Chapter 145 …
The battle was fierce.
—!
One trying to keep distance, the other trying to close it.
Countless clashes erupted in the process, a blood-soaked fight unfolding.
Before he knew it, Dohyun, enveloped in a black sword aura, struck a blow.
KWAANG!
The King of Outlaws didn’t just take it lying down. He reached out, causing multiple pillars of darkness to erupt from the ground.
[Anyone hit by the Requiem dies instantly.]
[If the target’s stats are higher than the caster’s, they won’t die.]
“…Tch.”
Each attack was lethal on contact. No, it wasn’t just lethal—it was an instant-kill, absurdly overpowered. Dohyun could only click his tongue and dodge.
Meanwhile, the King of Outlaws maintained his distance again.
“Wow… he’s dodging every instant-kill move. How is he avoiding all of them? It’s like he knows in advance.”
“Is this really the right fight for this stage? Kaiser really is legendary.”
“Quiet. This is important.”
A speed battle so fast it was hard to follow with the eyes alone. Users who were marveling soon fell silent at the sharp reality.
This was the battle before them. A legendary scene that could hardly be seen again, at least in Sargis.
In other words, it was an incredibly tense fight—but for Dohyun, it was a matter of life and death.
‘Isn’t this too broken?’
What was the point of closing the distance? As soon as he used that absurd area instant-kill, he easily widened the gap again.
Once Phase 2 activated, the enemy refused to properly clash with Dohyun.
SWIISH—!
[…Trying…hard… huh…]
Dodging the thrown Celestial Edge as soon as the distance was closed, the King of Outlaws laughed disdainfully.
Regardless, Dohyun reached out again.
WHOOSH—
[Ho… oh…?]
Did he not expect it to return like a boomerang? He admired it, but that was all. Someone of his caliber could not be harmed by such tricks.
SWOOSH— SWIISH—!
[Kuh… huh… now… can’t even… hit properly…]
No matter how many times the Celestial Edge was thrown, the result was the same. Dohyun had no choice but to close the distance directly.
Ugh!
Hiiyaaah!
Wha, wha!?
The only saving grace was that the Requiem did not discriminate against enemies.
[Dodge…!]
[The King… uses Requiem…]
Whenever the pattern activated, even the outlaws, including Jihad and Charlie, scrambled to avoid it. They weren’t even engaging properly in combat anymore, just fighting cautiously and retreating whenever a pattern triggered.
[Health below 20%. Proceed with caution.]
[Guardian Charlie’s health below 20%.]
[Guardian Jihad Black’s health below 20%.]
But the situation wasn’t favorable. Not only Dohyun, but their health was nearly depleted.
‘Even after investing 30 stat points, is this possible?’
He had 40 unallocated stat points before the battle, and even after investing 30, barely holding his own was astonishing. No wonder that Arther couldn’t handle this.
‘No choice.’
Dohyun clicked his tongue and quietly moved his fingers.
[…Maybe… giving up… is… the better… choice… pitiful, isn’t it…]
What he lacked now wasn’t more health or more power. Just a brief moment—a single second—to exploit the enemy’s speed lapse. A chance to strike while the King of Outlaws was momentarily careless.
Swoosh.
As Dohyun closed the distance, the enemy arrogantly straightened his posture—but the moment he moved his hand…
‘…Now!’
[Invest 10 points in Agility.]
[Activate Frenzy.]
[For 90 seconds, lose 1% health per second while all stats and speed increase proportionally to current health.]
Dohyun, who had been waiting for this moment, invested his points and activated Frenzy. As he braced his thighs, his figure disappeared in an instant.
TA-AT!
[…!?]
The King of Outlaws, taken off-guard, stepped back. Accustomed to Dohyun’s movements, he couldn’t predict the sudden burst of speed.
—!
[Kuh… Aaaaah…!!!]
The result was devastating—the heaviest damage inflicted since Phase 2 had started.
[Sword Aura – Piercing Strike activated.]
[Hidden Field Boss, King of Outlaws ‘???’ health below 30%.]
The darkened piercing strike hit perfectly. Dohyun’s plan succeeded!
“Ohhh!?”
“Whoa, black piercing strike? So cool…”
“Wait, isn’t that Frenzy?”
“Does it matter now? Are we making a comeback!?”
Cheers erupted behind him. After being pressured all along, this was the first successful strike he landed.
‘Nice!’
He had deliberately saved his remaining points. Holding back points to adjust for deficiencies during combat was a standard strategy for latent-dragon-type players.
CRACK—
He was confident he executed the strategy flawlessly. Though exhilarated, Dohyun knew this wasn’t the time to celebrate.
‘We need to push while we have momentum.’
This was the opportunity. The maximum time to hold the advantage was only about five minutes. He had to act now, and he was the best at exploiting such opportunities relentlessly.
“Jihad, Charlie.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Got it!”
“Riza!”
Understanding the signal, they abandoned their targets and rushed with full force. It was reminiscent of the battle against the Destroyer Gaimon.
Zwooosh—!
“Haap!”
Even though the remaining Undead were only four and he had already used the Light Sword, it didn’t matter. As long as they held the enemy even for a second, it was enough.
[Do… come… closer…]
[You must… not escape…]
Sensing danger, the outlaws immediately followed, but Dohyun smiled.
Click.
[…?]
[Something… on… the foot…]
[…Fuse…?]
He realized the black thread wrapped around his ankle.
[Fuse – Detonate.]
—!!!
A silent explosion erupted along the line. While fighting, Dohyun had thrown Celestial Edges that attached the fuses. And the end of the thread…
[…This…?]
The King of Outlaws looked at the hem of his robe. A small stone triggered the odd sensation—black threads silently exploding.
“Finally, done with this.”
All the preparation—the thrown edges, holding back agility, luring the enemy here—had led to this moment.
“Checkmate, you bastard.”
Dohyun’s sly grin provoked the King of Outlaws’ uncontrollable fury. But the anger was powerless.
[Damage prevention…!]
—!!
Simultaneously, the explosion engulfed him.
‘Now, strike quickly!’
‘Yes, Master!’
‘Trust us!’
‘Riza, Riza!’
They plunged into the smoke with Dohyun. Despite being a battle mage and strong in close combat, he was still most vulnerable when multiple opponents attacked at once—especially in such chaos.
CRACK! BANG!
THUD! PLOP!
Zwooosh! Zwoosh!
The relentless assault from Jihad’s Undead and Charlie’s graceful blows, plus Dohyun’s deadly strikes under Frenzy. The Red-Eyed Madman, the darkness-laden Undead, and the former Knight Commander—all focused on one target.
Though messy, gang attacks were always messy.
“What… what’s happening? I can’t see because of the smoke.”
“The sounds are terrifying… not sure who’s hitting who, but it reminds me of school fights.”
Fortunately, the smoke from the massive explosion prevented users from seeing clearly.
[…Kuh… Aaaaah… Aaah!!]
Screams abruptly cut off. The terrifying noise made users cover their ears. It was deafening, but Dohyun was unaffected.
“…!”
Before his wide eyes appeared the messages:
[Hidden Field Boss, King of Outlaws ‘???’ health below 20%.]
[Phase 3 activated.]
[King of Outlaws, ‘Pain’ awakens.]
At the same time, a red glare flashed through the smoke—the first activation of the veil-shrouded Phase 3.
Originally, they were outsiders.
Ghost soldiers dwelling in the underworld managed by Hades.
In the underworld, where territories were set, they wandered on horseback with no proper place to belong. They had no names. No parents, no home, no body—no one to give them a name.
“Ghost soldiers have appeared! Run!”
“How dare these primitive beings…!”
“I’ll throw you into the hell of karma…”
Some feared them, some despised them, some fought them. There was no place for them anywhere.
Naturally. They were impurities of the underworld, beings who shouldn’t have been born. No one likes impurities.
“Filthy outsiders. Today I shall annihilate them!”
“Daring to trespass into my domain… bold.”
“Outsiders? Filthy impurities, who do you think you are!”
“You have no place here. Leave, and I might show mercy.”
Nowhere in the vast underworld welcomed them.
KRAAAH! KUH-HEUK!
They wandered a thousand years. Many of their kind were sacrificed. Though born in the underworld, to those who valued territories, they were outsiders.
Belonging nowhere. Destined to be rejected by all. Filthy impurities. A race that inconvenienced life itself.
That label followed them, forcing countless fights. Many were destroyed by misfortune with lords.
“Why… are you… killing us? Why… are we rejected…?”
To which someone replied:
“Well… no reason. I was just in a bad mood.”
“Ah, if you insist… I just hated seeing primitive nameless beings act boldly.”
…That’s all.
Just for that, they suffered pain.
If being nameless meant being rejected, if they were destined to live in pain forever…
“Fine… then… so be it… if that’s the… law of the world…”
That name… he would take.
“I shall call myself ‘Pain’.”
But he would not take it lightly. Names in the underworld held power.
[The Gates of the Underworld peer into your life.]
[Your name is recognized.]
[You will live a life worthy of that name.]
The pain of losing his kin. The pain of being rejected by all. The pain of living as a filthy impurity, with stones thrown and daggers pierced at every step.
“All… this… pain… I… will… bear…”
One who bears the pain is enough. The fury of one who carries all pain will make them pay.
And so, the Outlaw was born.
