7.
How long had Seong been hunting in the labyrinth?
From yesterday, when he met the cat merchant Becky, until today.
He had hunted relentlessly for a full day and night.
Whether it was a boss monster or a regular one, it made no difference.
As a result:
[Level Up!] ×6
[You have reached Level 135.]
[Upon reaching Level 130, a new skill of the 『Overlord』 class has been unlocked.]
[You have acquired the Legendary-ranked skill, 『Creation of Death』.]
[By reaching a multiple of 10, the Almighty-ranked item, 『Overlord’s Tome』, has been activated.]
He had managed to raise his level by six.
On top of that, he had unlocked a new skill and activated the Overlord’s Tome.
It was time to examine the new skill.
『Creation of Death』
→《Legendary》
→[Lv 1] [Growth-Type]
[Instant Activation] [Active]
"From the grasp of the Overlord, another death shall be born.
The newly created death shall rejoice."
→ Overlord-exclusive skill.
→ Allows the fusion of two corpses into one entity within the Legion of Death, or the merging of an existing undead with another.
→ Merging vastly different corpses or undead may result in negative effects.
→ When compatible materials are combined, the resulting undead will be significantly more powerful.
"This is exactly what I needed..."
At a glance, it resembled Chimera Synthesis.
While Seong had learned Melisia’s Homunculus Alchemy, he hadn’t acquired a skill akin to Chimera Synthesis—until now.
Having this would undoubtedly be useful.
If he hadn’t obtained it here, he had planned to use the Overlord’s Tome to draw it out.
But now that it had come naturally, that was no longer necessary.
Everything had gone according to plan—no, even better than planned.
"It seems like newly acquired skills are influenced by my recent gameplay."
It certainly seemed that way.
Otherwise, there was no way the exact skill he needed would have appeared at this precise moment.
Feeling pleased, Seong began sorting through his materials.
The resources he had gathered so far...
They were sufficient.
But if the cat merchant Becky brought more high-quality materials, he could craft an even greater body than he originally expected.
And most importantly—his level.
A six-level increase.
That was good.
However—
Despite the overwhelming speed at which he had progressed,
Even after using an entire day with such relentless intensity, he had only gained six levels.
It was a bit shocking.
If it was this difficult for him, then for others... leveling up must be an even greater struggle.
"Regardless, I think everything is ready now."
His level had risen, and he had hunted plenty of monsters.
He had also taken Becky’s advice and slain a considerable number of bosses.
It was time.
"Let’s call her back."
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
If he summoned the cat merchant again and bought additional materials,
Then his work would truly be complete.
Just in case, Seong returned all his undead to the Netherworld.
There could be a situation where his mana ran low, or some other unexpected complication arose.
Once he had sealed all his minions and the Legion of Death, Seong blew his signal whistle.
Just like before, the walls of the labyrinth rippled.
“Nyanyaa~! I-I’m coming, meow! Ugh, you really don’t trust me, do you, meow?!”
With an odd exclamation, the cat merchant Becky emerged.
Seong still didn’t know the cat merchant’s true name.
But seeing the same familiar fur pattern as before, he greeted Becky warmly.
“Hello.”
“Nyahoo~! T-Thank you for summoning me, meow!”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”
After all, she was selling him valuable goods.
Seong replied with that in mind, and Becky beamed before suddenly remembering something.
“Nyanyaa~! Ah! I-I forgot to introduce myself, meow! My name is Becky, meow!”
“I see. I’m Seong.”
He wasn’t sure why she was introducing herself again so suddenly.
But then—
“Now that we’ve exchanged names, meow, if you think of my name while blowing the whistle, I’ll be summoned specifically, meow!”
“Ah.”
That made sense.
Seong nodded in understanding.
At that moment, he noticed something strange.
The presence that had been watching him from a distance had suddenly vanished.
"It’s gone?"
“Nyaa? Wh-What do you mean, meow?”
“Oh, nothing important.”
The lingering presence of Belmor, the Pentagrid Branch Chief, had disappeared.
Seong didn’t know the reason.
But it was probably for the best.
With that, he turned back to Becky.
“Shall we take a look at your goods?”
8.
Just as Seong sent all his minions and the Legion of Death back to the Netherworld to prepare for the trade...
In a distant part of the labyrinth, a group of individuals who had been tracking Seong using detection skills were lying in wait.
They were hidden in different locations, scanning for their moment to strike.
When they noticed the sudden disappearance of Seong’s undead, they whispered among themselves.
“The Legion and his minions are gone.”
“Is it finally time?”
“Our opportunity has come.”
“Stay calm. He might not have depleted all his mana yet.”
At the words of their leader, the twenty gathered individuals nodded in agreement.
Every one of them was a seasoned combatant.
And they had only one target—Seong.
That was [N O V E L I G H T] why they moved more cautiously than ever before.
Utilizing Group Stealth, a rare rogue-class skill, they advanced silently toward their prey.
Though there was still a considerable distance between them and Seong,
At their current pace, they would reach him in five minutes.
There was no reason for their mana to run out or for their stealth to break.
That’s what they thought.
Until—
“Where do you think you’re rushing off to?”
“!!!!!!”
A voice.
A sudden, chilling voice.
The leader at the front came to an abrupt halt.
The entire group froze in place.
And then they saw him.
A middle-aged man.
Wearing the insignia of Overpalace.
Recognizing him, one of the assassins muttered under his breath.
“P-Pentagrid’s Branch Chief, Belmor...?”
“Oh? You know who I am?” Belmor smirked. “Then this was a premeditated crime.”
At those words, cold sweat ran down their backs.
They knew—no matter what they did, they could not touch this man.
Even if they hadn’t realized it before,
They knew it now.
Their bodies refused to move.
It wasn’t due to a cutscene or an in-game event restricting them.
This was something far worse.
[Status Effect: Chaos]
[You are facing a being of overwhelming power.]
[Resistance is futile.]
The system message displayed before their eyes.
Anyone who didn’t understand what was happening would have to be an idiot.
"The Pentagrid Branch Chief, Belmor... he wasn’t supposed to leave the Overpalace branch...!?"
The leader of the group, a masked man, had even checked Belmor’s location beforehand—just in case.
Yet it had been utterly useless.
With such an immense power gap between them, there was no way he could have even detected Belmor’s movements.
But the real question was—how was an NPC interfering in this situation?
That shouldn’t be possible.
At least, it wasn’t supposed to be.
Then what the hell was happening right now?
"How...?"
As the masked man stood there in shock, his expression full of doubt, Belmor tilted his head slightly.
“What’s with that pitiful face?”
“......”
“I fail to understand what you could possibly find so unfair.”
But they hadn’t actually committed a crime yet.
They had planned to attack.
But they hadn’t actually done anything yet.
Could Belmor read their thoughts?
“You released killing intent toward him. That alone is proof of your guilt.”
Ridiculous.
But no matter how much they wanted to deny it, they couldn’t move.
It made no sense.
And yet, Belmor was kind enough to explain it to them.
“We cannot simply lay hands on outsiders like you. Unless, of course, you are villains.”
Then how was he able to act against them right now?
They wanted to ask.
But their lips wouldn’t move.
“The very fact that I can use force against you is proof enough. You are villains.”
Belmor smirked.
The masked man’s mind went blank.
They had come to hunt a tiger.
Instead, they had walked straight into a dragon’s den.
And there was absolutely nothing they could do.
"It’s a good thing I was here."
Belmor snapped his fingers.
In an instant, all twenty assassins vanished from the labyrinth floor.
They reappeared within the Overpalace Pentagrid Branch’s prison.
The difference between them and Beretta—the troublemaker from before—was clear.
Beretta had merely stirred up chaos.
He wasn’t a true villain.
But these men?
"They dared to target the successor."
They had directed their killing intent toward Seong.
They had intended to strike.
That was enough.
Within the game system, NPCs with high-ranking authority had the power to judge players with accumulated karma.
Belmor was one such NPC.
Which meant he could act before the crime was even committed.
According to Immortal’s calculations, if Belmor hadn’t intervened, these assassins would have attacked Seong without hesitation.
That alone was reason enough to convert them into karma-bound criminals.
Now that they were locked away, Belmor felt just a little disappointed.
Since they were outsiders, he couldn’t subject them to true agony or torture.
But—
“Well, at least I’m allowed to use minor illusions and a bit of suffering.”
It wasn’t much.
But since it was permitted by the World’s Will, it was enough.
And besides—
This actually gave him more to work with.
“I suppose I should confiscate their belongings and offer them as tribute!”
Considering the rules of cause and effect, this much wouldn’t be blocked by the World’s Will.
He could simply present them alongside the compass as an offering.
“What an exciting turn of events!”
It was truly fortunate that these sacrifices had come to him on their own.
An immensely satisfying situation.
Now then.
"I suppose I should continue watching over the successor until the World’s Will permits otherwise."
With that, Belmor disappeared into the shadows, making his way back toward Seong.
0.
Just as Becky was setting up her stall, preparing the goods, Seong felt a chill in the air.
"He’s back."
It didn’t take much thought to figure out who.
It had to be Belmor.
But where had he gone?
He was a little curious.
But he didn’t ask.
As long as he wasn’t causing any harm, it was fine.
It was a little unsettling to know that Belmor was constantly watching him.
But since he had been useful before—like at the auction—there was no reason to complain.
As Seong continued to scan his surroundings, Becky suddenly called out.
“N-Nyaa! The preparations are complete, meow! P-Please take a look, meow!”
“Let’s see... Oh!?”
At first, he thought it was just another batch of Unique-grade materials.
But upon closer inspection—
There were Legendary-grade materials as well.
『Source of Mana』
→《Legendary》
→ Material Item.
『Fragment of the Crimson Moon』
→《Legendary》
→ Material Item.
『Breath of the King』
→《Legendary》
→ Material Item.
Three of them.
Finding this many material items in one place was rare.
There were plenty of Unique-grade items too.
But compared to the Legendary-grade, they were insignificant.
Seong’s eyes gleamed.
With this—
He could craft an exceptional body.
He turned to Becky.
“How much for the Legendary ones?”
“N-Nya! The price is three boss monsters and five hundred regular monsters per item, meow!”
“Oh.”
Right now, he had ten boss monsters and about 1,700 regular monster kills stored.
More than enough.
Seong nodded.
“I’ll take all the Legendary materials.”
“Ny-Nyaa!? T-Thank you, meow! I-I’ll sell everything, meow!”
Becky was overjoyed as she quickly finalized the trade.
The Legendary items appeared in Seong’s inventory.
Watching this unfold, Becky’s thoughts were racing.
"I-I just made an insane sale, meow!!! J-Just yesterday, he only had 200 monsters, meow! H-He’s a rich customer, meow!!! Now my senior merchants won’t look down on me anymore, meow!"
Meanwhile, Seong had only one thought.
"Now I can finally create Helena’s body. And on top of that... I can do something even more."
Finally.
He could begin his Homunculus Synthesis.