"Such a vile necromancer. Is messing up another person's house your hobby?"
"How can you say that to such lovable creatures… well, it might look like that to others."
Alex stroked the monsters lined up next to him. In his eyes, those monsters truly did look lovely.
"No matter how you look at them, those things should just be hung out to dry. I don't think even LASIK would work on your disgusting eyes. I'd rather pull them out."
Psss!
As Jin-hyuk pulled out his dagger, blue energy enveloped it. The dazzling light swallowed the entire blade at once.
"Puahahah! A dagger! Indeed, as expected of an S-rank—this level of magic is outstanding even among S-ranks!"
However, even after seeing the sword energy on the dagger, Alex seemed relaxed.
"If you believe in the rags behind you and shout so much, you are making a mistake."
"Did you think I would deal with you alone?"
Alex smiled, and at the same time—
Kukuku!
Black energy swept through the room.
[Alex activated Lv5 'Magic Melting Furnace'!]
It was a wide-area skill that covered the entire mansion, giving Jin-hyuk an ominous feeling.
"Kuak!"
"M-my head!"
"My body feels like it's being torn apart!"
The guests collapsed to their knees and groaned in pain. They were afflicted by a curse that drained the life from their bodies.
Because of this curse, they had to feel the pain of their bodies melting away—very slowly.
"Ahem."
Jin-hyuk frowned.
He felt a tingling pain, but thanks to the magic within him, he could protect his body from melting.
"H-help me…"
"Please…"
The people begged for their lives. Most were middle-aged or elderly.
"Dad… Mom, it hurts."
Some were young children.
'Families of those who received invitations?'
It would be too cruel to let them die simply because they were here.
Especially if he let a child die—he wouldn't be able to sleep properly afterward.
There were still around ten minutes before their bodies dissolved.
This could be stopped if he defeated Alex.
Ten minutes.
Ten minutes.
There was no reason to risk himself trying to save them. There was no need to rush.
But if he simply lay on the ground without caring—
"…"
Jin-hyuk met Alex's gaze.
"I see that dissatisfied expression. Why? Does it really bother you that some bugs are dying?"
"Bugs?"
"Correct. What else would you call creatures that exist only as materials for magic?"
Smirk.
At Alex's words, Jin-hyuk smiled.
At this point, it was just ridiculous.
"That's why I don't get along with Demonic Humans. I want to talk with some of you, but people like you make it impossible."
"Hmm. I expected a more realistic approach from an S-rank. Were you always such a disgustingly emotional bastard? This world doesn't run on compassion. The strong eat the weak."
"Well, that's fine too."
Having the strong eat the weak.
He believed in that principle as well.
"You were the one who said it. So even if you die, don't blame me."
"You speak as if you're stronger than me."
"You don't think so?"
Pssh.
Jin-hyuk's dagger twitched.
[Sword Grave has been activated!]
Dark, monstrous energy erupted—far greater than Alex's magic. Jin-hyuk's blue sword energy turned pitch-black.
And at the same time—
Kwang!
Jin-hyuk sprinted forward, closing the distance instantly.
Holding the dagger in reverse grip, he slashed through the monsters in his path.
"Kuaak!"
"Kaaack!"
Despite their thick layers of flesh, it wasn't enough to stop his blade.
Kwakwakwang!
The strongest cutting skill tore through everything. His sword energy cut down more than ten monsters in an instant.
But—
['Blood Barrier' has been activated!]
[Specific range 'Play of the Undead' begins!]
The additional skill, Blood Barrier, activated as a byproduct of Magic Melting Furnace.
Kwang!
The flesh of the fallen monsters began regenerating immediately.
"Even if they're bugs, they're excellent materials. Nothing recovers better than this."
Alex chuckled.
Indeed.
This was a tactic meant to stall time—using the vitality of everyone present to keep his monsters alive.
Eventually, everyone here would die.
A sensible strategy.
Probably the most common one.
But—
"So disappointing."
"What is?"
"It's pitiful how proud you look, treating this like a trump card."
Why allow regeneration at all?
Why not erase them completely?
Jin-hyuk pointed his dagger at Alex.
Woong!
Black light condensed into a single point.
[Lv2 'Daylight' activated!]
The undead twisted violently.
"Kiiik!"
"Kuaaak!"
Light-element damage ravaged them mercilessly.
"Tch! As expected, you used that!"
Alex clicked his tongue. He had already seen Jin-hyuk's fight against Chun Yuseong.
A compressed magic beam imbued with light—the natural enemy of undead.
He had prepared a counter.
Or so he thought.
But the undead didn't move.
"W-what?!"
"I froze their feet."
Jin-hyuk combined skills—Daylight with Ice Formation.
Daylight's long charge time was covered by immobilization.
With this—
"Checkmate."
Jin-hyuk smiled.
Kwakwkawang!
A massive ray of light engulfed the undead.
Kiik!
Heat scorched the ground as every monster disintegrated—cell by cell.
Nothing remained to regenerate.
'First time testing it. Not bad.'
Skill fusion always excited him. Optimization was the key to combat.
But—
"I-it can't be…"
Alex was in denial.
Ten minutes.
Everything ended long before that.
"Damn it!"
Tak!
Alex pulled a scalpel from his sleeve, coated in transparent poison.
"Are you serious?"
A necromancer in close combat?
Alex hurled the scalpel.
Kang!
Jin-hyuk casually knocked it aside, splitting it in half.
"So disappointing. Was that your escape plan?"
Black smoke surrounded Alex.
'Twisted Gap.'
A short-range teleport skill.
Shh!
The smoke thickened.
"Throwing… is done like this."
Puyak!
The dagger flew straight into Alex's chest.
"Kuak!"
The skill canceled instantly.
"You get what I'm saying?"
"Kuak! Cough!"
"Don't strain yourself. That dagger pierced your lung."
"Kua… save…"
"You enjoyed hearing others suffer. But you don't like it happening to you?"
Alex collapsed, clutching Jin-hyuk's shoes.
Ignored.
"Let me tell you how you'll die."
"Your lungs will bleed for hours."
Human bodies struggled desperately to live.
"Eventually, blood will fill your lungs. You'll choke."
"T-that… no…"
"You can stop it. Disable Magic Melting Furnace."
"…!"
"If you die, loyalty won't matter."
Alex hesitated briefly.
"I… understand…"
Snap.
[Alex disabled 'Magic Melting Furnace'!]
['Blood Barrier' disabled!]
The curse vanished. Pain faded.
"Now… free me…"
"It's unfortunate, but I won't kill you."
"… what?"
"Life is precious. I won't take it with my own hands."
Alex reached out—failed.
He would die slowly.
A fitting end.
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