‘Good.’
E-Grade and Level 25 after clearing only two Arenas.
Dojin checked his Status Window.
Name: Lee Dojin
Level: 25 (E)
Class: Necromancer
Title: Regressor
Strength: 35(+1)
Agility: 35(+1)
Mana: 35(+1)
Stamina: 35(+1)
Attributes: Bone, Poison, Blood, Soul
Unique Skill: <Death Qi (EX)>
Class Skill: <Necromancy (E)>
Item: Pyramid (B+)
Something else had changed as well.
<Necromancy> Level Up: Lv.3 → Lv.7
More notification windows continued appearing afterward.
After all, Dojin was not the only one who had leveled up.
Crow Skeleton (Soldier) shared its master’s EXP.
Level increased (Lv.19).
Attack Power and Mobility increased.
Crow Skeleton (Common) shared its master’s EXP.
Level increased (Lv.15-Soldier).
Recovery and Mobility increased.
The same notifications appeared for the Wolf Skeletons.
Wolf Skeleton (Common) shared its master’s EXP.
Level increased (Lv.13-Soldier).
Attack Power and Defense increased.
Wolf Skeleton (Common) shared its master’s EXP.
Level increased (Lv.13-Soldier).
Mobility and Recovery increased.
The moment the notification windows appeared, Dojin’s Minions even began changing in appearance.
The Crow Skeletons’ wings and beaks grew larger.
Naturally, Apostle was still the largest among them. Now, when it spread its wings, its wingspan was longer than one of Dojin’s arms.
The two Wolf Skeletons, on the other hand, changed in different ways.
One grew larger overall, with bigger teeth.
The other showed no visible change in size, but its bones became far harder and its gait considerably more precise.
The undead obediently approached Dojin like affectionate pets, pushing their heads against his shoulders and legs and rubbing against him.
“Not bad.”
But there was still one more thing Dojin was looking forward to.
The new Skill rewarded for clearing the Quest!
“But everyone, wouldn’t it be a little boring if things ended like this?”
- ???
……No.
It was something else.
“Even among Arenas, Under Arenas are what you’d call special zones! But…… if all you have to do is kill the enemies right in front of you and clear it…… isn’t that far too obvious and simple?”
- No way.
“Oh! It’s starting now!”
Condition 1: First login to an Under Arena
Condition 2: Monster Overflow
Conditions fulfilled.
Hidden Quest generated.
<Hidden Quest – Boss Raid>
Grade: D-Grade
Clear Condition: Kill/Neutralize the Boss (Time Limit: 15 minutes)
Reward: Hidden System Unlock (Boss Neutralized - 1 / Boss Killed - 2)
Penalty: All Stats -10
A new notification window suddenly appeared in midair over the Arena.
The viewers were shocked when they saw it.
- Hidden Quest?
- Those exist too?
Dojin had explained it that way, but in truth, almost nobody should have known about things like Bosses or Hidden Quests.
He recalled his memories from before the regression.
- If you clear the assigned Quest with Overflow, there is a high chance that an Under Arena will generate a Hidden Quest.
- If humanity wishes to surpass its limits, the Hidden Quests of Under Arenas must be cleared.
It had been a secret revealed far too late by a Ranker with a precognition Skill, while the Main Scenario was already well underway.
Only then had the survivors lamented that they had not dragged Players into Under Arenas by force if necessary.
But by that point, everything had already been far too late.
“…….”
Thinking of the past, Dojin shook his head.
There was a reason he had chosen an Under Arena as his first Arena immediately after joining a Guild.
If this broadcast could encourage other Players to start logging into Under Arenas, humanity would not suffer the same helpless defeat as before.
That was enough reminiscing.
The two Wolf Skeletons dragged over one Gray Wolf corpse each from among those sprawled across the ground.
‘I can create three more Minions.’
<Necromancy (E / Lv.7)>
Description: Active Type. Can turn small animals or monsters among the dead into Minions.
Mana Cost: 5 / use
Minion List: 7 / 10
Minion Range: Skeletons (Bone Attribute), Low-Grade Zombies (Poison Attribute), Low-Grade Vampires (Blood Attribute)
The maximum number of Minions had not increased, nor could he awaken medium-sized creatures yet.
Instead, the range of undead he could create had expanded dramatically.
‘Using my Minions for scouting this time must have accelerated the Skill’s leveling.’
Thanks to <Necromancy> reaching Lv.7, he could now create three different kinds of undead!
Then before the Hidden Boss deigned to show itself, he should replenish his forces first.
“Awaken.”
At that moment, Dojin’s mana connected to Gray Wolf corpses lying dozens of meters away.
Currently Available Minions
Wolf Skeleton (Bone Attribute): Available
Wolf Zombie (Poison Attribute): Available
Low-Grade Bloodsucking Wolf (Blood Attribute): Available
Wolf Ghost (Soul Attribute): Unavailable (Required Level - 10)
Three Gray Wolf corpses in the best condition had been gathered by the Wolf Skeletons.
They opened their eyes.
[Low-Grade Bloodsucking Wolf]
A Necromancer’s Minion.
Possesses bloodsucking ability. Can absorb a small amount of the target’s Stamina and Mana (-3% per use).
[Wolf Zombie]
A Necromancer’s Minion.
Possesses poison qi. Upon successful infection, gradually drains the target’s Stamina (-5% per minute).
- They’re not Skeletons?
A viewer who had been watching Dojin in silence sent a message.
“Thanks to everyone’s support, it seems I can awaken a wider variety of undead now.”
Two Gray Wolves rose to their feet with their hides and flesh still completely intact.
One moved somewhat unnaturally and gave off a faintly strange odor, though it was not overpowering.
The other moved naturally and had no foul smell at all, but its body had shrunk slightly, and its fur looked strangely dry.
- Wait. Did he just summon Minions with different Attributes?
- How?! He’s not even a Ranker, and dual Attributes are already rare. Triple Attributes make no sense!?
The viewer board instantly turned into a heated debate.
Dojin smiled faintly and spoke.
“Shall we move on, then? It looks like our uninvited guest has finally arrived!”
At the same time, mana that seemed to press down upon the very air could be felt.
And poison qi began filling the atmosphere.
One of the viewers left a startled message.
- Already?!
At the same time, his Guild Master’s messages erupted.
- CheerfulMask: What are you doing right now? You’re seriously planning to fight it?
“Have I ever lied to you?”
- CheerfulMask: No, I was already dumbfounded when you said you were going to an Under Arena, and now……!
“Oh, it’s starting!”
The instant Dojin finished speaking—another notification window appeared.
Warning!
You have been exposed to poison!
Warning!
The surrounding Arena is being engulfed in poison qi!
- Poison?
- Is the Boss Poison Attribute?
The viewers’ predictions were correct.
The monster Dojin and his undead were about to hunt was a mass of deadly poison.
<Wolf Valley> Boss [Three-Eyed Wolf (D)] has appeared.
Breathing heavy enough to seem capable of filling the entire area.
Dense gray fur resembling a lion’s mane.
Three strangely gleaming eyes.
The corner of Dojin’s mouth rose slightly.
Then, in a voice too low for anyone else to hear, he murmured,“It’s been a while. No…… I suppose this is our first meeting?”
The leader of the Gray Wolves and the Boss of this Dungeon.
A gigantic wolf more than three times the size of an ordinary Gray Wolf.
Every time it exhaled, dense poison qi poured from its mouth.
“Back then, when you broke out of the Dungeon, civilians and Players throughout the area died one after another. All because of the poisonous gas you spewed with every breath.”
Before the regression, once the Main Scenario began, every Arena had transformed into a Dungeon.
And among them, monsters from Dungeons transformed from Under Arenas had been especially lethal.
The Three-Eyed Wolf was one such example.
Simply by roaming nearby, it scattered poison in every direction, resulting in countless casualties.
But this time, you’ll never make it into the Main Scenario.
“Let’s end this here.”
Mana is resisting the poison’s invasion.
A smile spread across Dojin’s face as he read the notification.
“The timing is better than I expected.”
He had known that clearing the Quest to hunt one hundred Gray Wolves would reward him with a new Skill.
He also knew that when a Player acquired a new Skill, the result could be influenced by the Player’s Class or by the contents of the Quest.
Was it because ‘Poison’ was one of Dojin’s Attributes?
Or had the poison of the approaching Three-Eyed Wolf influenced it?
<Wolf Hunting Ground> Clear Reward: <Poison Heart (D)>
<Poison Heart (D / Lv.1)>
Description: Passive Type. Absorbs external poison and converts it into the Skill owner’s Mana or Stamina. (Mana - +10% per minute / Stamina - +5% per minute)
It did more than simply grant resistance to poison.
It turned poison into his own strength.
An extremely effective ability against monsters that emitted poison.
Perhaps the Three-Eyed Wolf found it strange that the human before it appeared completely unaffected inside the poison qi.
The Boss hesitated.
That was when Apostle and the Crow Skeletons shot toward its eyes like arrows.
The Wolf Skeletons sprang forward immediately afterward, targeting both of the Three-Eyed Wolf’s forelegs.
The three newly created wolf undead circled wide and attacked its right hind leg all at once.
“GRAAAWR!!!”
But a Boss was still a Boss.
The Wolf Skeletons’ teeth could not tear through its thick hide, and the Crow Skeletons’ beaks failed to accurately strike its constantly moving eyes.
But Dojin’s undead did not retreat.
They continuously circled the Boss Wolf, harassing it from every direction.
‘Now!’
In that instant, Dojin’s mind calculated coldly.
‘Right now, my weapons are this spear and ten undead.’
As though responding to Dojin’s fighting spirit, the undead began moving with even greater precision.
They attacked one after another as if following meticulous commands, then withdrew and repeated the process.
Dojin swung his spear, its blade saturated with reinforced aura.
Its tip—
“GRAAAWR!!!”
As expected of a Boss.
The Three-Eyed Wolf barely twisted its head aside and avoided Dojin’s spear.
However—it could not also avoid Apostle’s beak, which had been waiting for that exact moment.
“GRRRRRRRR……!”
FSSSSSSSH!
Perhaps sensing danger, the Three-Eyed Wolf began actively spewing poison qi.
But it was useless.
<Poison Heart (D)> absorbs poison qi.
Mana restored (+10% per minute).
“Now that’s a rush.”
Dojin grinned.
The mana he was consuming to control his Minions was continuously being restored.
Having suddenly suffered an eye injury and lost part of its vision, the Boss Wolf seemed to decide that its first priority was to guard its surroundings by spewing poison gas.
Thanks to that, Dojin received all the poison qi he needed.
“Grr……?”
The Three-Eyed Wolf seemed to sense that something was wrong.
Almost as though it had realized that Dojin was deliberately stalling for time.
But it was already too late.