Chapter 32
‘What the hell did I just witness…?!’
Today was a whirlwind of shock and confusion.
The NPCs had actively participated in clearing the gate.
And as if they had come to accept their status as non-awakened beings, they even generously gave points to the awakened group.
‘Is this what they mean by Eastern philosophy and detachment from material things?’
To Viktor, it was a cultural shock like no other.
But all of that—every surprise he’d felt so far—was obliterated in an instant.
Because what his eyes were now witnessing was far beyond bizarre.
It was terrifying.
Lizard soldiers—headless, tail severed, entrails spilled—crawled out from a truck.
Hundreds of them began digging pits with shovels, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
They laid out waterproof sheets on the ground, then lay down like it was their own bedroom.
That alone was enough to make him doubt his sanity.
Rustle—
But what came next?
The sight of them all simultaneously drying up—becoming nothing more than lifeless, mummified husks.
‘Nope. I need to get out of here. This couldn’t be a worse time.’
He glanced sideways.
The man in the black mask turned his head.
And their eyes met for just a split second—
A glint of light flickered from the masked man’s eyes.
It felt like it pierced straight through Viktor’s chest. He instinctively recoiled.
Crack!
Viktor’s spine broke out in cold sweat.
But all he’d done was step on a branch.
There’s no way a sound that small could expose him from kilometers away…
At least, that’s what he told himself—
‘Wait. Sang-il… why do you still have your tail on?’
He read the subtle movement of the man’s lips.
And in that moment, alarm bells went off in Viktor’s head.
‘Oh shit. Activate! Activate! ACTIVATE!’
Ssssshh—!
He vanished like a shooting star.
Do-yoon was just as desperate.
Even though his identity was concealed by the dark mask, someone had tailed Han Sang-il, trying to trace who was behind him.
And no faction came to mind.
‘Which group is this? Why now, of all times?’
Every piece of this puzzle annoyed Do-yoon and only fueled his urge to pursue.
[Thunderstep Arts (Heroic)]
└ [Second Stance – Galloping Lightning]
The first stance, Residual Lightning, was about rapid movements and using afterimages to confuse opponents.
But the second stance, Galloping Lightning, was all about pure speed.
An explosive dash from point A to B—no distractions, no flair, just the shortest route at the highest velocity.
This was close to the true essence of “lightness skill.”
Pop!
Do-yoon exploded forward like a bolt of lightning, instantly closing the gap with Viktor.
‘What the hell?!’
Viktor’s jaw dropped like a marionette’s.
He had always been proud of his speed—but this?
This wasn’t even the same league.
[Activating ‘Stat Reallocation (AA)’]
[Changing ‘Agility’ from Max → High]
[Changing ‘Perception’ from Min → Very High]
The monstrous strength that tore through the lizard soldiers? That had come from maxing out his Strength.
Sensing Han Sang-il, catching that grotesque scene earlier? All thanks to maxed-out Perception.
All of it was thanks to his skill—Stat Reallocation.
Now with perception maxed again, the darkness posed no obstacle.
It was like he had a map in his head. Viktor dove into the dense forest.
‘Hoh… Think the trees will hide you?’
Do-yoon narrowed his eyes.
That was a mistake.
One that would be crushed.
[Summon – ‘Seed of the Phantom Spirit’]
From Do-yoon’s fingertip, a black orb floated into the air.
Squishy-looking, unnerving—like it didn’t belong in any sane world.
‘Phantoms… reveal yourselves.’
Saaaaah—
Thin, hair-like tendrils emerged from the orb.
They writhed like jellyfish tentacles, feeling through the air.
‘Track him. The one hiding among the trees and bushes.’
The moment the words left his lips—
Sssshhhhh—!
A swarm of phantom spirits spilled from the orb, flooding the forest night.
Far more than those that had covered the skies of Gimcheon.
He had steadily “harvested” more since then.
Just moments ago, the phantoms had hijacked the lizard soldiers’ nervous systems.
Controlled their bones and muscles to dig their own graves.
Then, once they were no longer useful—they drained the last of their life force and emerged.
‘Gluttonous and greedy… I like that.’
There was no other player who played the long game like Do-yoon.
This early in the game, skills, items—even monsters—if it had growth potential, it had to be secured.
‘Even better, I can recycle monster corpses. I can even use other people’s kills. And it doesn’t conflict with Guardian’s Blade.’
Plus, it lightened the burden on whiny Han Sang-il.
Well-fed and freshly gorged, the phantom spirits spread across the forest.
Bushes, undergrowth, leaves, mossy cracks—
The entire forest became the eyes and ears of the phantoms.
Rustle—
「Found him!」
One spirit shivered with excitement, and that joy spread to the collective consciousness.
「Target confirmed… 1 km south-southwest…」
Do-yoon received the whisper in his mind.
“Didn’t get very far, huh?”
Do-yoon casually approached and kicked the base of an old tree with inner power.
Boom!
A tremor ran up the trunk, shaking the branches and raining down leaves.
“GAAAHH!”
Along with Viktor.
“…A Westerner?”
But questions could wait.
Do-yoon attacked, and Viktor quickly fixed his stance, eyes flashing.
[Changing ‘Strength’ from Medium → Max]
He could feel it through the air.
This wasn’t an attack he could ignore.
“Too slow.”
But Do-yoon simply twisted his shoulder—
Whoosh—
Dodging the devastating strike like it was nothing.
“D-Don’t come any closer!”
[Changing ‘Agility’ from Medium → Max]
Snap.
Viktor’s next punch was caught in Do-yoon’s hand.
He couldn’t move an inch.
“Sorry, but… you’re weak.”
“Let gooooo!”
[Changing ‘Strength’ from Medium → Very High]
[Changing ‘Agility’ from Max → Very High]
Before Viktor could swing his left arm, Do-yoon’s knee slammed into him.
Thwack!
He went flying, smashed into a tree, then crumpled to the ground.
“Slow and weak. Doesn’t matter how you reallocate.”
“…Ugh.”
Eyes full of despair looked up—
At the man in the black mask.
Approaching slowly, shrouded in death’s mist.
A grim reaper incarnate.
“I-I didn’t see anything! I won’t tell anyone!”
“Didn’t see anything, but you won’t tell? That doesn’t make sense.”
“…Ah.”
Viktor winced.
“Right… necromancy, huh? Yeah, I get why you’d wanna hide that.”
He added quickly.
“B-but I’m not judging. Black cat, white cat—doesn’t matter as long as it catches the rat. I’ve got a necromancer friend too.”
“…Hm? You speak decent Korean.”
A flicker of curiosity lit up Do-yoon’s eyes.
This was an age where cultural dominance—not force—ruled.
Language spread meant national influence.
As a guardian of Korea—
The moment fluent Korean hit his ears, he didn’t feel a surge of patriotism… but something clicked.
‘He must have interacted with Korean descendants. Keyword detection is likely.’
Do-yoon had absorbed memories from Korean players.
But if this Westerner had made an impression on enough of them, his identity could be traced.
Blue eyes. Square jaw. Western features.
The memory network surfaced a name.
“Viktor Kranov. Neurobiologist from Aegis.”
“Huh?! How did you…?”
“If I told you, would it make sense? But I know one thing—you know who I am.”
Do-yoon removed his mask.
“Hiieeek!”
Viktor turned away in a panic.
It wasn’t fear of who Do-yoon was.
It was the shock that he revealed his face so casually.
“W-why would you do that…?”
‘His main skill is Stat Reallocation. With max perception, he must’ve picked up Han Sang-il. Following him to the meeting point would be easy as pie.’
The puzzle pieces aligned.
But Do-yoon didn’t reveal them.
“Player Viktor Kranov. Our clingy little Western friend. Ten messages a day. Not surprised you flew over here.”
He held out a hand.
“…Aah.”
Viktor looked up, lips trembling.
Aegis was stiff and idealistic—but perhaps the world needed someone like that.
He had no intention of following their ideology, but Viktor’s research had undoubtedly saved countless descendants.
“No need to be scared. Though… yeah, this vibe is kinda scary, huh.”
Do-yoon muttered:
‘Scattered phantoms, return to your master.’
Ssshhhh—
But something was off.
The phantoms—who once obediently rolled on the ground—scattered and soared into the air, ignoring his command.
[Insufficient Control Authority!]
[VVIP Tip: High-level dark mana and control required. Learn dark magic skills, traits, and forbidden arts.]
They had gone berserk.
Like bulls drunk on power.
‘…You guys seriously want a beating?’
Do-yoon pulled out the Screwdriver from the Toy Tinkerer.
Bzzzt!
A cluster of phantoms clung to the blade and dissolved.
「KYAAAAAA! WHY—WHY ARE YOU DOING THISSS!」
‘You brought this on yourselves. Time for a painful lesson.’
Sizzle—!
「Sssorryyy! Coming baaack!」
Viktor had no idea what just happened.
Why chaos erupted—
And why it suddenly stopped.
“Much better now, right?”
Do-yoon reached his hand out again.
“No need for introductions since we’re past that.”
“Y-yes…”
Viktor shakily grabbed the hand and stood up. Do-yoon didn’t waste time.
“I know Aegis has been dying to get their hands on the Phantom Gauntlets. It’s like spam texts at this point.”
“Sorry if we bothered you. The situation’s… urgent.”
“That why you came to Korea?”
“…Yes.”
Nearly died—but somehow, this meeting was going in the direction he’d hoped.
Viktor’s tongue started to loosen.
“Aegis is researching the ecology of monsters and the nature of gates, but our main focus is supernatural entities.”
“Like ‘anomalies’?”
“Yes. That includes anomalies, magic, spirits, and dark arts.”
“Governments can handle physical threats to a degree. Aegis is filling in the gaps.”
“Exactly! You’re sharp!”
“So what’s the Phantom Gauntlets got to do with it?”
“To be honest…”
Viktor looked sheepish.
“We don’t have a solid conclusion yet. The big picture is still blurry.”
“Hm.”
“We’re still gathering pieces. Trying to trace every kind of supernatural gear. And since you’re the only one who owns anomaly gear, I had to come in person.”
“Sorry, but the gauntlets? I don’t have them anymore. Sold them for a good price.”
“…I see.”
Viktor’s face turned pale.
His trip across the world had gone up in smoke.
“But does it have to be Heroic grade?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve got another anomaly item. It’s Rare grade.”
“R-Really?! That’s still great! Heroic was way out of our budget anyway!”
“But I have conditions.”
“Of course! Money? Points? Equipment sets? Whatever you want!”
Do-yoon shook his head.
“Not that kind of thing. What I want is… something else.”
An unexpected meeting.
The Phantom Seed reaching its limit.
The early members of Aegis.
A line formed clearly in his mind.
‘Wraith Chancellor Erast Walter.’
A legendary necromancer who once swept through Europe in multiple timelines.
If he could open that door…
“That necromancer friend you mentioned earlier.”
“…Yes? Why bring that up?”
“I want his real name.”
“Uh…”
After hesitating, Viktor finally said it.
“Erast Walter.”
And the moment that name aligned with his memory—
Do-yoon’s lips curled into a quiet, but sharp smile.
“I need to talk to him. Can you make that happen?”
