Chapter 10

At first, he thought it was just an illusion due to the minuscule amount, but then—

Whoosh!

Once he recognized it, a flood of energy rushed into his body as if a dam had burst. Since he had opened all his mana circuits to expel the energy from the Donghua Xianjue, the energy flowed into his body in an instant.

A system message appeared before his eyes.

[An 'Unknown Entity' has bestowed upon you the 'Curse of Death.']

[An unstoppable 'Death Aura' begins to envelop your entire body.]

The nature of the energy coursing through his mana circuits was simple.

'So, it's the Curse of Death.'

Someone had cursed him, and a death-laden aura had poured over him at the right moment, fitting the name.

Then, who?

There was only one person who could have sent such a curse to him.

'It must be that guy.'

Yoo Jin-sang. It was him.

His deduction was accurate. Although Yoo Shin-yun didn't know, the Curse of Death created by Gwak Joo-san and Ha Kyun had been aimed at him.

-Now, rest in peace beside your father, who was sent ahead.

Yoo Jin-sang's words to him when he was unconscious came back to him.

'So, this was the method.'

Only now did he realize how Yoo Jin-sang had assassinated Yoo Ho-yeol and Yoo Shin-yun. Initially, he suspected poisoning, but since no poison was detected when he first woke up, he had continued to doubt the cause.

But a curse?

It was an unexpected method.

'The power in this world isn't just martial arts.'

He now understood why no one had noticed the secret behind Yoo Ho-yeol and Yoo Shin-yun's deaths.

'How could a doctor have noticed this?'

There was no one in this world's medical field who could detect the power of a curse. Instead, it seemed more akin to the power of the hunters from his previous life.

To make someone suffer from an incurable disease and die slowly—wasn't that the ultimate assassination technique?

Ordinary people in this world, who were vulnerable to such spiritual attacks, would meet their end helplessly and defenselessly.

But then, suddenly, Yoo Shin-yun's body began to stir.

'Kuk, kuk.'

He couldn't suppress the laughter that burst out in this serious situation. Tears even welled up in his eyes.

For some reason, a smile appeared on his face.

'How could this be so perfectly timed!'

Yoo Shin-yun was only grateful to Yoo Jin-sang. The reason would be clear from the series of system messages that filled his vision.

[Your entire body is filled with 'Death Aura.']

[Your body begins to be infused with vitality.]

[For 3 hours, your health recovery effect increases by 300%.]

'What a windfall!'

He rejoiced. The Death Aura contained in the curse was indeed a terrifying force that drained life and led to death for ordinary people. However, for a 'Necromancer' like him, it had a completely different effect.

[All 'Death Aura' in your body is converted into 'Negative Mana.']

[The amount of Negative Mana has increased dramatically.]

[Your experience has increased dramatically.]

The aura of death, the very essence of 'Negative Mana.'

Just as a Holy Mage using holy magic wouldn't be harmed, a Necromancer using necromancy wouldn't suffer. In fact, pouring the same energy into someone who uses the same energy is like giving them strength.

Indeed, Yoo Jin-sang had bestowed a blessing, not a curse, upon Yoo Shin-yun.

Yoo Shin-yun, with a smile, examined the Negative Mana that filled his body.

'The amount is enormous. Was it amplified through some ritual?'

More Negative Mana was flowing into him than he had absorbed from graves over several days through spirit extraction. It was enough to overflow the capacity of a 2nd Circle Mana Heart.

Then,

'If the container is too small, I can just expand it!'

He couldn't miss this golden opportunity. He immediately began moving the Negative Mana, which filled his body, to his heart to achieve the 3rd Circle.

'Slowly, as slowly as possible! Without overexerting!'

The Negative Mana, which had been agitated by the Donghua Xianjue, was overjoyed to see its comrades join in.

Rumble! Rumble!

The two rings already formed began to rotate busily, and all the Negative Mana in his body gathered in his heart.

It was a tense moment. If this succeeded, he could drastically reduce the time needed for spirit extraction and the expanded Negative Mana would certainly allow the Donghua Xianjue to take root.

A short while later,

Had his efforts paid off?

[The skill 'Negative Mana Heart' has reached rank C+.]

[The Negative Mana in 'Negative Mana Heart' has reached the 3rd Circle.]

[The trait 'Necromancy' has reached rank C+.]

[All Necromancy-related skills gain additional proficiency.]

[The skill 'Skeleton Mastery' has reached maximum proficiency.]

[The skill 'Skeleton Mastery' has reached rank C.]

[The number of summonable minions has increased to 6 due to rank up.]

[New types of skeletons have been added due to rank up.]

[You can summon 'Skeleton Monk'.]

[You can summon 'Skeleton Lancer'.]

He received the messages he had hoped for. He immediately checked his Mana Heart.

Three distinct rings were felt, each supporting and enhancing the others.

'Great!'

Yoo Shin-yun couldn't hide his joy. It was well-deserved. The gap between the 2nd and 3rd Circles was vast, and in his previous life, most Necromancers couldn't reach the 3rd Circle even after a lifetime of effort.

His Necromancy trait had jumped two ranks to C+.

As a result, Skeleton Mastery also leveled up, and he could now control six skeletons simultaneously, gaining the classes of Monk and Lancer, which were martial and spear-wielding classes.

'Already at the level of a B-rank Hunter.'

He marveled internally. Compared to his growth rate in his previous life, this was incredibly fast.

But what made him even happier was that—

'This isn't the end.'

He had one more task to complete. He immediately reactivated the Donghua Xianjue.

The Donghua Xianjue, which had been quietly observing the situation, responded to his call and began to circulate through his mana circuits cautiously.

It was a test.

'Good, definitely a different reaction.'

The result was very satisfying. The 3rd Circle Negative Mana was now very relaxed, exuding confidence that it could handle anything.

'So!'

He immediately settled the Donghua Xianjue in his Second Mana Library. The Donghua Xianjue spread like a gentle breeze, and the essence of the Yu Yunxin Gong, which was already present, swirled and began to merge with it. Even the Negative Mana around him swayed happily in the breeze.

At that moment,

'It's done!'

He instinctively knew everything had succeeded.

"Hmm."

As he opened his eyes and unfolded his legs, a massive amount of system messages appeared before his eyes.

[The level of Donghua Xianjue has been determined.]

[The level of Donghua Xianjue is 'Ultimate Supreme'.]

[Caution! The player has recreated Donghua Xianjue, and the level is being re-evaluated.]

[The level of Donghua Xianjue has changed.]

[Change situation: Ultimate Supreme → Superlative.]

[Achievement, 'Martial Arts Enhancement' has been achieved.]

[As a reward for the achievement, the Bone has evolved.]

[The Bone, 'Human Body Bone', has become 'Xian Bone'.]

[Experience has reached the maximum.]

[Level has increased.]

[Level 15 has been achieved.]

[New skill, 'Shadow Whisper Mastery (C+)' has been unlocked.]

[New skill, 'Decay Promotion (C)' has been unlocked.]

[New skill, 'Bone Moon (C)' has been unlocked.]

While leveling up and gaining new skills were also exciting, they didn't catch his attention.

'First, let's check the Donghua Xianjue!'

He immediately opened the information window for the Donghua Xianjue.

[Donghua Xianjue / Chen Yun Style (晨雲流)]

Level: Superlative

Achievement: 1 Star

Attribute: Taoist

A martial art created by a mysterious person emphasizing the harmony of all things. It can embrace any energy and contain any energy.

With Yoo Shin-yun's adjustments, it can now unleash a force like a raging storm.

With Yoo Shin-yun's adjustments, the issue of energy dispersion has been perfectly resolved, making the energy flow very free.

-Function, 'Embrace All Energies (萬氣包容)': Can contain any strange energy.

-Function, 'Purification (淨化)': Can purify any strange energy.

(The performance of the functions changes according to the achievement level of the martial art.)

The Donghua Xianjue was truly a hidden gem.

'Superlative...!'

His heart raced with excitement. He had expected it to be at the 'Ultimate' level, but it surpassed that.

He was very satisfied. Moreover, the function 'Embrace All Energies' matched exactly what he had hoped for.

'Being able to contain any strange energy means...'

It meant he could now absorb the energy of both martial and magical arts.

The note that the performance changes with the achievement level was slightly annoying, but he could just improve the achievement level.

'Next, the Bone.'

With a joyful heart, he examined his evolved Bone.

[Bone, 'Xian Bone (C)']

A bone structure of a Xian, achieved through postnatal means.

Xian bones are usually innate, but in rare cases, one can achieve them through arduous trials and tribulations.

-All martial arts achievement rate +40%

-Probability of falling into madness -30%

-Natural force sensitivity +50%

-Natural force affinity +50%

He was surprised by the level of the Xian Bone.

'I remember the Human Body Bone was definitely at the E level.'

The previous bone structure was only at the E level, but it had jumped two levels in one go.

Moreover, the Human Body Bone was described as the minimum requirement for learning martial arts, which was not very good.

The Xian Bone, living up to its name, had excellent performance. It reduced the probability of falling into madness by 30% and increased the achievement rate of all martial arts by 40%.

'What is natural force?'

He needed to learn more about this new force, but it was still a good thing.

'Chen Yun Style...'

The changed name caught his eye last.

Donghua Xianjue Chen Yun Style.

His name was attached to the Donghua Xianjue, indicating that it was the result of merging the Second Mana Library and the Donghua Xianjue.

He was quite pleased.

'The sun has risen.'

The morning sun had already risen, and the warm sunlight coming through the window tickled his eyes. Despite not sleeping all night, Yoo Shin-yun felt refreshed, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep.

As he stretched,

"Master, have you woken up?"

"Yes."

Wang San had come to wake him up. However, he found it a bit strange. The time was much earlier than usual.

Wang San, who entered the room, looked very urgent.

"Master, you need to prepare for a bath quickly."

"Why the fuss so early in the morning?"

Yoo Shin-yun tilted his head, and Wang San said something unexpected.

"Master, a guest has come to see you."

'Guest?'

It was strange. In the days since he had "come back to life," not a single friend had visited him.

But a guest for Yoo Shin-yun?

He was curious about who it could be.

"Who is it?"

Yoo Shin-yun's question made Wang San hesitate, and then he gave an unexpected answer, causing Yoo Shin-yun to look flustered for the first time.

"…It's your fiancée."

Martial World, Reincarnated Top Ranker