Chapter 91 …
Enshrouding Darkness.
As the name suggests, it was a skill that wrapped mana imbued with an attribute around the body or a weapon. It was one of the few close-range skills available to a dark-attribute mage.
Flame Enshroud, Earth Enshroud, Wind Enshroud, and so on…
It was fairly famous for having many different versions.
‘Among Hero-grade skills, it’s practically the only close-range one.’
True to its Hero rank, it boasted outstanding performance even among the rare melee skills—a signature move unique to mages.
Yet despite that status, Enshroud didn’t have a good reputation.
“The performance is great, and considering the duration, the cooldown isn’t bad either… It’s all good. All good, but…”
“…Do we really need to use this?”
The problem lay in the very nature of the mage class.
Mages were the symbol of ranged DPS. Their firepower was exceptional.
So normally, party members protected the mage, and the mage safely poured out damage from the backline. There was no reason for a mage to consider close combat.
“If we had tons of skill slots, maybe—but we’re already short.”
“Honestly, if a mage lets enemies get into melee range, it’s already over. Better to take a mobility skill than this.”
“Maybe in PvP.”
Those who enjoyed arenas or PK sometimes armed themselves with melee skills—but only for PVP (Player vs. Player).
Most mage players focused on PVE (Player vs. Environment), so there was no reason to adopt Enshroud.
A mage shone brightest at long range.
‘But I’m different.’
Dohyeon wasn’t a mage.
He was the only All-Master in God of All Seasons (, armed with close-range skills from every class. For him, Enshroud was seasoning that would elevate his melee combat to the next level.
It was the MSG in his kimchi stew.
‘At the very least, no one will use this better than I can.’
That wasn’t speculation—it was certainty.
Though technically a mage skill, Enshroud didn’t reach its full potential when used by a mage. There was a reason skill discussions always included the comment, “What if another class could get this?”
It wasn’t the skill Dohyeon had hoped for, but as an All-Master, he welcomed it with open arms.
‘It’s good, but…’
His expression turned slightly ambiguous.
It was a good skill. It would fit well with his current combat style and synergize nicely with his existing abilities.
Everything about it was good… and yet…
‘I was expecting flashy magic…’
The direction was completely different from what he had imagined.
Since it was his first magic skill, he had secretly hoped for something brilliant and beautiful. This didn’t feel very “magical” at all.
‘How is this any different from a buff?’
It felt less like becoming a wizard and more like a knight turning into a dark knight.
Though he couldn’t hide his disappointment, Dohyeon—who valued performance above all—quickly shook it off.
There would be more opportunities to obtain skills.
Flashy magic could come later.
‘For now, let’s test it.’
Before completing the quest, Dohyeon left the Rocky Forest Mountains to experiment with the skill.
Thick fog greeted him—and soon after, a group of orcs came into view.
“Chwieeek—!”
Almost the moment he spotted them, the orcs noticed him too and charged with their characteristic shrieks.
Dohyeon grasped Cheonbyeon
[Cheonbyeon transforms into ‘Bastard’s Training Sword.’]
The transformed sword shifted once more.
Like black paint spreading, the smooth silver surface darkened until it was dyed in pitch-black darkness. The darkness overflowed, writhing ominously.
[You have used ‘Enshrouding Darkness’ on Cheonbyeon .]
[A 40-second cooldown is applied to the target ‘Cheonbyeon .]
[Mana is consumed every second.]
It was the effect of Enshrouding Darkness.
Worthy of a Hero-grade skill, the effect was menacing—and not just visually.
[Darkness envelops Cheonbyeon , granting it the properties of darkness.]
[Darkness is silent and pierces through essence.]
“Hmm…”
After reading the description, Dohyeon swung Cheonbyeon through the air several times.
There was no sound of wind being cut. He could clearly feel the blade slicing through empty space, yet silence persisted.
“That’s weird. No sound.”
It felt like playing with the audio muted.
No—more supernatural than that.
It was hard to describe, but in a world filled with noise, being the only one muted created a strange sense of dissonance.
—Whoa, Master! What’s that cool thing?!
—Riririja!
Jihad and Eliza’s eyes sparkled.
The writhing black aura surely added to their fascination.
—Amazing!
—Ririja!
Each swing caused darkness to ripple, and their reactions grew more excited.
And still—no sound at all.
‘Assassins would go crazy over this.’
At night, the dark effect wouldn’t stand out much.
With this level of stealth combined with invisibility, it would be nearly impossible to fail an ambush.
Or perhaps—
In this thick fog.
“—!”
“Chwieek…?”
An orc looked down, startled by a sudden stabbing pain in its left chest. Its eyes trembled with confusion.
What is this? I didn’t even hear anything…
The light in its eyes faded.
[You have defeated an Orc.]
[Swordsmanship proficiency has increased.]
[Swordsmanship proficiency has reached Lv. 13.]
“Chwieeek?!”
Another orc halted at its comrade’s sudden, silent death.
It was instinct.
The absence of even a scream felt wrong.
The orc scanned its surroundings. As a monster descended from warriors’ bloodlines, its senses were sharp.
Yet despite its instincts, it felt nothing.
All it could see was its fallen companion in the fog. Nothing could be seen or heard.
Then—
Thud.
“Chwieek…?”
Its neck and windpipe were pierced in an instant.
Choking on blood, it died without ever understanding why.
Swish.
Dohyeon emerged from behind.
His sword—and his entire body—were dyed black, with dark energy gently writhing around him. He looked like an incarnation of darkness itself.
[You have used ‘Enshrouding Darkness’ on yourself.]
[A 40-second cooldown is applied to player ‘Kaiser.’]
[Mana is consumed every second.]
It was the effect of the skill.
With darkness wrapped around even his clothes, they made no sound when they fluttered.
He had considered using it on his shoes as well—but fortunately, he didn’t need to.
[The option of ‘Stealth Leather Shoes Crafted in a Special Workshop’ is activated.]
[Footsteps are not heard while walking.]
The shoes he’d recently acquired did their job perfectly.
The fog that empowered the orcs’ reckless charge had now become a dagger at their throats.
“Wow…”
Dohyeon couldn’t help but admire it.
“Its style is insane. This is true assassination.”
Even to himself, it was perfect.
With only slight exaggeration, it was textbook-worthy.
If there were an assassination manual, this would be the model example.
‘Feels like I’m becoming more of an assassin, but whatever.’
Most of his Hero-grade skills specialized in assassination. He had passive stealth and silent shoes.
At this point, calling him a swordsman instead of an assassin felt questionable.
But he dismissed the thought.
As long as it was cool and strong, who cared?
—M-Master! Me too! I want to try it!
—Riririja!
“You guys can’t use this. It’s my skill—huh?”
He waved them off with a smirk—then suddenly froze.
A memory flashed in his mind.
‘Wait.’
Back when Enshroud had been fading from popularity, one mage had demonstrated a special use.
‘Didn’t someone use it on their Guardian?’
They had used Flame Enshroud on their Guardian, a Salamander.
How could they use Enshroud—normally unusable on others—on a Guardian?
The answer was simple.
—A Guardian is not considered another person, but the user’s property.
In other words, a Guardian was not the user—but neither was it “another.”
It exploited a loophole in the skill system.
The result? A Salamander that breathed far stronger flames.
It became a hot topic, and for a while, enhancing Guardians with Enshroud was a trend.
‘It faded quickly, though.’
The idea was clever, but Guardians fell off in the late game.
Even enhanced, they couldn’t fully carry their weight.
Wasting a precious skill slot just to slightly buff a Guardian wasn’t worth it.
Eventually, it became a niche pick used occasionally by summoner-type mages.
‘Which means…’
Dohyeon turned to Jihad.
That had happened in Demrock, but fundamentally, the skill system in God of All Seasons (갓오세) was the same.
Wouldn’t it work here too?
“Hey, summon your undead.”
—Huh? Why?
“You said you wanted to try this.”
—Really? Okay! I’ll summon right away!
Jihad, who had seemed indifferent before, suddenly bustled about.
He looked like a child awaiting a Christmas present.
Watching him, Dohyeon nodded.
“Alright. I’m using it.”
—Yeah!
Would it apply or not?
With slight tension, Dohyeon activated Enshrouding Darkness.
