Being a Hunter Is Too Easy for a Former Necromancer - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Necromancer from My Past Life Finds Hunting Too Easy – Episode 1
Park Il-sang, who lives in the Yeouido Central Park Temporary Housing Village in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, was a Necromancer in his past life, having lived in a Fantasy Continent.
It was a world consumed by total war when the Demon King invaded and brought civilization itself to the brink of collapse.
In those desperate times, even forces once hunted down and condemned—the dark powers of Necromancy—became necessary weapons, wielded even by those who despised them.
He’d been allowed to join the Grand Alliance only because he was a grave-keeper rather than a demon-worshipper among the dark Mages—a distinction that mattered, apparently.
During that apocalyptic war, he’d somehow caught the eye of a Necromancy Master, learned the craft, and distinguished himself in battle—only to fall when he finally faced the Demon King.
What happened to the world after that, he never learned.
When he opened his eyes again, he’d been born in South Korea.
In other words, he’d been reborn carrying his memories intact from his past life.
Being reborn with those memories should have been extraordinary, yet—impossibly—he couldn’t use the Necromancy from his previous existence.
The world was different, he’d reasoned. That had to be why.
That’s what Park Il-sang had convinced himself.
Even though this world, too, had monsters pouring in from other dimensions, and Hunters blessed with supernatural abilities, and Mana flowing through all things.
But there was no system of magic—no framework for spellcasting—so he’d accepted it as simply how things were.
Still, having possessed an adult’s mind since childhood, he’d survived one way or another.
When the entire North of the Han River region—including North Korea—was devastated, he lost his home and possessions; his parents evacuated without him. By age eight, monsters claimed them as well, leaving him a vagrant orphan in a nation in freefall.
The whole of South Korea had descended into chaos, yet because he carried an adult’s intellect, he endured through those turbulent years. By his early twenties, despite living in a temporary housing village, he’d managed to build a modest livelihood.
If only he’d been born the child of some conglomerate heir or even a successful Hunter—he’d lamented countless times—he wouldn’t have suffered so. But there was no point dwelling on it.
He’d made a vow to cultivate a positive mindset: “This is completely lucky!”, “Kyaa-hoo! A second life—how fortunate!” He’d simply be grateful for his rebirth and live forward.
Besides, recently he’d worked as a general “errand-runner” for Hunters, trailing behind them and handling every odd job they assigned.
Through sheer effort, he’d finally achieved Awakening.
F-rank—the lowest tier.
Though the ability he gained was unremarkable, he’d been thrilled.
The gap between Awakened and non-Awakened was vast—in earnings, survival rates, everything.
This achievement alone was cause for immense gratitude.
Truly, a complete reversal of fortune!
Lucky! Super lucky!
That was how Park Il-sang had been living, content with his present life.
Then, during the mandatory basic training the government required all newly Awakened Hunters to attend, he saw a message that made him pause.
—You have become able to use the power of a Necromancer.
Somehow, impossibly, he’d regained the power of his past life.
Wait. Why now, of all times?
* * *
“For those of you who worked as Hunter Supporters, you’ll know well enough that Goblins are….”
Park Il-sang thought to himself.
‘Yeah, yeah. I know all this.’
On the platform above stood a retired Hunter, both legs replaced with prosthetics, droning on about something or other.
The fact that he wore those cheap prosthetic legs, now that cutting-edge Cybernetic Prosthetic Arms existed, was proof he had no money.
That’s why he was here now, teaching theory to a batch of fresh Hunters instead of doing anything more lucrative.
Still, the instructor was lucky by comparison.
At least he was alive.
Keeping his eyes on the instructor while letting the lecture go in one ear and out the other, Park Il-sang gazed at the translucent system window hovering before him.
—You have become able to use the power of a Necromancer.
The absurd message that had appeared just moments before.
‘No. What the—? Out of nowhere like this?’
Park Il-sang could only think: what kind of ridiculous thing is this?
Because—
Name: Park Il-sang
Class: Warrior F-rank / Necromancer Tier 1
Skills:
Warrior →
Necromancer →
He’d become a Warrior in this life.
‘Look, System. Are Warrior and Necromancer even compatible? What is this, exactly? What are you doing?’
It was so absurd he was left speechless—flabbergasted and utterly bewildered.
What was this system even thinking? Shouldn’t he have just Awakened as a Necromancer in the first place?
What on earth was this?
And that wasn’t even the strangest part.
‘Did the system just patch in my past-life abilities now? And another thing—Necromancy is a form of magic. It’s not a skill. It’s knowledge and power learned and accumulated over time.’
Necromancy was something he’d studied and honed himself, a body of knowledge and strength built through years of dedication. So why had it suddenly become a skill that could be used with a mere “click”?
‘The world’s different, so I guess that makes sense….’
Park Il-sang focused his attention on the arrow in the Skills section.
The skill list unfolded before him.
Skills:
Warrior →
Regeneration F / Superhuman Strength F / Power Strike F / Toughness F
Necromancer →
Undead Creation / Corpse Control / Corpse Box Crafting / Necro Mana Control
‘Hmm. This is strange. I know far more Necromancy spells than this. Why do I only have these four?’
He muttered to himself.
In his past life, the years he’d spent battling the Demon King’s army as a Necromancer were considerable.
He’d eventually become an Arch Lich, no less. The sheer number of Necromancy spells he’d learned was immense, and he’d created quite a few of his own as well.
Yet the total number of spells available to him now was merely three.
The fourth skill, Necro Mana Control, wasn’t even a spell—it was just a basic control ability.
And they were listing that as a skill.
‘What I can infer from this is… this world, everything is under the System’s control. That must be it. If that’s the case, it makes sense why I can’t use the Necromancy from my past life….’
When the world changes, so do the laws that govern it.
He understood that all too well. He grasped why he’d been unable to use Necromancy until now.
If the System controls this world, then are the invaders from other dimensions also constrained by the System?
The System itself is an enigma, and he’d heard that even divine beings called Constellations couldn’t fathom its nature.
‘This is one suspicious power.’
Park Il-sang scratched his chin thoughtfully—a habit from his past life, something he’d done even when nothing but bones remained of him.
“Well then, that concludes today’s lesson. Next time we’ll have a written exam, and anyone scoring below the passing grade will have to retake it. As you know, no Hunter license without passing, so make sure you memorize everything.”
The instructor finished speaking and left the room. The other rookie Hunters began gathering their things, and Park Il-sang was just about to stand when—
-You have diligently attended the Monsters Theory lecture.
-You have acquired the skill [Monster Codex].
“Huh?”
This skill. He’d never even heard of it before.
How did he get this?
* * *
‘This is strange. There has to be a reason for this…. Don’t tell me this world is about to fall apart?’
Park Il-sang made his way home, enjoying the privilege of a returnee.
And what was that privilege?
It was experience.
That was the greatest privilege and ability a returnee could possess.
He’d survived in this half-ruined South Korea precisely because of the experiences and memories from his past life.
From his experience as a returnee, momentous events always had a reason behind them.
Sometimes a transcendent being so far beyond comprehension would casually manipulate fate for amusement. Other times, the world faced annihilation, so they granted power to humanity and said, “Now work hard and save yourselves.”
Either way, there was always a reason. The problem was not knowing what it was.
The Hunter System that sustained Earth’s population was one such mystery. Even the Constellations themselves—actual divine beings—didn’t know what the Hunter System truly was, so that should tell you everything.
For this reason.
The fact that his Hunter System was notably different from everyone else’s, and that he could now use the Necromancy from his past life in a limited capacity through the System, held profound significance for Park Il-sang.
‘There’s no point in speculating on the reasons…. So then, is there any way I can find a loophole to use the Necromancy from my past life?’
Park Il-sang had been an exceptional Necromancer in his past life—so exceptional that no Necromancer on the Fantasy Continent had come close to his power.
Among the Mage class, there were those called the Three Sages, and only they possessed abilities comparable to his own.
It wasn’t as if he hadn’t tried to wield his past-life powers since arriving in this world.
He’d laboriously obtained monster blood and drawn Necromancy magic circles—since the circles themselves possessed the power to activate spells, even non-Mages could cast lower-tier magic simply by drawing them correctly—and he’d tried that approach.
He’d even attempted to create a “Corpse Box,” the traditional training method of Necromancers.
But nothing worked, so he’d assumed this world simply didn’t allow such things and had resigned himself to living diligently.
Yet now.
The Hunter System had made Necromancy usable. And that’s what spawned these thoughts.
‘Could this be a world patch? If they updated the game because Earth was doomed and added a new class….’
Necromancy didn’t exist in this world. But if the Hunter System had patched in Necromancy as a skill and ruleset?
Like a game.
Ta-da! From today on, you can now choose the Necromancer class!
If that were the case, it would make sense.
After all, until now, no one in this world possessed the power of a Necromancer.
But the Hunter System wasn’t a game operator, so why would it bother patching in such an update? That thought led him back to his earlier suspicion.
Was Earth really about to collapse? Was something big coming?
‘First. I need to experiment and see if I can actually regain my power.’
Park Il-sang moved his legs with deliberate purpose, his thoughts churning forward with each step.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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