Who came up with the title of the twelve generals? The answer was simple. It was the Emperor. Only those amongst his subordinates he specifically recognized would be bestowed that title. The Lightning Shadow General, Hansen Von Dorthe, was the last of the twelve generals that were supposed to 'protect him', and their status was one of respect.

Therefore, it put them in a unique place, so much so that they stood out amongst the other generals[1] as well as the nobles. They were more powerful than those who were similar in level, and the subordinates under their direct command were stronger than others' subordinates.

[But there are a few amongst them that are especially powerful. The top members of the twelve generals... The sword that protects the Emperor, Seagald Von Retadane, the spear of the battlefield, Leofield Von Tariman...the Emperor's shield, Arema Steelworker, and lastly, me, Archmage Feotane Von Seldin.]

He floated in the air, his silk robes fluttering. Feotane looked like a handsome, young man, and spoke in a carefree, delighted tone.

No matter how Lee Shin-Woo looked at it, he seemed like a normal man through and through, but the somber and dark energy that came from his body, as well as the fact that Lee Shin-Woo couldn’t sense even a grain of life energy from him, proved that the man was undead.

[We are known as the four commanders of the Empire.]

He realized where Guillotine Steelworker had gotten the term 'Four Commanders' from. With a grin, he retorted, "You’re being too loud for someone making a self-introduction."

[I've finally met you 'heroes', so if I don't introduce myself properly, it would spoil the mood, wouldn't it?]

Feotane was really composed. It was a composure that came from being one of the absolute strongest.

Hansen Von Dorthe was somewhat the same, but ultimately, his confidence was nothing more than vanity and conceit. The Archmage, on the other hand, could more than back up his confidence with his prowess.

"You know about the heroes?"

[How could I not? Decades ago, the heroes triggered chaos in the capital... Ah, the goddess truly is cold for ignoring our feelings.]

"..."

[Ah, why the long face? I don't hate heroes. Neither does His Imperial Majesty.]

"What?"

Lee Shin-Woo had secretly been preparing to escape while conversing with Feotane. He seemingly couldn’t help but show his honest reaction when the general told him about his and the Emperor's feelings regarding heroes, but of course, that was all part of Lee Shin-Woo’s act. He believed it would make Feotane lower his guard.

[You might think that we hate you because you’ve been killing our precious citizens, but... Ultimately, quality above quantity. High level heroes that are hand-picked by the goddess for their talent... If we can incorporate you into His Majesty's forces, that much heartbreak is more than worth it.]

"Incorporate heroes into his army? Says who?"

[Haha, it'll happen eventually, no? So long as you are in the Empire, the only way of getting out is to die.]

It seemed that Feotane Von Seldin had really taken a shine on Lee Shin-Woo for not freezing up at the sight of him and for responding to him confidently. With a smile, Feotane put all his attention on him.

Feotane must know that Lee Shin-Woo had some trick up his sleeve, but he acted nonchalantly as if silently taunting him, 'Go ahead, try it if you can.' If he knew exactly what Lee Shin-Woo was planning, he wouldn't have remained so calm.

[No one can escape death. It’s a game you have no hopes of winning from the very beginning. We have too great of an advantage. Or rather… We made it that way. Mm, I'm referring to His Majesty and his wisdom.]

"I suppose I just have to kill you all before I die."

[No, you can't. You will never be able to kill us.]

Feotane said confidently, and Lee Shin-Woo was vaguely aware of why he was so confident. He had surpassed life and death itself, and didn't possess the energy that 'all existences naturally possessed'.

Even if they could kill Feotane, he wondered whether the Archmage would actually die or not... Upon meticulous inspection, Lee Shin-Woo came to a realization.

The core of his existence... He doesn't have a 'core' that all existences possess. The root of his power, namely his stats, are hidden somewhere else. Holy shit, that’s actually possible...?

Lee Shin-Woo recalled a skill that black mages rarely used in fantasy novels known as transmission. One's life force would be extracted and transferred to another vessel; by hiding that container, the undead black mage would become immortal... He was a Lich!

In that case, the Emperor was probably a Lich as well. That meant that there were two Liches that had hidden their containers somewhere! His genuine shock was interrupted when the Archmage clapped and moved on to the main topic of discussion.

[Now, it seems like we're done with the introductions. Shall we get right down to business?]

"Rem!"

[Stop right there.]

Lee Shin-Woo turned to his comrades and was about to throw something, but at that moment, his body became stiff. Despite the deep concentration of lightning that continued to course through him, Feotane had frozen the entire space and prevented him from moving.

[I'm not done talking, young hero.]

"..."

[What's in your hand? Hmm? What's this, there's nothing there. It looked like you were about to throw something. Was I seeing things? In any case, it doesn't matter. Moving on to the main topic.]

The chatty Archmage looked like he couldn't be happier as he put his arm around Lee Shin-Woo's shoulders and continued. Lee Shin-Woo couldn't move. Regardless of how much mana he had, there was nothing he could do, as the entire space itself was frozen.

'Rem, I'm counting on you.'

'Activation is ready at any time.'

The only things he could do was to make use of their shared subspace to secretly relay his message to Rem, who perched atop Kratia's shoulder, and use Assimilation to apologize to his precious partner and activate a skill...

[I told before that we put more importance into quality over quantity. We wait until several heroes become strong enough to enter our ranks and then...when they are strong enough, we accept them into the fold. You will ultimately become our comrades. We can give you some important positions.]

"..."

[Therefore, I won't kill you. It looks like you're still level 6... Mm, indeed. It seems you can still progress further. It's strange, there's something off balance about you. It's not yet time to harvest. Isn't that right? However, we can bring that beautiful mage girl with us soon... Huh?]

He tilted his head. Feotane had frozen both Kratia and Prince like he'd frozen Lee Shin-Woo, but strangely, it felt like something had changed. He couldn't tell what it was yet. There seemed to be a strange mana reaction...

[Wait a sec... A gate!?]

"Heup!"

Suddenly, a gate appeared beneath Kratia and Prince's feet... Because it was such high level magic, Feotane was completely caught off guard. The moment he stretched out his hand, Lee Shin-Woo used the only skill he could use in this frozen space, Rule of Bone's Self-Destruct.

[Critical Hit!]

He had converted the entire area's mana into lightning, so the suicide attack would be effective against even the likes of a level 8 Archmage!

...Especially with both Lee Shin-Woo and Jin sacrificing themselves!

[Kuhahk!]

The Archmage was swept up in the blast. The huge explosion caused the entire area's mana to shake. Feotane felt nauseous, as he hadn't felt pain in such a long time. Hurriedly, he flew into the air. Kratia and Prince had already disappeared. Lee Shin-Woo and Jin were also nowhere to be seen because of the explosion!

[How could this happen...]

The Archmage looked at the nothingness and muttered in shock. He had lived for quite a long time, but that attack would be burned into his memory. To think the hero would go as far as to sacrifice his horse as well to save his comrades!

No, what was even more surprising was the fact that his comrades could create a gate and use it to escape, as well as the fact that he had been so grievously injured by a level 6 hero.

[Let's say that I sustained this much damage because it was Self-Destruct, but the gate... No, it's possible to create a temporary gate if they used an item. Damn it, I can't interfere with the goddess’s subspace. Did the goddess give them that item herself? They really got me!]

Eventually, he came to a reasonable conclusion, which wasn’t that far from the truth. Lee Shin-Woo had told Rem to ready the Bone Gate in his and Rem’s linked inventory, and Rem had activated the gate underneath their feet to teleport Kratia and Prince elsewhere.

[It's been a long time since I've seen someone so talented that they could be a candidate for a general. I was going to recommend him to the twelve generals, but oh well.]

To make sure, Feotane used the artifact that was set up in this space to scan the entire area, but there weren't any traces left of anyone. He could truly say that they got him good.

[Keuk. They got me. How long has it been... My wounds are worse than I expected. I have to go and treat them immediately.]

He muttered to himself and raised his head to gather mana, but the entire area's mana was jumbled with lightning and chilly air, so there was nothing here he could use. If he wanted to restore his body—the body of a Lich—elemental mana wouldn't cut it. He needed pure mana.

[Tch. I'll treat myself and then come back...]

It was clear he didn’t like it as he muttered and left.

At that moment, a torrent of mana swelled within the air, and Lee Shin-Woo’s and Jin's bodies formed anew. It was truly a mysterious and frightening scene.

[Invisible Heart is now Lv4. All stats have increased by 3.]

Completely resurrected, Lee Shin-Woo gritted his teeth at the message and muttered, “Damn it, I promised myself that I would never die again..."

"We got out of that situation alive. It’s good enough!"

Invisible Heart and Blessing of Death came with a strange option, and whether it was good or bad, he didn't know.

In any case, Lee Shin-Woo and Jin could choose when they would revive, so long as it was within several minutes. It ended up unexpectedly helpful in situations like this, where dying just once wouldn't be enough for him to overcome danger.

Case in point, the Archmage had left, thinking they were really dead!

"But what happened to Prince?” Lee Shin-Woo wondered aloud. “I thought it'd be fine so long as I could save Kratia and Rem. Wasn't the gate limited to two individuals at a time?"

"Is it really the time to be curious about that? Let's go. We have to go as fast as we can!"

"Nope. Jin, we have to find something before we leave."

"What exactly are you trying to find in this urgent situation... Hey, it's not that, is it? Please tell me it's not."

Jin had been pushing Lee Shin-Woo, but when he saw Lee Shin-Woo moving so quickly, he realized what the answer was and yelled in shock, "Are you going to take that surveillance item!?"

"Of course I am. Do you know why the Archmage wasn't able to find us, even though he activated the artifact?"

"I don't!"

"Because Kratia succeeded in hacking into it! It would be such a waste if we don’t take it with us. I would lose sleep over it!"

"You can't sleep, you're undead!"

[Lv8 Huginn's Eye][2]

"I found it!"

"Hey!"

When Feotane Von Seldin activated the artifact at the very last moment, Lee Shin-Woo had followed the flow of mana and located where the artifact was hidden within the facility. Lee Shin-Woo wouldn't lose the artifact again, and the moment he greedily grasped it, Jin lifted him onto his back and ran out of the facility. At the speed of light!

Exactly 10 minutes later, Lee Shin-Woo and Jin were completely healed from the injuries they'd sustained from Self-Destruct. Meanwhile, Feotane Von Seldin had returned to the facility, only to find that the artifact controlling the facility was gone without a trace. For the third time that day, he was completely shocked.

1. T/N: Apparently, I need to be more specific when referring to the twelve generals, as there are other generals in the Empire. ☜

2. T/N: Reference to one of Odin's ravens from Norse mythology. ☜