The Second Life of a Legendary Necromancer

Chapter 17: Leveling (1)

After finishing all his tasks, Yeonwol checked the stats of Eltis, his only attack skill and a Steel-Plated Knight.

[Lv. 78 Eltis]

Considering he was level 85 in life, his level had dropped slightly.

Still, his named-grade status remained at Yellow, making him far stronger than a typical level 78.

Even though Necromancer Riolis was the most powerful dark magician of his time, he could only enhance the strength of a Death Knight to 70% of its original power.

However, Yeonwol, with his skill still at a basic level, could preserve over 90% of the abilities Eltis had in life.

Not only that, but there were even more advantages.

Necromancers’ skeletons don’t benefit fully from equipment effects unless they are of high rank, and even Death Knights only receive about half the effects of equipped items.

In contrast, the spirits of a Necromaster fully retain the effects of equipment, as well as 100% of their skills and special abilities from life.

This meant that if the monster had unique abilities in life, it could use them again upon resurrection.

Countless monsters and NPCs with “special skills” came to his mind.

If he could obtain their abilities, he would become immensely powerful, but…

“I must not. I won’t kill recklessly.”

Having gained such overwhelming power, he needed to establish his own rules.

If he killed indiscriminately and turned them into subordinates, he would be no different from Chensolla.

He checked Eltis’s skills and noticed a few that stood out.

“Mastery in heavy armor, specialization in oversized weapons, and even an area-wide taunt.”

Since Eltis was over 3 meters tall, equipping him with heavy armor, an oversized weapon, and a shield in the other hand would make him an excellent tank.

“I’d love to summon Eltis right now for hunting, but he’s too conspicuous for a beginner’s hunting ground.”

Eltis radiated a faint silver-purple aura along the edges of his body, a characteristic of spirits.

A summoned creature with an aura in a beginner’s zone?

Far too noticeable.

Although Yeonwol knew of some low-level instance dungeons where he could hunt without drawing attention, they were too far away.

“For now, I’ll level up on my own. Once I reach a hunting ground for level 100 or higher, summoning him won’t draw much attention.”

At that level, it would be the domain of intermediate players, where individuals with various hidden skills would occasionally appear.

Having a summoned creature might be unusual but not suspicious.

With his plans neatly set, Yeonwol exited the peculiar place known as the “Threshold of Death.”

[You have been resurrected.]

He opened his eyes to find himself in a temple.

“My immediate goal is to reach level 50 and increase the number of spirits I can summon.”

Although he could summon a maximum of five spirits, the number of spirits he could store in the memory of death was unlimited.

Creating as many spirits as possible would significantly enhance his power.

“A hunting ground with suitable monsters for spirits… there’s one nearby.”

Yeonwol headed straight for the “Veneari Fields.”

This area was home to Mad Wolves, which were level 50 monsters on average.

Twice the size of regular wolves, Mad Wolves were popular monsters that could be easily hunted with a tank and ranged attacks.

Most players roaming the fields were in parties of four or more.

Although experience points were split in parties, the efficiency of hunting increased dramatically.

“Are you a swordsman? Want to party up? We need a melee damage dealer.”

“No, I’ll hunt alone.”

“Huh? How can you hunt alone…”

As he wandered around, he occasionally received party invitations.

Since his level was hidden, others mistook him for a level 50 swordsman.

However, most players quickly realized from his level 10 cloth armor that his equipment wasn’t suitable for his supposed level, and they didn’t bother him further.

Rejecting one party request after another, Yeonwol searched for Mad Wolves that weren’t being hunted.

He sought out ones that were larger and higher in level than average.

“Found one.”

He drew the Blue Wave Blade.

Since he wore a mask, a black cap, and a hood, it didn’t matter if someone recognized the weapon.

“What’s with that guy?”

“No accessories, level 10 armor, but his weapon’s glowing?”

“Wait, isn’t that the weapon from the tutorial?”

“Seriously?”

“It looks like it. It’s been almost two months since then, so it makes sense he’d show up in a level 50 hunting ground. Did he change to a swordsman class?”

“Seems like it. He’s using swordsman skills.”

“Whoa, he’s soloing!”

As Yeonwol dashed forward and swung his blade using [Sky Thunder Flash], some players exclaimed in admiration.

“That must be the hidden skill he got back then.”

“He’s around our level, but he already has a dash skill? So jealous.”

Yeonwol’s movements were almost indistinguishable from those of a swordsman.

His attack power was so high that it wouldn’t be odd to assume he was a swordsman, and he skillfully deflected attacks, taking minimal damage even against level 50 beast monsters in one-on-one combat.

“Wow… He’s hunting solo, and he’s that fast?”

“He’s playing the role of tank and damage dealer by himself. Just doing it all.”

“Did he get a hidden class?”

Before long, a few players gathered to watch Yeonwol’s hunting.

Since party hunting involved expending all their mana in a single hunt and then resting to recover, players had plenty of time to observe others.

“What’s his level? It feels like he’s already past 60.”

“He’s leveling up way too fast. It doesn’t make sense.”

“With that kind of attack power, he has to be at least level 60.”

“Maybe it’s just the weapon?”

“Even if it’s a good weapon, don’t you know the damage scales by percentage? You need high base stats to deal that kind of damage. And look at his defense—he’s barely losing HP even after taking hits.”

“True, his defense is unreal for someone wearing cloth armor. He must’ve invested heavily in health stats.”

In reality, Yeonwol’s stats were only at the level of a typical level 50 character, and his combat-related stats were closer to level 40.

So why were his attack and defense so high?

The answer lay in his repeated suicidal rushes at Zekkaliss to build up his defense.

Even in cloth armor, he took little damage, and his high agility stat ensured consistent critical hits.

Critical hits occur more frequently with better swordsmanship, and currently, Yeonwol’s strikes landed critical hits five out of ten times.

[Critical Strike!]

“Wow, another critical hit!”

Other players marveled, but Yeonwol remained unsatisfied.

“My agility stat is still too low to fully benefit from critical hit bonuses.”

Unlike during the fight with Khazaram, he couldn’t use a dagger with high critical hit bonuses, which left him a bit disappointed.

“Did you take a screenshot? Post it on the forums; it’ll get reactions.”

“I recorded a video.”

Famous players often made it to community highlights just by having their screenshots posted.

Yeonwol paid little attention to the players’ chatter.

Unless they attempted to forcibly remove his mask, he had no intention of interfering.

-Squeal!

[Level increased by 3 stages!]

[Jumping Level Up! A portion of your experience has been converted into stats.]

Finally, after defeating a single Mad Wolf, Yeonwol’s level increased by three.

This was thanks to hunting a monster over level 50.

Moreover, he received the bonus of “Jumping Level Up,” which converted a portion of his experience points into stats.

It could be said that he had achieved his intended goal.

If he kept hunting like this, reaching level 50 wouldn’t take long, but the efficiency wasn’t ideal.

This was because defeating just one wolf consumed nearly all his MP.

Until he fully recovered his MP, he couldn’t continue hunting.

If he were a mage class, he could use the Meditation skill to restore mana, but Yeonwol had no such ability.

“Hunting like this works to some extent, but it becomes inefficient later. I should level up moderately and move to a more isolated hunting ground.”

After taking a short rest, Yeonwol began scouting the area.

There were plenty of high-level Mad Wolves that players avoided hunting.

When Yeonwol resumed ordinary hunting, the players who had been watching him went their separate ways.

However, as new players arrived, the crowd following him grew to about a dozen.

By the time Yeonwol grew weary of their presence, he had hunted his fifth Mad Wolf, prompting some players to voice their doubts.

“But why isn’t he using swordsman class skills much? He seems to only use the hidden skill he got recently. Doesn’t that kind of skill consume a ton of MP?”

“Exactly. Wouldn’t it be better to use Power Slash or Stinger instead?”

“…Something’s off. None of the swordsman class’s passive skills are activating. He’s only using hidden skills, and when he runs out of mana, he just resorts to basic attacks.”

In this game, there are “passive attack skills” that activate without being explicitly triggered.

These don’t consume MP as long as the stance is executed correctly.

However, despite Yeonwol performing precise stances such as thrusts and slashes, no skills activated, raising suspicions among some players.

“Wait a moment. I know a level 150 mage with a probing skill. While it can’t reveal exact stats or the class, it can roughly estimate a target’s level.”

When they contacted the mage, his curiosity piqued by the name Yeonwol, he hurried over.

By that time, Yeonwol had hunted ten Mad Wolves and reached level 28.

“Is that the player? He’s really using that weapon. Probe!”

The mage’s eyes briefly turned white before returning to normal.

His eyes widened in astonishment.

“What’s going on? Hasn’t that player been hunting non-stop?”

“Yes, he’s taken down about ten of them, I’d say.”

“But… why is his level like that?”

To the mage, Yeonwol’s level appeared as follows:

[Estimated Level of Target: 23–31]

Due to the probing skill’s low proficiency, the level wasn’t displayed precisely.

However, one thing was clear.

Yeonwol’s level was shockingly low!

If he had only gained this much from hunting ten monsters, his level upon arriving at the hunting ground must have been even lower.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well… his level seems to be in the mid-to-late 20s at best. Sure, there are skills to disguise levels, but wouldn’t someone just starting out lack those kinds of abilities?”

“He’s only in his 20s?”

The players exchanged incredulous looks as they stared at Yeonwol.

Then how could they explain his incredible attack and defense?

“Judging by his empty equipment slots and the single cloth armor he’s wearing, I’d say his level was around 10 when he first got here.”

“No way! He’s taken several hits from Mad Wolves and hasn’t died.”

“Not to mention his insane attack power.”

“He’s been chipping away at their HP from the start.”

A nearby high-level swordsman provided the answer.

“Well, aside from when he uses skills, his attack power isn’t actually that impressive. Look at his basic attacks—they’re all critical hits. That’s why it seems so strong.”

“Huh…?”

“Really?”

“While his defense is hard to comprehend, his attack power… even with critical hits, it’s still unusually high. But it’s not beyond reason if he has two hidden buff skills or so.”

The high-level swordsman voiced his doubts despite his explanation.

Even with frequent critical hits and numerous buffs, could a level 10 player really achieve such attack power?

Moreover, Yeonwol grew stronger with each hunt.

It wasn’t just his stats increasing but also because his skill proficiency skyrocketed when his skills landed effectively against much higher-level opponents.

In truth, Yeonwol couldn’t hide his smile as he observed his rapidly increasing proficiency.

“After all, my own martial prowess is crucial. I need to quickly level up my swordsmanship.”

He never intended to hide behind his summoned creatures and play cautiously.

Even when he had many summoned creatures, he planned to fight at the forefront with his sword.

“Since I’ve already reached level 28, should I head back and re-equip?”

As he considered this, a group running from the distance shouted loudly.

“Everyone, run! A Freed Mad Wolf has appeared here!”

“What? Damn it, who kept dying to the same monster and raised its level?”

“Let’s retreat for now.”

“Damn. When the boss appears, the hunting grounds become unusable.”

Players in the field split into two groups.

Those who decided to stop hunting and rest, and those forming parties to take on the boss.

Field bosses that spawned naturally required at least a four-player party, though typically, eight or more players would tackle them.

With severe death penalties, players prioritized safety to avoid dying.

“Alright, anyone interested in taking down the boss, join our party. We’ve got healers and tanks.”

The two level 150+ players opted to observe rather than join the hunt, leaving the highest-level warrior in the field to organize the party.

While it’s customary for the player who initiated the hunt to claim the boss, the party members were indifferent.

Most players were hesitant to hunt the boss anyway.

The sheer size of the boss-level Mad Wolf, larger than a human even at shoulder height, left many trembling in fear.

“How are we supposed to take that down?”

“There’s no way I can do it…”

In this game, becoming a ranker wasn’t merely about grinding endlessly.

One needed to overcome the fear of monstrous enemies that felt almost real.

The two level 150+ experts could easily tell who among the players might become a ranker and who would remain stuck at intermediate levels.

Those preparing for the raid as soon as the boss appeared would one day reach the higher ranks.

On the other hand, those who hesitated and avoided danger would never break past their limits.

And then, there was one more type.

“…That person is beyond our comprehension.”

“Huh? Wait, what is he doing?”

The raid party, busy preparing buffs and supplies, was interrupted by their main tank’s shout.

The players turned their eyes toward the area where the boss-level Mad Wolf roamed.

“Isn’t that Yeonwol?”

“Why is he… alone?”

“Don’t tell me he’s planning to solo the boss?”

The players mumbled in disbelief until they saw Yeonwol charge recklessly at the boss-level Mad Wolf.

[Sky Thunder Flash]

Seeing him dive straight at the boss, the players were forced to accept the reality before them.

“That guy….”

“Is he completely insane?”

Someone muttered.

No one dared to disagree.

To their eyes, Yeonwol appeared as someone who had completely lost his mind.