Seoul, Cradle of Shadows.The Cradle of Shadows is the name of a building in Seoul built by the Vowers of the Shadow to serve their liege.Unlike other monarchs' structures, it isn't grand or flashy—it exudes a serene and static atmosphere, much like a shadow.Inside, there's a training ground used by the Vowers.There, two players were currently sparring.
"...Hey, why are we suddenly dueling? What's going on?""I'm not entirely sure, but I heard something came up that requires testing a mercenary's skills.""Testing their skills?"
It was Yoon Garam and Han Yuseong.The Vowers of the Shadow, who were watching their duel, were puzzled.
"...What kind of skills are we even testing?""Is there even a need for this? I mean, the opponent is Yoon Garam."
It seemed completely unnecessary to test someone's skills.The duel was intense.Yoon Garam and Han Yuseong exchanged blows, injuring each other again and again as the battle continued.
Yoon Garam was level 90.Among the Vowers of the Shadow, that was on the lower side, but she was a standout thanks to her skills and potential.To be able to fight her on equal footing, the opponent must be of a similar level.So... was there really a need to test him?
"I heard that mercenary is level 45.""Hmm, level 45... wait, what? What did you just say?""Are you serious? A level 45 is fighting on par with someone at level 90?"
Everyone watching was stunned.A literal level difference of 2x.With that kind of gap, there shouldn't even be a duel. One side should be crushed instantly.But the duel unfolding before them was completely even.
"Does he have unusually high stats for his level?""Maybe. Or maybe it's a rare item… but even then…""It's impossible. That kind of difference can't be bridged by items or gear."
The level gap was just too enormous.The fact that he could even hold his ground like this was already shocking.But there was something everyone was misunderstanding.
'This man…!'
Yoon Garam didn't think this fight was even at all.From the outside, it might look like a close match.But she, the one facing him directly, could feel it—a pressure she couldn't identify.The man in front of her was hiding something.And she was sure that if she let her guard down for even a moment, he'd tear her apart.
"Huff… Huff… Haaaaah…!"
Yoon Garam gasped for breath.The pressure was weighing down on her entire body.The fact that she should easily be winning, based on level difference alone, was only making that pressure worse.
Unable to withstand it any longer, Yoon Garam made the first move—
BOOM!!
As if he'd been waiting, Han Yuseong's sword struck the ground.Unable to withstand the force, the earth shattered, and fragments exploded like shotgun pellets toward Yoon Garam.She clenched her teeth and raised shadows to block the attack.
KWA-DDD-DRRKK!
The fragments clashed violently against the shadow barrier.Her vision blurred from the debris—but standing still would only mean defeat.While blocking the attack, Yoon Garam summoned more shadows to prepare a counterstrike.The shadows rising from her feet twisted into spears.Silent and deadly, the spears shot toward her opponent—
8dg019
Clack!
"…What—?!"
They didn't fire.Instead, a sudden binding sensation gripped her arms and legs.Alarmed, Yoon Garam looked at her limbs—and realized with a shock:She had been wrong.
The shadow that had risen from her feet hadn't been hers.It was Han Yuseong's skill,
"He… can control shadows too?"
The bind wasn't weak.Yoon Garam barely tore through the restraints.But before she could act—Han Yuseong's form had already melted away, disappearing as if dissolving into darkness.
And then, he reappeared behind her.From within the long shadow she herself cast.
Shhk—
"Are you going to resist further?"
A blade was pressed against Yoon Garam's neck.Its edge shimmered faintly with a silvery glow, reminiscent of moonlight.She closed her eyes.
"…No. I surrender."
Yoon Garam admitted defeat without emotion.Blood trailed from the corner of her mouth—she had bitten her lip in frustration.But that had nothing to do with her loss.She was someone who knew when to accept defeat.
"There probably wasn't any need for proof in the first place.""Then I'm glad,"
Han Yuseong sheathed his sword.Yoon Garam glanced back at the shadow stretched behind her,and at the shadow that had surged from her feet to bind her limbs.
"You… did you learn shadow-based skills?""Somehow. Still not very good with them."
"Not very good, huh…"
Yoon Garam let out a dry laugh.It didn't look remotely like someone inexperienced.The timing, the precision of usage—nothing about it was ordinary.And above all, the casting speed and utility…This was no low-tier skill.
It might even be a Tier-5 skill, she thought.
"And that sword technique you used earlier, too…"
Han Yuseong hadn't even used his fists in this fight.He'd focused on mastering Moonshade Step and testing a new sword style, fighting exclusively with the Halden-style Swordsmanship.To Yoon Garam, even that swordsmanship seemed extraordinary.
'A level-45 player… with at least two Tier-5 skills?'
There might even be more than that.And one more thing: someone who clearly seemed to be a swordsman had used shadow-based magic.That was hard to believe as well.
Yoon Garam let out a long sigh.Whatever the case—
"I'll register you as a mercenary. With your ability, Lord Noonju shouldn't object.Please wait in the staging room until the mission begins."
Looking a little deflated, Yoon Garam walked away with her shoulders sagging.
'The Great March Assault… I remember joining that a lot in my previous life.'
A faint smile crossed Han Yuseong's lips as he recalled his past life.The war-type mission was one of his favorites.Unlike others, it rarely involved the Lord's manipulations, and the rewards were reliable.Most of all, there would be plenty of fighting to enjoy.
"Let's see what kind of gimmicks they've got this time…"
[As do I… Kuhuhuhu…]
Han Yuseong closed his eyes, seated in a chair,as Kakasha's eerie laughter echoed in his mind.
[You are now entering the mission:
The time for the mission had come.The Vowers of the Dead, the Vowers of Shadow, and the mercenaries entered the battlefield.Their vision shifted—and soon, the otherworldly warzone unfolded before them.
"Whoa… this place is disgustingly huge."
It was a vast, open map.With nothing in sight, the terrain felt even more endless.At the far east and far west stood two massive statues.On the east side, where Han Yuseong stood, was a statue of a figure cloaked in shadow.On the west, a statue of a woman wrapped in bones.
They were the Colossi of the Lords.
– KUUUUNG!– KIIIIIIIIIIEEEENG!
Around each Colossus, "towers" had been erected at regular intervals.Each tower housed a massive crystal orb,and the mana emitted from those orbs formed a barrier, protecting the Colossus from enemy forces.
The enemy side was likely the same.To win, they would have to break through this defense and destroy the enemy Colossus.
"Didn't they say a random gimmick would be applied to this mission?""Yeah, I saw it earlier. It was written in the briefing… but what kind of gimmick is it, exactly?""You'll see. We'll find out soon enough."
The mercenaries murmured among themselves.And just as they said, it didn't take long to figure out what the gimmick was.
Once all players had been summoned to the battlefield, a message appeared:
[A random gimmick has been applied to this battlefield.][
As soon as the message ended, an ominous light swept across the battlefield.That light twisted and transformed—into monsters.
And not just one type.From goblin-like creatures to trolls and ogres,a huge variety of monsters spawned across the field.And that wasn't all—
[Epic Monsters are appearing.][
Even Epic Monsters had emerged.With their distinct names and overwhelming power,just their appearance made many players suck in a nervous breath.
"That's some ominous naming… are those things even beatable?""Some of them, yeah. But I heard a few are nearly impossible to kill. Either way, they're all strong—it won't be easy.""Venomfang… sounds like it uses poison, right? I'm not going near that thing.""Let's worry about the regular monsters first."
The players eased off their focus on the epic monsters.Now wasn't the time to take them on.The right move for now was to hunt ordinary monsters, build strength, and buy items before challenging the bosses.
The Vowers of Shadow were thinking the same.
"First, we need to clear out the monsters.""Yes. As planned, we'll split into units and begin monster hunting.We'll need monsters under our control to hold off the Dead faction."
"Hm… until then, our defense units will have to hold the line somehow…"
The one commanding the Shadow forces in this battle was a middle-aged man—Richard.He gazed across the field toward the enemy forces.
[
Soldiers materialized from the Colossus, shaped from pure mana.Clad in unified armor and weapons, they were minions,and they began marching down lanes, clashing with enemy minions along the way.
And then—
Thump, thump!Rumble… RUMBLE…
A sound began to rise from somewhere on the battlefield—the sound of countless soldiers marching in unison.
The ground shook violently.Those standing along the lanes turned toward the source of the sound.Far beyond, near one of the enemy towers in the Dead Faction's base—
"…Holy sh*t.""Am I… actually seeing this?""I've heard the stories, but this is just insane…"
An enormous horde of undead was advancing from behind.Even at a glance, their numbers easily exceeded a thousand.
There were low-tier undead like skeletons and ghouls,mid-tier undead like Dullahans,and even skeleton mages, pulsing with magical energy.
"…I don't know how long we can hold them off,"muttered Richard, his eyes fixed on the growing army.
The other Vowers and mercenaries shared the same thought.That reaction was only natural given the sheer scale.
'A brute-force undead swarm—something only the Lord of the Dead could pull off.'
There were 700 Vowers of the Dead participating in this mission alone.Most of them were necromancers,and even those who weren't could still summon undead using the skills provided by their Lord.
The strategy chosen by the Dead Faction was brutally simple:
– GUOOOOHH…!– KRRRRAAAAHHKK!
"They're sending the monsters straight at us…!!"
Using an overwhelming undead army to sweep through the monsters—And then—
"They're coming this way too!"
—launching a simultaneous assault on the Shadow faction's base.
Of course, compared to players, undead are weak.The Vowers of Shadow would be able to fend them off with solid defense.But whether they held the line or not didn't matter.
– KYAAAAAAGHHHH!
"Arrows incoming! Raise the shadows!""They're trying to pin us down here, just as expected. Don't panic!They're still just undead—stay calm, and we can handle them!"
If the Vowers of Shadow were forced to stay in their base,that alone would be enough.It would buy the Dead faction time to hunt monsters and grow stronger.
That was their entire strategy—a method proven time and time again across countless battlefields.
"Vowers of Shadow… they're the elite, the 'small but deadly' kind."
The wave of undead surged forward, overrunning the minions locked in battle at the lanes.The monsters devoured the Shadow minions almost instantly,and then marched forward alongside the Dead faction's own minions, heading straight for the tower.
The Vowers of the Dead watched it all unfold.
"They're the complete opposite of us.""But still…"
They truly were polar opposites.The Vowers of Shadow—an elite few with precision and skill.The Vowers of the Dead—undead armies that crush enemies with overwhelming numbers.Even outsiders watching the match were curious to see which side would prevail.
But regardless—
"In war-type missions, we are the strongest."
The Vowers of the Dead were confident.No matter how skilled the Vowers of Shadow might be,in a limited battlefield like this one, endlessly spawning undead couldn't be held back forever.
Just as always, this time too, the Lord of the Dead would claim victory.With that certainty and expectation driving them, the undead surged forward.
But they didn't know.
"Perfect timing. I needed gold anyway."
That someone was actually welcoming the undead's advance.
A man in a hooded cloak, his face hidden beneath the shadow of his mantle.Han Yuseong raised shadows around him, wrapping them around Moonshade Step.Since it was a sword used by Mojuga, he needed to alter its appearance in front of too many onlookers.
"Guess I'll earn some gold before I go after the epic monsters.""…What? Wait, what did you just—"
Yoon Garam was about to question him, but she was too late.Han Yuseong had already moved.
A fierce gale swept across the lane—a single figure surging forward, heading alone toward the horde of undead approaching the tower.
"…What?"
Even seeing it with their own eyes,they couldn't believe what was happening.
From Yoon Garam's lips,a dazed voice slipped out—
"…What…?"
She couldn't help it.
The scene before her was so surreal, so far removed from common sense,that her mind stalled for a moment—and all she could do was stare in blank disbelief.