Chapter 154 …
Dohyeon blinked.
For a moment, he wondered if what he was seeing was actually real.
‘This works?’
To Dohyeon, who had already accepted it as impossible and given up, it felt like a ray of light.
Even if its rank had been lowered by two stages, “Pain” was still a hidden field boss.
And not just an ordinary field boss either—it was the king of a species that lived in the underworld, a being that had once nearly devoured an entire nation.
‘You can really turn a guy like this into an undead?’
This wasn’t simply about possessing Pain’s soul.
After reaching max level, unless they performed “that”, ordinary players would never be able to use it as a host—even if they lowered the rank by two or three stages—without the help of special materials.
No, even with special materials, there would still be no guarantee that it could become a host.
That was how overwhelmingly high Jahad’s own rank was.
‘Does this guy actually have something special about him?’
Thinking about it, even in front of the Will of the Dark King, Jahad had remained calm, unlike Charlie.
Clearly, he was far more extraordinary than Dohyeon had originally thought.
“—So what’s happening? That thing keeps sucking up my mana?? Can I make it a Legion Commander, Master? Huh? Can I?”
“……”
Seeing the ugly goblin hopping around excitedly like a child was the problem—it made the situation hard to believe even when witnessing it firsthand.
But this time, Dohyeon wasn’t any different.
“Yeah. So hurry up and create the Legion Commander.”
“—Wow! Really? Okay, wait a second!”
Dohyeon was just as excited and expectant.
No—if anything, he was probably even more excited than Jahad.
He had fought Pain directly before, so he knew how powerful the leader of the Outlaws was. If there was even a chance to bring such a formidable enemy under his command, how could he not feel anticipation?
“—Then I’m doing it?”
“Yeah. Hurry.”
“—Hup!”
Urged by Dohyeon, the innocent Jahad stopped hesitating and activated the skill.
BOOM!
At that moment, black light burst out from the Soul of Pain, which had absorbed the mana.
Black can feel dazzling?
That strange thought crossed his mind.
Then, along with a cheerful notification ringing in his ears, a silhouette appeared beyond the black light.
Clack… clack…
The eerie sound of bones striking together.
A tall figure that looked about 190 cm in height, and the trademark black robe.
[The leader of the Outlaws sleeping within the Soul of Pain, “Pain,” awakens.]
[Because the vessel’s rank is high, remnants of will remain.]
[Persuade the vessel within 20 minutes.]
[If persuasion fails within the time limit, it cannot become a Legion Commander and the Soul of Pain will disappear.]
It was the moment when the King of the Outlaws, Pain, awakened.
“—Ah…”
As the black aura faded, the figure that reappeared looked exactly as before.
A lich-like appearance.
Red eyes burning with agony.
And the same eerie atmosphere.
It was exactly the same as the last moment Dohyeon had seen him.
Except for one thing.
The terrifying desperation—the way he had clung to life and reached out while dying—was gone.
“—I… do… not… understand… what… is… happening… I… should… have… died…”
He merely expressed confusion about the situation.
Jahad nodded as if he understood.
“—Yeah. I know that feeling well.”
“—Oh! You do? The emotion of being reunited with one’s lord is beyond words. If given the chance, I’d like to experience it again.”
“—…Let’s not talk about this.”
“—Riza?”
Ignoring their conversation, Dohyeon stared directly at Pain.
Their eyes met.
Pain frowned slightly, then sighed as if accepting the situation.
“—So… that’s… how… it is. You… summoned… me.”
“—No! I summoned you!”
“—…A goblin?”
Pain tilted his head while looking at Jahad.
He didn’t say it aloud, but his expression clearly said:
“Someone like you?”
“—Y-you…!”
“Yeah. We summoned you. You’ll need to become a Legion Commander.”
Jahad was about to explode in anger, but Dohyeon cut in.
Perhaps he liked the word “we.” Jahad merely puffed out his cheeks and stayed quiet.
Pain said nothing.
He simply looked at them.
“Got a problem with that?”
“—…Of course he does, Master? You killed him while mocking him with the key right in front of his face. If it were me, I’d think ‘lucky me’ and start round two immediately—Gah!”
“—Perhaps you should develop a little more awareness. Otherwise that bump on your head won’t go away.”
“—Riza riza…”
Dohyeon lightly knocked Jahad on the head as he predictably invited a smack.
Charlie and Eliza shook their heads.
Though annoying, Jahad wasn’t wrong.
If Dohyeon were in Pain’s position, he’d obviously hate it too.
You’re about to achieve your goal, then someone humiliates and kills you—
And now you’re supposed to lead undead?
‘Even I think that’s pretty insulting.’
This was troublesome.
He had assumed the skill would immediately create the Legion Commander.
But persuading Pain?
Well, it made sense as a penalty.
Pain was originally a being who could never have been reduced to something like a mere Legion Commander.
A trial like this was necessary for balance.
‘The problem is that it’s my problem now.’
Dohyeon had spoken boldly earlier, but his mind was now a tangled mess.
Just as he began thinking about what to do—
Pain spoke unexpectedly.
“—It’s… not… exactly… dissatisfaction…”
He shook his head.
“—You… and… I… fought… from… our… respective… positions… staking… our… beliefs.”
Meeting Dohyeon’s gaze, he continued quietly.
“—Simply… I… was… weaker… than… you. You… protected… your… people… well… I… could… not…”
“……”
“—That… is… all.”
Pain wore a bitter smile.
Dohyeon looked surprised.
Pain had every reason to resent him.
Yet there was no anger or hatred in his voice or expression.
Only bitterness toward his own weakness and the future ahead.
He was impressive in many ways—but that made things harder.
“So because you lost, you’re willing to become a Legion Commander?”
“—As… a… warrior… I… wish… to… meet… a… sacred… death…”
‘How am I supposed to persuade this guy?’
Convictions like that were incredibly hard to break.
Even begging three times or forcing the issue might not work—and now he had to do it in 20 minutes?
No.
Not even 20 minutes.
[Time Remaining: 00:14:05]
Only 14 minutes remained before forced logout.
If he couldn’t persuade Pain within that time, the Soul of Pain would disappear.
The opportunity would be gone.
‘This is insane.’
Maybe he should have waited to create the Legion Commander.
‘Something that would tempt him… damn, the only thing I can think of is the Fragment of Fate.’
But he couldn’t give that away.
He needed another method.
Unfortunately, he barely knew anything about Pain.
All he knew was that Pain had once descended to the mortal world and nearly swallowed a kingdom.
And judging from things Pain had said during the fight—
Maybe he was searching for the Fragment of Fate to protect his own people.
‘Wait. His people?’
Something flashed across Dohyeon’s mind.
He suddenly looked out the window.
Moonlight still softly blanketed the city.
A faint smile appeared on Dohyeon’s lips.
‘This might work.’
No.
This was the only way.
Thinking of the best move under the circumstances, Dohyeon spoke.
“Then come with me one last time. I want to show you something.”
“—?”
“If you still don’t want it after seeing it, I’ll give up.”
“—Huh? Master? It’s my Legion Commander—why are you deciding that on your own—”
Jahad protested in shock, but his words were quickly drowned out.
“—Very… well. But… you… must… keep… your… promise…”
“Of course. A man doesn’t go back on his word.”
“—I… will… trust… you…”
Ignoring the summoner entirely, the two of them finished their agreement.
Jahad grabbed the back of his neck.
“—Ugh… my blood pressure…”
“—Riza riza…”
By the time Jahad regained his composure thanks to Eliza’s comfort, everyone had already turned around and left the castle.
“—Sigh…”
“—Riza!”
Left with no choice, Jahad hurried after them.
Meanwhile, Eliza simply smiled brightly atop his head.
* * *
Moonlight spilled over the forest.
Scars scattered throughout the dense woods revealed that a fierce battle had taken place here.
This was where Dohyeon had fought the Outlaw Challenge.
About 100 meters away from that spot, Dohyeon appeared again.
With the Guardians…
And the second protagonist of that stage: Pain.
“—Why… have… we… come… here…”
They had moved while using stealth, so no one was nearby.
Most players had logged out after the lord’s speech event or were gathered near the castle.
‘I was worried he’d attract attention.’
Dohyeon had prepared to accept it if players noticed them.
But fortunately, Pain seemed invisible to other players.
Even when he followed Dohyeon openly, nobody reacted.
The only close call was when Jahad screamed strangely after watching Pain walk straight through other players.
“Just wait. You’ll see soon enough. Ah, there they are.”
Just as Dohyeon said, movement came from behind the bushes.
The Outlaws—the symbol of the full moon.
The ghost soldiers who had lost their king began appearing one by one.
“—Ah…”
“—My… king…”
Though they had no eyes, they seemed able to sense their king’s presence.
Their steps toward him were certain.
But they lacked the same presence as before.
Their bodies were covered in wounds and dirt.
And their numbers were different.
“—Only… only… this… many… remain…”
Just six.
More than half had returned to nature.
Unable to bear it, Pain’s face filled with self-reproach.
He couldn’t even step forward.
He had once vowed to bear all of their suffering.
To carry their sacrifices and achieve a greater cause.
But he had been defeated by a mere human.
What face could he show them now?
Even if they resented him, he would have nothing to say.
Thud.
At that moment—
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The Outlaws surrounding them all dropped to one knee simultaneously.
“—My… king… Please… do… not… blame… yourself…”
“—You… are… our… savior…”
“—Our… endless… gratitude…”
Voices of thanks rose from everywhere.
Pain looked completely stunned.
Dohyeon smirked.
“They bet everything on you. That’s impossible without respect.”
“—Indeed! Fear or weak dependence cannot inspire loyalty. You were already a great king.”
“—…Ah…”
Come to think of it—
Pain had never truly listened to their voices.
He never knew what they thought.
He said he would bear their suffering, yet he had never truly considered why they followed him.
What a foolish king he had been.
“—My… king… Have… you… been… granted… a… second… life…”
The soldier who asked showed no accusation.
No hope or expectation.
Only concern.
Even now, they worried about their king’s well-being.
Meanwhile, what had Pain been thinking?
Only of accepting death as a warrior.
“If you become a Legion Commander, you can live a second life. Sure, you’ll be undead—but you’re already from the underworld, right? Doesn’t seem that different.”
“……”
“If you don’t take it now, the chance disappears. Last chance. Are you really going to abandon them and accept death?”
Pain did not answer.
He simply stared at his soldiers silently.
About ten seconds passed.
Then, as if reaching a conclusion—
He finally opened his mouth.
If you’d like, I can also:
Summarize Chapter 154
Translate Chapter 155
Or explain the game mechanics (Legion Commander / Undead system) in the story, which are actually pretty interesting.
