Chapter 86

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 86: Merhen (1)

It’s a familiar space.

He found himself back in the room before he knew it.

“Whitey.”

―Coo.

“Phew…”

Kim Minwoo let out a sigh of relief. When she was caught by Death Lord.

Despite being instructed to hide, she ended up rushing in and getting trapped in a cage.

Perhaps Death Lord recognized her potential and decided to confine her.

A sturdy custom-made cage.

It seemed impossible to escape at first glance, so he decided to tackle it head-on. Fortunately,at the end of the day, Whitey was back safe and sound.

“Do you know how worried Dad was? Why did you do that?”

―Coo.

Whitey affectionately rubbed her cheek as if to act cute.

He turned Whitey over and checked her body.

“Well, there don’t seem to be any wounds. Will you listen to Dad from now on?”

―Coo!

Seeing her nod, Dad couldn’t help but smile.

Truly, she’s an irresistible little guy. No wonder Dad can’t help but spoil her?

After gently petting her.

He checked the items he obtained this time. The first thing he checked was the Command Sword.

[Command Sword]

[Rank: Legend+]

[A sword passed down through the generations of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader. It is said to become stronger the more blood it absorbs. Only those who are qualified can wield it if they are not a Union Leader.]

[Restriction: Kim Minwoo]

[Effect 1: When hunting satisfactory enemies, the sword absorbs their blood. (0/10)]

[Effect 2: When inflicting wounds on enemies, it absorbs some of their health and mana.]

[Effect 3: ???]

“Huh?”

The wording has changed a lot.

Not to mention the rank has grown to Legend+.

‘Greatly increased growth potential?’

What if it had been the original Command Sword?

Perhaps it wouldn’t have grown further after absorbing just ten thousand enemies.

But now, it was different.

‘Maybe…’

If the sword hunts down ten satisfactory enemies, it might even reach ancient rank.

The criteria were still unknown.

‘Well, that’s…’

He’ll figure it out as time goes on.

The usage restriction was changed from Unorthodox Alliance Leader or the one who killed the Unorthodox Alliance Leader to his own name.

And then.

‘…Effect 2, this is amazing, isn’t it?’

Absorbing health and mana from enemies when inflicting wounds.

Potions aren’t an unlimited resource.

So usually, one relies on natural recovery.

‘Does this count as a healing factor?’

Even if the amount was small, it didn’t matter. Just having such a function was incredibly useful.

Especially from his perspective, slicing through enemy ranks with his sword. This time, he checked the titles.

[New Title List]

[1. Fossil Freshman]

[Empire Academy. Became a student there.]

[Effect: Strength, Stamina +5]

[2. Master of the Banshee Queen.]

[Became the Master of the Banshee Queen Merhen.]

[Effect 1: Greatly increases the learning ability of all ghost-type undead.]

[Effect 2: Ghost-type undead can reach their ultimate form.]

[Effect 3: Increases the casting speed of all magic-type summons by 20%.]

[Effect 4: ???]

[Effect 5: ???]

The Fossil Freshman title seemed like a bonus title obtained by entering a special stage.

But the real deal started from the second one.

Master of the Banshee Queen.

The effects were as remarkable as Cedric’s title.

If Cedric provided strong adjustments to skeletons, Merhen provided powerful adjustments to ghost-type undead.

Specters, Banshees, Reapers, and so on.

Ghost-type undead predominated the mid-to-late game. Each individual was quite powerful as a result.

‘And on top of that, an increase in casting speed for magic…’

It was like a hearty meal. And this applied to all magic-type summons. Even the Skeleton Mages would benefit from this effect.

“Nice.”

It’s a title that will become increasingly powerful over time.

[3. The One Who Took Balkan’s Eye]

[Seized the eyes of Balkan, the strongest Balrog in the Demon Realm and the commander of Death Lord’s legion.]

[Effect 1: All stats +30]

[Effect 2: Instills a strong sense of intimidation in demon-type monsters.]

“Wow.”

It seemed strong, but it wasn’t just talk. The title effects were no joke.

All stats increased by 30.

He immediately gained the effects he had rolled and tumbled for at the Orc Gate.

‘He must have been that strong.’

If he had continued fighting, he would have eventually lost.

The level difference was just too significant.

‘The second effect is pretty good too.’

Instilling a sense of intimidation in demon-type monsters.

‘And there just happens to be a gate that comes to mind…’

There was a gate where demons wreaked havoc at an appropriate difficulty level.

‘It’ll come in handy.’

Satisfied, he nodded and bought the next title.

[4. The One Who Stopped the Grudge]

[Merhen, who was endlessly in despair. You resolved her grudge.]

[Effect 1: Merhen’s interest deepens significantly.]

[Effect 2: Occasionally, her interest creates special events.]

‘Hmm?’

It made sense that her interest deepened. After all, he scored some points with her.

But…

“What exactly are these special events?”

It was still difficult to grasp the concept.

‘…I’ll figure it out later.’

He brought the list of titles.

〈Part 1 List 9/10〉

〈Successor of the Death Lord〉

〈Ender of the Eternal Battle〉

〈Warrior Whose Name Is Remembered by Mutakta〉

〈Hero of Northern Kaisar Continent〉

〈Master of the Divine Beast〉

〈Dragon-Phoenix Tournament Champion〉

〈Executor of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader〉

〈Monster of the Introductory Realm〉

〈Necromancer who Stole Balkan’s Eyes〉

[TL/N: Eternal Era -> Eternal Battle(For those who don’t remember this is the battle Cedric Fought with Mutakta) and Punisher of the Apostles’ Council -> Executor of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader (Some of them might change again But I am not sure so these are the only changes for this list)]

“Now there’s only one left.”

With just one more to fill, he could move on to the next level and gain a very special effect.

It felt like a gift waiting to be opened.

“Now then…”

It was time to summon Merhen, obtained through rolling and tumbling.

[Summon Merhen (SSS)]

[Type: Active]

[Mana Cost: 100]

[Summons Banshee Queen Merhen. Merhen’s level follows the Master’s. As the level increases, her abilities are unleashed.]

The skill description was concise.

It was almost identical to Cedric’s.

Since they were both legion commanders, there wouldn’t be much difference.

“Now…”

“Come forth.”

[Merhen has been summoned!]

[Mana cost: 50!]

Banshees are ghost-type undead.

And their appearance is usually dreadful.

With rotten flesh in places and ghostly maggots crawling around, they’re not the most pleasant sight.

If he had to describe it, they’re a bit more aesthetically pleasing than Specters.

He was mentally prepared, as he had never seen such an unattractive banshee before.

But what appeared was a very familiar face.

“…Merhen?”

The academy.

She looked exactly like she did when she was alive, as if she hadn’t changed a bit.

If her body wasn’t somewhat translucent, it would have been hard to recognize her as a banshee.

On her hand, a black parasol was spread out. Merhen, wearing a rounded parasol, gazed intently in this direction.

Then she muttered.

— I remember.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

She said.

—Cairn. The one who saved me.

He thought maybe she was saying that because his face was the same as it is now when he was Cairn.

“I’m not Cairn, I’m Kim Minwoo. Anyway, I’m your Master.”

—…Master?

“Yeah.”

—No. We’re friends. You promised.

She said firmly, shaking her head.

Friends?

Could it be that she’s in need of some mental education?

He checked her status window.

[Merhen]

[Occupation: Archmage]

[Level: 180]

[Skills: Archmage (SS), Scream of Terror (S)]

[Archmage (SS): An ability that Merhen has developed as she awakened her talents. She can handle not only death magic but also magic of the four major elements.]

[Scream of Terror (S): She emits a scream imbued with the banhee’s grudge. Enemies hit will fall into a state of terror.]

[Loyalty: 100]

[Special Notes: Most skills and attributes are sealed. She is already devoted.]

[Strength: 180(+90)] [Agility: 180(+90)] [Stamina: 180(+90)] [Magic Power: 540(+270)]

‘Huh?’

He checked her loyalty first, and it was already at 100. In essence, she had already sworn her loyalty.

Once it reaches 100, loyalty becomes fixed and does not decrease. This made any further education seem unnecessary.

Friend or subordinate.

In reality, such formalities weren’t important. The crucial thing was whether she carried out orders without hesitation.

Merhen was already capable of that. With loyalty at 100, she would jump into a pit if commanded to do so.

It seemed that his efforts on the past stages were now paying off here.

Well.

He did score some points back then.

‘I guess she doesn’t need any training, huh.’

Kim Minwoo said with a warm smile.

“Yeah. We promised, didn’t we? We’re friends. My bad for messing that up.”

―Yeah, Minwoo. You’re my precious friend.

Merhen said softly as she gently took his hand.

Kim Minwoo looked at her intently.

‘Her personality seems a bit different.’

The Merhen from her human days.

And the Merhen as a banshee.

Their personalities seemed quite different.

If she had an active side during her human days, the banshee Merhen seemed to be a bit quieter.

Well.

Having lived as an undead for decades or more, it wasn’t surprising that emotions and senses would become faint.

It wasn’t too strange for her personality to lean towards being quieter.

While looking at Merhen, he asked.

“But, did you remember everything? You weren’t directly involved in it.”

—The memories just flooded into my mind.

“Is that so?”

—Yeah. I definitely didn’t like Death Lord… but Minwoo is fine. So, I want to keep being with you.

As expected, there was a sense of fulfillment in resolving her grudge.

Even though they both wield the power of Death Lord, she seems fine with it.

‘And she’s an archmage…’

Banshees typically use magic related to death. While they use various spells at lower levels, higher-level magic often focuses on spells related to their own race.

It seemed like Merhen was no different.

[Now she can use more types of magic besides death magic!]

‘The wording was like that too.’

She probably mainly used death magic before.

But that has changed.

And it even included the addition of elemental attributes.

Typically, elemental attributes refer to water, fire, earth, and wind.

Explaining how significant that ability is would be an understatement.

‘If it’s SS-rank…’

The range would be wide, and the damage would be devastating.

Then, the door suddenly opened.

Naye poked her head through the open door.

“Oppa! You’re here!”

Startled, Naye came running over.

She then hugged him tightly and puffed her cheeks.

“Where have you been? Naye has been waiting for you.”

[TL/N: Think what you want but she is so precious 🥹]

“Sorry. I’ve been a bit busy.”

Before performing the trial, he had already told his family that he would be visiting a hidden gate.

Everyone seemed to be okay with it.

Except for this child.

‘She must have waited a lot.’

Well.

From Naye’s perspective, she might have thought that she only had this time to spend with him before she had to return to the United States at the end of winter vacation.

Then, the child’s gaze turned towards Merhen next to him.

“…Who’s she?”

“Oh, she’s a friend of mine.”

“Your friend?”

“Yeah. Say hi, Merhen. This is my little sister, Naye.”

—Hi…

Merhen waved her hand with a very awkward attitude.

“Wow. She’s really pretty, sis.”

—Thank you…

“So, are you going to play with me, sis?”

—Huh?

“I’m bored. Oppa didn’t keep his promise to play with me. He said he would, but…”

Kim Minwoo hugged Naye tightly.

“I’m sorry, Naye. Are you upset?”

“…A little.”

“I’ll play with you all day today. Want to see something fun?”

“Something fun?”

“Yeah. Something flashy and dazzling.”

Magic is usually like that.

Especially if it’s an SS-rank magic, it’s probably more enjoyable than fireworks. Like Cedric said.

He also needed to test how useful Merhen could be.

So, it would be great to fulfill the promise of playing with Naye while testing her abilities.

“I want to see!”

“Alright, let’s go.”

It’s time to test the abilities of a commander.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]