Record of a Thousand Lives

The Bone Dragon did not miss the opportunity to unleash its dragon breath towards Shaneth.

Fwaaa!

The black flame engulfed Shaneth as it tried to consume her, but Shaneth was not being burned by it. A bright red luster surrounded her body as if it were protecting her from the black flame; it was the bright light of the power fragment.

[The Chosen One has completed all conditions.]

[The first stage of the power fragment has been released.]

[The Soldier class has evolved into the Ignus Warrior class.]

[The skills and characteristics of the Soldier class have disappeared.]

[You have obtained the unique skills of the Ignus Warrior class.]

[Your class evolution has opened new characteristics.]

[Your fire resistance has increased by one level.]

[Your equipment will not be burned by fire.]

[Your strength and vitality have increased.]

[Your mana has increased.]

[Your affinity with fire spirits has increased.]

[Your affinity with ice spirits has decreased.]

[Your combat skills have all increased by one level.]

[You may hear the Ignus Dragon’s whispers from now on.]

[You have learned the unique skill ‘Pyrokinesis’.]

[You have learned the unique skill ‘Fire Strike’.]

A Class Evolution had been unlocked. It was normal for someone to get the option to change their class, but having one’s class forcefully changed was a very rare occurrence.

The benefits of the Soldier class might have disappeared, but it was not a loss at all for her. The Ignus Warrior class was not only superior to the Soldier class in terms of base stats, but also greatly superior to it in all other aspects. She now had higher stamina with which to fight continuously, and her fire resistance was now stronger as well. Additionally, she could handle more kinds of weapons compared to other basic combat classes.

“Haa… Ha…” Shaneth gasped for air.

The way she moved had changed greatly from just moments before. Her desire to not be a hindrance to Kang Yoon-Soo and help him instead had caused her to evolve. Now, she was no longer afraid of the Bone Dragon’s black flames.

Kang Yoon-Soo called out to the newly evolved Shaneth. “Shaneth.”

“Yes! I’m overflowing with power!” Shaneth exclaimed.

“Be my shield,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“...Alright,” Shaneth replied.

Thus, Shaneth began to stand at the forefront and block the Bone Dragon’s flames head-on whenever it breathed them out. The destructive black flames could no longer inflict any damage on her. The Bone Dragon was soon cornered after its breath attack was rendered ineffective, and they rained down a barrage of attacks on it.

“Release Lightning. Release Lightning. Release Lightning.” Kang Yoon-Soo swung his Staff of Lightning and struck the Bone Dragon with lightning strike after lightning strike, and he even used up all of the staff’s charges to call forth devastating lightning and inflict massive amounts of damage to the Bone Dragon.

The magic attacks were very effective against the Bone Dragon, which lacked any sort of magical barrier. In time, cracks began to form on the dragon’s sturdy bones.

“Kirigriyaaah!”The Bone Dragon spread out its wings as it attempted to escape, but Shaneth leaped up and slashed both wings with her Death Scythe.

The boss monster fell to the ground, and Kang Yoon-Soo stabbed his longsword into the dead center of its skull. Kang Yoon-Soo shattered the Bone Dragon’s skull and stabbed its core, destroying both.

[You have defeated the Bone Dragon, Skeltrodon (Boss, Level 174).]

[Your level has increased by 12.]

Kang Yoon-Soo was now Level 86. He skillfully dismembered the Bone Dragon and stored it in his dimension bag.

[Ancient Dragon Bone]

A piece of the Bone Dragon. Its value lies in being researched or used as crafting material. It is an ancient bone that has not eroded over time and still maintains its durability.

[Skeltrodon’s Eyes]

Color: Red

The eyes of an ancient dragon. Time has crystallized them, but the magic power of an ancient dragon can be felt in them.

Dragon eyes held different magic based on their color, and in the case of Skeltrodon’s red eyes, they stored fire attribute magic. It was possible to refine such eyes into dragon eye jewels with special magic or crafting skills.

‘I have no use for Skeltrodon’s eyes, but I’ll keep them just in case,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

There were some shiny items underneath the remains of the Bone Dragon, and upon closer inspection, they were a stone tablet with mysterious characters engraved on it and a brightly glowing piece of stone.

[Tablet of Records]

A tablet that holds records of missing history. It has been severely damaged and it is difficult to read the characters engraved on it, but a seasoned archeologist might be able to restore it.

[Ancient Stone of Requiem]

An extremely rare piece of stone. It looks simple but holds a brilliant luster, and it contains a forgotten power. The details of the stone will be forever lost if it is not crafted properly. It is one of the highest-grade crafting materials.

Kang Yoon-Soo stored both items in the dimension bag before leaving the excavation site. He notified the excavators that the Bone Dragon was dead.

Ramax could not hide his joy upon hearing the good news and grabbed Kang Yoon-Soo and Shaneth’s hands, exclaiming, “Thank you! Our association would have been in ruins if it weren’t for you!”

Kang Yoon-Soo took out the Tablet of Records from his dimension bag and handed it to Ramax. Ramax and the other members could not hide their surprise; their mouths were left hanging open in astonishment.

“This… It’s an ancient tablet, right?”

“Wasn’t this believed to be lost forever?”

“I knew it. You aren’t an ordinary man.” Ramax inspected the tablet before shaking his head in disappointment. “Phew… It’s unfortunate but its condition isn’t good. It’s impossible to read the characters describing the missing history. This will take at least a month to restore; come drop by then to collect it. I promise to restore it by then.”

“Then I’ll do it myself,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

“What? What did you say you would do?” Ramax doubted his ears.

Kang Yoon-Soo took the tablet back from Ramax and headed inside the tent. Just as he brought out a set of repair tools, the association members suddenly rushed at him and exclaimed, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Restoring it,” Kang Yoon-Soo answered.

“Are you crazy?! Restoring artifacts isn’t an easy job just anyone can do! You could damage the tablet and turn it into a useless piece of stone!” Ramax exclaimed as he ran toward Kang Yoon-Soo.

However, Shaneth stood in his way and blocked him. “Don’t worry. If it is that man, he will be able to do it,” she said, trying to calm down the old man.

“But! It’s impossible for a beginner like him to restore that valuable artifact!” Ramax pleaded.

However, perhaps because Shaneth had spent too much time with Kang Yoon-Soo, she had started to sound pretty brazen. She said, “We were the ones who found it first. So doesn’t it belong to us, and thus we can do whatever we want with it?”

“Still! Do you have any idea how much historical value that tablet holds?!” Ramax would not back down and protested heavily.

However, the Red Rock Excavators could do nothing but watch from the sidelines, filled with suspense and unease, as the man worked on the tablet.

Kang Yoon-Soo suddenly raised a hammer and struck the tablet hard.

Crack!

The Tablet of Records was split into two pieces, and the faces of the onlookers in the tent turned ghostly pale. What had happened right in front of their eyes was so unbelievable that an eerie silence filled the tent, as no one could muster up their voice to speak.

A bluish light started to escape from the broken tablet.

[The seal holding the records within the ancient tablet has been broken.]

[The records have begun flowing out of the ancient tablet.]

[A magician sacrificed his own soul to preserve the records.]

[Only some of the records remain, but you may access the missing portion of history.]

“Oh!” It was only then that the excavators were relieved.

The characters written on the ancient tablet were nothing more than a trap; they were merely scribbled gibberish made to look like ancient characters. Multiple scholars had tried to decipher the tablet in the past, but the way to access the records was actually quite simple. They only had to break it.

‘It was so simple that no one imagined it to be this easy,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

A lot of research would actually be required to finally figure out how to access the tablet, but that would only apply if it were done the normal way—and normal did not apply to Kang Yoon-Soo.

The blue light that flowed out of the tablet started to change the surroundings, and the dusty tent suddenly turned into a war zone. The missing portion of history was being played like a video right before their eyes; those present in the tent held their breaths as they focused on the miracle unfolding.

Thousands of vile demons roamed across the landscape. Most of them had black wings on their backs, taking the form most people commonly recognized; however, some of them looked quite vile and grotesque. Some, for instance, had thousands of eyes embedded across their bodies.

Numerous demons of all shapes and sizes charged toward a horde of monsters and feasted on them; even gigantic monsters that would be hard to hunt even by a party of hundreds were mercilessly slaughtered, and the stench of blood filled the air.

However, the strangest scene of all was the sky. The gloomy sky looked like a doorway flung wide open as the clouds parted right down the middle; the demons were descending to the earth from the heavens.

Five humans stood at the edge of a cliff as they witnessed the grotesque sight from above; their appearances and outfits looked quite familiar. They were the Five Ancient Heroes who had stopped the invasion of Pandemonium in the past, and they looked exactly the way they had been described to future generations.

“The doors of Pandemonium will be fully open in a matter of hours,” an elf wielding a large wooden longbow muttered. He was the one who would be known in the future as the Noble Archer, Nahilen.

“It’s already hell down there. I can’t imagine how bad it will be after the doors fully open,” Sephia, the Infinite Dimension Wizard, said as she stroked her golden hair.

“The war with the demons will start once the door fully opens, and the strongest being from Pandemonium will cross over to this side. We have to stop that at all costs… But something’s fishy…” Minerva, the Grand Alchemist, said in a tone that seemed calm and calculating.

“I welcome the world being covered in darkness and blood, but it has to be done by my hands. I cannot let them do that before me,” Nakron, the Ultimate Necromancer, said as he tapped on his blade made of bones.

“You guys are too talkative. Let me summarize it for you. Just as our parents always said, life’s unfair. The armies of the continents have been wiped out, the demons of Pandemonium are crossing over to our continent, and all of the plans we made have all been for naught. I wouldn’t mind eating that disgusting food Nakron cooked for us if it would help us out,” said a man, the final member of the party.

Nahilen and Sephia both burst out into laughter as Nakron swung his sword angrily at the man. However, the man easily avoided the sword as if it were a joke to him. He said lightly, “It was just a joke.”

The man suddenly turned serious as he said gravely, “We just have to remember one thing.”

All of the Ancient Heroes nodded.

The man grasped his spear as he shouted, “We will protect our family, our friends, and our continent!”

The demons charged at the Ancient Heroes as soon as they ran down the cliff; the five fought alone against thousands of demons. However, they pushed through the demons with immense destructive power, shredding their foes to pieces.

Kang Yoon-Soo stared at the man at the forefront. Whenever the man swung his spear, the ground was shattered and several demons were ripped apart. He thought, ‘Your past is always awkward no matter how many times I see it, Sirian.’

He was the authority above all creatures.

The King of All Things.

The only living hero.

Sirian Lanchecaster.