Chapter 8) Weed’s Trap

-The skill Summon Undead has increased to level 9.

The health of the undead has greatly increased. The bones of the skeletons are properly attached. Movement speed will increase.

-Due to the increased knowledge of death, faith has been reduced by 15.

Due to the aversion from people, honour and dignity has been reduced by 7.

As Weed’s Summon Undead skill reached level up, the speed of the experience acc.u.mulating started to slow.

“Something is missing.”

He gathered monsters to collect experience but the rate of increase in proficiency had slowed.

“My stats are dropping… Summon Undead will increase more quickly when going against users.”

Killing a user and raising their corpse would increase experience and proficiency several times more than monsters.

The corpses of the northern users!

However, even they weren’t willing to die just so that Weed could use Undead Summon.

‘Will they die if they attack the cities of the giants?’

An insidious plot.

Northern users would die after receiving ridiculous quests. If he used Summon Undead in the process then his skills would increase very quickly.

‘No. If they die and are weakened then they will pay less tax. I need to consider the long term profits.’

He couldn’t abandon the northern users who he raised as golden eggs just because of an urgent matter in the land of the giants.

Weed’s intelligence often surpa.s.sed a politician when it came to insidious schemes.

While Weed was thinking, he made sculptures that expressed a devil with forked tongues.

Insidious plot 2, 3, 4, 5, 6… 15, 16, 17, 18… 540…

‘The purpose is simple. Get stats, build combat achievements and win trophies. Increase my skill proficiencies as quickly as possible. I need to achieve all these things!’

Weed frowned as he finally designed a plot.

* * *

Lafaye and the Hermes Guild saw the broadcast of Weed’s hunting.

“The attack power… Hrmm.”

“What is his level?”

“I don’t know. The sculpting profession… The configuration is completely different from the skills we use.”

The leaders of the Hermes Guild consisted of top rankers in Royal Road.

Despite the users skimming over it, they were unable to grasp Weed’s level.

“Doesn’t his level just exceed 500? Bardray-nim is already level 560.”

“If we just look at the attack power… It is possible that is his level. He wouldn’t have attempted the dangerous lair without confidence in his level.”

“I don’t think so. When looking at the melee damage, he is weaker than us. His health and defense is also ridiculously low. And what if his level is high?

I don’t think it will be even remotely close to Bardray.”

“Can Carlson-nim hunt in that lair alone? I’m not confident that I can.”

“Until now, he has grown as a sculptor. An art occupation. If so, will his level be that high?”

“Don’t just look at attack power. Where can he get enough experience in a short period of time? Aside from brute force, it isn’t just through hunting.”

Weed had struggled through a variety of quests on the Versailles Continent.

Weed constantly built up his strength but an exact a.n.a.lysis of it wasn’t possible.

“His unleashes an extreme onslaught while avoiding attacks. His movements are concise and brilliant.”

“The fire skill that he learnt is great.”

“When looking at the power, it definitely isn’t a swordsmans.h.i.+p skill.”

“I suspect it might be a fire magic skill… We need to a.n.a.lyze his recent adventures and possible routes. It will be good if we obtain it.”

“Did he become a necromancer due to the flames? A warrior occupation lacks mana.”

“There are too many skills to use during combat. There are difficult points involved with each skill.”

“Necromancer… Hrmm. Weed chose a necromancer.”

“We don’t have to worry about the undead yet. But they are becoming stronger and faster.”

Lafaye and the leaders were deeply vigilant.

‘Weed. There is definitely something about that guy.’

‘Necromancer, why did he choose it?’

The Hermes Guild thoroughly a.n.a.lyzed the necromancer profession.

Theoretically, it was a profession that could grow quickly. But in reality, the hunting efficiency wasn’t that good.

Thousands of monsters didn’t crowd in one place enough for undead to be constantly summoned.

The compet.i.tion in lairs and dungeons was fierce among the high-level users.

The Arpen Kingdom and land of the giants might have unexplored dungeons but that wasn’t infinite. It took time and effort to find a dungeon.

‘Adventures… The levels of the users are low, but the Arpen Kingdom has much more active adventurers. Dungeon and territory expansion. Everything is stable in the Central Continent but the compet.i.tion is fiercer.’

Ropno, the lord of Moros Castle, made a suggestion.

“Send some a.s.sa.s.sins.”

“a.s.sa.s.sins?”

Lafaye was unwilling to use methods that they had used in the past.

Even if the elite chased Weed around the whole continent, there was a chance they could be beaten.

“I don’t think that a.s.sa.s.sins can catch Weed.”

“Necromancers need good hunting grounds. A dungeon with moderately strong monsters. And it is a place where other users don’t hunt.”

“There aren’t many places like that.”

“He won’t be able to produce undead in the Central Continent, so he will travel around the northern and eastern regions. So catching Weed is only a matter of time and probability.”

Lafaye and the leaders of the Hermes Guild positively reviewed Ropno’s proposal.

Weed was the most threatening existence to the Hermes Guild so hunting him seriously wasn’t bad.

The war with the rebels was over, so they decided to organize a hunting squad.

“Who will be the person in charge of this?”

“If it is Darius-nim… He would be useful.”

The hound of the Hermes Guild!

Originally from the Rosenheim Kingdom, he came to the Central Continent and joined the Hermes Guild. He was a person who would surely be able to handle it.

An hour later.

Black Money of Mapan’s Trading Company met Ropno, user of the Hermes Guild and lord of Moros Castle.

“So the aim of the squad is to hunt Weed-nim?”

“Yes. That’s correct. It was just decided in a meeting.”

“How many people?”

“300 people. A few members of Bardray’s guards will be placed in the hunting squad.”

Ropno cut open a roast chicken and willingly gave out the information. Weed’s adventure as the Desert Emperor in the past had changed history and affected Moros Castle!

The end of the Embinyu Church gave him a large opportunity to thrive.

“Huhu. Can they catch Weed-nim? It will be difficult if he fights, but he moves quite quickly.”

“There are at least two or more tankers in each group of 30 people. If a battle takes places then there is a team of 500 people waiting at the Hermes Guild’s headquarters to act as reinforcements. There are magicians professionally trained in teleportation.”

“So the hunting squad has to catch his ankle until reinforcements arrive.”

“Yes yes, that’s right.”

Ropno wouldn’t join Weed’s side without anything in return.

‘This is more beneficial.’

He contacted Mapan’s Trading Company and arranged a secret trade with the Arpen Kingdom.

The Embinyu Church disappeared but the rebels devastated the Central Continent. He was able to built up wealth quicker than others due to this trade.

‘And if I get kicked out of the Hermes Guild… I can just become a lord of the Arpen Kingdom.’

Ropno ate a chicken leg and grinned.

Moros Castle!

The castle was bought by the Hermes Guild for a huge amount of money that would eventually be collected.

The money earned since then was entirely his own.

It would be interesting to go to the Arpen Kingdom and start a new castle.

‘When looking at the broadcasts, it is a place full of vitality. It is better to brag to other people than I am a lord of the Arpen Kingdom than the Haven Empire.’

Ropno thought about becoming a lord of the Arpen Kingdom and gave all the information that he knew.

* * *

Weed sculpted while hunting.

Sculptures carved in the land of the giants!

Large quant.i.ties of minerals from the giants’ fortress were melted down and turned into a sculpture in Derick Village.

“Time Sculpting!”

The appearance of the sculpture changed due to Time Sculpting. A giant covered in vines and moss.

-Magnum Opus! Giant has been completed!

An absolute sculpture!

A work that shows the versatility of Sculptor Weed.

You have expressed the image of Ureta from the legend.

A giant that controlled lightning and storms that disappeared for some reason.

His presence remains only in the records and stories…

The magnificent figure of the giant was sculpted using rare metal with brilliant colours.

The metal requires a high smelting technique to be used in art, something only Weed can pull off in this era.

Artistic Value: 37,292

Options: The sculpture reduces the probability of natural disasters and monster invasion by 74%.

Those who see Giant will have their health and mana regeneration increased by 44% for a day.

Maximum health will increase by 25,000. Vitality and all resistances have increased by 11%.

The effect of the blacksmithing skill will temporarily increase by 4%.

All stats increased by 31.

Courage, charisma, fighting spirit and wisdom have permanently increased by 3.

Warriors and swordsman who see it will have a stat a.s.sociated with defense increased by two.

The skills ‘Powerful Flesh’ and ‘Destroyer Sword’ will be applied to warriors.

Current number of Magnum Opus created: 21

-Fame has increased by 4,124.

-The skill proficiency of Time Sculpting has improved.

-Art stat has increased by 91.

Perseverance has increased by 6.

Endurance has increased by 2.

-Strength has increased by 2.

-The form of an ancient giant has been restored.

Wisdom has increased by 4.

All stats will gain an additional 3 points for making a Magnum Opus sculpture.

“It is enormous.”

“It is the first time I’ve seen a finished sculpture.”

“I got stats!”

The northern users watched Weed make the sculpture on a semi-regular basis.

They couldn’t help their admiration.

The Divine Fire could melt all types of minerals without needing a furnace. He then beat and sculpted the minerals to create a 10 metre high statue.

It was an enormous task but they were more amazed by Weed’s process. He started from the bottom but there was a lot of progress after a day.

The workload and speed was enough to make anyone tired.

“Grueling labour.”

“As expected from the king.

“Isn’t he a master?”

“A sculptor should be such a person. He doesn’t stop even with a person with pizza next to him.”

The northern users talked loudly as they admired Weed.

“This is a little disappointing… It would be great if there were more sculptures in the land of the giants. The good people are sleeping.”

Then pieces for a sculpture were gathered together!

“Here are more minerals. Weed-nim.”

Pale brought out all the ores he owned.

The natural duty of a combat slave!

“I also have sculpture materials.”

Zephyr knew early on that this would happen and brought expensive sculpting materials as a bribe.

“Hrmm. This atmosphere…”

“It will be great if there are a lot of sculptures.”

The northern users noticed and brought over certain minerals.

They were the ones who would benefit most from Weed’s sculptures.

Statues of adventures, swordsman, priest…

He made sculptures for each profession and used Time Sculpting.

It was the final secret technique so the proficiency didn’t increased quickly.

Even if he sculpted a magnum opus, it didn’t even go up one level in the intermediate stage!

However, being a master sculptor meant that the artistic value was higher and skill effects came out.

The blacksmith skill also rose due to the rare minerals!

His blacksmith skill reached advanced level 3. His knowledge and proficiency with special minerals increased.

The variety of metals improved his blacksmith skill.

He was more proficient in making metal sculptures than he was in swords and armour.

“Metal sculptures are time consuming and expensive, but there are advantages.”

All the minerals were free!

Some of the northern users started to feel doubt.

“But look at Weed’s Giant sculpture. Where did so many minerals come from?”

“That’s right. Many minerals can be gained from killing giants.”

“Hmm hmm. Perhaps in the giants’ fortress…”

“It can’t be. Weed-nim isn’t like that. We don’t know if he got it as a quest reward or while hunting.”

“Is that right?”

Of course, Zephyr and Pale knew the truth.

‘He stole the loot…!’

‘Indeed, in such a short amount of time…’

Maybe summoning Yellowy to attract the attention of the giants and wander around were all part of his original plan.

‘When looking at it, was he more concerned with picking up the loot than the battle’s victory or defeat?’

‘Kuooh. Awful. It is absolutely impossible to siphon off taxes as a lord. He even knows how many dogs are in the village.’

As Weed hunted and made sculptures on a semi-regular basis in Derick Village, the northern users easily approached him.

The first to come was a hunter user called Kaerom.

“Can you make me a sculpture?”

“Sculpture? I am not receiving commissioned soldiers these days.”

Weed would make an order once a year. The sculptors in cities who received orders from users mainly had a low skill proficiency. He had mastered sculpting so he obviously couldn’t move at a cheap price.

“Yes. Excuse me. I was going to offer Migrium as the material.”

“Hu, as an artist, my pa.s.sion for the work doesn’t go away. How much Migrium did you…?”

“All of it.”

“Hmm hmm. I am quite busy in the land of the giants so the production cost will be expensive.”

“I know about your skill… Anyway, I was thinking about 20,000 gold. Is that too small?”

“Give me the money and Migrium. And you are handsome. It will be rewarding to make a piece for you.”

An opportunity for Weed to make a sculpture of them!

Other users came up to Weed with minerals in order to commission a sculpture.

“I will make it within a week.”

After receiving a large amount of minerals that Yellowy and Cerberus carried, Weed went to the hunting grounds.

He used Summon Undead and sculpted while hunting. The quality of the minerals was excellent and the sculptures were as well.

Due to his experiences, he made fine pieces and masterpieces.

He steadily built up his stats and the blacksmithing skill proficiency.

When he received food ingredients, he cooked for the users.

“Put this in, put that in… They are precious ingredients but they have to be boiled.”

A mixed stew!

He had to develop a recipe to discover new flavours but it was a pretty tricky task.

It was necessary to squeeze out all the flavour from each cooking ingredient.

Weed boiled the ingredients from the land of the giants.

“Excuse me… Is it tasty if you boil it?”

“Yes, if you don’t like it then you can bake or fry it.”

“Ah, no. Just boil it.”

His colleagues watched the scene and made an evaluation.

“A necromancer involves hard work.”

“It doesn’t matter what job, it all involves labour.”

“That is life…”

* * *

As the northern users actively explored the land of the giants, they grasped the location of the closest dungeons.

Once Weed started hunting, he made concessions to the northern users if there were only a small number of monsters.

He chose hunting grounds with the optimal efficiency for a necromancer.

“Now I will move to the next part of the plan.”

Weed had a light smile on his face. He made more than 40 sculptures in Derick Village.

Time Sculpting reached 96% of intermediate level 9 and the skill level of Blacksmithing and Cooking also increased, so it was time to leave. One of the reasons why he changed to a necromancer was due to Time Sculpting.

-Advanced Time Sculpting: Travel Sculpting.

Chase the traces of time to travel to a specific point in time.

You can proceed with special quests.

However, accepting random quests not related to sculpting that would change the past will incur a huge penalty.

A sculpting technique with many possibilities!

He could stop the world temporarily using Moment Sculpting but it didn’t end there.

If Time Sculpting reached advanced level then he could go to the past.

‘It is like I experienced as Great Emperor of the desert… In order to become strong, I have to fight dangerous enemies.’

He had looked at the warrior and swordsman professions.

He would have to battle against many enemies in order to qualify as a powerhouse.

The stronger the surroundings were, the higher his necromancy strength would be. He had to look for good hunting grounds.

As a sculptor, he had acc.u.mulated wealth and experience. He would use all the outstanding abilities that he acc.u.mulated.

“Shall we move?”

Weed looked at the beasts of burden around him.

“Bark bark!”

Cerberus, Yellowy and Bahamorg helped him.

There were minerals, a blacksmith furnace and cooking utensils packed.

The sculptures built at the entrance of Derick Village had great value.

a.s.sets made from advanced rare minerals!

If he moved them to the Arpen Kingdom then he could earn big money, but he decided to leave it.

“This village should be mine!”

It wasn’t just for the convenience of the northern users, but to have influence over the residents.

-Derick Village

Influence No. 1: Weed 32%

Influence No. 2: Teros 7%

Influence No. 3: Seasoned Crab 6%

There were quests and hunting, but more of his influence was his work as a sculpting master!

Surka, Maylon, Romuna, Irene, Pale, Hwaryeong and Zephyr approached while Weed was packing his baggage. Python and Seasoned Crab were also among the crowd.

Pale came to him first.

“Where are you going?”

“To the Versailles Continent.”

Irene hesitated before saying.

“Is that okay?”

“What?”

“Hermes Guild…”

They had heard from Mapan about the squad organized to hunt Weed.

The Hermes Guild weren’t in a war so they had free troops to organize an a.s.sa.s.sination squad.

“It is dangerous.”

Worry was evident on their faces.

Surka and Irene still had tender hearts.

Even Hwaryeong had worry in her eyes.

Weed laughed lightly.

“I’ll be okay. I am ready for all of them.”

Hwaryeong was still worried and said.

“I haven’t seen any preparation. You have just been making sculptures. If you are lying to rea.s.sure us then don’t do it.”

Hwaryeong felt a mixture of anxiety and worry.

“I have been preparing for a long time.”

“Since when?”

“Before I even received the necromancer profession. The Hermes Guild will always interfere with me.”

“Then when you received the profession…”

“It isn’t a main thing, but I’ve set aside some preparations.”

There was admiration in Pale’s eyes.

‘Indeed.’

A person couldn’t suddenly change.

Weed had already prepared all the estimates.

It wasn’t his way to recklessly launch a war against the Hermes Guild.

Python laughed as he helped Weed pack.

“Ggol ggol. I’m sorry to see you leave like this. Have a good fight. I’ll pray for you.”

Python smiled wildly but he had a relieved expression.

He had been full of anxiety while Weed had been hunting and sculpting.

‘If he leaves then perhaps I won’t see him for months? It is good that he is busy.’

Weed’s colleagues loaded his baggage onto Yellowy.

Weed stood next to a waiting Yurin and asked.

“Do you want to go as well?”

Seasoned Crab, who was patting Yellowy’s head, replied with an aghast expression.

“Where?”

“Hunting grounds.”

“Huh?”

Weed’s colleagues were puzzled as Weed spoke.

“I would like to go with you.”

* * *

Weed told his colleagues the plan. The so-called mousetrap!

“The Hermes Guild is aiming for me. The preparation against that… I will do a reverse trap.”

When the Hermes Guild came to the dungeon to hunt him, he would counterattack with his colleagues and the sculptural lifeforms. Of course, the real plan was to engage in historical battles with his colleagues after he used Time Sculpting. However, it wasn’t time to mention that just yet.

‘There is no need for democracy or an intense debate.’

Human rights!

Respect for values!

It was an essential element in modern society, but it would just drag things out.

Python showed an intense interest after hearing about the hunting.

“So we won’t be hunting monsters?”

“Yes. Hunt the Hermes Guild.”

“What if they don’t show up?”

“There is no way. They are more diligent when doing bad things.”

Seasoned Crab smiled.

“This is a little… Interesting.”

He was an a.s.sa.s.sin so he found killing strong people more fun than monsters. In particular, the elite Hermes Guild member were like honey! Weed drew something on the ground.

“Mols Dungeon is a huge place just north of Vent Castle. There is only one entrance but it is wide enough to be called an underground world. This is the rough structure.”

Circles such as pig’s tails were drawn and there was something that looked like chicken skewers.

“…”

The colleague who looked at the picture couldn’t tell anything at all about the dungeon structure.

They knew about Weed’s ability to draw so Bellot ignored the ground and asked.

“So?”

“I understand the picture because I draw too.”

“Kellok.”

“14 different types of monsters can be found in the dungeon, and the numbers are to the extent that it could be called a kingdom. It isn’t a place where general users can hunt just yet.”

There were three or four dungeons in each area that were overflowing with monsters. Sometimes the density of the monsters in the dungeon was so high that they came outside.

“It is the best hunting ground for a necromancer. While I am hunting here, the Hermes Guild’s a.s.sa.s.sination squad will notice.”

Pale asked with unease.

“Just us? They will have at least 20 people. Hundreds of people will come flocking. It will be hard even with Weed’s undead.”

Even death knights found it hard to deal with Hermes Guild users.

Pale pointed it out and Weed sighed.

“I know. So I need troops to help us.”

“Where are they?”

“I will start calling them now.”

Weed picked people from the northern users in Derick Village to join. He would never betray users who commissioned sculptures at an expensive price. In addition, he selected users who partic.i.p.ated in the activities of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult and the battle at the Earth Palace. The final total was over 300 people!

“I want to fight the Hermes Guild. Yet it is still dangerous.”

Surka was still nervous.

However, Weed had one last hidden card remaining.

“There are hundreds of Sahyungs in the Arpen Kingdom. Call them.”

* * *

-Weed has been found. He was seen entering Mols Dungeons.

-Alone?

-He is accompanied by the cow and one warrior.

-Good. It is certain. Be ready to go. What about the squad that is waiting?

-There are two modifications. Thief Renein is the captain.

-Renein will watch from a distance and wait to join us. Be careful not to be noticed.

The communication channel of the Hermes Guild!

The a.s.sa.s.sination squad scattered around the Arpen Kingdom started to move quickly.

Magicians gathered in Aren Castle, the capital city.

“Teleport!”

The teleport gate was used to move a large number of troops to the north.

After that, the magicians drew circles and moved the squad to the north.

Each magician would move them to a predetermined point and they would switch when mana was low.

230 magicians were gathered to cross the cast Arpen Kingdom by teleportation.

Despite the work taking several hours, Weed was busy hunting undead while the a.s.sa.s.sination squad gathered together.

“I don’t think we will need the support of the magicians but.. We need to show our strength.”

The magic units didn’t return and decided to attack Mols Dungeon as well.

“Darius-nim. I thought some preparations were enough only to have the plan fail. This time, I say with certainty, we will definitely show the power of the Hermes Guild.”

“I will pull it off perfectly. Trust me.”

Darius led the squad and support teams of the Hermes Guild to the entrance of Mols Dungeon.

The total personnel included 230 a.s.sa.s.sins, 500 people in the support team and 24 Royal Guards.

The Hermes Guild members watched each other and laughed.

“So many people are gathered just for one person?”

“We need to press forward with full force. He won’t be allowed to fight back.”

“There is a compet.i.tion to kill Weed.”

Their levels were over 400 so quite a formidable force of 1054 people was gathered.

Although the Hermes Guild was managing their image while taking care of internal affairs, they had to hunt Weed.

Anyway, they intended to demonstrate their power.

“Let’s enter.”

The members of the squad entered Mols Dungeon.

* * *

-Seasoned Crab: They are coming.

Seasoned Crab, or ‘Death comes in Shadows’, was watching the entrance to the dungeon and sent a whisper to Weed.

“How many?”

-Seasoned Crab. So far, only 400 are entering.

“That is a lot.”

-Seasoned Crab:They keep coming. Some will block the entrance to the dungeon.

“I understand. Thank you. Seasoned Crab-nim.”

-Seasoned Crab: My name…

The day before, Seasoned Crab was forced to register Weed as friends due to this mission.

It was the same for Surka, Irene and other colleagues.

Surka laughed cutely and asked first.

“a.s.sa.s.sin-nim. Please accept my friend registration.”

“Cough… That…”

Seasoned Crab tried to avoid it but he couldn’t stop Weed’s mouth.

“Seasoned Crab who destroys souls. Don’t you want to be friends with Surka-nim?”

“Huh?”

I think there are many people who want to be friends with Seasoned Crab here.”

“…”

a.s.sa.s.sin!

He was the best a.s.sa.s.sin in Royal Road so many users envied him.

Aside from monster hunting, he had absolute strength in a one-on-one fight with a user.

The a.s.sa.s.sin who a.s.sa.s.sinated the most lords and Hermes Guild uses in the Central Continent!

He didn’t feel comfortable but Irene, Romuna and Bellot covered their mouths after hearing his name.

“Pfft!”

“Kkak!”

“Ego.”

Seasoned Crab’s face that was hidden by the robe turned red as he watched them trying to control their laughter.

Pale and Zephyr felt lucky.

‘I’m glad that isn’t my name. I ate barbecue chicken on the day I started Royal Road.’

‘I shouldn’t play around with my name… It is really funny.’

Surka’s eyes shone.

“Your name is Seasoned Crab?”

“Umm.”

“Wah. I really like seasoned crab. It is great.”

“Kuuuok. Yes.”

Murderer in the darkness, Seasoned Crab who destroyed souls!

His soul shook as Surka shook his hand.

“But soy sauce crab is also delicious.”

“Marinated crab is delicious.”

“A perfect meal.”

“Oh, so you are an a.s.sa.s.sin?”

Her imagination freely spread.

In fact, everything happened due to the bad Weed so he huffed as he whispered to him.

-Seasoned Crab: Weed, if you keep using my name without my permission then you may have difficulties in the future.

Weed the G.o.d of War.

Even if he was the king of the Arpen Kingdom, he wasn’t safe from a.s.sa.s.sins.

Seasoned Crab threatened him after being teased. However, this wasn’t enough to cause Weed to reflect.

“I’m sorry. Don’t be mad.”

-Seasoned Crab: I will accept the apology. In the future, please pay attention to my t.i.tle.

“In order to apologize, I will give you the highest honour in the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult.”

-Seasoned Crab: Huh?

“I will announce the cruel killing master, Seasoned Crab, as the guardian of the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult.”

-Seasoned Crab: Heeok! Y-you don’t need to do that.

“I will make a large sculpture in Dawn City and Morata with the name Seasoned Crab. You don’t have to give me anything. It is a privilege given only to the best a.s.sa.s.sin, Seasoned Crab.”

* * *

Shake shake.

Seasoned Crab, who was hiding in the darkness, felt his body tremble with anger.

‘He is teasing me.’

It was the moment he had been worried about since naming his character.

‘The name Seasoned Crab became known.’

His resentment towards Weed couldn’t be resolved. His statues would cover the Arpen Kingdom.

Weed even scheduled a festival with seasoned crab porridge every month for the Gra.s.s Porridge Cult.

‘Revenge. The target is the Hermes Guild.’

Seasoned Crab calmed down and waited.

The voices of Darius and the hunting squad was heard.

“I don’t think that Weed can run away. Haha. Even if he does, he can’t run far. However, I will leave 100 people behind.

He left 100 Hermes Guild users at the entrance of the dungeon.

‘Absolute Eyes.’

Seasoned Crab used an a.s.sa.s.sin skill.

After using the skill, he was able to see a colour around the opponents despite the darkness. The stronger ones were red while the weak ones were blue.

Seasoned Crab was level 522 so most of the users were surrounded by a green colour.

‘It is enough to hunt.’

Seasoned Crab waited 20 minutes according to the predetermined plan.

Mols Dungeon was fairly large so it would take more than three hours to search the whole thing.

Weed would be waiting for the a.s.sa.s.sination squad deep inside the dungeon.

‘It is time.’

Seasoned Crab used a skill.

‘Dark Curtain.’

A large shadow covered the Hermes Guild users.

The wind didn’t blow but the magic torches turned off.

Darkness spread like water and covered the surroundings.

The time for the a.s.sa.s.sin, Seasoned Crab had begun.

“Cough!”

Someone died in the darkness. Since the user was alone, the Hermes Guild didn’t know about it.

The body quickly disappeared into grey light.

“Ggeug.”

“Aaack!”

One by one, one by one.

The users on the outskirts were quickly disposed of by Seasoned Crab.

He closely approached from behind and stabbed the back or neck. His bold hands didn’t hesitate.

The warriors with high health suffered paralyzing blows and they were killed with two or three consecutive attacks.

After eight people died, the users in the room felt strange.

“What?”

“Strange. I think there were a few people on that side of the entrance.”

“Hrmm. It feels weird.”

Seasoned Crab quickly attacked the careless users.

a.s.sa.s.sination was a fight against time.

“Cough!”

After three more died, a Hermes Guild user jumped out.

“An ambush.”

“What?”

“I saw it. A hand stretched out in the darkness and killed my warrior friend Delekto!”

“Then…”

“They are dead. I am the only one left in the party.”

The Hermes Guild users at the entrance quickly took the defensive.

-Tudomkil: We are receiving an attack!

-Kwakkwaki: Weed is at the entrance to the dungeon…

No, this is an a.s.sa.s.sin.

-Sea King: Weed’s colleagues have appeared.

The Hermes Guild’s communication network became crowded.

After completing his mission at the entrance, Seasoned Crab quietly disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Darius heard about what happened at the dungeon entrance through the network.

“Ignore the a.s.sa.s.sin and continue. Our only goal is Weed.”

The Hermes Guild users holding weapons!

Bardray’s guards didn’t even shake.

‘It is none of my business if the weak people died.’

‘Fellow… He doesn’t seem to be alone.’

Darius didn’t care about minor disturbances.

‘There is no choice.’

He was leading a thousand people.

Unlike the plan, it was impossible to leave the dungeon because of a few variables. They couldn’t waste time catching an a.s.sa.s.sin.

“Weed will die from our hands today. He has noticed so move quicker.”

Darius was the leader.

He had the ability to command people to do bad things!

“There are twenty people here. Havelock-nim. Take care of it.”

“I understand.”

They knew where Weed was located but it wasn’t efficient to have 800 people head there.

The scale of Mols Dungeon was so large that Weed could escape. Therefore, they placed troops at every branch.

The Hermes Guild’s intelligence network had obtained the approximate terrain and path of the dungeon.

‘There is no secret pa.s.sage. And he can’t run away with magic.’

Magicians and priests had unleashed magic to block spatial movement.

‘This dungeon is in a perfectly isolated state. Variables don’t exist.’

* * *

Sakak sakak.

The level 487 thief Renein was hiding in the darkness and watching. He was watching the target Weed!

‘He is making a sculpture.’ It was natural as a sculptor. He doesn’t look stronger than I thought, but he has subordinates with him.’

Weed was with Yellowy, Cerberus and Bahamorg.

Renein started feeling some greed.

‘An attack is unavoidable. Even if I am just observing, I am in charge of the most important mission.’

If the hunting squad succeeded then he would be given compensation from the Hermes Guild.

‘He must like sculpting. He continues to make sculptures even after becoming a master.’

Weed entered the dungeon for hunting and raised death knights and skeletons.

While restoring his mana, he sat down to make sculptures.

Renein recognized his sincerity and wandered about the value of the sculpture.

‘Stats is hard work. Successful sculptures were good for building up stats. There are reports that he can become stronger from it.’

Sakak sakak.

‘But the sculpture is familiar. I’ve seen it before. Who was it?’

Weed was sculpting Zahab, who lived for a lifetime due to love!

‘Zahab. Yes Zahab!’

Renein stared as more of the sculpture’s appearance was revealed.

There were numerous masters on the Versailles Continent, however users had little interest in the sculpting masters.

Zahab had hidden in one of the 10 forbidden zones, Grapa.s.s without any users knowing.

He was also a master swordsman and became popular after helping Hestiger in the final battle with the Embinyu Church.

Weed finally finished the last section of Zahab.

“This looks good.”

After Zahab, Weed made a sculpture of Queen Evane.

It was still early but it quickly became obvious that it was Queen Evane.

‘Very fast and proficient hands. It is like they are moving.’

Renein admired the completed sculptures of Zahab and Evane.

“Time Sculpting!”

Weed’s sculpting skill gradually changed the sculptures.

Wrinkles formed on Zahab and Evane’s faces and their hair turned white

Their shoulders narrowed and height decreased.

‘What is that? A sculpting technique?’

The sculpture of the two people was completed when watching Renein!

“The name will be Lovers. Yes. That’s it.”

-You have enjoyed the sculpture Lovers.

A work created by the great Weed.

A work portraying the sculpting master Zahab and Queen Evane of the Rosenheim Kingdom in the younger days.

The sculptures have stayed together for a long time.

A work that shows their everlasting love.

Wisdom and knowledge have permanently increased by 2 due to sensing the emotions.

Maximum health will increase by 1,200 for one month.

Art has permanently increased by 1.

Charm has permanently increased by 1.

A masterpiece!

‘The stats are better… A master is certainly different.’

Renein admired it.

“You struggled due to me so I hope this will resolve some of your grudges.”

Weed talked to the sculptures.

Renein didn’t know the details so he just watched.

Weed took out a sculpture and used a skill.

“Summon Sculpture!”

Goldman appeared with a dazzling gold light.

“You called. Gol gol!”

“Yes, just wait.”

This was the territory of the Arpen Kingdom, the amount of mana consumed by Summon Sculpture wasn’t huge.

Weed made another sculpture and used a skill.

“Summon Sculpture!”

This time it was White Tiger!

“Kuoooooooang!”

Its mouth opened and the roar echoed through the dungeon.

“Shut up. Stay in a corner.”

“Understood. Kuheheung!”

Renein’s heart became anxious as he hid in the darkness.

‘He is calling more of his subordinates. If I’m discovered then I won’t be able to run away before dying.’

The sculptural lifeforms have already proven their strength.

As a thief, he was able to escape from the enemy. But it wouldn’t be easy to avoid a beast like White Tiger in this dungeon.

Weed repeatedly made sculptures and used Summon Sculpture.

“You called?”

“Yes. Just wait.”

High elf Eltin was summoned.

‘He keeps being in more subordinates. It seems like he noticed the raid and is preparing to fight.

Renein reported it through the communication channel of the Hermes Guild.

-Renein: It seems like he has noticed the attack. He is calling his sculptural lifeforms.

-Darius: There was also an attack by an a.s.sa.s.sin at the entrance of the dungeon.

-Renein: What should I do? Please give me instructions.

-Darius: Make sure he doesn’t run away. He doesn’t want to die so he called the sculptural lifeforms. However, that is a foolish move.

‘Indeed. It isn’t bad to sweep away all his subordinates.’

Getting rid of Weed’s sculptural lifeforms will deal an irreversible blow.

‘They are famous. It would be unfortunate if they all disappear.’

Renein saw the process of a sculpture being created so he had a soft spot for the sculptural lifeforms.

Having those subordinates would be a very special experience.

“Summon Sculpture!”

Weed continued to summon Vindex, the barbarian Gernika, Countryside Snake, Death Worm, Knight Seville and the crocodile Nile.

‘Doesn’t he realize how reckless this is? Every sculptural lifeform will be killed here.’

* * *

“Kuuck.”

“Cough!”

The troops left by Darius at each crossroad were attacked by northern users.

-Comet: Emergency! It is a trap. Northern users are attacking us!

-Deinchak: We are in a battle with enemies and outnumbered 36-2! They are hiding inside the dungeon.

-Alpan: There are six times the number of people. We have been attacked by 40 people. Requesting a.s.sistance. The power of the enemies has doubled!

A sudden raid!

The people aiming for Weed’s life were ambushed by the northern users.

The size of the dungeon was so large that the Hermes Guild had left a force at every crossroad in order to stop any chances of escape.

As those troops were swept away by the northern users, Darius received the news.

“Dammit. It was a trap.”

More than five places were raided at the same time.

Darius knew the situation but there was no way for him to do anything.

From the time that the a.s.sa.s.sin appeared, it had been far too late to turn back.

“The northern users must have been waiting at every major location in the dungeon.”

The Royal Guard members who were over level 500 were quiet.

Everyone’s eyes were on Darius.

‘What are we going to do?’

‘This is your responsibility.’

‘I finally joined a guild only to end up ruined.’

There were many users watching the actions of the faithful hound Darius.

Failure in the Hermes Guild would result in punishment, so they pushed all responsibility onto him.

‘What should I do? I don’t know the power of the enemy. Should we fight? But the worst… Yes. The worst thing is if we miss catching Weed. Everything will be fine as long as we can somehow catch Weed.’

Darius hastily thought and opened his mouth.

“Speed up the movements. Ignore everyone else and chase Weed.”

“Are we leaving the troops behind?”

“I’m sorry but we can’t afford to save them now.”

The main body of the hunting squad swiftly moved towards the position that Renein indicated.

‘If we catch all the sculptural lifeforms… I will at the very least get the position of a lord.’

‘The value of the mission has become higher. It will 100% be broadcasted.’

It had been less than 1 minute since the squad starting moving.

-Renein: Weed is on the move.

-Darius: Follow him.

Keep track of him at all times. We will arrive soon.

Darius and the hunting squad increased their speed.

After a while, a message appeared again on the guild’s communication channel.

-Renein: I am falling behind. He is so fast on the cow!

-Darius: You absolutely can’t lose him. Just keep following.

Don’t let him escape the dungeon. We must block all paths.

Darius hastily divided the main squad into three. They would track Weed in many directions at the same time but there were many protests.

“An unknown enemy is attacking. Dispersing the troops now will just increase the damage.”

“There is no time. The only thing that matters now is Weed. What if he exits the dungeon by pa.s.sing us on another path? Will you take responsibility?”

The other users had ugly expressions but didn’t say anything.

The Hermes Guild’s goal was to catch Weed.

“Weed isn’t far away. Go as quickly as possible.”

The hunting squad hastened at Darius’ words.

-Matum: Raid!

-Gorochwi: This is a trap…

-Square-shaped Kimbap: Help me!

“It is a waste of time. Just pa.s.s by.”

The troops left by the squad were destroyed in turn.

The northern users gathered an optimal group of 50-60 people, including priests!

Meanwhile, the main power of the hunting squad chased after Weed.

* * *

“Up to here.”

Darius led the hunting squad to a dead end where Weed was trapped.

‘That’s it. The mission is fulfilled.’

Weed changed his location so it took quite a bit of time to chase him.

‘Trap. It is a terrible trap.’

Darius started shouting arrogantly, despite his heart beating wildly.

“Weed, you are now dead.”

This would probably be shown more than a hundred times on broadcast.

Darius and the Hermes Guild members struck a nice pose with their weapons.

Even so, Weed and Yellowy showed no signs of movement.

“What, this. What is this strange feeling?”

Darius felt uncomfortable.

Renein had mentioned seeing sculptural lifeforms.

“What happened?”

Thief Renein quietly appeared and said.

“That… I lost him once in the middle because he was too fast.”

“What?”

“Fortunately, I will able to catch his trail again. However, the sculptural lifeforms have disappeared somewhere.”

“d.a.m.n.”

Darius couldn’t wait anymore.

The critical part of this mission was taking care of Weed. He would worry about the escaping sculptural lifeforms later.

“Attack!”

The Hermes Guild aimed formidable skills at Weed.

“Death’s Dance!”

“Circuit Blade!”

The Hermes Guild users used their attack skills for the preemptive strike.

Water, fire, wind, lightning, swords.

The attacks poured towards Weed and Yellowy.

Ujikun!

Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!

Darius stared blankly at the ma.s.sive destruction.

Weed didn’t avoid the attack. He just allowed all attacks and disappeared.

“This is?”

A Hermes Guild user thought something was strange and examined it. The large shrimp on a long fis.h.i.+ng line! It was the fisherman’s skill, ‘Fake Bait.’

* * *

Weed used Summon Undead around the dungeon.

“Come back to the land you used to live in. This is a dark place. It is a black and corrupt land. Help spread the laws of darkness. Undead Rise!”

The death knights and dullahans that rose from the ground!

The bodies of the Hermes Guild users were indeed of the highest quality.

It was like a five-star hotel!

In the meantime, he had hunted inside Mols Dungeon and increased his skill proficiency.

-The beginner Undead Summon skill proficiency reached level 10 and is changed to intermediate Undead Summon.

Control over the undead has strengthened and health and strength has increased by 15%.

The magic resistance of the undead has increased, and their abilities in a place filled with light has risen.

You can summon ghost based undead and create undead with intense grudges.

Faith has decreased by 30.

Honour has decreased by 55.

Insight has increased by 2.

“The fresh bodies are good.”

Van Hawk led a unit of 100 death knights.

“Get rid of everything!”

Weed led the undead hunting.

The Hermes Guild users wandering Mols Dungeon were the goal.

-Seasoned Crab. 347 users have arrived at the bait area. The rest are scattered all over.

“W-Weed?”

The Hermes Guild users were surprised to see Weed. After that, their expressions hardened as they saw the undead army.

“How did he get here…? Wasn’t he caught in the other area?”

“There is no time to explain. You will find out from the broadcast reports.”

The death knight’s advance.

It was quite different compared to the past.

He also wore Barkhan’s full set so the value of the corpses were shown properly.

Dozens of death knights rushed at the opponents along with Bahamorg and Weed.

“Kuuck.”

“Unbelievable…”

The Hermes Guild users had scattered into small groups so it wasn’t hard to hunt them.

“Woof woof!”

Cerberus diligently tracked the prey.

The gra.s.s porridge smell exuded from the northern users was enough to exclude them.

Sometimes the Hermes Guild users would go beyond 10 people, but he had the sculptural lifeforms along with the undead.

“Step on them.”

“Understood. Master.”

Bahamorg started to engage in a battle along with the undead.

“Ticklish Sensation that is Out of Reach!”

Weed used a curse magic.

The sight of his subordinates fighting!

He was a necromancer but he also fired a high elf’s bow.

A sudden and penetrating attack!

The death knights and sculptural lifeforms stubbornly stuck to the Hermes Guild users. Still, the promising attack was the arrows that flew from far away and caused damage.

They contained an attack power that couldn’t be ignored but also left no hope for them.

The destroyed undead were immediately destroyed and even if they tried to run away, White Tiger and Cerberus were too fast.

The wrath of the Hermes Guild finally became directed towards Weed.

“Weed! Don’t shoot arrows like a coward and fight us!”

“I don’t want to.”

“Coward. Don’t you care about being blamed by viewers after this is broadcasted?”

“It is better than you guys who came as a horde.”

The Hermes Guild had no basis in terms of their guilt.

Weed hunted users scattered through the dungeon and he summoned the undead whenever there were traces of a battle.

-The skill proficiency of Summon Undead has improved.

“Lululu.”

Weed hummed while increasing the undead!

‘A necromancer is definitely the right fit for me. Very cool.’

The crucial point was the Hermes Guild users defeated at the dungeon entrance by the northern users.

The Hermes Guild users were trapped inside the dungeon and were hunted down.

* * *

Darius and the hunting squad belatedly tried to escape the dungeon but was ambushed.

“Withdraw, withdraw!”

Seasoned Crab moved relentlessly behind them in the shadows.

“Hey. Where are you running to?”

“Stick together!”

The group consisting of Geomchis and the northern users were strong.

The Hermes Guild members couldn’t resist their terrible attack power. However, they also lost hope due to the vicious Weed pursuing them from afar.

“Summon Undead!”

Every time they were distracted by a northern user, an arrow would be shot in their back and the undead summoned.

Either way, they became undead in the end!

‘No. This is a necromancer.’

Darius truly admired him.

It was enough to make him reflect on all the bad things in his life.

‘It is difficult to raise the skill level of a necromancer in the early days. But I’ve seen the benefits while watching the battle in the giants’ fortress.’

The final decisive battle!

Hundreds of the hunting squad fought in an underground plaza.

“I can’t just die.”

“There is no way to escape… I’ll show you why I’m part of the Hermes Guild!”

A member of the hunting squad tried to kill even one more northern user, but he was killed first by the death knights led by Van Hawk.

They consumed their health and mana while trying to get rid of the undead.

The northern users attacked from a distance while the undead were summoned again.

The hunting squad believed in their firepower and brute force, but they fell into a trap and were killed.

They couldn’t jump on the northern users.

“Kuhahaha. This place is heaven.”

“Yes. These guys are strong!”

Geomchi-2 and the other students were also active in the mess!

They swung their swords at the Hermes Guild users.

Even though magic and arrows pa.s.sed in front of them, they didn’t budge and only aimed at the enemies.

The result was the total annihilation of the hunting squad.

“Wah… We did it.”

“Hooray!

The northern users cheered.

Although they received some damage, the number of Hermes Guild members killed was a lot more.

It was a great victory that they could rejoice at.

* * *

The counterattack in Mols Dungeon!

Not only was this payback for Weed’s death in the Melbourne Mine, it also brought great shame to the Hermes Guild.

These scenes were obviously broadcasted around the world.

The names of Weed and the northern users became more popular than ever.

“Hehe. See you next time. Weed-nim.”

Surka said goodbye.

Next to her were Pale, Maylon, Romuna, Irene, Hwaryeong, Zephyr, Seasoned Crab and Python.

Python said in a bold voice.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t talk properly. See you next time.”

“Hu… It was really fun.”

Pale also shook his hand.

They intercepted the Hermes Guild members and received their equipment and gained experience.

The northern users and Geomchis got their hands on loot.

The Hermes Guild member had acc.u.mulated a lot of infamy so their death penalty was high.

The sculptural lifeforms dragged man items to Weed, but one or two were too big.

“Yes. The next time there is a chance… Let’s do it again.”

Weed moved his feet.

Van Hawk and Torido were still here, although they were normally only summoned in combat.

Since he was a necromancer who could create the undead, the sigh of the two of them didn’t seem so strange.

‘Necromancer… It seems like we won’t have to do much hunting again in the future.’

‘Undead. They are worth 1-5 sculptural lifeforms. Weed-nim becoming a necromancer makes it a little easier.’

Weed’s colleagues watched the undead.

Then Weed turned around and hesitated for a moment before saying.

“But I still feel a little empty. Would you like to go hunting with me?”

“H-hunting?

Pale instinctively s.h.i.+vered whenever he heard the word hunt!

“What…? Why do you want to hunt again?”

Python also shook as he asked in an anxious tone.

They recalled the very harsh hunting in the past with Weed.

Seasoned Crab asked with a sick expression.

“Are you going to hunt for the next few days?”

“I only want to bring you to one place to hunt.”

“Ah…”

Surka’s face started to brighten.

‘He has changed after becoming a necromancer.’

‘As long as it is just one… It is okay to go hunting. There isn’t a burden.’

Pale and the old colleagues weren’t in a position to refuse Weed’s proposal.

The combat slave and his friends.

They had met again after a long time so going hunting wasn’t strange. Python and Seasoned Crab exchanged eye contact before nodding.

“Good. I’ll see how strong you have become in the meantime.”

“A necromancer is a profession that is difficult to see.”

Weed was Python’s compet.i.tor so he wanted to see Weed’s abilities.

Seasoned Crab wanted to know how much he had changed since becoming a necromancer.

“It will just be a light hunt.”

Weed didn’t tell them a small fact.

Time Sculpting. Travel Sculpting.

An art technique that transcended time and s.p.a.ce.

It was a skill for artists to enjoy the beauty and culture of kingdom that had disappeared. He was able to choose to go to the worst battlefield in history.

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