Chapter 55

Chapter 54: Cause and Effect

"Disgusting necromancer, aren't you? It seems you enjoy dirty little games."

"To call these lovely creatures dirty... I suppose that's how they would look to a criminal's eyes."

Alex stroked the monsters lined up to his left and right. It seemed that to him, the monsters whose insides were visible through their skin truly appeared lovely.

"Even if I look at them, those eyes seem to be purely decorative. I don't think even LASIK would work. I recommend just plucking them out."

Patsutsutsu!

A blue aura rose from Jinhyuk's dagger.

A dazzling light instantly enveloped the entire sword.

"Puhaha! A sword beam, indeed. As expected of an S-rank. No, with this level of magic power, you must be among the best of the S-rank."

Despite seeing the sword beam, Alex sneered with a relaxed expression.

"If you're relying on the rags behind you, that's a big mistake."

"Of course not. Did I think I could deal with you with just this?"

Alex smiled.

At the same time.

Kukukuku!

A black aura surged.

[Alex activates Level 5 'Magic Dissolution'!]

A wide-area skill covering the entire mansion.

A sinister aura instantly penetrated the skin.

"Kuaaah!"

"My head... my head!"

"My body feels like it's being torn apart."

The guests screamed and collapsed in their seats.

A curse that forcibly extracted the vitality from their entire bodies. As a result, the people in the room faced the pain of their bodies melting away while still alive, and it happened very slowly.

"Kuep."

Jinhyuk frowned.

He felt a tingling pain, but thanks to protecting his body with magic power, his skin did not melt away.

"Sa, save... me..."

"Please..."

People begged for their lives.

Most were middle-aged or elderly.

"Daddy... mommy. It hurts."

Occasionally, there were young children.

'They must be the families of the people who received the invitations.'

It was too cruel to die just for being here.

Especially if a child were to die, it would haunt me for the rest of my life.

There was still about 10 minutes before they would completely dissolve and die.

If I could suppress Alex, the caster, and stop the dissolution within that time, there was still a chance.

10 minutes.

10 minutes.

I don't need to risk my life to save these people.

There's no need to act hastily.

However, if I just lie on the floor like this without causing any trouble...

"..."

Jinhyuk looked at Alex.

Their gazes met.

"What's that dissatisfied look for? Why? Does it bother you so much to see these bugs die?"

"Bugs?"

"Yes. What other way is there to describe these insignificant creatures that can only be used as materials for magic power?"

Pfft.

Jinhyuk let out a hollow laugh at Alex's words.

At this point, it's so absurd that words can't even describe it.

"That's why I don't get along with you necromancers. Even if I wanted to, I can't stand your very existence."

"Hmm. I expected someone of S-rank to be more realistic. Are you one of those disgusting emotional manipulators? This world doesn't run on sympathy. It's sustained by the law of the jungle."

"That's well said."

The law of the jungle.

I agree with that, at least.

"Since you said it, don't blame me if you die."

"It sounds like you think you're stronger than me."

"Do you think otherwise?"

Suddenly.

Patsutsu!

Jinhyuk's sword trembled.

['Tomb of Swords' is activated!]

A much darker and more ominous aura seeped out, far more intense than what Alex had used.

The blue sword beam that had been burning now turned black.

At the same time.

Kwaang!

Jinhyuk leaped forward from his seat.

The distance closed in an instant.

The dagger, held in reverse, pierced into the flesh of the monsters.

"Kieeek!"

"Keeek!"

Despite having fairly thick subcutaneous fat, it wasn't enough to block the sword beam.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwak!

The ultimate skill that cut through anything it touched.

With the sword strikes crisscrossing, over ten monsters were sliced into dozens of pieces.

However.

['Blood Barrier' is activated!]

['Range-specific regeneration for undead' has begun!]

The additional skill 'Blood Barrier' activated due to the effect of the Magic Dissolution.

Gulung! Gulung!

The severed flesh began to heal instantly.

"Even bugs, when gathered in such numbers, can be quite interesting. There's no better material for regeneration than this."

Alex chuckled.

Indeed.

He's trying to buy time this way.

As long as the people's vitality is being extracted, the monsters will keep regenerating.

In the end, I'll run out of magic power and get exhausted.

It's a standard tactic.

It's a standard tactic, but...

"I feel sorry for you."

"What?"

"I feel sorry for you, showing off this as your trump card."

Regeneration? Healing?

If I eliminate them before they have a chance to regenerate, that's all there is to it, right?

Jinhyuk pointed the tip of his dagger at Alex.

Woooom!

Light began to gather at a single point.

The black aura dissipated, replaced by a blinding flash.

[Level 2 'Daylight' is activated!]

The white aura that burned the retinas made the monsters twist their bodies in agony.

"Kieeee!"

"Keeeeeek!"

It must be painful.

Light attribute skills cause significant damage to dark attribute monsters just by manifesting.

"Tch! As expected, you use that!"

Alex clicked his tongue, as if he had anticipated it.

He had already seen it in the video of the battle with Cheonyu.

The skill that compresses magic power into a single point and releases it in a straight line, a nightmare for the undead.

That's why he was prepared.

He had planned to disperse immediately if that skill was activated.

Alex redistributed his magic power.

The command from the commander penetrated the minds of the undead.

However.

For some reason, the undead didn't move at all.

"What, what is this?"

What is it?

"They can't move because I froze their feet."

To maximize the effect of the skill, Jinhyuk had prepared a combination of the skills he possessed.

One of them was using the area-of-effect skill 'Daylight' and the movement-restricting skill 'Ice Formation'.

The only drawback of 'Daylight' is the time it takes to activate. However, 'Ice Formation' could compensate for that.

With this.

"Checkmate."

The corners of Jinhyuk's mouth turned upward.

At that moment.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwak!

A massive light enveloped the monsters.

***

Sssss!

Heat rose from the ground.

Not a single monster survived.

All the cells capable of regeneration had evaporated.

'This is better than I expected, even on my first try.'

Jinhyuk let out a small exclamation.

By fusing the copied skills to create a superior version of a new skill and combining them to create an optimized battlefield, the thrill that comes from it is incomparable.

On the other hand.

"I, this can't be..."

Alex couldn't accept the current situation.

It was a fight that would end in just 10 minutes.

If all the humans in the room dissolved, he could summon a higher-level undead monster.

But for the undead, even with the 'Blood Barrier', to be wiped out in one strike...

It's impossible.

"Damn it!"

Chak!

Alex pulled out a surgical scalpel from his coat.

A transparent liquid dripped from the sharp blade.

It was poison.

I understand the desperation, but...

"Are you serious?"

A necromancer charging into close combat?

Just as he thought that.

Alex suddenly threw the scalpel in his hand.

The attack aimed directly at his face.

Kang!

Jinhyuk deflected it with a single strike.

The scalpel, cut in half, rolled on the floor.

"Disappointing. Was your only plan to flee?"

Why did he try to draw attention with the weapon?

It seems he planned to divert attention momentarily and escape during that time.

Black smoke rose around Alex's body.

A special skill that only necromancers could use.

'Twisted Gap.'

A short-range teleportation skill for escape.

Sssss.

The smoke grew thicker.

The skill was about to activate.

Of course, Jinhyuk wasn't going to let it happen.

"Throwing is... done like this."

The basic is to gauge the shortest distance to the target.

And it must be fast enough that the opponent can't react.

Pang!

The dagger left Jinhyuk's hand and pierced Alex's chest.

"Kuaaah!"

The heavy pain canceled the skill activation.

"How about it? I've given you a lesson in eye level. Do you understand now?"

"Kuluk! Kuk! Kukuk!"

"Ah! You don't have to struggle to answer. With the dagger in your lung, breathing will be difficult."

"Kuuuu... Sa, save... me..."

"You enjoyed making others suffer so much, but you don't like it for yourself?"

Isn't that a bit unfair?

A true necromancer should also enjoy their own suffering.

"Kuk, kuk. Kurr..."

Alex grabbed Jinhyuk's shoe, but Jinhyuk ignored his plea.

"I'll tell you how you're going to die now."

Listen carefully, as it's a spoiler for your life.

It's about you, not anyone else.

"Over the next one or two hours, blood will slowly fill your lungs."

Human life is surprisingly resilient.

All the organs in your body will do their best to keep you alive, even for just one more second.

"And after that long time, your lungs will finally be filled with blood, and you'll suffocate to death."

It's not as bad as burning to death, but it's still one of the most gruesome deaths.

The more he heard about his own end, the more Alex's face contorted in agony.

"That... is... not... possible."

"Of course, I can end your suffering quickly. If you stop the Magic Dissolution yourself."

"......!"

"Why? Do you still have loyalty to the Necromancer Association? It's all meaningless once you're dead, isn't it?"

If you think the Necromancer Association will hang a portrait of you and hold a memorial service every year, you're mistaken.

Alex was at best a discardable card.

'They'll just replace you with a new one when you're no longer needed.'

So there's no need to be loyal to such people.

Just betray them and make things easier.

It would be better for both of us.

The hesitation didn't last long.

"I... understand. The promise. Kuluk! The promise is... "

"I'll keep it, so stop the Magic Dissolution."

"......"

Finally, Alex seemed to make up his mind and snapped his fingers.

Then.

[Alex destroys 'Magic Dissolution'!]

['Blood Barrier' is dismantled!]

The magic power that had enveloped the mansion disappeared.

At the same time, the groans of the guests subsided.

"Now... free me from this... damn pain... Kuk! Kuluk! Kuluk! It feels like my chest is burning every time I breathe."

Alex begged.

With each word, his expression became more and more agonized.

It must feel like a heated skewer being poked deep into his lungs.

"I'm sorry, but I don't really like killing."

"......What?"

"Life is precious, so I can't bring myself to take a life with my own hands."

"Wh, what the hell... is that?"

Alex reached out his hand toward Jinhyuk.

Of course, his slow hand couldn't even grab Jinhyuk's pants.

'This is a fitting end for a piece of trash.'

No, one hour is too short.

Considering the evil deeds he has committed so far.

The necromancer's class quest. Just completing it doesn't warrant any sympathy.

Die as long and painfully as possible.

While atoning for the sin of conducting human experiments on innocent people and defiling the dead to create undead.