Record of a Thousand Lives

The Desert of Death was littered with decomposed corpses; in it, it would be quite easy to come across a bleached white skull that belonged to either an adventurer or a monster.
There even existed a place in the Desert of Death that had turned pearly white because of the number of bones gathered there.

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‘The Tomb of Bones.’

Kang Yoon-Soo walked alone in the sea of bones that colored the desert ground white.

“It’s a living being…!”

“I was so lonely…!”

“Come stay with us…!”

Zombies with gray, decomposed skin slowly started to gather one by one, trailing behind Kang Yoon-Soo.
The tomb where the dead resided was certain to have a horde of undead crawling in it.

Kang Yoon-Soo swung his white sword and killed the zombies one by one.

[The Sword of Revelation displays tremendous power against the dead who have come back to life.]

The Sword of Revelation could inflict a lot of damage on those who had returned from death, and Kartheon was no exception.

“Summon Mini-Lich,” Kang Yoon-Soo muttered.

A small skeleton wearing a fluttering red robe appeared out of nowhere and asked, “What is your command?”

“Fight against the undead,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded.

The Mini-Lich stabbed its staff into the desert ground and said, “Listen to me, all of you undead.
I will be your friend!”

“Oooh…!”

“A great Lich has come to us…!”

The Mini-Lich had the ability to control and command lower-ranked undead. Some of the zombies forgot their hostility toward Kang Yoon-Soo, and they redirected their aggression toward the other zombies.

‘It’ll be easier for the Mini-Lich to control mid-ranked undead if it grows stronger,” Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The pair soon swept up all of the zombies trailing them.
The academically curious Mini-Lich looked back at the zombies’ remains and asked, “May I research and analyze these right now?”

“Do it later,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Alright,” the kind and innocent Mini-Lich obediently responded without any complaints, continuing to follow behind Kang Yoon-Soo.

A desert littered with bleached white skulls appeared before them. Some bones were degraded so severely that it was impossible to recognize their original form, and some were even larger than the sand dunes.

“I smell the stench of death in this place,” the Mini-Lich said happily.

Kang Yoon-Soo extended his right hand and muttered, “Mass Raise Dead.”

The bones that had been severely damaged or weathered lay still on the ground, but the rest of the bones that were still in good condition rose up at Kang Yoon-Soo’s command.
A total of 170 undead came back to life.

‘The undead I can raise at my current state are around the lower mid-rank,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The undead that had been summoned were a mix of Skeleton Trolls, Zombie Elves, and Dark Sandworms. Kang Yoon-Soo still had a long way to go if he wanted to raise a dragon the way he had in a previous life.

Kang Yoon-Soo used ‘Mass Raise Dead’ over and over again whenever his mana replenished; he was able to raise approximately a thousand undead from the area alone.

[The skill level of ‘Mass Raise Dead’ has risen.]

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[You are now able to raise undead that are a rank higher.]

Mass Raise Dead had reached Level 5. Skills were usually capped at Level 15, and it could be only said that one had mastered a skill if they managed to max out its proficiency.

‘It isn’t enough to simply raise undead over and over again if I want to master Necromancy.’

Kang Yoon-Soo would not be satisfied by simply raising undead.
He needed to raise corpses that belonged to rarer and more powerful monsters, and he had to create a legion of undead that followed his commands.

‘It’s not only the Necromancer skills.
I have to obtain all the useful skills on the continent and grow more powerful.’

Kang Yoon-Soo called out, “Lich.”

“What is it?” the Mini-Lich asked.

“I’ll give you a book that will be helpful to your research,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Really?” the Mini-Lich asked expectantly with a bright glow on its face.

Liches were usually unrivaled when it came to their cleverness and cunning.
They possessed tremendous capacity to lord over other undead, but they lacked the character and loyalty to be used as summons.

‘But the Mini-Lich isn’t like that,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The Mini-Lich had been created without the skull of an Archmage, and it could be said to not be a complete Lich.
Although it did not possess the wisdom of a normal Lich, it had been created with a very innocent and guileless nature.

Kang Yoon-Soo took out Nakron’s Codex from his backpack.
He said, “Read this and carry out more research.”

“Thank you, master.
This is the first book I have seen that is so detailed when it comes to the undead,” the Mini-Lich said happily.

[The Mini-Lich is reading and studying Nakron’s Codex.]

[The Lich’s research capacity has increased.]

[The hidden function of Nakron’s Codex has been revealed.]

[Nakron’s Diary]

Rating: Rare

A personal book written by the Ultimate Necromancer himself.
It explains the structure of the undead in detail.
Only a clever Necromancer will be able to unlock its hidden function.

-Current Research Progress: 0%

Nakron’s Codex will transform into a unique, one-of-a-kind magic codex if research on it is completed.

‘I should use it if the Mini-Lich manages to complete its research,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

Researching the undead was cumbersome and required a lot of time and dedication, and the academically curious Mini-Lich was perfect for the job.
It was a win-win situation, since the Mini-Lich would grow exponentially while it conducted its research into Nakron’s Codex.

“This is an amazing book! I want to serve whomever wrote this book as my teacher!” the Mini-Lich excitedly exclaimed as it flipped through the pages.

“Try it out,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Alright! I will make an undead just as it is written in this book!” the Mini-Lich said excitedly.

“I’ll help you,” Kang Yoon-Soo added.

“Thank you very much, master!” the Mini-Lich exclaimed excitedly like a student who was excited to learn a bit more from class. It cried, “I want to try creating the Bone Monster of Destruction!”

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“You can’t do that now,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Bone Monster of Destruction required a hundred million bones just to create.
For the time being, Kang Yoon-Soo flipped through the pages and found a suitable undead being for Mini-Lich to create.

[Grave Soldier]

Kang Yoon-Soo commanded the undead he had raised to collect the corpses and bones littered across the area.
The corpses gathered by the undead either bore the crest of an ancient kingdom’s officials, or were wearing military uniforms.

The Mini-Lich clumsily drew a magic circle and thrust its staff into the center, shouting, “Arise!”

The corpse parts started to stitch together, and a new undead was born.
It was an undead swordsman that had cross-shaped marks all over its body.

[The Mini-Lich has created its first undead.]

[The Lich’s skull has grown slightly bigger.]

[The codex’s research progress has increased by 1%.]

“It is a success, master!” the Mini-Lich shouted, jumping in joy.

The Grave Soldier slowly opened its eyes and said, “So this is the world.”

“I’ll give you my command,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Grave Soldier drew its sword and asked, “Whom should I kill?”

“Take the undead with you and head west.
Ambush the forces of the ancient king Kartheon,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded.

“Kartheon!” the Grave Soldier shouted angrily.

“Do you know Kartheon?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“No, I do not.
But the owner of my right-hand feels a deep sense of hatred for that name,” the Grave Soldier replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo could only summon low or mid-ranked undead, but he could use Nakron’s Codex to collect materials and create high-ranked undead.
The Grave Soldier was a high-ranked undead being that was made from the corpses of many soldiers.

The Grave Soldier harbored a deep sense of hatred toward the ancient king, and it also had excellent commanding ability.
There was no one else more suitable to command the undead army at that time than the Grave Soldier created by the Mini-Lich.

“I will kill Kartheon!” the Grave Soldier exclaimed as it moved out with its undead troops.

Kang Yoon-Soo finished his business in the tomb. He stared at the Mini-Lich for a moment.

The Mini-Lich asked when it found Kang Yoon-Soo staring at it, “Do you have something to say, master?”

There was something bothering Kang Yoon-Soo.
He eventually said, “Don’t call me ‘master’ from now on.”

“Why?” the Mini-Lich asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo was silent for a moment.
It was not something he would usually concern himself with, and it was not something related to killing the Demon Lord, but he could not help but feel bothered by it.
He finally said, “I don’t like being called that.”

“Why do you not want to be called ‘master’? Humans usually love that word.
It means I am master’s servant,” the Mini-Lich said while tilting its bony head.

“You aren’t my servant,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The Mini-Lich tilted its head in confusion once again and asked, “If I am not your servant… What am I to master?”

“I don’t know,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

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“Master is a weird human,” the Mini-Lich said as it scratched its hollow eye socket.
It asked, “Then what should I call you?”

“It’s up to you,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Mini-Lich hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then I will call you ‘friend’.”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“…” The Mini-Lich was left with a dilemma.
It clacked its jaw and said, “I am stupid.”

“I know,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“That is why I want to learn more.
I want a teacher who can always teach me new things,” the Mini-Lich said as it looked up at Kang Yoon-Soo.
It continued, “What if master becomes a teacher to me?”

“Teacher?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“Master is an amazing human.
You know everything about the world and you are good at everything.
That is why I want you to become my teacher, who will teach me different kinds of things,” the Mini-Lich said.
It was to be expected, considering its thirst for knowledge.

Kang Yoon-Soo pondered for a moment, before he nodded and said, “Alright.”

“See you next time, teacher,” the Mini-Lich said as it gripped Nakron’s Codex and disappeared into the summon dimension.

Kang Yoon-Soo had been left alone, but he was deep in thought. ‘Why did I say something like that…?’

A master or a teacher… Why did it matter what the Lich called him? ‘I don’t know…’

Perhaps it was because it was his last life? He felt himself slowly changing.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo eventually shook his head and thought, ‘There’s no time for me to waste thinking about things like this.’

He pressed a button on his wrist device, and newly updated information on the legendary quest popped up.

[Legendary Quest—Emperor of Time]

The ancient king Kartheon has surpassed time and resurrected.
Kartheon is trying to destroy the continent by using his powers.
Stop him from achieving his goals.

Rewards: Authority of Domination or Authority of Time

Kang Yoon-Soo started to prepare for the upcoming war.

***

Smoke rose from a campfire in Kartheon’s campsite.

Katz rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked, “Where’s the Colossus? That huge thing disappeared overnight.”

“That is none of your business,” Kartheon replied as he looked into the horizon.

His thousands of mummies scoured the desert looking for prey to hunt, in order to make the dry sands run with rivers of blood once more.

“Katz, do you think I am doing something stupid?” Kartheon asked.

Katz instinctively knew he had to lie this time, but his lips took after their owner and stubbornly refused to do what his instinct told him.
He replied, “Yes, I think so, your majesty.”

“Is it so wrong to want to regress?” Kartheon asked.

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“It’s more about the fact your majesty doesn’t give a damn about the world that will be left behind.
That’s the problem,” Katz answered before gulping water from a canteen.

Katz extended the water canteen to Kartheon, but the ancient king shook his head and said, “It is difficult…”

“Don’t you know how to drink water?” Katz asked.

Kartheon furrowed his barely-intact brows and said, “Not that.
Regressing, I mean.”

“I was kidding, your majesty,” Katz said with a shrug.

Kartheon let out a laugh and said, “You seem to have made yourself comfortable.”

“I think I began to understand the loneliness of a king after being choked by the neck,” Katz said.

“What do you mean?” Kartheon asked.

“You majesty could have immediately killed me when you strangled me, just like when you killed my fellow graverobber, but your majesty spared me—until now,” Katz said seriously.
He continued, “Your majesty needed someone to talk to, am I right?”

Kartheon nodded slightly, but did not affirm or deny what Katz said.

Katz asked something he had wanted to ask for a long time. “Will your majesty kill me too?”

“Did I not answer that already? I will kill every living being on this continent,” Kartheon said. Katz grimaced at the ancient king’s words. Kartheon laughed and added, “Your life was wasted as a graverobber.”

“Is that so? Then could your majesty at least build me a nice tomb to make it look as if I used to be someone important after you kill me?” Katz requested.

“What should I engrave on your tombstone?” Kartheon asked.

“Hmm… I have no idea, since I’m uneducated, after all,” Katz answered.

“I have a suggestion.
What about ‘the one who stole from the dead paid for his crimes one last time’?” Kartheon suggested.

“Ugh… It feels as if other graverobbers would just dig me up.
It’s not as if there would be anything to be stolen, though,” Katz complained.

“You enjoyed robbing the dead, but you do not want to be robbed when you die?” Kartheon remarked, sounding amused.

“Isn’t that normal?” Katz replied.

“I suppose it is along the same lines as my desire to regress,” Kartheon said.

Katz was flabbergasted when he heard the ancient king’s words.
He quickly changed the topic, and asked “Has your majesty thought of what to engrave on your tombstone?”

“I have already died once.
I already had a tombstone beside my coffin,” Kartheon replied.

Katz rattled his brain, and now that he thought about it, there had been some complicated inscriptions written on the coffin.
He asked, “What was written there?”

Right as Kartheon was about to respond, he suddenly said, “There is an ambush.”

“What?!” Katz exclaimed.

The surroundings were quiet as Katz looked around. Suddenly, he saw a cloud of dust charging toward them.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed there were close to a thousand undead heading their way.

“W-what?! Why would the undead suddenly show up?!” Katz exclaimed in surprise.

“I do not think the battle will end today,” Kartheon remarked as he headed down the sand dune to gather his mummies. Katz hurriedly followed behind the ancient king.

The prelude to the war between the king who controlled time and the regressor had started.