Ch. 15 — The Tomb Guardian

The Tomb Guardian was one of the notorious bosses.

To sum it up, it was an upgraded version of the Corpse Wheels.

More poison blood, coupled with its massive size and agile movements.

“It’s definitely one of the tougher bosses for an F-rank gate.”

― Hee hee! Run away!

He recalled the scene where Kim Minwoo had refused to engage in combat and fled.

‘I’ve truly created a masterpiece.’

Contrary to its notorious reputation, the Tomb Guardian was being easily exploited.

Under Cedric’s command, the skeleton soldiers moved with precision.

They blocked the body slams with dozens of shields while piercing with spears and swords in between. Behind them, maces and axes were landing on the guardian’s exterior.

Of course, it resisted fiercely as well.

The boss’s attacks were not something ordinary skeletons could easily withstand.

Even with Cedric’s command, it was impossible to block everything.

Because the skeletons couldn’t keep up with the commands.

Every time they were swept away by an attack, ten skeletons were resurrected.

Thus, whenever the creature made a significant movement, they stabbed it deeply with their swords.

Perhaps due to its high stats, its exoskeleton was getting shredded like tofu. Cedric also intermittently issued commands, distributing heavy blows.

The guardian began to bleed profusely. Soon, one of its dreadful patterns emerged.

The Tomb Guardian opened its mouth wide.

From its mouth, hundreds of small insects emerged.

Upon contact, they exploded, spreading poison.

“Nasty.”

The key to defeating it ultimately lay in making contact with something. If it were one’s own body, it would mean annihilation.

Usually, a mage like a wizard would be necessary to easily handle such situations.

One would need to use shields to block the insects and burst them before they reached, to avoid annihilation.

Unfortunately, the baby skeletons didn’t have magic like shields.

Pop pop!

The bursting insects spread poison wildly.

The skeletons collapsed weakly.

[122 skeletons have been unsummoned!]

Now, the Tomb Guardian’s eyes twinkled as if it had gained the upper hand.

Grrrr!

Excited, the Tomb Guardian moved roughly.

Although its body was tattered, in the end, all the skeletons lay down.

Grrrr…!

With rage-filled eyes, the guardian looked at Kim Minwoo and Cedric.

“Sorry, gonna refill once more.”

He gestured after drinking a potion.

[506 skeletons have been summoned!]

Grrr…?

The Tomb Guardian’s jaw dropped at the sight.

* * *

[The boss of the gate, Tomb Guardian, has been defeated!]

[The combat experience of the Skeleton Army has greatly increased!]

[You have Levelled up…]

Certainly, defeating a boss brought in a significant amount of experience points.

In one go, Minwoo went from level 22 to 25.

The average level of the skeletons had also risen to 7.

‘It took exactly ten minutes.’

[You have cleared the gate!]

[Would you like to exit?]

There’s a clear difference between exiting from an intermediate zone and exiting after clearing it.

When you exit after clearing, the color of the gate changes.

In the intermediate zone, it’s white.

After clearing, it turns green.

The time taken so far was about 2 hours and 10 minutes.

‘There’s no need to leave right away.’

He declined the message.

― Master, are you not leaving?

“It’s a tomb.”

― Do you think there might be hidden elements?

“I’m not sure, but I think so.”

Moreover, Isabella, who holds the world record, took two days.

He was faster than her.

He had aggroed the camera to come before the gates opened.

‘I need to adjust my pace here.’

Being successful is good.

But being too successful can be exhausting.

There was already a significant gap between her, who had entered level 49, and me.

But even that wasn’t enough, and even the clear time was extreme?

Even S-rank skill books crafted skills differently for each person, even if they had the same job.

Even so, there was an approximate average.

He had a rough idea of what level of skill an S-rank skill was.

‘I’ll be suspected.’

About whether his achievement was not just S-rank, but beyond.

No one had appeared yet who had been confirmed to have above S-rank.

If they started to suspect SS or SSS, what then?

He was the son of the top conglomerate in Korea.

Even in the United States, they would give up trying to persuade me.

They would just say, “What’s wrong with you? Just live comfortably in Korea.”

Then people would naturally start to think strange things.

‘He can’t have it?’

‘Then we have to break it.’

Things like that.

It becomes extremely troublesome to act.

Of course, someday he will inevitably face that fate.

But it wasn’t now.

‘About 40 hours should be enough.’

That would be enough to make it believable.

Undead are immune to fear.

He had some resistance to poison.

So he had an advantage.

And he was a swordsmanship genius.

He discovered a hidden route in the gate and used it to clear it, etc., etc.

Since the gimmick element is variable, it would sound quite plausible.

Especially in Japan and China, which are hostile to Korea, they would be more likely to believe that he cleared it quickly because of luck rather than because he was good.

“Since it’s impossible to completely eliminate suspicion anyway.”

But he could at least delay the time when the real struggle would begin.

He picked up some loot.

“Cedric. Pick up the loot and train the kids.”

― Okay.

The skeletons picked up the dropped items like silent farmers.

There weren’t any special rewards.

No, to be more precise.

[You have obtained the Tomb Guardian’s Carapace Armor!]

They were items that an average Awakener would appreciate, but for him, they were just level 1 Cedric’s equipment.

“The armor is for you. It’s better than what you’re wearing now.”

― Sure thing.

Cedric put on the armor.

That was the end of the boss rewards.

‘What will I get as a clear reward?’

The items dropped by the boss and the gate clear reward are treated separately.

After a moment, a message popped up.

[You have received the gate clear reward!]

[You have met the special conditions!]

[You are a necromancer above the standard!]

[You have received the Arrangement of Osiris!]

“Oh, a hidden piece popped up?”

A small necklace was placed in his palm.

[Old Necklace]

[Rank: ??]

[A mysterious-looking necklace. The center slot is empty. It may activate when the right gem

is inserted.]

[Effect 1: If you insert the correct gem into the hole, you will gain the qualification.]

[Effect 2: If you gain the qualification, you will be able to perform the ‘Arrangement of Osiris’.]

[TL/N: ‘Arrangement of Osiris’ is not the final name… I may change it in the later chaps depending on the context]

“Is this a quest item?”

There wasn’t exactly a quest, but the format was roughly similar.

If there was a quest window, it would probably look something like this.

[Find the matching gem and insert it into the necklace to perform the arrangement!]

Something like that.

Minwoo had seen a few items like this before.

Chained quests could be connected to one or several.

‘The more complex the structure, the greater the reward.’

It’s more rewarding to perform a chained quest and get rewards than just smashing everything in the gate and getting rewards.

If you properly performed a ‘stem’ chained quest…

‘You’d get something amazing.’

There were many things that came to mind.

A good title.

A unique or better accessory with a low level restriction.

A special potion.

Or maybe a special summon, or a special skill book with good performance.

Keeping them would make the game much easier.

‘I need to find the gem.’

The center slot looked peculiar.

It was intricately carved as if it were shaping a dragon.

‘Common gems sold in stores probably won’t activate it.’

It wouldn’t activate even if he carved a common gem to fit the shape.

That would be too easy.

At the moment, there were only two things that came to his mind. It could be among the rewards from other bosses.

‘Or… it could exist within this gate.’

It might not be either.

But until then…

“Everyone, gather around. We’re going to thoroughly search the inside of the gate. Smash everything open. Knock on the floor and walls! Report immediately if you find anything suspicious! Execute!”

―…Understood!

Clank!

It’s best to start from nearby.

Minwoo also began to search inside the gate.

“Very good.”

He felt good.

Because the scent of a jackpot was wafting through.

Think about it.

This necklace is an item that is simply handed over once the conditions are cleared.

Even a necromancer of about rank B would have come here.

But the fact that it’s only activated now…

“It means the required level is quite high. At least A, maybe even S.”

He had a feeling.

The difficulty is going to be quite challenging.

And if the difficulty is high, it means the rewards are great.

Now that he had found a clue to enter the infernal hell, he can’t help but feel good.

* * *

“Kim, it’s already been 40 hours. Shall we go in now?”

“Bullshit. You go in first.”

“Ah, I can’t go in. I’ll get chewed out by the director.”

“Who doesn’t have a director? Anyway, before the camera cools down, what the hell. If we keep going like this, we’ll freeze to death.”

Reporter Kim tightly gripped the hot pack in his hand.

As the warm heat spread, it gave him a bit of relief.

Reporter Park, who saw this, laughed and said.

“It’s still warm because you left it on, you know? Besides, didn’t you half expect this? Were you really looking forward to it?”

“Well, I mean, it’s been a while since a dragon has appeared in Korea, right? It’s about time someone stepped up.”

Reporter Kim said with an embarrassed look.

…Honestly, he was kind of expecting it. He had to be bold in his statements.

“A true patriot indeed.”

“But it’s not just that. You know as well as I do. There’s a lot at stake.”

Kim Minwoo was already receiving all sorts of attention.

He had a kind of villainous feel to him.

‘He’s the dog of Ilsung. A loser who was dropped from the succession structure.’

That’s how the public evaluated him.

It was widely known that the heir to the group’s management was likely to be the second son.

But if this villain were to set a new world record here?

It would turn the tables completely.

There would likely be uproar within the group as well.

While there was some hesitation about the direct relationship between management skills and gate conquest, the ramifications of setting a record were evident.

He renewed the record.

If one achieved overwhelmingly in one field, it was natural to unconsciously expect and hope for success in others.

If it was the influence of the unrivaled genius of Ilsung, one thing was for sure.

Korea was about to get a lot more interesting.

“Well, maybe… But honestly, will it happen? Jeez. It’s been 40 hours and still no sign? Just making it back alive would be a relief at this point, really.”

“…Yeah.”

They didn’t even know if he was dead or alive.

Usually, if someone didn’t come out of a gate within a month longer than expected, they were treated as deceased.

The mortality rate inside the gates was high. Especially for a 95-pointer like this.

Even if he did die, it wouldn’t be all that surprising.

‘If he’s going to fail anyway, it would be better if he at least came back alive…’

Reporter Kim silently thought.

He was the one who had caused Korea to buzz in just a few days.

I’m not sure if he’s a super rookie.

But he’s definitely promising.

Already, Korea was suffering from a shortage of awakened individuals.

Countries like Japan, the United States, and China were all scouting aggressively.

If a fairly plausible awakened individual appeared, they would snatch them up immediately.

Kim Minwoo was one of the chosen few who was free from this controversy.

“Well, I’m getting sleepy. I’m going to bed. What about you, Kim?”

“I’m going to wait a bit longer.”

“Take it easy. Seriously. If you keep this up, you’ll be skin and bones…”

“…!”

Instantly, the eyes of the two reporters widened.

It was the common reaction of all the reporters around them.

“Wake up! Quickly!”

All the reporters, whether they were dozing off or sleeping inside the tent, rushed out.

The gate was shimmering.

It was a signal that the party that entered was coming out.

In recent times, there was only one party that had entered there.

A solo party, Kim Minwoo.

Cold sweat ran down the foreheads of all the reporters.

Their hearts were pounding like crazy.

Now, only two possibilities remained.

White or green?

If it’s the former, it will be recorded as the struggle of a promising newcomer.

But if it’s the latter, if it’s the green of the clear…

“Oh, damn…”

“It’s green! It’s green!”

“Are you crazy? A world record?!”

“Post an article right away! This kid! Just write the title first, regardless of the content!”

In an instant, the waiting area in front of the gate became as noisy as a market floor.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]