SWNOVELXO Chapter 13 - Ruler of Death (1)
Chapter 13: Ruler of Death (1)
Goblin Sage Hills was filled with a mountain of rare materials, far beyond what Yeonwol had imagined.
Things that ordinary users would have overlooked were immediately recognized by Yeonwol, and some materials were so rare that even he could not identify them. However, thanks to All-Seeing Eye, he easily discerned their worth.
‘All of this is mine.’
Looking at the countless medicinal herbs spread across the vast hills, Yeonwol felt an overwhelming sense of liberation.
Just thinking about the Blue Lantern Flower lying deep within his inventory made his heart race.
‘Not yet. Instead of using it now, it’s better to refine it into the ultimate elixir for later.’
When a skilled alchemist used exceptional materials to concoct a medicine, its potency increased several times over.
‘I know the best formulation.’
To handle mythical-grade materials like the Blue Lantern Flower, he needed to raise his [Alchemy Mastery] skill to at least an advanced level.
No one else could be trusted with it.
Only by crafting it himself could he ensure the highest effectiveness.
‘I will take it the day my alchemy reaches the advanced level.’
Yeonwol glanced around before turning his gaze to the pot following him from behind.
He had only come to this place to check in, but he had ended up receiving far more generous gifts than expected.
It was about time to leave.
However, he couldn’t yet claim that the quest from Zekkaliss had been thoroughly completed.
The pot sage had talked about Zekkaliss, but Yeonwol hadn’t received a definitive answer about whether he harbored resentment.
But without needing to ask, the pot sage approached him first and started speaking.
-…I have a favor to ask of you.
The cautious tone made Yeonwol feel an inexplicable sense of unease and pity.
“Please speak. I owe you a great debt, and I will repay it no matter what.”
-Haha, it’s nothing grand. Could you deliver a letter to my disciple?
[A follow-up quest, “The Goblin Sage’s Letter,” has been triggered!]
As the pot sage handed over the letter, Yeonwol’s gaze trembled.
‘…Yes, this is a more definitive way to convey greetings.’
Unconsciously, Yeonwol’s eyes turned silver.
[All-Seeing Eye]
Ordinary people couldn’t see it, but Yeonwol could see golden chains encircling the tiny pot.
[Thousand-Year Barrier Technique: Heaven’s Binding Seal]
It was such a famous sealing technique that Yeonwol sighed deeply.
He knew of the item that could break the seal, but acquiring it was exceedingly difficult…
‘Wait a moment.’
Suddenly, Yeonwol recalled the mysterious club Zekkaliss had possessed.
“…By any chance, do you know if your disciple owned an item called the Mystical Goblin’s Handy Club?”
-A club? Hmm, why would he carry such a thing?
“They said it could create anything. But now, its weakened state prevents its use.”
-My disciple had such an item? This is the first I’ve heard of it.
“…”
As expected.
Yeonwol tightly shut his eyes.
Every NPC and boss monster in this world had their own story.
The tale of the goblin Zekkaliss, whose overwhelming strength once threw the world into chaos.
His immense power made every nation and civilization fear goblins.
In truth, all Zekkaliss did was travel to remote regions, seeking out strong opponents to challenge in duels.
He simply enjoyed fighting strong foes and deliberately chose unpopulated areas to minimize harm to others.
However, the world saw him differently.
They feared that the mighty goblin might one day cause chaos, prompting human heroes to seek his life.
After a long battle, the heroes managed to bring Zekkaliss down and prepared to deliver the final blow.
That was when his master appeared.
His master’s name was Maye.
The true identity of the pot standing before Yeonwol.
Maye shielded the dying Zekkaliss and spoke to the heroes.
Instead of killing Zekkaliss, she pleaded, seal his power and imprison him.
As a trade-off, she offered to seal herself, another potential threat to the world, alongside him.
For the heroes, it was an offer they couldn’t refuse.
Maye was also a dangerous goblin.
Thus, the world sealed away two goblins simply for their overwhelming strength.
One was confined in a snowy prison, with his powers weakened, to eternally face challengers.
The other was turned into a mundane object and locked away in an alternate space, never to emerge again.
‘Could that club… have been made by Zekkaliss to save his master?’
If the club could truly create anything, it might theoretically craft an item capable of undoing the Heaven’s Binding Seal.
However, Zekkaliss’s club was incomplete.
Even worse, being trapped in the prison caused his level to drop, rendering the unfinished club unusable.
He must have spent his life in confinement, endlessly pondering and researching a way to restore his master, who had been reduced to a mere object because of him.
He had sacrificed his level—equivalent to 500 levels’ worth of power—pouring everything into completing the club.
Finally, he succeeded.
With that club, he might be able to create an item to break the Heaven’s Binding Seal.
But it was already too late.
Just as the club neared completion, he lost his strength, leaving him unable to proceed.
Even if he succeeded in making the item, he couldn’t leave the prison to use it, rendering it meaningless.
‘A master who sought to save her disciple.
A disciple who sought to save his master.
Their story…’
Yeonwol recalled his past life.
Players had hunted Zekkaliss mercilessly for his rewards.
In his previous life, Yeonwol hadn’t questioned it.
It was only natural for players to defeat bosses.
Additionally, a “Spiritual Bell” wielder named Cheong Dosan had visited the Goblin Sage Hills and acquired the “Goblin Sage” class.
Afterward, he destroyed the pot.
Though the pot sage had been a benefactor who changed his life, Cheong Dosan declared, “It’s useless now, so I’ll destroy it.”
In front of witnesses, he crushed the pot sage, who pleaded desperately, into pieces.
Thus ended their story, buried forever in oblivion.
No one remembered them.
The two goblins were erased from the world.
‘You must never pity monsters.’
Not all monsters had such tragic tales.
These were rare exceptions.
Even if they did, one couldn’t focus on every tragedy while striving to grow stronger.
But now that he knew…
He couldn’t look away.
That was who Yeonwol was.
‘Even if the opponent is a monster, I will honor my promises.’
Resolving his determination once more, Yeonwol spoke.
“I will deliver the letter.”
-Is that true? Thank you so much!
Watching the pot sage bounce around in joy left a bitter taste in Yeonwol’s mouth.
Even if he delivered the letter now, Zekkaliss would inevitably meet his fate at the hands of a player someday.
Yeonwol headed straight for the prison where Zekkaliss was sealed.
-You’ve come, human.
His expression was cautious.
He seemed terrified that Yeonwol might say something he dreaded to hear—something like his master resenting him.
If he found out such a truth, Zekkaliss would be tormented by guilt for the rest of his life.
Yeonwol thought that the sight of the massive goblin hesitantly shrinking back didn’t suit him at all as he handed over the letter.
“Here, take this letter.”
-A letter…?
Zekkaliss accepted the letter with a puzzled look.
The moment he sensed the aura emanating from the letter, he was startled and quickly, yet carefully, tore open the envelope, ensuring not even a small tear would damage it.
[To my foolish disciple, how are you faring in that place? Without your beloved floating apples and green rice wine, your meals must feel bland.]
-This… this is…
It was unmistakably a letter from his one and only family, his master.
Zekkaliss alternated between staring at the letter and Yeonwol.
Yeonwol moved away, giving him the space to read without interruption.
[The hills feel empty without you. See? If only you hadn’t acted so recklessly and just stayed quietly in the hills… I always knew you’d get into trouble someday!]
The letter wasn’t long.
Most of it was filled with scolding and nagging directed at Zekkaliss.
Yet, he read every word meticulously, taking time to engrave each letter in his memory.
One by one.
As he turned each page.
[…What worries me the most is the thought that you might misunderstand and believe I resent you.]
Zekkaliss’s breath trembled.
[You foolish disciple! Though I am sealed to save you, I harbor not the slightest regret. If that day were to come again, I would do the same for you. So, cast aside your guilt and spend the rest of your days in peace.]
At last, the letter reached its final page.
[I do not resent you.]
[I still love you.]
Zekkaliss clenched his teeth and lowered his head.
His shoulders shook as he shed tear after tear, like chicken droppings falling to the ground.
-Damn it, damn it all. Even at my age, I still cause my master worry… I’m such a fool… damn it…!
Thud! Thud!!
Each time Zekkaliss pounded the ground with his fists, the earth shook violently.
It was… his way of crying.
Though the earth’s rumbling was deafening, the sound of his sobbing was even rougher.
Through this, Yeonwol could feel the depth of Zekkaliss’s emotions.
Yeonwol waited patiently until Zekkaliss regained his composure.
After a long time, during which Zekkaliss reread and savored the letter over and over, he finally lifted his head.
-…Thank you. Giving you the Spiritual Bell was, I dare say, the best decision I’ve made.
Zekkaliss stood and slammed his twin weapons into the ground.
-I, Zekkaliss the Fierce Goblin, have received a great favor from you. From this moment, I accept you as my comrade. Though I am trapped in this confined space, I will grant any request you have as my friend.
Yeonwol spread his arms wide in response and said.
“Kill me in the most spectacular way you can.”
-Now that’s…
Rumble!
Before Yeonwol had even finished speaking, Zekkaliss’s massive sword turned gray, as if he had been preparing for this moment all along.
The overwhelming mana made even breathing difficult.
Zekkaliss’s eyes gleamed with a crimson glow.
-That’s a request worthy of my comrade!
Swish!
“…!”
The space was slashed apart.
The wind fell silent, and the world split in two, losing all color.
Before Yeonwol could comprehend what had changed, half the world slipped and fell into an endless abyss.
[You have died.]
It wasn’t until the gray world turned to darkness that Yeonwol realized he was dead.
[Death approaches you.]
The pitch-black world didn’t turn white.
Yeonwol had anticipated this moment.
[You take another step closer to death.]
The world remained dark, though not completely black and white.
Yeonwol opened his eyes in a grand temple, surrounded by twelve pillars and twelve violet flames.
He lifted his head to look forward.
A colossal skull, massive enough to fill his vision, loomed before him.
The eerie voice emanating from it stirred the deepest corners of Yeonwol’s emotions.
-At last, we meet, one who stands closest to death.
The skull radiated an overwhelming fear of death.
For an ordinary person, it would have been a terrifying trauma, scarring them for life.
But Yeonwol, who had completely overcome death, no longer cowered.
He stood tall and faced it boldly.
“Yes. It’s disgustingly nice to see you too, Necromancer. This isn’t our first meeting, is it?”