[With superb teamwork, you and your comrades have managed to ambush and kill a Corps Commander of 10,000 undead! All stats have increased by 2. Low Rank Command is now Lv9.]

The moment he was sure of the Corps Commander's demise, Lee Shin-Woo sprang into action; he didn't have even a moment to spare for the message. They had one thing left to do before the knights and soldiers surrounded them—collect the loot!

"I don't have any mana left, so I'm counting on you, Jin! We have to collect it all before we get out of here!"

"You're such a slave driver!"

[Grab him and bring him to his knees before he escapes! We cannot tarnish Sir Metafel's name!]

The knights personally guarding the Corps Commander were furious that their leader had been killed right before their eyes. It was a relief that most of the level 5 knights were dead, but the entire corps was now focusing on Lee Shin-Woo and Jin. It was outrageous that Lee Shin-Woo would even suggest collecting the loot before escaping.

"Even so, we have to get the loot!" Lee Shin-Woo insisted.

"Ughh... I guess it can't be helped!"

With newfound resolve, Jin sprinted at full speed towards the glittering Perium and bones that had fallen from the sky, using Steel Heart to create sharp horns on top of his head and plowing through the skeletons swarming up to them from all sides!

Combining his impressive speed and the strength of Steel Heart, Jin was able to destroy the level 4 Skeleton Knights with ease. It was such a cheat skill that there was no reason for Jin to be jealous of most heroes' blessing.

"Now... Jump!"

"Hah!"

The loot was still falling from the sky; the Drake Horn Lance had indeed flung the Corps Commander and the Elder Knights far into the air.

Jin had somehow managed to maneuver himself through the undead corps unscathed, and he jumped at Lee Shin-Woo’s signal; with his shocking leg strength, Jin instantaneously reached the loot, and Lee Shin-Woo quickly grabbed everything.

[You have acquired the Lv6 Ghoul Wizard - Vitas's skull.]

[You have acquired 950,000 Perium.]

[You have acquired a Lv4 Corrupted Guide's Staff. Through Bone Reinforcement, the weapon has transformed into a Lv4 Bifurcated Snake Spine.]

[You have acquired the Lv5 Skeleton Elder Knight - Veron's jawbone.]

[You have acquired the Lv5 Skeleton Elder Knight - Turain's...]

Lee Shin-Woo held firmly onto Jin’s back while flailing his hands about to collect the loot, looking down at the ground with his bounty in his arms.

Some knights had followed suit and leapt into the air, while their fellow soldiers shot arrows at them, and the mages attacked with magic. Lee Shin-Woo could tell with a quick glance that he and Jin were now their sole target.

[Kill them!]

[The living is our enemy. And that undead... Just kill him!]

[You're already dead!] [1]

However, Lee Shin-Woo remained steadfast despite receiving murderous looks from more than 10,000 undead. His body was beginning to replenish mana after he had exhausted his reserve to detonate the Drake Horn Lance. His Intermediate Mana Bone was indiscriminately absorbing the mana in the environment.

Soon, Lee Shin-Woo had gathered enough mana to use one skill, and he had already chosen what skill he'd use.

"You'll soon find out who the hell you're messing with!"

"Hoo."

Jin had predicted what Lee Shin-Woo was going to do and decided not to worry about anything. Yeah, his effort was better served figuring out how they were going to survive the fall after Lee Shin-Woo used his skill.

Jin's goblin fire shifted as he looked for the best place to land. Finally, Lee Shin-Woo opened his mouth and shouted, "You bald-headed bastards! I'm the one who killed your Corps Commander!"

"You're bald too!"

Even Jin couldn’t help but break his composure and retort. Lee Shin-Woo had forgotten himself; his high-pitched yell resounded far throughout the battlefield, causing more than 3,000 undead to flinch!

[You used Shriek of the Dead, causing your enemies to fall into a state of confusion and fear.]

[You used the skill to great success! With such a perfect provocation, the skill's effectiveness and range have increased! You have succeeded in making a portion of the enemies lose their minds, and their fear temporarily makes them obedient to you! Low Rank Shriek of the Dead is now Lv9. Magic has increased by 3.]

Lee Shin-Woo had managed to trigger two unexpected effects of the skill. Shriek of the Dead's effective range was much wider than usual, and it broke down the minds of the undead in that vast area! Not only that, they were inflicted with a different negative status this time!

[Bald!?]

[C-Corps Commander!]

[The Corps Commander is alive!]

Even Lee Shin-Woo couldn't believe what was happening, and his goblin fire flickered. Shock and terror spread from the heart of the battlefield, while groans and screams could be heard from all directions.

[Kuaaaak! Who the hell called me bald!?]

[It must be you! You still have some hair left!]

[I-It's a helmet! I'm telling you it's a helmet! Damn it, you crazy bastard!]

There were two reasons Lee Shin-Woo’s use of the skill was such a resounding success. The first was extremely simple: While people weren't receptive to his compliments, they seemed much more receptive to his insults; in fact, his insults seemed particularly effective in riling his targets up, and most of the undead ended up affected by his skill!

[Who insulted the Corps Commander!?]

[The Corps Commander isn't dead. He's right over there!]

[The Corps Commander has said the word. That we must kill you bastards who are rebelling against the Empire!]

The second reason was the situation they were in. The Corps Commander was dead, and Lee Shin-Woo had tormented them with the term 'Corps Commander'; as a result, a portion of the confused and fearful undead mistook Lee Shin-Woo as the Corps Commander and began mobilizing!

"This is...quite the new discovery,” Lee Shin-Woo muttered. “I need to do more research on it."

"Research? What the hell do you mean by research!?"

Lee Shin-Woo had only planned to disorient the undead with Shriek of the Dead and fled, but now he wondered if he should do more.

Meanwhile, Jin simply thought Lee Shin-Woo had picked the insult to piss off the undead, but was speechless seeing what havoc Lee Shin-Woo had brought about!

"In any case, it's easier for us to land now!" Lee Shin-Woo exclaimed.

"That's true...hold on tight!"

[A horse is plummeting from the sky!]

[What the hell are you talking about... Kuheok!]

Having figured out where they were going to land, Jin straightened his front legs and descended. The steel thorns that protruded from his hooves cleaved through all the skeletons en route to the landing spot, and they safely reached solid ground. It was truly a clean landing! However, Jin didn't have the time to admire himself. He immediately started running again.

"We'll be safe once we reach the Golems!"

"Hah...!"

[Stop right there, you louts! We'll definitely get revenge for the Corps Commander—Gah!]

[Don't you dare speak the Corps Commander's name with that dirty mouth of yours!]

Shriek of the Dead targeted thousands of undead in a specific area. Although it was a resounding success, Lee Shin-Woo hadn’t confused all of the level 4 Skeleton Knights roaming about.

However, even if there were skeletons unaffected by the skill, they still didn't possess the ability to restore sanity to those that had lost their minds. While the lucid ones tried their best to attack Lee Shin-Woo and Jin, they ended up blocked and hindered every step of the way by the other skeletons.

[Dark Arrow! Pure darkness, punish those who have become corrupted and forgotten the curse!]

"Magic!? Jin, dodge..."

[Corps Commander, we'll take care of it!]

[Kuaaak!]

"..."

Even when some Skeleton Wizards attacked them with magic, others afflicted with the status of obedience ended up blocking the spell for them and killing the wizards with counterattacks.

"Wait a sec."

"You..."

Lee Shin-Woo gave the signal, and Jin stopped running without hesitation. They were still quite far off from the troop of Golems, but Jin had an inkling why Lee Shin-Woo had told him to stop.

"Please tell me you're not gonna do what I think you’re gonna do," Jin said.

"I think I can do it. Don't you?"

"But the skill's effect is only temporary!"

Despite his complaints, Jin hadn’t moved an inch. The hostile skeletons coming in all directions lost their lives to the skeletons who considered Lee Shin-Woo their Corps Commander. Honestly speaking… They didn't really need to run away.

"Listen, Jin. I'm at an important juncture right now. My skill's potential is limitless, and it's my job to choose which direction the skill develops. I am certain that I can do it now, like the time we created Assimilation together."

"I was really proud of the skill, but hearing you say that makes me hate myself."

A skill was like a living organism; depending on the way it was used, its characteristics, mana usage, and goal would evolve.

Case in point, Horseback Riding evolved from a simple skill to increase the speed of his mount into the ridiculously powerful Assimilation, while Stealth had turned into Shadow Sprint.

And skills underwent a dramatic change as they ranked up from low rank to intermediate. Lee Shin-Woo believed Shriek of the Dead could go through a similar transformation.

"Maybe this skill will evolve to best match my karma, the Joker."

"You..."

[Corps Commander! I'll assist you!]

At that moment, a brainwashed Skeleton Knight approached them. Lee Shin-Woo looked at the knight and lied as naturally as he breathed, "Rebels have infiltrated our corps. Lead those who will follow your orders and quickly kill them. Once you're done cleaning up, I'll give you your next order."

[I understand, Corps Commander! Follow me, proud soldiers of the Empire! Let's kill those maggots slandering the Corps Commander!]

"..."

Any bystander would’ve thought Lee Shin-Woo had been leading the corps for five years or more with the haughty and authoritative tone he’d used to issue the order! Lee Shin-Woo played the part of a commander perfectly, and the Skeleton Knight saw him as its superior, taking a more active role in this battle than before!

[Corps Commander!]

[How dare you mention the Corps Commander... Kyaa!]

[Corps Commander. Please command me as well!]

The number of undead willing to follow his orders had increased significantly. Those who had been in a confused and fearful state saw their allies follow his orders and sought him out as well!

"Yeah... You heard me, right? Take care of the sane soldiers! Show those traitors the might of the Empire!"

[As you command!]

[I will follow you!]

That made Lee Shin-Woo interpret the state of confusion differently. Up until now, he had been using Shriek of the Dead to make the monsters fight amongst themselves, and he never once thought about other possible uses, but it seemed that he had been greatly mistaken.

I was too complacent. While it was originally a monster's skill, it should be different after it became mine.

He thought he'd progressed in many ways after coming to this world, but he still had a lot to learn. With both Acting and Disguise, he should be able to do more than just confuse his enemies. Oh, how he had wasted all the opportunities to experiment!

"Well, it doesn't matter,” Lee Shin-Woo murmured. “I’ll figure it out now."

"You really are going to start..."

It wasn't too late yet. Especially since Shriek of the Dead was at low rank level 9 and was about to level up; he was lucky to have come to the realization now. Lee Shin-Woo smiled and took a stance. The Corps Commander's bone in his hand melted away and was absorbed.

[Initiating Bone Reinforcement by consuming the Lv6 Ghoul Wizard - Vitas' skull. Magic has increased by 8. Intermediate Mana Bone is now Lv3. Magic has increased by 10. Low Rank Fire element is now Lv6. Magic has increased by 6. Absorbing a portion of the target's experiences and memories.]

[General, I'm just a mage, and I'm not good enough to lead one of your corps… If you still wish for me to shoulder such a heavy responsibility, I can only promise you one thing—our corps will never lose as long as I live. - Mercenary Mage Vitas]

It's impossible to perfectly disguise myself as the Ghoul Wizard by absorbing this bone alone, but my acting will be much more convincing now.

He wondered at what level Disguise would have to be for him to perfectly play a part after absorbing a single bone. Lee Shin-Woo thought inquisitively and grinned.

"Before we are soldiers of the Empire, we are mercenaries who follow the Mercenary King, Sir Metafel! Show those ruffians who tarnish Sir Metafel’s name the strength and ferocity of true mercenaries!"

[You used Shriek of the Dead, causing a portion of the enemies to fall into a state of confusion and fear!]

[A resounding success! Most of the enemies who have fallen into a state of confusion and fear have become obedient to you! The skill's range has expanded uncontrollably!]

He used the information from the absorbed bone to provoke the undead with a single comment, upending the entire battlefield!

[Ooooooooooooooh!]

[As you command, Corps Commander!]

[Ugh, the Corps Commander truly is...!]

[Metafel! Metafel!]

Lee Shin-Woo had confused even the once sane undead! The task was made easier since most undead couldn’t see him properly with the sheer number of them in the area.

Thus, the chaos spread uncontrollably... Eventually, around 3,000 undead were temporarily brainwashed.

This was the moment the largest civil war since the heroes had entered the Empire begun.

1. E/N: ref: “Omae wa mou shindeiru” is a famous line from Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star)