“You’re an impatient one!”
Like a matador narrowly sidestepping an ill-tempered bull, Dojin barely let the Three-Eyed Wolf’s charge slip past him.
At the same time…….
“GRAAAOOO!!!”
He drove his spear back into the eye wound that had only just begun to heal!
“For a Boss, your recovery is no joke. I was planning to keep your vision sealed off!”
Dojin decided to adjust his strategy slightly.
Before obtaining <Poison Heart (D)>, he had already consumed a considerable amount of mana massacring the countless Gray Wolves.
That was why he had originally intended to buy time with his undead as much as possible.
‘But there’s no need for that anymore.’
By absorbing the poison qi scattered by the Three-Eyed Wolf, he had recovered not only a considerable amount of mana, but Stamina as well.
‘Then should I try that again after all this time?’
It would probably serve as a good check of his current condition too.
“Grrrrrr……!”
Reading Dojin’s intent, the undead withdrew from the Three-Eyed Wolf one after another.
The Three-Eyed Wolf hurriedly blinked.
Its last remaining eye, the least damaged of the three, glared at Dojin with killing intent.
“Yeah, yeah…… You’re pissed because I keep attacking your eyes and those piles of bones keep pestering you from every direction, right? Of course you are.”
If Dojin had two things he was especially good at, they would be getting under someone’s skin and controlling mana.
The moment they received their master’s intent, the Crow Skeletons viciously began pecking at the Three-Eyed Wolf’s eyes and forehead.
And the wolf undead…….
“GRRRAWR!!” ,gathered around Dojin before all five charged together and began tearing into the Three-Eyed Wolf.
Almost as if they were deliberately showing it exactly who had ordered all of these attacks.
Blood vessels bulged in the Three-Eyed Wolf’s last remaining eye.
“Grrrr…….”
Perhaps even within the wild instincts of a monster, there remained a sliver of reason.
The instant anger toward Dojin flashed through the Three-Eyed Wolf’s gaze—
SWISH!
This time, it was not an attack from the undead.
Before his regression, Dojin had accumulated countless real combat experiences and become exceptionally skilled at mana manipulation.
An arrow of aura formed above his bare hand and shot forward without even a bow, grazing the Three-Eyed Wolf’s face.
“GRAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”
After having its eye attacked over and over again, the Three-Eyed Wolf seemed unable to endure it any longer.
Like an enraged bull, it charged straight at Dojin!
“GRAAAAAAWR!!!”
The Three-Eyed Wolf was certainly fast and powerful.
An ordinary Player would probably have panicked and been overwhelmed in an instant.
Unfortunately for the Three-Eyed Wolf, Dojin was anything but an ordinary Player.
By now, the Crow Skeletons were practically clinging to the Three-Eyed Wolf’s face.
Like the eagle that pecked at Prometheus’s liver, whenever its eyes showed even the slightest sign of healing, their hard beaks immediately pecked them again.
The larger and stronger Wolf Skeletons each clamped onto one of the Three-Eyed Wolf’s hind legs.
Because of that, the Three-Eyed Wolf could barely move properly.
“Grrrrrrrr……!”
The Low-Grade Bloodsucking Wolf clung to the back of the Three-Eyed Wolf’s neck like a leech.
Meanwhile, the two comparatively weaker Wolf Zombies had climbed onto its back and were biting it all over.
The offensive power of the Low-Grade Vampire and Zombies themselves was nothing extraordinary, but their secondary effects became increasingly obvious as time passed.
[Three-Eyed Wolf] is continuously losing Stamina and Mana.
[Three-Eyed Wolf] has been poisoned by a Zombie.
Stamina depletion accelerates (-5% per minute).
“So this is why Players use summons. This really is convenient.”
Whenever the Three-Eyed Wolf thrashed violently in desperation, some of the wolf undead were thrown off, trampled, and destroyed……
“Awaken.”
But thankfully, the poison qi flowing from the Three-Eyed Wolf remained as strong as ever, allowing Dojin to continue recovering his mana.
Monster corpses that could become undead were also scattered everywhere.
In other words, he could continuously replenish his Minions.
In the middle of all that, Dojin calmly organized his thoughts.
‘As expected, Zombies are sturdier than Skeletons.’
The Lv.1 Wolf Skeletons he newly awakened during the battle were knocked away and shattered by the Three-Eyed Wolf’s violent struggles.
The Wolf Zombies, on the other hand, could withstand two or three more impacts even at the same Level.
‘The difference is whether they still have muscles.’
And even a Low-Grade Vampire seemed superior to a Zombie.
The other wolf undead had already been destroyed and replenished several times, yet the Low-Grade Bloodsucking Wolf continued to hold on remarkably well.
‘Maybe I should keep the Bloodsucking Wolf with me and let it grow?’
Dojin reached a simple conclusion, then continued watching the battle before him.
Perhaps because they were all his Minions, neither the Low-Grade Bloodsucking Wolf nor the Skeletons were affected by the poison qi of the Wolf Zombies.
The only one suffering was the Three-Eyed Wolf.
Even though that poison qi had originally come from the Three-Eyed Wolf itself.
“So the poison has already mixed with my mana and transformed into an entirely new poison…… Good!”
He had observed enough.
Dojin leveled his spear.
He had no intention of leaving everything to his Minions.
He might be a Necromancer now, but in the past, he had been a Magic Spearman.
“I’ll handle the finish.”
The Three-Eyed Wolf was enormous and poisonous, but ultimately, it was still a Gray Wolf.
It was not particularly intelligent, nor did it have multiple hearts.
Its physical structure and organs were not drastically different from those of real animals.
In the end, it would die if its neck was severed, its heart was pierced, or its head was smashed apart.
Of those methods, which could the current Dojin, still only E-Grade, use?
‘Pierce its heart!’
Of course, even that would not be easy.
As a Dungeon Boss, the Three-Eyed Wolf was enormous.
It was not quite as large as a bus, but it was bigger than a medium-sized truck.
Naturally, the muscles and bones protecting its heart were also thick and sturdy.
They were not something the mana of a mere E-Grade Hunter could easily break through, especially with a spear whose blade had already dulled from repeated use.
But Dojin was prepared.
“GRAAAOOO!!!”
WHOOSH-
CRUNCH! CHOMP!
Perhaps its monster instincts sensed danger.
The Three-Eyed Wolf stopped paying attention to the undead clinging all over its body.
Now, it charged straight toward Dojin!
“Ha! Did you smell it coming?”
But it was already too late for the beast to reach him.
Rather—
WHIIIIIIIIIIINE-----!
A strangely clear sound, like metal and glass striking one another, rang out as Dojin’s mana surged.
No.
It was death qi.
This was far denser and heavier than mere killing intent carried by warriors or beasts.
It was death.
Before refined mana, before anything else, it was the purer will of death itself—a will meant solely to cast death over its target.
“……!”
Combined with his spear, that power made the weapon resemble an enormous cavalry lance (Lance).
Holding that spear of power, Dojin shot forward like a cannon!
Through the encirclement of undead that had faithfully herded the prey according to their master’s intent—straight toward the heart of the Three-Eyed Wolf, which did not even realize it had already stepped into a trap!
SWOOOOOOOSH-----
Under ordinary circumstances, Dojin probably would not have hit the Three-Eyed Wolf’s heart.
But with the spear of power in hand, Dojin hurled his own body forward like a single shot put and smoothly shifted direction in midair.
Veering slightly downward from his original straight path, Dojin kicked off the ground—
CRACK!
“-GRAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!”
And drove his spear into the Three-Eyed Wolf’s heart as the beast’s momentum carried its body over his head.
“G-Grrrrrk……!”
Its agonized howl gradually faded.
Meanwhile, the violently spiraling aura tore into the Three-Eyed Wolf’s heart and shredded it apart.
“……!”
At last, the Boss’s massive body collapsed to the ground.
It was Dojin’s first Boss hunt since his regression.
Hidden Quest Complete.
Confirmed: Three-Eyed Wolf killed.
Amazing Achievement!
You are the first person in the world to successfully clear an Under Arena, achieve Overflow, and clear its Hidden Quest.
A reward will be granted.
Rewards confirmed.
World’s First Under Arena Clear Bonus Reward: <Minion Armament (C)> (Title Effect Applied)
World’s First Under Arena Overflow Reward: Title <Challenger> acquired
Hidden Quest Clear Reward: Hidden System <Store>, Hidden System <Inventory> unlocked
“This is exactly why clearing Arenas is so satisfying.”
<Minion Armament (C / Lv.1)>
Description: Active Type. Fuses the Skill owner’s Minion with equipment. Fully connects the Player, equipment, and Minion through mana, allowing its power to be strengthened.
Mana Cost: 10 / use
Duration: 5 minutes
<Title – Challenger>
You who refuse to be satisfied with comfort and familiarity and willingly risk danger.
One who explores and pioneers the unknown.
Those who challenge shall receive support befitting their efforts.
Effect 1) All Skills belonging to the Title holder Rank Up by 1 stage
Effect 2) Recovery rate of the Title holder’s consumed Mana and Stamina increases (+20%)
Both the new Skill and Title were excellent.
Either one would be a great help in future battles and leveling.
“Three Skills and two Titles already.”
And—
‘The Inventory and Store are unlocked…….’
With those, he would easily surpass ordinary Players when it came to purchasing and storing Items in the future.
This System resembled a game in many ways, but the differences were just as real.
The Store and Inventory were perfect examples.
Those two features were not granted to Players from the beginning.
Unless they acquired them as Quest rewards, Players could neither purchase Items from the Store nor store Items inside the Inventory.
‘That’s why before my regression, once the Main Scenario appeared, Low-Grade Players started working as Dungeon porters.’
Dojin’s eyes moved rapidly, yet sharply.
Level increased (Lv.32 / D-Grade).
<Necromancy (E)> leveled up (Lv.7→10).
<Necromancy> Rank Up (E→D).
Due to Title Effect, <Necromancy> Rank Up (D→C).
<Necromancy (C / Lv.1)>
Description: Active Type. Can turn medium-sized animals or monsters among the dead into Minions.
MP Cost: 3 / use
Minion List: 10 / 30
Minion Range: Skeletons (Bone Attribute), Low-Grade Zombies (Poison Attribute), Low-Grade Vampires (Blood Attribute), Ghosts (Soul Attribute)
“……Finally.”
Now he could awaken undead of all four Attributes.
And his maximum number of Minions had increased to thirty.
Thanks to the <Challenger> Title, <Poison Heart> had also Ranked Up to C-Grade immediately after he obtained it.
The range of tactics available to him had expanded tremendously.
After confirming everything, Dojin turned his gaze toward the viewer board.
- …….
- …….
The viewers had watched the stream in complete silence throughout the entire battle.
“How was it……? Did you enjoy yourselves?”
The instant Dojin finished speaking—
- (cheering gif)
- WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
- oppaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
- [YoungMasterJang] donated 3,000 Gold.
- Have you considered leaving Korea and making your name across the wider continent?
- [DesertPrince] donated 5 High-Grade Mana Stones.
- We can offer you much better terms over here.
Countless messages and donations poured in so quickly that Dojin could not even read them all.
Even with individual notification windows covering his vision to the point that he could barely see, Dojin stubbornly sent one message to his Guild Master.
- That should be enough of a test, right?
- CheerfulMask: …….
There was no answer.
But Dojin knew perfectly well that her silence itself was an affirmation.
And the Player community was completely turned upside down.
- Someone cleared an Under Arena!