NOVEL WEB Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“My… my undead?”
Vegron stood frozen, watching his own undead being taken from him.
The idea of having one’s own creations stolen was unheard of.
And to make matters worse…
‘They look… stronger.’
The undead, now under Seonghyeon’s control, bore an entirely different appearance.
Their bodies were shrouded in a shadowy darkness, with streaks of turquoise energy emanating like mist.
If they had been monsters, their high-level appearance would have discouraged even the most seasoned players.
Yet strangely…
‘Their levels are lower?’
Indeed, the undead’s levels had significantly dropped from what they were when Vegron created them—by over 10 levels, in fact.
It was strange, but Vegron rationalized it.
The opponent was clearly lower-leveled than him, likely not even level 10, though fortunate enough to acquire a rare class.
Though startled by the messages about his undead being seized, he calmed himself.
‘It’s fine. I can handle this.’
High-tier classes in games? Sure, they were important.
But in the end, power lay in levels!
A higher level trumped all.
Reassured by this thought, Vegron reignited his fighting spirit, while Seonghyeon took a moment to assess the situation.
‘…What is this?’
While Vegron was certainly shocked, Seonghyeon was no less surprised.
Only now was he beginning to understand something: Helena’s memories weren’t entirely under his control.
Or more precisely, not yet.
Until Helena intervened, recalling the details about the Aura of Death had been nearly impossible.
He’d only vaguely remembered its shape and Helena’s use of it.
But once she helped, everything changed.
The memories surrounding the Aura of Death surfaced clearly.
‘Wow.’
It was as if his mental vision had suddenly sharpened.
He could now clearly understand how to use the Aura of Death.
The sensation was akin to gaining perfect clarity after years of blurred vision, or even more liberating than when he first transitioned to Overlord.
As he relished this newfound clarity, system messages began to flood in.
[Due to an ‘Unknown Power,’ you have exceeded the limitations of your current skill.]
[The mastery of the legendary skill, 『Aura of Death』, has greatly increased.]
[The level of the legendary skill, 『Aura of Death』, has increased.] ×4
[『Aura of Death』 has reached Lv.5. A new effect has been unlocked.]
‘Ah!’
Seonghyeon realized that Helena’s memories and experiences didn’t just grant him raw stats—they provided insight.
He hadn’t been using his abilities to their fullest potential.
With this revelation, his perspective changed.
From the early memories of the Drill Instructor’s Ghost to those of the hunter Apik and the gravedigger Garik, everything came into focus.
Now he understood why Helena had said he possessed greater talent than her.
Seonghyeon’s eyes narrowed as clarity dawned.
“Attack.”
At his command, the undead—no, the Legion of the Dead—moved.
Their speed and precision were on a completely different level compared to when Vegron had controlled them.
They charged with the swiftness and intent of living beings.
Vegron’s eyes widened as the undead closed the distance.
Still, he remained confident.
So what if they were fast? They were still low-level undead.
“Bone Arrow! Bone Spear! Bone Spikes!”
Vegron chanted three skills in rapid succession, aiming to halt the legion’s advance.
The first to manifest were three bone arrows, hurtling toward the zombies and skeletons.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrows buried themselves in a zombie’s chest, causing considerable damage.
However, they failed to stop its advance.
Vegron wasn’t done yet.
Two spinning bone spears emerged from thin air, flying toward their targets.
Whoosh!
The spears spiraled through the air with a menacing hum, impaling the heads of two skeletons.
Crack! Crack!
The skeletons collapsed, shattering into pieces.
Still, three skeletons and two zombies remained.
Their speed brought them perilously close to Vegron.
Feeling cornered, Vegron smirked.
His trump card was finally ready.
From the ground around him, gleaming white spikes of bone erupted like a trap.
Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
“Graaaagh!”
“Gwoooargh!”
“Clatter!”
The spikes tore into the zombies’ shadowy forms, wounding them severely.
While the skeletons suffered less damage, the spikes immobilized them, lodging between their bones.
The skill was both an offensive and immobilizing move.
Vegron grinned triumphantly.
Even though the constant damage from the turquoise mist had weakened him, it didn’t matter.
All he needed to do now was finish off Seonghyeon.
‘Time to end this!’
With the undead trapped, Vegron seemed to have the upper hand.
But then, a turquoise spear streaked toward him.
“What—?!”
The spear hit before he could react.
Though the level difference spared him a critical blow, it pierced his shoulder clean through.
Thwack!
“Arghhh!”
The damage was severe.
How could a beginner inflict such damage?!
Before he could process it, more system messages appeared.
[Dark damage is applied.]
[For 3 seconds, your vision and senses will be impaired.]
“What… what is this?!”
Vegron felt as though his head was spinning.
It was like being flung through the air, his mind shattering with confusion.
His vision blurred into chaos, making it impossible to distinguish up from down, left from right.
Even total darkness would’ve been less disorienting.
On top of that, his sense of balance was utterly disrupted.
Through his jumbled perception, Vegron glimpsed Seonghyeon moving farther away.
Was he retreating?
“No! Don’t run away!”
Vegron’s desperate shout rang hollow.
Suddenly, Seonghyeon appeared right in front of him, closing the distance in an instant.
Before Vegron could comprehend what was happening, his vision spun wildly again.
Wait, why was he… lying on the ground?
Through his disoriented senses, only the system messages remained clear.
[Critical Hit!]
[You have been consumed by an irresistible force.]
[Your HP has dropped to 0. Forced logout initiated.]
[Due to your notoriety, death penalties are increased.]
[Due to your notoriety, one of your highest-grade items has been dropped.]
“No… damn it…”
Vegron wanted to scream but couldn’t.
His body disintegrated into particles, forcibly logged out before he could utter another word.
Thus fell Vegron, Persville’s highest-level player.
Only after his departure did Seonghyeon exhale, a short sigh of relief.
“Phew.”
What a tough opponent.
Despite numerous advantageous factors, victory hadn’t come easily.
Without the aid of the Wrathful Souls of the Dead, even Seonghyeon would’ve struggled.
Of course, it was all thanks to Helena.
“Thank you,” he said, turning to Helena.
However, her face, once radiant, was now veiled again, her exhaustion evident.
Had she used too much of her strength?
“Yaaawn. I’m tired, so I’ll head back in now. See you later.”
“Alright,” Seonghyeon replied.
With his answer, Helena flashed a seductive smile from behind her black veil and disappeared into Seonghyeon’s chest.
Does she live in my body now?
The thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t dwell on it.
If there were anything amiss or harmful about her presence, he figured he’d sense it instinctively.
And right now, there were no such feelings.
As the tension from the battle dissipated, he felt a wave of exhaustion.
Then, a cascade of messages appeared before him.
[You have won your first PvP battle!]
[Title 『Brawler』 acquired.]
[You have defeated a player significantly higher in level!]
[Achievement unlocked!]
[Title 『Brawler』 has evolved into 『Master Brawler』.]
[Experience gained!]
[Level up!] ×7
[You have reached Level 8.]
[You have defeated a notorious player.]
[Title 『Adventurer of Justice』 acquired.]
[You have defeated an opponent who initiated combat.]
[You have acquired the item 『Sturdy Beginner Dark Mage’s Robe』.]
“Oh?”
As his strength returned, Seonghyeon felt reinvigorated.
Such an abundance of rewards!
His newly acquired title evolved immediately, and he gained another appealing title as well.
His level jumped seven times, reaching level 8, and he even secured an item.
It was a windfall.
He now understood why some players hunted others.
Though he wouldn’t stoop to such practices, he could see why people targeted notorious players.
“So this is why there are bounty hunters for outlaws.”
These infamous players yielded better rewards than monsters. The so-called bounty hunters seemed justified in their pursuits.
Though tempted to check all the rewards, Seonghyeon put it off for now because…
“Ahem! Go ahead and take what’s in my hut too!”
Beside him, Garik eagerly urged him to claim the remaining reward.
Amused by Garik’s uncharacteristically hurried demeanor, Seonghyeon gave a faint smile.
The usually slow-moving gravedigger ghost was now excitedly gesturing toward his hut.
Though tempted to tease him, Seonghyeon chose to oblige and stepped inside.
The dilapidated hut had sunlight streaming through gaps in the ceiling, dust thickly covering every surface.
The sparsely furnished space contained just a bed and a desk, atop which rested a single box.
“That’s it!”
Garik exclaimed with enthusiasm.
Without hesitation, Seonghyeon opened the box.
Creaaak.
The rusty hinges groaned as the lid came up, revealing a book and an envelope inside.
[Hidden Piece: Unique Skillbook 『Skillbook—Proliferating Undead』 acquired!]
[Hidden Piece: Unique Item 『Elite Dark Mage Training Recommendation Letter』 acquired!]
“A Unique Skillbook? And…!”
Seonghyeon swallowed hard, scratching his cheek as he took in the rewards.
The Unique Skillbook alone was astounding, but the recommendation letter for an Elite Dark Mage Training Center was beyond expectation.
It was a far greater reward than he’d anticipated.
So this means I won’t have to worry about other skills for a while.
[The 『Elite Dark Mage Training Recommendation Letter』 can only be used at level 10 or above.]
“Two more levels to go.”
He didn’t think it would be too difficult to gain two more levels.
For now, he decided to check out the rest of his rewards.
4.
[User 『Seonghyeon』 has exceeded the limitations of their current skill through an ‘Unknown Power.’]
[User 『Seonghyeon』’s Legendary Skill 『Aura of Death』 has significantly increased in proficiency.]
When faced with phenomena beyond their understanding, people typically reacted with fear.
But some responded with frustration and anger—like Team Leader Ji Hyejeong.
“What is this?”
“…”
Neither Assistant Manager Lee Wonsang nor Oh Jinhyuk could offer an answer.
How could they? They were just as baffled.
Especially Oh Jinhyuk, who had confidently declared that Vegron couldn’t possibly lose.
And yet… here they were.
Another appearance of this mysterious “Unknown Power.”
This time, it wasn’t just stats that had improved—the skill proficiency had skyrocketed, with the skill level jumping all the way to level 5.
Would Seonghyeon have been able to defeat Vegron otherwise?
A level 29 gap in a direct confrontation?
‘Probably… not.’
Despite her preference for factual analysis, Hyejeong admitted that Seonghyeon likely wouldn’t have won without the sudden surge in synchronization and vitality during the battle.
“Level is king.”
This saying held true in Eternal World, as in most RPGs.
Level was the clearest and most direct measure of power.
While job grades mattered when levels were close, a level 1 Overlord defeating a level 30 player was virtually unheard of.
Even with the Overlord class’s immense potential, such a victory should have been impossible.
Yet Seonghyeon had won.
‘Impressive.’
While minor fluctuations in stats were to be expected, the magnitude of change in this case was unprecedented.
What was this “Unknown Power”?
More than that, Seonghyeon’s movements, decision-making, and synchronization skills were extraordinary—almost as if he were an NPC truly native to the game world.
“I’ve never seen a player like this before,” Hyejeong said.
“Right?”
“Y-yeah, me neither. He might even be better than the rankers!”
“Comparing him to rankers when they were level 1? He’s in a whole different league.”
Even Hyejeong had to agree.
Beyond the unprecedented changes in stats, Seonghyeon’s playstyle was exceptional.
Both Wonsang and Jinhyuk couldn’t deny it either.
This was a player unlike any they’d ever encountered.
“At this rate, he might catch up to the rankers in no time.”
Had anyone else made that claim, they might have been dismissed for exaggerating.
But coming from Team Leader Hyejeong, her words carried weight.
Even Jinhyuk was startled by the statement.
Hyejeong was known for her discerning judgment in the player management team.
Catching up to rankers with more than a year-and-a-half lead? Could it really happen?
Turning to Jinhyuk, Wonsang explained,
“He’s starting with Unique Necromancer skills and an elite training ticket before even reaching level 10. That’s an unparalleled head start. And we still don’t know the nature of this ‘Unknown Power.’”
“Ahh…”
Seonghyeon’s beginnings were extraordinary.
Even rankers hadn’t started with such advantages.
Wonsang’s explanation made Hyejeong sigh deeply.
“Sigh…”
Both subordinates flinched at her audible exhale.
She seemed irritated, but…
‘The atmosphere’s not that bad, is it?’
‘R-right?’
They weren’t wrong—neither had done anything to warrant scolding.
“I guess we’ll just have to keep monitoring him for now. Immortal confirmed he isn’t using any exploits, so there’s no reason to suspect a security breach.”
“Y-yes, ma’am!”
“Of course!”
Immortal, the AI overseeing the system, would have already investigated Seonghyeon’s background thoroughly.
There was nothing more they could do for now except remain vigilant.
“If anything else unusual happens, report it immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Hyejeong returned to her desk with a resigned air.
Though she’d assigned the task of monitoring to her subordinates, she had her own work to do.
‘Time to look into Overlord’s history.’
There might still be undiscovered peculiarities related to the class.