Chapter 111

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

Chapter 111: Dullahan

Dullahan.

An undead creature with a blue flame flickering where its head should be. Its emotions were roughly discernible through the flame’s movements.

The group of Dullahans tilted their heads, observing Kim Minwoo.

They instinctively recognized him as the necromancer who summoned them.

‘A remarkable necromancer.’

The immense power emanating from his body upon summoning them.

Not to mention, summoning such a large number of Dullahans indicated he must be an extraordinary necromancer.

But that was beside the point.

Why was he provoking them by beckoning with his finger while wielding a sword?

And telling them all to attack?

Dullahans were once knights. They were individuals with immense egos, their pride unmatched.

‘Arrogant.’

‘He dares provoke us with a sword?’

The Dullahans’ eyes grew menacing.

Soon after.

—I will step forward.

The first summoned Dullahan, number 1.

He drew his sword and approached Kim Minwoo, saying,

—Milton de Reynold.

“It’s long. I’ll just call you Dweel from now on.”

―…Dweel?

“You, you’re Dullahan Number 1, right?”

Could he have named him Duel because he’s the number 1 Dullahan?

Even though he had met quite a few masters so far, he had never heard such an informal name before.

―…Milton de Reynold. If it’s difficult to pronounce, you can just call me Milton.

“Dweel.”

―…Milton.

“Dweel.”

—This insolence!

He had made such concessions because Kim Minwoo seemed like a remarkable necromancer, but was he rejecting even that?

The Dullahan rushed forward in a frenzy with his swords drawn.

Shortly after.

Slice!

The sound of something being slashed echoed. The Dullahans looked at Milton with dumbfounded eyes.

‘Is it over?’

‘So soon?’

‘How trivial.’

‘But surely, he didn’t kill him, did he?’

Perhaps if the necromancer had used other skills as he should, it might have been different.

But he was strangely using a sword.

There was no trace of him using any skills, so he would have been subdued instantly.

That was fine, but killing him was a problem.

There weren’t many necromancers who could summon high-ranking undead like them.

Even fewer could summon this many.

If he were killed, they would have to return to a sleep close to eternal rest until another necromancer capable of summoning them appeared.

Milton probably wouldn’t like that either, so he would surely give him a moderate beating…

―…Huh?

Before that thought could even continue,

Milton’s body split in two and collapsed.

―…!

He was subdued just like that?

It wasn’t just the 179 Dullahans who were surprised.

The first Dullahan to step forward,

Milton, who had been revived with his body split in half, was also shocked.

‘What was that?’

Resurrecting aside,

How on earth was he defeated?

He charged with his sword, and then the world went dark.

“Are you awake?”

—…How did you do it?

“Like this.”

This time, Kim Minwoo charged first. Milton hurriedly raised his sword.

But to his dismay, the smoothly thrust sword once again cut through his body.

‘A master…!’

Before the thought could even continue, Milton was unsummoned. It wasn’t just Milton who was shocked.

This time, everyone was watching intently, so they could see how Kim Minwoo’s sword had cut Milton in two.

It was just a single exchange, but

They instinctively realized.

‘A master!’

And a true master of the sword.

“Come at me.”

This time, three of them stepped up.

And were promptly unsummoned.

Five, seven, ten, twenty…

The number of Dullahans charging at him increased, but Kim Minwoo’s expression remained calm.

The difference in their stats alone was insurmountable. Although the Dullahans were high-ranking undead, they were only level 1. Their stats were around 100 on average at best.

Compared to him?

His average was around 700.

A sevenfold difference.

Not only that, but his swordsmanship was also overwhelmingly superior.

To the point where ordinary knights like the Dullahans couldn’t handle it.

That’s why

He called them all at once.

He cut and cut again.

The Dullahans were being unsummoned rapidly.

* * *

“What’s your name?”

―…I’m Dweel.

“And you?”

—… One Hundred and Eighty.

[TL/N: So I’m in a dilemma here!! The literal raw translation of this is ‘DewbackPalsib’ which literally means 280/282 (depending on how you break the raw) but the thing is he only summoned 180 dullahans so I don’t understand the naming scheme.I could be wrong here but according to me 280/282 don’t make sense and it could 180/80 (180 being the more plausible option) so I changed it to one hundred and eighty]

Kim Minwoo nodded satisfactorily. Luckily, these guys weren’t as stubborn as Cedric.

Just one day.

That was how long it took to discipline the Dullahans.

“The oath?”

―…

The group of Dullahan, silently staring at this side, spoke.

―…I, Dweel, pledge allegiance to you.

―…I, Dubeakpalsip, do the same.

[All Dullahans swear their loyalty!]

[A knight’s oath, firm as a rock!]

[The Dullahans will now carry out your every command thoroughly!]

Satisfactory.

“Alright. From now on, when new recruits come in, you’ll be responsible for their mental training. If you fail, you’ll be gathered immediately. Understand?”

―…Yes.

After the Dullahans’ mental training was complete, Cedric was summoned.

―Hmm….

A skeleton suddenly appeared.

Normally, Dullahans of this level wouldn’t think much of a mere skeleton.

It was common practice for them to serve as meat shields in the undead army.

But…

‘What’s this? That skeleton…’

‘Its aura is immense.’

Instinctively, their bodies shrunk back!

The Dullahans’ faces hardened as they saw Cedric.

Cedric, looking around, stared intently at the Dullahans.

—You subdued them all?

“Yeah. From now on, you’ll command them too. You’re the commander-in-chief. Train them as you see fit.”

It’s best to delegate the annoying stuff.

If Cedric can handle them, training such kids shouldn’t be too difficult.

―…I’ll do that.

Cedric nodded and approached the Dullahan group.

—Greetings. I’m Cedric. I’ll be in charge of your command from now on.

The Dullahans bowed their heads in acceptance.

The aura emanating from him already indicated he was an undead of a different class.

They acknowledged that a being like him had the right to stand above them. As the Dullahans and Cedric got acquainted,

“Oh, by the way. I have a question.”

—What is it?

“Those Dullahans are roughly commander-level entities, right?”

—Usually, yes.

“Then what’s their relationship with Hail? He’s a commander too, isn’t he?”

Cedric was the commander-in-chief of the skeleton army.

There were two commander-level entities under him, Hail and Myra.

Myra was the commander of the magic troops, so that was a separate matter.

But he was curious about the relationship between Hail and the Dullahans.

The Spectres were individuals who flew around on their own, acting as an independent unit.

But what about the Skeletons and Dullahans?

They were summons with a direct connection.

—Are you curious about how the hierarchy will be determined?

“Yeah.”

―Usually, in such special cases… they settle it through combat.

“Oh, really?”

―Yes. In the end, it’s survival of the fittest in the undead ranks.

“So if we put them against each other, we’ll get a result.”

―That’s right.

He called for Hail in warrior mode.

Hail, who energetically saluted upon seeing them.

“Dweel, come here.”

―…

Dweel approached slowly.

Among the 180 Dullahans, he was one of the most skilled.

Both his number and skill made him a representative of the Dullahans.

“This guy is the commander of the skeletons. We’re going to decide on a mid-level commander, so give it a shot.”

―…You mean with that skeleton?

“Yeah. The winner gets the command.”

Hail tapped his sword on the shield provocatively.

―…It’s absurd that we have to fight over something like this.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

But what can he do?

It’s an order.

Dweel gripped his two-handed sword.

‘I wonder who will win.’

Level 1 but experienced and skilled Dweel.

Versus Commander Hail, level 101 with some combat experience.

From Kim Minwoo’s perspective, it was a battle between two low-level fighters, but…

‘Fights between weaklings are always the most entertaining.’

Besides, weren’t these two his summons? Naturally, he couldn’t help but be interested.

The two summons closed the distance.

Clang!

With a heavy sound, the shield and the two-handed sword clashed.

Clang! Clang!

Hail kept blocking the sword with his shield.

The flames above the Dullahan’s neck flickered, as if slightly surprised by this.

Nevertheless, he handled it skillfully.

With his long-range two-handed sword, he skillfully pressured the skeleton, taking advantage of the distance.

Hail was gradually being pushed into a corner.

‘He’s going to be eaten alive.’

Unless he had a trick up his sleeve.

Just as he thought that, Hail rushed forward with his shield raised.

Dweel stepped back, swinging his sword.

Thud!

Blocking with his shield.

Then, Hail discarded his shield and leaped forward like Nongae, a famous Korean gisaeng who sacrificed herself to drown a Japanese general.

[TL/N: Random Infos:- 1)Nongae or Ju Nongae (Korean: 주논개) was a gisaeng of Jinju during the Joseon period of Korea. Theres a popular legend that tells the story of her sacrificial assassination of the Japanese general Keyamura Rokusuke.

2) Kisaeng or Gisaeng (Korean: 기생) also called ginyeo (기녀; 妓女), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class

DO WHAT U WANT WITH THAT INFORMATION 🙂 ]

―…!

A bold move.

Slice!

One of Hail’s bony arms was cleanly severed, but his sword pierced the Dullahan’s head.

This strategy seemed familiar.

‘Did he learn that from me?’

Surely Dullahan didn’t expect the strategy of “I die, you die” when the skeleton rushed in, leaving Dullahan feeling somewhat empty.

“Hail wins!”

As Hail raised his remaining arm triumphantly to decide the match, the skeleton eagerly clenched its teeth. Hail looked at the Dullahan group confidently.

The flames above the heads of the Dullahan flickered in surprise.

Summoning Dweel again, he spoke.

“You lost, right?”

―…Yes.

The other Dullahans also nodded in agreement. It didn’t matter if the skeleton had acted strangely.

The fact remained that he had lost.

As former knights, they seemed to accept defeat gracefully in such matters.

“From now on, you’ll be under his command.”

-…Understood. Then, should we also follow the commands of the other skeletons?

“No. There’s no need for that.”

Hail had superior learning abilities compared to the other skeletons.

In other words, other skeletons wouldn’t be able to perform like him.

“Hail is the middle commander. You’re just commanders. You can give orders to the regular skeletons.”

―Yes.

[Command structure of the melee unit is complete!]

[Unit level: Skilled Undead Unit]

[Commander-in-chief: Cedric]

[Middle commander: Hail]

[Regular commanders: Dweel, Two, Three… One Hundred and Eighty]

[A large number of commander-level entities have been added!]

[The unit’s movements will become much more professional!]

This wasn’t the only unit. With the addition of Merhen, a separate unit specializing in magic and support was formed. Merhen was the commander-in-chief of that unit.

‘That takes care of the organization.’

[Achievement Shop is now open!]

[Rank: Silver (Total points earned: 1,630)]

[Available achievement points: 600]

He looked at the Achievement Shop.

He had 600 points from defeating Baekgil last time.

He hadn’t spent them yet. The reason was simple.

‘No need to rush.’

Achievement points aren’t easy to come by.

First, he had to defeat major villains.

He had already dealt with Han Baekgil, a significant villain in Korea.

To find another villain of that caliber, he would have to go abroad.

Defeating Awakened from other countries wouldn’t be easy.

If that was difficult for the time being, he had to meet the main characters and bring about some change.

‘Whether it’s fulfilling their desires or changing their jobs…’

He had to do something to earn points.

But that wasn’t easy either.

The second character, Han Siah.

And the fourth character, Namgoong Min.

These two had some issues.

“Hah Sia is already a mage.”

Unlike Park Si-Woo, she had already Awakened. She wasn’t a case like Seo Ye-Rim, where her talent and job didn’t match.

Furthermore,

‘The moment I contact her, things will get quite troublesome.’

Han Siah was one of the characters with a rather complicated background.

First, she was half Korean and half German.

And her German paternal side had,

‘A magic family involved…’

The Griff family.

To summarize, it was a family with a considerable number of real mages, and they dominated the German magical world.

Naturally, they have a good relationship with German politics and business.

As soon as r she comes into contact with them, they’ll start paying attention to her from the Griff family’s side.

‘It’s also difficult to resolve her grudge.’

If Seo Ye-Rim’s wish was to be recognized by the Sword Saint,

Han Siah’s wish was revenge.

‘She was robbed of her talent by the head of the family and abandoned.’

The Griff family.

They were a very shady family.

They conducted human experiments and all sorts of other things.

The moment Han Siah was born, the head of the family recognized her talent and absorbed a significant portion of it.

The reason she didn’t lose all of it was that her talent was inherently too immense.

Her talent was so immense that,

‘Even with the little talent she had left, she was still considered a magical genius.’

After greedily absorbing her talent, they sent Han Siah to her maternal side.

It wasn’t that they were letting her go out of kindness.

It was more like a maturation process.

The head of the family would need to increase his capacity to absorb more.

And there was another reason.

‘They probably want to fatten her up again.’

It was like taking a bite out of a fish and throwing it back into the stream because they were full.

They planned to take another bite once it had grown back.

It was truly a creative economy.

In any case,

If he contacted Han Siah, the Griff family would start showing a keen interest.

But that was a bit tricky.

‘The small fries don’t matter, but…’

The head of the Griff family was quite powerful. If Han Baekgil was a domestic villain among the main villains, then he was an international villain.

And there was another variable.

The Shadow was said to be a global organization.

Bad guys found it easy to join forces.

What if he had made contact with the Shadow?

‘He would have received an experience point duplication event.’

Attracting his attention now would be extremely troublesome.

That’s why

He hadn’t contacted Han Siah yet.

‘As for Namgoong Min…’

Let’s not even go there.

He was just as complicated.

He didn’t immediately contact Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo for nothing.

The solutions for those two were clear, while the other two were quite tricky. That’s why he had saved his achievement points.

‘For now, skill books and equipment are fine.’

Now that his level had jumped significantly,

He could somehow acquire skill books and equipment elsewhere.

Then, the top priority was to purchase items that couldn’t be obtained otherwise.

[Purchasing 3 Limit-Breaking Potions!]

First, he bought three Limit-breaking potions.

Now he could reach level 500.

This should be enough to keep him safe for the time being.

He had 300 points left.

His gaze turned elsewhere.

[Cocktail of the Dead]

[TL/N: Undead Cocktail->Cocktail of the Dead (sounds better)]

[Rank: Unique]

[A cocktail that the dead can drink. It grants special effects when consumed.]

[Effect 1. Only the undead can consume it.]

[Effect 2. Upon consumption, all stats of the target undead increase by 10%.]

[Effect 3. There is a low probability of the undead gaining a skill.]

[Effect 4. Upon consumption, the target undead’s senses are slightly enhanced.]

‘Cocktail of the Dead…’

Kim Minwoo stared intently at the item.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]