Necromance [41]

For a minute, there was silence. Jin-Woo's soft breathing was the only thing to pierce through that silence. As he tried to keep his composure, he looked at his MP bar. It was empty.

With his stat-skills alone, his MP regeneration was a staggering 55% a minute, so he couldn't have to wait long to fill back up. However, when including Umbra Control, that doubled, becoming 110%. In less than a minute, he'd return to full power, assuming nothing would interfere with his regeneration.

Unfortunately, Jin-Woo was pretty sure he didn't have the luxury to think so lackadaisically.

Just a few seconds after she was blown away, Pandora began pushing off all the fallen rubble that'd covered her. She flung dust around as she rose from the rubble, an impressed smile rising to her face.

Jin-Woo could clearly see the spot where his fist slammed into her gut. Her clothes held up under the blow, but a fist-shaped spot radiating black energy was a clear show that his shot his her.

Regardless of that, Pandora didn't seem injured in the slightest.

"That was awesome! We've gotta admit it, we didn't expect that much speed at all! Good, good!" Pandora clapped her hands, smiling even wider, her pearly white teeth nearly blinding Jin-Woo.

She vanished from her spot, reappearing before Jin-Woo, her fist racing towards him. His eyes jerked towards her fist, and he barely spun out of the way, all without Soul Fusion or Umbra Aura activated.

"No more quizzing, now it's a game of bloody knuckles! Can you keep up with us, Jin-Woo Sung?!" Pandora laughed, her smile growing wicked before her fist raced towards Jin-Woo's again, only to be narrowly blocked once more.

Jin-Woo threw a punch back towards Pandora but was kicked before his punch could land. He skidded back across the floor, his HP dropping about 20%, but he wasn't hurt much otherwise.

The two continued to trade blows, neither side being hit more than twice in a row.

"I'm taking it up a notch, you better keep up, gyahahaha!"

As Jin-Woo's cheek was cut by Pandora's fist, he dodged her again, and again, and again. His senses were tuned to the max, his everything put into this one fight. Eventually, he became a black blur.

His attacks started hitting Pandora more, and hers hit him less. Even when it seemed like she hit, it would just be a mass of shadows, a flickering image of what he used to be.

"Faster, Jin-Woo! Faster!" She yelled, ordered him. Jin-Woo followed suit, landing a flurry of blows on his opponent before Pandora switched her flow, initiating a triple kick.

Right before her initial hit could connect, Jin-Woo went limp, dropping to the floor and narrowly avoiding her attack. Pandora's eyes widened as she canceled her attack, using the momentum to pivot to her other foot. However, in this instant of Pandora's spin, Jin-Woo closed the distance, a fierce jab crashing into Pandora's stomach.

She slid back, but Jin-Woo didn't up, dashing forward and planting his foot directly against Pandora's face.

She tumbled back, rolling to her feet.

Jin-Woo brought his foot down, looking carefully. 'She managed to move back both times, and my blows lost a lot of power because of that, she's strong.'

Pandora let out a satisfied sigh and continued smiling. Now it returned to a smile more befitting of Julie, soft and warm and kind. That smile hurt Jin-Woo more than any wound could.

"Since it seems like you've adapted to that speed, I'll go back to the quiz game! Third question!" Pandora looked at Jin-Woo, her smile losing Julie's kindness in an instant. "Are you willing to die for Julie?"

A chill shot up Jin-Woo's spine, and he activated whatever skills he could manage. He fused with Tempest, Julie, and Igris, even activated all the defensive skills he could.

It barely mattered.

Pandora's hand shot through Jin-Woo, spearing through him. As Jin-Woo's eyes widened, Pandora met his gaze steadily.

"You answered too slow. You're not worthy of my Hope," Pandora chided, yanking her hand back and causing Jin-Woo to stagger in his spot.

His hands reached up to his chest, and he could feel searing pain in his chest. Soon, he lost all power in his legs, his arms, and then, it was darkness.

[The Player has died.]

[Game over.]

Pandora stared at Jin-Woo's corpse for a moment. Tears slowly built-up within her eyes before overflowing, streaming down her face. Pandora tried wiping them away, but they'd just be replaced by twice as many. She turned away from the corpse and hit the palm of her head against the side of his face.

"Stop screaming at me, he died because he was weak. Physically he was strong, sure, but he wasn't willing to die for—"

A second passed before she spoke again. "Listen, he wasn't even willing to—"

"Well, that doesn't mean you have to scream at me!"

"Listen, wait, just—"

A faint pitch-black aura began rising from Jin-Woo's body. However, because Pandora was turned away, she couldn't see it. She was too busy talking to someone else.

Igris, Tempest, and Jill all rose from the ground, charging towards Pandora.

"Ugh, and now I have to worry about these things too?! C'mon, give me a break!" Pandora tried to easily blow the three away, but they fell back into the shadows before emerging again, attacking her and doing the same thing again and again.

She was far too busy to notice the growing energy emerging from Jin-Woo's corpse.

A moment passed before Jin-Woo's eyes shot open, and he was in utter darkness. He was standing on nothing but could walk with utter control. He looked around for a moment, trying to pick up on where exactly he was, but couldn't do so.

Until he heard a familiar voice sigh, and he saw a familiar face sitting in a comfortable dining chair.

"So, you died already?" Ashborn asked, looking exasperated. He roughly ran his hands over his eyes, sighing deeply.

Jin-Woo looked away, scratching the back of his head. "I… I guess so. It was so abrupt it's kinda hard to accept that I'm just… dead now."

Ashborn rose from his spot, shaking his head. He approached Jin-Woo, stopping a few feet away from him. "Well, you're not entirely dead just yet. Besides, what's the point in having Mana of Death if one tiny little death sets you out of the game forever?"

"'Tiny little death'? Wait, that's not important. What do I need to do to get back there? I can't just let Pandora leave after… killing me!"

Ashborn just blinked at Jin-Woo. After a minute, he responded.

"Well, Jin-Woo, you don't have to do anything," he sighed. "I died around a decade or so ago. I think it was right around the time Gates started appearing. However, I've remained. While Pandora's… quiz game was quite childish, I'll join in. So, ahem…."

Ashborn held four fingers out, a sly smile on his face. "Question four! Why do you think I'm here?"

Jin-Woo stared for a minute before sighing. "Do I really have to…?"

Ashborn, without missing a beat, replied, "Just humor me, Jin-Woo!"

Jin-Woo shook his head, a slight smile rising to his face. "Okay, okay. Um, it's probably because of Mana of Death."

"Ding, ding, ding! Correctomundo! My soul is here because of Mana of Death, and you can communicate with me because of your intricate connection with it! So, if our essences aren't fading, what can we do to return to the land of the living?"

Jin-Woo opened his mouth before closing it. After a minute or two, he shrugged. "I dunno."

"Ding, ding, ding! I…." Ashborn sunk. "I don't know either."

"Huh. That… really sucks for us, right?" Jin-Woo asked, receiving a nod from Ashborn.

After a minute of both men thinking, Ashborn began speaking. "To explain my situation a little bit more, my older brother and I ended up fighting and… well, then I was here. I couldn't find a way to leave this space at all. I couldn't figure out why that was."

"However, standing here, I realize it's obvious. But before I get to that, I have to continue. A while after I lingered here, I suddenly felt someone else with an intense connection with Mana of Death."

Jin-Woo listened patiently, and Ashborn continued. "I watched the world for seconds every year through those who have touched Mana of Death. If I stayed with those people for too long, they'd be injured. Goh Miyoung was the first one I ended up injuring. I learned not to stay for too long."

"But then, I found the first one with Eyes of Gold, you. Your connection with Mana of Death was entirely unparalleled to anyone else. So, I watched you. For years and years, I've watched your struggle, even before you Awakened to Mana of Life. Unfortunately, that Awakening of yours was more of a curse than a blessing."

"And eventually, you stumbled upon that Dual Dungeon, and then you met Igris, my right wing and secondary commander. I don't know how he got there, but now you're here."

"There's just one difference between us as individuals. I wasn't born with Mana of Death. I just happened to be the first person in this universe to tap into it. Then, I was gifted the ability to use it."

"You're different though. You've had this since you were born, since your… stillbirth."

Jin-Woo's eyes widened, and he interrupted Ashborn. "I'm sorry, what?! I'm still very much alive, as you can—well, even if I'm not alive right now, I was definitely alive when I was fighting Pandora. My parents have never spoken about a stillbirth or anything like that!"

Ashborn met Jin-Woo's eyes steadily. "They wouldn't want you knowing, they both knew you'd face enough problems growing up. However, I'm not your parent, and it's not my job to protect you. I can't say much more than that though, regardless, you need to know yourself before this."

"Before… what?"

Ashborn snapped, and suddenly, the environment changed. They were surrounded by familiar stone statues, with a white-haired S-Rank rampaging through them. On the floor was an orange-haired woman, reaching out softly. A golden-eyed boy stood over Igris's corpse his hand extended, frozen in time.

They returned to the Dual Dungeon, where Jin-Woo's journey began.

Looking at the scene, Jin-Woo felt an odd sense of nostalgia.

"To be honest, I don't know what happened here. I was just as discombobulated as you were, seeing Igris fighting against you. However, that's not important for now. I think there's one good way to bring you back."

"What is it?" Jin-Woo questioned, beginning to feel somewhat impatient.

"I think if we fuse our souls, we'll have enough energy to return to your body. However, there's no way of knowing which of us will remain after the fusion. There are several possibilities, but it's impossible to call this an exact science that's why I needed to tell you about your stillbirth."

"You needed to tell me about that? So, what, so you can be the soul that goes back?" Jin-Woo asked, his voice venomous.

Ashborn softly grabbed Jin-Woo's shoulders. "No, we need you to go back, not me. I no longer have a fight to fight. My brother is gone, my lover is… well, I don't know where she is. And I've begun a war between humans and monsters. I don't deserve to live again, but you, Jin-Woo, you do."

Jin-Woo's eyes softened. "But… what'll happen to you? Your memories, everything that makes you… you?"

Ashborn nonchalantly shrugged. "It'll probably disappear. Causality and all that jazz. We must lose something in order to gain something."

Jin-Woo clenched his jaw. He took a breath. "I see. And what about your help? You can't expect me to get a grasp of Mana of Death all on my own, can you?"

Ashborn chuckled. "Eyes of the prize, huh? Well, don't worry, I think your ability will help you with that. If you wish hard enough, maybe the causality will be paid in your hard work, so maybe we'll meet again when you're stronger."

Jin-Woo took a small breath before nodding, standing up straight. "Okay. Let's do this."

Ashborn smiled. "Gladly there's no specific rituals or anything. Intentions should carry us."

"It's that easy?"

"Mhm."

"Well, I think it's time for me to rejoin the world of the living."

Ashborn smiled, patting Jin-Woo on his shoulders once again. "You're a good young man."

"Ugh, you sound like a grandpa."

Ashborn smiled, shrugging. "I decided to let it out just once. Now, ahem, it's been a while. Jin-Woo Sung, you will now take my place as this world's Shadow Sovereign. Do you accept?"

[Do you accept the inheritance of the position of Shadow Sovereign?]

[Yes/No]

Ashborn saw the notification and chuckled. "So, it responds to even this?"

Jin-Woo sighed, clicking yes. "Yes, I'll accept the position of Shadow Sovereign."

Ashborn smiled, his eyes glowing. "Hehe, it's been a while since I've said this."

…

"Arise."