Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 39

Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed Shaneth and Henrick by their necks as he pulled them toward the center of the ice sheet. The ice stabilized after they reached the center, and thankfully, the cracks did not spread throughout the entire platform.

Kang Yoon-Soo pulled Shaneth up, looking at her before saying, “Stupid.”

“…” Shaneth said nothing.

“I’ve never heard such emotionless cursing in my life…” Henrick grumbled.

Kang Yoon-Soo, on the other hand, was deep in thought. ‘This wouldn’t have happened if I had an ice spirit.’

The legendary quest would eventually give them an objective to raid a ruin; the material to create the ice spirit, Icicle, could be found in the center of that ruin. He thought, ‘I have to meet the lord of this castle to do that.’

Kang Yoon-Soo stretched out his right hand and said, “Summon 14 zombie orcs.”

At the same moment that a group of blue orc zombies appeared, a loud voice reverberated from the castle. “Who dares to raise corpses in the Castle of the Dead?!”

An invisible and mysterious power filled the area as the fog surrounding the castle dissipated, and a gigantic black knight jumped down from the castle wall.

Kwachik!

The black knight stood upright after landing from its jump. It looked quite sinister, clad in full black armor; its skin was ghostly pale, and its eyes were a tainted black. In addition, the knight’s gigantic frame had an imposing aura as it stood upright, towering above the group. The sword on its waist looked quite expensive and luxurious.

[Death General Kalriven (Boss, Level N/A) has appeared!]

Death General Kalriven, a high-ranking undead creature, had appeared; this high-leveled monster had the power to turn them into dust with one fell swoop of its sword.

“The dead will rip you apart and swallow you, you Necromancer who treats life as a joke,” Kalriven spoke with a deep and sinister voice that made the party’s backs break out in cold sweat. Kalriven possessed an absurdly high amount of charisma, and the fact that they were face to face with the black knight was enough to make them go numb with fear.

“Heed my call, legions of the dead!” Kalriven said in a booming voice as it stabbed its sword into the frozen lake. The ice covering the lake shattered into pieces.

Kwachik!

Suddenly, a legion of undead surfaced from the lake, pushing through the shattered ice. The undead legion numbered in the thousands; it was composed of various creatures, including low tier undead, mid-tier undead, zombies, ghouls, dullahans, and even banshees; even the Skull Knights that had fallen into the water surfaced and joined the legion.

The trio was helplessly surrounded in an instant by the undead legion, and there was no room for them to escape.

“We’re screwed,” Henrick grumbled as he bit his lips.

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo said nonchalantly.

“This little punk!” Henrick screamed and grabbed Kang Yoon-Soo’s collar as if the other man were his mortal nemesis from a previous life. “You little punk! You’re more emotionless than a wooden doll! We’re about to die because of you!”

“Let go,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“You have a solution, right? It really looks like we’re going to die at this rate!” Shaneth screamed in horror.

The undead legion that was encircling them had an extremely commanding and threatening presence, and the presence of the boss monster, Death General Kalriven, made the situation seem all the more grave. The killing intent spilling out of its pitch-black eyes was enough to numb their senses from fear.

“I’ll fix it, so let go,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

Henrick released him from his grip. It was not because he trusted Kang Yoon-Soo’s words; rather, that was just how desperate their current predicament was.

Kang Yoon-Soo walked confidently toward the undead legion. The undead growled at him as if they were about to rip him to shreds at any moment. However, he walked calmly without changing expressions once, as if he had been through the exact same predicament numerous times.

“Kalriven!” he shouted.

“I have no desire to speak with an insignificant intruder. All forces, attack!” Kalriven commanded. The undead started their fierce charge, and Shaneth and Henrick’s faces turned blue from fear.

It was at that moment that Kang Yoon-Soo, still unfazed by the situation, shouted loudly, “Look at this!” He raised his right arm, and the Ring of Life Suppression on his finger glistened.

Kalriven opened its eyes wide as it said, “What?! That ring is…?” It was flustered and commanded hurriedly, “Stop! All forces, stop the attack!”

The undead obeyed Kalriven’s command as they came to a halt. Kalriven ground its teeth as it screamed, “That ring is the Ring of Life Suppression that was handmade by Lord Nakron, the Ultimate Necromancer! How dare an insignificant human possess it?! Reveal your identity!”

Kang Yoon-Soo crossed his arms as he confidently declared, “I’m the successor of Nakron.”

“What did you say?!” Kalriven exclaimed.

“You stupid musclehead! Do I have to repeat myself? I’m the successor of Nakron, the Ultimate Necromancer, and his only disciple!” Kang Yoon-Soo shouted, furrowing his brow as he rebuked the black knight.

“Stop lying! Are you telling me Lord Nakron had a disciple while he was alive? He was not someone who would easily pass on his teachings to just anyone!” Kalriven retorted. The initial charismatic dominance it projected could no longer be found, as it evidently seemed to be surprised by the human’s words.

Kang Yoon-Soo raised the ring on his right hand once again as he asked, “Then how would you explain this Ring of Life Suppression? Are you saying I tricked Nakron and stole it from him?”

“That’s…!” Kalriven was beyond flustered, as it could not think of any response.

Kang Yoon-Soo’s voice suddenly changed, taking on a commanding tone filled with confidence and authority. “The way you welcome an important guest is a mess, Kalriven. Is this your way of repaying Nakron, who resurrected you from the dead?”

Those words were the final nail in the coffin. The Death General seemed to have made up its resolve, as it got down on one knee and stabbed its sword into the ice. The other undead followed suit, all bowing down along with it. Thousands of undead were now on their knees, bowing down and worshiping Kang Yoon-Soo.

“Almighty successor! Please punish these insolent corpses!” Kalriven screamed at the top of its lungs.

Kang Yoon-Soo’s expression did not change one bit at the sight of the thousands of undead at his feet as he replied in a cold, authoritative voice, “The punishment will be postponed to a later date, insignificant fools.”

“You were the successor to Nakron, the ancient hero?” Shaneth whispered, unable to hide her surprise.

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“You’re such a jerk…” Shaneth said as furrowed her brows.

***

The party entered the black castle with Kalriven escorting them. The interior of the castle was as sinister and eerie as its exterior. Its large hall was covered in cobwebs, and a bitterly cold draft flowed through it as well. The corridors were filled with numerous misshapen shadows lurking within, and a strange mist filled the air; the sounds of crying echoed in the distance.

“I hope you may forgive my insolence for failing to recognize you. I welcome you, the successor of Lord Nakron, to the Castle of the Dead,” Kalriven said in a greatly humbled and respectful tone.

The name of the black castle, in other words, was the Castle of the Dead.

The trio was escorted to the VIP room. Although it was also sinister and eerie, as if to live up to its undead title, it was clean at the very least. A long dining table was present inside; it seemed that the castle’s inhabitants were planning to serve dinner for the guests.

“Serve the delicacies,” Kalriven commanded. Numerous banshees and skeletons appeared to prepare a feast for the guests.

A scrumptious(?) feast of bat wings, frog blood jellies, live squirming worms, and spider pie was laid out on the dining table. Shaneth and Henrick could not help but frown at the sight of the hideous things that had been served.

“Shouldn’t they at least differentiate whether their guests are humans or undead?” Henrick complained.

“Shh! They might hear you!” Shaneth hushed him in a hurry.

Being treated as a VIP by the undead was a rare experience one might only get once in a lifetime, but the experience itself could not be described as a good one.

Suddenly, Kang Yoon-Soo stabbed a lamb’s eyeball with his fork, putting it into his mouth with perfect dining etiquette and posture. The other two could not help but be stunned at the sight.

“It’s not bad,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“As expected of the successor of Lord Nakron. Lord Nakron was also fond of these delicacies when he was alive,” Kalriven said, seemingly moved by the sight of Kang Yoon-Soo eating.

Kang Yoon-Soo continued eating the hideous things they called ‘delicacies’ without batting an eye.

“Are… you alright…? Why are you eating that…?” Shaneth asked, trembling at the sight of him eating.

“Because I’m hungry,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“What…?” Shaneth asked, dumbfounded.

Kang Yoon-Soo wolfed down plate after plate of the undead delicacies. At times, he would even grab a plate full of squirming bugs and eat them all, down to the last piece. It was necessary to enjoy the feast to increase his intimacy with Kalriven; just as he expected, Kalriven was looking at him with satisfaction.

However, Henrick sighed at the sight of Kang Yoon-Soo eating and said in resignation, “That guy’s more like an undead than an undead.”

Thankfully, the undead laid out foods fit for human consumption soon enough. However, they were just an assortment of stiff, hard jellies and cold, bland soups, and the cold alcohol the undead served could chill the drinker down to the bones.

Shaneth strictly stuck with food that looked edible by humans, while Kang Yoon-Soo and Henrick gulped down all of the alcohol served by the undead.

Having chugged all of the alcohol served down to the last drop, Henrick licked his lips in satisfaction and exclaimed, “It’s a little bit too cold, but the alcohol tastes fantastic!”

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The skeletons clacked their jaws as if to express their delight after hearing Henrick praise the alcohol they served; it seemed they had brewed the alcohol themselves.

The undead cleared the plates once the feast was over, and Kalriven sat opposite from the trio. It exuded insurmountable pressure, even though it was just sitting there. A top-tier undead creature possessed significant intelligence and combat prowess, such that a Necromancer could not lightly deal with them as they wished; the Death General was not one to obey a Necromancer who was unworthy of its loyalty. The sight of an undead creature of Kalriven’s caliber serving Kang Yoon-Soo with utmost respect was a testament to how amazing a Necromancer Nakron had been.

“You may stay as long as you wish if you so desire,” Kalriven said politely.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and said, “I have business in this place, Kalriven.”

“What do you mean?” Kalriven asked.

“I wish to undo the holy seal in the castle’s basement,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“…!” Kalriven suddenly looked conflicted; its expression was a mix of surprise, admiration, and sadness. It spoke in a low voice after it silently contemplated what Kang Yoon-Soo had just said. “The holy seal… Are you aware of what it means to undo it?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“You might end up dying,” Kalriven warned him.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied. He added, “I have to release the seal for you lot to be free.”

Kalriven had a surprised expression, as if it had been struck in the back of its head with a hammer. The Death General got down on one knee, bowing its head while facing Kang Yoon-Soo; it was a knight’s way of showing their loyalty to their master. It declared, “To be honest, I did not believe that you were the successor of Lord Nakron, because you looked very weak. However, I am certain of it now. I am certain that your soul is stronger than your physical form and you are the successor to Lord Nakron, and that you are the one I should devote my entire existence to.”

Kalriven prostrated in front of Kang Yoon-Soo, and the rest of the undead followed suit as they bowed down one by one in front of him once more.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo looked at the sight with emotionless eyes, and he did not feel a single thing in front of such a grand sight.