Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 34

Kang Yoon-Soo summoned his undead army.?“Summon 76?Rotten?Mudgems. Summon 316?Blood?Bats.”?He pointed toward the flying?Bone Dragon?and said, “Kill it.”

Shriek!

The?Blood Bats let out?an ear-splitting?shriek before?spreading?their wings and charging toward the?Bone Dragon. They?attacked the?Bone Dragon?and an aerial battle?began.

The?Bone Dragon?was relentlessly attacked by the?bats’ sharp fangs, and the?Rotten Mudgems gathered mud from the excavation site and flung it toward the?Bone Dragon. However, the attacks?of?the undead?were?ineffective?against the?Bone Dragon.

“Kirikiryaaaaah!”?The?Bone Dragon?let out a burst?of dark flame from its mouth—it was?Black?Dragon’s?Breath.?Black Dragon’s Breath?was?even stronger than the flames of a fire spirit.?The?Bone Dragon?was a monster that had high resistance against fire,?which was?why Kang Yoon-Soo?had not summoned Sally?for the?fight.

Multiple?Blood Bats were burned?to a crisp?and?fell to the ground. Kang Yoon-Soo waved his hand around as he gave?more orders.?“Rotten Mudgems, throw the corpses of the?Blood Bats into the sky.”

The?Rotten Mudgems picked up the corpses of the?Blood Bats that?had been?killed by the?Bone Dragon, and?flung them?toward?the dragon.

Kang Yoon-Soo quickly used a skill once the corpses were?about?to?hit?the?Bone Dragon’s wings.?“Corpse Explosion.”

The corpses of the?Blood Bats simultaneously exploded and inflicted damage on the?Bone Dragon.?Kang Yoon-Soo?used ‘Corpse Explosion’ over and over again until the skill gained a level.

[The skill level of Corpse Explosion has increased.]

[Explosions will now trigger chain explosions.]

The?Bone Dragon?could no longer focus on flight because of the continuous barrage of explosions, and it decided to land on the ground.?The moment it landed, however,?Shaneth swung her Death Scythe down at its tailbone.

“Karigriyaaaaah!”?The?Bone Dragon?let out another?gout?of black flames as it roared in pain.

“Kyaaaah!”? Shaneth screamed?as?the black flame engulfed her. She had?believed in her resistance?and?tried to take the black flame?head-on, but she soon realized that the black flame was hotter than what she could handle. The?Bone Dragon’s?breath?was something?even she could not?withstand.

“Kyaaaarigaaaah!”?The?Bone Dragon?roared as White lunged at it and dug its claws deep into the dragon’s ribcage,?trying to tear it apart.?The?Bone Dragon?thrashed for a?while?before managing to bite White’s?neck.

As?White was roaring in pain, however,?Kang Yoon-Soo smashed the?Bone Dragon’s skull?with Ravian’s Longsword. The?Bone Dragon?wildly swung its claws as it tried to catch the human that was causing damage to its skull, but Kang Yoon-Soo lowered his stance as he evaded every?claw swipe?before stabbing his sword?toward?the core located between the?Bone Dragon’s ribs.

The?Bone Dragon?thrashed and squirmed in pain?as?its core?was?stabbed, and Kang Yoon-Soo used?the new?opening to use the ability attached to Ravian’s Longsword—Vitality Absorption. Vitality Absorption was an ability that drained the life force of any creature?the sword came into contact with.

“Vitality Absorption.”

[You have drained a fraction of the?Bone Dragon, Skeltrodon’s life force.]

[You have absorbed one of Skeltrodon’s characteristics.]

[The chance of sustaining bone injuries has decreased.]

That was not all, however.?Kang Yoon-Soo’s?mana regenerated quickly?due to the ‘Ring of Life Suppression’,?and?he?cast another spell.?“Life Drain.”

It was the?Necromancer’s signature skill, Life Drain.?It?was also a skill that absorbed the life force of another.?Kang Yoon-Soo’s use of both skills that drained the?Bone Dragon’s life force?made it sustain continuous damage, while?he?on the other hand could keep fighting without getting tired at all.

“Kirigriyaaaaah!”?The?Bone Dragon?charged toward Kang Yoon-Soo, finding?the human annoying.

Clang!

Kang Yoon-Soo continuously attacked the?Bone Dragon?with his longsword, but the?dragon’s bones?were quite sturdy. The longsword could not cause?them to crack.

“Kirikriyaaah!”?Black flames poured out of the?Bone Dragon’s mouth, and the attackers suddenly spread out to?either side?to avoid the devastating?fire.

The?Bone Dragon’s black flames?heated up the area;?in fact, the heat was so intense that some parts of the floor started to melt. It?made the combatants?all the more cautious, as?the slightest graze from the flames?would inflict significant damage.

‘This guy has always been annoying to deal with,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The?Bone Dragon?was a powerful boss monster.?Its bones were?so?sturdy that it was not easy to inflict any damage on it with swords, and it was relatively agile too, despite its huge size. It was capable of flying?quickly, and the black flame it breathed out could melt almost anything.

The?Blood Bats?had all been?destroyed, and there were only a handful of?Rotten Mudgems left. The situation was significantly?stacked against them.

Kang Yoon-Soo suddenly said, “Retreat.”

The?Bone Dragon?charged toward them as it smashed stalactite after stalactite. Kang Yoon-Soo grabbed Shaneth?and?leaped?atop?White, and White?fled at?incredible speed.?They barely managed to escape from the excavation site.

“Oh! Are you guys alright?” Ramax asked worriedly, and the other?excavation group?members as well as the survivors looked toward the?party?with great concern.

“We’re alright, but we weren’t able to kill the?Bone Dragon. It’s a shame.” Kang Yoon-Soo answered with empty words as he put on an act, appearing?exhausted.

“Hmm…” Ramax?mused,?deep in thought.?Then,?he?spoke up and said, “You aren’t only my savior, but also everyone else’s. There’s no way we can just sit back and watch as our savior is going through all of this. Also, if that?Bone Dragon?is left as?is, we won’t be able to continue excavating. I’ll give you the contribution points in advance.”

[Your achievement?in?rescuing 150 civilians and members of the Red Rock Excavators has been acknowledged.]

[Your contribution points have increased by 150,000.]

[Current Contribution?Points: 150,845]

It was an astounding amount of contribution points. It was an amount that even a seasoned excavator would?be unable to earn even if they worked day and night without rest for months.

Kang Yoon-Soo exchanged his newly earned contribution points for the ‘Staff of Lightning’ and the ‘Magic Amplifying Bracelet’.

[Staff of Lightning]

Rating: Rare

Mana Increase: 125

A staff that can call forth powerful lightning. The user may be electrocuted as well if it is used carelessly. The ability ‘Release?Lightning’ may be used four times a day.

[Magic-Amplifying Bracelet]

Rating: Rare

Mana Increase: 445

Mana Regeneration: +25

A bracelet that?significantly increases the magic power?of the user, as well as mana regeneration.

Accessories such as necklaces, rings, and trinkets were usually sold at an expensive price. They were much more complex to manufacture?than?weapons and armor, and even if they could only give?small boosts alone,?they had an?advantage?in that one could?equip numerous accessories at the same time.?Besides that, a bracelet that increased the?user’s magic power would be?an extremely?expensive item.

Shaneth looked at Kang Yoon-Soo skeptically as she asked, “Do you know how to use magic staves as well?”

Magic?staves?required?their?users to have an understanding of magic for?them?to be used properly,?which was?one of the reasons why it was difficult to change into the Sorcerer class. Magic?could not be?cast just by wildly swinging a staff; rather, it?required a?calculated movement,?or sometimes even tens of calculated movements, for?a spell to manifest. There was?a distinct?difference between offensive magic and magic like raising undead or summoning spirits.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo nodded and answered as if?stating the?obvious, “Yes.”

He?had?once reached the pinnacle of mana as a?Magician in one of his previous?lives.?Kang Yoon-Soo had a perfect understanding of being both a?Magician and a?Swordsman after reaching the pinnacle of both?classes.?‘A magician is effective in a brawl, and a warrior is better in?a duel.’

He?held?the ‘Staff of Lightning’?in his left hand,?and equipped?the ‘Magic Amplifying Bracelet’ on his right?wrist.?With a black longsword in his right hand, and?a staff bearing?various exquisite engravings on it?in?his left hand,?seeing him wield a staff and a sword?simultaneously?made it difficult to tell?whether?he was a?Magician or a?Swordsman. He looked like a?Magic?Swordsman, a class usually only heard of?in folktales;?even the survivors?who?trusted him could not help but express their skepticism.

“What? Why is he using a sword and a staff at the same time?”

“Maybe he plans to use the sword and magic at the same time?”

“No way! Don’t you know that’s like doing needlework with your left hand and hammering with your right?”

“Do you think that man is a?dual-class? You know, that rare?phenomenon?where two classes are merged into one!”

Kang Yoon-Soo ignored the?onlookers’ murmurs?and quietly walked toward the excavation site.?White?followed?after him, even as it licked its wounds.

Shaneth?walked beside him and?asked, “Is there anything you can’t do?”

Kang Yoon-Soo seriously pondered for a minute before answering, “Abstain from alcohol.”

“…”?Shaneth?was speechless.

***

They entered the excavation site once again, and the?Bone Dragon?spread its wings as it roared.?“Krigriyaaaah!”

The?Bone Dragon?flew toward them at a low altitude,?but?Kang Yoon-Soo raised his staff and slammed it against the ground.

Bzzt!

Blue?lightning started to rain down; it?was so intense that just being grazed by it would definitely electrocute anyone. The intense lightning struck down?on?the?Bone Dragon?and inflicted heavy damage on it.

Kang Yoon-Soo continued his magic attack on the?Bone Dragon.?“Release?Lightning.”

The ability ‘Release?Lightning’?unleashed?the mana stored within the magic staff?to summon even stronger lightning?against the target.?Fierce lightning?struck down on the?Bone Dragon.

White did not miss?the?chance to charge toward the?Bone Dragon.?“Grrrrr!?Urnokra!”

White attacked the?Bone Dragon’s tailbone,?but?the?Bone Dragon?retaliated by slamming White’s waist. White sustained critical damage, but it managed to hold on and lunge toward the?Bone Dragon’s tailbone. The beast bit down on the Bone Dragon’s tailbone as it clung on.

Shaneth?took the?opportunity to strike?the?Bone Dragon’s skull?with her Death Scythe. The?Bone Dragon?tried to resist, but?Shaneth stubbornly?refused to back down and rained down a barrage of attacks on it.

Bam! Bam!

[The?Bone Dragon, Skeltrodon has been inflicted with the?Curse of?Sloth.]

[The target’s movement and defense?have?been?significantly?reduced.]

The Death Scythe had the ability to inflict curses upon damaging enemies, and the?Curse of?Sloth was one of the seven curses?it?could inflict. The?Bone Dragon’s movement?slowed down, and its bones seemed to have softened?somewhat.

Kang Yoon-Soo relentlessly swung both his sword and his staff at the?Bone Dragon. A?lightning bolt struck?whenever he swung his staff, and he?thrust his sword at the Bone Dragon’s core?to inflict critical damage. He did not forget to use both ‘Vitality Absorption’ and ‘Life Drain’ continuously against the?Bone Dragon, either.

As the Bone Dragon was?being abused by Kang Yoon-Soo’s continuous barrage of attacks, it suddenly opened its mouth wide.

“Avoid it,” Kang Yoon-Soo told his team.

Shaneth and White instantly obeyed his orders as they disengaged from the?Bone Dragon, and the black flames it breathed?out melted the floor?at the spot they had been?standing?in?just?moments before.?The dragon breath used by most dragons had limited uses and long casting times, but?its?destructiveness?was not something to underestimate.

The?Bone Dragon?continued?breathing out black flames as it tried to keep the attackers at bay. They had lost their chance to capitalize on their momentum, and if the?Bone Dragon?kept using dragon breath,?their chance of winning against it would be zero.

At that moment,?something that would change the tides of the battle happened.

Shaneth suddenly grasped her chest as she fell?to?one knee. She gasped?for air as her breathing became rough and ragged.?“Something hot is swelling up in my chest…!”