Volume 23: Chapter 4: Uncollapsible Sand Castle
“Geez, what’s taking her so long?”
Lee Hyun was
waiting for Seo Yoon at the train station.
Having just turned
into a Death Knight, he was extremely busy hunting.
He was able to
wear iron plated armors, use dark energy and enhance his swordsmanship.
The strength of
the knight class was tremendous!
Many players
choose this class as it was well balanced with many advantages.
With his
outstanding horse-riding, his movement speed was pretty fast.
Maintaining his
horse was inconvenient but being very helpful in battles it was worth taking
care of.
The only
disadvantage would have been that the stamina droped too quickly compared to a different
class such as swordsman but it didn’t matter as Death Knight was an Undead.
“It was perfect
timing for levelling up as well…”
Lee Hyun decided
to keep his promise and left his house a little bit early.
Seo Yoon arrived
ten minutes before the 8 am meeting time.
She brought two
travelling bags with her.
Even wearing a
simple white T-shirts and jeans she was gorgeous.
People at the
station couldn’t get their eyes off of her.
Glimpsing at her
face briefly, he was left with impressions of clear beauty.
He couldn’t help
look at her face again, staring at her piece by piece.
The phrase, ‘the
eyes are the window to the soul’ was absolutely right.
Her eyes were
deep, pure and dazzling.
It was like her
eyes were the world’s most clear jewels.
Her eyebrows were straight,
nothing to find fault with.
He couldn’t find
any flaws in her nose, lips, cheek, forehead, ear lobes or anywhere on her
body.
When looking at
her, it felt like everything was in its place.
Her body expresses
an unbelievable beauty.
“Were you waiting
for me?”
“No, I just came.
Let’s get the tickets firsts.”
After arriving in
train by the big city in the north by the seashore, they planned to rent a car.
Seo Yoon said she
had a driver’s license.
“When did you get
your license?”
“I received it
just yesterday after passing the test.”
“………"
________________________________________________
On the train
heading to the seashore, they had kimbap and soda which he brought from home.
Lee Hyun fell
asleep while staring out at the window.
Travelling relaxed
his tension and stress.
“I……”
Lee Hyun was
muttering in a low-pitched tone. Seo Yoon brought her ear close to listen.
“…tem…”
Lee Hyun was sleep
talking!
Seo Yoon didn’t
get enough sleep because she was busy preparing early in the morning.
She leaned her
head on Lee Hyun’s shoulder and fell asleep as well.
Every time the
train stopped, passengers saw that scene while getting on the train.
‘That guy doesn’t deserve
her.’
‘Why is she with a
lame guy like him…’
‘This is so
unfair! What is this!’
When the train
arrived at their destination, they picked up their bags and got off.
The car rental place
was found near the train station.
After renting their
reserved car, Seo Yoon sat on the driver seat and Lee Hyun on the passenger
seat.
“Shall we go?”
“After starting
the car.”
Seo Yoon started
the car and then spoke.
“Let’s go now.”
Lee Hyun was
nervous but Seo Yoon seemed strong in real life as well.
Now that she
started the car, she drove very smoothly.
But then suddenly
the wiper activated!
“Where is the signal
lamp for turning?”
“On the other
side.”
Lee Hyun regretted
not getting a driver’s license before hand.
After leaving
downtown, North Sea of Korea became visible along the national highway.
East or west seas
had their own charming points but North Sea had a lot more to take in with its
warm climate. Also it wasn’t as expensive.
By driving along
the seashore, they were able to go around the big islands.
There were flowers
growing on the crooked roads right beside the sea.
When they arrived,
Seo Yoon took out her camera.
“Can we take a
picture here?”
“Of course we
can.”
Taking pictures
was a must-do while travelling.
“I’ll take a
picture of you.”
Seo Yoon took picture
of him with the sea as the background.
In the photo he
seemed like an awkward tourist stuck on a beautiful scenery.
“Ok, now it’s your
turn.”
Lee Hyun received
Seo Yoon’s camera and pressed the shutter.
Every time her
picture was taken, it was a like a photo shoot.
She just stood
still like Lee Hyun but it was a whole different kind of images.
He felt like the
sands were shining and a gentle breeze coalescing around her.
She didn’t smile
or held many poses but she looked great with the winter sea as the background.
There were also
many tourists at the seashore.
Lee Hyun asked the
tourists for a favor.
“Excuse me… Do you
mind taking a picture for us?”
It looked like
they were on a graduation trip.
“Sure, I don’t
mind.”
These men took a
picture of Lee Hyun and Seo Yoon standing together.
SNAP!
They put their
focus right on Seo Yoon, blurring out Lee Hyun!
‘What an unmatched
couple.’
‘That guy must
have saved the universe in his past life.’
Going to several
places while riding in their car, they went to popular tourist spots and took photos.
They spent plenty
of time together in Royal Road but this was different, no hunting, no quest, it
was like two of them were dating.
Soon, it became
dark.
The temperature
dropped fast after sunset so they began looking for a place to stay.
“I’ve found a place… Was it this way?”
After roaming around
in their car, they arrived at the camping site.
With minimum
price, they were able to use this place freely.
There were groups
of families having set up their tents already.
“We are late. We better hurry.”
Lee Hyun took out
the camping equipment from his large bag.
He borrow it from Ma
Sungbum from the dojo,
After setting up
the tent, he took out the burner to boil water, which he was able to obtain in
the camping site, and prepare dinner.
While Seo Yoon was
washing the raw rice for cooking, Lee Hyun grabbed a fishing rod and head to
the coast.
“I’m going to
catch some fish for dinner alright?”
There were middle
age men concentrating on fishing while their wives and daughters watched on.
“Geez, not a
single fish.”
They wanted to
show off in front of their families but unless you were some natural-born
fisherman, it wasn’t easy.
Lee Hyun opened a
small container.
These energetic
worms were caught directly from his yard this morning.
Every time he threw
his fishing rod with the baits on, he was able to catch the fish quickly.
63cm flatfish!
“What a waste of
worm.”
49cm rockfish!
“I needed
something for fish stew. This will do nicely.”
The rockfish were
known delicacy of this area.
“Aren’t you guys tired?
Stop taking my baits.”
Fish were
crowded in the bucket Lee Hyun brought.
Middle age men
comforted themselves thinking about their wives and daughters.
‘As long as I have
a happy family…’
‘Even if my wife
nags often, the joy of going on a trip with her is…”
Lee Hyun murmured
holding his fishing rod.
“I should be
getting back for dinner… It would be nice if a black porgy took my bait. What
are they doing, geez.”
The men thought in
their heads.
‘Hey kid, black
porgy isn’t some kind of carps that you can just catch easily.’
‘I’ve been here
for twelfth time now and even I haven’t seen it.’
At that moment,
Lee Hyun’s float sank a little bit.
Picking the right
spot was the heart of fishing, shaking your fishing rod slightly and make it
look like the worm was wriggling was advanced skill!
And with that,
another fish took the bait.
Unfortunately, it
wasn’t a black porgy. It was a sea eel.
“This will be nice
when roasted.”
When Lee Hyun was
about to return, Seo Yoon came out from the tent.
“Did you catch a
lot?”
“Not enough in my
life time. I caught just enough to be full.”
After Lee Hyun and
Seo Yoon went back to their tent, the men’s eyes were moist with tears.
“Daddy, there are
so many mosquitoes biting. I don’t like it here. I wanted to watch TV at home.”
“Honey, can’t you
do this hobby of yours alone?”
They could barely
get to talk with their daughters after school and their wives left their home
frequently to take a trip with their friends.
These men
reminisced their golden age when they were in high school or university.
‘Sigh… If only I
could go back.”
____________________________________________________
With his nimble
hands, Lee Hyun made charcoal fire and placed a grill on top of it.
Until the fire was
stable, he made doenjang soup and when the fire was hot enough, he roasted, not
pork of beef, but variety of fish!
“Do you want to
trade for a rockfish?”
Roaming the other
tents, he traded for clams, crabs, sausages and even some cheap wine.
Flipping the
fish, he also boiled fish stew.
With gentle
crashing of waves in the background, they saw stars shining from the clear sky.
“Let’s eat.”
Eating fish outside was excellent.
After the filling dinner,
Lee Hyun even cleaned the dishes.
“You want some
coffee?”
“Sure.”
They sat on the
beach, savouring a cup of coffee.
When it was completely
dark, they could hear chirps of crickets.
All other tents had
turned their lights off.
“We should go to
sleep as well.”
It was a tent for
four so there was sufficient place for two people to sleep in.
Despite that fact,
it still felt cramped.
Once in their sleeping
bag, they could hear each other’s breath coming from the other side of the
tent.
Seo Yoon’s nervous
heart was beating fast.
Even in the tent,
in a separate sleeping bag, it felt like they were sleeping in the same room.
Seo Yoon was
worried that her heartbeat might be heard along with the crash of waves and
chirps of crickets.
However, she could
soon hear snoring from Lee Hyun.
______________________________________________________
Lee Hyun woke at
dawn to the sound of bird chirping.
Even in an
unfamiliar place, he didn’t toss and turn. Rather, he slept soundly.
Lee Hyun turned
and found Seo Yoon was still asleep facing in his direction.
Getting out of his
sleeping bag, he went outside quietly.
‘Should I make
some crab stew for breakfast?’
Lee Hyun preped the
ingredients and waited for Seo Yoon to wake up.
Thinking Seo Yoon
was still exhausted from the travel, she didn’t wake up even after sunrise.
But the truth was,
Seo Yoon slept late staring at Lee Hyun’s sleeping face.
Her first
impressions of him, the thoughts she had every time seeing him in Royal Road, the
appreciation of going on a trip together.
She opened her
heart out and speak about it, but Lee Hyun had no clue as he was busy snoring
in his sleep.
“Maybe I should
take a walk.”
Lee Hyun walked
alonged the sandy beach breathing in the fresh morning breeze.
‘The weather is
really nice.’
Birds were
chirping as they looked for foods.
And there were a
gathering of childrens on the beach, building a sand castle.
‘I want to give it
a try.’
Anyone who went to
the beach did it at least one time or another.
Lee Hyun never did
have a chance to do it but it would be nice way to kill some time.
Ten minutes later
the other kids were gathering around and looking at Lee Hyun.
The sand castle he
was building was becoming life size reaching about 1.5 meters.
Adults came as
well as they watched the ramparts and towers getting built.
This was all
thanks to the skill he had mastered in construction sites and sculptures in
Royal Road.
An hour later, the
sand castle was complete.
People around him
complemented him for the perfectness, but their words didn’t reach him.
‘Not like I can
trade this in a real estate… or get money from it.’
A complete
utilitarian!
Once the tides
came, it would collapse and get wiped out.
It was just a sand
castle that would fall even against a little bit of strong wind.
With the sand castle
finished, people left one by one, leaving for breakfast or going home.
Lee Hyun watched
the coming tides and the sand castle in vain.
“We’ve gone on a
trip together now… But someday, she’s going drift apart to the point where I
can’t even get close.”
Lee Hyun was
willing to let her go for her own sake.
All the time spent
with her will remain as memories later.
That was why he
wrote something under the castle.
Lee Hyun and Seo
Yoon’s house.
__________________________________________________
When he came back
to the tent, Seo Yoon was cooking with the prepared ingredients.
After a filling
breakfast they planned to take a look around North Sea a little bit more,
before take a train going back home in afternoon.
Lee Hyun packed
his stuff and spoke to Seo Yoon as he was tidying up the space.
“I’ll take care of
this. Why don’t you get some rest?”
Seo Yoon walked
toward the sandy beach.
Once she got back
to the city, she would most likely will not be able to see it anymore.
As she barely went
outside she decided to pick up some kind of small souvenir, such as conches or
pebbles.
“After today, I’ll
be going back to my normal life.”
Walking on the sand,
she noticed a particularly giant sand castle.
She had no idea
who built this but it was a very well-made and sturdy sand castle.
Seo Yoon headed
toward it.
_________________________________________________
Four armies from
the Undead Legion advanced toward Morata.
But only two army’s
worth made it to the one week distance away from Morata.
Due to some of
them having no legs and walking uncomfortably, majority of them were coming
late.
Not to mention
some of the Undead going off the main route, falling into a well, or circling
around a forest.
Because Undead
armies disperse a lot when they are on the move, more self inflicted casualties
arose.
And with the many
ordinary monsters in the north, they disappeared as monsters like goblins,
trolls or ogres protect their territories.
“An Undead army is
coming this way.”
Players on
adventures and hunting ground spotted the Undead army and raised the alarm in Morata.
It was a huge
event for the novices and merchants.
The church knight
from Freya order was dispatched right after they were assigned to Morata.
“Looks like the
church knight is moving out to hunt Undeads.”
“Lu’s order and
Freya’s order jointly commissioned an Undead-hunting quests.”
Parties hunting in
Morata joined priests and the paladins on the quest.
In the lord’s
castle, a punitive force was organized to eliminate the Undeads.
There were weak
skeletons among the enemies so anyone over level 30 could participate.
“Let’s go have
some fun.”
“Let’s beat those Undeads!”
For novices, this
was a good event and they could get a lot of experiences for participating in a
large-scale suppression.
450 units of the paladins
from Freya’s order gathered.
These holy knights
were unbelievably strong compared to Morata’s knights.
Because they do
not belong to a city or a village, not even the lord can give them orders.
They only fought
for the church when there was a religious crisis or a threat from monsters.
Additional 840 men
joined from Lu’s priests and Freya’s priests respectively, to fight the Undead army.
The manpower was
somewhat excellent but there were over 3,000 priests in the punitive force
comprised solely of ordinary players.
People with priest
class in Morata participated in this quest as it could increases their faith.
Those who were
busy or on some quests rushed toward the battlefield.
“Yay, Undeads!”
“God, I love the Undead.”
Priests were
filled with joys when they saw all the Undeads.
Priests came fast,
almost at the same time as paladins, riding on horse to engage the Undead first.
There were many other priests in the punitive force who would come later.
Because of the
fairly high reputation compared to other cities because of the Goddess statue
and the Grand Cathedral, tens of thousands of players chose to become Freya’s
priests.
It became the
reverse with them advancing on the Undead Legion!
Paladins were
mobilized, along with players with class like mercenary, warrior, magician,
summoner and bard to joined the punitive force and defend against the invasion
from the Undead armies.
Compared to the
high-level players across the central continent, their overall average level
wasn’t very high.
This was due to
the high number of novices starting out in Morata every day.
Due to such
advantage, Morata became one of the greatest city next to other metropolises.
Early players of
Morata had memories of their village being silent and secluded but now, even in
the middle of night, merchants were camping out in every square.
Anyone could feel
that the village was changing day by day.
Fifty thousand men
in the punitive force came early!
It lacked the
manpower compared to the two Undead armies, which was approximately over sixty
thousand.
But being camped
on the hill they had geographic advantage over the battle.
Their morals were
striking high with area-of-effect blessings from the priests.
Zaffran, who was
assigned as the captain of the punitive force for this quest shouted loudly.
“Let’s defeat
theses Undeads invading our new home, our land!”
“Attack!!!”
Paladins, the
punitive force, and the Undeads charged each other.
More players in
the punitive force were arriving continuously and the Undead Legion were
flowing with Undeads.
The war between
two armies, had finally begun.
________________________________________________
Polon obtained
information from the Hermes Guild.
-Necromancers were
summoned by an unknown force and are now fighting for the Undead Legion as Undeads.
Even Necromancers
from their guilds were aligned with the Undead Legion.
They had great
talent filling in several occupations in the guild but unfortunately, the Necromancer
was a recently created position.
The Necromancers who
were part of their guild didn’t even have high levels and their hunting speeds was
slow. They were currently still stuck at the rank of High Level Skeleton.
Zabrin : Seems
like every Necromancers in Versailles Continent have been gathered there.
Zabrin reported
all the information through the guild’s long distance communication channe.
Polon, knights,
magicians and rangers in the army including the executives of the Hermes Guild
could listen to the report.
Zabrin : I’m
seeing every famous Necromancers such as Jeanne or Bohram.
Polon : What is
their current quest?
Zabrin : I’m not
so sure but they are continuously on battles related quest for the Undead
Legion.
Zabrin felt good
reporting in.
In Hermes guild,
they were given full support if they thought it was necessary.
Not to mention the
guild providing good equipment and hunting grounds, they even provided troops
for quest and other needs.
If he achieve
something this time, he just might be able to participate in a hunting party that
was above his current rank!
Since he reported
that with his current rank he could not join the other Necromancer who advance
further then him on the quest, any help from the guild would be huge help for
Zabrin who wasn’t even level 300 yet.
The only reason
Zabrin joined the Hermes Guild was the greed of receiving support to easily
level up.
Zabrin : If you
need any kind of information, I’ll look into it. I’ve made many Necromancer friends
so I should be able to get any information you want.
Polon : It would
be nice if you can create some influence among the Necromancers.
Zabrin : Ok, I’ll
try. But the most famous and strong Necromancers got promoted to higher rank
and is fighting some place close by. Unfortunately my level is low and I cannot
follow them right now.
Polon : Can you
wear equipment for magicians?
Zabrin : Yes I can.
It’s much better if it’s a cursed item.
Skeletons and
ghost could were able to wear equipment without any race limitation.
For example, a
cursed item that reduces life and increase mana, could increased both for the
Undead.
For Zabrin the
cursed items were much better off.
Polon : Whatever
you need, you will get it. But you must provide daily reports and inform me
immediately if you hear anything important. Any information on Weed takes
priority.
Zabrin : You can
trust me. As a member of Hermes guild, I will not let you down.
_________________________________________________
After coming back
from the trip, Weed reconnected and was at the canyon where the Undead Legion
was situated.
With successful
promotion to Death Knight, he was placed in the canyon for battle.
DING!
·
Garrison of Kilizar
The Undead Legion have great faith in your abilities.
Having succeeded every mission so far, the Undead Legion expect
you to annihilate the enemy in Kilizar canyon.
Difficulty: B
Restriction: Undead Only
The difficulty
went up drastically.
Luckily 33 other Necromancers
including Jeanne, Otem, Bohram, Harien, Gruzed, Varenna and Goshu came before
him.
As they were
magicians or summoners before becoming Necromancers their level was already
high.
Jeanne would have
leveled up many times after becoming a Necromancer and her current level was
presumed to be about level 408.
Because each
individual had different stat and skills, it was difficult to assume one’s
level just from the number of Undeads one could summons.
Also taking into considering
the possibility that they were hiding their true power, it’s was much more
complicated.
Varenna revealed
her level to be 390 and considering her enormous mana consumption when summoning
and casting dark magic, Jeanne had to be at least level 408 in comparison.
‘No wonder they
are considered as one of the best Necromancers.’
Weed acknowledged
the Necromancers standing before him.
Not only were they
excellent in controlling their Undeads, they didn’t hesitate using their
perfect skills in battles.
Weed chose a class
with direct combat skills while in comparison their class specialized in
summoning Undeads.
Death Wizards and
Death Witches!
The other players
chose class as wizards and witches.
To control the Undeads,
corpses need to be raised up and enhanced before battle began.
Also all kinds of
curses need to be cast on the enemy, weakening, slowing and confusing them.
Necromancer was a
very busy occupation, exploding corpses or summoning guards to defend them.
Compared to other
magicians and clerics who could depend on their party members to protect them
in battle while steadily setting up magic, Necromancers had a lot to do all the
while observe the battlefield.
As a one-man army,
they had to support the Undeads, with variety of stats and skills also needing
to be increased.
Necromancers’
strength differs a lot depending on their own sharp observation, quick reaction
time and abilities to grasp the situations but their overall capabilities were
beyond expectations.
‘Not bad, not bad
at all.’
Weed was very
satisfied with him being Death Knight.
‘It’s nice to have
great allies.’
When these Necromancers
brought the Undeads into the fight, all he had to do was killing off the monsters
and obtaining experience and drops.
With thousands of Undeads
and monsters tangled up in the fight, there were so many enemies to kill.
‘They are coming
endlessly.’
This place is what
people would have call a paradise of strong monsters.
There was a reason
the humans couldn’t come here to hunt.
The monsters
reproduced fast and had the intelligence to move in groups.
Undead Legion were
extremely strong but these monsters were of high standards as well.
These Undead wore
the weapons and armour plundered long ago after the fall of Niflheim Empire.
Monsters
considered the Undead Legion as a serious threat and continuously attacked them.
And it was not like Balkan could come and rain endless spells on the monsters.
This was how the chaotic
and fierce battlefield for Undeads and monsters was prepared.
Weed hunting deep
inside the monsters side, levelled up to 394.
Less than ten
minutes later, groups of monsters were coming again.
He saw the rising
sand dusts and felt a warmth of life approaching far from here.
“Enemies are
coming soon. Use enhancing spells on Undeads.”
As Jeanne spoke,
they woke up from their mana-charging meditations and quickly got ready for the
next battle.
Necromancers
acknowledged Jeanne as their captain.
Because Undead
armies needed to cooperate every time they battle, they were specifically given
their duties.
“Fight! Do not
retreat!”
“Kill them all!”
Undeads summoned
by Otem, Bohram, Harien and Gruzed picked up their weapons and shields.
“Bone Strike!”
“Ice Field!”
“Poison Cloud!”
“Unholy Weapon!”
On the canyon, Jeanne,
Varenna, Goshu and other players continued to casted offensive spells.
All kinds of
curses and spells from high-level Necromancers struck the army of monsters
heading toward the canyon.
Skeleton mages and
archers rained their respective ammunition.
Another battle
starting deep into the night!
Undeads had their
geographical advantages but these monsters were impressive as well.
They were breaking
through, slicing Undeads with axes.
“Sumon Phantom Horse!”
Weed got on his
horse.
-
Horse’s morale is at its maximum
Fighting spirit,
charisma and agility increase by 10%.
As his phantom horse
appeared, it increased his stat as Death Knight.
“Go!”
NEIGHHH!
On his horse, Weed
ran down the cliff.
His horse-riding
skills weren’t that great at first but it continue to improve when he was a
Skelton Knight and Death Knight.
Even so, the
courage to run down a cliff on a horse!
“Here I come my
experience and items!”
He charged into
monsters trying to climb the cliff riddled with arrows and spells.
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