Chapter 42
Chapter 4: Fate Rides the Wind (17)
[You have obtained the reward for achieving the fifth accomplishment.]
[As a reward for the fifth accomplishment, the skill level of Character Summon has increased.]
[The skill level of Character Summon has increased from 4 to 5.]
[With the increase in Character Summon skill level, the summoning attempt count has been recharged by 1.]
[Unique Skill: Lv 5. Character Summon]
[Current Summoned Characters: (0/2)]
[Owned Characters: 2]
[Available Summon Attempts: 1]
Just a moment ago, after defeating the enhanced test subjects, Han Sangwoo received two rewards, one of which was a character summon.
It had been a long time since he acquired a character summon.
[Summoning the third character.]
[The character being summoned is random.]
Immediately after receiving the reward, Han Sangwoo used the summon without hesitation.
Given that Gang Cheolman was holding the line upstairs alone, he needed to organize the rewards quickly and head up. Besides, there was no point in saving it, and he didn’t know what variables the character summoned this time might bring.
As a result.
-My name is Dark Eodum. I am the assassin of the darkness watching the abyss. Are you the master I should follow?
An assassin about 175cm tall appeared, wearing a black hood and mask, and dressed in black robes, with his arms crossed.
Character name, Dark Eodum.
A character known as the Emperor of the Shadows, an assassin who takes on the extreme damage role in party play or PVP.
‘Great, it’s a max-level character!’
Upon checking the character, Han Sangwoo cheered inwardly.
He was worried that a low-level secondary character like Jejang might be summoned, but instead, a max-level character with a level of 999, like Taeseng GilgeoI, was summoned.
Now, facing enemies, especially boss mobs, would be much easier.
However, Dark Eodum could not be summoned recklessly.
Even though his level increased and he wore the [Bracelet of the Brilliant Sage], which increased his mana, he still couldn’t maintain the summoning of two max-level characters for a long time.
Therefore, Han Sangwoo decided to summon Dark Eodum only when it was crucial.
The mana consumption was burdensome, and he still didn’t know how efficient it would be in battle to actively use it.
For now, it seemed best to summon Taeseng GilgeoI and Jejang as the default, and if these two characters couldn’t solve the problem, he would cancel Jejang’s summon and then summon Dark Eodum.
And Han Sangwoo’s strategy was correct.
[Canceling the summon of character: Jejang.]
[Current Summoned Characters: (1/2)]
[Character Summon]
[Summoning the character: Dark Eodum.]
[Current Summoned Characters: (2/2)]
Judging that it was challenging to defeat the monster Hong Jinseong with the existing method, he canceled Jejang’s hidden summon and instructed Dark Eodum to deal with Hong Jinseong.
He easily gained the upper hand.
[Character: Dark Eodum uses Stealth.]
[Character: Dark Eodum uses Infiltration.]
[Character: Dark Eodum uses Deadly Poison.]
[Character: Dark Eodum uses Backstab.]
Dark Eodum, upon being summoned, used [Stealth] to hide his presence and [Infiltration] to move behind Hong Jinseong. He then applied poison to his weapon with [Deadly Poison] and launched a surprise attack using [Backstab], which deals triple damage when attacking from behind.
The effect was beyond imagination.
“Urgh…!”
The body of the monster Hong Jinseong, who had been overwhelming the battlefield with the power of his thoughts, was pierced in a single blow.
Despite being a powerful foe who had driven Gang Cheolman into a corner and ravaged the abandoned factory district, it was a typical sorcerer-type monster, and its low defense meant that a single strike was enough.
[Character: Dark Eodum has defeated the inferior Thought Sorcerer Hong Jinseong (SS).]
[You have gained 10 times the experience.]
[Your level has increased!]
[You have gained +1 Agility and +1 Intelligence.]
Thud-!!
The monster Hong Jinseong, pierced by Dark Eodum’s dagger, fell to the ground and collapsed.
‘Tsk, there are rewards I haven’t used yet, but it ended before I could even try them.’
Looking at the monster Hong Jinseong, who was lying on the ground and slowly turning to dust, Han Sangwoo clicked his tongue inwardly.
There were still rewards left from completing the urgent quest, in addition to the fifth achievement reward, but the enemy died before he could use them.
Of course, it wasn’t something to regret much.
It simply meant that Dark Eodum was that strong, and his level had increased.
Although Gang Cheolman was fighting the monster, since they were outside the dungeon, it was not recognized as a party, and the full experience was given to the person who landed the final blow.
As a result, Han Sangwoo’s level rose to 93.
In the unresolved dungeon, he didn’t gain much experience due to being in a party with Gang Cheolman, but after massacring the enhanced test subjects in the trap and defeating the SS-grade monster Hong Jinseong, he leveled up rapidly.
“You have grown even stronger. Congratulations, my lord.”
Taeseng GilgeoI also sensed Han Sangwoo’s level-up and slightly bowed his head, offering congratulatory words.
Then.
“Shouldn’t you be thanking me, Guardian Knight? I am the one who ended the enemy’s life.”
Dark Eodum, who returned at some point, spoke in a cold tone.
His icy voice did not sound like a joke at all.
In response, Taeseng GilgeoI looked at Dark Eodum and spoke.
“You’re still arrogant, assassin.”
“Well, I think I’m better than the proud captain of the imperial knights. If you don’t like it, try to arrest me.”
“Arrest? If this were the sanctuary, I would have executed you according to the empire’s laws. You should be grateful to the lord who seeks unity.”
Could this be what they call arch-nemeses?
There was no physical confrontation, but the conversation between Taeseng GilgeoI and Dark Eodum was intense.
It felt like walking on thin ice.
‘These two… don’t get along well.’
Listening to the conversation between Taeseng GilgeoI and Dark Eodum, Han Sangwoo rubbed his forehead as he saw the message pop up before his eyes.
[You have summoned two characters simultaneously.]
[Depending on the compatibility between the characters, a simultaneous summon effect occurs.]
[Guardian Knight – Assassin]
[Simultaneous Summon Effect: Rivalry]
[Rivalry: The Guardian Knight and the Assassin have a conflicting relationship between law protection and destruction. During simultaneous summoning, the loyalty of the assassin and the guardian knight temporarily decreases by 3%.]
When he summoned Jejang, the synergy effect resulted in a buff, but this time a debuff effect called rivalry appeared.
Even though it was a simultaneous summon, the effects were so different.
Practically, it didn’t change the stats or skills, and it only resulted in a drop in loyalty, so it didn’t have a significant impact on battles. Still, it seemed that Han Sangwoo needed to consider the relationship between characters depending on the situation when summoning them.
Since simultaneous summoning was burdensome, Han Sangwoo had thought it would only bring buffs, so he was taken aback by the situation. What was more surprising was that Gang Cheolman was standing behind him.
“Ha, Han Sangwoo Hunter. Where on earth are these people from? Blocking [Meteor’s Judgment] and defeating Hong Jinseong with a single blow….”
Although a bit late, Gang Cheolman was staring at Taeseng GilgeoI and Dark Eodum with a bewildered expression.
How should he explain this?
“Um, well….”
Han Sangwoo trailed off, pondering what to say.
In the urgency of the situation, he had summoned the characters to deal with the monster Hong Jinseong, but now he was in a position where he had to reveal his abilities to Gang Cheolman.
There was no other way.
It wasn’t feasible to make up a story, as Taeseng GilgeoI had blocked an SS-grade hunter’s skill from Gang Cheolman, and Dark Eodum had defeated the SS-grade monster Hong Jinseong in one blow.
This meant that Taeseng GilgeoI and Dark Eodum were at least SS-grade, or possibly higher, like SSS-grade.
Currently, there were no SSS-grade hunters in South Korea. There were only eight SS-grade hunters, including Gang Cheolman.
Gang Cheolman would definitely know all the other SS-grade hunters, so Han Sangwoo couldn’t claim that Taeseng GilgeoI and Dark Eodum were SS-grade hunters.
Moreover.
“And the skills were really impressive. How should I put it? It felt like something straight out of a game. Han Sangwoo Hunter, do you know a game called ‘Higher’?”
Gang Cheolman had already recognized Taeseng GilgeoI and Dark Eodum’s skills.
While he hadn’t gone so far as to think that game characters had come to life, he had clearly observed the skill effects used by the two characters.
As expected, being an experienced player in “Higher,” Gang Cheolman had recognized the skills of the Guardian Knight and Assassin after seeing them just once.
It was just as Han Sangwoo had anticipated.
However, even though he had braced himself for this, facing it in reality left him at a loss for words.
But at that moment, while Han Sangwoo was struggling internally.
-Should I handle it, Master?
Dark Eodum’s voice echoed in Han Sangwoo’s mind.
Even though he didn’t specifically use telepathy, Han Sangwoo’s concerns seemed to have been communicated to the two characters.
Taeseng GilgeoI also used telepathy.
-What trick are you trying to pull now?
-Trick? I’m just trying to use a traditional, simple solution.
Taeseng GilgeoI showed resistance to Dark Eodum’s words, but at that moment, he had no choice but to grasp at straws.
‘Traditional solution? What is that?’
-I will show you.
Dark Eodum didn’t give a specific answer to Han Sangwoo’s question.
Instead, he demonstrated it through actions.
“Also, the outfits of both of you look somewhat familiar from a game. Nice to meet you. I am Kang Cheol….”
[Character: Dark Eodum uses Infiltration.]
[Character: Dark Eodum uses Weak Point Attack.]
Thwack-! Thud-!
As Kang Cheolman introduced himself while approaching, Dark Eodum moved behind him using a skill and struck his neck, making him faint.
If it had been a battle situation, Gang Cheolman might have counterattacked or evaded, but he was already exhausted, and with the battle over, he let his guard down, falling victim to Dark Eodum’s surprise attack.
Fortunately, he controlled his strength, so he didn’t kill him.
“……”
“Once, a great thief said, ‘When in doubt, putting them to sleep is the best solution.’”
“My lord, just give the order, and I will execute him immediately.”
Srrng-!
In response to Dark Eodum’s tactless actions, Taeseng GilgeoI approached with a step forward, drawing his sword halfway.
Seeing this, Han Sangwoo raised his hand to stop him.
“It’s okay. Anyway, now I don’t have to explain anything. It’s a bit of a drastic method, but.”
It might be a problem when he wakes up later, but that could be dealt with when the time comes.
Looking at Gang Cheolman, who was lying on the ground, Han Sangwoo scratched his cheek.
