Chapter 92 ….
[You have used “Enshroud in Darkness” on ‘Orc Undead’.]
[A 40-second cooldown is applied to the target area.]
[Mana is consumed every second.]
Oh, jackpot.
Despite his tension, Enshroud in Darkness applied perfectly.
It was a skill he’d been using in a slightly exploitative way, so he had expected it to be patched when moving to God Ose—but apparently it had been left untouched.
Considering God Ose was managed by an AI, it wasn’t coincidence or neglect.
The AI must have judged it reasonable.
After all, he had only exploited a loophole in the settings—it wasn’t something that would break the game’s balance. The fact that it never became part of the meta and fell out of use proved that.
So the AI likely decided there was no need to touch something that amounted to little more than a fun gimmick or a situational joker card.
A perfectly reasonable judgment.
…That is, if I weren’t an All-Master.
If an irregular like Dohyun hadn’t appeared, that is.
Grinning, Dohyun looked at the Orc Undead wrapped in darkness.
The creature had already exuded a vicious aura, but now the surging darkness around it made it far more menacing.
Before, it had merely leaked black mana.
Now it looked completely consumed by darkness.
And that wasn’t just figurative.
“Grrr…”
Its entire body was literally dyed black, as if darkness had devoured it whole.
Because of its rotting body, it still looked grotesque and ominous—but in a very different, far more sinister way than before.
“Guh…? Guh…”
The Goblin Undead that had been standing idly nearby began to wander around the Orc Undead.
The strongest among them had suddenly become even cooler, and they seemed fascinated by their transformed comrade.
Will this work on them too?
Fortunately, his guess was correct.
[You have used “Enshroud in Darkness” on ‘Forest Red Goblin Undead’.]
[You have used “Enshroud in Darkness” on ‘Forest Blue Goblin Undead’.]
[A 40-second cooldown is applied to the target area.]
[Mana is consumed every second.]
“Guh?!”
Startled by the sudden dark energy wrapping around their bodies, the goblins raised their arms—then quickly accepted the power.
Their eyes turned pitch black as they roared.
“Guaaah!”
Why did it look like villains transforming?
Undead combined with dark attribute couldn’t look more ominous. Especially since these weren’t just simple skeleton soldiers—they felt far more imposing.
“—Krrrk… kuh… kuhehe…!”
Apparently pleased with his newly upgraded minions, Jihad let out a sly laugh.
It was the happiest Dohyun had seen him in a while.
Maybe that was why Elizabeth, who had been quietly watching, began hopping excitedly beside them.
“—Liza liza!”
This time, no translation was needed.
It was obvious—like a child tugging at her dad to give her the same airplane ride.
“Wait a second, Elizabeth. I’ll do yours too—…huh?”
“—Liza!”
“Sorry, Elizabeth. I can’t.”
“—Liza…!”
Elizabeth froze mid-hop, clearly shocked.
Dohyun felt bad, but it couldn’t be helped.
[You have exhausted all mana.]
[Enshroud in Darkness is canceled.]
“—Kuhehe… huh? Ah…”
“Guh…? Guh…”
As the darkness vanished, Jihad and the undead—who had been dancing like devil worshippers—froze like broken robots.
The power was gone.
They felt the emptiness.
Dohyun felt it too.
I’m already out of mana?
Thanks to his over-spec stats for his level, mana had never really been a problem for him.
This was the first time he had burned out so quickly.
It was a bit shocking—but thinking about it, it made sense.
Well… of course.
The skill consumed 150 mana per second, and that cost applied to every target wrapped in darkness.
Currently affected targets: Dohyun himself, Cheonbyeon, and the undead—five in total.
That meant 900 mana per second.
No wonder he ran dry.
I should just use this on myself.
It was unfortunate, but unavoidable.
Even using it only on himself would cost 300 mana per second.
Considering his other skills, he’d probably need mana potions to maintain it stably.
At best… maybe one undead.
…Wait.
At that moment, a forgotten skill flashed through his mind.
Overshadowed by the impact of Enshroud in Darkness—
Legion Control.
He hadn’t tried it yet.
“Hey, you…”
—“I was thinking the same thing, Master.”
“Use it. Quickly.”
For once perfectly in sync, Jihad moved immediately.
[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ uses Legion Control.]
[Up to seven units can be assigned to one legion.]
[Form your legion.]
They only had six undead anyway.
Without hesitation, Jihad summoned the remaining undead and assigned them all to the legion.
[Orc Undead ×3, Forest Red Goblin Undead ×2, Forest Blue Goblin Undead ×1 are designated as Legion 1.]
[All undead in the legion are treated as a single entity.]
[Over 50% of the legion are lower-city monsters. Mana consumption decreases.]
“—Ohhh…”
Watching the six units move in perfect formation, Jihad let out an impressed sound.
Now this truly deserved to be called a legion.
Because they were treated as one entity, their previously free-form movements became rigid—like a proper army.
But the real highlight wasn’t that.
“—It’s different. Definitely different, Master. I think I can maintain it!”
Jihad’s face brightened.
His mana management had clearly become easier.
Naturally so.
Being treated as a single entity was already huge—but since most of them were goblin undead, mana consumption was reduced even further.
Wow… having numbers really does feel different.
Dohyun had been used to seeing only three undead.
Six was visually far more impactful.
The clean military formation helped too.
Feels strange… Just the other day I struggled to summon even one and was picking up junk items…
Technically, it really had only been the other day.
But that wasn’t what mattered now.
Gulp, gulp.
After briefly savoring the tamer’s satisfaction, Dohyun chugged a mana potion.
The one he got from the Raven quest.
Its recovery was small compared to his mana pool, so he had to down three of them—but it was enough.
[MP has been fully restored.]
Please work.
Confirming his mana was full, Dohyun used the skill on the foremost undead.
[You have used “Enshroud in Darkness” on ‘Orc Undead’.]
[A 40-second cooldown is applied to the target area.]
[Mana is consumed every second.]
Then something astonishing happened.
“Guh—”
The moment the lead orc was consumed by darkness—
“Gua— guh—!”
“Guaaa!”
Like a spreading virus, the surrounding orcs were swallowed by darkness too.
It was spectacular.
Six undead, fully engulfed in darkness, radiating a terrifying aura.
Step… step…
As if mesmerized, Jihad approached, eyes sparkling.
His lips trembled for a long moment before he finally shouted:
“—Th-that’s so cool…!”
“—Li-liza!”
…Honestly, Dohyun had to admit it.
It really did stir a man’s heart—like witnessing a true army of darkness.
And it wasn’t just the aura.
“Guaaa!”
“Guh!”
Clack, clack—
The undead moved in perfect unison and rushed the orcs.
This was nothing like before, when they fought individually with tricks.
Now they moved systematically—
Encircling with numerical superiority and thrusting weapons simultaneously.
Unlike their previous sloppy style, this had real swagger.
“Ch-chik!? Chik!”
“Chieek!”
They already had the numbers advantage.
Now their damage was amplified too.
Every swing of the battle axe sliced through the orc’s tough hide like cutting radish.
A completely different level of combat power.
All thanks to Enshroud in Darkness.
[Dark attribute partially ignores the target’s defense.]
[Dark attribute absorbs sound.]
In short—defense shred.
The biggest reason dark mages were welcomed in boss fights.
And now the undead were using it.
With sound suppression on top—granting stealth.
“Chik!?—”
Stab.
Silently swarming, striking like ghosts, then moving on to the next prey—
They looked like phantom tanks.
[You have defeated an Orc.]
[You have defeated an Orc.]
…
[You have defeated an Orc.]
One after another.
The undead relentlessly executed orcs as if programmed for nothing else.
It was chilling.
[Monsters defeated near Brion (789 / 1,000)]
“….”
As Dohyun watched the steadily rising numbers—
Jihad, equally stunned, spoke in a conflicted voice.
“Master… I think I made the right choice becoming a Zigg.”
“…Yeah.”
Dohyun was certain.
Choosing Zigg would become the best decision of Jihad’s guardian life.
“Chik—! Chk—!”
“Guaaa—”
The orcs kept dying.
[Monsters defeated near Brion (792 / 1,000)]
[Monsters defeated near Brion (793 / 1,000)]
Watching the macro-like hunting speed, Dohyun couldn’t help but mutter:
“…Sweet.”
“—Yeah… sweet…”
It was too sweet.
* * *
[Monsters defeated near Brion (1,000 / 1,000)]
[You have completed the hunt near Brion.]
[Return to ‘Gamilion Adran’ to complete the quest.]
[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ has exhausted all mana.]
[Undead are unsummoned.]
[All mana exhausted. ‘Enshroud in Darkness’ is deactivated.]
[Level Up!]
“Nice!”
About 50 minutes had passed.
Wiping out 200 monsters in under an hour—he couldn’t help but be impressed.
With Dohyun’s over-Brion specs plus Jihad’s undead—
The hunting speed was downright insane.
Though the mana drain is just as insane.
Nothing comes without drawbacks.
The ridiculous growth speed was matched by equally ridiculous mana consumption, which occasionally held him back.
He now had only one mana potion left.
He’d saved it for emergencies—otherwise it would already be gone.
Now I’m the problem, not Jihad.
After solving Jihad’s mana issues, it was Dohyun’s turn.
Still, it wasn’t serious.
Drink potions.
Level up.
Increase mana.
Unlike Jihad, Dohyun was a player—he had plenty of solutions.
And he chose the easiest one.
