The man's massive sword shimmered with mana.
In a blink, he closed the distance, slashing toward Evan with monstrous force.
Slash!
An explosion rocked the penthouse—glass shattered, debris flew in every direction.Smoke billowed in thick clouds, obscuring everything.
And Evan's condition—Unknown.
A sly grin tugged at the man's lips."Too slow," he muttered, assuming his blade had ended Evan.
But as the dust cleared, his smile froze.
There was no one there.
Nobody. No blood. No trace.
"Where did he go?" Gilder barked in panic.Before the man could answer, the room grew eerie—chilling vibes rippled through the air.
One after another, the undead began crawling out of the shadows, surrounding them.
Gilder stumbled back, his face pale. Meanwhile, the berserker only grinned wider.
"You think this measly undead can stop me?" he roared, his body erupting in a dark red aura.
The oppressive force instantly weakened Evan's summons.
"I'm most proficient in slaughtering monsters!"The man—Varnox—charged forward, his blade flashing in an unstoppable frenzy.
In mere seconds, dozens of undead collapsed, crumbling under his overwhelming strength. Even though they were reinforced undead of Evan's level, they stood no chance.
Evan gritted his teeth from a hidden spot, using his {Camouflage} skill to mask his presence.
But he knew—Hiding wouldn't win this.
Mike had died because of these bastards. Gilder, the arrogant son of a rich, untouchable family, had dared to kidnap Mike's father to force him into submission—because Gilder couldn't stand being ignored by someone he thought was 'beneath' him.
Evan's blood boiled.
'I can't run. Not after everything happened here.'
He inhaled sharply and made his decision.
'System, allocate all unassigned points!'
[System has detected host command. Choose the amount to assign.]
[Assigning... +200 STR | +200 AGI | +100 END | +100 STA]
[Warning: Major physiological adaptation in progress. Pain levels rising.]
A searing pain ripped through Evan's body—muscles stretching, bones vibrating, nerves tingling.It felt like his entire being was being reconstructed.
But within seconds, the pain dulled into a fierce new strength.He could feel it. His limbs were lighter. His heart pounded with vigour.
"I'm done hiding."
He dismissed {Camouflage}, revealing himself as his undead retreated into his shadow.
The man sneered."Oh? Giving up?"
But Evan only drew two swords—one in each hand.
The berserker blinked."A Necromancer... with swords? Hah! You must be desperate!"
Varnox charged, swinging with brute power.
But this time, Evan wasn't overwhelmed.
His {Combat Eye} flickered—predicting every move.
He sidestepped cleanly, and—
Slash!
Blood spurted from Varnox's chest as Evan's blade cut through flesh.
Varnox stumbled back, his chest numb and burning.
'What the hell? Why can't I move properly?' he thought, feeling the hidden effect of Evan's enchanted blades.
"Gilder! Help, you idiot!" Varnox shouted.
But Gilder panicked."I— I can't! He's too strong!"
"Use your damn skills, moron!"
Snarling, Gilder hurled spells at Evan—ice arrows, wooden vines.
But Evan merely activated {Bone Armor}, covering himself in a sleek, seamless white exoskeleton.
The attacks glanced off harmlessly.
"You two are nothing but pathetic," Evan said coldly.
He summoned a special undead—a hulking figure bearing a massive sword—and sent it lumbering toward Gilder.
Meanwhile, Varnox, sensing the tide turning, unleashed a last resort.
"NOW DIE! {BERSERK}!"
His muscles bulged grotesquely. Blood vessels popped across his skin.He launched at Evan like a rabid beast.
But Evan, calm and focused, vanished with {Shadow Leap}—
—and reappeared behind him.
Shlick!
A clean slice severed Varnox's left arm.
"ARGGHHHHH!!" Varnox howled in agony, stumbling back.
"Where's all that arrogance now?" Evan mocked, his voice like icy knives."A Peak Tier 0 Berserker... cut down by a 'measly Necromancer.' How embarrassing."
"You... you must've used some item!" Varnox shouted, fear creeping into his voice.
Evan shook his head with a cruel smile."Nope. Just an SS-rank Necromancer with six red stats in STR and AGI."
Varnox's eyes widened in horror.
"NO... No, you can't be—You're him—from the Beast Raid—"
He turned to flee.
And Evan struck.
A summoned spear plunged into Varnox's stomach from behind, pinning him to the ground.
Coughing blood, Varnox could only watch helplessly as Evan approached.
"There are things you will never understand, coward," Evan said coldly, shoving him down further with his boot.
Using {Earth Bind} by his ability, Evan trapped him in place, immobile.
Varnox squirmed helplessly, realizing that mercy was not guaranteed—but maybe, just maybe, he would be allowed to live.
That would be a far better outcome than facing Evan's wrath.
Meanwhile, Gilder struggled against the undead, growing more humiliated with each passing second.
No matter how hard he attacked, the undead parried effortlessly—and punched him in return, treating him like a plaything.
Gilder, once a proud heir of a powerful house, now looked like nothing more than a flailing child.
And above all, the true storm was only just beginning.
Gilder's face was a swollen mess as he crawled on the ground, groaning in pain. His blurry eyes widened in relief when he saw Evan walking toward him, thinking he might finally show mercy.
"Please... stop. I can't take it anymore. Let me go—I'll give you whatever amount you want... just please let me live."
"Oh?" Evan tilted his head, voice cold and amused. "So now you want to trade money for your life? Then tell me—what price does your worthless life hold?"
Gilder's face lit up with hope for a second, but it quickly dimmed as he recalled something.
"I-I don't have any money on me right now! I already transferred about fifty million to Varnox's account. Just give me thirty minutes! I'll contact my father—he'll give you everything!"
Evan chuckled, eyes narrowing. "So all your funds are in his account, huh? In that case... you're useless to me. No money, no purpose. You can just die."
"Wait—no! Stop! Y-you were going to kill me anyway, right?! I knew it! Even if I gave you everything, you'd still kill me!"
"Oh? So you do have some brains in there," Evan replied with a dark grin. "Since you already know your fate, then do me one last favour—tell me where Mike's father is."
"HAHAHA!" Gilder suddenly broke into crazed laughter. "Even if I told you, you'd still kill me, so screw off! Go search every damn corner yourself, fool! His father will rot in that place—you'll never find him!"
Shing!
A massive sword came down in a clean arc, slicing Gilder's head in half. One half rolled to the ground while his limp body collapsed backwards.
"You did well, Mike, he was just trash-talking still at his last moments," Evan said casually, patting Undead Mike's shoulder.
The skeletal warrior clattered his teeth in response.
Evan waved to one of his normal undead soldiers. "Bring his body. I'll deal with it later."
Turning to Varnox, he approached slowly.
"Now, what should I do with you? Turn you into a summon? Or are you going to give me everything you own—including the money you have—so I might consider letting you go?"
Varnox's hope reignited instantly, like a drowning man clinging to driftwood.
"Y-yes! I'll give you everything I have! Please, just let me live! I didn't want to fight you—it was all Gilder's idea! I'll be honest from now on, I swear! I've already lost one hand—what threat can I even pose to you?"
Evan stared at him in silence for a moment, then sighed.
"Fine. Show me your sincerity. Hand over your items and your account balance."
With a quick gesture, he dispelled the binding. Varnox immediately emptied his inventory and sent over the full amount from his account.
Meanwhile, his mind was working on another scheme.
'Once I escape, I'll tell this dead fool father everything. I'll have this bas*ard hunted down like a dog.'
Evan calmly reviewed the loot.
He received 82 million points from Varnox's account. His inventory yielded several bottles of Mana and Health potions—useful in battle—but little else of value. There were no stat-boosting elixirs or miracle items, which were rare and highly sought-after. If Varnox had possessed them, he would've already used them.
There were also 3 Caldo-rank weapons and 2 Erith-rank weapons, but they were all in poor condition—durability barely above 10%. Not worth keeping.
Evan tossed them aside without hesitation.
Varnox, trembling, looked up.
"S-So... can I go now, respected sir?"
"Yes," Evan replied flatly. "I'll free you now... from life. Mike, finish it."
He stepped away, letting Mike approach.
"W-Wait! You said you'd let me go! You bastard! Come back here!"
Varnox screamed as panic set in. "No! No, please don't—! I swear, if there are gods, you'll burn in hell for eternity! May your soul suffer more than I ever could—AARRGH—!"
His cries were silenced by a clean slash from Mike.
The final obstacle was gone.
"Tch... Both of them were lunatics." Evan muttered, wiping blood from his boot. "Time to plunder what's left... and then find Mike's father."
He activated his talent.
"{Plunder}."
A dark mist surged from his body, covering the corpses as the Talent window appeared.
[
[
[
[
[
[Stats Absorbed ➤ +113 STR | +57 AGL | +89 INT | +76 VIT | +83 END | +93 STA]
[Talent Absorbed ➤ Reaper's Frenzy (D)]
Evan stared at the result and scoffed.
"Even that fool had a talent... and a pretty high-tier class. What a waste. It's like handing a pile of spellbooks to an illiterate pig."
With that, he turned his gaze forward—his next goal was clear.
Time to find the one who truly mattered: Mike's father. While even checking his new talent.
Talent: Reaper's Frenzy
Rank: D {Tier 0}
Type: Active | Combat Enhancement
Description: A talent of a legendary berserk swordsman, Reaper's Frenzy allows users to channel their bloodlust into an overwhelming surge of power when surrounded by multiple enemies. As the battle intensifies, the user becomes a harbinger of destruction, with each additional foe further increasing their strength, speed, and reflexes, turning the user into a deadly force capable of annihilating hordes of enemies.
Effects:
Frenzied Growth: For every enemy the user faces, their combat capabilities surge. The effects stack as more enemies are present:
Strength increases by +3 per enemy (up to a maximum of +150 for 50 enemies).
Agility increases by +2 per enemy (up to a maximum of +100 for 50 enemies).
Endurance increases by +2 per enemy (up to a maximum of +100 for 50 enemies).
Attack Power increases by 1% per enemy (up to a maximum of +50% for 50 enemies).
Unstoppable Fury: The user becomes resistant to crowd control effects (stun, bind, slow, etc.), with each additional enemy increasing this resistance. After facing 10 enemies, the user becomes immune to all minor crowd control effects for the ability's duration.
Duration: Lasts for 30 seconds or until the user is no longer surrounded by multiple enemies. If the user drops below 5 enemies, the effects begin to diminish.
Cooldown: 3 minutes after the effect ends.
__
"Damn, these effects are insane... If I had used more undead earlier, I'd have dug my own grave for sure," Evan muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
A guy of this caliber and talent shouldn't have had any bleak future—unless he was a coward who couldn't fight beasts head-on.
Every guild must've tried to scout him, and yet here he was... doing shady things in the shadows.
"People like you don't deserve to live in this world," Evan said coldly.
He thought about finding Mike's father next—but realized with a grimace that he didn't know where the man was being kept.
Then, an idea struck him.
He turned toward the corpse of Gilder on the ground, reassembling its head as the mask clung to his face like a parasite.
[Mask has collected the memories of a titleless individual.]
[What do you wish to do: Go through all memories or view specific parts?]
"No. Just give me the part where he locked up Mike's father—and after that, delete everything else. I don't want anything to do with his or Mike's other memories," Evan said coldly.
Moments later, fragments of memories rushed through his mind.
In less than a minute, Evan had the location.
Without wasting time, he sprinted down to the underground floor.
Reaching a particular painting on the wall, he moved it in a strange sequence—and a hidden passage opened.
Inside was a small room.
Mike's father lay there, bruised, battered, and barely conscious among a few other scattered items.
Without hesitation, Evan hurried forward, pulled out a healing potion, and carefully poured it into the man's mouth.
The potion worked fast—bruises faded, broken bones began to mend, and the swelling went down—though some injuries still lingered.
"Who... who are you? Get out of here... before that bas*ard, Gilder comes back... he'll kill you!" Mike's father rasped weakly.
"Don't worry, sir. I've already dealt with Gilder," Evan said calmly. "I'm here to save you. Your son... he's buying us time upstairs. He said to bring you back to your family. He'll catch up after."
Mike's father's eyes widened.
"If my son is here, he should leave too! Those people won't let him go if they catch him... Please, help him! I beg you! I'll do anything—just save him!"
"Don't worry," Evan said softly, the guilt clawing at his heart. "He said he'll follow right after us. Let's go."
After grabbing the important items from the room, Evan led him out.
Mike's father flinched when he saw Mike's undead form, but Evan quickly explained, "I'm a Necromancer. He's under my control."
"Sir, let's move quickly. I'll leave my undead to slow down anyone who tries to chase us," Evan said.
First, Evan summoned his undead mage.
Then, with a faint, sorrowful smile hidden behind his mask, he released Mike's undead from his storage.
The undead crumbled into dust, finally set free.
'Brother... I saved your father. Rest easy. I'll make sure they live safely, without being bothered again,' Evan vowed silently.
He gave one last command to his mage: "Destroy the penthouse so thoroughly that no one can recognize anything—erase everything."
The mage nodded and floated up into the night sky.
A massive fireball began to form above its head—like a second sun.
It hurled the blazing orb straight down, engulfing the penthouse in a colossal explosion, reducing it to ruins and flame.
By the time the fire spread, Evan was already far away from Mike's father, who was still struggling mentally.
"No... my son... he's still in there! Please, help him!" he cried, trying to run back.
Evan held him tightly.
"Sir... I'm sorry. Your son... he didn't make it."
"No! He promised you! He said he'd return! We have to find him—!"
"No, sir... you misunderstood," Evan said heavily. "When I found you, he was already gone... fighting Gilder and his men. He gave his life for you. It was... it was his plan too... to destroy the building and erase any trace, so no one could ever threaten you again."
Mike's father fell to his knees.
"No... no... it can't be... my son... my son was strong... you're lying..."
"I wish I were," Evan said, his voice cracking behind the mask. "Your son was strong, braver than anyone. But above all... he was a great son. He sacrificed everything for his family."
Tears slipped silently beneath Evan's mask, hidden from sight.
"If you throw away your life now, you'll be trampling over his sacrifice. Don't let his final wish be in vain."
Mike's father broke down in sobs.
After a long moment, Evan gently helped him stand.
"Let's go, sir... please."
Half an hour later, they arrived at a modest house—nothing fancy, but filled with warmth.
They knocked on the door.
"Coming!" A young girl's voice called out. "It must be Big Brother again, coming late after raiding dungeons!"
The door opened, and a little girl—who looked strikingly like Mike—stood there. She blinked at Evan in confusion.
"Um... who are you?"
Evan silently stepped aside, revealing the man behind him.
"Dad...?" she whispered.
Tears welled up instantly in her eyes. She threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly as if afraid he'd vanish.
"Dear? Who is it?" a woman's voice echoed from inside.
Mike's mother appeared—and the moment she saw them, she burst into tears, rushing forward to embrace her husband and daughter.
Laughter, tears, and joy filled the house.
Evan stood silently outside, hidden in the shadows, watching.This kind of life... wasn't meant for him. Not yet.Not until he could return to the Blue Planet.
'Rest well, Mike. Your family is safe. I'll make sure they live in peace... even if I have to prepare a little gift for them,' Evan thought.
Minutes passed.
Mike's mother, overjoyed, reached for her phone, wanting to call Mike to share the good news—
—but that was when the real tragedy began.
Mike's father told them everything—the whole truth.
About Mike's sacrifice.
About how Raven—the masked man—had helped them escape.
The house that was once filled with joyous laughter... crumbled into mourning and heart-wrenching sobs.
Evan stood quietly and bore the guilt in silence.
Before leaving, he transferred almost all his money to Mike's family—82 million CP—keeping only a few hundred pounds for himself.
Mike's father tried to refuse, but Evan firmly declined.
"This... is the least I can do," Evan said. "Please don't reject a gift meant to honour Mike."
Before anyone could change their mind, Evan quietly deleted his bank details from Mike's father's phone, ensuring they couldn't send the money back even if they wanted to.
As for Gilder's death and the inevitable fallout, Evan knew it was only a matter of time before Gilder's father came hunting for him.
But by then... he would have reached Tier 1.
And no Tier 2 expert would be chasing him—those monsters were far too rare and valuable.
The day ended with the tragic death of Mike——but also the bittersweet reunion of his family, now safe and together, though scarred forever.
Later, back at his own home, Evan sat quietly in his room.
Inside his inventory... was the real bounty—the hidden items he had taken from the secret room.
He reached in and pulled them out—and what he found made his eyes widen in shock.
—To Be Continued.
What did Evan find in the secret room? Was it something priceless? Stay tuned to find out!