SWNOVELXO Chapter 22
Chapter 22
0.
The guild system in Eternal World offered a variety of benefits: guild bases, exclusive guild shops, guild-only skills, and more.
Although there were solo players who preferred to go it alone, the game was designed to make joining a guild more advantageous.
There were perks for solo players as well, but they couldn’t compare to the benefits provided by major guilds.
As a result, many solo-oriented players began gradually joining guilds, while guild leaders worked tirelessly to expand their organizations.
And it wasn’t just for the perks.
In modern society, gaming was a great pastime, but there was something even more important than that.
Money.
Large guilds earned as much as small to mid-sized corporations.
Even without considering the revenue from streaming or ticket sales, the in-game wealth generated by top-ranked guilds was staggering.
Eternal World wasn’t called a “second reality” for nothing.
Guilds didn’t hire professional scouts on a whim, nor did they hand out salaries for no reason.
One outstanding rookie could easily generate enough income to pay for a dozen scouts.
In a capitalist world, what was more important than money?
Nothing. Money was king.
Among the professional scouts was Lee Seongyeong.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen a promising rookie.’
There were plenty of decent candidates, but no one truly exceptional.
Lee Seongyeong clicked his tongue in frustration.
His high standards played a role, but it was mostly due to the guild he worked for:
Sick Brothers — Guild Ranking #12.
The name, which could be translated as “Ailing Brothers” or “Sickly Siblings,” sounded ridiculous, but their ranking was no joke.
They were a top-tier guild, sitting comfortably among the elite.
Founded by a group of machismo-obsessed individuals, the guild prided itself on being a meritocracy.
Their leadership even went so far as to say, “If a woman has skills, she’s a macho!” without hesitation.
‘It’s no wonder people like me have it rough.’
The guild’s commitment to meritocracy extended to their hiring practices. As long as someone had skill, nothing else mattered—not personality, race, or gender.
This approach made scouts for Sick Brothers expendable and prone to burnout.
Lee Seongyeong was no exception.
‘Sigh.’
If he didn’t produce results this month, it would be a problem.
He wouldn’t be fired, thanks to his track record, but he wouldn’t escape the guild master’s lectures.
And that was something he desperately wanted to avoid.
A one-hour sermon on machismo wasn’t his idea of a good time.
Determined to avoid such a fate, he combed through his leads.
Guilds like Sick Brothers often received tips from rival scouts or information brokers hoping to earn a quick buck.
Rummaging through his email inbox, he found a fresh tip that had just arrived a few minutes ago.
It was from someone he paid regularly for reliable information.
Though he didn’t particularly like the guy’s behavior, his intel was trustworthy.
‘What do we have this time?’
Opening the email with a glimmer of hope, he read:
[A strange undead sighting in Persville. No contact with the individual yet. Multiple witnesses.]
“…What?”
Was that it?
The email mentioned Persville and some strange undead.
Still, the sender must have sensed something noteworthy to bother reporting it.
What caught Seongyeong’s attention was the note about multiple witnesses.
‘I’ll need to check the internet.’
If there were many witnesses, surely some of them had posted about it online.
Diving into Eternal World’s community forums and other related sites, he quickly found mentions of Persville.
[Anyone else see undead at the Persville cemetery?]
[New special class discovered in Persville!]
‘A new special class? What’s this about?’
Apparently, a player had passed the elite training center in Persville.
And it happened on the same day that strange undead appeared?
‘This is suspicious.’
Intrigued, Seongyeong delved into the forum posts.
Though there were no screenshots—likely due to the game’s privacy restrictions—the comments proved insightful.
[PersvilleElder: Undead? So what? Even if it’s undead, it’s probably just the lowest tier, right? Oh, wait, they said someone who cleared the advanced tier can create low-tier undead?]
└ [BlackBald: Yeah, but this doesn’t seem like that. The way people are talking, it’s something else.]
└ [PoorMan: I saw it too! It wasn’t your average undead—it felt like a boss monster!]
[Vegemil: I will find you. Seriously.]
└ [ChickenWingWing (OP): ???? Me?]
‘So, the strange undead is real.’
Though the post’s title failed to grab attention, the comments were active, with multiple witnesses.
One commenter named “Vegemil” seemed to have a personal grudge, but that was irrelevant.
Other reports corroborated the tip, confirming its authenticity.
But what about the “special class”?
[BorkBork: Wow, someone got a free pass into the elite training center? So jealous.]
[PayToWinNow: Right? I heard there’s a hidden piece or recommendation letter for the elite center.]
└ [HypeGirl: Really? Isn’t that unfair? If you’re lucky, you just get in?]
└ [HongdaeInArmor: Lol, how common do you think that is?]
[QueueFor30Years: I was in line for the advanced test when I saw it. The guards were treating them like royalty. Definitely a hidden piece.]
‘The timing matches perfectly.’
Seongyeong already knew about the skills taught at the elite dark mage training center.
But the reports about this undead didn’t align with those skills.
They weren’t just rare—they didn’t exist in the curriculum.
And if someone had passed the elite center with a free pass, it likely meant one thing:
‘This has to be an advanced-tier class.’
Rarely, players who advanced to higher tiers received recommendation letters for elite centers.
As a scout for the 12th-ranked Sick Brothers, Seongyeong was familiar with this phenomenon.
That could only mean one thing.
‘At minimum, this is an Epic-tier class.’
Elite center recommendation letters were only given to players with Epic-tier advancements or higher.
Seongyeong’s eyes gleamed.
‘This might be my chance to hit it big.’
Quickly logging into his scouting account, he set his destination:
Persville.
If the player had just entered the elite training center, they would still be in a lesson.
Even for a talented individual, the lesson would last at least 30 minutes.
He still had time.
‘I need to move fast before anyone else catches wind of this.’
1.
“Hohoho! Farewell, my friend! I’m sure you’ll become a great dark mage!”
The elderly Urden cheerfully waved his hand, shouting goodbye with boundless energy.
For someone his age, where did he get all that vigor?
Though I felt embarrassed, I dutifully returned his farewell before leaving the training center.
Having completed all the lessons, I’d been provided with essential items to carry along.
More importantly, I now held the completion certificate—a badge marking my official graduation from the basic training center.
At last, I could consider myself no longer a beginner.
As expected, Yun didn’t show up to see me off.
She had been trembling and crying by the time I mastered Low-Grade Undead Creation, so it wasn’t surprising she wouldn’t make an appearance.
With Yun out of sight and mind, I reflected on my achievement.
What would have taken days for most had taken me less than 30 minutes.
Though it had been a bit awkward and overwhelming, the payoff was undeniable: I’d acquired four rare-grade skills.
Strictly speaking, it was five, but Low-Grade Undead Creation had merged into Legion of the Dead.
Either way, it was significant progress.
‘Let’s take a look.’
Even though Helena’s memories had already etched the details of the skills into my mind, seeing them through the system felt different.
Opening the interface, I reviewed the four new skills.
『Bone Arrow』
Grade: 《Rare》
Level: [Lv 1] [Growth-Type]
Type: [Instant Effect] [Active]
Cooldown: [10 seconds]
Exclusive to the Dark Mage class.
Summons an arrow of bone to shoot at enemies.
『Curse of Sensory Deprivation』
Grade: 《Rare》
Level: [Lv 1] [Growth-Type]
Type: [Sustained Effect] [Active]
Cooldown: [1 minute]
Duration: [10 seconds]
Exclusive to the Dark Mage class.
Inflicts a curse that causes pain but deals no damage. The pain is vividly felt.
Cannot affect targets immune to physical sensation.
『Blood Veil』
Grade: 《Rare》
Level: [Lv 1] [Growth-Type]
Type: [Instant Effect] [Active]
Cooldown: [30 seconds]
Exclusive to the Dark Mage class.
Forms a veil of blood to block attacks and curses.
The effectiveness of the barrier scales with mana consumption.
『Poison: Sensory Paralysis』
Grade: 《Rare》
Level: [Lv 1] [Growth-Type]
Type: [Sustained Effect] [Active]
Cooldown: [3 minutes]
Duration: [1 minute]
Exclusive to the Dark Mage class.
Injects a poison that paralyzes the sense of touch, preventing external stimuli from breaking concentration.
Even with my Almighty- and Legendary-grade skills thanks to Helena, upgrading the foundational skills of a Dark Mage to rare grade was meaningful.
While these might seem insignificant compared to my Unique Skill, Proliferating Undead, their potential growth was undeniable.
‘These are great.’
“They’re all excellent spells. Yaaawn.”
Even Helena acknowledged their worth as she yawned, stretching languidly.
Though she tried not to show it, I could tell she was exhausted.
Had she overexerted herself?
‘Are you tired?’
“Mhm, just a little.”
‘Get some rest.’
There were so many things I wanted to ask her—like what the true end of the Overlord path she longed for might be.
Having seen her memories of meeting Hindel as a child, I also wanted to ask about his legacy.
Not to mention, how she ended up residing in my body, and how she was aware of her abilities.
But since we were always together now, there’d be plenty of time to ask.
Did she sense my warm thoughts?
Helena gave a graceful smile and nodded.
“Thank you. I don’t think I’ll be able to manifest for a while; I’ve used up a lot of energy.”
‘Alright, take it easy.’
With that, she bid me farewell and disappeared back into my body.
Now, it was time to test my new skills.
While most of them could be tested on any monster, I’d have to avoid using Curse of Sensory Deprivation on undead, as they lacked physical sensations.
Fortunately, Persville offered plenty of hunting grounds.
‘Where should I go?’
I recalled my past battles and thought of the cemetery I’d first visited upon arriving in Persville.
‘There were quite a few people there.’
Unlike my usual life, I had been drawing a lot of attention in the game.
Though it felt nice to be admired, it also made me self-conscious.
Not all attention was positive.
Yun was proof enough of that—jealousy led to animosity, which naturally created enemies.
It’d be better to head somewhere with fewer people.
After some thought, I remembered a quieter place: Persville Plains.
The plains were vast, hosting a variety of monsters and spreading players out.
It was perfect—a place where I could test my skills without worrying about others watching.
Without hesitation, I unfolded the map I’d received from the training center.
Sure enough, the Persville Plains were marked.
The journey to the hunting grounds was swift, my steps light with anticipation.
Whoosh!
The knee-high grass swayed like waves in the breeze, carrying the scent of herbs. Birds chirped overhead, painting the air with lively melodies.
Tweet! Chirp-chirp!
It was like stepping into the European countryside, with its open skies and golden-orange sunset descending into twilight.
‘What a view.’
The beauty of the landscape was almost enough to make me forget it was a game.
After taking a moment to admire the scenery, I focused back on myself.
My movements felt natural, and my speed was satisfactory.
‘No need to allocate any of my bonus stats just yet.’
[Status Window]
『Seonghyeon』
Level: 10
Class: Overlord
Titles: 『Sovereign (Legendary)』 and 13 others.
Stats:
Strength: 15 (13+2)
Agility: 17 (15+2)
Stamina: 12 (10+2)
Intelligence: 23 (20+3)
Wisdom: 23 (20+3)
Willpower: 23 (20+3)
Dexterity: 7 (6+1)
Bonus Stats: 45
Having reached level 10, I’d accumulated 45 bonus stats but had no urgent need to use them.
Fwip!
The sound of something slicing through the wind caught my attention.
Sensing the incoming attack, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to test Blood Veil.
As mana poured out, a dark red liquid spread through the air, forming a barrier.
Swooosh!
The seemingly thin veil blocked the attack entirely, repelling the projectile.
Thunk.
“Keck?!”
“Krek?!”
“Keh-heh!”
The culprits—a trio of green-skinned goblins—yelped in shock at their failed ambush.
Common monsters in fantasy worlds, goblins had grotesque green skin and scraggly fur.
Small and armed with crude weapons, they posed little threat.
‘Disgusting little things.’
Without hesitation, I counterattacked.
Instead of using my more powerful abilities like Aura of Death or Wrathful Souls of the Dead, I opted for Bone Arrow.
No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
Sssshk!
Taking advantage of their surprise, I conjured a sharp, gleaming bone arrow that shot toward the goblins.
“Kegh?!”
“Kek?!”
“Krah?!”
The last goblin took an arrow straight to the forehead.
Thunk!
[Critical Hit!]
[『One Strike!』 effect activated!]
[You have gained experience points.]
It died instantly.
‘Oh?’
This skill was more useful than I expected.
Now, what should I test next?
A faint smile crept onto my lips as I pondered, sending shivers down the goblins’ spines.
They must have realized they had chosen the wrong opponent.