Record of a Thousand Lives

Chapter 182

The Frenzied Ones were strong creatures. Every single one of them had inherited the Dragon of Destruction’s blood and was inclined to battle. On top of that, they were also quite familiar with fighting in icy terrain. However, even such powerful creatures had weaknesses: Heat and the sanity they had lost after going berserk.

“Acle,” Kang Yoon-Soo called out.

“Haa… Ha…! What is it?! Why are you calling me?! I’m about to die from the heat here!” Acle protested, sweating profusely due to the heat from the lava.

Then, Sally held his hand while looking at the ice spirit’s face worriedly. She asked, “Acle, are you alright? Do you want Sally to give you a big hug?”

“Ack! Why the hell would a Spirit of Fire hug me?! Get away from me! Shoo!” Acle lashed out angrily before pulling his hand away.

Sally seemed hurt by his words and actions, as large teardrops welled up in her eyes before she cried out, “Acle is… so mean! You always push Sally away! You never want to get along with Sally!”

“Hmph! So what do you want me to do about it? It’s hot, so can you get lost?” Acle replied in annoyance.

Sally glared at him with tears welling up in her eyes, then turned around and shouted, “Lich! Acle is bullying Sally again!”

“Acle is not in his right mind because of the heat,” Mini-Lich said. The kind Mini-Lich walked toward Sally and comforted her with pats.

Kang Yoon-Soo walked toward Acle, who looked as if he might pass out any time soon, and said, “I need your help.”

“Help, my ass…! It’s too hot! I just want to go back to the summon dimension at this point,” Acle grumbled.

Then, Kang Yoon-Soo took out the Frozen Crown from his backpack. Acle smiled even while being covered in sweat and said, “You know me too well!”

The Spirit of Ice felt as if the heat that had been about to melt him disappeared the moment he put on the Frozen Crown.

“Create ice bridges connecting to the golem’s back,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Hmph! That’s a piece of cake for me,” Acle said arrogantly.

The Frozen Crown was a powerful item that had even allowed him to use ice magic easily in the Desert of Death. Acle gathered his power to the limit, then released it to create seventeen ice bridges that connected the golem’s back to the ground where the Frenzied Ones were.

“Kuraawaaah!”

The Frenzied Ones roared as the ice bridges suddenly appeared. They were reluctant to go anywhere near the heat of the lava, but the cold that the bridges were giving off felt familiar to them. They were not in a rational state of mind and lacked discernment, so after a few of them crossed over the bridges, the rest followed suit. Thousands of Frenzied Ones rushed onto the bridges, aiming for the party on the golem’s back.

“Shaneth,” Kang Yoon-Soo called out.

“I know what your plan is,” Shaneth replied with a nod. She jumped into the lava and swam underneath one of the ice bridges. She took out her scythe before swinging it at the bridge, yelling, “Pyrokinesis!”

Her flames, accompanied by lava, shot toward the bridge and broke it. The Frenzied Ones that were rushing across the bridge fell into the lava one after another. That was not the end of it, however.

“Sally,” Kang Yoon-Soo called out.

“Sniff… Alright, papa,” Sally replied, then transformed into a salamander and spewed flames at one of the ice bridges. The bridge that stood firm even atop the lava slowly started to melt.

Kang Yoon-Soo stabbed his magic sword into the Lava Golem’s neck once again.

“What?” the Lava Golem asked.

“Use your eruption skill,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Not feel like it,” the Lava Golem said.

“It’s for the fairy,” Kang Yoon-Soo said while shaking the bottle Quishow was in.

“Kyaaaah! Save me!” Quishow cried.

The Lava Golem slowly moved its gigantic body after getting a taste of Quishow’s fairy dust before saying, “Okay.”

“Stand back,” the Lava Golem said as a mound with a round hole in it emerged from the center of its back. The men and undead quickly retreated from the mound, which started spewing out red rocks, volcanic ashes, and lava from the hole.

Booom! Booom! Booom! Booom!

“What a spectacular sight!” Swemer exclaimed as the ashes flew overhead.

Lava and rocks shot out endlessly from the crater and hit the ice bridges that the Frenzied Oneswere on. Under attack from three different fire-attribute skills at once, the bridges started to crack before shattering completely, and the Frenzied Ones that were on top of them all fell into the lava.

“Krruuwaaahh!”

[You have plunged more than seventeen thousand Frenzied Ones into the river of lava.]

[The Frenzied Ones are severely weak against molten lava.]

[It will not take even a minute before the Frenzied Ones meet their demise in the lava.]

[The temperature of the northern ice fields will slowly increase whenever a Frenzied One dies.]

A great wall of steam rose up from the lava as the Frenzied Ones gradually burned up and disintegrated. Afterward, Kang Yoon-Soo cut off a portion of the Lava Golem’s back and threw it into the river of lava.

Henrick raised a brow upon seeing his strange action and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to hunt,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied, then jumped onto the rock portion carved off from the golem’s back and took out Nell’s Fishing Rod. He used the fishing rod, which was impervious to lava, as an oar to row the floating platform toward the Frenzied Ones. Then, he dealt the final blow to the Frenzied Ones that were dying in the lava.

Harpoon observed Kang Yoon-Soo’s dangerous actions and said, “Those guys will end up dying by themselves anyway, but why are you taking such risks to kill them yourself?”

“I need to increase my level,” Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly replied.

The men looked at him in awe. They did not have the courage to jump into the lava and hunt down the Frenzied Ones no matter how strong they were, as they were unwilling to risk their lives just to gain a few levels. After some time, Kang Yoon-Soo had dealt the final blow and killed around three hundred of the Frenzied Ones.

“I killed quite a few of them too. They give a lot of experience points,” Shaneth said before hopping back onto the golem’s back and shaking off the lava in her hair.

Iris, who had recovered from her anemic condition after eating a lot of food, fired several bolts of black lightning at the drowning Frenzied Ones before saying, “I now understand why Kang Yoon-Soo keeps trying to land the final blow.”

Once again, Acle created a large bridge that connected the golem’s back to the surface so that the party could walk across it. However, as they were dismounting the golem’s back, an angry voice spoke.

“Keep your promise. Golem wants to eat the fairy,” the Lava Golem said. It angrily shook its body that still had thousands of party members on it, crying, “Keep your promise, or else I will flip over and drown you all in the lava!”

“Hurry! Give it what it wants!” Hawk exclaimed.

Quishow, who was still stuck inside the glass bottle, cried, “I was wrong, human-nim! I’ll be good from now on, and I’ll do whatever you want me to as well! Please, don’t feed Quishow to that golem!”

All eyes darted toward Kang Yoon-Soo, who said, “I can’t give you Quishow.”

“H-Human-nim…! You’ve called Quishow’s name for the first time…! Quishow might actually like human-nim…!” Quishow said, looking at Kang Yoon-Soo emotionally.

Then, Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly added, “The corrupted fairy is supposed to be bait for the Dragon of Destruction.”

Quishow looked exhausted and drained upon hearing those words, unable to even let out another scream.

Then, the Lava Golem shook its back violently. It cried, “You. Lied! Golem. Mad!”.

At that rate, the party would be shaken off into the lava.

Just as the platform was about to flip over, however, Kang Yoon-Soo took out the slightly burnt corpse of a Frenzied One from his pocket. It was the descendant of a creature born from the Dragon of Destruction and a fairy. It was already dead after burning up in the lava, but Kang Yoon-Soo had fished it out with Nell’s Fishing Rod and preserved its body. Kang Yoon-Soo threw the creature, which was a mix of dragon and fairy, into the Lava Golem’s mouth.

“This…!” the Lava Golem exclaimed.

“I’ve kept my promise,” Kang Yoon-Soo nonchalantly said.

The Lava Golem moved its gigantic mouth, chewing for quite a while, and a satisfied look spread across its face. It said, “It was really delicious. I want to eat another one.”

“Kyaaaak! Human-nim! Let’s go! Let’s get away from that golem!” Quishow cried.

The party finally managed to climb out of the river of lava. The Lava Golem was definitely a strong addition to their forces, but they had to leave it behind because it was difficult to control it. However, it would likely not be content to just swim along the river of lava and continue to live the rest of its life there.

“The weather has warmed quite a bit,” Danesh said while taking his thick fur coat off.

The snow piled on the ground had melted away somewhat, and the icicles dangling from above had thinned. The weather grew warmer every time a Frenzied One died.

“We have to clean the remaining ones up,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The party marched onward.

***

The Frenzied Ones were tenacious. The ice fields were initially as good as their home court where they had all of the advantages, but the situation had changed completely. The Frenzied Ones were growing weaker as the weather became warmer.

“These guys…. They’re not much of a threat now that the climate has gotten warmer.”

“I can move my body as I wish now that it’s not as freezing cold anymore.”

“Hahaha! This is what I’m talking about! This is the bliss of battle I want to feel!”

On the other hand, the men were getting stronger and faster the warmer the weather became. They no longer had to be careful of frostbite whenever they gripped their weapons, and their bodies were no longer frozen stiff because of the cold.

Kang Yoon-Soo efficiently spread out his troops and hunted down the remaining Frenzied Ones. The weather grew warmer and warmer the more they killed, and the lava from the south even began to slowly creep north whenever the snow receded as a result of that. There were quite a few of the Frenzied Ones that the party did not even have to bother killing, as they died from the heat.

Of course, they had not managed to get any loot from the Frenzied Ones that had drowned in the river of lava, as the enemies had melted away completely in the lava. However, the Frenzied Ones they killed in the ice fields were a different story, and the party was able to gain all sorts of loot from them. Kang Yoon-Soo collected the ice-attribute items dropped by the Frenzied Ones, such as the Yeti’s Armor, Frost Bow, Ice Gauntlets, and many other items.

After thirty days of continuous hunting, he was finally able to fill 95% of the Holy Chalice of Blood, and there was only one Frenzied One left for them to deal with.

While hiding behind a rock, the men peeked out nervously, even as their eyes burned with a desire to fight.

“Look at that guy.”

“It looks stronger than any of the other monsters we’ve fought so far.”

“We’ll certainly die if we lose. I have a feeling it will turn out that way.”

A gigantic creature stood atop a fissure while leisurely chewing on a creature that resembled a mammoth. Kang Yoon-Soo observed it from afar while hiding behind a rock.

[Name: Sevle]

[Lineage: First Mixed Race (Ice Ogre, Mammoth, Yeti, High-Ranking Vampire, Icicle, and Troll)

[A monster born from the bloodline of not only the Dragon of Destruction, but various other creatures as well. This Frenzied One has survived for the longest time in the northern ice fields due to its bloodsucking ability. The snow and frost in the northern region are being caused by Sevle.]

[You will be able to reclaim the warmth in the north if you manage to kill Sevle.]

[Sevle will attack anything that lives.]

[It has 192 drops of the Dragon of Destruction’s blood flowing in it.]

The monster in front of them had the blood of seven different creatures mixed into it, unlike the other crazed beings. Sevle was the ruler of the north, and it was also the one that had the largest amount of the Dragon of Destruction’s blood in its body.

‘I’ll be able to fill the chalice and make it overflow with blood once I kill Sevle,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought. He signaled the start of the battle.

The undead drew Sevle’s attention and lured it around the area, while the men fiercely attacked it. Kang Yoon-Soo’s summons and the party members unleashed a barrage of attacks toward Sevle.

“Light Clone!” Light exclaimed. Then, twenty Spirits of Light suddenly appeared.

“Light multiplied…!” Sharp gasped in surprise. Of course, only the real one among the numerous light spirits was holding Sharp’s hand.

Light Clone was a skill that allowed the Spirit of Light to summon numerous clones that had the ability to deal a small amount of damage to their targets. The skill was only useful on occasion, but it could be used to create clones of another target as well.

The twenty-one copies of Light asked, “Do you want to be friends with me?”

Sevle replied with a roar, “Kruuuuwaahh!”

“Kyahahah! I guess I can kill you if we aren’t going to be friends!” the numerous copies of Light said before laughing maniacally.

“Too many Lights… It’s too scary… It’s like a nightmare…!” Sharp cried.

The group of light spirits simultaneously shot rays of light toward Sevle, but the ruler of the north was a strong monster. As it had all the powerful traits of seven creatures, there was no way it would die so easily.

Kang Yoon-Soo waited patiently while observing the progress of the battle.

Sevle roared loudly and angrily stomped its feet when the barrage of attacks from the party did not show any signs of ceasing. It was using an AOE skill that would cause an earthquake and an avalanche.

However, its powerful skill ended up backfiring because of the warmer weather. That was the reason why Kang Yoon-Soo had ordered the undead to lure Sevle to an area where the ground was weak. Frenzied Ones was bound to be susceptible to heat, and that applied to Sevle as well no matter how strong it was. Sevle sustained burns all over its body the moment it plunged into the lava underneath, and its defensive power fell significantly.

‘Now’s my chance,’?Kang Yoon-Soo thought. He dipped his Vampire Lord’s Magic Sword into the Holy Chalice of Blood, making it shine more brightly than ever.

[The Vampire Lord’s Magic Sword has drunk the blood of a dragon!]

[The magic sword’s power has increased explosively.]

[The magic sword’s durability has fallen significantly due to the overwhelming and uncontrollable power.]

[The title ‘One Who Drained the Blood of a Dragon’ has been temporarily granted.]

A surge of power resonated from Kang Yoon-Soo’s magic sword after it drank the dragon’s blood, and he gripped it tightly as he dashed toward Sevle.

Sevle’s chest had sustained severe burns from the lava, and part of it had already been charred black. Kang Yoon-Soo clung to its body and repeatedly stabbed the monster’s heart with the empowered magic sword.

Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik!

The concentrated attacks on its heart dealt near-fatal damage to Sevle. It roared in agony while flailing its arms around, trying to get rid of Kang Yoon-Soo. “Krruuuuwaaah!”

However, Light focused her bolts of light toward the monster’s eyes to distract it. The monster collapsed to the ground, its eyes swirling and unfocused.

The Death General Kalriven infused mana into its sword and raised it up high, then commanded the undead, “Now is the time! All forces, attack!”

The undead and the party members unleashed as many attacks as they could at Sevle.

Meanwhile, Kang Yoon-Soo sustained quite a lot of damage while clinging to Sevle’s chest, but he managed to survive by continuously using Life Drain.

Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik!

Kang Yoon-Soo stabbed his magic sword into the monster until his arm was about to give out. Whenever he stabbed the monster, he could feel its gigantic heart beating fiercely.

Sevle’s resistance grew even stronger after Kang Yoon-Soo stabbed its heart more than a hundred times, however. It exhaled ice breath at its enemies, and the men retreated quickly to avoid the breath attack, while hundreds of undead were destroyed in an instant. The Ruler of the North was making its last stand before it met its demise.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo’s empowered magic sword was also reaching the end of its durability, the same way Sevle’s life was reaching its end. A crack started to spread from the tip of the Vampire Lord’s Magic Sword, and it drained its user's blood for the last time just like a loyal servant fulfilling the last task its master gave it.

[The Vampire Lord’s Magic Sword is sucking your blood.]

[You have lost a large amount of blood!]

[You have entered an anemic state despite your continued use of Greater Blood Drain.]

[You have used the high-tier magic of the Vampire Lord!]

[You are now able to use overwhelmingly destructive power that could sweep away an entire city with one swing of the Vampire Lord’s Magic Sword!]

Kang Yoon-Soo raised his magic sword up high and muttered, “Annihilation Slash.”

The Vampire Lord’s Magic Sword shattered alongside Sevle’s heart as Kang Yoon-Soo dealt the final blow.

[You have killed the Ruler of the North, Sevle!]

[Your level has risen!]

[Blood is overflowing from the Holy Chalice of Blood!]

[You have completed the Legendary Quest—Awakening of Blood.]

[The legendary quest’s details have been updated.]