Chapter 230

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Chapter 230: Lee Seoyoon (2)

Cedric, who had been silently following behind like an escort knight, suddenly spoke up, a strange glint in his eyes.

―Isn't that... the woman from back then?

"Yeah. The assassin."

―You're going to turn her into an undead?

"I got the crafting knowledge after obtaining the Lord's Crown. I have a better sense of how to make one now."

―That's good news. What are you planning to make?

"A Shadow Walker. The materials are..."

Materials flowed out from the inventory.

First, the massive bone of the elder dragon, Ivelion.

Mixing it with the dragon's blood...

―Hold on! Master. You're not going to use the blood of an elder dragon on such a trivial undead, are you?

"A Shadow Walker is a higher rank than a skeleton, right?"

―I'm not an ordinary skeleton.

"I know. Don't worry. I'll only use the 1st stage blood."

He soothed him gently, afraid he might get upset if he went any further.

―That's the way it should be. We don't have enough 2nd stage blood for me and Merhen, do we?

"But, is it okay to use the bone?"

―It's not like I can't be strengthened just because you're making one Walker. It would be a different story if you were making a Bone Dragon.

"That's true."

Ivelion's bone was currently being stored in his inventory instead of being used to strengthen Cedric. The success rate of bone exchange was disastrously low.

About 2% success rate.

It was probably due to the level difference with Ivelion. The level of an elder dragon started at 3,000.

So, he was waiting for the right moment.

To use it someday when a good opportunity arises.

'I'm short on materials.'

He lamented inwardly.

He had been wandering around here and there, but there weren't as many high-rank materials as he thought.

The Abyss Lord's corpse was contaminated with Apostle Hardronox's poison, so he just threw it away, and the same went for the Fire Spirit King he caught in Japan.

"Hardronox, you bastard."

―Damn him.

The Demon Lord's corpse was also devoured entirely by Vulcan. Kim Minwoo's claimed share was just a small amount of materials needed from the newly acquired recipe.

'There was nothing I could do at that time.'

Vulcan in the past was very strong, perhaps due to the Demon God's Stone, and it would have been troublesome if their relationship soured over a mere corpse.

So, he gave in.

In any case, the conclusion was that there weren't as many high-rank materials as he thought.

That's why he was going to use Ivelion's bone. Because there were no better materials available at the moment.

Drip, drip.

A jet-black liquid flowed out from the opened glass container.

The Essence of the Dead.

It was one of the rare items that dropped with a low probability when hunting high-ranking undead.

'First, draw the magic circle...'

He placed Lee Seoyoon's corpse in the center of the magic circle.

'Blood to the west. Bone to the east.'

And other miscellaneous materials to the south.

Kim Minwoo stood to the north.

All the physical materials needed were ready.

Once the magic circle activated, the prepared materials would enter Lee Seoyoon's corpse. Her bones, organs, and blood would be replaced with new ones.

He channeled the mana within his body. The mana flowed out and into the magic circle. The circle began to vibrate.

Now, all he needed was the incantation to summon the soul. Clearing his throat, he spoke.

“Blade of shadow, awaken from the abyss of oblivion. Cross the boundary of death and wield your blade once more.”

[The magic circle of the deceased activates!]

[10,000 mana is consumed!]

A large chunk of mana was drained. Thankfully, there was plenty of mana left in his body. He had a high mana stat, after all.

Without a second thought, he continued.

“I command you, rise and serve. Your new master.”

[Soul Return – Shadow Walker activates!]

Creak. Creak!

The materials on the magic circle entered Lee Seoyoon's corpse.

* * *

Deep within the dark ocean, Lee Seoyoon was sinking endlessly. It was cold and freezing. She was unconscious, but her instincts were screaming.

Then, she heard someone's voice from afar. It was faint but clear.

Drawn by the sound, her consciousness began to surface.

Suddenly, a powerful force pulled her. It was as if someone was grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the water.

Flash.

Lee Seoyoon's eyes snapped open.

She saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

And a man standing in front of her.

“......Who are you?”

Lee Seoyoon tilted her head, but her eyes widened in shock.

Memories flooded her mind.

The hunt, the gate, the use of a spear, the undead. The pitiful sight of herself begging for her life, and Kim Minwoo's expression as he completely toyed with her before beheading her.

“Are you awake?”

"Yeah. If you're curious, go check it out yourself. If you search your old comrades' names, you'll probably see the news articles."

Kim Minwoo handed her a phone.

She hurriedly searched the names.

Lee Hyunsung, Choi Cheolmin, Sung Hyerim, Kim Jinwoo, Seo Hyungsin...

They were the core members of the Shadows, also known as the Ones from First to Seventh, and were considered key figures in mid-to-large guilds.

Soon, articles began to appear.

Every single one of them was about their disappearances.

It had already been over three months since they vanished, so they were likely classified as accidental deaths. Typically, when someone goes missing, after about a month, they are recorded as accident victims.

The same went for Lee Seeyoon.

[The Awakener Lee Seeyoon, also known as "Dark Shadow," is among the missing... The Korean Awakener Association has, in accordance with regulations, classified her as an accidental death...]

"Damn it..."

She bit her nails.

The Shadows were the only group she could rely on!

And now, the organization she had belonged to had crumbled overnight.

"...Did you kill them all?"

"Yeah. I had no choice. They were the ones who came to interfere first."

Lee Seeyoon’s eyes went blank.

She quickly checked her status window. There were many new entries she had never seen before. Starting from skills she had never heard of, to an incredible increase in her stats.

And then...

"My race has changed..."

It was something bizarre—she had become a member of a race called "Shadow Walker." Judging by the context, it seemed to be one of the undead.

"Damn it..."

The conclusion was simple.

She had become Kim Minwoo's summoned creature.

There was nowhere she could think of for help. Once someone becomes undead, they are no longer human. Seeking help from humans was out of the question now.

"Better to think positively."

After all, she had come back from the dead.

There’s a reason they say that rolling in filth is better than being in the afterlife.

The memory of the unbearably cold place she had suffered in after death was still vivid.

Compared to that, this was better.

"...So, what do you plan to use me for? Hunting? Assassination?"

"That's possible, but not right away."

"Then what?"

"On the outside, you look just like a regular person. Your insides, not so much, but unless someone has the ability to see through you, they wouldn’t be able to tell."

Lee Seeyoon nodded.

In fact, even if someone had the ability to see through her, it would be difficult to discern that she was undead.

Insides that look undead?

What does that even mean? Awakeners often encounter strange phenomena, so having an unusual internal structure wouldn't raise too many suspicions.

"...So?"

"You'll need to become a spy."

"...A spy?"

"I've taken down the Korean and German branches, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's still a lot of their forces left. The Shadows are a global organization."

"That... makes sense."

Han Baek-gil had often hinted at the existence of the 'Main Branch.' Compared to the organization's global power, the Korean branch was just a small fraction.

"And you want me to infiltrate them? But how? I don’t know where the Main Branch is, or how to make contact. Besides... wouldn't the rumor that I’m dead have already spread?"

"There are plenty of cases where missing people return, right? Just come up with a believable story. Like you got trapped in some hidden gate."

"Ha, and then say I came back stronger after gaining some miraculous power? You want to cook up a story like that?"

"What? Are you not confident? You're good at acting. You went around killing people while smiling for the media."

At that, Lee Seeyoon smirked.

He wasn't wrong.

Thanks to her natural looks and acting skills, she had gained enough popularity to rival Seo Yerim even when she was just a B-rank Awakener.

Acting?

She was quite confident in it.

"You think the Shadows won’t know you killed me?"

"Who knows? But here's what we can be sure of: there's no skill on Earth that can bring people back to life, so it’ll be hard for them to suspect. They wouldn't even consider that I was the one who resurrected you. And... you're exactly the kind of talent the Shadows would go crazy for."

"So, you want me to make them come to me?"

"Exactly. Operating in Korea might make it difficult for them to reach out, so go abroad. If necessary, kill some people too. But make sure you only target criminals."

Korea was under the control of Ilseong.

The Shadows' forces had been wiped out there.

But other countries were different.

The Shadows were likely still active in those places.

'And they're probably still recruiting talent.'

Track them down.

And eventually...

'Starting with that High Priest Lucas mentioned...'

She might even be able to get close to the Apostle Hardronox, who stood at the top.

If she could take them down...

It would weaken the foreign powers.

It would also raise Earth's value, and...

'My achievement score would skyrocket.'

They were, after all, the greatest hidden threat to Earth. That’s why he had brought Lee Seeyoon back first.

Though her rank was low, she had once been a member of the Shadows.

Which made her the perfect candidate to be treated as one of their 'comrades.'

[Translator - Prøks]

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