Chapter 244 (1/2)
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The Lich King’s aim was rather simple…
“By killing all living beings, I shall tear down the boundary between the dead and the living.”
And quite horrifying in nature.
Monsters emerging from the dungeons simply went on indiscriminate killing sprees while staying true to their base instincts, but this particular creature followed its set of beliefs.
It was quite a simple-minded theory.
Reviving the dead was so difficult that it was basically an impossibility, but killing the living was incomparably easier. A human would die if a knife stabbed their heart, after all.
This creature wished to become an equal of living humans not by becoming a living being itself, but by killing every single living thing out there.
The god of all the dead.
That sure sounded like an epic title. When Su-hyeun first met the Lich King, he even wondered if the undead creature could really be a god.
This bastard was quite difficult to miss, and his ability to command all the dead with just one word was nothing more than a monster showing off its petty tricks.
But now…
“In the end, it’s just another human ability, that’s all.”
Plop, plop—
One by one, the dead began kneeling before Su-hyeun. They were submitting to him.
He stared at the Lich King. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“So, you’re finally here.”
The Lich King’s face was expressionless, which was to be expected since it didn’t have skin or flesh, unlike regular humans. However, even then, Su-hyeun could tell to some degree what the mood and the expression of the undead creature were currently like.
It would certainly not be of “happiness,” that’s for sure.
When the loyal believers who worshiped you suddenly kneeled before somebody else—a living person at that—you would not feel good as well.
“If you were laying out a trap, you should’ve done a better job. Who were you planning to catch with such a sloppy little trap back there?” Su-hyeun spoke up.
“That trap wasn’t meant for you. If it was, I’d have paid a little more attention to it.”
“That attention you’re talking about? You better start paying it now,” Su-hyeun said while scanning all the undead currently kneeling toward him. “No matter how strong or terrifying you are, in the end, your powers are nothing more than some abilities that a living person used to possess. With only that much, you shouldn’t be so arrogant as you are now.”
At the end of the day, the Lich King was no better than a human. No, he was worse than a human. He longed for the living so much that he ended up causing events like the current one, after all.
“Your ability didn’t belong to you in the first place,” said the Lich King in a flat, calm voice. “No, it was my sibling’s.”
Those words caused the light in Su-hyeun’s eyes to brighten up.
The Lich King’s sibling—the bastard that had temporarily invaded Roy’s body back in the 50th floor’s trial.
“Besides, this isn’t the full extent of my abilities.”
Giii-iiing—
The Lich King raised his hand. At the same time, the kneeling undead began standing back up one by one while letting out creaking noises.
“All these creatures belong to me. Do you truly believe that you could steal away my subjects with such a superficial ability?”
“Well, you aren’t wrong about that one.”
Su-hyeun and the Lich King both possessed the same types of abilities. Even if that was the case, the latter had been wielding his power far, far longer than the former did.
Not only that, but all the undead summoned here were also souls subjugated by the Lich King himself. Therefore, it was obvious that they would be affected far more by his control rather than Su-hyeun’s.
“And that’s why I’m relieved.”
“What?”
However, Su-hyeun actually welcomed this development.
If his own Necromancer trait exhibited far stronger control over the souls he personally harvested, then…
“Arise.”
It meant that all the souls Su-hyeun currently possessed could not be taken over by the Lich King either.
Gu-gugugugu—
The ground began rocking violently.
Something absolutely massive was writhing beneath the surface. It was as if an earthquake was breaking the ground.
Not too long after that, the thing responsible for it was fully revealed.
Kwa-duk, kwa-booooom—!
Kii-aaaah—!
A massive head that emerged from below overturned the earth. The entrance of the Ouroboros boasted its breadth of dozens of meters and body length that was seemingly enough to pierce the heavens above.
“Whoa! What the hell is this?”
Gordon tutted and stared at the newly emerged Ouroboros.
The entrance of the gigantic snake caused hundreds of skeletons trapped underneath it to be crushed flat. More notably, the snake itself wasn’t just mere bones anymore. Although it looked emaciated, as if it hadn’t eaten in a while, some amount of flesh and hide covered its whole body.
[Dead Summoning]
<ul>
Summon a body without a soul. The designated body will not decompose and will be stored away. The number that can be stored will rise with proficiency.
Depending on your proficiency, you can summon the target’s body in a more intact state.
Proficiency: 43%
LV: 6
The number that can be stored: 120
Application rate: 68%
</ul>
An application rate of 68% percent.
That was the current effect of the Dead Summoning skill Su-hyeun possessed.
The initial application rate for “Dead Summoning” was only about 40%. With only that much, the summoned undead couldn’t even exhibit half of its original strength when it was still alive.
However, the story was much more different now.
Kii-aaaah—!
The summoned Ouroboros now resembled an actual living monster. Just this creature alone wouldn’t lose to the undead army of tens of thousands in sheer presence. However, this wasn’t even the end.
[“Ouroboros’s offspring” has been summoned.]
[“Cerberus” has been summoned.]
[“Hydra” has been summoned.]
[“Death Knight” has…]
Dozens of summoned creatures began appearing all around Su-hyeun next. Every single one of them was an existence that could serve as the boss of green- and blue-colored dungeons.
Su-hyeun spoke up, “I guess this qualifies as turning the table, right?”
Crunch, crush—
BOOM—!
The undead army of tens of thousands was rapidly crushed to powder.
The Lich King looked at the army he had called out. For sure, the current number seemed far too inadequate.
“Turning the table, you said?”
The “Dead Summoning.”
He had no idea that Su-hyeun could also wield that power.
The Lich King hurriedly moved his hands. He drew a large circle as big as himself in mid-air and then rapidly laid out a magic circle within it.
Paaang—!
Giiii-iiiing—
The magic circle began activating. Almost at the same time, Lichs with a similar appearance as himself started appearing one by one from all directions.