was to protect the heroes and kill Ethan Cruz! So, what he needed to do right now was...
'Kill all of Ethan Cruz's troops that are hidden amongst the beasts.'
Hiding something so small amidst the huge beasts was the optimum strategy. However, Lee Shin Woo already knew that the undead heroes were hidden amidst the beasts and could spot them easily.
'Moreover, this mana... Ethan Cruz's mana is making it easier to find them.'
Ethan Cruz had probably intended for his mana to help his subordinates find the heroes more easily amidst the chaotic battlefield. However, Lee Shin Woo was using it for the reverse. He analyzed Ethan Cruz's mana and followed it, enabling Rem to see where the undead heroes were, as they were connected to Ethan Cruz's mana!
'Rem?'
[I have almost found all of them. You can come into contact with four of the six undead heroes, as the other two are by Jilun Pelta. I will begin to guide you to them, Master.]
'Good. What a nice GPS.'
The battle had only just begun, and none of the heroes had died thus far. Ethan Cruz planned to order his subordinates to strike when the heroes were fatigued, but...
'But my time is now!'
'I'm going!'
The moment Rem shared the route with him, Jin ran explosively! No matter who stood before him, charged at him, attempted to catch him from behind, or dropped from the sky, none could stop Jin as all the beasts were flung away.
In an instant, all eyes were on him, but because the battle was filled with so many giant monsters, his allies couldn't really find him.
"Lee Shin Woo, that idiot. Where is he!? Umph!"
"We don't have any other choice right now. We have to calmly kill the monsters in our immediate vicinity. Don't break rank. If you go too far out, they won't be able to support us, and it'll become dangerous for us too... Ah, Retadane!"
"Huooooooooooooooh!"
Lee Shin Woo wasn't the only one who didn't follow Ethan Cruz's orders. Retadane was extremely excited, as she ran around swinging her flail.
She was skilled with a flail, and the iron mace, which contained a blinding light, cleaved through the air without any impediment. Whenever she struck an undead, the undead wouldn't be able to even utter a word before disappearing without a trace.
"What... I guess we don't have to worry about her."
"But she's human, so she'll get tired soon. Hoo, there're a lot of people we have to look over. Moreover, how far did Miss Kratia take Prince?"
"Don't you think they're preparing a huge attack of some sort?"
Lloyd and Mentes Orun synchronized their movements and pushed the undead back; while doing so, Mentes secretly smacked his lips. Kratia and Prince hadn't been buffed, so he would have to work extra hard to procure them, let alone Retadane.
'I was most wary of Lee Shin Woo, but I should be able to subdue him. It's good that that matter has been resolved, but what should I do about those two magicians?'
At this rate, Mentes Orun would have no choice but to leave those two to Ethan Cruz's reinforcements. In any case, he would focus on taking down Lloyd for now.
If they were able to procure Lee Shin Woo and Lloyd, then next, all they would need to do was wait until Retadane was fatigued. With the help of Ethan's curse and the strength of one of the 12 generals, they should be able to take her down without much difficulty.
'...I'm sorry, juniors. I wanted to see the Empire purified too. But life doesn't always go the way you want it to.'
But at that moment...
"Wait! You’re (undead seniors) working alongside one of the 12 generals!?"
A booming voice resounded throughout the battlefield. It was none other than Lee Shin Woo.
"To think you'd hide amidst the general's troops and aim for your juniors. How sad. But don't worry. As your junior, I will correct your mistakes and put you to rest!"
"...Seniors?
"..."
Lloyd tilted his head at Lee Shin Woo's proclamation, and Mentes stiffened, as their plans were going awry. On the other hand, Retadane stopped swinging her flail and broke into laughter. If they couldn't understand the meaning behind his warning, then they had no right to be here.
"No matter who it was, or why they used you, I'll get revenge in your stead! Huaaaahp!"
'Hey, you can act more naturally, can't you!?'
Lee Shin Woo completely ignored Jin's retort, found the first undead hero with Rem's help, and attacked. The undead hero wielded a greatsword and responded to his attack, but there was no way he'd be pushed back by a similarly leveled undead hero. It was the same story even if he didn't use his darkness magic.
[Kyahak!]
"Ah, I see you can't even speak...! Please have a taste of this lightning!"
No matter how much stronger it had gotten under Ethan Cruz's command, it couldn't overcome Lee Shin Woo's Rebellion and Rule of Bone skills. He killed the nearby attacking beasts with ease and then attacked. Right after Jin's back feet touched the ground, they rushed forward!
"Heup!"
[Keuk!]
Lee Shin Woo added Shadow Horn to his thrust and broke through the undead hero's greatsword with a single blow. Then, he flung the split greatsword into the air with his Breath of the Lightning God and split the heads of the attacking monsters!
"Don't interrupt my final conversation with my senior!"
[Kuaaaaaaahk!]
Lee Shin Woo’s rage caused the undead to flinch. The moment they retreated, he pushed the undead hero back and burrowed his sword into its head within a few seconds. Only the remaining lightning in the sky bore witness to how his sword moved and how he had subdued his opponent.
[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 28,115,470 Perium.]
[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path they could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]
"Kuheuk... I won't forget your sacrifice, Senior!"
Good. Now there were only five left. Lee Shin Woo picked up the level 7 bone and immediately used Bone Reinforcement. He then straightened himself out and his eyes shined with light. At that moment, Rem, who was flying in the sky, reported.
[The Beast General is coming your way, Master!]
"Tch, I thought I'd be able to kill two of them. What terrible timing."
Lee Shin Woo smiled bitterly. He'd only killed one of the undead heroes that had been hidden amidst the beasts, yet the Beast General was already coming to intervene. He couldn't even imagine how much influence Ethan Cruz had on the Beast General.
"Still, I can't just sit here and do nothing... Alright, let’s retreat to Retadane."
"What about them?"
"Not yet. Seems like they're going to act once the heroes are fatigued."
Lee Shin Woo and Jin conversed and then began to move. The nearby remaining beasts gritted their teeth and charged, but once Jin began to sprint at full speed, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
Jin was so fast that he couldn't be seen, as lightning struck his surroundings. Jin ran wildly, as the beasts caught aflame and were split apart.
[Stoppppp!]
As they attempted to group up with Retadane, a boulder suddenly flew towards them. Lee Shin Woo threw his Breath of the Lightning God and broke it apart. Immediately after, a bear-shaped beast charged from in front of them.
[Lv7 Werebear Suranta Bennett]
[I can't allow you to face the Beast General in person! Be a good boy and...]
"I don't have time for that!"
[Keuk!?]
Lee Shin Woo charged without waiting for it to finish. The level 7 elite stretched its thick front legs and blocked his sword; it looked surprised.
[To think you could stop my strike head on!]
"Heuuup...!"
[This is... Lightning...!?]
Lee Shin Woo concentrated and the Breath of the Lightning God's lightning briefly intensified; it then spread across the bear's body.
Suranta wasn't an elite in name only. It responded by using its mana to activate a skill, which fortified its body. However, that was the worst decision it could make. When skills clashed head on, the one that was a higher level would triumph!
[H-How can this be? My skill is...!?]
The lightning enveloped its body and burned bright. The lightning ate through its fur and skin, as well as the skill. Suranta was shocked once it realized that Lee Shin Woo's lightning had essentially canceled its skill. Then, Lee Shin Woo grinned and lunged with his Breath of the Lightning God.
"Nice. Then... Rest in peace!"
[Kahak!]
Lee Shin Woo was even able to convert all the mana on the battlefield into lightning through his intense 'breathing', so doing this was just child’s play. Then, using Bursting Thunder, he thrust with his lightning clad sword, splitting the bear in half. Although it was indeed a level 7 elite, Lee Shin Woo had easily taken care of it in less than 30 seconds!
[You have acquired 7,194,070 Perium.]
[You have acquired the Lv7 Werebear Suranta Bennet's front foot bone.]
Lee Shin Woo absorbed the bone immediately, but his Strength and Health only increased by 7 a piece. Once he saw how lousy its magic was, he figured it was weak, and it did seem like it was in the lower echelon of level 7s.
"Hoo. What's with the attitude? You were the same level as me."
'Are you going to go kill the Beast General now?'
"Let's think about that after I level up."
Even at this very moment, the Beast General was chasing after Lee Shin Woo. He could tell what state the battlefield was in based on how the Beast General was moving. Unfortunately, it wasn't Lee Shin Woo's style to fight him head on.
"Jin, run. That reliable old lady will protect us."
"Just make sure you don't say that in front of her."
Jin ran quickly, even as he grumbled. Now that the Beast General was coming for them personally, the surrounding beasts attempted to stop them, but... they weren't enough to stop Jin's sprint.
He was like a meteor as he shook off anyone following them and ran straight for Retadane! Retadane soon noticed them whilst crushing nearby beasts and yelled in surprise.
"Lee Shin Woo!?"
"Retadane, the Beast General is coming this way!"
"You really do the most outrageous things...! Please stay behind me!"
[Kuoooooooooooh!]
Lee Shin Woo successfully joined up with Retadane, and immediately after, the Beast General screamed and pushed aside the nearby beasts. It was obviously none other than the Beast General himself, but... Lee Shin Woo was somewhat doubtful when he finally saw him.
"That's the Beast General...?"
[So many annoying pests have gathered in one place! I'll round you up and kill you all!]
The giant undead yelled and charged. Its entire body was composed of bones. He couldn't believe it, it was a skeleton!
The higher level an undead, the more they resemble a human, so it made sense that Lee Shin Woo was suspicious, but... perhaps because it was a skeleton, it looked incredibly formidable! He thought it may be a stand-in or something to that effect, but when he checked the name, he confirmed that that wasn't the case.
[Lv7 Bone Werewolf - Beast General Jilun Pelta]
"It really is the Beast General..."
"Indeed. No one can even come close to his savagery and cruelty; the Tyrant of the Battlefield...! We should take him out while we have the chance!"
[Kuheu, what do we have here? It's the little lady of the Retadane house! What a joyous occasion. I'd always wanted to just eat you up!]
Once she saw the Beast General, Retadane's red eyes eerily lit up and she charged. She swung her flail with unimaginable force and her weapon was filled with a blinding light, her inherent magic.
[Kuhak! Keuk!?]
The flail cleaved through the air, and the giant bone wolf boldly took it head on. It opened its mouth wide and caught the flail. The moment they collided, the Beast General emitted a truly awful sound.
[Kuhak... How have you become so strong!?]
"It's funny when I look at you, still trapped in the past...! Keep yourself buried in the past and choke on it!"
"Buried in the past... Pfft."
Lee Shin Woo watched on, and acquired some useless information, like the fact that 'when Retadane starts fighting, she begins to say some really infantile things'! But...
'But her strength is real. Just by looking at her overwhelming physical strength and the magic within that flail will tell you how powerful she is. Moreover...'
Those were all her own abilities... They (the undead) were nothing compared to the power of light. Even now, Lee Shin Woo felt Retadane converting a portion of the mana that spilled out from her body into light. It was such a radiant light that most undead would shrink from her approach!
Most of the undead are maintained by darkness magic, but Retadane's light magic 'denies' the root of their existence and puts them in their proper place... In other words, she was trying to send them to their death. And the Beast General was no different.
[Keuk, this light magic...!]
"As the last light priest in the land... I will exterminate the undead!"
The Werewolf's fingernails, which emitted a blue light, and Retadane's flail clashed in the air a few times.
In terms of force, they were evenly matched, but whenever her weapon came into contact with him, the Beast General would become noticeably more tired. The Beast General, which wasn't able to reach level 8, wasn't able to deal with the light which covered the entire area!
[Alright... I admit, you're no longer a coy maiden anymore... Now that it's come to this, I'll fight you with my true form!]
"What? We're on the second phase already?"
In the end, the Beast General admitted that he couldn't let this go on, retreated, and gathered himself. For the time being, Lee Shin Woo watched their fight and attempted to analyze it. He couldn't help but feel disappointed after watching the Beast General get hit a few times!
"Lee Shin Woo, how long do you intend to just sit there and watch? You're the one who lured him over here."
"Of course I'll help. Haha. I was just looking for the right opportunity since it's so hard to keep track of your movements, Ms. Retadane."
Lee Shin Woo was done being a spectator. If he could, he would've waited until the Beast General showed the trick up his sleeve, but he couldn't just do anything when Retadane was staring at him and asking for assistance.
Moreover, Lee Shin Woo had been overlooking this, but with the continual expenditure of mana and stamina, Retadane would eventually get tired (as she wasn't undead, but a human being)! Even now, her breathing had become haggard, albeit slightly. If he took into account the fact that this was the opportunity Ethan Cruz was looking for, then he couldn't just let her be.
"Beast General, it's my turn!"
[Kuha. You're going to face me now?]
"You despoiled my senior's bodies! I'll take your life in exchange!"
Lee Shin Woo said, which was just as embarrassing as anything Retadane would say, and rushed forward. He let Retadane catch her breath and charged! He concentrated his mana into a Breath of the Lightning God, and the Beast General faced him while smiling, as if finding him ridiculous.
[In the end, you will all serve His Majesty... As proof, I'll take you first!]
At that moment, splitting sounds came from the Beast General's body as his bones broke apart. No, at least that's what he thought was happening. Then, the broken areas were repaired with new bones. Bone was tangled with other bones in a complicated manner, and the Werewolf began to grow! He was transforming!
[Kureureureureu... Kuhaaaaaah!]
He was already quite large, but he had grown in size by about two or three times. Sharply split bones sprouted from his back, resembling thorns.
They sprouted on his arms, down to the back of his hands, his stomach, and even all the way down to his legs! His entire body was covered in a bone armor, which made it difficult to even make out his original form. What Lee Shin Woo was sure of however was that the Beast General's strength had increased significantly!
[The strength of the 12 generals is absolute, and cannot be measured with mere levels! No matter how much you look at my level, or measure my magic, they're ultimately just numbers! I'll kindly teach you that lesson with your bodies!]
"Werewolf transformation... To think that you could develop that technique even further as an undead."
Retadane focused her light magic into her flail and gritted her teeth. Lee Shin Woo listened and had some idea of what she was talking about. Just a little while ago, Bisher Moon had explained this to him.
The Beast Tribe possesses a separate human and animal form, but by using magic, they can topple this balance. They would strengthen the animal's unique characteristics and temporarily increase their strength through the transformation technique.
However, high rank members of the Beast Tribe could go one step further and surpass their limits, further reinforcing their bodies or even awakening an unknown specialty that could not normally exist in this world. At the time, Lee Shin Woo had just wrote it off as them transforming into a fantasy beast, but...
[Thorn Wolf. That's my special ability... Keuk, keuk. Can you still stay that I'm still 'buried in the past' or what not? Fool. I gained a new body and became stronger than you could ever imagine!]
"Keuk...!"
He declared and launched a left straight at Lee Shin Woo. Lee Shin Woo calmly blocked the blow with his Breath of the Lightning God but was pushed by the Werewolf’s ridiculous strength. To think that he would be pushed back, especially when Jin had increased the force with his charge!
[I'll skewer both you and your horse...!]
"Tch!"
He'd thought that the Beast General's transformation was over with, but the sprouting thorns continued to get larger and larger, and attacked Lee Shin Woo and Jin simultaneously!
They attempted to get away from him, but his Breath of the Lightning God was stuck between two of the general's fingernails. What's worse, nails sprouted up from between his fingernails as well, wrapping around his blade like vines. It was honestly quite disgusting.
If it were the average day, then he would've blown up the Breath of the Lightning God, or summon a new weapon to block the general's attack, but Retadane was watching him right now, so he couldn't show off his skills. If that's the case, then...
'I have to go with Bursting Thunder!'
Lee Shin Woo rapidly circulated his magic and focused it into his Breath of the Lightning God. He used his High Rank Mana Bone skill as a base to activate his Mana Acceleration skill, forming magic that would be effective against the general! He used High Rank Combat Sense as well in order to calculate the optimum course of action...!
"Heup!"
[Kuhak!?]
For a moment, the lightning reached its peak. The electric discharge burned the general's fingernails and thorns instantly, and the freed Breath of the Lightning God moved at blinding speed; cutting through all the thorns that had been coming their way!
He cut through dozens of thorns at lightning speed, which resembled exploding lightning. It had both goosebump inducing precision and destructive power, so no matter how many thorns came at him and obstructed his vision, he could cut them all down, so long as he moved optimally.
'Huh...?'
But at that moment, Lee Shin Woo realized something that was completely unrelated to Bursting Thunder.
'How was I able to see those thorns and cut them down all at once?'
Of course, it was likely due to his Combat Sense, as well as his connection with Jin, which amplified his reflexes, but that definitely wasn't everything. It felt like he could naturally perceive the thorns with something else before his senses picked them up. Yeah, as if he could see the right course of action beforehand...
[You're quite powerful as well...! I'll crush you!]
"I've had just about enough of you doing whatever you want!"
But before Lee Shin Woo could come to an answer, Retadane, who had caught her breath, took the opportunity to swing her light covered flail at the Beast General.
[Keuk!?]
"Don't leave me behind!"
'Stop talking like a guy who has been dumped by his girlfriend!'
The Beast General was shocked and attempted to retreat, but it was Lee Shin Woo's time to pay him back now! He was weak compared to Retadane or other level 8s, but his 'breathing', which utilized Mana Acceleration, converted the area's mana into lightning and stopped the Beast General for just an instant. That small span of time was enough for Retadane to get a direct hit on the Beast General.
[Kuhak!]
"That ability just now... That was good. Let's talk after we take him down!"
"Ok!"
Like Lee Shin Woo had done, Retadane had also analyzed Lee Shin Woo's fight with the Beast General while she was catching her breath, and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. Now was the time to make use of that information for the two to push him back!
[Kuhu... You're trying to handle me, the Beast General, with just the two of you!?]
The Beast General used the force behind Retadane's strike to retreat and activated an ability to restore his bones. Then he shouted bravely, but on the inside, he felt that he was in danger; if things went wrong, then he might die before their plan was even set into motion.
And thus, the battle between the strongest hero duo and one of the 12 generals began.
Lee Shin Woo obviously noticed the Beast General's skill activation before Retadane. Since he possessed the Rule of Bone skill and was a Breathing Bone Joker, he was more sensitive to anything regarding bones and could react more quickly than anyone else.
'But this is...'
However, that wasn't all. The moment he'd created the Garden of Thorns, Lee Shin Woo felt a new possibility. The giant bone thorns had certainly originated from the Beast General, yet he felt like he could control them himself.
Rule of Bone was originally a skill that allowed him to control his own bones and reinforce them. It made him even stronger than before and allowed him to freely use the equipment summoned through the Bone Armory skill.
'There are exactly 17 thorns coming for me. Their sizes vary, but they're at least 5 meters. They're connected through darkness magic and they simultaneously bind their target and inflict persistent damage. It's a malicious, but also effective attack. I can see it all. I can see it as if it's only natural...'
But it was different now. He instinctively knew how these bones, which were created by the Beast General, looked, their structure, and even how they would move. Lee Shin Woo knew now how he was so easily able to avoid the Beast General’s attacks earlier. It was obvious, wasn't it? He could understand the Beast General's bones as well as his own!
Since that was possible, then it should be possible for him to steal control over them. A hunch and being deluded were two different things. But he was sure.
[The Rule of Bone skill has become Lv11. All stats have increased by 15. You have become able to interfere with another's control over their bones. The effectiveness of all bone related abilities has increased.]
It was only natural that his skill would level up here. Through it, Lee Shin Woo gained a deeper understanding of bone (the material) and gained the ability to steal control over another's bones and use them as his own.
For now, he would need to split the bones from his main body, like the Beast General's Garden of Thorns, limit the number of connections, and use his darkness magic as the foundation to control it all, thus requiring a magic technique that was way too complicated. However, if he practiced and further refined this technique, he was sure that he would reach an even higher level. Since most living organisms possessed bones.
'It sounds almighty...'
'So if your skill didn't level up, wouldn't we have just died without being able to do anything?'
'You might've died.'
'Yeah, yeah.'
Lee Shin Woo had used his Rule of Bone to get out of the Garden of Thorns and decided to temporarily lay low underground with Jin. It was only possible because the Garden of Thorns had significantly softened the ground.
"Damn. It would've been nice if the Beast General was level 8."
"You with your big head as soon as you stand."
"Even if we wait, he's not going to become level 8 any time soon... Tch, I guess we should end it."
Although he had stolen control over the Beast General's bones, it wasn't like he could take him down easily. It was only possible because Retadane was unleashing her light magic to its fullest and blocking the Beast General head on!
"You look tired, Jilun Pelta."
[You do too... You were only able to hit me with that crude iron mace because of that man. You didn't know? What do you plan on doing now that that man has run away?]
"Hoo. ...I'll show you."
"Yeah, that's the way, old lady!"
"You keep going and I'll hit you."
"Now!"
Retadane had done her job well. Once the Beast General focused all of his attention on Retadane, Lee Shin Woo stole control over all his thorns and used them against him. And then exploded them! He had even exploded the Beast General's magic within the thorns, so the damage inflicted was unimaginable.
[You have hunted a member of the 12 generals, the Lv7 Beast General, Jilun Pelta! All contributing heroes acquire 30,000,000 Perium, and all stats are increased by 100. You have acquired 10 permits to God's secret shop. Proficiency in all combat related skills has increased dramatically!]
[Lucky Strike has activated! The Lucky Strike skill has become Lv2.]
[The Mana Acceleration skill has become Lv3. Magic has increased by 10.]
[You have received God's grace. The Invisible Heart skill's max level has increased by 10.]
He did it. With this, he had killed three of the 12 generals by himself! Lee Shin Woo had also succeeded in turning the situation on its head and made it progress in a direction that Ethan Cruz couldn't have expected. However, Lee Shin Woo knew that Retadane would be suspicious of him if he appeared before her right now, so he and Jin hid amongst the group of undead. If he used the vibrations, the smoke, and the light from the explosion, then it would be easy to hide.
"What about the bone then? Are you giving it up?"
"Give up the bone of one of the 12 generals? Are you insane?"
Lee Shin Woo said, and something flew towards him from the center of the explosion. It was the bone that Jilun Belta had left behind. He snatched it and grinned at Jin.
"This much is no problem for me with Rule of Bone."
"Shin Woo. Looks like something came along with it."
[You have acquired the Bayran inner map.]
"This again? ...Though it does look a bit different from the last one."
According to the other 12 generals' memories, Bayran was a huge city, directly connected to the capital. They would have to reach it before moving on to the capital.
I felt natural to gain the Bayran inner map from defeating the 12 generals, but it was also suspicious as well. He couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was leading him there on purpose.
'Moreover, the maps all differ in crucial points. They're all slightly different in terms of the traps and the monster habitats. Even so, they don't seem to be fakes... I'll need some more of them before I make a decision.'
Lee Shin Woo was sure that he'd be able to make a proper map with just two more of them. The 12 generals probably don't think that one person could hold five pieces of the map. He needed to work hard, if for no other reason than to screw them over.
"Let's assume we'll go to Bayran later and put it aside for now... What are you going to do now, Shin Woo?"
"All the heroes should know that one of the 12 generals has been killed. If Ethan Cruz has something up his sleeve, then he'll put it out right now. Moreover, there's a chance that his plan will speed up now. ...So, we'll keep up with him and prepare as well."
Fortunately, they were in the heart of enemy territory. The huge beasts were easily hiding them. It was all too easy for them to hide a single hero. ...And if the 13th general were to suddenly appear from within, then no one would know the reason.
"But I think I should absorb this bone right away. Keep an eye out for me while I'm absorbing it."
"You got it."
He hadn't had any expectations before they'd met, but he was sure that he would be highly compatible with the bone, as Jilun Pelta had been able to freely control his bones. So sure that he was willing to execute Bone Reinforcement in the middle of the battlefield!
Lee Shin Woo left everything to Jin, grabbed the bone, discarded any lingering doubts, and executed Bone Reinforcement.
[Consuming the Lv7 Beast General, Jilun Pelta's tailbone to execute Bone Reinforcement. Strength has increased by 25, Agility by 30, and Health by 17.]
Although he'd acquired a ton of stats, this was just the beginning. He hadn't even absorbed half of the bone's power yet. Immediately after, a huge explosion erupted within his body, as if to prove that. An explosion of creation that broke apart the old and replaced it with the new.
[The High Rank Combat Sense skill has become Lv4 and Agility has increased by 20. The High Rank Regeneration skill has become Lv3, and Health and Magic have increased by 20. High Rank Lightning Sprint has become Lv4, and Agility and Magic have increased by 20.]
With the huge increase in skill proficiency, a few of his skills leveled up and he gained the accompanying stats that came with them. Was it because the Beast General had more actual combat experience than the other 12 generals? The amount of skill proficiency he'd gained was no joke.
However, that wasn't the end. Not yet. The most important thing remained. Lee Shin Woo felt the mana seethe within him; the torrent of mana made his bones feel as though they would break and explode any moment now. Lee Shin Woo calmly regulated and circulated his mana, and waited for that moment.
All of his bones were shaking, and some of them were split and regenerated. At the end of this intense evolution, he got what was he waiting for.
[The Bone Armory skill has become Lv10. Health and Magic have increased by 20. You can now summon and control ten pieces of equipment at once. All the information of equipment stored within the Bone Armory is shared and reinforced.]
He'd finally gained the ability he'd been waiting for. Although they were on the battlefield, Lee Shin Woo wanted to laugh, and there was a good reason for that.
[You have become able to bestow the equipment stored within Bone Armory with Lv6 Fire, Ice, Acid, or Lightning. However, this excludes some of the equipment that already has an innate element.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv6 Drake Bone Full Armor.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Titan's Fortress.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Lightning God's Fury.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Fire Dragon's Scale Greatsword.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Giant Drake Horn Lance.]
[You have managed to fuse and evolve several pieces of equipment. The Bone Reinforcement skill has become Lv12. You can extract a large amount of information and abilities from a bone lacking in information.]
'Finally... I finally got it!'
Everything had most likely opened up for him once he upgraded the Bone Armory skill. The miraculous possibility that came from fusing bone equipment. A piece of equipment that was one of its kind and that only he could create.
Lee Shin Woo raised his head. He switched out the level 5 bone armor he wore with another. His new armor was pitch black, as though it would suck in everything. With the Drake Horn as its base, this armor was created by combining all the advantageous aspects of the bones he'd absorbed thus far.
[Drake Bone Full Armor]
[Lv6]
[Durability - 3,700/3,700]
[Defense - 1,500 - 1,650]
It lacked options, but it would change when Lee Shin Woo added an element to it.
Before discussing the elemental aspect, the armor he wore now had a much greater defense stat than the one before, so Lee Shin Woo was incredibly satisfied. But what was even more amazing was...
'The innate elements of the Lightning God's Fury and the Fire Dragon's Scale Greatsword are too strong, so I can't add any other element yet, but the Giant Drake Horn Lance is different. A level 7 artifact with a level 6 element...'
However, when Lee Shin Woo was about to summon the new Giant Drake Horn Lance and observe it, Rem passed on a brief but powerful signal. Lee Shin Woo stopped what he was doing and looked up. There was something faint that he could see across the sky.
"Jin."
"Yeah, I feel it too."
He had originally planned to buy some more time, but Lee Shin Woo and Retadane had defeated the Beast General too quickly, so Ethan Cruz's plan had gone awry. Not properly assessing Lee Shin Woo's abilities was the cause of his defeat.
"The sky...!?"
[It is the Vulture General's airborne undead troops!]
"What? Another one of the 12 generals...!?"
Ethan Cruz must've ordered the Vulture General to enter the battle. He had probably forgotten about the two magicians that hadn't been blessed by him and had run away. And where they were and what they were preparing...
"Give them a big one!"
Lee Shin Woo heard a cute girl's voice from the faraway mountainside. It was Kratia's voice, a voice he was more familiar with than anyone's.
Of course, it was unlikely that anyone forgot that she existed, but right now, the girls' magic was more important than whether or not anyone forgot about them. Kratia said something about a 'big one', but the giant ice spear that manifested in the air was large enough to topple an entire mountain.
[What...?]
An airborne undead caught notice of them... It was probably the Vulture General who had noticed, but it was already too late. Once the battle had begun... No, she had prepared a spell just for him, long before the battle had even started.
[Kuhahk!?]
"I'm here too... I'm going!"
Prince followed suit, casting the spell she had prepared. She summoned half of the Fire Demon's body into the air, wild magic that would strike at any of the airborne undead!
The gigantic ice and fire dyed the air and forced these invaders, who had trespassed onto a sacred battlefield, onto the ground. One of them was definitely the Vulture General.
"Nice. Very nice."
Lee Shin Woo confirmed and grinned inwardly. It wouldn't be a bad idea to depart and kill the Vulture General right away, but... it was about time for the traitors to make their move. After all, his original goal was to protect the heroes.
"Then, shall we begin Jin?"
"Ok."
Jin smiled as well. Although it shouldn't be noticeable on a skeleton, one could easily tell how the two skeletons were feeling.
Who had sprung whose trap? A grand festival had begun, one which would determine the predator and the prey.
<Chapter 35. The Call of Death >
"Lee Shin Woo and Kratia Melloi. It's a pleasure to meet you. You must've suffered so much to reach where you are without dying. Thank you for surviving."
"It's nice to meet you too... Senior Retadane."
"Hi."
Red eyes and red hair. Lee Shin Woo had only seen one person with those traits thus far: the beauty from the secret shop (if he told her, she would be happy and smile unpleasantly, so he had no plans of telling her), Pleine.
Although God herself possessed red hair as well, her eyes glittered in the five cardinal colors, so he excluded her.
"Are you bothered by my hair?"
"That's..."
But now there was one other with those specific traits: Seira Von Retadane. She was so unbelievably beautiful that she almost didn't fit in with everyone else.
There was no hint of confusion within her clear red eyes, and her pale pink lips were closed shut, seemingly embodying her iron will. Contrary to her cold expression, her ardent, long red hair fluttered in the wind, as if it would catch aflame at any moment.
"My apologies, Senior. I was just wondering whether you gain red hair for becoming a priest."
"...I see. That's obviously not true."
"Oh, you don't?"
"No, you don't. My red eyes and hair are hereditary traits."
She was baby-faced, looking like a young girl, but also voluptuous. He was concerned that their size would become a hindrance on the battlefield but thought her bust and narrow waist were striking.
The white priest robe she wore couldn't hide her voluptuous figure. If he were to take a picture of her, others would react with 'this is definitely photoshopped'. They would say 'she must be an alien, not a human being with a bust that large and a waist that thin', but she was definitely the real deal.
She must be a mutant. Lee Shin Woo was very slightly in awe of her.
'I can understand how Shino Rendu fell in love with her at first sight. Of course, it doesn't matter to me, but there's something else that bothers me...'
Lee Shin Woo's sexual desire had evaporated, but he could still recognize beauty. However, Lee Shin Woo was currently only worried about keeping his guard up against her. He was sure the moment he met her. This girl was level 8. He had somewhat expected it, but she was indeed level 8!
"I feel like you could take down one or two of the 12 generals by yourself, Senior."
"I think so too. However, there's no guarantee after that. Because of that, I don't want to make any large moves yet. My goal isn't the 12 generals. It's eradicating all the undead in the Empire. Therefore, there's so much I want to say to Ethan Cruz, but..."
Lee Shin Woo carelessly blurted out, and Seira Von Retadane replied seriously. She sounded so serious, causing Lee Shin Woo to think. She didn't know, but Lee Shin Woo had already killed two of the 12 generals.
But was that a mistake? ...Of course it wasn't. Lee Shin Woo had merely picked what was most advantageous to him at the time. When this was all over, he would have to move more carefully than before. Though it might've been too little too late.
"Hoo, let's begin when Yasunori Akira comes and joins us. Would you like some tea?"
"Thank you, Senior."
"I wanted to tell you this before, but... I don't really like being referred to as 'senior'. Please just call me Retadane."
"Ah, ok."
Of course, Lee Shin Woo, as an undead, couldn't drink tea, but he could at least fake it. He would let it go down his throat and then evaporate it with fire.
"Please wait a little bit."
She removed various tools to make tea from her inventory. Lee Shin Woo watched as she boiled water for her tea, and came to the realization that she was no ordinary hero. Who would go through all that trouble to steep tea leaves!?
Moreover, one couldn't procure tea leaves from the Empire, which meant that she acquired them from the secret shop... By comparing it to wine, it was clear how inordinately expensive such an item of personal preference was.
"Here, please enjoy."
"Thank you. With pleasure."
Lee Shin Woo was surprised when he grabbed onto the tea cup. He didn't have a sense of taste, but for some unknown reason, he was able to smell the fragrance of the tea.
A fragrance so pleasant that it was shocking. He would often have to meet with other people for work, so he had drunk a variety of different teas, but it was of such quality that he could easily say it was the best he'd ever had.
"It smells really nice."
"This tea didn't exist in my world. It's delicious."
"Hoo, you can appreciate good tea. It's my favorite tea amongst all the ones available on the surface. I assume it's made by using the Kunoa leaf (which is grown in places with powerful fire magic) and Korite leaf (which is grown in places with powerful wind magic)..."
How can this be? To think she'd continue the conversation! Lee Shin Woo was shocked as she, who had remained passive and calm, suddenly began to talk about the tea leaves and the water in depth.
At the same time, he couldn't help but see the resemblance with Pleine, who would change whenever he brought up wine...! Lee Shin Woo was curious and asked.
"...Are you close to the shopkeeper by any chance?"
"No, that woman's the worst. That's quite rude of you to say."
"I-I'm sorry."
She cussed out Pleine! Now that he thought about it, Pleine had a lot of things to say about her as well. Moreover, she had the same red eyes and red hair...
At that moment, Lee Shin Woo formed a hypothesis. However, when he saw Retadane's expression, which had turned frigid instantaneously, he knew that this wouldn't be easy to bring up. But fortunately, that vibe didn't continue for very long. Yasunori Akira had arrived.
"I'm late. Sorry about that. I was moving so cautiously that it just turned out that way."
"That's fine. Would you like some tea?"
"Yeah, of course. ...Mm, the fragrance reminds me of my homeland."
"Hello, Senior."
"Mm!? Ah, is that you, Lee Shin Woo? ...That's surprising. You look a lot different than what I'd expected. I'm Yasunori Akira."
He possessed black eyes and black hair, giving off the feeling of an Asian man, but even so, he didn't really evoke the feeling of being Japanese.
Then again, when he'd met Ye Jin Jin last, he felt like she was a lot taller and had nigh-white skin, unlike other Chinese people. It was the same feeling. Perhaps they both came from a world similar but ultimately different from his own Earth.
"Thanks for the tea. ...So you already knew about this dungeon, huh."
"It's a dungeon that I cleared by myself in the past. There are dungeons that disappear after they're cleared and dungeons which remain, due to the large traces of residual magic. This is the latter."
That's right. They were gathered inside of a dungeon within the level 3 danger zone right now. Dungeons are normally filled with danger, but ironically, empty dungeons were the safest place that heroes could reside.
"Now that the Heaven Defying General has gone on a rampage... I might have to find a dungeon and hide too."
"The Heaven Defying General... I wonder if he's connected with Ethan Cruz as well."
"He probably isn't. The Heaven Defying General isn't doing Ethan Cruz any favors in baiting the 12 generals and gathering the other heroes."
"That's true. I realized that Ethan Cruz's movements were strange because of it, but... Shall we begin talking in earnest? Regarding what Ethan Cruz is plotting."
Retadane said seriously, and Yasunori nodded his head stiffly. They wanted to protect their juniors and took their jobs as seniors seriously, so Lee Shin Woo couldn't tell them that he 'actually had his own corps and that while they kept the 12 generals busy, we can take care of Ethan Cruz'.
'I can't tell them my true identity, let alone the fact that I lead the undead, or things will go wrong fast.'
Lee Shin Woo sighed and decided to go with the flow. They started off with the Beast General, Jilun Pelta, went on to Ethan Cruz's plans that he may or may not have, as well as any other unknown variables. They told the 'human hero Lee Shin Woo' all this information, believing that it was safe to tell him all this.
"At first glance, this looks like a good place to fight against the Beast General, but if there's a foe that is unhindered by the mountain range, there's a high chance that the heroes will be stabbed in the back."
"A foe that is unhindered by the environment... Lee Shin Woo, do you have any guesses?"
"I don't know if it's one of the 12 generals or not, but I took down an undead mounting a flying monster just a little while ago."
"A flying monster, undead... Ha."
Retadane gritted her teeth, as though it suddenly clicked.
"The Vulture General, Bureuche Von Golden Eagle...!"
His title was 'Vulture', so why was his family name 'Golden Eagle'!? Lee Shin Woo anguished over that irony, and Retadane gave them the answer.
"He's bald. The Emperor thought it was funny and gave him that title, but he doesn't like his title very much. Amongst the 12 generals, he's probably the one who hates being called their title the most."
"I see..."
So that's how it was. He suddenly felt sympathetic and became fond of the Vulture General. But when he asked Retadane why she had such detailed information on him, she said...
"It probably worries you. ...Yasunori Akira, isn't it the same for you as well?"
"It does worry me, but I'd rather not force someone to talk when they clearly don't want to."
"It's alright. I feel like I'll work closely with you in the future, so I'll just tell you and move on. Since I'd rather not experience Ethan Cruz's foolish taunt ever again..."
Lee Shin Woo's ears perked up. However, Kratia, who never went into the chatting channel, didn't know what was going on and tilted her head. Then, she revealed a bombshell.
"Seagald Von Retadane is my older brother."
"..."
"...?"
He knew that Seira was a descendant of the Retadane family, but he hadn't expected her to be Seagald's younger sister. Lee Shin Woo remained silent at her unimaginable confession, and Yasunori was likewise silent, as he couldn't comprehend what she was saying for a brief period of time. However, Kratia informally spoke.
"An old lady?"
"Hey!"
"It's alright. If you take into account my age, that actually fits. ...I am one of the few citizens of the Empire that survived on Sun Day, [1] and I am also the first hero picked by God. Of course, at the time, I was only level 2..."
"Level 2..."
Lee Shin Woo couldn't even begin to imagine what she went through to go from level 2 to level 8. Moreover, she had to survive in the Empire with a living body!
He didn't know if Retadane knew how they were feeling or not, but she remained calm as always.
"But most importantly, I'm a hero. And my brother, Seagald Von Retadane, is undead now. I promise you that I won't hesitate when facing him. Eliminating all the undead and purifying the Empire is not just God's will, but my own as well."
Retadane said firmly. It would be impossible to 'ask her about Anti-Skull'. She likely knew what Anti-Skull represented. Despite that, she would still say that Seagald was undead now and that he had to be eliminated.
"Now then, let's go back to our main topic. There's a high chance that the Vulture General, Bureuche Von Golden Eagle, will show up. There'll be enough forces to sow chaos amongst the heroes. So I'll protect the heroes while you (Yasunori)..."
Their war council continued for another few hours. Because of them, Lee Shin Woo knew how he would have to mobilize his army; so he hadn't lost out.
Two days later, the participants of the 12 general hunt had gathered in one place.
"It's good to see you, everyone. Some of you I know, but there are also some new faces here."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Senior."
"Wow, you're Lee Shin Woo? You look nice. I totally thought a wild animal would show up..."
"Pot calling the kettle black there, Lloyd."
"So the lady over here is Kratia? The rumors were right, you are beautiful. I feel like God has been picking heroes based on their beauty lately."
"Hi, you're ugly. Unlike Shin Woo. Even his bones are good looking."
"..."
"And you look weaker than Shin Woo too."
"R-Really..."
"Senior Orun, those two are really skilled. Don't just sit there shaking and come over here."
Aside from Ye Jin Jin and Silene Viesa (both of whom couldn't participate due to their low levels), Lee Shin Woo was able to meet all of the other heroes face-to-face, which was deeply moving (of course, Yasunori Akira wasn't present, but he should be hiding somewhere nearby).
It was ironic, as it was difficult to meet with them when it was peaceful, but when it came time to fight the 12 generals, all the heroes gathered in one place and chatted.
"You have no idea how much I wanted to meet you."
"I as well, Senior. Please take care of me."
The handsome middle-aged man, Ethan Cruz looked right at Lee Shin Woo and initiated a conversation; in response, Lee Shin Woo flashed him a bright, clean, and confident smile and replied. He would have never even suspected that Lee Shin Woo was conspiring to kill him just a few hours ago!
"I trust you. You'll definitely be a huge help."
"I'm almost sick of hearing how you spare no expense to help your juniors."
Ethan Cruz and Lee Shin Woo laughed and conversed, but Jin, who was listening in, couldn't help but laugh. A big help? Spares no expense? They were both lying to each other, and Jin, who knew the truth, would probably say something like 'Can you really be talking to each other like that?'.
"Haha, you really do have a silver tongue."
"I said this before, but I'll trust in you, Senior. Hahaha."
But Lee Shin Woo was clearly the better swindler. Lee Shin Woo smiled, as he had already seen through Ethan Cruz's plan, but Ethan Cruz had no idea what he was planning.
At this point, Lee Shin Woo's Acting skill wasn't just perfect, it was peerless, as it fooled Ethan into thinking that he was just a junior that respected his senior. With the very modest nature that he'd shown everyone in the chatting channel! Who could know that there was another side to him hidden behind that face?
Lee Shin Woo's energy made him the superior con man. Although he wasn't showing his darkness magic at all, Ethan was different; he was covered in chaotic darkness.
'As I thought, his darkness energy is ridiculously strong. He sure is good at faking it...'
Ethan Cruz hid his specialty well; he was a specialist in darkness magic debuffs, though he acted like he was a buffer. On the other hand, he didn't hide his darkness magic.
Ethan told his juniors that he used some sort of darkness buff, but... because Lee Shin Woo was able to see it, as he could use a high rank darkness magic, and possessed a high affinity with mana. Eight threads that originated from Ethan Cruz trailed off to a place quite far away.
'Rem.'
[I will begin pursuit. Would you like for me to do something else once I have found them?]
'You wouldn't be able to if they're grouped up, but it seems like there are two of them that are acting separately.'
Obviously, Ethan Cruz couldn't show his undead heroes to the other heroes. And it was also obvious why Ethan Cruz was mobilizing a portion of those undead heroes. After all, he had to prepare for someone like Yasunori Akira.
If someone from the outside learned of what he was planning, then Ethan Cruz would have to drop his facade, so he was using his undead to scout out for anyone who might interfere with his plan.
'In any case, the fact that he's sending two out means... that I have to assume that Ethan Cruz is prepared as well.'
Although Yasunori Akira was hidden, it seems like he hadn't fooled Ethan Cruz. He should've hidden better. If he just let them do as they pleased, Yasunori Akira may be in trouble, but it largely depended on Yasunori Akira's skill.
'I can't let that happen. After all, he's a precious ally who could have a huge impact on the battlefield.'
Of the Paul Corps under his command, Lee Shin Woo picked a few of the most powerful and fastest amongst them and gave them separate orders.
Their mission was obvious. They were to pursue the undead heroes and kill them! His subordinates' kills counted as his kills, so he gave the order without hesitation.
'Before the true hunt begins, I suppose I should cut off an ankle or two.'
[I will go and help them now. Beginning the program for optimized hunting and flight.]
'Alright. I'm counting on you.'
Lee Shin Woo made Rem, who had borrowed his darkness magic and was beginning to search for them, completely responsible for this task. Then, he looked at Ethan Cruz and smiled 'naively'.
Ah, the other 6 undead heroes were probably joining up with the 12 generals' troops. Since that was the simplest way to kill the other heroes.
"Hey, Lee Shin Woo. Let me see your skills."
"Oh my, Lloyd's the one challenging him?"
Lee Shin Woo, who had been looking at Ethan Cruz, heard someone call him and turned his head. There was a blonde haired, blue eyed man looking at him, who resembled a prince from a fairy tale; Lee Shin Woo wondered why this handsome man looking at him was emanating such a fighting spirit.
So much so that he wasn't even worried about the fact that a charming elf, Erian Ruparte, was glued to his side.
'Was he always this hot-blooded?'
Lee Shin Woo looked at Lloyd, felt dubious, and muttered inwardly. From what he remembered, Lloyd was always friendly to his juniors. In addition, he was also a popular guy who hogged Erian and Prince to himself... What exactly had changed? His eyes were looking at Lee Shin Woo as if he were a competitor, so Lee Shin Woo just naturally tilted his head.
"Senior, we'll be fighting against one of the 12 generals soon..."
"There's still time before their forces show up, and besides, it should be fine; it'll just be a light duel. I'd like to see those skills that everyone is always complimenting you for."
Lloyd sounded cool and collected, but he couldn't conceal the passion within his voice. No matter how friendly he was, once a warrior, always a warrior, huh. Lee Shin Woo shrugged his shoulders and softly gripped the Breath of the Lightning God. It would completely ruin the mood if he were to reject this challenge.
"Hey, Lloyd... Do you have to be so juvenile and fight to decide who's stronger? Are you a little kid?"
"Sit tight, Prince. It's just a duel."
Prince tried to stop him, but he wouldn't budge. Most of the other seniors watched on in curiosity. Since all of them wanted to see Lee Shin Woo's skills first hand.
What was the saying, 'a tall tree catches much wind'? If he thought from their perspective, then he and Kratia were both powerful and had popped up out of nowhere. It was obvious that they'd want to assess his skills. Moreover, it was difficult to test a magician's ability out of the blue, so it seems like all of them had 'aggroed' onto Lee Shin Woo.
"Damn, you're being a dumbass."
"Why are you getting all worked up over a duel?"
"Hoo... Whatever, go ahead you idiot."
Prince had already seen Lee Shin Woo's frightening abilities firsthand, so she knew that Lloyd would be humiliated if Lee Shin Woo went all out. She obviously didn't want to see the man she loved lose so badly.
"Then, shall we move?"
"You don't need to do that. We can fight here."
"Alright."
However, Lloyd hadn't taken notice of Prince's concern and just solely focused on Lee Shin Woo. His body shone and he became stronger than before, so it was clear that he had just buffed himself.
"Ah, you really are an idiot. I guess you won't understand until he kicks your ass."
"...Prince, aren't you a bit off today?"
"Hah? You want a piece of me? Your ears are long, just like a donkey's!"
"What did you say!?"
"If you're not coming, then I will!"
Prince and Erian argued 'amicably' and then, Lloyd, who acted like he'd give Lee Shin Woo the first move, spoke and came rushing over to him. Not only was he level 7, but he was also buffed as well, so he was incredibly fast!
'Oh, I can see it easily even without Jin's help.'
Unfortunately for him, Lee Shin Woo's stats were always being buffed by his Rebellion skill, while Rule of Bone also reinforced his body. His own buffs far outclassed Lloyd's.
Moreover, Lloyd had only just become level 7, while Lee Shin Woo was level 7 and had increased his stats exponentially, with a stat total of 9,200. Even if he doesn't use all of his skills... he could take on Lloyd with one hand.
"Heup!"
"Good!"
However, Lee Shin Woo didn't unleash his full strength, and acted as though he could barely dodge Lloyd's strikes. Hiding his skills in front of Ethan Cruz was the optimum decision, but... it was also in Lloyd's best interest, or Lloyd's confidence to be more specific, to take it easy.
'If I want to do that, then I have to act perfectly.'
And because he possessed such peerless acting skills, it wasn't very difficult for him! It was his first time acting like he was unskilled, but it was nice in its own way. Lee Shin Woo clashed blades with Lloyd, and matched his swordsmanship just by acting.
"You're blocking me well!"
"Keuk, Senior. You're too fast...!"
It would look strange if he lost too easily, but at the same time, winning would count as a loss for him. Lee Shin Woo leisurely ran around in order to maintain that fine balance. He could only move like that because he had complete control over his body. And... in the midst of 'barely' matching up to Lloyd, he felt like his abilities were improving for some odd reason.
'The fact that I'm matching his level of swordsmanship might be increasing the precision of my own.'
He could see so many weak points, but he acted like he wasn't aware of them and wouldn't attack. Then, he would lead Lloyd into attacking where he wanted. He acted as though he had a weak spot, and then would barely block that attack. Doing all of that naturally was certainly very difficult.
That enabled him to improve both his swordsmanship... and his acting ability as well.
[The Acting skill has become Lv19. There is no limit to your acting ability. You can act anywhere. You can act as though you are losing to an ant, but you can also bluff a dragon into leaving.]
[The High rank Bursting Thunder skill has become Lv4. Strength and Magic have increased by 10.]
Lee Shin Woo’s movements became even smoother. He wasn't turning the course of the duel around, but he made the fight look much closer than before.
"Ah, I guess we should stop here."
How many times had they clashed blades? In the end, Lloyd smiled regrettably, as he hadn't been able to overpower Lee Shin Woo, and took a step back. His expression looked much more refreshed than it had just a little while ago; so much so that Lee Shin Woo felt better as well.
"Thank you for taking it easy on me, Senior."
"I wasn't taking it easy on you. You really are strong. Then again, there's no way you wouldn't be skilled when your level is so high. I feel like you have at least intermediate level 7 swordsmanship..."
"...I don't know what to say."
'I reached high rank level 4 because of you'... is something he couldn't say.
"It guess that makes sense. I'm the same. To be honest, God gave me another secret skill... It's a skill that always kills its target, so I can't use it on my allies. You have a skill like that too, right?"
"Of course, I don't know if it'll work on your or not, but I do indeed have another skill from God. Please use that skill on the 12 generals."
"Haha, alright. Take good care of me."
"That's my line. Please take care of me."
Lee Shin Woo and Lloyd sported refreshing smiles and shook hands. If an outsider had seen the fight, then they would've assumed that the two were rivals that had acknowledged each other after a fierce battle... though he just looked like a swindler to Kratia and Prince.
And that's how Lee Shin Woo succeeded in completely fooling the other heroes about his abilities.
"Why did you do that?"
Once they had finished their duel, Prince grabbed Lee Shin Woo's arm, not Lloyd's, and dragged him away from the other heroes. She wanted to know why he had hidden his abilities.
She didn't want to leave Lloyd behind, but it seemed like she didn't like Lee Shin Woo hiding his abilities either. While thinking that she was a really troublesome person, Lee Shin Woo maintained his smile and replied.
"I just didn't want to embarrass Senior Lloyd."
"Are you an idiot? We're going to be fighting one of the 12 generals soon. Do you really think you'll be able to hide your abilities then?"
"Yes."
Lee Shin Woo's nonchalant response caused her rosy cheeks to thin.
"You're really..."
"Ah, I'm not saying I'll be playing around while you're all in danger. There are so many ways that I can do my part without revealing my abilities."
Prince was fed up with Lee Shin Woo, as he spoke while smiling unashamedly. However, she wasn't able to criticize him anymore, as Lee Shin Woo's expression turned serious and suddenly grabbed onto her shoulder.
"W-What is it?"
"More importantly, you remember your promise with me, right?"
"That's... I know, I got it. I just need to stay next to you, right? Anyway..."
It seemed like she'd say something strange if he just let her be, so Lee Shin Woo took the initiative.
"No, please stick with Kratia."
"...Huh?"
"You have to stick with Kratia for the duration of this battle. Since Kratia will need your help for something. Please, you have to."
"Wait, that's... Huh?"
Prince tilted her head, as she couldn't understand his words or intent. But then, a single strand of mana coiled around her. It was Lee Shin Woo's darkness mana. He was trying to find the root of Prince's boundless trust and confidence in Ethan Cruz.
"Huh? What are you doing?"
"It's nothing."
Ethan Cruz had used a high rank spell on her. While the other heroes might not have noticed, it couldn't escape Lee Shin Woo's notice when he was actively trying to find it.
It would've been easier if Lee Shin Woo had found the spell when he had initially formed a contract with her, reminding him that he still had a long way to go.
'Ah, is this it?'
Lee Shin Woo discovered the darkness magic and gently erased it on the spot. Of course, he did it covertly enough that the caster, Ethan Cruz, wouldn't notice. He would probably notice eventually, but by then it would be too late.
"Hey wait, did you just do something?"
"I just dispelled a small debuff that was applied to you."
"A debuff? Mm, now that you mention it, my body feels refreshed for some reason."
It's likely her mind, not her body that's refreshed. She wouldn't feel the effects, as the spell had been applied to her so covertly. Which meant that she would still find it strange if he started talking to her about Ethan Cruz.
"In any case, you just need to remember one thing: please stick with Kratia."
"You want me to stay with her instead of with you? I-I'm straight! No matter how cool or mature I look as a man..."
"Please don't worry. Since I'm straight too."
Lee Shin Woo smiled bitterly and returned to the group with Prince. No one was suspicious of them, as they were aware that they had worked together before.
"If I could, I would keep talking with you guys forever, but... Unfortunately, I won't be able to do that. The Beast General will be here soon. Everyone, get ready for battle."
Ethan Cruz gathered all the heroes in one place. Aside from Seira Von Retadane and Kratia, everyone was focused on him. Lee Shin Woo was the only person to see the quietly exchanged glances, their plot, and their resolve.
'I guess it's true. Mentes Orun...'
Mentes Orun was the more obvious of the two; he looked at the perpetrator, Ethan Cruz, with irritation, resignation, and fury, and also looked at the other heroes as well.
It may look like he was anxious before the battle, but to Lee Shin Woo, who knew his true intent, it looked ridiculous. Mentes Orun was one of the variables that could affect the coming battle...
'Yeah.'
Lee Shin Woo decided quickly that he would have to take this guy down first. For that reason, he had arrived here before anyone else and had made preparations. A secret weapon that had even escaped Seira Von Retadane and Yasunori Akira's notice!
[Master, Chi Paul and Shino Rendu have caught up with Target 1.]
'Oh, good. What about Yasunori Akira?'
[He is still hiding. Target 2 is getting close, but Bisher Moon will stop him soon.]
Lee Shin Woo received his long-awaited report from Rem, raised his head, and secretly looked at Ethan Cruz's complexion. The once relaxed and smiling middle-aged man had instantaneously stiffened. Yeah, he was shocked.
"What's wrong, Senior?"
"Oh, it's nothing... Mm, don't worry about it."
Ethan Cruz hadn't been able to properly control his facial expression. Lee Shin Woo knew he would act like this, as two level 7 elites had popped up out of nowhere and attacked his subordinate. There was no way he wouldn't be surprised. Also, since one of them was Shino Rendu, it made him feel like the world was against him.
"Senior, are you alright?"
"You're the most important person here, so please tell us if something is wrong!"
"Haha, you rascals. I told you, there's nothing wrong."
Ethan Cruz's comrade, as well as the other heroes soon realized something was up. His juniors were concerned about him, and Ethan Cruz flashed them an uncertain smile. It would have been better if they had left him alone so he could think, but he couldn't come up with a suitable response with all of them fussing over him. Oh, how embarrassing it must be!
"Senior, are you really ok?"
"Ah, yeah. Of course I am. Even if something did happen, shouldn't we be focusing on the upcoming battle?"
He was absolutely right. Lee Shin Woo acted as though he were moved by Ethan Cruz's statement and nodded his head. While he was doing so, Ethan Cruz's expression worsened even more. Ah, the other undead hero must've been taken out by Bisher Moon.
Bisher Moon was powerful. He could use the darkness element, which made him and his element the undead heroes' worst enemy. Moreover, Lee Shin Woo's contract strengthened him significantly, so Bisher Moon could take on as many level 7 undead heroes as you could throw at him!
"Why is that bastard showing up now..."
"What did you say, Senior?"
"Hahahaha! Nothing!"
He must be pissed! Ethan Cruz must want to punch Lee Shin Woo, as he was so nosily asking questions! But he couldn't, as it would shatter his image as a friendly senior! Ethan Cruz smiled arduously; it was like Ethan Cruz's mind was laid bare before Lee Shin Woo.
'Are you having that much fun?'
'Ah, this is the best.'
Lee Shin Woo acted as though he were genuinely concerned for Ethan Cruz, and only Jin knew Lee Shin Woo's true intentions. He'd once said that Lee Shin Woo was nice in the past, but that was a mistake. This guy was definitely something else; he was more wicked than the devil himself!
[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 76,335,710 Perium.]
[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path he could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]
Then he noticed that Chi Paul and Shino Rendu had killed the undead hero. The first of Ethan Cruz's 8 undead heroes had gone down!
"Keuk..."
Ethan Cruz acted like there was nothing going on and wore a serious expression, as if preparing for the upcoming battle with the Beast General, but it was obvious that he was desperately thinking something like 'what the hell is going on?' or 'what should I do to ensure that the other one doesn't die?'.
However, he was already too late. He should've been prepared for this when he had left his subordinates to operate independently. Once Lee Shin Woo had tracked their movements, they were as good as dead!
[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 31,632,240 Perium.]
[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path he could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]
Ethan Cruz was here, while his remaining six subordinates were with the Beast General's forces, so he couldn't do anything about it. Ultimately, his second undead hero was killed.
Right before it died, Lee Shin Woo saw Ethan Cruz flinch and attempt to use his darkness magic. It seemed like it was a technique that buffed his subordinates, or perhaps it was a healing ability of some sort.
But because all eyes were on him, he stopped himself, as his plans would be ruined if he got caught right now. As a result, the undead hero was futilely killed by Bisher Moon.
'To think I'd be able to take down two level 7 undead heroes so easily.'
He had gained 6 secret shop permits, as well as 100 million Perium. He'd also be able to collect the bones soon, so he saw Ethan Cruz as Santa Claus coming with a present bag. Moreover, there were six more presents he had yet to open!
"Senior, you look uncomfortable. Shall we call everything off?"
"No... It's fine. If we don't do it now, we'll lose our opportunity. My condition’s just not great today. Don't worry about it too much."
"But still..."
He had just wanted to eliminate anything that could put his plans at risk, but he had instantaneously lost 25% of his forces. Thus, Ethan Cruz's expression had noticeably crumpled up.
Even he, who had spent all his time hiding his true intent from everyone, would find it troublesome to remain calm in light of this situation. Moreover, he had no way of knowing who his opponent was, so he felt screwed.
'That's why I can't back down.'
Avoid this opportunity to procure several undead heroes just because of some unknown variables? No way. Although he had lost two of his undead heroes, there was no going back for Ethan Cruz. He had no choice but to account for the unknown variable and succeed in his mission.
"Everyone get ready! Concentrate. Our opponent's one of the 12 generals. You never know when you might die!"
"Yes sir!"
Though they were worried about Ethan Cruz, the heroes immediately stiffened and nodded their heads.
Lee Shin Woo saw one of Mentes Orun's hands shake. He saw Lloyd, Prince, and Erian looking at each other, restless. Seira Von Retadane was gently looking at him. And he felt like he could hear Yasunori Akira grabbing his sword from afar.
"Before we go, let me buff all of you..."
"I don't need it."
Kratia flatly refused, grabbed onto Prince with one hand, and gently jumped into the air. Her orb appeared and gleamed in the air, creating a disc of ice, and allowing her to land upon it.
"Since the magic we've prepared doesn't mix with darkness. We'll be going first."
"H-Hey!?"
Kratia wasn't someone Ethan Cruz could control. He gaped, as right before he cast his 'buff' on Prince, Kratia had grabbed her and gotten away, far enough that they couldn't be seen.
"But I'd like to get the buffffffffffff!"
Prince's voice echoed, so they had definitely entered the mountain range. Ethan Cruz looked agitated, and Lee Shin Woo gave an excuse for Kratia in her stead.
"She's a magician who didn't even want to receive God's power. But she'll do her part, so please don't worry about her too much."
"Is that so...?"
There was nothing he could do, so Ethan Cruz just nodded his head. He kept his eyes fixed in the direction they left - the mountain range, and Lee Shin Woo didn't miss the wicked intent behind it.
"To think they'd refuse Senior Ethan's buff. It was a bit too much of her to have not let Prince get the buff either."
"Magicians may have different rules, no? Senior, I'm in your care."
"Yeah. There are fewer people, so the buff will be even stronger than before."
Lee Shin Woo also received Ethan Cruz's buff. He had Darkness Resistance and had to restrain it from activating as much as possible. If his resistance took effect, then Ethan Cruz's 'buff' would disappear at any time. Ethan Cruz had no idea, so the moment the buff took effect, he smiled secretly.
"How is it? Do you feel stronger?"
"So it's true."
Once the duration time passed, the body would become heavy, and the target would be defenseless against Ethan Cruz's curse; it was incredibly wicked energy. Once the buff took effect, one would be playing in the palm of Ethan Cruz's hand.
'But that's only if you don't have Darkness Resistance: MAX and High Rank Darkness.'
Lee Shin Woo was actually happy about this newfound connection with himself and Ethan Cruz. Now all he needed to do was flip who was superior in this connection... This difficult task would be great for advancing his darkness element.
"I'm fine. Light and darkness do not mix."
"Is that so..."
Retadane also refused his buff. As she did so, she looked at Lee Shin Woo worryingly, but he just nodded his head as if to say that he was alright. Ethan Cruz had no idea that the two were in on this together, and decided that he would have to procure Retadane from this no matter what.
10 minutes later, he saw the tip of the force led by the Beast General, Jilun Pelta.
[You are facing an irrational number of opponents with only a small handful of allies. Through the Rebellion skill, all stats have increased by 16%. All effects are shared with your partner.]
"Wow, the hell is all that?"
"He's called the Beast General, right? As expected..."
The Beast General was a Werewolf, a level 7 elite, and led a force of beasts. Thus, his undead troops possessed a characteristic that differentiated them from any of the 12 generals' troops he'd seen thus far, which was...
"They're huge...!"
"Bears, tigers, wolves... Why are animals part of the Empire? It looks like a monster army rather than an Imperial Army."
"They have the bodies of beasts but the minds of humans. Don't be reckless or you'll be dead before you know it."
To think the Beast General's force was only about 10,000 strong. You couldn't convince anyone that that force was large. However, they all radiated danger. It was surprising, as they weren't normal soldiers and all of them were elites, each and every one of them trained to the very limit.
"They're all at least level 4 . That's ridiculous."
"We won't lose. We can do this."
"Leave the rear to me. I'll protect Llo... everyone."
The heroes surveyed the undead with unease and then raised their weapons. Lee Shin Woo did the same. The sight of sparks crackling from his Breath of the Lightning God surprised all the heroes.
"Lightning element...!?"
"That's the first weapon I've seen emitting such intense lightning. Did you get it from God's garden?"
"I'll be going first!"
Lee Shin Woo yelled out and charged atop Jin. Ethan Cruz had already formulated a strategy and a battle formation, but if Lee Shin Woo did exactly as Ethan Cruz said, then wouldn't he just be playing in the palm of his hand? After all, Lee Shin Woo would 'have to hide' his abilities in this battle.
"O-Oh no! Lee Shin Woo! Wait, why is that horse so fast!?"
"That idiot...! Let's go too!"
"Erian, back him up before he's overwhelmed by the undead!"
"Understood!"
The other heroes acted in a hurry. Of them, Seira Von Retadane's weapon was most striking; it was a flail, an iron mace covered in sharp spikes attached to a handle by a chain.
"Huaaaaaahp!"
The sight of a slender woman swinging an iron mace connected by a chain even caused the other heroes to pause.
"R-Retadane, that's your weapon...?"
"I was sure she was a light element magician."
The beasts, with their good eyesight, were soon able to see the heroes. The sound of a horn resounded throughout the battlefield, and the giant undead beasts in the forefront rushed forward.
[You hero scum, how dare you so fearlessly challenge the Beast General's forces!]
[We'll turn you all into undead and have you join our army!]
[Get ready... Keok!]
Lee Shin Woo quickly charged into the vanguard and crushed them with the Breath of the Lightning God. His dash to the enemy troops looked like exploding lightning itself! He sat atop his horse and provoked his enemies with a bold declaration.
"I'm the hero, Lee Shin Woo! I'll burn you all to a crisp, so come try me if you dare!"
"That guy, was he always so impetuous...!?"
"Follow him! It'll become dangerous if we face off against Jilun Pelta face to face!"
The other heroes followed behind him and clashed with the beasts. Lloyd H.K. and Mentes Orun both wielded a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. They differed in that Lloyd was skilled with his sword, while Mentes used his shield better. A shield wasn't good at penetrating an enemy's defense, but it enabled them to take on a portion of the swarming enemies and fight safely while Lee Shin Woo did his thing.
"Heuryaaaap!"
[Keheok!]
[Kahk!]
[S-Stop them! We're being pushed back!]
Meanwhile, Seira Von Retadane swung her flail around, crushing a portion of the enemy troops with the attached iron mace.
She pulled back the attachment without difficulty and spun the mace once more. The beasts were shocked at the sight of her and attempted to set up their defenses, but it wasn't very effective. She swung her flail again, and the mace killed dozens of beasts.
"I'm here too!"
"If you're going to support me, do it right!"
The archer, Erian Ruparte, and the magician, Ethan Cruz supported the heroes from the rear. Although she was still level 6, she not only shot out a ton of arrows, but the force behind said arrows was extremely powerful. Meanwhile, Ethan Cruz shot out his incredibly powerful darkness magic, inflicting damage upon the Beast General's forces.
[Kuoooooooooooooh! Those who look down upon the Empire... Kneel!]
By the time the heroes had broken through the enemy lines, the Beast General, Jilun Pelta’s voice resounded through the battlefield.
Befitting his name, the Beast General's lion roar was wild and bloodthirsty. So much so that the heroes whose stats were lower than his flinched and stiffened.
'Is that it?'
Not only had Lee Shin Woo experienced screams before and had gotten used to them, but he was also the 'authority' on the subject, so much so that he could write a one hundred page thesis on screams. Thus, Lee Shin Woo was able to shrug off the scream.
But he was unsure over whether he could defeat Jilun Pelta one on one. It was the same with Metafel, but this guy was definitely on the cusp of level 8. There was some worth in staking his life in the battle in order to advance his skills, but it wasn't the right time for that.
'Moreover, there's something I need to do.'
Killing the beasts and cutting down their numbers? No, his job wasn't so trivial. What was Lee Shin Woo's original objective? It was to protect the heroes and kill Ethan Cruz! So, what he needed to do right now was...
'Kill all of Ethan Cruz's troops that are hidden amongst the beasts.'
Hiding something so small amidst the huge beasts was the optimum strategy. However, Lee Shin Woo already knew that the undead heroes were hidden amidst the beasts and could spot them easily.
'Moreover, this mana... Ethan Cruz's mana is making it easier to find them.'
Ethan Cruz had probably intended for his mana to help his subordinates find the heroes more easily amidst the chaotic battlefield. However, Lee Shin Woo was using it for the reverse. He analyzed Ethan Cruz's mana and followed it, enabling Rem to see where the undead heroes were, as they were connected to Ethan Cruz's mana!
'Rem?'
[I have almost found all of them. You can come into contact with four of the six undead heroes, as the other two are by Jilun Pelta. I will begin to guide you to them, Master.]
'Good. What a nice GPS.'
The battle had only just begun, and none of the heroes had died thus far. Ethan Cruz planned to order his subordinates to strike when the heroes were fatigued, but...
'But my time is now!'
'I'm going!'
The moment Rem shared the route with him, Jin ran explosively! No matter who stood before him, charged at him, attempted to catch him from behind, or dropped from the sky, none could stop Jin as all the beasts were flung away.
In an instant, all eyes were on him, but because the battle was filled with so many giant monsters, his allies couldn't really find him.
"Lee Shin Woo, that idiot. Where is he!? Umph!"
"We don't have any other choice right now. We have to calmly kill the monsters in our immediate vicinity. Don't break rank. If you go too far out, they won't be able to support us, and it'll become dangerous for us too... Ah, Retadane!"
"Huooooooooooooooh!"
Lee Shin Woo wasn't the only one who didn't follow Ethan Cruz's orders. Retadane was extremely excited, as she ran around swinging her flail.
She was skilled with a flail, and the iron mace, which contained a blinding light, cleaved through the air without any impediment. Whenever she struck an undead, the undead wouldn't be able to even utter a word before disappearing without a trace.
"What... I guess we don't have to worry about her."
"But she's human, so she'll get tired soon. Hoo, there're a lot of people we have to look over. Moreover, how far did Miss Kratia take Prince?"
"Don't you think they're preparing a huge attack of some sort?"
Lloyd and Mentes Orun synchronized their movements and pushed the undead back; while doing so, Mentes secretly smacked his lips. Kratia and Prince hadn't been buffed, so he would have to work extra hard to procure them, let alone Retadane.
'I was most wary of Lee Shin Woo, but I should be able to subdue him. It's good that that matter has been resolved, but what should I do about those two magicians?'
At this rate, Mentes Orun would have no choice but to leave those two to Ethan Cruz's reinforcements. In any case, he would focus on taking down Lloyd for now.
If they were able to procure Lee Shin Woo and Lloyd, then next, all they would need to do was wait until Retadane was fatigued. With the help of Ethan's curse and the strength of one of the 12 generals, they should be able to take her down without much difficulty.
'...I'm sorry, juniors. I wanted to see the Empire purified too. But life doesn't always go the way you want it to.'
But at that moment...
"Wait! You’re (undead seniors) working alongside one of the 12 generals!?"
A booming voice resounded throughout the battlefield. It was none other than Lee Shin Woo.
"To think you'd hide amidst the general's troops and aim for your juniors. How sad. But don't worry. As your junior, I will correct your mistakes and put you to rest!"
"...Seniors?
"..."
Lloyd tilted his head at Lee Shin Woo's proclamation, and Mentes stiffened, as their plans were going awry. On the other hand, Retadane stopped swinging her flail and broke into laughter. If they couldn't understand the meaning behind his warning, then they had no right to be here.
"No matter who it was, or why they used you, I'll get revenge in your stead! Huaaaahp!"
'Hey, you can act more naturally, can't you!?'
Lee Shin Woo completely ignored Jin's retort, found the first undead hero with Rem's help, and attacked. The undead hero wielded a greatsword and responded to his attack, but there was no way he'd be pushed back by a similarly leveled undead hero. It was the same story even if he didn't use his darkness magic.
[Kyahak!]
"Ah, I see you can't even speak...! Please have a taste of this lightning!"
No matter how much stronger it had gotten under Ethan Cruz's command, it couldn't overcome Lee Shin Woo's Rebellion and Rule of Bone skills. He killed the nearby attacking beasts with ease and then attacked. Right after Jin's back feet touched the ground, they rushed forward!
"Heup!"
[Keuk!]
Lee Shin Woo added Shadow Horn to his thrust and broke through the undead hero's greatsword with a single blow. Then, he flung the split greatsword into the air with his Breath of the Lightning God and split the heads of the attacking monsters!
"Don't interrupt my final conversation with my senior!"
[Kuaaaaaaahk!]
Lee Shin Woo’s rage caused the undead to flinch. The moment they retreated, he pushed the undead hero back and burrowed his sword into its head within a few seconds. Only the remaining lightning in the sky bore witness to how his sword moved and how he had subdued his opponent.
[You have acquired 2 secret shop permits and 28,115,470 Perium.]
[You have given peace to a comrade who walked a path they could not return from. You have partially cleared the quest objectives, and have acquired 1 secret shop permit. The maximum level of the Invisible Heart skill has increased by 1.]
"Kuheuk... I won't forget your sacrifice, Senior!"
Good. Now there were only five left. Lee Shin Woo picked up the level 7 bone and immediately used Bone Reinforcement. He then straightened himself out and his eyes shined with light. At that moment, Rem, who was flying in the sky, reported.
[The Beast General is coming your way, Master!]
"Tch, I thought I'd be able to kill two of them. What terrible timing."
Lee Shin Woo smiled bitterly. He'd only killed one of the undead heroes that had been hidden amidst the beasts, yet the Beast General was already coming to intervene. He couldn't even imagine how much influence Ethan Cruz had on the Beast General.
"Still, I can't just sit here and do nothing... Alright, let’s retreat to Retadane."
"What about them?"
"Not yet. Seems like they're going to act once the heroes are fatigued."
Lee Shin Woo and Jin conversed and then began to move. The nearby remaining beasts gritted their teeth and charged, but once Jin began to sprint at full speed, there was nothing they could do to stop him.
Jin was so fast that he couldn't be seen, as lightning struck his surroundings. Jin ran wildly, as the beasts caught aflame and were split apart.
[Stoppppp!]
As they attempted to group up with Retadane, a boulder suddenly flew towards them. Lee Shin Woo threw his Breath of the Lightning God and broke it apart. Immediately after, a bear-shaped beast charged from in front of them.
[Lv7 Werebear Suranta Bennett]
[I can't allow you to face the Beast General in person! Be a good boy and...]
"I don't have time for that!"
[Keuk!?]
Lee Shin Woo charged without waiting for it to finish. The level 7 elite stretched its thick front legs and blocked his sword; it looked surprised.
[To think you could stop my strike head on!]
"Heuuup...!"
[This is... Lightning...!?]
Lee Shin Woo concentrated and the Breath of the Lightning God's lightning briefly intensified; it then spread across the bear's body.
Suranta wasn't an elite in name only. It responded by using its mana to activate a skill, which fortified its body. However, that was the worst decision it could make. When skills clashed head on, the one that was a higher level would triumph!
[H-How can this be? My skill is...!?]
The lightning enveloped its body and burned bright. The lightning ate through its fur and skin, as well as the skill. Suranta was shocked once it realized that Lee Shin Woo's lightning had essentially canceled its skill. Then, Lee Shin Woo grinned and lunged with his Breath of the Lightning God.
"Nice. Then... Rest in peace!"
[Kahak!]
Lee Shin Woo was even able to convert all the mana on the battlefield into lightning through his intense 'breathing', so doing this was just child’s play. Then, using Bursting Thunder, he thrust with his lightning clad sword, splitting the bear in half. Although it was indeed a level 7 elite, Lee Shin Woo had easily taken care of it in less than 30 seconds!
[You have acquired 7,194,070 Perium.]
[You have acquired the Lv7 Werebear Suranta Bennet's front foot bone.]
Lee Shin Woo absorbed the bone immediately, but his Strength and Health only increased by 7 a piece. Once he saw how lousy its magic was, he figured it was weak, and it did seem like it was in the lower echelon of level 7s.
"Hoo. What's with the attitude? You were the same level as me."
'Are you going to go kill the Beast General now?'
"Let's think about that after I level up."
Even at this very moment, the Beast General was chasing after Lee Shin Woo. He could tell what state the battlefield was in based on how the Beast General was moving. Unfortunately, it wasn't Lee Shin Woo's style to fight him head on.
"Jin, run. That reliable old lady will protect us."
"Just make sure you don't say that in front of her."
Jin ran quickly, even as he grumbled. Now that the Beast General was coming for them personally, the surrounding beasts attempted to stop them, but... they weren't enough to stop Jin's sprint.
He was like a meteor as he shook off anyone following them and ran straight for Retadane! Retadane soon noticed them whilst crushing nearby beasts and yelled in surprise.
"Lee Shin Woo!?"
"Retadane, the Beast General is coming this way!"
"You really do the most outrageous things...! Please stay behind me!"
[Kuoooooooooooh!]
Lee Shin Woo successfully joined up with Retadane, and immediately after, the Beast General screamed and pushed aside the nearby beasts. It was obviously none other than the Beast General himself, but... Lee Shin Woo was somewhat doubtful when he finally saw him.
"That's the Beast General...?"
[So many annoying pests have gathered in one place! I'll round you up and kill you all!]
The giant undead yelled and charged. Its entire body was composed of bones. He couldn't believe it, it was a skeleton!
The higher level an undead, the more they resemble a human, so it made sense that Lee Shin Woo was suspicious, but... perhaps because it was a skeleton, it looked incredibly formidable! He thought it may be a stand-in or something to that effect, but when he checked the name, he confirmed that that wasn't the case.
[Lv7 Bone Werewolf - Beast General Jilun Pelta]
"It really is the Beast General..."
"Indeed. No one can even come close to his savagery and cruelty; the Tyrant of the Battlefield...! We should take him out while we have the chance!"
[Kuheu, what do we have here? It's the little lady of the Retadane house! What a joyous occasion. I'd always wanted to just eat you up!]
Once she saw the Beast General, Retadane's red eyes eerily lit up and she charged. She swung her flail with unimaginable force and her weapon was filled with a blinding light, her inherent magic.
[Kuhak! Keuk!?]
The flail cleaved through the air, and the giant bone wolf boldly took it head on. It opened its mouth wide and caught the flail. The moment they collided, the Beast General emitted a truly awful sound.
[Kuhak... How have you become so strong!?]
"It's funny when I look at you, still trapped in the past...! Keep yourself buried in the past and choke on it!"
"Buried in the past... Pfft."
Lee Shin Woo watched on, and acquired some useless information, like the fact that 'when Retadane starts fighting, she begins to say some really infantile things'! But...
'But her strength is real. Just by looking at her overwhelming physical strength and the magic within that flail will tell you how powerful she is. Moreover...'
Those were all her own abilities... They (the undead) were nothing compared to the power of light. Even now, Lee Shin Woo felt Retadane converting a portion of the mana that spilled out from her body into light. It was such a radiant light that most undead would shrink from her approach!
Most of the undead are maintained by darkness magic, but Retadane's light magic 'denies' the root of their existence and puts them in their proper place... In other words, she was trying to send them to their death. And the Beast General was no different.
[Keuk, this light magic...!]
"As the last light priest in the land... I will exterminate the undead!"
The Werewolf's fingernails, which emitted a blue light, and Retadane's flail clashed in the air a few times.
In terms of force, they were evenly matched, but whenever her weapon came into contact with him, the Beast General would become noticeably more tired. The Beast General, which wasn't able to reach level 8, wasn't able to deal with the light which covered the entire area!
[Alright... I admit, you're no longer a coy maiden anymore... Now that it's come to this, I'll fight you with my true form!]
"What? We're on the second phase already?"
In the end, the Beast General admitted that he couldn't let this go on, retreated, and gathered himself. For the time being, Lee Shin Woo watched their fight and attempted to analyze it. He couldn't help but feel disappointed after watching the Beast General get hit a few times!
"Lee Shin Woo, how long do you intend to just sit there and watch? You're the one who lured him over here."
"Of course I'll help. Haha. I was just looking for the right opportunity since it's so hard to keep track of your movements, Ms. Retadane."
Lee Shin Woo was done being a spectator. If he could, he would've waited until the Beast General showed the trick up his sleeve, but he couldn't just do anything when Retadane was staring at him and asking for assistance.
Moreover, Lee Shin Woo had been overlooking this, but with the continual expenditure of mana and stamina, Retadane would eventually get tired (as she wasn't undead, but a human being)! Even now, her breathing had become haggard, albeit slightly. If he took into account the fact that this was the opportunity Ethan Cruz was looking for, then he couldn't just let her be.
"Beast General, it's my turn!"
[Kuha. You're going to face me now?]
"You despoiled my senior's bodies! I'll take your life in exchange!"
Lee Shin Woo said, which was just as embarrassing as anything Retadane would say, and rushed forward. He let Retadane catch her breath and charged! He concentrated his mana into a Breath of the Lightning God, and the Beast General faced him while smiling, as if finding him ridiculous.
[In the end, you will all serve His Majesty... As proof, I'll take you first!]
At that moment, splitting sounds came from the Beast General's body as his bones broke apart. No, at least that's what he thought was happening. Then, the broken areas were repaired with new bones. Bone was tangled with other bones in a complicated manner, and the Werewolf began to grow! He was transforming!
[Kureureureureu... Kuhaaaaaah!]
He was already quite large, but he had grown in size by about two or three times. Sharply split bones sprouted from his back, resembling thorns.
They sprouted on his arms, down to the back of his hands, his stomach, and even all the way down to his legs! His entire body was covered in a bone armor, which made it difficult to even make out his original form. What Lee Shin Woo was sure of however was that the Beast General's strength had increased significantly!
[The strength of the 12 generals is absolute, and cannot be measured with mere levels! No matter how much you look at my level, or measure my magic, they're ultimately just numbers! I'll kindly teach you that lesson with your bodies!]
"Werewolf transformation... To think that you could develop that technique even further as an undead."
Retadane focused her light magic into her flail and gritted her teeth. Lee Shin Woo listened and had some idea of what she was talking about. Just a little while ago, Bisher Moon had explained this to him.
The Beast Tribe possesses a separate human and animal form, but by using magic, they can topple this balance. They would strengthen the animal's unique characteristics and temporarily increase their strength through the transformation technique.
However, high rank members of the Beast Tribe could go one step further and surpass their limits, further reinforcing their bodies or even awakening an unknown specialty that could not normally exist in this world. At the time, Lee Shin Woo had just wrote it off as them transforming into a fantasy beast, but...
[Thorn Wolf. That's my special ability... Keuk, keuk. Can you still stay that I'm still 'buried in the past' or what not? Fool. I gained a new body and became stronger than you could ever imagine!]
"Keuk...!"
He declared and launched a left straight at Lee Shin Woo. Lee Shin Woo calmly blocked the blow with his Breath of the Lightning God but was pushed by the Werewolf’s ridiculous strength. To think that he would be pushed back, especially when Jin had increased the force with his charge!
[I'll skewer both you and your horse...!]
"Tch!"
He'd thought that the Beast General's transformation was over with, but the sprouting thorns continued to get larger and larger, and attacked Lee Shin Woo and Jin simultaneously!
They attempted to get away from him, but his Breath of the Lightning God was stuck between two of the general's fingernails. What's worse, nails sprouted up from between his fingernails as well, wrapping around his blade like vines. It was honestly quite disgusting.
If it were the average day, then he would've blown up the Breath of the Lightning God, or summon a new weapon to block the general's attack, but Retadane was watching him right now, so he couldn't show off his skills. If that's the case, then...
'I have to go with Bursting Thunder!'
Lee Shin Woo rapidly circulated his magic and focused it into his Breath of the Lightning God. He used his High Rank Mana Bone skill as a base to activate his Mana Acceleration skill, forming magic that would be effective against the general! He used High Rank Combat Sense as well in order to calculate the optimum course of action...!
"Heup!"
[Kuhak!?]
For a moment, the lightning reached its peak. The electric discharge burned the general's fingernails and thorns instantly, and the freed Breath of the Lightning God moved at blinding speed; cutting through all the thorns that had been coming their way!
He cut through dozens of thorns at lightning speed, which resembled exploding lightning. It had both goosebump inducing precision and destructive power, so no matter how many thorns came at him and obstructed his vision, he could cut them all down, so long as he moved optimally.
'Huh...?'
But at that moment, Lee Shin Woo realized something that was completely unrelated to Bursting Thunder.
'How was I able to see those thorns and cut them down all at once?'
Of course, it was likely due to his Combat Sense, as well as his connection with Jin, which amplified his reflexes, but that definitely wasn't everything. It felt like he could naturally perceive the thorns with something else before his senses picked them up. Yeah, as if he could see the right course of action beforehand...
[You're quite powerful as well...! I'll crush you!]
"I've had just about enough of you doing whatever you want!"
But before Lee Shin Woo could come to an answer, Retadane, who had caught her breath, took the opportunity to swing her light covered flail at the Beast General.
[Keuk!?]
"Don't leave me behind!"
'Stop talking like a guy who has been dumped by his girlfriend!'
The Beast General was shocked and attempted to retreat, but it was Lee Shin Woo's time to pay him back now! He was weak compared to Retadane or other level 8s, but his 'breathing', which utilized Mana Acceleration, converted the area's mana into lightning and stopped the Beast General for just an instant. That small span of time was enough for Retadane to get a direct hit on the Beast General.
[Kuhak!]
"That ability just now... That was good. Let's talk after we take him down!"
"Ok!"
Like Lee Shin Woo had done, Retadane had also analyzed Lee Shin Woo's fight with the Beast General while she was catching her breath, and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike. Now was the time to make use of that information for the two to push him back!
[Kuhu... You're trying to handle me, the Beast General, with just the two of you!?]
The Beast General used the force behind Retadane's strike to retreat and activated an ability to restore his bones. Then he shouted bravely, but on the inside, he felt that he was in danger; if things went wrong, then he might die before their plan was even set into motion.
And thus, the battle between the strongest hero duo and one of the 12 generals began.
Lee Shin Woo obviously noticed the Beast General's skill activation before Retadane. Since he possessed the Rule of Bone skill and was a Breathing Bone Joker, he was more sensitive to anything regarding bones and could react more quickly than anyone else.
'But this is...'
However, that wasn't all. The moment he'd created the Garden of Thorns, Lee Shin Woo felt a new possibility. The giant bone thorns had certainly originated from the Beast General, yet he felt like he could control them himself.
Rule of Bone was originally a skill that allowed him to control his own bones and reinforce them. It made him even stronger than before and allowed him to freely use the equipment summoned through the Bone Armory skill.
'There are exactly 17 thorns coming for me. Their sizes vary, but they're at least 5 meters. They're connected through darkness magic and they simultaneously bind their target and inflict persistent damage. It's a malicious, but also effective attack. I can see it all. I can see it as if it's only natural...'
But it was different now. He instinctively knew how these bones, which were created by the Beast General, looked, their structure, and even how they would move. Lee Shin Woo knew now how he was so easily able to avoid the Beast General’s attacks earlier. It was obvious, wasn't it? He could understand the Beast General's bones as well as his own!
Since that was possible, then it should be possible for him to steal control over them. A hunch and being deluded were two different things. But he was sure.
[The Rule of Bone skill has become Lv11. All stats have increased by 15. You have become able to interfere with another's control over their bones. The effectiveness of all bone related abilities has increased.]
It was only natural that his skill would level up here. Through it, Lee Shin Woo gained a deeper understanding of bone (the material) and gained the ability to steal control over another's bones and use them as his own.
For now, he would need to split the bones from his main body, like the Beast General's Garden of Thorns, limit the number of connections, and use his darkness magic as the foundation to control it all, thus requiring a magic technique that was way too complicated. However, if he practiced and further refined this technique, he was sure that he would reach an even higher level. Since most living organisms possessed bones.
'It sounds almighty...'
'So if your skill didn't level up, wouldn't we have just died without being able to do anything?'
'You might've died.'
'Yeah, yeah.'
Lee Shin Woo had used his Rule of Bone to get out of the Garden of Thorns and decided to temporarily lay low underground with Jin. It was only possible because the Garden of Thorns had significantly softened the ground.
"Damn. It would've been nice if the Beast General was level 8."
"You with your big head as soon as you stand."
"Even if we wait, he's not going to become level 8 any time soon... Tch, I guess we should end it."
Although he had stolen control over the Beast General's bones, it wasn't like he could take him down easily. It was only possible because Retadane was unleashing her light magic to its fullest and blocking the Beast General head on!
"You look tired, Jilun Pelta."
[You do too... You were only able to hit me with that crude iron mace because of that man. You didn't know? What do you plan on doing now that that man has run away?]
"Hoo. ...I'll show you."
"Yeah, that's the way, old lady!"
"You keep going and I'll hit you."
"Now!"
Retadane had done her job well. Once the Beast General focused all of his attention on Retadane, Lee Shin Woo stole control over all his thorns and used them against him. And then exploded them! He had even exploded the Beast General's magic within the thorns, so the damage inflicted was unimaginable.
[You have hunted a member of the 12 generals, the Lv7 Beast General, Jilun Pelta! All contributing heroes acquire 30,000,000 Perium, and all stats are increased by 100. You have acquired 10 permits to God's secret shop. Proficiency in all combat related skills has increased dramatically!]
[Lucky Strike has activated! The Lucky Strike skill has become Lv2.]
[The Mana Acceleration skill has become Lv3. Magic has increased by 10.]
[You have received God's grace. The Invisible Heart skill's max level has increased by 10.]
He did it. With this, he had killed three of the 12 generals by himself! Lee Shin Woo had also succeeded in turning the situation on its head and made it progress in a direction that Ethan Cruz couldn't have expected. However, Lee Shin Woo knew that Retadane would be suspicious of him if he appeared before her right now, so he and Jin hid amongst the group of undead. If he used the vibrations, the smoke, and the light from the explosion, then it would be easy to hide.
"What about the bone then? Are you giving it up?"
"Give up the bone of one of the 12 generals? Are you insane?"
Lee Shin Woo said, and something flew towards him from the center of the explosion. It was the bone that Jilun Belta had left behind. He snatched it and grinned at Jin.
"This much is no problem for me with Rule of Bone."
"Shin Woo. Looks like something came along with it."
[You have acquired the Bayran inner map.]
"This again? ...Though it does look a bit different from the last one."
According to the other 12 generals' memories, Bayran was a huge city, directly connected to the capital. They would have to reach it before moving on to the capital.
I felt natural to gain the Bayran inner map from defeating the 12 generals, but it was also suspicious as well. He couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was leading him there on purpose.
'Moreover, the maps all differ in crucial points. They're all slightly different in terms of the traps and the monster habitats. Even so, they don't seem to be fakes... I'll need some more of them before I make a decision.'
Lee Shin Woo was sure that he'd be able to make a proper map with just two more of them. The 12 generals probably don't think that one person could hold five pieces of the map. He needed to work hard, if for no other reason than to screw them over.
"Let's assume we'll go to Bayran later and put it aside for now... What are you going to do now, Shin Woo?"
"All the heroes should know that one of the 12 generals has been killed. If Ethan Cruz has something up his sleeve, then he'll put it out right now. Moreover, there's a chance that his plan will speed up now. ...So, we'll keep up with him and prepare as well."
Fortunately, they were in the heart of enemy territory. The huge beasts were easily hiding them. It was all too easy for them to hide a single hero. ...And if the 13th general were to suddenly appear from within, then no one would know the reason.
"But I think I should absorb this bone right away. Keep an eye out for me while I'm absorbing it."
"You got it."
He hadn't had any expectations before they'd met, but he was sure that he would be highly compatible with the bone, as Jilun Pelta had been able to freely control his bones. So sure that he was willing to execute Bone Reinforcement in the middle of the battlefield!
Lee Shin Woo left everything to Jin, grabbed the bone, discarded any lingering doubts, and executed Bone Reinforcement.
[Consuming the Lv7 Beast General, Jilun Pelta's tailbone to execute Bone Reinforcement. Strength has increased by 25, Agility by 30, and Health by 17.]
Although he'd acquired a ton of stats, this was just the beginning. He hadn't even absorbed half of the bone's power yet. Immediately after, a huge explosion erupted within his body, as if to prove that. An explosion of creation that broke apart the old and replaced it with the new.
[The High Rank Combat Sense skill has become Lv4 and Agility has increased by 20. The High Rank Regeneration skill has become Lv3, and Health and Magic have increased by 20. High Rank Lightning Sprint has become Lv4, and Agility and Magic have increased by 20.]
With the huge increase in skill proficiency, a few of his skills leveled up and he gained the accompanying stats that came with them. Was it because the Beast General had more actual combat experience than the other 12 generals? The amount of skill proficiency he'd gained was no joke.
However, that wasn't the end. Not yet. The most important thing remained. Lee Shin Woo felt the mana seethe within him; the torrent of mana made his bones feel as though they would break and explode any moment now. Lee Shin Woo calmly regulated and circulated his mana, and waited for that moment.
All of his bones were shaking, and some of them were split and regenerated. At the end of this intense evolution, he got what was he waiting for.
[The Bone Armory skill has become Lv10. Health and Magic have increased by 20. You can now summon and control ten pieces of equipment at once. All the information of equipment stored within the Bone Armory is shared and reinforced.]
He'd finally gained the ability he'd been waiting for. Although they were on the battlefield, Lee Shin Woo wanted to laugh, and there was a good reason for that.
[You have become able to bestow the equipment stored within Bone Armory with Lv6 Fire, Ice, Acid, or Lightning. However, this excludes some of the equipment that already has an innate element.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv6 Drake Bone Full Armor.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Titan's Fortress.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Lightning God's Fury.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Fire Dragon's Scale Greatsword.]
[You have become able to summon the Lv7 Giant Drake Horn Lance.]
[You have managed to fuse and evolve several pieces of equipment. The Bone Reinforcement skill has become Lv12. You can extract a large amount of information and abilities from a bone lacking in information.]
'Finally... I finally got it!'
Everything had most likely opened up for him once he upgraded the Bone Armory skill. The miraculous possibility that came from fusing bone equipment. A piece of equipment that was one of its kind and that only he could create.
Lee Shin Woo raised his head. He switched out the level 5 bone armor he wore with another. His new armor was pitch black, as though it would suck in everything. With the Drake Horn as its base, this armor was created by combining all the advantageous aspects of the bones he'd absorbed thus far.
[Drake Bone Full Armor]
[Lv6]
[Durability - 3,700/3,700]
[Defense - 1,500 - 1,650]
It lacked options, but it would change when Lee Shin Woo added an element to it.
Before discussing the elemental aspect, the armor he wore now had a much greater defense stat than the one before, so Lee Shin Woo was incredibly satisfied. But what was even more amazing was...
'The innate elements of the Lightning God's Fury and the Fire Dragon's Scale Greatsword are too strong, so I can't add any other element yet, but the Giant Drake Horn Lance is different. A level 7 artifact with a level 6 element...'
However, when Lee Shin Woo was about to summon the new Giant Drake Horn Lance and observe it, Rem passed on a brief but powerful signal. Lee Shin Woo stopped what he was doing and looked up. There was something faint that he could see across the sky.
"Jin."
"Yeah, I feel it too."
He had originally planned to buy some more time, but Lee Shin Woo and Retadane had defeated the Beast General too quickly, so Ethan Cruz's plan had gone awry. Not properly assessing Lee Shin Woo's abilities was the cause of his defeat.
"The sky...!?"
[It is the Vulture General's airborne undead troops!]
"What? Another one of the 12 generals...!?"
Ethan Cruz must've ordered the Vulture General to enter the battle. He had probably forgotten about the two magicians that hadn't been blessed by him and had run away. And where they were and what they were preparing...
"Give them a big one!"
Lee Shin Woo heard a cute girl's voice from the faraway mountainside. It was Kratia's voice, a voice he was more familiar with than anyone's.
Of course, it was unlikely that anyone forgot that she existed, but right now, the girls' magic was more important than whether or not anyone forgot about them. Kratia said something about a 'big one', but the giant ice spear that manifested in the air was large enough to topple an entire mountain.
[What...?]
An airborne undead caught notice of them... It was probably the Vulture General who had noticed, but it was already too late. Once the battle had begun... No, she had prepared a spell just for him, long before the battle had even started.
[Kuhahk!?]
"I'm here too... I'm going!"
Prince followed suit, casting the spell she had prepared. She summoned half of the Fire Demon's body into the air, wild magic that would strike at any of the airborne undead!
The gigantic ice and fire dyed the air and forced these invaders, who had trespassed onto a sacred battlefield, onto the ground. One of them was definitely the Vulture General.
"Nice. Very nice."
Lee Shin Woo confirmed and grinned inwardly. It wouldn't be a bad idea to depart and kill the Vulture General right away, but... it was about time for the traitors to make their move. After all, his original goal was to protect the heroes.
"Then, shall we begin Jin?"
"Ok."
Jin smiled as well. Although it shouldn't be noticeable on a skeleton, one could easily tell how the two skeletons were feeling.
Who had sprung whose trap? A grand festival had begun, one which would determine the predator and the prey.
