Chapter 15
10. Undead Boss (1)
Was it because word had gotten out that he was going after one of the undead bosses?
Ducon tried forming a dedicated team to accompany him, but Lee Jinhyuk flatly refused.
The main goal was to acquire the inner core.
It was far more efficient to move alone and swiftly.
“No matter what, how can you plan to go alone…?”
“I’ll be fine. Oh, I do have one favor to ask.”
“Of course. Please, name it.”
“Just lend me a sword. And a map, if you have one.”
“Is that really all you’ll need?”
“Absolutely.”
After receiving a sword from Ducon, Lee Jinhyuk said nothing further and leaped over the white castle walls, heading out.
In Dead Run, there are four undead bosses:
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The corpse serpent’s boss and cleaner, Odusasa.
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The zombie boss, Flu Flower.
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The skeleton boss, Skull Lord.
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The ghoul boss, Dead Skin.
These bosses are the only undead with sentience, each carrying a quarter of the Imoogi’s inner core.
Because of them, necromancers gather around Dead Run, and White Castle remains in constant danger.
Odusasa, the strongest of them, had already been taken down by Lee Jinhyuk.
Now, it was time to take down the remaining three and collect the inner cores.
“There are four undead bosses on the second floor, Oppa.”
As he walked through the mist thick with venom, Jinhyuk recalled his conversation with Tang Sowol.
“If you fail the exam but manage to obtain Odusasa’s inner core and then collect the rest from the second floor…”
“You could definitely gain the power of an Imoogi.”
“Which is huge! Imoogis are the strongest beings after dragons. And since dragons are extinct, maybe they’re the strongest now.”
Indeed.
With dragons extinct in the Tower, the Imoogi is now the strongest species.
Obtaining their power meant gaining potential beyond anything a human body could offer.
Of course, even with the vessel of a Celestial he now possessed, his potential was already unprecedented.
But adding the Imoogi’s power? That was a bonus—an upgrade from 100 to 120 or 130.
‘Sure, there’s still the risk of constant poisoning or curses like I’ve got now.’
But as long as he had the trait [Indomitable], that wasn’t a real concern.
“Alright. First things first.”
Flash.
“Let’s find the guide.”
2nd Floor – Dead Run
Most players never leave White Castle’s boundaries once they’re on the second floor.
There’s simply nothing to gain in this dead, ruined land.
But two types of players did roam these lands:
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Necromancers who researched or controlled the undead.
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And players who hunted for dropped or hidden items—so-called Scavengers.
“Wait, boss. So you’re saying…”
One scavenger, resting a huge sword on his shoulder, bashed in an undead’s skull.
“…this Dead Run used to be fertile land?”
“Exactly. Then curses and disaster turned it into this rotten wasteland. Supposedly, dragons once lived here before the land split. The point is…”
Crash!
“This is a land of opportunity. One no one else knows about.”
The man who looked like the leader swung both his swords with practiced ease.
His name was Kellen.
Originally a treasure hunter, he’d cleared the 5th-floor trial and descended—a skilled veteran.
‘To think I discovered this secret. Heh. Lucky me.’
A few years ago, Kellen unearthed a shocking truth:
According to ancient records, this land was once a flourishing empire.
Though it fell to ruin and became Dead Run, the empire’s treasure troves and magical relics still lay buried.
Unlike most scavengers, Kellen knew the exact locations of many relics, thanks to his research.
So, he gathered trustworthy players and a mercenary team to claim the loot.
“Remember one thing. Always avoid bosses and necromancers.”
“Y-Yes, boss.”
“That damn nagging again…”
Sure, items were often buried beneath corpses or required dungeon crawling. But the greatest threats were always necromancers and undead bosses.
“Boss. Look over there.”
“Huh?”
The scavengers spotted a lone player in the distance.
“Who the hell is that?”
“How’d he get this far?”
He didn’t look well-equipped—just wearing functional clothes, not a single visible item except for a plain-looking sword.
He was calmly drinking water in an undead-free zone, looking exhausted.
“Should we just ignore him? He looks like a total newbie.”
“Wait.”
Kellen took out an item.
[Using Item: Floor Identifier]
[Target has cleared Floor 2.]
‘Ah, there we go.’
Kellen grinned.
‘A clueless newbie who just got to Floor 2 and is trying to act cool.’
He’d seen these types before.
Newbies who fell for fake rumors about hidden treasures, sold their items, and went solo into secret dungeons—only to die or crawl out empty-handed.
“Let’s just leave him. Not worth our time.”
But then Kellen saw something.
Frost-glinted armor under the man’s clothes.
“Wait a second…”
Kellen’s expression hardened.
“You see that armor? The cold air coming off it?”
“Huh? Yeah, I see some frost.”
“Wait… isn’t that the Eternal Frost?”
“Right. A legendary frost-resistant armor. Top-tier hidden piece from Floor 1!”
The group stirred in disbelief.
“Boss, don’t only high-tier guilds have access to that?”
Kellen frowned.
The guy had only cleared Floor 2. It made no sense for him to have that armor.
Only one possibility came to mind:
‘Damn it. That bastard found the hidden piece before we did. By pure luck.’
Clench.
‘It was supposed to be ours. We bought the info. We were first. He stole it.’
Kellen muttered bitterly.
“Thieving bastard…”
“Huh?”
“He just found it first, that’s all. He didn’t earn it—he stole it.”
One subordinate looked uneasy.
“But Boss, what if he’s actually strong? Part of a high-ranking guild or something…”
Kellen shook his head.
“If he were truly powerful, we’d never have gotten this close unnoticed. He’d have spotted us already.”
The others nodded. That checked out.
If he was that skilled, he wouldn’t be quietly sipping water while they closed in.
“You’re right, Boss. This is our chance.”
Kellen’s eyes sharpened.
“Let’s take it back.”
Weapons were drawn. A slow encirclement began.
‘You brought this on yourself.’
‘We gotta eat too, y’know.’
Even as they crept closer, the man didn’t react. He calmly chewed jerky, eyes unfazed—like swatting away flies.
“That bastard…”
His attitude was infuriating, especially for someone they were about to rob.
“Living the good life, huh?”
Kellen approached with sword in hand. The ambush was nearly complete.
Only then did the man look up.
“You need something?”
His blunt tone made Kellen smirk.
“You don’t get the situation, do you? Must be a newbie.”
“From the looks of it, you’re not here for a friendly chat.”
“Smart guy. Yeah, we’re not.”
Kellen stabbed one of his swords into the ground.
“Hand over everything, and we’ll let you live.”
The man chuckled.
“So you recognize this armor?”
“Eternal Frost. Doesn’t matter how you got it—you’re not beating us.”
“…”
“So drop it and walk away.”
“…Brother?”
“Did you hit your head or something?”
“Why are you being soft?”
Jinhyuk tilted his head at their reactions.
“Holding a sword to someone’s throat and demanding their belongings—that’s soft?”
“Of course it is, you idiot!”
Kellen thought he was being merciful.
“I could’ve just killed you and looted the body. Be grateful.”
“Consider yourself lucky.”
“Lucky, huh?”
The simply dressed man—Lee Jinhyuk—stood up, eyes gleaming.
“Yeah. Lucky.”
Grin.
“Because I was hoping someone would show up who knows this terrain.”
‘What’s this? Was he waiting for us?’
A chill crept up Kellen’s spine, but he shook it off.
“You’re seriously asking for it…!”
“Screw it! Take him down!”
The subordinates rushed forward.
‘Cocky bastard.’
Kellen watched, amused.
They were six strong—veterans who’d cleared Floor 3 or 4. Levels ranged from 20–30. No way this guy could handle them with just some frost armor and a basic sword.
“Try not to damage the armor! Aim for the face instead!”
“Got it!”
Now their target was within striking distance.
‘It’s over.’
Once a player dies, their points vanish.
Ideally, they’d extort points and loot. But hey, if he died, that worked too.
Kellen grinned and prepared to clean up—
Then everything went wrong.
“Guh—Kuh!”
BOOM!
With a thunderous impact, one subordinate went flying.
Unreal strength.
“…?!”
Kellen instinctively raised his swords.
‘What the hell? He only just cleared Floor 2!’
It didn’t stop there.
Before anyone could react, Jinhyuk ducked and dodged every blade, grabbed one guy’s hair, and smashed his skull into another’s.
BAM!
The sound was enough to crack bone.
And he wasn’t done.
“Urgh!”
“Stab him! Stab now!”
The others swung downward—but Jinhyuk forced a gap by shoving one aside with his shoulder, slipping through effortlessly.
Crash!
The man he shoved landed among the corpses.
“Die!”
“Son of a—!”
Only the scavengers who’d cleared Floor 4 kept calm, swinging with precision.
Even Kellen rushed back to join the fight.
Sure, they were better trained than Floor 1 newbies.
But Jinhyuk’s eyes gleamed.
‘That’s all you’ve got?’
Thud!
He dodged effortlessly and shattered one nose with a punch.
Then, he pulled out the hidden dagger:
[Scale Breaker].
Gripping it in reverse, he sliced through another’s throat.
SPLASH!
Blood spurted.
‘An opening!’
One subordinate was down, but Kellen seized the moment.
If they didn’t kill him now, they wouldn’t save their own.
Boom!
‘He’s faster?!’
Wind whipped around Kellen as he accelerated.
“This ends now!”
Slash!
[Cross Blade]
A dual-sword skill activated with mana, cutting in an X-shape.
It was a rare-grade technique—
And he swung with everything he had.
(End of Chapter 15)
Let me know if you’d like Chapter 16 or more!
