LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The ghostly gravekeeper spoke in a rustic dialect, his voice surprisingly warm and welcoming.
“What’s the reason you’re looking for me? Either way, it’s good to see you.”
More than his accent, the fact that he recognized Seonghyeon’s search filled him with relief.
It seemed this hidden piece involved finding clues in Garik’s abandoned room and traveling to multiple locations.
But meeting Garik’s ghost rendered all that unnecessary.
Seonghyeon thanked the other NPCs and stepped aside to speak with Garik privately.
“Are you Gravekeeper Garik?”
“That’s me! So, what brings you here?”
“Hmm.”
Seonghyeon paused briefly, considering how to phrase his response, then said:
“The village chief of Hindel, Palm, said I should seek you out for assistance.”
Would that be enough explanation?
It seemed so.
Garik grinned broadly and nodded with enthusiasm.
“Ah! At last! Now I know exactly why you’re here!”
“Oh.”
To Seonghyeon’s surprise, that was all it took.
He himself wasn’t entirely sure why he was searching for Garik, but the ghost seemed confident.
“Oh, I should’ve explained earlier. Chief Palm left me in charge of a special item for adventurers like you.”
“An item?”
Palm again?
How much more was the village chief planning to bestow upon him?
Seonghyeon’s expression turned slightly puzzled, prompting Garik to scratch his head awkwardly.
“Ah, well… to be honest, I don’t know why Chief Palm wanted this either. He just told me to hold onto it and give it to any adventurer sent by him, along with a note.”
If even Garik didn’t know the details, there was only one way to find out—by seeing the item for himself.
With the note of another adventurer having sought Garik days earlier lingering in his mind, Seonghyeon decided to act swiftly.
“Let’s head there right away.”
“Of course! Follow me, young man!”
Garik eagerly took the lead, with Seonghyeon following close behind.
The eerie atmosphere of the cemetery was palpable, with a chilling air that made other players visibly tense.
Some tried to act nonchalant, but their careful steps betrayed their unease.
Seonghyeon, however, felt perfectly at home.
The grim setting held no sway over him—he’d grown far too accustomed to such places.
To him, the cemetery was no different from any other location.
Ghosts?
They were always friendly to him. There was nothing to fear.
He did, however, click his tongue in mild disappointment.
‘Guess I can’t use the Legion of the Dead here.’
Was it because of the other players’ presence?
No, that wasn’t the issue. His dark mage class allowed him to use necromantic skills freely.
The real problem was the Legion of the Dead’s condition: it required corpses slain personally by the user to summon undead.
It was a bothersome limitation at low levels.
Though it wasn’t strictly necessary, Seonghyeon drew his weapons to prepare for potential encounters.
On his left side hung the Tiger’s Fang, a shortsword, and on his right, the Steel Sword, a longsword.
With his equipment secured, he strode forward confidently.
His calm and unbothered demeanor caught the attention of nearby players.
“Wow, he doesn’t even seem scared.”
“His nerves must be made of steel.”
“Isn’t he a beginner? He’s doing pretty well.”
Unbeknownst to Seonghyeon, some of the players watching were scouts from various guilds.
These scouts frequently lingered in early areas to recruit promising newcomers.
Seonghyeon’s poise and composure had already made a strong impression on them.
Still, as the scouts knew, poise alone wasn’t enough.
A player needed skill to back it up; without that, even the calmest demeanor was worthless.
“Look, an undead’s appeared!”
“Let’s see how he handles it.”
“Yeah, if he’s not skilled, it’s game over.”
The scouts whispered amongst themselves, their interest piqued.
Seonghyeon, unaware of their scrutiny, noticed the approaching skeleton and prepared to engage.
Before he could act, Garik called out to him.
“Boy! Skeletons take more damage from blunt strikes than cuts!”
‘Hm?’
Blunt strikes? With a sword?
Seonghyeon immediately recalled the memories of the Drill Instructor’s Ghost.
Was there a way to use a sword for blunt damage?
The answer came to him quickly, thanks to the instructor’s extensive experience fighting undead.
A skeleton emerged from the shadows, its decayed bones devoid of any weaponry. It was a low-tier undead—a mere nuisance.
Seonghyeon swung his sword without hesitation.
“He’s using a sword right away?”
“That won’t kill it in one hit.”
“Didn’t he prepare any blunt weapons? What kind of rookie doesn’t bring one to a cemetery?”
The scouts shook their heads, disappointed.
But one of them suddenly exclaimed, “Wait! Look at that!”
Seonghyeon had indeed swung his sword, but instead of slicing, he struck with the flat of the Steel Sword’s blade.
Whoosh! Crack!
The sound of shattering bone echoed as the skeleton’s skull caved in under the impact. Its brittle bones disintegrated into dust, scattering across the ground.
A single, clean hit.
“With the flat of the blade?!”
“Whoa! That’s not easy to pull off!”
“Did you see that flash? That must’ve been a critical hit!”
“And that sword—look at it! It’s a Steel Sword!”
“Wait, even if he bought it, recognizing its potential at this level…?”
The scouts buzzed with excitement.
The display of quick thinking, precise execution, and sharp decision-making had left them in awe.
Anyone dismissing this as mere luck would clearly be blind.
While the scouts continued their discussion, Seonghyeon’s system notifications began popping up.
[Critical Hit!]
[‘One Strike!’ effect activated!]
[You have gained experience points.]
[Using ‘Unknown Power,’ you have demonstrated extraordinary ability.]
[Dexterity +3 permanently increased.]
At the same time, memories from Garik flooded Seonghyeon’s mind.
The gravekeeper’s experiences provided a wealth of knowledge about fighting undead.
From these, Seonghyeon learned not only how to combat them effectively but also how a dark mage might control them.
‘Ah.’
Could this be why Chief Palm told me to find Garik?
Because I’m a dark mage?
No, that felt like overthinking it.
It was better not to dwell too much on the reason. For now, Seonghyeon decided to focus on advancing through the cemetery, taking down undead along the way.
Garik’s memories and experience weren’t as exceptional as those of the Drill Instructor’s Ghost or Hunter Apik. The gravekeeper didn’t have the natural talent of a warrior or the honed instincts of a hunter.
Still, when it came to dealing with the undead that spawned in this cemetery, Garik’s knowledge was unparalleled.
Clatter, clatter.
From the ground, five skeletons emerged, their bones rattling as they rose.
For most players, facing that many at once would prompt an immediate retreat, but not Seonghyeon.
He calmly sheathed his Steel Sword, not to flee but to prepare.
Tatatak!
With quick strides, he dashed forward—not toward the skeletons but toward a shovel lying nearby.
He kicked the shovel into the air, catching it with practiced ease.
Its cold, heavy weight felt reassuring in his grip.
Eyes gleaming, Seonghyeon dashed back toward the skeletons.
Tatatak! His light, precise steps kept him just out of reach of the undead.
The skeletons’ empty sockets followed his every move, but his rapid direction changes made it impossible for them to keep up.
As he approached the nearest skeleton, the sound of impact echoed.
CRACK!
The leading skeleton’s skull shattered in a single blow, its brittle bones collapsing into dust.
[Critical Hit!]
[‘One Strike!’ effect activated!]
[Experience gained.]
One skeleton down.
Another lunged at Seonghyeon, its bony hand outstretched to grab him.
But Seonghyeon ducked swiftly, lowering his stance.
Then came a low kick.
Tat-tat-tak!
His kick connected with the brittle legs of three skeletons, sending them sprawling backward.
Ignoring the fallen enemies, Seonghyeon swung the shovel at a skeleton struggling to regain its footing.
CRUNCH!
[Critical Hit!]
[‘One Strike!’ effect activated!]
[Experience gained.]
The powerful swing turned the undead to dust.
Before the remaining skeletons could recover, Seonghyeon stomped down on the head of one still lying prone.
Its skull crumbled under the force, scattering into powder.
Using the momentum from the stomp, he pivoted and delivered a soccer kick to the next skeleton, shattering its skull as well.
[Critical Hit!]
[‘One Strike!’ effect activated!]
[Experience gained.]
The final skeleton rose, its companions already destroyed.
It charged at Seonghyeon with blind, undead fury—its sole purpose to attack the living.
Seonghyeon sidestepped gracefully, letting the skeleton’s momentum carry it forward. With a precise swing, he brought the flat of the shovel crashing down on its skull.
CRACK!
[Critical Hit!]
[‘One Strike!’ effect activated!]
[Experience gained.]
Within moments, all five skeletons were eliminated.
The scouts who had been watching from a distance were dumbfounded.
“What the hell was that?”
“Holy—did he just take them all out with a shovel?”
“Wow!”
Using a common shovel to defeat skeletons wasn’t unheard of—it was standard practice for gravekeeper NPCs.
But Seonghyeon’s execution was on an entirely different level.
His movements were efficient, his strategy flawless. He adapted to the situation with ease, predicting enemy actions and optimizing his positioning.
Every step, every action was calculated and precise.
If any of the scouts missed this opportunity to recruit him, they knew they’d regret it.
“This guy… we have to bring him in.”
The scouts readied themselves to approach him—only to realize something alarming.
“Wait… where did he go?”
“Huh?! He was just here!”
“How did he vanish?!”
“Find him! We can’t lose him!”
While the scouts were scrambling to locate him, Seonghyeon was already deep into the forest behind the cemetery, guided by Garik’s ghost.
The dense trees obscured visibility, making it nearly impossible for anyone to follow. Even Seonghyeon struggled to navigate the twisting paths, though his pace never faltered.
If not for Garik’s guidance, finding his way would’ve been impossible.
“This way!” Garik called out, his ghostly figure gliding ahead.
Had it not been for the ghost, Seonghyeon might have taken hours—or even days—to find the destination. But now, speed was of the essence.
Through the dense forest, Seonghyeon spotted an open clearing.
Unlike the shadowy woods, the clearing was bathed in soft sunlight. At its center stood a small hut, weathered by time yet standing firm.
He narrowed his eyes and approached cautiously.
[You hold a clue about Gravekeeper Garik.]
[You meet the conditions to approach Garik’s Hut.]
The system confirmed his eligibility to enter the area.
‘Am I the first to arrive?’
Looking around, Seonghyeon found no signs of recent activity. Drawing on Apik’s memories, he carefully examined the area and confirmed it—no one had been here before him.
A sense of satisfaction welled up within him. He was ahead of the other adventurer pursuing this hidden piece.
Just as he stepped toward the hut, he heard a faint rustling sound behind him.
Rustle.
Seonghyeon’s instincts, honed by Apik’s experience, reacted immediately. He turned sharply, just in time to see an arrow made of bone fly past where he had stood moments ago.
His gaze snapped to the source of the attack.
“What the… a beginner dodged that?”
The voice belonged to a robed player, their eyes wide with shock. Their expression suggested that Seonghyeon’s reaction had been far beyond their expectations.