The battlefield was silent at last.
Smoke rose from the ruins of **Nikas**, and only the crackle of dying flames remained.
Suho lay on the ground, face pale, body trembling.
His sword was shattered beside him; blood pooled beneath his cheek.
He couldn't even lift a finger.
> *It's… over.*
His vision blurred. Every breath burned. His HP bar ticked downward one thin line at a time.
Around him lay the remnants of his army.
Broken skeletons.
Tamed beasts missing limbs.
**Veno** still stood—motionless, watching his master with hollow blue eyes.
---
Suho forced a weak laugh, voice hoarse.
> "What are you looking at…? I'm going to die."
Tears welled as he whispered,
> "Are you happy now? I can't even… say goodbye to my family."
Blood slipped from his lips, staining the floor beneath him.
Veno didn't answer—only lowered his head slightly, the faintest flicker of sorrow in his eye sockets.
> "Why did we come here, Veno?" Suho asked, coughing. "There must be a reason… right? Did you… want something?"
Veno shook his head slowly.
> "Then… for what?"
Veno pointed a bony finger—
directly at Suho.
Suho gave a tired smile.
> "For me…? What's that supposed to mean?"
He coughed again, voice breaking.
> "You wanted me to get stronger? It didn't help. I'm dying anyway…"
One by one, the surviving skeletons gathered around him. Even the water-type beasts slithered closer, forming a silent circle.
Suho's HP kept falling.
> *Is this… really the end?*
The notification above his head mocked him:
> [Third Wave — 11 Hours Remaining.]
He wouldn't last even ten minutes.
---
Then—another alert blinked.
> [Shop — Available.]
Suho squinted, opening the interface with trembling fingers.
Rows of new categories appeared—items he hadn't seen before.
And there, almost hidden among the lists:
> **Elixir — Heals all injuries, curses, and incurable diseases.**
> *Class : Legendary / Only 1 Left.*
Suho's eyes widened.
> "...!"
Without hesitation he bought it, spending 1000 achievement points he had earned from Stage-1.
A golden vial appeared in his inventory.
He didn't wait. He drank it in one swallow.
Light erupted from his body—warm, clean, overwhelming.
Bones realigned, wounds sealed, fatigue vanished.
> [All injuries healed.]
> [HP and MP fully restored.]
> [Magic Power + Slight Increase.]
> [Aura + Slight Increase.]
Suho gasped and looked at his hands in disbelief.
> "This… this is real power…"
The skeletons around him blinked their hollow eyes—shock, then relief.
He immediately opened the shop again, searching for another—but the listing was gone. *Only 1 Left* meant what it said.
---
Scrolling further, he found ordinary potions, cheap weapons, and a few dull skill books:
> *[Skill Book (Normal) — 1st Circle Fire Ball]*
> *[Skill Book (Normal) — 1st Circle Cleaning Magic]*
None of it was worth the cost.
He closed the window with a sigh.
> "So… that's all."
Then he turned to Veno.
> "Now tell me—why did we come here?"
Veno stepped forward, gesturing for Suho to follow.
---
The ruined streets of **Nikas** stretched endlessly.
Collapsed towers, cracked bridges, and strange floating runes shimmered faintly through the water-logged air.
They walked—Suho, Veno, Miho, Hogwords, and the great Skeleton Dragon—through the hollow city.
> "Spread out," Suho ordered the rest of his army.
> "Search every corner. This was once an advanced civilization.
> Find anything useful—relics, cores, whatever's left. Bring everything here before the next wave."
The undead saluted silently and scattered through the ruins.
Veno, meanwhile, continued deeper, leading Suho toward the heart of the city—as if guided by memory.
---
### *Meanwhile — In another Tutorial.*
Far across the system's dimension, another player explored the same city.
A tall man in dark robes—the **Necromancer**—stood surrounded by his own army of level-9 skeletons.
He smiled, admiring their discipline.
> "So even my talent grows," he said, gripping his staff. "But this place… is almost too easy."
A voice resonated from above him—cold, divine.
> **[Incro — God of the Underworld]**: *Did you check the leaderboard, my child?*
The Necromancer frowned.
> "Please, not that again. The ranking isn't accurate. You know I can defeat anyone there."
> **Incro**: *Confidence is fine. But we don't yet know what powers other constellations have granted their champions.*
The Necromancer laughed softly, spinning his staff.
> "Then tell me—why did you bring me here, Incro? What's in this city?"
> **Incro**: *You will know after the Third Wave. Prepare yourself—the hardest trial comes then.*
> "I'm always ready."
He raised his staff high.
> *[Skill — Summon the Dead — Activated]*
> *[Skill — Skell Dead Stage — Used]*
> *[Skill — Poison Cloud — Used]*
Black smoke poured across the ground as new skeletons emerged—faster, larger, stronger.
> "By the way," he added, "that first-place player—what's his class? His talent? Maybe he's the one I should aim for."
Silence.
> "...Incro?"
No answer came.
He waited, then sighed.
> "Gone again? Fine. Maybe he's checking on his other disciples. But when this is over, the title of Apostle of the Underworld will be *mine*."
---
Far above, in the cold void between realms, **Incro** sat in thought.
> *My chosen ones never stop asking about that name.*
> *'Ignored by Everyone'… Who are you, truly?*
He had searched through every divine connection, every constellation's record.
Nothing.
Even the highest constellations—the Kings of Heaven themselves—found no trace.
> *Is that name merely a glitch? Or a player hidden from the gods?*
> *Who protects you, 'Ignored by Everyone'?*
---
Back in the ruins of Nikas, Suho walked into the shadow of a colossal **castle**, half-submerged beneath the water barrier.
Veno stopped at the gate, bowing his head.
Suho looked up at the towering spires.
Through the surface above, something moved—
a **shadow larger than the entire city**,
its eyes gleaming like twin suns in the deep.
The water rippled.
Something ancient had awakened.
---
⚡ **End of Chapter 16**
© 2025 [Dark hero]. All rights reserved.
This story is an original work. Do not copy or repost without permission