abcnovels
Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Chapter 69
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 69: Wave (2)
Minwoo glanced at the message and saw the unexpected windfall of achievement points.
[One of the protagonists, ‘Seo Yerim,’ has achieved her lifelong dream!]
[Achievement Points: 200 awarded!]
[You own the Achievement Vending Machine! Points are doubled!]
[Opening Achievement Shop!]
[Rank: Silver (Total Achievement Points: 1,030)]
[Current Achievement Points: 500]
‘Achieving her lifelong dream… She must’ve earned her grandfather’s approval.’
Seo Yerim’s archery talent had come through, and now she had his acknowledgment.
As a result, his achievement points jumped to 500.
‘The vending machine is amazing.’
He checked the list of items available in the shop.
[1. Limit-Breaking Elixir]
[Requires 100 Achievement Points]
[2. Undead Cocktail]
[Requires 100 Achievement Points]
[3. Necromancer Gear Random Draw (Legendary ~ Ancient)]
[Requires 300 Achievement Points]
[4. S-Rank Bound Skill Book]
[Requires 500 Achievement Points]
[5. ???]
[6. ???]
‘Undead Cocktail, huh?’
Minwoo examined the item description.
[Undead Cocktail]
[Rank: Special]
[A cocktail for the undead. When consumed, it grants unique effects.]
[Effect 1. Only the undead can consume it.]
[Effect 2. Upon consumption, all of the undead’s stats are increased by 10%.]
[Effect 3. Low probability of granting the undead a skill.]
[Effect 4. Upon consumption, the undead’s senses are slightly enhanced.]
It was essentially a power-up item for the undead.
Minwoo found it quite attractive, especially considering he already had Cedric.
‘A boost to all stats and a chance to gain a skill. Plus, enhanced senses.’
Given Cedric’s consistent performance, feeding him this cocktail could make him even more formidable.
It was tempting, but Minwoo had to weigh his options carefully.
Achievement points, even with the vending machine’s doubling effect, were still precious.
‘The Limit-Breaking Elixir is a must-have.’
It allowed him to raise the level cap, which was vital for his progression.
‘The random draw for Necromancer gear could be interesting.’
Legendary and Ancient-grade gear was hard to come by, even in the markets.
Only specialized auctions or events could offer such items.
‘The Sky Auction…’
It was a highly exclusive auction held once a year, offering rare items ranging from high-level gear to unique accessories.
The best part was its low commission rate of just 2%.
‘Participation requires an invitation.’
Invitations were sent to a select group of a thousand people worldwide, based on various factors like level, fame, and wealth.
It’s around the beginning of February now.
‘I guess they’ll start sending out invitations around April.’
After selecting the participants, the Sky Auction House will open around a month later, in May.
This was one of the reasons he had started to make his move in earnest.
Because of the conditions there, they don’t send out invitations unless you’ve achieved some kind of meteoric rise to fame.
‘I wonder how much I need to build up from now to get an invitation.’
Whatever happens.
‘My achievement score is 300, and my equipment is decent.’
It’s Necromancer gear anyway.
There may be a hierarchy among the equipment, but there’s no way it’ll be a dud.
‘An S-grade skillbook is fine too.’
It’s Possession.
This also means there are no duds.
He’s sure he’ll find an S-grade skill useful for a long time.
‘I’m having a lot of trouble deciding.’
The problem was that all the items were equally good.
If he had had more points, he would have bought them all.
‘I have to buy something though….’
There’s no point in hoarding points.
This was especially true for him, who would soon have to go and deal with the second trial of the Death Lord.
After a long deliberation, Kim Minwoo chose an item.
An S-grade Possession skillbook.
He didn’t need to buy the Limit-Breaking Potion right away, and the Undead Cocktail was nice, but his own strengthening was still the top priority, even over Cedric.
After all, he needs to have points left over to raise Cedric too.
‘What about the equipment….’
It was a bit of a shame, but still, the skillbook was better than the equipment.
[Would you like to purchase an S-grade Possession skillbook?]
“Yes, I will.”
[An S-grade Possession skillbook has been awarded!]
[Using the skillbook!]
Light erupted.
Immediately after.
[Necromancer skillbook, Land of Death (S) has been acquired!]
‘Land of Death, huh.’
He checked the details.
[Land of Death (S)]
[Level Requirement: 151 or higher]
[Consumes 1,000 mana to turn a designated area into the Land of Death for two hours.]
[Effect 1. Enemies standing on the Land of Death are hindered in their movements and have their life force continuously drained.]
[Effect 2. Enemies who die on the Land of Death are resurrected as undead.]
[Effect 3. Undead standing on the Land of Death have all their stats buffed.]
‘It’s an AoE.’
It wasn’t that great for single targets.
The mana consumption was insane.
But what if you used it in multiple battles?
‘The effect would be huge.’
On our side, we get a stat buff, and the enemies get their life force drained and all sorts of debuffs, and on top of that, they get resurrected as undead if they die.
Let’s try using the skill.
A huge circle appeared before his eyes.
‘It’s a wide AoE.’
It was much wider than he had thought.
Everything he could see around him was within the range.
It was almost the size of several sports fields put together.
‘Not bad?’
It seemed like the biggest advantage of this skill was its area of effect.
If there was a group battle like the one with Cedric in the Call of the Death Lord, it would be a skill with incredible performance.
‘Worthy of an S-grade.’
He nodded in satisfaction.
* * *
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Gun]
The news that spread through the world caught the attention of not only the general public, but also the Shadows.
From Number One to Number Seven, the entire group gathered.
The Shadows had been carrying out their assigned tasks, but they were also searching for the one who killed Lee Seoyoon.
Despite their investigation into forged identities, corporate moguls, and even politicians, they had found no one who could be the culprit.
Eventually, they had to put the investigation on hold.
That’s when the news came out: Kim Minwoo had cleared an A+ grade gate with the Sword of Justice, just the two of them.
“Is that for real?”
“Sword of Justice’s got an ego bigger than the sky. She’d rather cut out her own tongue than lie about something like that.”
“No wonder we couldn’t find anyone who seemed guilty…”
“It must be him who killed Lee Seoyoon.”
They all nodded.
Kim Minwoo.
If he could manipulate forged IDs, he was certainly capable of other things.
More than that, he had managed to hold an equal share of credit with the Sword of Justice in clearing the A+ grade gate.
If he had such skill and talent, he could have easily handled a B-rank awakened like Lee Seoyoon in the past.
Even now, he was creating chaos in an A+ grade gate; taking out a moderately successful rookie like Lee Seoyoon inside a gate would have been a piece of cake.
Han Baekgil’s eyes narrowed in recognition.
‘Kim Minwoo. So it’s you.’
They’d finally found the new face responsible for taking out Lee Seoyoon.
“Boss, doesn’t he seem like a good recruit?”
Han Baekgil nodded.
Of course, he was interested.
Beyond the financial aspect, Kim Minwoo’s growth rate was astonishing, with significant skill and talent.
It seemed almost disrespectful to compare him with Lee Seoyoon.
“If we could bring him into the Shadows, he could become an incredible asset.”
“I’ll give it a try.”
“But boss, do you think you can really recruit him? He already has everything. And unlike Lee Seoyoon, he doesn’t seem crazy.”
“Well, we can’t just leave him alone.”
“That’s true, but…”
Han Baekgil’s words made everyone nod in agreement.
Most of the people in the room had significant social standing.
Many held important positions in successful guilds, or were even guild leaders.
They knew that someone with a growth rate like Kim Minwoo’s would cause waves, potentially threatening their interests in the near future.
A typhoon doesn’t intentionally uproot trees.
The wind just does its thing.
And Kim Minwoo was a typhoon.
A massive one.
Ignoring him was the worst possible strategy.
Given his growth rate in just a couple of months, he could become so powerful in half a year that the Shadows wouldn’t be able to touch him.
At that point, the only option would be to keep a low profile and live in hiding.
Whether they were to recruit him or eliminate him, some form of contact was necessary.
But Han Baekgil wasn’t planning on going in without any preparation.
“We can offer him unique power. At least we have something to give.”
“Boss, you’re not thinking of giving him a blessing, are you?”
“If he can be recruited, it might be worth it.”
“Well…”
From Number One to Number Seven, everyone fell into silence.
A blessing was a way to gain power from a higher being and speed up one’s growth.
But it wasn’t without a cost.
Regular sacrifices were required, along with fulfilling tasks.
Of course, it came with significant value, which was why those present held their positions.
But that also meant that a blessing was something all the members shared.
When only one person received a blessing, all the power was given solely to them, allowing for rapid growth.
However, if the blessing was distributed among many, the power was diluted.
From Number One to Number Seven, those present had all followed Han Baekgil, proving themselves through numerous trials.
This earned them the right to receive the blessing.
Even someone like Lee Seoyoon hadn’t received it without a significant trial period.
The silence grew tense until Han Baekgil spoke.
“I know this doesn’t sit well with everyone. But what other way do we have to get him on our side?”
“Honestly, no. Asking him to prove himself through hardship like we did with others wouldn’t work. He’s way out of our league.”
Everyone nodded. Kim
Minwoo was leveling up at a rate faster than anyone before him.
He had nothing to gain from working his way up from the bottom like others had to.
If anything, they were the ones struggling to keep up with him.
“If we can persuade him, it would be a major win for us.”
“I agree.”
“Me too.”
They all agreed.
“But what if we can’t recruit him? Do we take him out?”
The question brought silence to the group.
Eliminating him would be far from simple.
It wasn’t like they could just storm in and kill him without consequences.
His identity made the process exceedingly complex.
If they tried to kill him in the real world, they’d be caught and prosecuted.
This meant they would have to act within the confines of the gates.
“Let’s deal with that if it comes to it.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
It was easier to discuss potential action than to actually carry it out.
There were so many unknowns, not to mention the consequences of any attempt to eliminate someone as high-profile as Kim Minwoo.
With that, Han Baekgil disappeared into the shadows, leaving the rest of the group to contemplate their next steps.
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Gun]