Free Web NovelKyarakus had been imprisoned for a very long time. He no longer remembered when it had begun—only that he had been sealed within this dark, cramped space for what felt like an eternity.
“A tiny jar.”
A jar.
Kyarakus, a subspecies of dragon, possessed the same greed as any true dragon. Beautiful things were his greatest weakness.
One day, someone appeared before him carrying a jar adorned with gold and jewels. Kyarakus had no interest in the insignificant creature offering it, but the instant he saw the jar, he was captivated.
It was exquisite.
Without hesitation, he reached for it—
KRAAAAAARGH!
—and found himself trapped inside.
For an eternity.
At first, Kyarakus swore that if he ever escaped, he would slaughter the one who had imprisoned him.
Time passed.
No one came.
Eventually, exhaustion wore down his hatred. He changed his vow, promising mountains of gold and treasure to whoever freed him.
More time passed.
Still no one came.
Perhaps the reward was too small?
So Kyarakus swore he would grant a kingdom—and countless beauties—to his savior.
A very long time passed.
He then vowed to hand over the entire world.
And after even more time drifted by...
Kyarakus made up his mind.
When he escaped, he would reduce the world to a sea of fire.
At some point, he lost all sense of time. Then, one day, the jar opened.
Why?
Kyarakus didn’t know. For a moment, he wondered whether he was hallucinating from desperation.
But the jar remained open.
Slowly, cautiously, Kyarakus crawled free from the cursed prison that had confined him for so long. His scales expanded as he stretched, like a dragon awakening from an age-long slumber.
Ah...
He had waited so long for this.
For a brief moment, he sensed a familiar presence nearby—as though it were retreating—but dismissed it as imagination.
Anyone he had known would have lived centuries ago. There was no reason they would still be alive.
Kyarakus decided to honor the vow he had made.
KRAAAAAARGH!
He would burn the world.
***
Keith reacted exactly like the top-tier combat character he was. He adapted to the sudden increase in speed instantly, without even stumbling.
“Did you do this?” he asked.
Suppressing his regret, Ian answered, “Yeah. Skip the obvious questions and listen carefully. Kyarakus follows specific patterns. He breathes fire at distant enemies, stomps anyone nearby, sweeps his tail low if you stay behind him, and charges in a straight line if you try to flee.”
Keith didn’t bother asking how Ian knew all that. The reason for the explanation was obvious enough.
“How long can the elf merchant survive?”
“No clue. Maybe they’re already dead.”
Kyarakus was little more than a distant speck now. The much smaller elf was nowhere to be seen.
“Kyarakus hasn’t shifted aggro here yet. That means they’re still alive.”
“Great. Then let’s retreat before that changes. Where’s the necromancer?”
“One o’clock. Center of the merman skeleton horde. See them?”
“I see them. Stop for a moment. I’m taking the shot.”
Keith, who had been sprinting like the wind, abruptly dropped low. Ian, still clinging to him, lifted slightly into the air before Keith caught him and settled him onto his shoulder.
Keith’s grip around Ian’s thighs remained firm, making sure he wouldn’t fall.
Using Keith’s strength to stabilize himself, Ian drew his bow.
He spotted the necromancer.
The targeting assist automatically corrected toward nearby demons, which meant there was a chance it would lock onto the wrong target.
He couldn’t rely on auto-correction.
He had to land this shot himself.
“I can do this.”
Ian steadied his breathing.
He had fired this arrow thousands of times in-game. Adjusting for angle and force had long since become instinct.
Hadn’t he spent hundreds of hours trying to bridge the gap between the screen and reality?
People said ten thousand hours could turn anyone into an expert. Ian hadn’t quite reached that point—but he was close enough.
A stationary target.
A stable shot.
That much, at least, he could manage.
Brilliant light condensed into a single point. The surrounding air grew still, as though time itself had frozen.
Ian released the string.
The arrow flew true.
Thwang!
Thunk!
Ding!
[You have defeated the Frenzied Necromancer: Goyden!]
Ian clenched his fist.
“Next!”
After that, everything unfolded in rapid succession.
“Twelve o’clock.”
Thwang!
Ding!
[You have defeated the Calamity Necromancer: Vion!]
“Eight o’clock.”
Thwang!
Ding!
[You have defeated the Judging Necromancer: Miraz!]
“One left!”
Surprisingly, the elf merchant had survived for five full minutes. If they’d lasted this long, maybe they could hold on for another five.
Ian turned his head.
The collapsed merman skeleton horde resembled a grotesque graveyard—a field of corpses planted into the earth. The sight was bleak and desolate.
Only one necromancer remained.
If Kyarakus died first, the necromancer would flee. Missing out on an infinite XP farming event was already painful enough. Ian had no intention of losing the necromancer’s XP too.
But where had they gone?
There was nowhere to hide on this barren battlefield.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash snapped Ian’s attention upward as Kyarakus suddenly turned toward them.
The elf merchant had lost aggro.
“Did they... die?”
Ian’s eyes widened, but before he could think further, Keith hurled him away. Ian landed softly atop a ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) mound of ash.
CRASH!
Keith’s sword collided head-on with Kyarakus’s massive skull. The impact shook the ground violently beneath them.
Keith was forced backward, his boots carving trenches through the earth.
Ding!
[Kyarakus has entered the ‘Frenzy’ state!]
“What the hell did you do?!”
Ian immediately checked Kyarakus’s HP.
Normally, a boss entered Phase 2 once its health dropped below half.
But Kyarakus’s HP bar was still full. The elf merchant clearly hadn’t landed a single hit.
No—that wasn’t the problem.
“Is this a bug?”
Ian had encountered countless glitches over the years, but never anything like this.
Why now?
What had he done to deserve this?
‘Wait... could it be?’
Was it because he had brought a new character into the field?
Maybe recruiting someone with “???” stats had been a terrible idea. But it wasn’t like Ian had chosen him—Keith had practically forced his way into the party. Ian had even tried to send him away!
It was absurdly unfair.
But the game had no intention of showing mercy.
Keith continued holding the line, though little by little he was being pushed back. Every clash shaved away more of his HP.
“Don’t block everything! Dodge—you can dodge!”
“But, Lord Ian, if I move out of sight, you will become the target.”
“...!”
Keith wasn’t refusing because he lacked the skill.
He was simply too responsible.
A Holy Knight to the core—he would rather sacrifice himself than place someone else in danger.
He was infuriatingly, unbearably good.
Ian gritted his teeth.
“Keith.”
“Yes.”
“You can hold out, right?”
“Yes, Lord Ian.”
“Then hold out.” ƒгeewebnovёl.com
I’ll deal with the necromancer.
Ian wanted to give Keith a gift.
And there was no better gift than XP.
“Yes. Please don’t worry about me.”
For just a moment, Ian thought he saw a faint smile on Keith’s face.
BOOM!
Keith was hurled backward.
Ian didn’t look back.
Keith had told him not to worry.
Dozens of merman skeletons clawed at Ian’s ankles as though they had been waiting for him. He blasted them with magic, weakening them before kicking and stomping his way through. His strength-enhanced legs were powerful enough to crush the weakened undead beneath him. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
The final necromancer had to be alive somewhere.
Otherwise, the skeletons would have stopped rising.
Ian sprinted toward the volcano Kyarakus had emerged from—the highest point in the area.
The ideal location for a ranged attacker was always high ground.
That was common sense.
His plan was simple: kill the necromancer, funnel the XP to Keith, then focus on Kyarakus.
He climbed the volcano while blistering heat scorched his skin, making it feel as though his body were being roasted alive. Ian possessed no special equipment to resist burn damage.
Ignoring the sensation of his hands and feet cooking against the rock, he continued climbing.
As long as his fingers still worked, he could fight.
Damage over time wouldn’t empty his HP completely.
In the distance, Kyarakus unleashed torrents of flame. Keith rolled desperately to evade them, his white armor blackened with soot and ash.
Ian pressed a hand against his pounding heart.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
This was only a game.
A game he had cleared hundreds of times.
Like always, he would clear it again.
Keith wouldn’t die.
Then Ian noticed something fluttering atop Kyarakus’s head.
A cape.
“...”
The final necromancer was riding on top of Kyarakus.
