“What are these guys’ marks?”
I immediately ran over to rummage through the mosquito that had turned into a rag, and something softly glowing was discovered inside its body.
“It looks like a walnut?”
Something walnut-sized and crimson was embedded in each of the mosquitoes.
– ‘The item ‘Blood Mosquito’s Blood Stone’ has been added to the list of [Obsession].’
“Oh! Has Obsession leveled up?”
Obsession now selectively brings me the monster’s marks along with mana stones, runes, and dropped items.
I started examining the body of the ‘Blood Mosquito,’ a monster I had never seen before.
“Since it’s an insect, this makes sense. There’s no bone, right?”
Bones are always missed no matter how much you store them, but this was truly a monster that made killing it feel pointless.
Soon, Obsession collected all the Blood Stones from the mosquitoes around me and began to vacuum the corpses into the space.
These guys weren’t variants, and since they were only C-rank, I easily took them down.
However, stronger ones were swarming inside, and waiting for me at the end of the passage was something that felt extraordinary just from its aura in a structure resembling a nest.
“It’s A-rank. Definitely stronger than the Residue of Chaos.”
Even without the restrictions on me now, it would be no easy opponent, and with my stats halved right now, it was obvious I wouldn’t win.
“I can’t beat it in my current state.”
So, it was a perfect moment to unleash my battle spirit.
After tidying up the area, I ignited my body with crimson flames to burn away all the filthy things and entered stealth mode.
Charyaryak- Charyak-
A swarm of mosquitoes charging at me was confused by my hidden presence, standing frozen with blank expressions on top of the ceiling.
Dozens of stout mosquitoes stood still, wings aligned, in a perfect freeze.
I wanted to burn them all right then; it was that disgusting.
Slither-
I slipped between them, skillfully making my way forward.
“Whoa, why are there so many?”
Sometimes they filled the passage so much that it was almost blocked, but using [Weasel Step], I somehow squeezed through the gaps and moved on.
Finally, I arrived at the far end of the Temple of Light.
There was a nest made of dozens of intertwined tubes that looked like snails, and inside…
“Ugh… It looks disgustingly grotesque.”
A mosquito, fat and appearing to be composed of various monster parts growing all over its body except for its eyes from sucking the blood of numerous monsters, sat comfortably in the nest, gazing into the distance.
It looked like it was watching if its minions were catching intruders, but I was already here, so what could I do about it?
“Hmm… Up close, it’s much stronger. They weren’t kidding about being careful of variants.”
It was a place where my companions should never enter.
I felt relieved that I came alone, and slowly approached its nest, quietly preparing my [Blast of Madness] from behind it.
The variant of the mosquito, which was said to be hard to encounter in the field.
It was a rare monster that I might not see again.
“I’d like to fight it head-on, but I’m out of time.”
Giiiiiiii───
After a brief preparation time, I activated the skill.
An immaterial aura I wasn’t aware of rapidly condensed in my mind.
At the same time, a core burst out of my head, spinning at tremendous speed before suddenly stopping, then releasing a huge beam of light toward the sky, exploding into pieces.
Kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa──!
The dazzling beam of light shot through the temple’s ceiling and soared into the sky.
“Charyak?!”
Only then did the variant of the Blood Mosquito seem to sense my presence.
But in what felt like slow motion, all it could do was gaze at my smirk.
Moments later, the beam of light that had shot into the sky began to reassemble with the shattered core, and the core that settled in the heart released the weight of existence with a powerful vibration.
Pasa sasasa sasak─
As my body disintegrated, an enormous bullet poured down the passage like a rapid-fire machine gun.
Pop pop pop pop pop──!
The variant of the Blood Mosquito, which had been lurking behind me, was the first to be swept away by the purest bullet, instantly vanishing without even a death cry.
The last thing I saw was the Blast of Madness wreaking havoc in the passage, greedily consuming the mosquitoes.
– ‘The quest ‘Purification of the Corrupted Temple of Light’ has been completed!’
– Your level has increased!
– Your level has increased!
– Black Flame Sorcerer Il-wol has perished.
– [93 lives] is activated.
* * *
Pitch-black darkness.
The number of corpses I had tossed into space increased, thickening the nauseating stench.
However, it was now a space I was far too familiar with.
“… Did I die again?”
Yet, this death was different from all the ones I had experienced so far.
It was a highly calculated and proactive death, so the mental shock was zero.
The moment I regained my senses, I was greeted by the system’s gray message.
– ‘You have defeated the ‘Variant of Blood Mosquito’ that governs the ‘Corrupted Temple of Light’!’
– ‘The ‘Corrupted Temple of Light’ has been purified.’
– [Obsession] urgently seizes the ‘Blood Stone of the Variant’!
“Haha, did I manage to grab the ‘Blood Stone of the Variant’ just before I perished? Obsession is really quick on its feet. So what’s the reward for purifying the Temple of Light?”
It wasn’t that great for something I got after losing one life, but since it was a being that had a rank higher than mine, I had leveled up twice and gathered the variant’s Blood Stone, a material for ‘Killbard.’
Considering the reward of ‘Areina’ too, it didn’t seem like a bad trade.
– As a reward, the blessing of the Light God ‘Areina’ is-
– As a reward, the blessing of the Light God ‘Areina’ is-
The endlessly repeating message was getting annoying. Why was the system acting like this?
“…? If you’re going to give it, just give it quickly! Why are you stuttering?”
It’s the blessing of the Light God!
Could I receive the incredible blessing that helped paladins rise from the dead like zombies?
– Your body cannot receive the blessing of the Light God ‘Areina.’
“… What?! What’s wrong with my body?”
Is it because I’m undead? Is it that I can’t just suck the blessing out?
– You will receive a reward that is on par with the blessing of the Light God ‘Areina.’
– You will transcend the limits of your race, and the compatibility relationship with the light attribute will be released!
“Ohhh—?! Really? Isn’t this actually better?”
It was an astonishing reward.
That kind of benefit must surely be on par with the blessing.
Now I wouldn’t receive additional damage from paladins, and I could enter the Temple of Light without any restrictions.
It felt like an excessive reward for this level of achievement, but thinking about it from another angle, it was a space that had been monopolized by Ilseom and was never visited by anyone.
If it wasn’t for me, who knows how long it would have been left abandoned?
“Hehehe… An undead not weak to light. I must have turned into a terrifying monster, right?”
– You have achieved an amazing feat, granting you the power of blessing-grade abilities from the Light God that opposes you!
– You acquired the achievement [Light and Darkness]!
[Darkness Resembling Light]
– The primordial chaos gave birth to light and darkness. They are not different…
– You can receive positive effects from allies of the light attribute, and that effect doubles.
“Huh… This is becoming more ridiculous by the minute.”
Not only had the restrictions on those worshipping the light disappeared, but I had also gained this achievement.
Isn’t it practically shedding the greatest limitation of the undead?
“Light Undead Il-wol. Hehe, Areina seems pretty useful, huh?”
[……]
Am I imagining it, or is there a woman gritting her teeth as if frustrated somewhere?
I felt an inexplicable satisfaction, thinking that things were going well, and I nodded my head contentedly.
Then I turned sharply to the right, starting to run like I was used to.
Crackle—
Entering combat mode with lightning armor, I dashed at full speed toward where Rainy was.
But along the way, another message popped up.
– [Trace of Existence] has been activated.
– ‘Black Flame Sorcerer Il-wol’s’ potential is blooming as a ‘trace.’
– Il-wol’s ‘trace’ recognizes itself as a ‘Small Skeleton.’
“Oh, right. I keep forgetting this. Another trace of mine has been born, huh?”
Unlike last time when there were strong opponents like the lizardmen, I hoped it wouldn’t last long this time.
Moreover, perhaps due to the experience from the last battle with the lizardman, it instantly defined and began to act as a ‘Small Skeleton’ upon being born.
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ stares at the dagger in its hand.
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ shakes its head side to side and takes its first step to find materials for a new weapon.
“Oh ho… That’s right. First, I need a weapon.”
While a living creature would seek to solve the problem of food first, the great skeleton skips such trivial matters and thinks only of fighting.
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ encounters a wounded ‘Blood Mosquito’ remnant!
“What? There are still living ones?”
Even though the temple had been purified, I thought it would be completely cleaned up, but apparently not.
While I was moving, the messages popping up in my head completely distracted me.
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ fires [Fireball] recklessly!
“Ahh, don’t shoot it blindly like that! You have to manage your mana—”
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ stumbles due to mana exhaustion.
“Ugh—See? You have to manage it, you little rascal.”
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ cuts off the ‘Blood Mosquito’ remnant’s limbs and blows its head apart after a skirmish!
“Wow! My little one did great!!”
Even though it was injured, the remaining mosquitoes I faced shouldn’t be weak, yet the ‘Small Skeleton’ managed to take down one.
Then, an astonishing message appeared.
– The intense will of trait [Obsession] connects with the ‘Small Skeleton’ linked by the thread of existence.
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ happily agrees to [Obsession]’s request for the ‘Blood Stone of the Blood Mosquito’!
– ‘Blood Mosquito’s Blood Stone’ 167/500 (+1)
“… What?! It can do that from a distance?”
Then I can just sit back and let the ‘Small Skeleton’ bring me sweet fruits all day?
“This is insane! I can’t believe this exists!”
While I was happily thinking to myself, the ‘Small Skeleton’ had already leaped into its next action.
– The ‘Small Skeleton’ comes across another injured ‘Blood Mosquito’ remnant!
– ‘Small Skeleton,’ filled with confidence, recklessly tries to activate [Lightning Step] and falls into mana exhaustion!
“No, why use the skill when you have no mana?!”
The little guy was brimming with enthusiasm, but its intelligence wasn’t keeping pace.
Still, maybe because the mosquitoes’ injuries were severe, it managed to kill another enemy.
– ‘Blood Mosquito’s Blood Stone’ 168/500 (+1)
“Haha… This is it. My future lies here.”
I finally understood why Yeon-hee treated me so well. This is ridiculously convenient?!
Watching its performance with anxious eyes, I soon arrived at the area where Rainy was.
Cha-aak─!
When I arrived at the place, the astonishing tree of potential greeted me with a noticeably altered appearance, as well as the sight of Yeon-hee lying next to Rainy.
She struggled to roll her eyes and meet my gaze.
“Il… wol…”
“Damn…”
The mimicry had long since worn off, making it impossible for me to say anything.
Yeon-hee had turned to stone.
If she became a statue, it would be tough to even speak, yet I felt my heart tug as I saw her desperately trying to call out my name.
I immediately ran to her and hugged her tightly.
(Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!)
Rainy fluttered around uncontrollably at the sight she had never witnessed before.
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