First Kill

Determined to level up quickly and strengthen his power and undead servants, Lucas walked with Ella outside with his undead entourage at his side.

Being vigilant while walking, Lucas turned to Ella and asked, "I forgot to ask, but what's your current level?"

Ella checked her status screen and replied, "Hmm, I'll be leveling up soon."

Lucas, a bit surprised, inquired, "Soon? But you haven't killed any monsters so far?"

Ella calmly responded, "Well, it's because I can gain experience from crafting too, but I'm not sure how much."

Lucas, while examining the Simhyeol Hwando, thought to himself, "Well, if she can create such things, and considering she's a unique class like me, it's certainly reasonable."

Walking through the area, Lucas remarked to Ella, "That's good. It's somewhat similar to how my undead's kills contribute to my experience."

Ella, feeling a bit carefree, placed her hands behind her head and began, "Well, your undead are a bit like a cheat, and you don't know—"

But before she could finish her sentence, a Kobold leaped from the top of a building with a sword in hand, shouting, "Haa, human, meat!" and swung his sword toward her.

In the split second that the kobold swung his sword, he heard something pass by like a gust of wind.

The next moment, he found himself falling, and his vision turned upside down as he landed on the ground.

He thought, "Huh, I can't attack," and then noticed his body falling in front of him, thinking, "Why, my arms, legs there?"

 With the kobold's head rolling on the ground, Lucas stood there with his sword in hand, the blade still dripping with blood.

He deftly swung it, efficiently removing the gore. The coldness in his eyes was unmistakable as he addressed the lifeless kobold.

"Do you think sneak attacks will work when I'm around?" Lucas questioned, his tone laced with a sense of dominance.

[ Killed Kobold Swordsman (F) - Level 16. Gained 44 EXP.]

Ella, still in shock from the sudden attack, quickly hopped behind Lucas and inquired, "What is that? A monster?"

Lucas, holding Ella protectively and gently pushing her to the side, turned to face the street. Holding his sword before him with a cold resolve, he replied, "Looks like we should save the conversation for later."

Just as he spoke, kobolds hidden nearby began emerging, climbing atop buildings, and lurking amidst the rubble-strewn streets. Some of them laughed, taunting, "He, dead, he stupid, awhaha."

Another kobold slithered his tongue over his sword, hissing, "Human, I kill."

Lucas, seeing the increasing number of kobolds with a hint of worry, turned to Ella and advised, "They are too many, Ella. You should stay in the back with some undead. I'll call you when I've made them less."

Ella remained safe with the three lizardmen undead as Lucas turned his attention to the kobolds, whose numbers were not in the thousands but still amounted to at least a hundred.

Lucas stood there, contemplating his situation. In his mind, he thought, "All of them don't seem to be more than F or E class, but fighting them alone would be reckless."

He looked at the sword in his hand, a smile forming on his face as he muttered to himself, "But this is exciting." He could feel the pulse-pounding rush of battle, adrenaline surging through him.

With a smile, he shouted loudly, taking out his grimoire, "Alright, you mangy creatures, who's first?"

Lucas dashed toward the approaching kobolds with the Simhyeol Hwando in his hand.

He spotted a nearby boulder, which he used as a makeshift high ground. Jumping off it, he muttered, "Come, everyone. 'Summon.'"

With the word from his mouth, all his undead - snakes, goblins, lizardmen, and smaller undead - materialized in the air above the kobolds' heads. They descended upon the startled kobolds in a relentless onslaught.

Lucas descended from the air with his undead, his blade cutting through the kobolds like a hot knife through butter. As blood sprayed around in the air from the fallen foes, he commanded with a smile, "My servants, slaughter them all!"

[ Killed Kobold Swordsman (F) - Level 16. Gained 44 EXP.] X 3

Ella, watching her brother from behind a boulder, was both surprised and awestruck. "He sure is strong," she thought, "but why does his expression seem more like that of a monster than the actual monsters?"

Lucas in a fierce battle with his undead minions, mercilessly hacking through the kobolds with his Simhyeol Hwando, while a constant stream of notifications from the system filled his mind.

Amid the chaos of the fight, Lucas ascended a nearby boulder, his gaze turned toward the sky.

With a deep breath, he whispered, "Mom, thank you for lightening the burden in my heart, allowing me to relish these moments battling monsters."

His attention then shifted back to the skirmish between the kobolds and his undead horde. A sly grin crept across his face.

"Now, let's see how you puppies will react to this," he taunted. Raising his hands toward the battlefield, he uttered in an icy tone, "Arise."

Lucas's command echoed through the battlefield, and the earth trembled beneath his feet as the slain kobolds started to rise.

These undead monstrosities, once his enemies, now stood as his servants, their lifeless eyes filled with an eerie green fire.

The living kobolds, still battling fiercely, turned to face the risen undead kobolds. Confusion gripped them as they saw their fallen comrades now fighting against them, one of the kobolds incredulously muttering, "Stupid, dead, alive?"

The arrogant expressions of the living kobolds swiftly shifted to terror as their reanimated kin turned on them, stabbing them without hesitation. Chaos reigned as the battle's dynamics shifted in an instant.

Lucas maintained his authoritative stance, wielding his sword with determination. With one hand raised in command, his eyes flickering with green flames, he addressed the bewildered and terrified kobolds, his voice a mix of authority and triumph, "Turn on your own kind, for I am the master of life and death on this battlefield now!"

His words reverberated through the battleground, and his undead minions heeded his command.

The remaining kobolds, witnessing the gruesome turn of events, muttered in fear as their fur stood on end. One of them, his voice trembling, uttered, "Monster, he, no human."

In a panicked frenzy, they threw down their swords and attempted to flee, shouting, "Monster! Kobold scared!"

Lucas's undead surrounded the fleeing kobolds from all sides, preventing their escape. Lucas, showing restraint, commanded his minions, "Let some remain half-dead; don't kill every kobold."

The battlefield descended into chaos and desperation, as the living kobolds realized they were now outnumbered by the undead, some of their brethren joining the ranks of the undead while others were left wounded and terrified.

Lucas, satisfied with the turn of events, turned his attention to Ella, calling her to join him amidst the chaos. "Ella!" he shouted, his voice commanding and resolute.

Ella, who had been watching the gruesome scene unfold with a mixture of awe and fear, hesitated for a moment. She clung to the boulder and muttered in a shaky voice, "Lucas, do I have to do this? They can talk, and... it's just so different."

Lucas, his gaze unwavering and filled with determination, approached his sister. He extended the Simhyeol Hwando toward her, the blade gleaming with the blood of the kobolds.

His words were firm but filled with wisdom, "Ella, you have to get used to this. I know it is difficult but In this world now, it's kill or be killed. You need to learn to protect yourself and survive."

He pressed the katana into her hand, the weapon feeling both foreign and heavy in her grip. "Use the Simhyeol Hwando, you created and Kill them."

Ella trembled, her eyes locked on the terrified kobolds who were once her enemies but now cowered in fear, saying "Kobold, scared."

She raised the katana, her voice a mere whisper, "But they can talk... it just feels so wrong."

Lucas, a rare hint of vulnerability in his eyes, still encouraged her sternly, "Ella, you have the power now. You have the responsibility to use it for survival. This isn't the world we knew, and our enemies won't always be so forgiving. You can't afford to hesitate. Trust me; it gets easier with time."

With a deep breath, Ella steeled herself, her fear giving way to determination.

She whispered, "I need to survive," as she swung the Simhyeol Hwando, the blade cutting through the air and landing with a swift motion.

With her strike hitting its mark, one of the wounded kobolds met its end, and its pained cries turned to silence. Ella's hands were trembling, her gaze fixed on the lifeless creature before her.

Lucas nodded in approval and put a hand on her shoulder. "Good, Ella. It's a tough world now out there, and you need to adapt quickly. We'll get through this together."

He turned his attention back to the battlefield, where the remaining kobolds, now thoroughly terrorized, were falling to his undead and the wrath of the Simhyeol Hwando.

With each strike, Ella's hesitation waned, and she grew more resolute, for in this unforgiving world, survival required embracing the harsh realities it presented.