Record of a Thousand Lives

The black sword shone brightly and a message flashed in front of Kang Yoon-Soo’s eyes.

[The Deathless Dragon is a vicious and violent monster that you may only summon once.]

[Do you still wish to summon the monster?]

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

A powerful aura rose up from his sword, which started to tremble violently before thick, black essence started to pour out of it.

[You have summoned the Deathless Dragon that brings chaos!]

[The Deathless Dragon’s combat abilities are very powerful because its base material was derived from the corpse of the most powerful dragon on the continent!]

[The dragon’s corpse has reassembled itself after being reanimated as an undead.]

[The Deathless Dragon is missing an eye and its heart.]

[Its mana has been significantly reduced.]

[The method of killing the Deathless Dragon has not yet been revealed.]

[The Deathless Dragon is a very powerful undead being with an ill temper.]

[It would be difficult for even a high-ranking necromancer to force the Deathless Dragon to submit.]

[The Deathless Dragon can spew out ‘Blood Breath’ that can exterminate a small city in one exhalation.]

The essence emanating from the sword slowly rose up and formed the shape of a vicious dragon.

Henrick’s jaw dropped from shock and he muttered, “This is really insane. You can’t compare that to any of the undead we’ve seen so far…”

The Deathless Dragon had a strange air of grandeur despite its appearance. Its gigantic body was marked with traces of weapons cutting through its scales, while its limbs seemed to have been sewn together after being severed. However, it was so gigantic that it would have dwarfed the Bone Dragon if they were compared side by side.

It was indeed deserving of the title of the most powerful undead being on the continent.

[You are the first on the continent to successfully summon the Deathless Dragon.]

[You have gained an achievement that even the ancient hero Nakron failed to reach!]

[All your skills related to necromancy have increased by 3.]

[You have obtained the right to walk down the road to becoming the Ultimate Necromancer!]

[You will be able to receive the highest acknowledgment and treatment among necromancers.]

The party members gulped nervously while looking up at the summoned undead.

The Deathless Dragon looked down at Kang Yoon-Soo and spoke for the first time. “Are you the one who raised me?”

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Who am I?” the Deathless Dragon asked. It looked around at the foggy, desolate landscape it was in, then asked, “Where is this place?”

“You are the Deathless Dragon, and this is your battlefield,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“I want to kill weaker creatures. I want to mate and leave my descendants in this world. I also want to create my own lair,” the Deathless Dragon muttered.

“You have to fight for me,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“This place is too dark and strange. I want to move somewhere else,” the Deathless Dragon muttered to itself. It was impossible to get through to the dragon, as it was a different kind of undead being that only stayed loyal to its own desires.

Kang Yoon-Soo took a step forward and commanded, “Listen to me, undead.”

“I have no reason to do that, weak human,” the Deathless Dragon replied, spreading its tattered wings. At the rate things were going, it would likely fly away to another place soon.

Kang Yoon-Soo shouted in a deep, commanding voice, “I was the one who killed you while you were alive.”

The dragon’s wings twitched for a moment, and it inspected Kang Yoon-Soo with its single eye. Then, the dragon muttered with a grimace, “You are older than you look, old geezer.” Even though it had lost its memories, its way of speaking stayed exactly the same.

Kang Yoon-Soo continued, “You died to a weak human.”

“That is not possible,” the Deathless Dragon growled. However, it soon backed down and said in confusion, “It is difficult for me to remember who I was when I was alive… or what I even did when I was alive…”

Kang Yoon-Soo boldly asked, “Do you want to regain your memories from when you were alive?”

“Yes, I do,” the Deathless Dragon replied.

“Then submit to me,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“My pride will not allow that,” the Deathless Dragon said, shaking its head. Just then, its draconic instincts kicked in, and it gritted its teeth and said, “You said that you killed me while I was alive. Then, that makes you my mortal enemy.”

“You hurt my wife,” Kang Yoon-Soo retorted.

“I see that I deserved it then,” the Deathless Dragon replied, nodding in agreement.

It was then that Shaneth stepped forward and said, “Please listen to this man and follow him, oh dragon.”

Shaneth had been severely injured by the Dragon of Destruction, but she was completely unfazed as she politely made a request of the undead dragon. She pleaded, “Anyone who has lost their memories must be in agony, as everything you knew about yourself and your hopes and dreams has disappeared, but please be a bit more patient for now. We’ll definitely give you your memories back.”

The Deathless Dragon lowered its head in front of Shaneth and said, “I do not feel any sense of hostility toward you, for some reason.”

The reason for that was Dragon Familiar, which was one of the Red Tyrant’s unique skills; it massively increased the Red Tyrant’s affinity toward dragons.

“Your golden eye is truly beautiful!” the Deathless Dragon exclaimed.

“T-Thank you…” Shaneth muttered in response, retreating before the dragon noticed that the eye had originally belonged to it.

“Take us to the magic tower. Then, I’ll help you retrieve your memories,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“I will try to trust you this time, old geezer,” the Deathless Dragon said before offering its back to the party members. They all climbed onto the undead dragon’s back.

Henrick looked up into the sky and said, “I never imagined I would ride on a dragon’s back. You really do end up experiencing all sorts of things if you live long enough.”

“I think we’ll have to hold on tightly to the scales so the wind pressure won’t push us off,” Shaneth said.

“I will fly down and catch you if one of you falls, so do not worry!” Iris confidently exclaimed while flapping her wings.

Then, the Deathless Dragon took off and flew into the sky.

***

The journey to the magic tower was a distance that would have taken fifty days and nights to cover; they would have had to cross foggy, desolate lands filled with powerful monsters. The landscape was filled with perils that an adventurer would have to face in order to explore it. Not only would it have been difficult to find drinkable water and food, but the fog also reduced visibility so much that they could be ambushed by monsters lurking within it at any moment.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo and his party flew toward the magic tower more quickly than anyone else.

“Kruuuwaaah!”The most powerful undead creature let out a fierce, deafening roar.

Any monsters weaker than the dragon scurried away upon hearing its cry.

“Shyamurik! Shyamurik!”

“Karu weez. Ork eppan!”

The bravest among the monsters did not relent under the dragon’s pressure and attacked it instead, but they failed to leave even a scratch on its scales.

[Revolt, the leader of an otherworldly tribe, has thrown his Halberd of Obsession.]

[Revolt has used a Level 13 throwing skill!]

[The Deathless Dragon’s scales have nullified 96% of physical damage.]

[The Deathless Dragon has stepped on Revolt.]

[Revolt has been squashed into a bloody smear.]

The Deathless Dragon descended once in a while to step on hundreds of monsters before resuming its flight. The dragon had been a symbol of despair when it was the party’s enemy, but it now seemed very dependable now that it was their ally.

Kang Yoon-Soo sat on the Deathless Dragon’s forehead and attacked any flying monsters that came their way.

“Kyahooo!”a monstrous bird with the head of a viper cried while spewing venom toward them.

Kang Yoon-Soo raised his sword.

[You have infused the Divine Punishment of Wind into your sword.]

[The skills Quick Movement, Tornado Slash, and Multiple Midair Jump have been temporarily added.]

[You have used 920 Divine Power.]

[Remaining Divine Power: 8,120.]

The Divine Punishment of Wind had manifested!

Kang Yoon-Soo no longer had to worry about falling now that he could jump multiple times in midair. He immediately leaped up and slashed the monstrous birds’ necks even before they could spew their venom. He wielded his sword that was infused with the power of a storm, and massacred the monstrous birds one by one.

Meanwhile, Shaneth threw her burning chain and sickle, Henrick took out Rick and fought with her, and Iris covered herself in scales to protect herself against the venom before crushing the monsters with her bare hands.

In a mere few hours, the party was able to traverse a distance that would normally have taken them more than a month. The monster ambushes had been reduced and there were no more visible threats around them, but a strange sense of danger lurked around the corner.

[You have entered the territory of the Colossi.]

[This place is where the Colossi, beings with immeasurable strength, roam.]

[The Colossi will mercilessly murder any other race that dares to approach their magic tower.]

The Colossi’s territory was an area they had to cross to reach the magic tower. They could see the gigantic Colossi even from miles away.

Henrick laughed in disbelief and asked, “Err… Didn’t we go through all sorts of trouble just to kill one of those in the Desert of Death?”

“There are dozens of them this time…” Shaneth muttered.

“Fly as high as you can,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Deathless Dragon spread its tattered wings and flew even higher.

Iris’ face turned pale as she said, “It is getting difficult to breathe...”

They had reached an altitude where oxygen was scarce and they could see the clouds beneath them, and that was as high as the Deathless Dragon could fly.

As they cruised at high altitude, however, an enraged roar rang out from the ground. “Intruders, you dare to step into our territory?!”

A Colossus’ hand suddenly shot up from the clouds and grabbed the Deathless Dragon’s tail. It had jumped to grab the dragon!

Henrick’s face crumpled as he exclaimed, “Damn it!”

It was an impossible task that should have defied logic, but paradoxically, it somehow seemed perfectly logical that a Colossus had jumped so high.

The Deathless Dragon struggled to break free from the Colossus’ grasp, but it failed to resist the Colossus’ monstrous grip and gravity.

“Kruwaaaah!”the Deathless Dragon roared as it crashed downward.

Henrick spread his mana threads and wrapped his companions in them to prevent them from falling. The mana threads prevented them from falling off, but the sudden impact made them feel as if their bodies would snap in half.

The Deathless Dragon spread its wings and roared right before hitting the ground, spewing out a huge amount of blood at the Colossus grabbing its tail. “Kruuwaaaah!”

[The Deathless Dragon has used Blood Breath!]

[It has lost 5.5% of its blood.]

[The undead dragon will have to drink a huge amount of blood to replenish the blood it lost.]

[The dragon will begin undergoing necrosis if it uses all of its blood.]

[The dragon will not be able to move while undergoing necrosis.]

“Euuaak!”The Colossus that had grabbed onto the Deathless Dragon’s tail groaned before it was melted by the dragon’s blood.

However, the Deathless Dragon was now surrounded by dozens of Colossi.

“Undead! It’s a cursed creature!”

“We can never let it reach the magic tower!”

“Die beneath my foot!”

The party was perfectly surrounded by the Colossi, and their surroundings turned pitch black as the shadows from the towering giants overlapped across them.

Kang Yoon-Soo stretched his hand out while thinking, ‘It’s impossible to reach the magic tower without going through these Colossi, just as I expected.’

They would always have been caught even if they went through the air, so they had no choice but to fight against the Colossi.

The Deathless Dragon asked, “What should we do, old geezer?”

“Charge through them head-on,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“I do not wish to die,” the Deathless Dragon protested.

“You’ll never die here,” Kang Yoon-Soo said confidently.

The Deathless Dragon’s special trait was immortality! It would not die no matter what happened. It would still be able to remain alive even if its neck were snapped. It would still be possible to tear the dragon’s body to pieces in order to incapacitate it, but it was impossible to fully extinguish its life force.

‘This creature is much more stubborn than a lich when it comes to survival,’Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

Liches were also immortal creatures, but they would meet their demise if their life vessels were destroyed. However, it was possible for the Deathless Dragon to revive like a phoenix even if its body were ground into dust, as long as it was gathered in one place. On top of that, the dragon could shrug off any damage to its body even if all its bones were snapped, due to the cloud of dark essence that surrounded it.

‘The Deathless Dragon is invincible as long as it’s not exposed to sunlight or holy power,’Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

Those were the only weaknesses of the Deathless Dragon! Its body would crumble to dust, and it could even completely lose its life, if it were exposed to sunlight or holy power. However, it would be impossible to find any items imbued with holy power in this place, which was covered with thick, dense fog and had no sun in the sky.

“Break through the front line while luring as many Colossi as you can,” Kang Yoon-Soo commanded.

“That would be impossible for me alone,” the Deathless Dragon protested.

“You can if there are two of you,” Kang Yoon-Soo said before summoning Light.

“What is that annoying little spirit?” the Deathless Dragon asked with a low growl, openly showing hostility toward Light.

However, Kang Yoon-Soo ignored the dragon and said, “Light, make a clone of this dragon.”

“Sure, alright,” Light replied in an uncharacteristically weak voice. The spirit lay both of her hands on the Deathless Dragon’s back, but it took her longer to make a clone this time compared to Kang Yoon-Soo, as the dragon was much larger than him.

The Colossi did not give them time to prepare before starting their onslaught of attacks.

“Burn and die by my flames!”

“Be crushed by the might of my strength!”

The Colossi unleashed a flurry of ferocious and powerful attacks at the Deathless Dragon, but the dragon stubbornly clung to life by reciprocating with its Blood Breath.

Eventually, as the powerful creatures were locked in an intense battle, Light finished creating the Deathless Dragon’s clone.

Another Deathless Dragon that had the exact same tattered scales and wings appeared!

[The Spirit of Light has created a clone.]

[The clone’s life force is equivalent to half of the original.]

[The clone will disappear an hour after it has been summoned.]

[The clone will have the same temperament as the original.]

[The clone’s skill levels will all be set to one.]

[The clone’s combat capability will be significantly lower than that of the original.]

[The clone will leave behind a powerful explosion of light before disappearing.]

+A clone of a gigantic monster is highly unstable, and there is a high chance that it will self-destruct before its time is up.

+Light cannot summon another clone for nine days after creating a clone of a gigantic monster.

“I’m… tired…” Light said dejectedly before returning to the summon dimension.

The second dragon was a clone created from the refraction of light! The skill that had managed to deceive the Dragon of Destruction’s golden eyes also managed to deceive the Colossi.

The Colossi were perplexed by the appearance of two Deathless Dragons.

“There’s another one that we have to kill!”

“How did this happen?”

The party members took the chance to dismount from the dragon’s back.

Meanwhile, the two Deathless Dragons went on a rampage. The real Deathless Dragon spewed out its Blood Breath and melted the Colossi, while the clone dragon spread out its wings and fled in the other direction. The Colossi split up and chased after the Deathless Dragons.

“Let’s go,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

The Colossi would return to this place if they did not hurry. Thus, the party members ran as quickly as they could until they could see a tall, dark tower in the distance, behind the fog.

The Colossi’s Magic Tower was the place where Sirian was waiting for them.