The Second Life of a Legendary Necromancer

Chapter 46: The Hideous Witch (7)

[You have entered the boss room.]

As I stepped into the boss room, I couldn’t help but smile.

Three Spectrals, who had been waiting inside, bowed their heads in greeting.

-You seem to be in a good mood, Master.

“Yeah, something amusing happened.”

It was a simple trick.

Just because you enter a boss room doesn’t mean the battle begins immediately.

Sometimes the boss gives you time to prepare or waits until you reach a specific part of the map before triggering a cutscene.

This room was structured so that the boss appeared only after climbing about five steps.

The rooftop of the Magic Tower.

Despite the fierce winds, there was a small space here to conceal the Spectrals.

Normally, summoning creatures or tamed monsters into such areas would be impossible.

But Spectrals weren’t classified as mere “summons.”

They were unique entities, one of a kind in this game.

Not summons, not players, yet treated like players by the system.

Also, escaping from a boss room was nearly impossible, but I didn’t suffer death penalties once a month due to the perks of the Necromaster class.

‘Using the class’s advantages allows for such strategic exploitation.’

Considering how hard it was to obtain this class and how brutal its leveling curve was, it seemed fair to have at least this much benefit.

Besides, I deliberately equipped my iconic weapon before entering, just to provoke the high-ranking guild party waiting at the entrance.

“They must be hoping I die here.”

Most assumed I was only at the early stages of level 100.

Defeating a level 180 boss alone? Impossible.

It was only logical to think so. However, my actual combat power was 181, and with the Spectrals’ help, I had a slim chance of clearing it.

That was sufficient.

Just enough to clear it, barely.

By reaching that threshold, the probability of defeating the boss became feasible.

But guaranteeing success was arrogance.

Even with extensive combat experience and the advantage of regression, overconfidence was dangerous given the clear power gap.

Overwhelming differences in strength always had the potential to crush one’s resolve.

“It’s hunting time, my minions.”

-Yes, Master.

Just five steps.

As I ascended those steps, a crimson shadow flickered in the wind.

Fwoosh…!

The crimson shadow ignited with small flames, revealing its form.

The first visible thing was a robe soaked as if drenched in blood.

Next were its limbs, showing horrific signs of melting.

Then, its face…

‘…Even I can barely stand to look at that.’

The face of a mage.

So grotesquely disfigured that I almost turned away on instinct.

[The Hideous Witch Velinessa Lv. 180]

I understood why she was called “hideous.”

That single word wasn’t enough to describe her face.

-So you’re the ones disturbing my tower…

Her voice, like the tearing of metal, grated on my ears.

“Yeah, it’s personal. I’ve been hired to take revenge on you. They said you burned down the village of Elron, protected by the Dark Elves.”

-Elron… Elron, you say… Yes, we burned that city to the ground.

“I’d like to know why.”

Fwoosh!

At my question, flames erupted from the witch’s body.

-Why, you ask? I am like you! Revenge! It was revenge! That witch who made me this way was born in Elron!!!

Fwoom!

The heat wave made me squint slightly.

A Tower Lord is on a different level from regular mages.

They could harness the “Mana Stone Core” powering their towers, granting them greater strength.

When a Tower Lord fought in their tower, their power increased by at least one tier.

‘Made her this way… Seems she fell victim to another Crimson Tower mage.’

[Spectral Eltis activates the skill ‘Ironclad Stance.’]

The storm of flames was entirely blocked by the Ironclad Stance.

Still, it was too early to relax, as the attack was merely a release of energy.

By now, the witch’s eyes were weeping blood.

-That witch envied me. My overflowing talent, my superior beauty… She disfigured me before I could blossom, leaving me alive to suffer. Living as a hideous monster, remembered for my wretchedness, was a greater agony than dying beautifully…

So that’s the story.

A young, talented, and stunningly beautiful apprentice.

Her senior, sharing the same master, grew jealous and disfigured her.

‘Well, it’s not uncommon.’

Common, but on a grander scale in this case.

“I understand your circumstances, but I can’t let you live after burning Elron to the ground.”

-Hah… So you’re no different from Elron’s people, who stoned me as I hung from the cross, calling me a monstrous witch.

“I’d prefer not to be lumped together with them. I’ve never thrown a stone at anyone.”

Though I have thrown swords.

-Master, I will take the lead.

“Alright. I’ll leave it to you.”

As I drew the Blue Sea Blade and advanced, Eltis raised his shield and moved forward.

Eltis’s current level was 167.

That was enough to withstand the spells of a level 180 boss.

‘If a spell flies in, calculate its power and speed first. It would be even better to identify any gaps.’

This was the scouting phase.

In any boss battle, the player starts at a disadvantage.

Boss monsters are typically far stronger than their level suggests, so the usual strategy is to find openings or counterattack after observing their moves.

Fwoosh…!

“…!”

While cautiously stepping behind the shield, I felt intense heat beneath my feet and instinctively leapt aside.

Boom!

A pillar of flame erupted from where I had been standing.

‘That was close.’

A coordinate-targeting spell as the first attack, huh?

While it caught me off guard, coordinate-targeting spells weren’t too powerful, and they typically required at least 0.5 seconds to cast.

As long as I stayed vigilant, dodging them wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Alright, everyone, keep moving. That type of spell is easy to counter.”

Coordinate-targeting spells might seem impressive, but constant movement effectively neutralizes them.

Only a skilled mage who could predict movements would pose a challenge.

Fwoosh!

The witch continued to summon flames.

Fire magic, in truth, is far from precise targeting or focused strikes.

Explosions wide enough to harm allies!

An indiscriminate barrage that discards delicate control entirely!

That’s why having a fire mage as an ally is annoying and frustrating, but as an enemy, it’s like facing a walking tank.

Psychological warfare? Technique? None of that matters.

The key to defeating a fire mage is matching fire with fire!

Among the Spectrals, the closest to using magic was Cooling, but he couldn’t produce that level of firepower.

Neither could I, obviously.

But things were different now.

I had absorbed the right arm left behind by the Lord of Decay, reinterpreting its power into a Necromaster’s ultimate skill.

“…Domain of Death.”

[Skill ‘Domain of Death’ has been activated, creating an area with a 15-meter radius centered on the caster for 10 minutes!]

[All living beings within the domain will have reduced defense and continuously lose HP. Skills will also be negatively affected.]

[All Spectrals within the domain will have increased defense and continuously recover HP. Skills will be positively affected.]

A radiant and dreamlike circular space of pale violet and silver light unfurled, and the witch, who had entered the domain, flinched involuntarily.

This was a skill with a 24-hour cooldown.

Enemies inside the domain would find even their mana flow tainted by death, hindering their ability to use skills.

-…I’ve never seen magic like this before.

Magic that envelops an area in death is a power exclusive to Necromancers.

Moreover, this was an enhanced version of that power.

Though its effects were limited by my low skill mastery, no matter how skilled a mage from the Crimson Tower might be, they wouldn’t have encountered this before.

-But the domain is small. I can simply retreat…!

The witch cast a Fly spell to withdraw, but unlike other area spells, the Domain of Death moved with me.

Necromancers had modified the domain to follow their footsteps, sacrificing some effects, so they could lead their legions of skeletons into battle!

Thud!

I leaped forward, pursuing the witch, and the domain followed, engulfing her.

Although she was using Fly magic, a mage’s flight isn’t invincible.

During flight, their spellcasting is limited, and casting powerful spells becomes impossible.

Moreover, the speed of flight is slow, making it easy to target a midair mage.

In other words, the witch would eventually have to land.

Thunk!

As expected, the witch hastily landed after a short while, and I seized the opportunity to close the distance.

[Sky Thunder Flash]

A skill that covered a distance of 10 meters in an instant!

Its speed had greatly improved as my skill mastery increased.

Fwoosh!

But my opponent was a veteran fire mage.

The moment she sensed an approaching threat, flames erupted from the ground, triggering an explosion.

Boom!!

However, that was a basic fire mage technique.

I had anticipated it completely and kept half a step away to escape the explosion’s range.

‘If I retreat further, I could avoid all damage, but that would waste my opportunity to attack!’

Even though I didn’t fully avoid the explosion, and my HP dropped rapidly, my immense fire resistance, earned through repeated deaths to Zekkaliss, prevented fatal injuries.

‘This is my chance.’

Barely a few seconds had passed since the battle began, but I knew this was the perfect moment to strike.

“Spectral Possession…”

[Skill ‘Spectral Possession’ activated, transforming Yeonwol’s state into ‘Spectral.’]

[50% of the absorbed malice is converted into physical stats for 3 minutes.]

[Strength and agility are distributed evenly, according to the caster’s will.]

The malice I had gathered from hunting Crimson Tower mages amounted to 500.

Half of that was converted into stats, resulting in 250 points!

[Strength: 432]

[Agility: 392]

This was equivalent to the stats of a level 50 character, focused entirely on strength and agility.

[Damage dealt to living beings increases by 24%.]

My entire body shimmered with a silvery violet aura, similar to the Spectrals.

At the same time, a sharp pain coursed through me—the penalty for using Spectral Possession.

[Skill ‘Spectral Possession’ penalty: HP decreases by 1% every 3 seconds.]

It was a severe penalty, but I wasn’t concerned.

[The HP recovery effect of ‘Domain of Death’ offsets the penalty, preventing HP loss.]

Such penalties could easily be nullified with superior skills!

-You seem to be preparing some unusual magic… but it’s pointless.

As the fiery explosion subsided, the witch began preparing another spell.

She likely assumed I had been blown back or forced to retreat.

Fwoosh!

But as the flames fully cleared, the sight of me charging through them startled her.

-A madman…! That fire must have caused unbearable pain!

One of the reasons players hated fighting fire mages was the pain.

Since players could feel real pain, breaking through flames was never an easy decision.

Defying such common sense, I rushed at the witch, covered in burns, and swung my sword.

[First Strike Wins]

A maxim of mine, which I’d summarized as a simple motto: strike first to win.

The skill’s effect was simple: if the enemy’s HP was above 95%, this attack dealt an additional 100% damage.

Since the witch was caught off guard, the strike was guaranteed to land as a critical hit!

[Critical Strike! 5x Damage!]

[The skill ‘Overwhelming Force’ amplifies strength by 1.5x.]

[The weapon’s effect adds 9% extra damage on critical hits.]

[Spectral Possession adds 24% damage to living targets.]

[Pure damage multiplier: 1,350% applied!]

-Ugh…!

A single blow.

Just one strike.

Even with her HP slightly reduced by the Domain of Death, and despite her low defenses as a mage…

A level 130 swordsman landing a single hit shouldn’t have had such an effect.

[Witch Velinessa HP: 53%]

Her HP plummeted by half in an instant, and she suffered a critical wound.

-Cough!

The witch staggered back, vomiting blood.

Unlike other games, in this world, losing a significant amount of HP imposed severe penalties, including restricted skill usage and diminished focus due to pain.

The tide of battle had completely turned.

“Whatever your suffering or what was done to you, I don’t have the luxury to sympathize with you.”

-Damn you, human…

With silvery violet eyes gleaming, I gripped the Blue Sea Blade and slowly approached Velinessa.

The witch tried to retreat behind a wall of flames, but Cooling and Mad had already blocked her escape.

-Damn it! If only it weren’t for those pests, I could incinerate you in this state!

She wasn’t wrong.

Had it been just me, I couldn’t confidently say I would have won.

But the Spectrals were part of me, born from my skills, making me many and one at the same time.

“Pitiful lines like that are what dying villains say.”

I pointed my sword at the sweating, grotesque face of the witch.

“See you next time, Colonel Mustang.”