Record of a Thousand Lives

Kang Yoon-Soo ran toward the other side to hunt down the Mana Golem while Shaneth was keeping the Frost Demon occupied.Hewas worried about Shaneth, but they hadno other choice if they wished to hunt both of the powerful monsters at once.

‘I’ll take care of the Mana Golemquicklyand go help Shaneth out,’hethought.

“I, move,” the Mana Golem said, starting to rockits body as if it wereabout to disregard the six hundred undead clinging on to it and immediately stand up.

Kang Yoon-Soo raised his right hand and muttered, “Corpse Explosion.”

A large Undead Ahinkul exploded, and the explosion was much stronger than when he used common undead for the skill.It was because the Ahinkulsstored flammable oils in their bodies.

“I, feelpain,” the Mana Golem said as some fragments fell off its body because of the explosion.Such mana stone fragmentswere rare materialsused byAlchemists and Enchanters.

Kang Yoon-Soo grasped the mana stone fragments in his handsandcrushedtheminto powder. Thepowder soon turned into blue mist,and his body absorbed it.He thought,‘Mana stones can quickly replenish mana likepotions.’

The current level of the skill ‘Corpse Explosion’ was Level 3, and it consumed 120 mana every time it was cast, while Kang Yoon-Soo’s maximum mana was 1,170.Hewould normally only be able to use Corpse Explosion ten times, but thanks to the Magic Amplifying Bracelet, the Ring of Life Suppression, and the mana stone fragment he had just used, his mana regenerated at a frightening speed.

Heunsparingly usedtheskill.“Corpse Explosion. Corpse Explosion. Corpse Explosion.”

Booom! Boom!Boo-booom!Boooooom!

The explosions that covered the Mana Golemwereso intense thattheyshook the whole ruin. The Mana Golem’s body was severely damaged,tearing a hole through a sectionof its chest. The hole exposed a large blue internal organ—the golem’s mana heart.A golem’s mana heart, also known as a core, was what gave it free will andthe powerto move around.

“I, feelmy body is light,” the Mana Golem said, suddenly movingwith great agility.Itssudden increase in speed wasbecause it had lostsignificant portions ofthe heavy,burdensome stone guarding its mana heart.

Kang Yoon-Soo stopped using ‘Corpse Explosion’andgave another command.“Focus your attacks on the Mana Golem’s heart.”

The Undead Ahinkuls crawled up the arms of the Mana Golem, attacking its mana heartat Kang Yoon-Soo’s command.

“Damn it! Let’s die today!” Henrick shouted, taking outwooden archer dolls and wooden thief dolls. He commanded the dolls through his mana threads to rain arrows and daggersdowntoward the golem’smana heart.

“I, amangry,” the Mana Golem said, rampaging because of the damage it had received.

Boom! Boom!

The Mana Golem punched the ground numerous times. Every punch that hit the ground shook the entire room, and numerous undead fell to the ground like flies wheneveritswung its arms in a rampage.

Kang Yoon-Soo approached Iris and suddenly hugged her from behind.Iris turned to look at him with eyes filled with curiosity.

“I heard this act is done by lovers. Kang Yoon-Soo, do you love me?” Iris asked.

“No,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he lifted Iris up, and he then called for White.

White immediately dashed toward Kang Yoon-Sooathis call, andhe and Iris both mountedthe beast. White ran at a frightening speed toward the rampaging Mana Golem, and Kang Yoon-Soo whispered in Iris’ ears while still hugging her, “Bonappetit.”

“What do you mean?” Iris asked with an innocentexpression.

The Mana Golem’s fist landed where theyhad beenmomentsago.

Boom!

The ground broke apart into ice fragmentsbecause of the tremendous impact of the Mana Golem’s fist,scatteringall over the place.

Kang Yoon-Soo stood upwhile atopWhite, throwingIris toward the Mana Golem. As Iris flewtoward the Mana Golem, shethoughtseriously, ‘Flying through the air feels so good.’

Bam!

Kang Yoon-Soohad thrownIris so accurately that she landed directly inside the now-open area on the golem’s chest,where its mana heart was exposed.Iris stared at the mana heart, whichwas giving off a blue glow. She then asked the golem, “Can I eat this?”

“No, never!” the Mana Golem shouted, slammingits large handintoits chest to chase the intruder away.

However, Iris ducked and avoided the golem’s attempts.She said as if she werefacing a severe dilemma, “Kang Yoon-Soo, this child is telling me it does not want me to eat its heart.”

“Don’t listen to bad kids,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“I see,”Iris said. She bit down on the Mana Golem’s heart as soon as Kang Yoon-Soofinished speaking,like an obedient child following the orders ofa parent.

The Mana Golem thrashed aroundand attempted to drag the intruder out of its core, but all of its attemptsto removethe intruder were futile.It did not take long forIristo devourthe golem’s mana heartwithherinnate‘Predator’skill.

“I, havecompletedmy calling!” the Mana Golem shouted, before exploding from the removal of its heart.

Kaboom!

[You have defeated the Mana Golem (Boss, Level 224).]

[Your level has increased by 7.]

The giant golem turned into a pile of rock as itsfragmentsscattered all over the place.Iris, who was in the epicenter of the explosion, was thrown backand seemedabout to falldangerouslyto the ground. However, Henrick, who was near the area shehad beenabout to land in, caught her just in time.

“Umph! Is it because you eat too many weird things? Why are you so heavy?!” Henrick complained.

“Your words just now made me feel bad for some reason. Can I eat your heart, Henrick?” Iris asked with an innocent look on her face.

“Do you want to die?” Henrick responded.

Kang Yoon-Soo immediately rushed toward the Frost Demon and Shaneth while Henrick and Iris were busy bickering.Hissteps were much morehurriedthan usual.He thought,‘It took more time than I thought it would.’

The Frost Demon was not a monster that could be faced alone for a long period of time—at least in the current situation.There was no guarantee that Shaneth would be able to hold on even if the other clan membersjoinedthe battle andhelpedher out.

***

The Frost Demon took in a deep breath,before letting out a deafening shout that rang throughout the room and even shook the walls.“Absolute Zero!”

A bluestreamof magic spread around the Frost Demon.The temperature suddenly droppedsharply;even the air around the demon started to freeze, andtheSalamander’s flamesthat enveloped the weapons of the clan members slowly started to die.

Sally, whohad beenproviding the flames to the clan members from behind their lines, suddenlyturned pale and shivered. She stuttered, “I-It’s too… c-cold…! I-It hurts… P-papa… Mam-a…!”

Herbody started to slowly fade before she completely disappeared—shehad beenforcefully returned to the summon dimension. The Frost Demon’s magic thathaddragged the temperature down to freezing levels by forcehad caused significantdamage to the Salamander.

“M-my body!”

“My feet are stuck to the ground!”

The clan members could not move their legs and were frozen on the spot. Of course, the flames that surrounded Shaneth hadlong since disappeared.

“Kyaaah!”

A desperate scene greeted Kang Yoon-Soowhen he reached the place whereShaneth and the Frost Demonhad been fighting. The Frost DemonheldShaneth by the hair, whileShaneth, who looked pale and haggard, tried toresist thedemon.

“Be my flesh and blood,” the Frost Demonbegan, preparingto stab Shaneth in her stomach with its claw. Suddenly, however, a bolt of lightning struck the demonin the back of its head.

Bzzzt!

The lightning numbed the back of thedemon’s head, but it was not able to inflict any significant damage. The Frost Demon turned around before throwing Shaneth to the sideangrily, looking for the perpetratorwho haddared to hit it.Its eyesopened in surprise as it saw the mana fragments that covered Kang Yoon-Soo.

“T-those are… fragments of the Mana Golem!” the Frost Demon exclaimed in surprise.

“I killed it,” Kang Yoon-Soo said, slowly walkingtoward Shanethas she laycollapsed on the groundandstaringat her bloodied abdomen. Thankfully, the wound was not that deep, and Kang Yoon-Soo took out a vial of healing potion and applied ittoher.

“K-kang Yoon-Soo…?” Shaneth moanedweakly.

“It’s alright,” Kang Yoon-Soo reassured her beforedrawinghis sword andwalkingtoward the Frost Demon. He said in a bitterlycold voice,“You will die by my hands.”

“Ha! What a joke!”TheFrost Demon snickered, chargingtoward Kang Yoon-Soo.

Kang Yoon-Soo lowered his stance and avoided the Frost Demon’s charge,immediately counterattackingby stabbing his sword into the demon’s chest andusinghis skill.“Abyssal Sword.”

Hefocused on the demon’s weak spotsandunleashed a barrage of strikes againstthem, and simultaneously stabbed his staffinto the ground.“ReleaseLightning.”

Bzzzzzzt!

A ferocious electrical current crawled across the ground, shatteringthe ice that was tying the clan members down.

Durman rubbed his handsthat had gone numbbecause of the current and complained, “Aigoo! That stung!”

“Everyone! Charge at the Frost Demon!” a clan member shouted, and the Martial Blood Clan’s attack resumed.Theyonce again coated their weapons in holy water and reentered theirformationto keepthe Frost Demon at bay.Meanwhile, Henrick, Iris, and even the undead joined the Frost Demon raid.

“Thread Tying!” Henrick’s mana thread shot out toward the Frost Demon, binding its body.

“Insolent fools!” the Frost Demon roared.It started dragging Henrick around in its attemptsto resist being bound by the mana thread.

Henrick was taken aback by the immense power of the Frost Demon, but Iris tightly grabbed his shoulderandstarted to pull him back.“O-ouch!” Henrick cried out in pain.

Iris and the Frost Demon were now playing tug-of-war with Henrick in the middle,butthe doppelganger was not giving an inch to the demon. In fact,Iriseven had the luxury of smilingat Kang Yoon-Soo.

“The golem’s heart tasted good,” Iris said with a satisfied look on her face.She hadused her innate ability,‘Predator’, to absorb the immense strength of the Mana Golem.

“O-ouch! You stupid punk! My arms are going to tear off!” Henrick cursed and cried out, andtears started welling up in his eyes.

Kang Yoon-Soo dashed toward the bound-up Frost Demon before pointing his staff atit and calling out,“ReleaseLightning.”

The powerful bolt of lightning struck the Frost Demon dead center in its chest. The Frost Demon writhed in agony, andthe pain it feltwas clearly visibleon its face.

“You!You insolent…!” theFrost Demon cried out, attempting to bite Kang Yoon-Soo’s left arm. However, Kang Yoon-Soo was a step faster, withdrawing his armjust before the demon was able to sink its fangs in. Still,the demon managed to bite the tip of the Staff of Lightning.

It was an unexpected turn of events, but Kang Yoon-Soo calmly muttered, “ReleaseLightning.”

The lightning rushedinto theFrost Demon, doing massive damage to its insides. However,after using its final charge, the staff shattered under the demon’s fangs.

Cr-rack!

“Die!” the Frost Demon screamed, biting off achunk of Kang Yoon-Soo’s arm.

The demon tore offKang Yoon-Soo’s flesh and blood started to flow down his arm, but Kang Yoon-Soo was unfazed, immediately leapingback and takingthe Slaughterer’sBloodswordout ofhis backpack.Hecharged toward the Frost Demon, wieldingRavian’s Longsword and the Slaughterer’sBloodswordin each hand.

The two swords stabbed downintothe Frost Demon’s chest, wherethe Sword of the Holy Cross was embedded.

“G-gwuaaak!” the Frost Demon screamed as its chest was ripped apart. Finally,the demon fell to the ground and breathed its last.

The entire party wasoverjoyed, shouting in triumphand relishingtheir victory over the mighty demon.

“We won!”

“We’re the firston the continent to raid a demon!”

It was at that moment, when the group was drunk on theirvictory, that the cold, lifeless corpse of the demon started tosquirmviolently. Thedark, black figureofa corrupted soul flowed out of it.The soul laughedarrogantlyand said,

[Tsk tsk… Did you think itwouldbe that easy to win against me? Iapologizeif I got your hopes up.]

A chilling windincomparable to the cold thegrouphadexperienceduntil now blew around the corrupted soul.

[The real fight starts now!]

The words spoken by the demonic spirit madethe grouptense up.The vicious demon thathungered forhuman flesh and bloodhadturned into a spirit after dying, continuingtothirst for life.They alldespaired at the sight unfoldingbefore their eyes.

It was impossible to deal any damage to spirit-type monsters with their current weapons. Itwould bea different case if they had holy magic or black magic, but theyhad reached the point ofexhaustingtheir supply ofholywater.There was no way for them to face the demonic spirit.

The spiritarrogantly smirked as if to show that the end was near for them beforeshouting proudly,

[This is immortality! I will still fight after death, and I will forever keep the great treasures of Pandemonium!]

Kang Yoon-Soo suddenly walkedup tothe demonic spirit and said in a low voice, “I won’t fight you anymore.”

[Ha! Have you finally decided to obediently offer up your flesh and blood to me?]

Kang Yoon-Soo shook his head and answered, “No.”Heextended his right hand toward the demonic spirit, and the Ring of Life Suppression on his finger glowedashe muttered, “Soul Extraction.”

[Gwuaaaaak!]

The demonic spirit was instantly sucked into the ring.

[You have defeated the Frost Demon (Boss, Level 261).]

[Your level has increased by 27.]

The partystared at Kang Yoon-Soo in disbelief.

The man who had just ended the battle in thestrangestfashion stared back at thembeforeasking,“What are you looking at?”