Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 143

‘It already caught up,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought as the evil spirit gnashed its wide-open jaws at him.

Kwachik!

Kang Yoon-Soo narrowly avoided the evil spirit’s jaws. He was certain that he would be eaten if he slipped up even for a split second. As he flew through the alley, he thought, ‘I have to escape no matter what.’

The evil spirit ran along the walls in hot pursuit, and it was much faster than Kang Yoon-Soo when it came to ‘running’.

Just as the evil spirit was finally about to catch up and it turned a corner…

“Grrrrr…”

The evil spirit saw several vengeful spirits, much larger than Kang Yoon-Soo, the moment it rounded the corner. Kang Yoon-Soo had run away in the direction of more vengeful spirits like him.

“…!”

The vengeful spirits did not have the ability to speak, but they were nonetheless surprised by the sudden appearance of the evil spirit. The evil spirit immediately changed its target to the larger and more scrumptious vengeful spirits, and it proceeded to swallow them one by one.

Kang Yoon-Soo did not miss the opportunity to flee into a sewer.

‘This is frustrating,’ he thought as he examined his pitiful state, especially compared to his previous trial where he had been an Archmage who could destroy an entire ruin in one shot.

The details of the trial only appeared after he successfully managed to escape from the evil spirit. He was currently in spirit form, so the messages floated before his eyes instead of appearing on his wrist device.

[Reorkan Empire Calendar Year ???, Month of ???, Day ???]

[This day can be considered one of the most sinister days in the history of the empire.]

[A lamp that contained thousands of souls was shattered due to the negligence of the Evil Black Magician, Rawelkan.]

[Various kinds of undead and spirits gained strength, and the moon was tainted black.]

[The light from the tainted moon empowered every undead being and spirit on the continent wherever it shone down on them.]

[You are one of the vengeful spirits sealed away by Rawelkan.]

[Please resolve your grudge and move on to the afterlife before the Full Moon of Darkness rises.]

[+ Your memories of your previous life will grow clearer the stronger you get.]

[++ A vengeful spirit becomes stronger whenever they swallow a spirit weaker than them. You may find other ways to become stronger as well.]

Kang Yoon-Soo took stock of his current situation. He was currently a weak and useless vengeful spirit that was no more than prey to the other spirits. He thought, ‘I have to get stronger and climb to the top of the food chain before anything else.’

Spirits grew stronger as they ate each other up, and a spirit that had devoured enough other spirits could obtain the right to evolve into a higher species. He had to grow stronger as soon as possible and acquire a tangible form if he wanted to become a powerful being in this trial.

‘The place I have to go right now is the cemetery,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought. The cemetery was basically a hotspot for all sorts of spirits and undead to gather.

He exited the alley and flew up into the sky. He was able to fly because he was a spirit, which would allow him to significantly reduce his travel time.

***

“Gwaaahh…”

At the cemetery, skeletons shambled around beneath the eerie, sinister moonlight. Skeletons were normally considered to be at the bottom of the undead hierarchy, but Kang Yoon-Soo was miles weaker than them in his current state.

Kang Yoon-Soo flew quietly and landed on a tree branch.

[You have arrived at the Dark Cemetery.]

[There are 438 corpses buried in this place.]

[+ You have received a buff because you are a spirit.]

[You will gain additional spiritual energy if you hunt in this place.]

‘I have to hunt prey,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

Spirits were not visible to the living, but they were good prey for the undead. Kang Yoon-Soo would only be helplessly eaten if he got caught by a skeleton, the lowest being in the undead food chain. There were countless kinds of undead roaming around the cemetery, but none of them were potential prey for Kang Yoon-Soo to hunt down.

It was at that moment that a hideous cry reverberated across the cemetery.

“Kaaak! Kieeek!”

Kang Yoon-Soo immediately flew toward the source of the hideous sound, and there he found a plant growing in a humid wetland. ‘Mandragora,’ he thought as he looked at the plant.

A Mandragora was a medicinal plant that contained spiritual energy. Kang Yoon-Soo immediately went over to it and absorbed its energy.

“Kieeeeeeeeek!” the Mandragora shrieked.

[You have absorbed a Mandragora.]

[Your spiritual energy has increased by a bit.]

As Kang Yoon-Soo sucked out its spiritual energy, the Mandragora slowly withered and its hideous shrieking voice started to grow weaker and weaker before finally ceasing.

‘It’s not a bad start for my first prey,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought. He then went around the cemetery and absorbed the spiritual energy of twenty-seven Mandragoras.

[You have absorbed enough spiritual energy to maintain a basic form.]

[You have grown larger.]

[You have gained two arms and a mouth.]

‘It’s now time to hunt down other spirits,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

He snatched a small vengeful spirit he found wandering around from behind. The vengeful spirit squirmed as it tried to break free, but Kang Yoon-Soo was able to swallow it in one quick bite using both arms.

[You have consumed a four-day-old vengeful spirit.]

[Your spiritual energy has increased by a bit.]

Eating one vengeful spirit gave Kang Yoon-Soo spiritual energy equivalent to eating ten Mandragoras. He subsequently roamed around the cemetery preying on any vengeful spirit he came across. In the end, he managed to consume more than seventy vengeful spirits.

[You have consumed enough spiritual energy to evolve.]

[You have started to evolve.]

A bright light started to surround Kang Yoon-Soo, gradually shining more brightly over time.

[Please choose one among the three evolution paths.]

[Cracked Skull (Undead)]

[Slightly Evil Vengeful Spirit (Higher Spirit)]

[Low-Ranked Evil Spirit (Madness)]

The final form he took would depend on the evolution path he chose along the way.

An Evil Spirit certainly stood out from the rest of the choices, as it was much more powerful and faster than the other two evolution paths. However, Evil Spirits forever lost their sanity and were perpetually in a berserk rage.

‘The Undead is the most difficult to evolve early on based on my experience,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

A Cracked Skull had no limbs or body, so he would have to roll around on the ground. In fact, he could end up being stepped on by the other undead and crushed. However, the Undead path held the potential for him to evolve into an elite undead being, such as a Dark Dullahan or a Flame Skull Knight. On the other hand, the Higher Spirit path was easier to evolve, but it had less potential in the end, unlike the Undead path.

That was why Kang Yoon-Soo came up with a compromise. ‘I’ll create a new evolution path,’ he thought as he left the Dark Cemetery and flew for quite a distance.

The current trial was set in the past, which meant that Kang Yoon-Soo could be reunited with some of the people who had disappeared in reality because of the changes he made.

‘It’s been a while,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought as he wove his way into a tunnel through a crack in the wall. He passed a horde of hobgoblins, and reached an altar built from withered, oxidized bones with an old, rusty box atop it. A cloud of black smoke spewed out of the box as soon as he touched it.

“How dare… a weakling… like you!” the corrupted soul hidden in the black smoke shouted. It continued, “I am the soul of the Ultimate Necromancer, Nakron! How dare a lowly spirit like you touch the vessel I have left behind for my successor! I hope you did not expect to get off scot-free after doing this!”

It was one of the Ancient Heroes, the Ultimate Necromancer, Nakron. This was the exact same tunnel where Kang Yoon-Soo had obtained Nakron’s Codex and the Ring of Life Suppression when he regressed.

“Hmm?” Nakron furrowed his brow while staring intently at Kang Yoon-Soo, who was currently a spirit. He asked, “What the hell do you want?”

“I wish to receive the blessings of the underworld,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Nakron’s face crumpled and he shouted, “How dare a lowly vengeful spirit ask for the blessings of the underworld! I will give you a piece of equipment befitting you, so begone at once!”

Nakron’s spirit was about to dive back into the box. Kang Yoon-Soo had obtained the Codex and Ring of Life Suppression back in reality by using information about the King of All Things, Sirian. However, he had to take a different approach to get Nakron’s attention this time.

“The Colossi have begun reconstructing the Magic Tower,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Nakron suddenly stopped for a moment, then turned around and glared at Kang Yoon-Soo. He asked, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

“It’s exactly as I said, Nakron,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Be specific, you insignificant spirit!” Nakron shouted so loudly that the entire cave shook.

Kang Yoon-Soo was completely unfazed by the Ultimate Necromancer’s threatening shout. He replied, “Someone is using the Colossi to reconstruct the Magic Tower, and it will be completed soon.”

“Are you telling me all of this while knowing what is on the 99th floor of the Magic Tower?” Nakron asked.

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied. He paused for a moment, then continued, “You can obtain a reward that no one else has ever obtained in the history of the continent if you manage to climb all the way to the top.”

Nakron looked in disbelief and muttered to himself, “The entire continent will be wiped out in a matter of moments if the Magic Tower is rebuilt! Which gullible idiot is behind this?!”

Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly replied, “I’ll tell you if you give me the blessings of the underworld.”

Nakron scoffed and said, “What a joke. How dare you try and trick me? Your words lacked credibility from the start, you insignificant spirit!”

“The woman you loved when you were still alive was Minerva,” Kang Yoon-Soo added.

“What did you just say…?” Nakron asked, looking at him in disbelief.

Kang Yoon-Soo started to tell Nakron the story he had heard when he was drinking with Sirian in the past. “You gave Minerva a pair of skulls as a gift to confess your love. The repulsive stench of the burnt skulls and coffin you prepared to pledge your love drew a lot of flies, and Minerva’s face crumpled as she stepped backward. You then prostrated in front of her as you begged her to at least try the food you prepared, which was worm spaghetti and goblin eyeballs plated…”

“Stop! Stop, you bastard!” Nakron shouted as his face turned bright red.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo did not stop there. He continued, “You gave the worst proposal ever in the history of the continent. Minerva looked at you with disdain and rejected your confession, and you fell into depression, pulling your hair out. Sirian, Sephia, and Nilion, on the other hand, were rolling on the ground laughing after they witnessed your proposal while hiding behind a building. Sephia especially made a large painting of your proposal, and she hung it on the walls of her mansion…”

“You evil bastard! I said stop! Alright, alright! I will bless you, so stop!” Nakron shouted as he violently waved his hand. A dark, cold, and greenish aura enveloped Kang Yoon-Soo’s body,

[You have received the blessings of the underworld from the Ultimate Necromancer, Nakron.]

[You have gained additional powers.]

[The paths you can take to evolve have increased in number.]

“I’m grateful,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Nakron glared at Kang Yoon-Soo as if he might kill him at any moment (although he was already dead), before asking, “Who did you hear that crap from?”

“Sirian,” Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly replied.

“What the hell are you talking about? That guy died along with us,” Nakron replied in disbelief. However, Kang Yoon-Soo did not bother explaining to the Ultimate Necromancer.

“I thought you met Minerva’s soul or something,” Nakron grumbled with a sigh. He said, “Minerva and I are the only ones whose souls have not departed for the underworld. She is currently waiting somewhere on the continent for a successor to pass her powers and keepsakes on to, just as I am.” There was a hint of bitterness in Nakron’s words.

Kang Yoon-Soo stared at him for a while before saying, “Minerva loved you too.”

“What did you just say…?” Nakron asked with a hint of trembling in his voice.

“It’s just that her body couldn’t conceive a child, so she had no choice but to reject your proposal. There are other reasons aside from that, but that doesn’t change the fact that she loved you,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Nakron stared at Kang Yoon-Soo, his expression suggesting that there was a lot on his mind. He then sighed and said in a trembling voice, “You bastard… What the hell are you? Why did you suddenly appear before my eyes and give me a reason to live…?”

Kang Yoon-Soo curtly replied, “That’s none of your business.” He left the cave and flew up into the sky, deep in thought. ‘The Ultimate Necromancer, Nakron…’

He was a cold and sinister necromancer, but he was the Ancient Hero who loved his comrades more than anyone else. That was also the reason why the betrayal of Sirian, the King of All Things, had come as a huge shock to him.

‘I managed to receive the Codex and Ring of Life Suppression so early on thanks to that,” Kang Yoon-Soo thought as he flew back to the Dark Cemetery.

He read the message from his wrist device that floated before his eyes.

[Please choose one among the four evolution paths.]

[Cracked Skull (Undead)]

[Bit Evil Vengeful Spirit (Higher Spirit)]

[Low-Ranked Evil Spirit (Madness)]

[Skull Blessed by the Underworld (Soul Undead)]

The Soul Undead was a path that a vengeful spirit could not evolve into. However, Kang Yoon-Soo managed to choose the Skull Blessed by the Underworld.

Shwaaaak!

Thick darkness surrounded Kang Yoon-Soo. At last, he had started to evolve.