<Chapter 30. Hero Hunter - 7>

One never knew what would happen in the Underground Empire. In this world, there wasn't a problem with dichotomous thinking: they're either friend or foe.

"It's laughable that he believed that he wouldn't be discovered when he hadn't even made the dungeon secure. He only survived this long because he was lucky."

There was only one reason Lee Shin Woo had killed Lee Man Bok. Even though Lee Man Bok had regained his sanity after turning into an undead, he lived such a leisurely life and didn't have a clear vision of the future. Not only that, he didn't even think about anything else, hated everything, and just sat on his ass... He was nothing more than a walking corpse; he was already dead.

When the battle with the Empire intensified, then this guy would either die to the 12 generals or to one of the other heroes. If not, then he'd face Ethan Cruz, who was incomparably more powerful than before and would be controlled this time for sure. Rather than let him be stolen by someone else, he'd rather just kill him now.

"Even so, you just went and killed him right away? You couldn't convince him?"

"Were you not listening? I did try to convince him. I even told him about myself."

Lee Shin Woo wasn't a psychopath. He had told Lee Man Bok about the Empire's circumstances, how his juniors were faring, Ethan Cruz's evil, and even his own dreams as well. Lee Man Bok's reaction to all of that was... it would've been better if he hadn't heard any of it.

"If he's disappointed in God and the heroes, then he should struggle to do something, but this guy didn't do anything. He just couldn't pass on. He should've known that he couldn't just hide forever, yet even so, he didn't move or do anything. ...So, I just gave him the death that he so desperately wished for."

"...Shin Woo, you really are cruel."

"You said I was kind before."

"You can be cruel and kind at the same time."

Lee Shin Woo told Jin to study up on the Empire's common language again, and Jin, pissed off, forcefully kicked him. Of course, only Jin himself was hurt by the kick.

While Jin was groaning, Lee Shin Woo picked up the emerald staff that had rolled onto the floor. Surprisingly, it was a level 5 artifact. His other seniors were satisfied with just one level 5 artifact, yet Lee Man Bok had possessed level 6 armor and a level 5 weapon; were the first heroes really this lavish!?

"Ah, it transformed through Bone Reinforcement, but it didn't level up or down... Anyway, with this, I should be able to reinforce my staff."

"There's a bone over there too."

"There are two bones! Since Bone Reinforcement's level keeps going up, the chance of me getting two bones is increasing...!"

"You being so happy about this makes you seem even worse."

When a magician-type undead was killed, they would usually drop their skull, and surprisingly, Lee Man Bok had dropped a rib bone as well. Lee Shin Woo thought about absorbing both of them simultaneously, but decided against it, choosing to absorb the skull first.

[Consuming the Lv7 Lee Man Bok's skull to reinforce your skull. Magic has increased by 38. Due to your high affinity with the target, Bone Reinforcement is a resounding success! Absorbing the majority of the target's memories and experiences.]

[My magical aptitude is... Hoo, I'm a Wind Magician, huh? Nice. I'm just like the main character in a novel! At first, wind seems like the weakest element, but there's actually a trick hidden within... Nice, nice, it's perfect! - Lee Man Bok]

He thought he'd have a high affinity with Lee Man Bok, and true to form, he absorbed a significant amount of information. Because Lee Shin Woo could now understand how a magician thought... No, that wasn't all.

Jin wouldn't know, but Lee Man Bok was born in the same country of origin as Lee Shin Woo, so their compatibility was incredible. As a result, Bone Reinforcement was a resounding success and he was able to absorb most of Lee Man Bok's memories and experiences. He absorbed his struggles, his love, and his despair as well.

'Throw away anything I don't need and... Yeah. Wind Resistance. I thought it was about time I got this resistance.'

Lee Man Bok was a high level magician who could use high rank wind magic! Of course, he couldn't match up to Kratia, who had studied magic ever since she was young, but as Lee Man Bok's skills were trained in the field, they were no joke.

Moreover, wind magic was renowned for its quick cast time and manifestation. Perhaps that was why Lee Man Bok had been so relaxed while conversing with Lee Shin Woo, as he could react quickly if need be.

Of course, Lee Man Bok hadn't realized that Lee Shin Woo's lightning was even faster, so there was no way he could have avoided a futile death!

[You have learned High Rank Wind Lv1 and High Rank Wind Resistance Lv1! Magic has increased by 150.]

Lee Shin Woo sorted through Lee Man Bok's memories and experiences, and when he had found what he was looking for, Lee Shin Woo gained a new power that he could naturally use.

And with it, his interior mana increased sharply, but he was used to it by now. Because he had a long way to go, he didn't think much of a 150 stat increase in magic anymore. Of course, if another hero were to have heard this, they would be shocked.

"Jin, you come over here too."

"Why!?"

"You probably can't get the element from this, but you should be able to get the resistance out of it, so come here."

"Uguuu..."

Jin wept, knowing how important elemental resistance was and left his body in Lee Shin Woo's hands. Once he was finishing with Jin's reinforcement, Jin had successfully acquired intermediate level 7 wind resistance, and Lee Shin Woo's magic had risen by another 10.

"Guaaaaaaaah."

"Jin, if you're going to roll on the floor, could you at least put a rag on top or something?"

Lee Shin Woo spoke indifferently, as Jin suffered the aftereffects of Bone Reinforcement, and checked the remaining loot.

As expected, the level 5 staff strengthened the wind element, and once he absorbed it, he gained around 40 magic and the staff fused with the Bifurcated Snake Spine within Bone Armory. But then, an unexpected change came about.

[You are now able to summon the Lv6 Bone Winged Serpent!]

"Huh?"

[Bone Winged Serpent]

[Lv6]

[Durability: 1,860/1,860]

[Attack Power: 450 - 610]

[Magic Attack Power: 1,350 - 1,550]

[Options: Calculation Assistance]

[Passive skill: Serpent's Whirlwind - Absorbs an element and shoots out the opposite element with even greater strength.]

Lee Shin Woo thought the fusion would either add an option that strengthened the wind element, or increased the magic attack power of the staff, but the actual result was quite unexpected. When he saw the upgraded skill though, he did think of one thing.

'Now that I think about it, I think there's a passage in a bible that states 'sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind'.'

It wasn't often used in the west anymore, but it was similar to the Korean adage. He smiled, as the skill was exactly like the adage.

'Wind is not only fast and sharp, but it also possesses the ability to reinforce other things as well... As I thought, no useless element exists.'

To be honest, Lee Shin Woo had thought that the lightning element was backward compatible with the wind element, thinking of it as just another 'variation of the wind element'. However, now that he'd gotten the wind element, he felt like he would need to do some in-depth study of the actual element itself. It wasn't that there wasn't anything special about the wind element; it was just that there was nothing special about Lee Man Bok!

Contrary to Lee Man Bok, whose only specialty was creating wind, by obtaining both his memories and experiences, Lee Shin Woo was able to manipulate the very element itself and could use the element to its fullest! 'The student has become the master.'

"Next up is this..."

Honestly, Lee Shin Woo's main concern hadn't been the wind strengthening staff. When he had first found the level 7 artifact, he had been a bit anxious, and he raised that very artifact before his eyes.

Countless particles of bone powder were clumped together into the shape of a robe that was often worn by magicians. Even now, it changed its shape right before his very eyes, deceiving those that looked at it. It seemed as though there was a gemstone mixed in, as something was dazzling within it. The robes were both frightening and charming at the same time.

[Prayer of the Dead]

[Lv7]

[Durability: 1,980/1,980 (Self-Repair)]

[Defense: 700 - 900]

[Options: Health + 40, Magic + 100, Calculation Assistance, Magic Reinforcement, High-speed Casting]

[Special Passive skill: Blessing of Death - You store others' death energy and using that death energy, you can prevent your own death. Current charge: 0/1]

Lee Shin Woo rubbed his eyes and checked once more, but the information didn't change. Setting aside its options, this robe... Its skill had the same name as Jin's revival ability!

"Jin, this robe has the Blessing of Death ability."

"What the hell!? That's bullshit!"

But contrary to Jin, who could draw in the curse and avoid death, these robes not only had to store another person's death energy but could only revive a person once, as it could store one charge maximum. That sucked, but in any case, it was a big deal to avoid death even once.

The original robe probably had a skill that was a rank lower than the current skill. However, it was because of that skill that Lee Man Bok was able to regenerate from Lee Shin Woo's attack. Perhaps this skill was the reason he was able to escape from Ethan Cruz.

"Blessing of Death, huh..."

Lee Shin Woo momentarily looked over the item, and soon stored it into the Bone Armory. His health and magic stats rose, and all of the remaining options, as well as the robe itself, was stored into the Bone Armory intact.

He immediately switched out one of his Breaths of the Lightning Gods with the Prayer of the Dead and draped it over his armor. This robe, which was composed of bone powder, could transform, so it wouldn't get in the way of his movements.

The High-Speed Casting, Calculation Assistance and Magic Reinforcement would be quite helpful to Lee Shin Woo, even though he wasn't a magician. There was nothing more reassuring than having a level 7 piece of equipment draped over him. He was equipped with a level 6 weapon, and though most of his armor was level 4, he had another piece of armor that was level 7. If the other heroes knew about this, they would be jealous and cry tears of blood. No, his items would even shock the 12 generals!

"I gained various info and even acquired some artifacts as well, so our senior really didn't die in vain..."

"I don't think he would've agreed with you..."

Lee Shin Woo didn't really care what the dead thought, and they realized that there were no traces of them having been here. They were about to leave but... they found a few volumes of books atop a roughly made table within the boss room.

They were all written by Lee Man Bok.

"You're not taking these with you, Shin Woo?"

"They're not skill books. They're probably useless..."

He said as much, yet he took the books with him. Lee Man Bok had been chosen as a hero, so even though he likely learned the Empire's language, it would be written in Korean. When he actually took a look at it, it was indeed written in Korean, but the contents were so childish and immature that he just grinned. He was whining like a little kid.

"Shin Woo, what did he write?"

"Not sure. I don't know what the language is, so I can't read it."

"You're lying, aren't you? His name is similar to yours. You're from the same country, aren't you!? Right!?"

"I'm not. Now, let's go to the Giant's domain that our senior was so helpful in telling us about. Jin, hurry up."

"Liar. If you can't understand it, then why are you sitting there, reading it so earnestly? Hey!"

Lee Shin Woo didn't reply to Jin's question and instead tapped Jin's back to urge him to go while continuing to read Lee Man Bok's diary. Ultimately, Jin grumblingly left the dungeon and began to run, while Lee Shin Woo absent-mindedly read Lee Man Bok's diary and despondently chuckled.