Chapter 77
Clatter!
On the third floor, inside the conference room, Lee Seonah spread a stack of documents across the table.
“All right! This is the A-rank dungeon recently discovered in Geomdan, Incheon. Skeleton Lord, this type of dungeon is the first of its kind in Korea and the third in the world.”
She pointed to one section of the document.
“It’s a dungeon where you must defend a city from being overrun by the Immortal Legion.”
Tap, tap.
She emphasized the part with her finger.
“The problem is… there’s one catch.”
“What kind of catch?”
I glanced over the papers she had laid out.
It looked like information provided by the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
‘As expected of a major guild.’
I was impressed.
That densely packed data—stuff you’d never find on any Hunter board or the internet.
“One of the dungeon’s key mechanics imposes restrictions—both on the number of participants and on unique abilities. Only five members are allowed, and one of them must be a Necromancer.”
“Ah, I see.”
I nodded in understanding.
A-rank dungeons were tightly managed by every guild.
They had no reason to share access with outsiders.
High-grade dungeons meant high-grade rewards.
That’s why Ki Soyul had been interested in my rewards back then.
But for them to invite me into one like this?
There had to be a reason.
“Well, you’ve just reached B-rank, so you might think an A-rank dungeon is too much…”
“It’s fine. I don’t really avoid difficult dungeons. I’ve even entered S-rank and above a few times.”
I replied coolly.
No matter the dungeon’s content, joining rankers was always a golden opportunity—one of those ‘fateful encounters.’
And since Lee Seonah was ranked 509th in the world, there was plenty I could learn from her.
‘Besides…’
The old man’s words came to mind.
– Hoho, those so-called A-rank Hunters of this world?
– How could you compare your strength to such trash? Have you no pride as a disciple of the Ten Thousand Arts?
– I may not understand how the system functions, but I’m certain of this.
– Your power has long surpassed A-rank.
All I needed was one thing—
‘A reason to ascend.’
A justification to tell the system: [Promote me to A-rank!]
And what better reason than an advanced dungeon?
“S-rank and above, huh? Hahaha! Judging from your humor, I guess I don’t need to worry.”
Lee Seonah laughed, tapping the black sword at her hip.
It seemed she took my serious statement as a joke.
A little bitter, really.
If you looked at it objectively, “unrated” dungeons were harder than S-rank.
Like the Sun Spear or the Great Dragon.
“……”
I shook my head.
Even now, remembering those fights gave me chills.
If I had to do it again, I probably couldn’t.
“Anyway! I like your confidence. Since you’ve agreed, how about we leave today?”
“Today?”
“We don’t have much time!”
“All right, sure.”
I’d slept plenty.
It was a bit sudden, but I was never the type to complain about that.
“This is exactly what I was hoping for.”
I nodded calmly.
—
Seo-gu District, Incheon.
On the mid-slope of Todang Mountain in the center of Geomdan New City—
Five Hunters stood ready for departure.
“Before we enter, let’s briefly introduce ourselves.”
Leader Lee Seonah smiled.
A considerate gesture for me, the newcomer.
“I’m Lee Seonah, captain of the Black Sword Squad. I specialize in swordsmanship.”
Shing!
She drew the black sword from her waist.
The crisp sound of steel cutting air and the sharp, honed aura spoke volumes of her mastery.
“Well, all members of the Black Sword Squad are swordsmen, right? Haha!”
Next was a burly man radiating strong energy.
“I’m Kang Jihoo, vice captain of the Black Sword Squad. S-rank. My hobby? Hmm… reading martial arts novels. I’m not as skilled as the captain, but I can swing a sword decently.”
He grinned, showing his white teeth.
From his expression and tone, I could already guess his personality.
Behind him, a man and woman bowed politely.
“A-rank Black Sword member, Kim Junsu. Nice to meet you.”
“A-rank Black Sword member, Kang Yujeong. Nice to meet you.”
They were disciplined and precise—exactly what you’d expect from elite guild members.
I bowed back.
“I’m a B-rank Necromancer, invited here on Captain Lee’s recommendation.”
Even though they were all ranked higher than me, I didn’t feel intimidated.
After all, I wasn’t just here because they needed me.
‘I’m no pushover myself.’
I could feel it clearly now.
At the very least, my presence didn’t pale before the A-ranks.
Rank letters were just labels.
The vice captain laughed heartily.
“Wahaha! What spirit! Now I see why the master took interest in you!”
“You flatter me. I look forward to working with you.”
“Don’t worry too much. Our Black Sword Squad has a 100% success rate.”
After double-checking their equipment, the vice captain led the way to the dungeon entrance.
The rest of us followed with determined expressions.
Finally, Lee Seonah nodded.
“Let’s head in.”
—
[Entering the dungeon.]
I opened my eyes.
The familiar, sharp tingle hit me as the scenery shifted around us.
Cold air.
The crackle of torches—and the sound of someone sobbing.
“Damn it, this is the end. How are we supposed to stop the Immortal Legion with mere human strength? How do you fight what can’t die?”
A man rubbed his chilled hands and sniffled.
He was a soldier of this mysterious city.
“We’re all going to die soon—me, my wife, my kid… Damn it, there’s still so much I wanted to do…”
Hmm.
I watched curiously.
‘This feels just like…’
Right.
Just like my own medium dungeons.
A living, breathing world.
“Fascinating, isn’t it? Dungeons like this.”
Lee Seonah walked up beside me.
It wasn’t that strange to me anymore, but I stayed quiet.
“The higher the dungeon rank, the more complex the missions—and the more lifelike the inhabitants.”
“I see.”
“So I just think of them as NPCs. You know, like in a game.”
“NPCs…”
I nodded.
That might be the easiest way to process it.
‘Because no one really knows.’
The world still hadn’t uncovered the truth.
No one knew why unique abilities existed.
Why dungeons appeared.
Or what kind of reality existed inside them.
‘When you don’t know, the easiest way is to believe what makes sense to you.’
Of course—
I knew.
After feeling the emotions of Sunny, Dmir, Eldrin, and the old man, I was certain.
‘They’re not just NPCs.’
They weren’t programmed illusions.
They were alive—beings who could think, feel sorrow, and carry emotions.
“Hmm, looks like the mission’s about to start.”
Lee Seonah murmured beside me.
[Stage ‘Immortal Legion’ has been loaded.]
“Oh, there it is!”
A message appeared, signaling the start of the mission.
[Ding!]
[Stage: Immortal Legion]
[The Immortal Legion has emerged from the northern frozen lands and is invading the city.]
[Protect the city’s soldiers and stop the Immortal Legion.]
[The city’s soldiers will recognize you as their comrades.]
Murmur.
The soldiers around us began to stir.
“There!”
“Look over there!”
From atop the wall, soldiers pointed outside.
“The undead army! The undead army has arrived!”
“Ugh, ughhh.”
Fearful groans echoed through the ranks.
Excitement, worry, dread—negative emotions spread through the fortress like a virus.
“Let’s go.”
I climbed the ladder quickly to the top of the wall.
I wanted to see with my own eyes just how terrifying this Immortal Legion was.
“……”
The sky was gloomy.
Drip, drop.
Rain began to fall.
“Here we go.”
Once on the wall, I turned my gaze outward.
A vast, open plain.
Near the horizon, countless dark shapes squirmed toward us.
[You have spotted the Ghoul Legion.]
“Graaah! Grrrah!”
Rotting flesh fell from their bodies as zombie-like creatures advanced.
[You have spotted the Specter Legion.]
“Kiiiiiii!”
Masses of pitch-black wraiths swirled in the mist.
“The power gap seems huge… are you sure this is just A-rank?”
From their scale alone, it looked closer to S-rank.
My head ached just looking at it.
But Lee Seonah only smiled.
“According to guild intel, that’s only a fraction.”
“…What?”
“Only low-grade undead have shown up so far. Soon, you’ll see Death Knights and Liches too.”
Sigh.
Right. To a ranker, this must’ve been nothing.
‘All right.’
I grasped my staff.
After all, we had rankers on our side.
To S-rank Hunters of this caliber, an A-rank dungeon was just a playground.
‘Still…’
Something felt off.
A sense of foreboding.
Maybe it was because this dungeon required a Necromancer.
Something told me my role here would be critical.
“They’re coming!”
“The Immortal Legion is upon us! Prepare for battle! Close the gates! Ready the oil and fire!”
Bwooo! Bwooo!
War horns blared.
“Skeleton Lord.”
Lee Seonah called to me.
“Yes?”
“You don’t need to worry for now. You’ll have to act when the Lich appears later.”
“The Lich?”
“Yes, that’s when the mechanic triggers. A curse—if there’s no Necromancer or if there are more than five people, it’ll forcibly reduce the party to five.”
Ah.
So that was why.
This was the advantage of a major guild—information.
They gathered data through repeated clears, sharing and selling it among themselves.
An organization like the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect would probably know all the key details and tricks for every famous dungeon.
“The enemies have reached the wall!”
“Fire!”
“Hold them back!”
The battle began.
The soldiers atop the walls unleashed everything on the approaching Ghouls and Specters.
Arrows flew, rocks were thrown—
Fwoosh!
Even magic flared among them.
“You demons! We won’t fall so easily!”
“Fight! Don’t falter! We can win!”
“Hey, you there! Stop cowering in the corner! You’re not just protecting your body—your family depends on you!”
Commanders shouted across the walls—half threats, half encouragement—to keep morale from collapsing.
“Well then, shall I join in too?”
Shing!
Black Sword Lee Seonah drew her blade.
“Oh? Captain, you’re fighting personally? I could’ve handled this myself.”
The vice captain grinned.
Even for an S-rank Hunter, Ghouls and Specters were just warm-up material.
“Yes. I want to show Skeleton Lord something.”
Step.
She walked to the edge of the wall and gazed coldly down at the horde below.
The rest of the team didn’t even draw their swords—
They just watched her.
“The true power of the Black Sword.”
World Rank 509.
Black Sword, Lee Seonah.
She lowered her blade.