Record of a Thousand Lives-Chapter 85

The Desert of Death was littered with decomposed corpses; in it, itwould bequite easy to come across a bleached white skull that belonged to either anadventurer or a monster. There even existed a place in the Desert of Death that had turned pearly white because of thenumberof bones gatheredthere.

‘The Tomb of Bones.’

Kang Yoon-Soo walked alone in the sea of bones that colored the desert ground white.

“It’s a living being…!”

“I was so lonely…!”

“Comestaywith us…!”

Zombies withgray,decomposed skin slowly started to gather one by one, trailingbehind Kang Yoon-Soo. The tomb where the dead resided was certain to have a horde of undead crawling in it.

Kang Yoon-Soo swung his white sword and killed the zombies one by one.

[The Sword of Revelation displays tremendous power against the deadwhohave come back to life.]

The Sword of Revelation could inflicta lot of damage on thosewho had returned fromdeath, and Kartheon was no exception.

“Summon Mini-Lich,” Kang Yoon-Soo muttered.

Asmall skeleton wearing a fluttering red robe appeared out of nowhereand asked,“What is your command?”

“Fight against the undead,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded.

TheMini-Lich stabbed its staff into the desert ground and said, “Listen to me, all of youundead. I will be your friend!”

“Oooh...!”

“A great Lich has come to us…!”

The Mini-Lich had the ability to control and command lower-ranked undead.Some of the zombies forgot their hostility toward Kang Yoon-Soo, andthey redirected their aggression toward the other zombies.

‘It’ll be easier forthe Mini-Lichtocontrol mid-ranked undead if it grows stronger,”Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

Thepair soonswept up all of the zombies trailing them. The academically curious Mini-Lich looked back at thezombies’ remainsand asked, “MayI research and analyze these right now?”

“Do it later,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Alright,” the kind and innocent Mini-Lich obediently responded without any complaints, continuing to followbehind Kang Yoon-Soo.

A desert littered withbleached whiteskulls appeared before them.Somebones were degraded so severely that it was impossible to recognize their original form, andsomewere even larger than the sand dunes.

“I smell the stench of death in this place,”the Mini-Lichsaidhappily.

Kang Yoon-Soo extended his right hand and muttered, “Mass Raise Dead.”

The bones thathad beenseverely damagedorweatheredlaystill on the ground, but the rest of the bones that were still in good condition rose up at Kang Yoon-Soo’s command. Atotal of 170 undead came back to life.

‘The undead I can raise at my current statearearound thelower mid-rank,’Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

The undead thathad been summonedwerea mix ofSkeleton Trolls, Zombie Elves,andDark Sandworms.Kang Yoon-Soo still had a long way to go if he wanted to raise a dragonthe way he hadinaprevious life.

Kang Yoon-Soo used ‘Mass Raise Dead’ over and over again whenever his mana replenished;he was able to raise approximately a thousand undead fromthe area alone.

[The skill level of ‘Mass Raise Dead’ has risen.]

[You are now able to raise undead thatarea rank higher.]

Mass Raise Dead had reachedLevel 5.Skills wereusually capped at Level 15, and it couldbe only said that one hadmastered a skill if theymanaged to max out its proficiency.

‘It isn’t enough to simply raise undead over and over again if I want to masterNecromancy.’

Kang Yoon-Soowould not besatisfied by simply raising undead. He needed to raisecorpsesthat belonged to rarer and more powerful monsters, and he had to create a legion of undead that followed his commands.

‘It’s not only the Necromancer skills. I have to obtain all the useful skillson thecontinent and grow more powerful.’

Kang Yoon-Soo calledout,“Lich.”

“What is it?” the Mini-Lich asked.

“I’ll give you a book that will be helpful to your research,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Really?” the Mini-Lich asked expectantly with a bright glow on its face.

Liches wereusually unrivaled when it came to their cleverness and cunning. They possessed tremendous capacity to lord over other undead, but they lacked thecharacterand loyalty to be used as summons.

‘But the Mini-Lich isn’t like that,’Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

TheMini-Lichhad been created without theskullof an Archmage, and it could be saidto not bea complete Lich. Although it did not possess the wisdom of a normal Lich, ithad beencreated with a very innocent andguilelessnature.

Kang Yoon-Soo took out Nakron’s Codex from his backpack. He said, “Read this and carry out moreresearch.”

“Thank you, master. This is the first book Ihave seen that issodetailed when it comes to the undead,” the Mini-Lich saidhappily.

[The Mini-Lich is reading and studyingNakron’sCodex.]

[TheLich’s research capacityhas increased.]

[The hidden function of Nakron’s Codex has been revealed.]

[Nakron’s Diary]

Rating: Rare

A personal book written by the Ultimate Necromancer himself. It explains the structure of the undead indetail. Only a cleverNecromancerwill be able to unlockitshidden function.

-Current Research Progress: 0%

Nakron’sCodex will transform into aunique,one-of-a-kind magic codex ifresearch on it is completed.

‘I should use it if the Mini-Lich managesto complete itsresearch,’Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

Researching theundead was cumbersome and required a lot of time and dedication, and the academically curious Mini-Lich was perfect for the job. It was a win-win situation, since the Mini-Lich would growexponentiallywhile it conducted its researchintoNakron’sCodex.

“This is an amazing book! I want to serve whomever wrote this book as my teacher!” the Mini-Lich excitedly exclaimed as it flipped through the pages.

“Try it out,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“Alright! Iwill make an undead just asit iswritten in this book!” the Mini-Lich saidexcitedly.

“I’ll help you,” Kang Yoon-Soo added.

“Thank you very much, master!” the Mini-Lich exclaimedexcitedlylike a studentwhowas excited to learn a bit more from class.It cried,“I want to try creating the Bone Monster of Destruction!”

“You can’t do that now,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Bone Monster of Destruction required a hundred million bones just to create. For the time being,Kang Yoon-Soo flipped through the pages and found a suitable undead being for Mini-Lich to create.

[Grave Soldier]

Kang Yoon-Soo commanded the undead he had raised to collect the corpses and bones littered across the area. The corpses gathered by the undead either bore the crest of an ancient kingdom’s officials, or werewearing military uniforms.

TheMini-Lich clumsily drew a magic circle andthrustits staff into the center, shouting,“Arise!”

The corpse parts started to stitch together, anda new undead was born. It was an undeadswordsmanthat hadcross-shaped marksall over its body.

[The Mini-Lich has created its first undead.]

[The Lich’s skull has grown slightly bigger.]

[The codex’sresearch progresshas increased by 1%.]

“Itis a success, master!” the Mini-Lich shouted, jumpingin joy.

The Grave Soldier slowly opened its eyes and said, “So this is the world.”

“I’ll give you my command,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Grave Soldierdrewits sword and asked, “Whom should I kill?”

“Take the undead with you and head west. Ambush the forces of the ancient king Kartheon,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded.

“Kartheon!” the Grave Soldier shoutedangrily.

“Do you know Kartheon?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“No, I donot. But the owner of myright-handfeels a deep sense of hatred for that name,” the Grave Soldier replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo could only summon low ormid-rankedundead, but he could useNakron’sCodex to collect materials and createhigh-rankedundead. The Grave Soldier was ahigh-rankedundead beingthat was made from thecorpsesofmanysoldiers.

The Grave Soldier harbored a deep sense of hatred toward the ancient king, and it also had excellent commanding ability. There was no one else more suitable to command the undead armyat that timethan the Grave Soldier created by the Mini-Lich.

“I will kill Kartheon!” the Grave Soldier exclaimed as it moved out with its undead troops.

Kang Yoon-Soo finished his business in the tomb.He stared at the Mini-Lich for a moment.

TheMini-Lichasked whenit foundKang Yoon-Soo staring at it, “Do you have something to say, master?”

There was something bothering Kang Yoon-Soo. He eventually said, “Don’t call me‘master’from now on.”

“Why?” the Mini-Lich asked.

Kang Yoon-Soo was silent for a moment. It was not something he would usually concern himself with, and it was not something related to killing the Demon Lord, but he could not help but feel bothered by it. He finally said, “I don’t like being called that.”

“Why doyou not want to becalled ‘master’? Humans usually love that word. It means Iam master’sservant,” the Mini-Lich said while tiltingitsbony head.

“You aren’tmy servant,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

TheMini-Lich tilted its head in confusion once again and asked, “If I am not your servant…What am I to master?”

“I don’t know,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Master is a weird human,” the Mini-Lich said as it scratched its hollow eye socket. It asked, “Then what should I call you?”

“It’s up to you,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

TheMini-Lich hesitated for a moment beforesaying, “Then Iwill call you ‘friend’.”

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“…”TheMini-Lich wasleft witha dilemma. It clacked its jaw and said, “Iam stupid.”

“I know,” Kang Yoon-Sooreplied.

“Thatiswhy I want to learn more. I want a teacherwhocan always teach me new things,” the Mini-Lich said asit lookedup at Kang Yoon-Soo. Itcontinued, “Whatif masterbecomes a teacher to me?”

“Teacher?” Kang Yoon-Sooasked.

“Master is an amazing human. You know everything about the world and you are good at everything. Thatis why I want you to become my teacher, who will teach me different kinds of things,”theMini-Lichsaid. It was to be expected, considering its thirstfor knowledge.

Kang Yoon-Soo pondered for a moment, before he nodded and said, “Alright.”

“See you next time, teacher,” the Mini-Lich said asitgrippedNakron’sCodex and disappeared into the summon dimension.

Kang Yoon-Soohad beenleft alone, but he was deep in thought.‘Why did I say something like that…?’

A master or a teacher… Why did it matter what the Lich called him?‘I don’t know…’

Perhaps it wasbecause it was his last life? He felt himself slowly changing.

However,Kang Yoon-Soo eventually shook his head and thought, ‘There’s no time for me to waste thinking about things like this.’

Hepressed a button on his wrist device, and newlyupdated information on the legendary quest popped up.

[Legendary Quest—Emperor of Time]

The ancient king Kartheon has surpassed time and resurrected. Kartheon is trying to destroy the continent by using his powers. Stop him from achieving his goals.

Rewards: Authority of Domination or Authority of Time

Kang Yoon-Soo started to prepare for the upcoming war.

***

Smoke rosefrom a campfire inKartheon’scampsite.

Katz rubbed his sleepy eyes andasked, “Where’s the Colossus? That huge thing disappeared overnight.”

“That isnone of your business,” Kartheonrepliedas he looked into the horizon.

Histhousands of mummies scoured the desert looking for prey to hunt, in order to makethe drysands runwith rivers of blood once more.

“Katz, do you think Iam doing something stupid?” Kartheon asked.

Katz instinctively knew he had to lie this time, but his lips took aftertheirowner and stubbornly refused to do what his instinct told him. He replied,“Yes, I think so, your majesty.”

“Is it so wrong to want to regress?” Kartheon asked.

“It’s more aboutthe fact your majesty doesn’t give a damn about the world that will be left behind. That’s the problem,” Katzanswered beforegulpingwater from a canteen.

Katz extended the water canteen to Kartheon, but the ancient king shook his head and said, “Itis difficult…”

“Don’t you know how to drink water?” Katz asked.

Kartheon furrowed his barely-intactbrows and said, “Not that. Regressing, I mean.”

“I was kidding, your majesty,” Katz saidwith a shrug.

Kartheon let out a laugh and said, “You seem to have made yourself comfortable.”

“I think Ibegan to understandthe loneliness of a king afterbeing choked by the neck,” Katz said.

“What do you mean?” Kartheon asked.

“You majesty could have immediately killed me when youstrangled me, just like when you killed my fellow graverobber, but your majesty spared me—until now,” Katz said seriously. He continued, “Your majesty needed someone to talk to, am I right?”

Kartheon noddedslightly, but did not affirm or denywhat Katz said.

Katz asked something he had wanted to ask for a long time.“Will your majesty kill me too?”

“DidI notanswer that already? I will kill everyliving beingonthis continent,” Kartheon said.Katz grimaced at the ancient king’s words.Kartheon laughed andadded, “Your life was wastedas a graverobber.”

“Is that so? Thencouldyour majesty at least build me a nice tomb to make it lookas if I used to besomeone important after you kill me?” Katzrequested.

“What should I engrave on your tombstone?” Kartheon asked.

.

“Hmm… I have no idea, since I’m uneducated, after all,” Katzanswered.

“I have a suggestion. What about ‘the onewhostole from the dead paidfor his crimes one last time’?” Kartheonsuggested.

“Ugh… It feelsas ifother graverobberswould justdig me up. It’s notas if there would beanything to be stolen,though,” Katzcomplained.

“You enjoyed robbing the dead, but you donot want to be robbed when youdie?” Kartheonremarked, sounding amused.

“Isn’t that normal?” Katz replied.

“Isuppose it isalong the same lines asmy desireto regress,” Kartheon said.

Katzwasflabbergastedwhen he heardthe ancient king’s words. He quickly changed the topic, and asked “Has your majesty thought of what to engrave on your tombstone?”

“I have already died once. I already had a tombstone beside my coffin,” Kartheon replied.

Katz rattled his brain, and now that he thought about it, therehad beensome complicated inscriptionswrittenon the coffin. He asked, “What was written there?”

Right asKartheon was about torespond,he suddenly said, “There isan ambush.”

“What?!” Katzexclaimed.

The surroundings were quietasKatz looked around.Suddenly, hesaw a cloud of dust charging toward them. Upon closerinspection,it seemed there wereclose toa thousand undead heading their way.

“W-what?! Why would the undead suddenly show up?!” Katzexclaimedin surprise.

“I donotthink the battle will end today,” Kartheonremarkedas he headed down the sand dune to gather his mummies.Katz hurriedly followed behind the ancient king.

The prelude to the war between the king who controlledtime and the regressor hadstarted.