The world had begun to shift around them.
Whispers of Sector 19's collapse had spread like wildfire. Guilds speculated. News anchors fumbled for explanations. But inside a quiet, unmarked training facility at the edge of the city, Team DEATH didn't care about the noise.
They were already moving forward.
Pushing the Limit
"Fifty-one…" Suho murmured, eyes locked on his stat window. "We need nineteen more."
He stood inside a massive underground arena, specially reserved for private dungeon simulations. Around him, summoned undead circled in formation—ready, organized, silent. The glow in their eyes pulsed with rhythm and purpose.
"Again," he commanded.
Three Hollow Knights lunged forward, their swords moving in perfect sync. Across the field, seven other undead formations adjusted—flanking, shielding, baiting. Suho's vision was layered now, thanks to Commander's Vision and Necrolineage—he didn't just see their positions, he felt them. Strength. Injury. Fear. Hunger.
"Run the Swallow Pattern. Bramble take front. Butcher to midguard."
And they moved. Not like puppets—but like soldiers. Each step echoed with certainty, each command brought life to the bones. His undead had stopped being a tool. They had become an extension of his will.
Mirae whistled from the control box above. "You're getting scary, Suho."
Minho nodded, watching the formations with narrowed eyes. "They're not just a horde anymore. It's a damn army."
Hojin leaned against the railing, arms crossed. "How many more do you need before we go for the next fragment?"
Suho didn't look away from the simulation. "Seventy. Level forty-five. We're moving fast. But it's not fast enough."
New Targets: Grave Reaches
The next day, they accepted an unofficial raid request: a Level-B rift anomaly called The Grave Reaches. A valley swallowed by necrotic fog and patrolled by scattered ruins—home to powerful undead beasts left unchecked by other guilds.
Perfect.
Inside the valley, the corruption was suffocating. Bone-trees reached from the ground like skeletal fingers, and ash snow drifted from a sky of black clouds. Every breath tasted like old dust and forgotten oaths.
They encountered their first target within minutes—a Lurking Eidolon, a spectral serpent with ten eyes and a scream that melted lesser undead.
But Suho didn't flinch.
"Formation Delta. Tower bind. Burn the silence."
His undead launched their assault, each unit maneuvering with military discipline.
Mirae cast Lunar Emberfield, creating a scorching veil that amplified fire magic within a 20-meter zone.
Hojin disappeared from sight, blinking behind the Eidolon to sever its soul tail.
Minho stood forward, shield gleaming gold. "You'll have to eat me to pass!"
Suho raised both hands. His voice was calm—but absolute.
"Bind."
The Eidolon's scream was devoured by spectral chains.
[Undead Bound: Spectral Eidolon – Tier: Rare Elite]
[Undead Controlled: 52 / 70]
[Exp Gained – Level 38]
But that was only the beginning. Over the course of three days, they pushed deeper into the Grave Reaches, encountering monstrous beings:
A Bone Tyrant that controlled ossified towers and summoned bone spikes from the earth.A Funeral Reaver, made of broken coffins and stitched flesh, wielding three serrated scythes.A roaming Mourning Choir, a flock of banshee-like spirits that harmonized to rupture minds.
Each battle sharpened their teamwork. Mirae's fire magic carved wide paths of destruction. Minho's defense had grown to a wall that never cracked. Hojin's strikes always landed where it hurt most.
And Suho—he wove them all together, orchestrating not just attacks but moments of absolute control.
Suho's army adapted with each encounter. He added new units:
[Undead Bound: Bone Tyrant – Tier: Unique]
[Undead Bound: Funeral Reaver – Tier: Rare]
[Undead Bound: Mourning Choir (3) – Tier: Spectral Rare]
[Undead Controlled: 57 / 70]
[Exp Gained – Level 39]
Necrolineage: Awakening Depth
In the depths of Grave Reaches, they stumbled upon a forgotten battlefield, where a decayed throne sat buried beneath cursed banners. Suho could feel the presence of something… ancient.
As he touched the throne, memories flooded him—visions of necromancers he had never known. Old kings. Betrayers. Guardians of empires that had vanished into ash. Their knowledge didn't come from books or lectures—but from instinct.
He awakened a latent ability.
New Skill Unlocked: Bone Mantle
(Activate to temporarily merge with high-tier undead, gaining their resistances, traits, and a fraction of their strength.)
In a test, he fused momentarily with the Bone Tyrant. His skin turned to stone-white armor. His breath became frost. His commands thundered.
Even Mirae flinched.
"You're becoming something else entirely," she whispered.
Suho looked down at his hands. "No. I'm becoming exactly what I need to be."
The battlefield beneath his feet wasn't just a place of death—it was a forge. And Suho had emerged stronger.
The Pressure Builds
Outside, they were no longer ignored.
A high-ranking guild executive threw a chair during a meeting. "Why haven't we stopped them yet?! Who is funding this 'Team DEATH'?!"
In another location, the man with silver hair watched footage of the Grave Reaches with cold eyes.
"Level 39… already? He's accelerating."
His aide shifted uncomfortably. "What do we do, Director?"
"Sector 21 isn't just watching anymore," he replied. "We prepare the trial. And if Suho survives…"
He smiled slowly.
"…we invite him to join the dead properly."
More forces stirred. Agents activated. Shadow guilds started whispering Suho's name with reverence… or fear.
The Path Forward
By nightfall, Suho had gained three more undead—bringing his total to 60. His level now reads 40.
That night, Areum's fragment pulsed quietly in his chest.
"You're walking faster than they ever did," her voice whispered, soft as memory.
He stood on a rooftop, staring down at the sleeping city below, the skyline dimmed under a blanket of clouds.
"No one's going to stop me," he said. "I'll gather all seventy. I'll reach Level 45. And I'll get you back."
He opened his hand, and twelve spectral soul cores hovered silently above it, rotating like a halo.
Necrolineage wasn't just inheritance.
It was destiny.
And Suho had chosen to make it his own.
To Be Continued...
Kim Suho
Level: 40
Undead: 60 / 70
Soul Fragments: 4 / 7
New Trait: Necrolineage
New Skill: Bone Mantle (Merge with elite undead for 15 seconds)
Next Target: Continue High-Tier Hunts – Reach Level 45
Team DEATH
Mirae – Level 27
Minho – Level 26
Hojin – Level 28