The moment Kim Suho returned to his apartment, the silence hit him. After everything inside the Screaming Vault—the echoing screams, the twisted undead, and the final clash with the Hollow King—the quiet was almost too much.
He kicked off his shoes and walked to the tiny kitchen. His limbs were heavy, and sore in strange places. The fight had taken more out of him than he realized. Still, something was comforting in the normalcy of boiling water, tearing open a ramen packet, and watching the steam rise from the pot.
He sat by the window, a plastic fork in one hand and his status window floating in front of him.
[Kim Suho]
Level: 19
Undead Army: 13
Caldran Vael, Oath bound Commander Hollow Overlord Dr. Han SeyeonWyvern9 lesser undead (stabilized) Skills Unlocked:Memory Forge (Passive), Command Chain (Active), Gravewalker (Passive) Quest: Areum's Soul Fragment – Part 2 Progress: 13/20 undead gathered
He slurped the noodles slowly. Seven more. That's all he needed to move forward in the quest to reach the next fragment of Areum's memory.
But this wasn't something he could rush. Each soul, each undead, had to be earned. Claimed. Bound. And most importantly—understood.
He stood, stretched his arms, and texted the team:
Suho: Meet me at Café Mocha at 9. We're going in again tomorrow. Gate ID 139X, local, unclaimed. Let's talk prep.
The next morning, Suho was already out early. The café they picked wasn't fancy—just a quiet spot near the outskirts of the city, away from the crowds and media. He arrived first, nursing a lukewarm coffee as he waited.
Soon enough, they trickled in.
Baek Mirae arrived first, still in her casual combat jacket, her long black hair tied up messily.
"Morning," she said, sliding into the seat across from him.
"Hey," Suho replied.
Im Hojin came next, yawning into his sleeve. His tracker gear looked patched up but functional.
"Didn't sleep?" Suho asked.
"Too much going on in my head," Hojin mumbled, flopping into his chair. "Nightmares. Not fun ones."
Kang Minho arrived last, nodding to the group. His tank gear was plain, a little battered, but his stance was steady.
Once they were settled, Suho started. "Thanks for coming. We need to talk before heading out."
Mirae nodded. "About the raid?"
"No," Suho said. "About us. If we're going to move forward together… I want to know your styles and your strengths. I want to plan properly."
Hojin leaned forward. "So… like a real team?"
"Yes," Suho said simply.
Mirae smiled. "Then I'll start. I'm a C-rank Elementalist. Specialize in mid-range elemental spells. Lightning and wind mostly. I'm not great at close combat, but I can keep enemies off you."
"Noted," Suho said. "You're our ranged damage."
Minho raised his hand next. "D-rank Tank. I use a reinforced shield and high-durability armor. My role is to stand between the team and whatever's coming. I can take hits. Lots of them."
"C-rank Tracker. I can mark targets, follow trails, and spot traps or anomalies. In combat, I'm decent with daggers, but I prefer hit-and-run tactics."
"Support and recon," Suho said, then added, "I'm C-rank. I don't have a formal class listed, but I specialize in control and summoning. You've seen what I do."
Mirae raised an eyebrow. "Only a C-rank? After what we saw?"
Minho smirked. "Well, you've got thirteen undead under you. I'd say that counts."
"We're heading to a newly opened dungeon today," Suho continued. "Low activity zone, not claimed by any guild yet. Should be C or D rank. We'll scout, clear, and I'll see if anything there can be added to my army."
"Not going to lie," Hojin said. "Feels weird saying that."
"What?"
"'Added to my army.' Like we're just out shopping for corpses."
Suho gave a dry chuckle. "It's how this works."
They finished their drinks and left together. The morning sun was warm, and the city bustled around them, but they walked with purpose.
The gate location wasn't far—an old railway warehouse on the outskirts. When they arrived, the portal shimmered faintly, unattended.
"No guild wants it?" Mirae asked.
"Too far from the main zones," Suho replied. "Not worth the effort for big hunters. But for us, it's perfect."
They geared up.
Suho wore his usual long coat, reinforced with mana-sensitive lining. Caldran's soul flickered faintly behind him, ready to be summoned at a moment's notice.
Mirae adjusted her spell rings and tightened her boots.
Minho slammed his shield into the ground once, testing its weight.
Hojin loosened the straps on his daggers and tied back his hair.
Before stepping through, Suho looked at them. "Stick together. Watch your backs. Trust me—and each other."
They nodded.
Then they entered.
Inside, the air was thick with humidity. The dungeon was shaped like an overgrown train yard, with rusted tracks twisted by vines and moss-covered carriages scattered like bones. The sky above was sickly green, false, and artificial.
"Smells like rot," Hojin muttered.
"Good," Suho said. "Means something's alive. Or was."
They moved carefully, formation tight.
Children appeared beside Suho in translucent armor. "No presence like the Hollow King," he said. "But death lingers here. Many deaths. Old ones."
They soon encountered their first enemies—plant-infested zombies, slow but with thorny roots embedded in their flesh. Mirae burned the first group down with a flash of lightning. Minho shielded them from a spore burst. Suho stepped in, commanding his undead forward to tear the rest apart.
He knelt over the corpses after. "Still usable," he murmured, and with a pulse of necrotic mana, three of them rose—unstable, but bound.
"We're pushing fast," Mirae said, a little breathless.
"We have to," Suho replied. "I need four more. And we still don't know what's deeper inside."
They cleared another zone—this time facing malformed insect creatures fused with bones. It was harder. Minho took a hit. Hojin used his tracking to avoid an ambush. Mirae's spells began to drain her mana.
Suho didn't falter. He used the Command Chain, directing his units with Caldran taking point. They moved like an army now, not just summoned puppets.
By the time they reached the center of the dungeon, Suho had raised two more undead.
[Undead Army: 18]
Then he felt it—a surge in his bones.
Level Up!
Kim Suho is now Level 20.
New Passive Skill: "Essence Anchor" – Improves stability rate for elite undead.
All stats increased slightly.
But then something else shifted.
A crypt beneath the rail yard cracked open—and from it, a massive creature emerged. A chimera of rusted metal, dead roots, and animal bones fused by a failed summoner's dream.
Suho stepped forward.
"Perfect," he whispered. "Number nineteen."
To Be Continued...