I inspected the acquired artifact.
Scythe of the Grim Reaper
– A special artifact bestowed upon those who manifest the skill [Malice of the Grim Reaper].
– It only activates when there are ten or more stacks of the Grim Reaper’s Mark on an enemy.
– When you defeat an enemy with stacked Grim Reaper’s Mark using this weapon, you harvest their soul body.
Orb of the Watcher
– Allows you to locate the approximate position of hidden enemies within a 50-meter radius, letting you sense their location without having to see them.
Iron Wall’s Guard Circlet
– An extremely beautiful headpiece. Blocks abnormal status effects with a 45% chance.
‘Scythe of the Grim Reaper… what a fascinating artifact. I’ve only heard of this type that can only be possessed by acquiring a skill. It’s my first time actually seeing it.’
The other two artifacts were also excellent.
Given the trait of the Grim Reaper, it had a pretty defensive setup; however, just the ability to place a mark would not have affected its offensive power too much.
– Acquire the skill [Malice of the Grim Reaper].
– Acquire the skill [Malice of the Grim Reaper].
Once the ownership of the Scythe of the Grim Reaper changed, it persistently appealed to me that there were preconditions for using it.
Since it was an artifact that could only be obtained by acquiring a skill, it must be quite bewildering for it to suddenly belong to me, who had nothing.
‘Hmm… but why is it so big when it was embedded in that guy’s heart?’
It was definitely small enough to be hidden inside its body, yet the scythe in my hand was enormous.
It easily surpassed my height, going over three meters in length.
‘Can I even store it inside myself…?’
Krrrzzzz—
As I brought it closer to my body, a spark jumped as if it were rejecting me.
– Confirming the presence of a being with the possibility of death.
With that message, the resistance subsided.
‘O… so I do qualify.’
Swish—
Eventually, just like the Grim Reaper did, the Scythe of the Grim Reaper vanished into my heart in an instant.
‘Well, fine. I can’t use it right away, but there will surely come a day when it will be handy. Huh… suddenly my stats shot up and it’s all dizzying.’
With this siphoning, my magic power surged by a whopping 82, and the total rise in stats reached 130.
‘Is it because I’m a complete S-rank? The increase is enormous.’
– Magic Power has exceeded 5,000.
– Existing achievements are enhanced!
[Master of Magic Power]
– Magic consumption is reduced by 15% when using skills.
‘Oho… the achievement effect also increased by 5%. That’s quite significant.’
Having surpassed 5,000 magic power, it was indeed worthy of that title. The reduction in magic consumption practically meant an increase in effective magic, which was something to rejoice about.
“Shh… krrch… ss… krrk…”
‘Hmm? This little guy is still alive.’
The faint sound of breath escaping indicated that the Grim Reaper’s life was hanging by a thread.
‘It’s a bit risky to actively use this guy since his face is quite recognized… but it’s best to handle him as a Demon Servant.’
Splash splash splash—
I started pouring potions and Irmana’s water into his mouth.
Gradually, the Grim Reaper Jung Tae-hyung regained stability in his breathing.
Seeing him totally subdued and crumbled, I suddenly felt drained and collapsed onto the floor.
Thud—
‘What a drag. But strangely enough, I feel good.’
The pleasant sensation soaring high above felt confusing.
I found myself in a vile situation, drinking blood and feeling elated.
‘What’s the use of being human for two hours? My feelings are drying up.’
Suddenly, I became overwhelmed with self-loathing, combined with the side effects of [Blood Frenzy], leaving me so exhausted that I couldn’t even move my fingers.
“… Master, are you alright?”
“Hah… damn it… Well, if I rest a bit… I’ll be fine.”
Even though I was acutely aware of turning into a monster, my mood wasn’t budging. However, the intense pleasure I felt from my growth was too sweet to push away.
‘Damn… damn it…’
To describe my current state, ‘chaos.’
It was precisely that.
‘I want to see Yeon-hee. I want to be buried deep in her chest.’
I needed someone who would fully understand me… someone who was trying to accept me.
“Huh… I’ve still got things to do.”
About thirty minutes left.
The battle ended earlier than expected, so I still had time, but I needed to focus on recovery.
After five minutes of being unable to move, I could gradually lift my body.
“Put Jung Tae-hyung over there.”
“Yes!! Master!!”
I temporarily placed the Grim Reaper into a holding area and turned him into a Demon Servant.
Now there were a total of nine Demon Servants, and the addition boosted my physical stats by 15.
‘Once is tough, but it’s become easier to work with Demon Servants.’
Bob bob—
While Jung Tae-hyung was still unconscious, his body—previously just skin—showed astonishing rapid recovery upon becoming a Demon Servant.
Furthermore, an unknown aura rising from his body sparked some anticipation that something new was awakening.
I had Jung Tae-hyung transport me back to the factory.
While moving, another message popped up.
– The achievement [Purifier of the Korean Peninsula] is activated!
– You have acquired the skill [Alchemist’s Intuition]!
– The achievement [Pioneer] is activated!
– All attributes increase by 1!
Defeating the Grim Reaper counted as a kill, and I had obtained the powers of the Great Evil One, Hwang Tae-wook.
Skill: Alchemist’s Intuition
– Fills incomplete recipes in a way that makes them closer to the finished product you envision.
– Adjusts completed recipes to fit the finished product you envision.
A new skill.
I could finally retrieve Hwang Tae-wook’s abilities.
For some reason, another option had increased, probably reflecting that I possessed the finished recipe known as Killbard.
‘So now I can create Killbard myself. While I’ll need to hire an alchemist for mass production, it’s nice not having to look for people in the meantime.’
Yet, I was taken aback that my level didn’t increase despite taking down someone like the Grim Reaper.
I understood the significance of level 100, but being unable to surpass level 99 after defeating an S-rank Hunter was disappointing.
“Kill all the monsters and gather every Evolved Creature and bring them to me.”
“Yes!”
I ordered them to first retrieve the already produced finished product piled in the warehouse.
Though I wished I could just dispose of it all and free the lingering souls trapped within, cold judgment was necessary.
‘This is far too precious.’
After all, it contained the value of life, so I had to put aside sentimental thoughts and figure out how to utilize it.
‘Giving it to Rainy might be a bad idea. It could have a negative impact on her. Considering investing in the sanctuary might be worthwhile.’
Since it wasn’t anything for humans to consume, the ways to utilize it were indeed mostly those things.
Before long, liquid-filled brown bottles were stacked higher than my height in front of me.
– You have acquired ‘Asa Type Evolved Creature’.
– You have acquired ‘Asa Type Evolved Creature’.
‘The name of the item itself is so irritating. Did they really have to specify starving to death?’
While packing a large amount of Evolved Creature into the pocket dimension, I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
Pooof-!
“Gah! Cough cough!”
My annoyance surged to the very top, and I kicked Hwang Tae-wook in the stomach.
Roll roll—
Hwang Tae-wook rolled and crashed into the wall.
“Uweeek…! Cough-cough-cough!”
‘… What the hell. Why am I doing this? Huh…’
Regardless of the past, he had now become my subordinate; no matter how angry I was, that wasn’t something I would normally do. I realized once more that the various side effects from this battle were clouding my sanity.
‘Managing the side effects of bloodsucking won’t be easy.’
I felt more foggy-headed than when I inhaled Debsorpia’s smoke and accumulated pollutants.
While being with Yeon-hee might alleviate it somewhat, I was also worried it might negatively affect her.
“Mas… Master…”
Hwang Tae-wook, who was attacked out of nowhere, rose unsteadily, an odd gleam of joy in his eyes. What’s wrong with this guy now?
“Do well. I’ll be watching.”
“Cough-cough! Yes! If I show even a bit of deficiency from now on, please… punish me just like now…!”
Then, from a distance, ‘Mari’ sprinted towards me with a moonlit expression on her face.
“I… I need education too, Master?”
“………”
What a truly crazy world. Nothing is right.
In a way, it was a truly terrifying ability.
To be able to tame a hundred thousand evil men who pushed thousands of people into death in an instant.
‘By the way, time is really running out.’
About 20 minutes left.
My subordinates needed more time to gather survivors spread throughout the factory.
I tore a note to inform Yeon-hee of our location and gave directions to Hwang Tae-wook and Mari after I vanished.
“We’ll be back, so in the meantime, take care of the survivors as best as you can. If you have time left, write down any information about the remaining factory too.”
“Yes! Master!!”
“And dispatch the Evolved Creatures produced in each factory directly here.”
“Ah, yes! I was scheduled to receive all produced items starting tomorrow, but I’ll make sure to send them faster!”
“Good.”
Although the scale is much smaller than this factory, there are still a few more factories. One in Jeollado, another in Gyeongsangdo. One more in Gangwondo, and over ten small factories in the outskirts of the capital region.
‘I’ve got to hurry with the cleanup. The staff over there will soon notice the anomaly.’
As the camouflage time was almost over, I returned home with Yeon-hee and flew directly to the factory to rescue the survivors.
With Lan with us, it was no problem to take hundreds of people with us.
“Ugh… they’re followers of Il-wol?”
“Yes!! Master’s Master!!”
“That’s kind of weird. Just call me summoner.”
“Yes ma’am!!”
Following the order to treat her as respectfully as possible because she is my Master, the Demon Servants were extremely tense while facing Yeon-hee.
‘Yeon-hee has also grown much more natural in giving commands.’
I was worried that Yeon-hee might be displeased after seeing ‘Mari’ like when she met Haseirin last time, but surprisingly, Yeon-hee just gave Mari a quick glance and then didn’t pay any mind to her.
Even the sight of me appearing as a Skeleton Soldier clad in armor didn’t produce any rejection from the Demon Servants.
If they had abilities like these, they would notice immediately that I was a monster, but to them, it seemed they were more concerned with my essence itself.
“I ordered that all Evolved Creatures produced nationwide be sent here! You should be able to receive everything by the day after tomorrow!”
‘Is that so? Then one remains behind. After all the items are received, contact me.’
“Yes!!”
‘Except for Jung Tae-hyung, everyone should go to the place I indicated and help Cha Jin-hyuk and Haseirin. If you do anything pointless like squabbling among yourselves, be prepared to be punished, understand?’
“Yes, Master!!”
‘Jung Tae-hyung, you stay within our sensing range, and if any beings intending to harm us come, join us immediately. Otherwise, try not to be seen until I signal you. In fact, don’t be seen by anyone else either.’
“Understood, Master!”
The one previously called the Grim Reaper, Jung Tae-hyung, now knelt meekly before me.
I thought his combat power would weaken since I had taken his soul body and artifact, but perhaps because he gained some realizations, his combat power didn’t drop much.
‘I’ve got the best bodyguard now. I can worry a little less about Yeon-hee.’
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