After a fierce battle, Seong finally emerged victorious.
It had truly been intense.
He had even died once during the fight.
If not for that, he might not have won.
Was it because this was his first victory like this?
Seong clenched his fists tightly and felt the joy flood him.
“I really won!”
If he hadn't attacked from behind like a surprise ambush, could he have won?
He didn't know.
Perhaps he could have lost.
That’s how strong Crescent was.
Seong reveled in his victory, looking at all the notifications confirming his achievement.
He had glanced at them earlier, but hadn’t properly read them.
This time, he made sure to read them thoroughly.
[Hidden Raid Boss, 『Ancient Kingdom’s Guardian Golem, Crescendra』 has been defeated.]
[Level Up!] ×12
[Level 77 reached.]
[Level 70 reached, unlocking a new skill for 『Overlord』.]
[Legendary grade skill, 『Flames of the Dead』, acquired.]
[Contribution is assigned solely to one player.]
[Single raid confirmed.]
[Single defeat confirmed.]
[Rewards have been enhanced.]
[First defeat recorded.]
[Rewards have been enhanced.]
[As this is a single raid, all rewards are given to 『Seong』.]
[The treasure chest for rewards is currently empty.]
[Rewards are changing.]
[Calculating rewards.]
[Rewards customized for 『Seong』.]
[A new skill for 『Overlord』 has been unlocked as part of the reward.]
[Obtained Almighty-grade skill, 『Transcendent Death』.]
[Obtained Legendary-grade skillbook, 『Skillbook- Thousand Blood Swords』.]
[Obtained Legendary-grade item, 『Hourglass of Reversal』.]
[First ever defeat of the Hidden Raid Boss, 『Ancient Kingdom’s Guardian Golem, Crescendra』.]
[Title, 『Crescendra Slayer』, acquired.]
[Clearing the Hidden Raid for the first time grants information disclosure.]
[Upon disclosure, rewards exceeding certain limits will be granted for every dungeon clear for the next 3 months.]
[Information can be disclosed at any time.]
[Once another raid group clears the raid, disclosure becomes impossible.]
“Insane.”
The long string of notifications almost made Seong dizzy and gave him a headache.
But he took his time to read through them, one by one.
First, the news that his level had increased.
A whole 12 levels up, reaching level 77.
“Wow.”
It had already been fast before, but now it was mind-blowing.
And of course, reaching level 70 unlocked a new skill.
Flames of the Dead.
From the name alone, it seemed like an offensive skill.
Seong opened the skill description to check it out.
『Flames of the Dead』
→《Legendary》
→[Lv 1][Growth type]
[Persistent Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 10 minutes]
[Duration: 3 minutes]
The flames that burn souls in the hellfire bless the dead, and will set the world ablaze.
→Exclusive skill for Overlord.
→Consumes mana to summon the Flames of the Dead.
→Summoned minions wrapped in the Flames of the Dead receive +30% to all stats, +20% to all speeds, and +10% to all attack power.
→Minions wrapped in the Flames of the Dead and enemies within range will take sustained damage.
“...What is this?”
A skill that fills the gap in buffs Seong had felt missing during the fight with Crescendra!
What a perfect skill to receive at just the right time.
It was a little disappointing that it could only be applied to a single entity, and not to Seong himself.
But as far as performance goes, this skill was incredible.
He couldn’t help but be impressed by its effectiveness.
It couldn’t be used on a living being like Valtar, but it could certainly be applied to someone like Fiora.
“This is going to be amazing.”
This was a fantastic skill to get.
Then, the next reward was also an Overlord-exclusive skill.
The treasure chest was empty, so the system had likely created a unique reward for Seong, which included an Overlord-exclusive skill.
An incredible gain!
And it was an Almighty-grade skill.
Transcendent Death.
The name alone seemed extraordinary.
With high expectations, Seong opened the skill window.
『Transcendent Death』
→《Almighty》
→[Max Lv][Completed]
[Instant Effect][Active]
The ruler of death, Overlord, transcends even death itself.
All the dead shall be blessed.
→Exclusive skill for Overlord.
→Can transcend the physical form of an undead that has reached its limit.
→Upon use, lowers the Overlord’s level by 1.
Currently available Undead:
[Entity name – Anemore]
[Entity name – Barfur]
[Beast Barfur's Body]
“Huh.”
The skill exceeded his expectations.
Seong let out a laugh, almost not believing it.
A skill that transcends the physical body of an undead that has reached its limit.
Although it had the drawback of lowering the level by one, the effect was so overwhelming that without it, the skill would seem unreasonably powerful.
Just one level down could strengthen an undead's physical form. The benefits were immense.
There were even available entities to use it on right away.
Anemore, Barfur, and...
“Barfur's body?”
Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t used it yet after putting it in the Netherworld.
It was still waiting there because Seong didn’t have enough level to turn it into an undead.
But now, it seemed that the gap had been filled.
The skill description clearly indicated that it could now be used.
Would he raise his undead army now?
As Seong pondered, another message appeared.
[As the Commander of the Legion of Death, you can combine the summoned Barfur and Beast Barfur's body into one and transcend them with Transcendent Death.]
[Being designated as Commander of the Legion of Death will be maintained, and the cost of Transcendent Death will be a 2-level decrease.]
“Huh?”
What was this now?
Fusion evolution?
Seong felt a bit perplexed but quickly read through it.
It wasn’t anything bad.
He could combine the body and the commander and transcend them together.
Even though it would cause a 2-level drop, it wasn’t bad at all.
It was an amazing function!
Without hesitation, Seong used the skill.
There was no need to hesitate.
He opened the gate to the Netherworld and summoned Barfur and Beast Barfur’s body.
Just as he did, Barfur, who had been concerned for Seong’s safety during the battle, popped out.
As soon as he was summoned, he immediately worried about Seong’s well-being.
-My, my lord! Are you okay!?
“Yeah, I’m fine. Stay there for a moment.”
-What? What do you mean by... eh? Wait, that’s... my body, isn’t it?
Barfur, looking completely confused, turned to Seong with a puzzled expression.
Seong, smiling reassuringly, used Transcendent Death.
This wasn’t a skill that consumed mana or health.
It felt as if his strength had completely dissipated.
[Level decreased by 2, now at Level 75.]
[The 10 extra stats gained have disappeared.]
The level could be raised again, so that was fine.
After using Transcendent Death, Seong felt an overwhelming greenish energy surge out of him.
The energy poured into Barfur and Beast Barfur’s body, connecting them with a thin thread of green light.
What was once two separate entities was now united by this ethereal green light.
Seong could feel Barfur's immense strength returning.
The lost soul, wandering aimlessly, was now reunited with its body.
The green energy was like a powerful force that entwined them together.
-Oh, ohh! Ahhh!
It was as if Barfur had received an immense blessing, crying out in sheer joy.
Like a lost child finally returning home.
The green light, woven into thousands of strands, slowly shrank, drawing the two entities together.
As the threads weaved them together, Barfur’s essence was carved into Beast Barfur’s body.
The process was like stitching the two together, creating a seamless being.
Barfur, now fully restored to his body, began to tremble with life.
His limbs twitched, and slowly, he began to move.
Then, the green energy spread through his body, like blood pumping through his veins.
The sound of a heart beating could be heard.
Thump—!
Thump—!
Thump—!
The pounding heartbeat resonated loudly.
The green light completely enveloped Barfur’s body as the darkness formed his bones, and the fiery green flames ignited his muscles, skin, and everything else, resurrecting him as Beast Barfur.
An immortal, eternal undead.
The gleaming green eyes opened.
Gone was the bulky mole-like figure, replaced by a mighty beast-like form standing on two legs.
He now appeared as a humanoid beast, though still with the features of a mole.
Standing at a towering 3 meters tall, with the green flames rippling around him, he looked every bit the imposing figure of a legion commander.
“Wow...”
Seong marveled at the transformation.
And as if completing the process, new notifications appeared.
[The Commander of the Legion of Death – Death’s Beast, Barfur, transcends death and awakens.]
[The previous commander, Barfur, inhabits a new body.]
[The Overlord's power now resides within Death’s Beast, Barfur.]
[Death’s Beast, Barfur, receives the blessing of immortality.]
[Death’s Beast, Barfur, surpasses his previous strength and gains new abilities.]
[Undead that transcend death respond to their master’s growth and can infinitely grow as well.]
[The Commander of the Legion of Death can no longer be summoned through Add More.]
“This is insane.”
Barfur, who had fought alongside Fiora and Valtar, had never been able to fight like this.
As a beast originally possessing a body, he struggled to adapt to his spectral form, resulting in reduced combat power.
Fiora, who had the same body type, had always shown far greater strength.
However, now, his physical form seemed as strong as Valtar’s.
It was unfortunate that Add More couldn't be used to summon more, but that didn’t matter much.
It was a transcendent body now.
-Whoosh! Barfur, reborn as Death’s Beast, kneels and bows to his master!
Barfur knelt with a loud thud, his head lowered in reverence.
Seong had gained a powerful ally.
“Looking stronger is good,” Seong commented.
-Thank you! Hehehe! I’m happy to show my lord an even more advanced version of myself in the future!
Everything was perfect, though a bit noisy.
Seong nodded, indicating that he understood, then sent Barfur back to the Netherworld.
Next was Anemore.
“Would it be wise to evolve Anemore now?”
Perhaps evolving Anemore right away could be beneficial.
Transcending death consumes levels, turning the undead into a vessel that can grow infinitely.
It was a great option.
However, Anemore’s soul resided in Kalisha’s body.
It would be more efficient to wait until Anemore's body could be revived, at which point he could swap the soul into the new form.
“I’ll evolve Anemore later.”
There was no urgent need, and the skill didn’t have a cooldown time.
After transcending Barfur, Seong looked at his next reward.
It was a skillbook.
A Legendary-grade one at that!
What could it be?
“This is the first Legendary dark magic skill, right?”
Thinking about it, it was indeed the first.
Add More was a summoning-based class, so it wasn’t exactly for necromancers.
In the end, this was the first Legendary dark magic skill.
“What will it be?”
He couldn’t guess based on just the name.
Without hesitation, Seong used the skillbook.
[Using Legendary-grade skillbook, 『Skillbook- Thousand Blood Swords』!]
[Obtained Legendary-grade skill, 『Thousand Blood Swords』!]
『Thousand Blood Swords』
→《Legendary》
→[Lv Max][Completed]
[Instant Effect][Active]
[Cooldown: 30 minutes]
→Exclusive skill for dark magic class.
→Consumes mana to create and control a thousand blood swords from the caster’s blood.
→Each blood sword delivers a critical or piercing damage upon hitting an enemy and then explodes, dealing explosive damage.
→The number of swords created depends on the caster's level and class progression.
Currently creatable swords: 150 (75×2)
Seong immediately read the skill description and was left dumbfounded.
“Huh???”
This was a blood-based dark magic skill that summons a thousand blood swords.
It not only attacks with the swords but also causes explosions on impact.
And he could control the swords made from his own blood.
The versatility was immense.
Seong scratched his cheek, amazed.
What was even more surprising was that there was no mana consumption when controlling the swords.
“This skill’s a bit broken, isn’t it?”
If an attack hits the target, wouldn’t the swords just keep coming and attacking?
Currently, only 150 swords could be controlled due to his level and class.
But even that was insane.
Using the flying blood swords for utility seemed like it could open up a lot of possibilities.
Would it be worth testing right now?
Normally, he’d test it while hunting, but he didn’t mind experimenting with its utility right away.
Seong extended his hand, palm open, and activated the skill.
A drop of blood rose from his palm.
The deep red blood floated up, multiplying as it grew.
Soon, countless drops filled the air.
The blood droplets began to boil and expand, morphing into sharp swords.
A hundred and fifty blood-red swords appeared in midair, all floating.
Seong imagined one of them flying toward him, and indeed, one of the swords followed his will and obediently flew toward him.
Once again, there was no mana consumption.
“Wow.”
Seong couldn’t help but be impressed as he grabbed the sword.
Even just holding it, he could tell how incredibly durable the blade was.
When he lightly swung it:
Whoosh!
It cut through the air with a smoothness that was almost unreal.
“Whoa?!”
It was as if the sword had been perfectly sharpened.
150 swords?
Seong found himself imagining the swords lying flat and forming a staircase.
One by one, the swords flew into position, creating a red staircase right in front of him.
He climbed the staircase, and to his surprise, it didn’t waver or break.
It was completely stable.
The swords remained perfectly still, forming a solid and unyielding structure.
The thought crossed his mind that he could rise from the stairs.
With the swords beneath him, the blood-stained steps floated upward.
“Flying sword technique, maybe?”
Having read a fair number of martial arts novels, Seong chuckled at the thought.
To think he was wielding 150 swords like this.
The possibilities seemed endless.
Finally, he thought to test it further.
“Just send ten of them to attack that crystal pillar.”
Seong pointed to a crystal pillar he could see outside the raid field.
He signaled the swords, and exactly ten of them flew and struck the pillar, embedding themselves in it.
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The sounds of the swords striking were almost simultaneous.
Seong stood back, curious to see the results.
“How much explosion damage will this do?”
He waited eagerly, but... there was no explosion.
“...?”
Wasn’t the skill supposed to cause an explosion after the piercing damage?
He double-checked the description, but it remained the same.
Yet the swords remained lodged in the pillar without any sign of explosion.
Seong frowned, thinking something was wrong.
Could it be that terrain objects didn’t count as valid targets?
The skill description clearly stated it only applied to “enemies.”
“So it only triggers on targets recognized as enemies?”
If there’s no explosion, the blood swords wouldn’t disappear.
In other words, as long as Seong didn’t hit an enemy, he could keep using the skill indefinitely, creating shields or even defensive domes with the swords.
“...This is way too broken.”
It felt like the skill was overpowered.
Even if it gets nerfed later, it’s still absurdly powerful.
“Maybe it’ll get nerfed?”
It probably should, but if it doesn’t, that would be amazing.
Looking at the next reward, Seong saw an item called the Hourglass of Reversal.
He couldn’t tell what it was from the name, so he immediately checked it in his inventory.
He tilted his head, confused.
『Hourglass of Reversal』
→《Legendary》
→Said to have been created by an existence who transcends time, but its true origin remains unknown.
→The flow of time can be altered, and any moment can be shaken.
→Consumes sand to set the skill cooldown to zero.
→The hourglass holds a maximum of ten sand grains, and five grains are generated daily at midnight.
→If all sand is consumed, there is a random chance the Hourglass of Reversal will be destroyed.
This meant Seong could bypass the cooldown limit up to five times a day.
The maximum was nine, which was absurd.
Just this item alone was broken.
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But if combined with...
[Using a sand grain from the 『Hourglass of Reversal』 to bypass the cooldown of 『Thousand Blood Swords』.]
Seong extended his palm again and activated 『Thousand Blood Swords』.
Now, the previously created 150 swords mixed with a new batch of 150, swelling into a massive cloud of blood swords in the air.
“...Wait, the swords doubled?”
What should he do now?