Chapter 121 - The Money-Blowing Necromancer

Overwhelming

Before checking what the Nuclear Bomb was, he examined the titles he had just earned.

[1. Part One Completer]

[You have completed all ten entries in Part One.]

[Effect 1. All stats increase by 10%. (Also applies to bonus stats.)]

Kim Minwoo blinked.

'Huh.'

A ten-percent increase to all stats. And it even applied to bonus stats.

"Awesome."

He nodded in satisfaction. Even after everything he had put himself through, Indomitable Soul had been his only title of this kind. This new one brought the total to two.

Admittedly, completing Part One's entries had been rather challenging. From Successor to the Death Lord to the final entry he had just earned, Executioner of the Vampire Duke, not a single one had been easy.

He examined the newly unlocked Part Two.

[The Beginning of a Legend – Part Two]

[An awakener writing a legend. The second stage of his journey shall be recorded.]

[Effect 1. Completing every entry in Part Two adds a very special effect to the Part One Completer title.]

[Effect 2. Completing every entry in Part Two allows you to create Part Three.]

〈Part Two Entries 0/15〉

'It's gone from ten to fifteen.'

These entries would fill up one by one as he progressed, too.

There was still one more title he had earned.

[Executioner of the Vampire Duke]

[You have granted eternal rest to Duke Timorn, a trueblood and the ruler of the castle.]

[Effect 1. Grants the power of a trueblood.]

[Effect 2. Exerts intense intimidation over lesser vampires.]

'... The power of a trueblood?'

Could it mean Source of Blood?

Truebloods were particularly notorious even among vampires because they possessed a passive skill that prevented bleeding.

He nicked his wrist with the Death Spirit Sword. A little blood trickled out with a sting of pain.

Then it happened.

As though someone had hit rewind, the blood was drawn back into the wound. As a bonus, the cut smoothly healed over as if he had never bled at all.

Cedric, who had been watching closely, tilted his head.

"Master. Wasn't that the power of a trueblood?"

Kim Minwoo nodded.

"It's the effect of a title I just earned."

"You've acquired something worthwhile. To think you can use Source of Blood without being a vampire..."

The flames in Cedric's eye sockets burned with newfound interest.

"That degree of regeneration should put you on par with a trueblood baronet. It must feel like having a potion constantly in effect."

"Exactly."

It wasn't quite equivalent to a top-grade potion. More like having the restorative power of a high-grade potion constantly active.

"Minwoo, that's amazing! With this... I think even Olivia will like you!"

"That vampire will like me?"

"Yeah! She really hates humans. But you're special now, aren't you? You can even use trueblood abilities. At the very least, she might see you as much better than an ordinary human!"

So he could score some points with a legion commander?

That was an unexpected perk.

In any case, Duke Timorn had showered him with gifts like the Giving Tree before departing. The monster had been worth spending two Light Bombs on.

That more or less wrapped up the appetizer.

'Time for the main event.'

It was time to use the real reward for beating those vampires.

[Would you like to use the VVIP Shop Unlock Ticket?]

He nodded.

[The shop is upgraded to the next tier!]

[New items are unlocked!]

[New!]

[6. Lightning Stigma (7,000,000 points)]

[7. Elu's Tear (9,000,000 points)]

[8. Nuclear Bomb (10,000,000 points)]

The items previously hidden behind question marks had been unlocked. He examined their details.

[Lightning Stigma]

[Grade: Special]

[A mysterious stigma. Automatically inscribed on your body upon purchase.]

[Effect 1. Allows you to wield lightning.]

'A stigma?'

He saw an image that looked like a stylized lightning bolt. It was about the size of a 500-won coin.

'Wield the power of lightning...'

Compared to other items with multiple effects piled onto them, the stigma was almost excessively simple.

That made it all the more appealing. In other words, everything the stigma offered was concentrated into the ability to wield lightning.

'It doesn't seem like inscribing it on my body increases my Lightning attribute, either.'

If it did, the effects would have said so.

'It'd give me another card to play... '

He was a melee necromancer. Who would expect a necromancer to blast them with lightning at point-blank range?

It certainly looked good, as befitted something costing seven million points.

Next, he examined Elu's Tear.

[Elu's Tear]

[Grade: Ancient]

[Requirements: Level 251 or higher, summoning class.]

[A ring said to have been crafted by refining a tear shed by the goddess Elu.]

[Effect 1. All stats +100]

[Effect 2. All recovery rates +100%]

[Effect 3. Once a month, you may use Elu's Miracle. A mysterious event occurs when the miracle activates.]

'Wow... '

Good.

Really, incredibly good.

That was his impression of Elu's Tear. Accessories were already hard to come by, and not one of its effects was wasted.

An increase to all stats was about as versatile a buff as they came. A hundred-percent increase in recovery rates was just as tremendous.

His mana and health would recover twice as fast. He could hardly imagine a better option for sustained combat.

'As for the miracle... '

Apparently, using it caused something mysterious to happen. Whatever it was, that had to be an excellent effect, too.

'Still, I should check the last item first.'

Something even more expensive than a ring like this.

The Nuclear Bomb.

He was dying to know what it was. He read the description.

[Nuclear Bomb]

[Grade: Special]

[A mysterious bomb. Produces no radiation. Whatever you imagine, however, its power seems likely to exceed your imagination.]

[Effect 1. Creates an ultra-powerful explosion in the surrounding area.]

[Effect 2. Does not harm the user or allies.]

The description was remarkably simple for something priced at ten million points. But the fact that it was the most expensive item meant...

'Its power really is incredible.'

Of course, he wasn't sure whether it would work on a monster on the level of an actual Outer God...

'But it should work on most things below that.'

Two Light Bombs had taken out a vampire a little weaker than Balkan. Judging by the price, this had to be at least twenty times more powerful.

It was something that could work even on a Death Lord-level monster.

'Not bad.'

Kim Minwoo's eyes gleamed.

It was extremely expensive for a single-use item. But it had one overwhelming advantage the other items lacked.

In a life-or-death crisis, this could be his saving move.

The miracle in Elu's Tear served a somewhat similar purpose, but it would naturally be far inferior to a Nuclear Bomb.

'In other words... '

One extra life.

An item capable of overturning a losing situation in a single strike.

He had about four days left. Even if he worked hard to earn points, he'd be lucky to afford one VVIP item.

'I'll scrape everything together and buy the bomb.'

He didn't deliberate long.

'There's still the second test, anyway.'

Like the VIP Shop, the VVIP Shop remained available through the second test. That meant his opportunities to earn points might not end with the first test.

'If they do, well, there's nothing I can do.'

He had to choose one regardless, so why drag out the decision? An Ancient-grade accessory was good, but not more enticing than an extra life.

His mind got busy.

The must-buy list.

He absolutely needed the Top-Grade Elixir Recipe if he wanted to avoid being at America's mercy. Add one Nuclear Bomb, and that made eleven million points.

'Trying for the random equipment box on top of that would be pushing it.'

If he had any points left over, stocking up on Light Bombs wouldn't be a bad idea.

"I'll need to earn a lot of points."

His eyes gleamed.

The scenery before him changed. He immediately tore the next mission notice.

[Beginning a High-difficulty mission.]

[Eliminate the entire pack of cyclopes.]

Until the materials arrived at the trading company, he would milk those cyclopes for all they were worth.

* * *

One hundred and fifty contestants.

They came from many different nations, but they had one thing in common.

Utter shock.

"... Who the hell are these people?"

It had been that way ever since the first scores were tallied on Day 2. Even Liu Wei, who had made something of a name for himself as a druid, had only 120,000 points.

Naturally, most hadn't even broken 100,000.

But the top three were different.

Third place: 360,000 points.

Second place: 530,000 points.

Honestly, those scores alone were shocking enough.

'2.13 million points?'

'What the hell does this guy do?'

First place was earning points on an entirely different scale.

"... Did they find some kind of loophole?"

It was enough to make them wonder. Naturally, the awakeners didn't sit idle.

They had already combed through the entire city, but they scoured it all over again just in case. Some even ventured outside the city to search for hidden features.

And they realized something.

"... There's nothing like that here."

There didn't seem to be any secret method for raking in huge numbers of points.

'No matter how I look at it, hunting is the only way to earn.'

Whether they took requests from the mercenaries' guild or slaughtered packs of monsters, nothing beat hunting for earning points.

'Besides, everyone here has a combat class.'

This was a tournament where their lives were at risk. Naturally, no country had sent anyone with a production class. They had all dispatched combatants.

So whoever it was had earned those points fighting.

'What could you possibly do to earn 2.13 million points? Join a war somewhere?'

One question led to another. Their curiosity about the identities of the top scorers could only grow.

"... Could they be the Korean awakeners?"

The guild battle against Ilseong Guild.

Their performance there had been so impressive that people were calling them strong favorites to win. Most awakeners participating in the Selection Tournament acknowledged that much.

'True enough... '

'The Divine Bow could take second place.'

'Park Siwoo. He was incredibly skilled, too. Third place makes sense.'

It wouldn't be that strange for those two to occupy second and third. They were skilled enough to beat anyone below level 500, at least.

But first place...

'Who the hell is this?'

The Divine Bow?

Honestly, they doubted even someone who put the Divine Bow to shame could earn that many points. Park Siwoo, who was weaker than her, went without saying.

'But it doesn't seem like Kim Minwoo, either... '

If the Divine Bow and Kim Minwoo fought one-on-one, more people would still bet on the Divine Bow. His summons were impressive, but it was hard to imagine them beating an experienced, high-level awakener like her.

And yet someone had earned nearly four times the Divine Bow's score?

It made no sense.

That was why the awakeners were beginning to give themselves headaches.

'Who the hell is it?'

With nothing but question marks displayed, they had no way of knowing. Could there be a dark horse who had entered while hiding their true strength?

Meanwhile, the surprises kept coming.

Not only had the Vampire Castle mission vanished from the mercenaries' guild, but the first-place score began climbing like crazy.

[Day 3 rankings are now available.]

[Point Rankings]

[1st: ??? - 3,133,800 points]

[2nd: ??? - 812,300 points]

[3rd: ??? - 562,130 points]

.

.

Through Day 3, the score had been rising at a relatively human rate of about a million points per day. Then...

[Day 4]

[1st: ??? - 6,172,300 points]

[Day 5]

[1st: ??? - 9,637,400 points]

[Day 6]

[1st ??? - 13,212,300 points]

[Day 7]

[1st: ??? - 15,211,230 points]

"... What the hell is this person doing?"

The gap had grown so wide that all they could do was laugh in disbelief.

Fifteen million points?

Even the cyclops extermination mission, one of the most lucrative ways to earn points, would have to be repeated 1,500 times to reach that score.

Naturally, they all lost the will to compete. They needed at least a fighting chance to bother trying.

No matter how they looked at it, the first test was a lost cause.

"Ah, fuck it. Ptooey. Take the whole damn thing."

The awakeners spat on the ground.

* * *

[Current points: 13,211,230]

For the past four days, he had thrown himself into earning points as if he didn't even need to breathe. He had slaughtered cyclopes and spent three straight days crafting.

Fortunately, the trading company seemed to have pulled out all the stops this time, delivering materials for more than 30,000 items.

That score was the result of finishing every last one of them and doing some mercenary work on top of it.

It differed from the fifteen million on the rankings because the rankings tallied every point he had ever earned.

'Thirteen million points, huh... '

He opened the shop.

[Opening the VVIP Shop!]

[The shop sales assistant is arriving!]

"Good to see you."

"Yes, hello."

"I'll buy a few things. First, this. And this."

[Paying 10,000,000 points!]

[1 Nuclear Bomb has been added to your inventory!]

[Paying 1,000,000 points!]

[1 Top-Grade Elixir Recipe has been added to your inventory!]

That left him with roughly two million points.

He had originally planned to buy Light Bombs, but all his hard work had left him with more points than expected.

"Hmm. A random equipment box..."

Just then...

"A-ahem!"

Popo suddenly cleared his throat.

Kim Minwoo's eyes sparkled.

"On second thought, buying equipment doesn't feel quite right."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I'm wondering whether I should save my points... or not..."

Save them.

A shake of the head.

Or not.

A nod.

This little guy.

He must have learned something from their last conversation. He picked up on the slightest hint.

"That certainly sounds like a difficult decision."

"Yeah, but I'll just spend them. Who knows what'll come up in the second test?"

"As your assistant, I always respect the customer's choices."

"The Elixir..."

A shake of the head.

"...isn't quite right. I'm thinking of just stocking up on Light Bombs."

"Would you like to do that?"

"Yeah. Explosions are art, right?"

He and Popo had a kind of symbiotic relationship. A warm bond in which they supported and guided each other without needing to say a word.

There was no reason to refuse a helping hand.

[Purchasing 4 Light Bombs!]

He immediately went all in.

"Have you finished shopping?"

"Yeah. Thanks for all your hard work. Let's have a meal together sometime when we get the chance."

He gave Popo a few pats on the shoulder.

"Not at all. I'm only doing my job. Hehe... I'll be wishing you a safe return from the second test as well. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Not long after Popo left, messages appeared.

[The first test has ended!]

[Final tally commencing!]

[Total participants: 150]

[Deaths: 12]

[Remaining participants: 138]

[You have placed 1st.]

[As a reward, you will receive some information about the second test!]

[Cursed Land]

[Sacrifice]

[Survival]

[Would you like to enter the second test?]

[* Your life may be at risk.]

[* If you decline, the offer will pass to a participant outside the top 50.]

Cursed land?

He thought he had a pretty good idea why Popo had acted that way. Hadn't light always vanquished evil curses?

Going all in on Light Bombs.

He already felt reassured.

"I'll participate."

A moment later, he vanished.