Chapter 24

The system message disappeared before Lee Shin’s eyes. Lee Shin was sure that the God of Recovery was angry, because the gods were always like that.

Nevertheless, it was obvious that the gods would suggest raising their class again. If the suggestion did not work...

‘They would threaten me,’

thought

?

Lee Shin.

Lee Shin thought those damn gods would try to talk to him one by one, after the God of Recovery. However, surprisingly, not a single message appeared on the screen. It was a mystery why the God of death did not approach him, but the gods in general were hard to understand based on human logic.

Was it because Lee Shin flatly rejected the power of the God of Recovery? Or did they think it was too early to judge his potential? After Lee Shin’s mana had recovered to some extent, he got up and moved on to the next stage.

In the misty swamp, Lee Shin could see the Lizardman Chief. He had many wrinkles around his eyes and was holding a crooked wooden cane. He was not as big as the Guardian Warrior, but he was as big as the Lizardman Berserker.

[Defeat the Lizardman Chief.]

"

Kekeke...

a man with divine status,” the Chief laughed.

"I guess it's cool, huh?" Lee Shin asked.

"There's nothing cool about it. This world is full of people like you… Except, I did not expect to encounter a man with divine status at this point,” the Chief explained.

Lee Shin's expression hardened when he heard his husky voice.

"Have you ever seen a man with divine status?" Lee Shin asked.

"

Kekeke...

of course. The one who was more powerful than you,” the Chief answered.

"Really?" Lee Shin was surprised.

"If I defeat you, I might be able to gain divine status as well.” The Chief's eyes were filled with greed.

Lee Shin could feel the Chief’s desire, as if he did not want to miss the good prey in front of him.

"Come, my children!" the Chief shouted.

As he struck the floor with his cane, several Lizardmen popped out from the swampy ground. There were the Lizardman Warrior, Lizardman Archer, Sorcerer, and Hunter…

Keughhh—

A large Lizardman popped out among the weak ordinary monsters.

It was the Lizardman Guardian Warrior. And, even more startlingly, there were two Berserkers who appeared in front of the Guardian Warrior. In an instant, Lee Shin was surrounded by Lizardmen.

"

Kekeke…?

Go! My children." As the Chief's cane stretched out toward Lee Shin, the surrounding Lizardmen rushed toward Lee Shin at once.

"The minority ends up losing to the majority,” the Lizardman Chief laughed.

"Well… I don't quite agree with that… but I can't say that’s wrong," Lee Shin muttered.

"Let’s see how long you can be so relaxed," replied the Chief.

Seeing Lee Shin, who did not lose his calm until the end, the Chief frowned.

[Shadow Space]

As Lee Shin’s shadow grew, the Skeleton Mage and Skeleton Warrior rose. Previously, they were in a contractual relationship; but now, they were May and Warrie, newly born as part of Lee Shin’s clan.

Exerting dominance over May and Warrie consumed 19 points in total. Thanks to that, Lee Shin could not even bring other Undeads around. This was one of the reasons why Lee Shin tried to lure Gundo.

"Did you call me, master?”

"I will protect you."

The two Skeletons quickly understood the situation and swept the Lizardmen that were approaching Lee Shin away.

Swoosh—

The mana from the end of May's wand created a wall of fire, and all the Lizardmen who tried to enter it were burned down. Warrie stood by Lee Shin and protected him by cutting off the necks of those who came close.

"Were you a necromancer?” the Chief asked.

"No, I'm a mage. And so, I can also do this. Come out, Gundo.” The green bracelet on Lee Shin's wrist shone and Gundo was summoned.

Crrr—

Gundo’s burning red eyes sent shivers down the surrounding Lizardmen.

"Wait, is that a Guardian Warrior? How did you manage to do that?” the Chief asked.

"I took away his soul," Lee Shin answered.

.

At Lee Shin’s calm voice, the Chief's cane shook for the first time. It was natural for him to be angry, because the Guardian Warrior had submitted to a human, when in fact he was the proudest warrior of the Lizardman’s tribe.

"How dare you do that to my...!" the Chief shouted.

Around the Chief's staff, a red mana power lingered. Then, it was fired at Lee Shin. Was it a type of curse? Based on the composition of the flowing mana, it was clear that this was a type of curse. It was difficult to accurately grasp what it was because it was more of a curse spell, rather than mana.

However, in the end, it was not much different when one looked at it from a broader point of view. Lee Shin could tell because he had experienced quite a lot of those on the upper floors.

Lee Shin spread his mana to create a shield. The shield blocked the spell sent by the Chief.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"

Kurumtara Oumtaa

," the Chief muttered.

The Chief's unknown spell sent the red mana power roaring again.

"

Kurumalia Uamta Dormaru!

" the Chief shouted.

When the cane hit the ground three times in a row, the red mana soared from the ground and enveloped the Lizardmen.

Keoughhh—!

The eyes of the Lizardmen changed. They began to scream with ferocity.

"Go, my children! Tear that man to death and liberate our own people!" shouted the Chief.

Keuahhh—!

The Lizardmen were quite different from before. With more ferocity, they rushed toward Warrie, May, and Gundo. Warrie and Gundo were in charge of dealing with the two Berserkers and one Guardian Warrior. May used mana to defend against other Lizardmen. With the help of the three, Lee Shin, who became a little more relaxed, started accumulating mana.

‘I'll finish them in one go,’

thought Lee Shin.

Mana swirled at his fingertips. Lee Shin could see that there were many souls in the swamp here. Those souls wanted to kill the Chief who was in front of them. They were ghosts filled with anger. And these ghosts had become demons.

Lee Shin would not have succeeded in this field without his title [He Who Knows Death]. Thanks to his title, he could attempt to solve the curse spells. In an instant, as the mana spread, there emerged a mana circle that covered the entire surrounding area.

Several complicated and difficult formulas unfolded in a disorderly manner. Lee Shin’s head throbbed like it was going to explode.

"You must have built up a lot of resentment,” Lee Shin muttered.

"What… are you talking about!" the Chief shouted.

Demons from all corners began to respond to Lee Shin’s mana. Mana gathered in the spirits of these demons and started to surround the Lizardman Chief.

"W-w-w-what are you doing! What kind of power is this!" the Chief shouted.

"I tried combining mana and curse spells," Lee Shin replied.

"That’s nonsense...!" the Chief was surprised.

Lee Shin had used the increase in the class of mana and the understanding of death that he gained from the altar. Lee Shin had used mana that was based on the demons’ wills. It was the first time that someone besides the Demon Warlock had created and tested out a spell using his mana, although Lee Shin had cut corners. Lee Shin quickly named this skill.

"Demon Explosion."

Baam—

There was a huge explosion near the Chief. Red waves hit the Chief, and traces of the demons were scattered in all directions.

It was visible to Lee Shin, but not to others. All they could see was the Lizardman Chief standing there blankly and Lee Shin trembling where he stood.

Keugh—

All the Lizardmen around him stumbled and collapsed to the ground. The madness and vitality in their eyes were lost. All the Lizardmen who were alive and breathing a moment ago died on the spot. Well, it was actually never alive in the first place, because they were originally dead.

Keughahhh—!

The demons that were filled with resentment against the Chief had clung to the Chief's soul and exploded together with him. The soul of the Lizardman Chief, who had been manipulating the demons with mana, was on the verge of breaking thanks to their sacrifice. His existence was slowly fading away.

[You have taken away the Intelligence of the Lizardman Chief.]

[Your Intelligence has increased by 1.]

[You have taken away the Dominance of the Lizardman Chief.]

[Your Dominance has increased by 1.]

There was an extortion due to Chaos. However, Lee Shin did not pay attention to this message. That aside, Lee Shin could see the Lizardman Chief filled with anger.

"Even when I die, I will—" said the Lizardman Chief.

"You're pathetic," Lee Shin interrupted him.

Ba Baam—

A series of explosions from the nearby demons erased the last remaining bit of the Chief’s existence.

The Lizardman Chief’s corpse stood where he was, but all the vitality in his eyes was gone.

"Well done," Lee Shin commented.

May, Warrie and Gundo were all unsummoned. Because their classes were so high, it was difficult to keep them summoned for a long time. And if they had gone into a long-drawn battle, Lee Shin would have run out of mana.

[You have defeated the Lizardman Chief.]

[This is an amazing achievement! Many gods are paying attention to you!]

[You have cleared the final stage on the second floor.]

[Your achievements will be recorded.]

[You have scored 108,320 points.]

[You have received 108,320 points.]

[Your Health Point has increased by 2,530 points.]

[Your Mana Power has increased by 8,302 points.]

[Your Strength has increased by 5.]

[Your Agility has increased by 6.]

[Your Intelligence has increased by 13.]

[Your Dominance has increased by 5.]

[You have acquired the 『Skill - Necromancy』.]

[You have acquired the 『Skill - Demon Explosion』.]

[Do you wish to move to the waiting area on the third floor?]

The Lizardman Chief stood in front of his eyes, lifeless. Lee Shin ignored the system messages and approached the Chief. There were still demons hovering around the Chief. And the demons were disappearing one by one, fading in color, as they had received closure for their resentment.

- Thank you, master. My fellow brothers are grateful to you.

The voice of Gundo came from the bracelet.

"What the hell did the Lizardman Chief do?" Lee Shin asked.

- The Chief...

Before Gundo even finished speaking, the scene suddenly changed, and the Lizardman Chief appeared in the center.

[He Who Knows Death.]

# You can see through death.

The power of He Who Knows Death was invoked.

The Lizardman Chief was holding a festival with numerous Lizardmen. Everyone was enjoying the festive atmosphere, sharing meat, drinking—for some, water; and others, an alcohol that was light green in color.

‘What is this?’

Lee Shin wondered.

The title, He Who Knows Death, showed how the subject died and the moment he died. And since the Chief had died due to Lee Shin, there was no reason for this ability to be exercised.

‘No way…’

thought Lee Shin.

The appearance of the Lizardman Chief at the festival was in perfect contrast to the brutal disposition Lee Shin saw in the Chief a while ago. The past Chief looked very happy with the tribesmen.

How did he change like that? Once again, the background changed. They were inside a cave. The Chief was exploring a newly discovered cave with his tribesmen. At first, the tribesmen searched inside the cave. However, there was a curse spell inside that they could not handle. And the Chief went in to solve it. He had enough spell power to lift the spell.

"This is..." the Chief muttered.

When he entered the place after lifting the spell, there was a cane. And there was another powerful spell, which the Chief also lifted in order to get the cane.

"Is this a demon... why is there a mighty soul…” The Chief felt that something was amiss.

This cane should not have been released from the seal.

"Put this—

Keugh!

” The Chief could not finish his sentence.

Ahhh!

Holding the cane, which he intended to return to its original state, the Chief began to groan in pain as he grabbed his head.

"No..." The Chief’s red eyes looked at the tribesmen near him.

"

Ahhh!

" the Lizardmen screamed.

"

Kararak!

" the Chief roared.

The red mana that was released from the cane started to strangle the Lizardmen.

"My tribesmen...Be my faithful servant..." There was no intellect nor wisdom left in the Chief’s eyes.

"I became a more powerful sorcerer," the Chief smirked.

The scene changed once again. This time, it was a place that looked very similar to the field where Lee Shin was fighting with the Chief a while ago. The tribesmen were gathered in swampy areas, mud puddles everywhere. Hundreds of Lizardmen gathered in front of the Chief, who was showing off his red mana power to the fullest. The tribesmen lost their intellect. And in front of the Lizardmen, there was a large army of other races standing in line ready to fight.

"My children... Kill them all!" the Chief shouted.

War began. In an instant, hundreds of monsters died. The Lizardmen, who lost their intellect and grew more powerful in their spells, slaughtered their enemies despite their small numbers. Another monster appeared at a time when the Lizardman tribe was gradually leaning toward victory.

It was a Lizardman with a black spear. With the presence of the Lizardman with small wings on his back, the tables were quickly turned. His ability alone had strengthened his people, restored the wounded, and slaughtered the Chief's Lizardmen.

"Are you… the apostle…?" the Chief asked.

Apostles were God's servants who had received power from God.

"Yes, you have invaded the sanctuary. So you must die," the Lizardman, whom the Chief believed to be an apostle, replied, wielding a spear.

"This place is not yours. This is my—" The Chief could not finish his sentence.

The black spear of the apostle rushed at the speed of light and penetrated the Chief's heart.

“

Keugh…

” The Lizardman Chief fell on his knees, grabbing his spear.

Blood flowed out of his mouth profusely.

"This will be called the Sanctuary of the Beginning," the apostle declared.

"What... does… that… mean…” the Chief questioned.

"You don't need to know. Just be their dog," said the apostle.

Swoosh—

The replay of the past ended when the apostle of God stood up holding the cane that fell on the floor after it pierced through the Chief’s head. Lee Shin frowned and saw the dead Lizardman Chief. There was something Lee Shin could tell by looking at the past.

The Chief was a real Lizardman; and the apostle of God had killed the Chief and turned him into a puppet of the tower. Also, the gods were involved in the Chief’s death. Even if they did not intervene directly, Lee Shin could assume that from the appearance of the apostle.

"There must be something you find unfair,” Lee Shin looked at the Chief.

What was the nature of the cane and why was it attractive to this guy? Lee Shin did not think that the Lizardman Chief just happened to go to the cave. It was clear that the intentions of the gods were at play.

"I knew it..." Lee Shin muttered.

Lee Shin pulled out the cane that the Chief was holding onto. Interestingly enough, it was just an ordinary cane. If the Chief had that cane from his past, Lee Shin would not have been able to win.

"I will head to the waiting area on the third floor,” said Lee Shin.

The moment the words were said, he was wrapped in light and transported. Upon arrival, Lee Shin immediately hid himself and moved to a quiet place.

When he looked around, there were quite a lot of people who had not yet climbed the tower. It was not the time to lose time due to these people. Lee Shin looked at the things he received as a reward.

"Huh…?" When Lee Shin checked his skills, he could not keep his mouth shut.