Damn Necromancer - Chapter 108

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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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Spendthrift Necromancer (108)
The guards had scarcely stepped inside the palace before he dismissed them.
“I have matters of importance to discuss. Leave us.”
“Your Majesty, the danger—”
“Enough. I trust the Awakener Kim Min-woo standing before me.”
At the king’s sharp command, the guards had no choice but to file out of the chamber.
They were alone.
Abdullah, who had been gnawing at his lip with visible anxiety, finally spoke.
“Is Awakening truly possible?”
“Would I have flown all this distance to speak nonsense?”
He nodded slowly.
He didn’t quite believe it, yet he couldn’t afford not to. If this were a con, there would be no reason to come here in the first place.
“Let me be frank. I imagine Awakening holds considerable significance for Your Majesty?”
“It does.”
In Saudi Arabia now, the Awakened held the advantage over those who remained asleep to their power.
Not that the non-Awakened faced outright persecution, but naturally those blessed by Allah’s grace would gain more pride, more authority in their words—such was the way of things.
For a king, who had no need to fight directly, a conversion to priesthood would be ideal.
One burst of holy light, and the people’s loyalty would soar.
Subtle deification, quiet elevation to the divine—intoxicating prospects for a man in his position.
“I’ll need a considerable sum of money.”
“Money? For Skill Books?”
“Among other things. I also need to participate in the Heavenly Auction House.”
The king’s eyes widened at that.
“You’ve already received an Invitation?”
“Yes. My participation is confirmed.”
“Remarkable. Though I suppose, given your reputation and resources, an Invitation would hardly be out of reach. So, how much do you require?”
“One hundred trillion won. That’s the minimum I’ll need.”
“Are you joking?”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
They stared at each other.
The king’s eyes narrowed, his expression hardening.
“You’re serious.”
“It’s not an excessive amount, truly.”
Precise information about his wealth wasn’t public knowledge—Saudi law kept the Royal Family’s assets confidential.
Still, in this world, the Saudi dynasty’s total fortune was estimated at roughly three hundred trillion won.
One hundred trillion was substantial, certainly.
‘But not impossible to raise.’
If he could simply Awaken, the king would find the money one way or another. Scruples about method wouldn’t stop him.
“Do you smoke?”
“Please, feel free.”
He exhaled slowly.
The king lit a cigar, drawing deeply.
“If word of this got out, it would cause an uproar.”
“Would it?”
Perhaps it would, at that.
Who would celebrate a king pouring one hundred trillion won into his own Awakening?
Even if it came from his personal wealth, the story would be the same.
Should this ever become public, the fallout could be severe.
But then again—
“Couldn’t we simply keep it quiet?”
There were countless ways to conclude such a transaction in silence.
“Ha. You’re something else.”
“I had occasion to visit Cheong Wa Dae.”
“Oh?”
“I met your president there. Remarkable man—in his seventies, yet he looked barely fifty. Quite robust for his age.”
The king said nothing, so he continued.
“I heard he’s been pouring money into biotechnology. Three trillion annually, was it? Youth and aging are frightening things, aren’t they?”
“Do you have two hearts?”
Instead of answering, he smiled.
Saudi Arabia?
As an Awakening nation, it wasn’t one that commanded particularly high scores.
Unfortunately, it was treated as a weaker Awakening nation—even worse than Korea, which, despite being an Awakening backwater, still ranked higher.
Since its military strength wasn’t formidable, once negotiations fell through, it would be difficult for them to harbor any real intent to harm us.
‘Besides, they probably never intended to break the deal in the first place.’
This was just him venting.
If he’d truly thought the price was outrageous, he would have walked out from the start.
After deliberating for some time, he spoke.
“I’m asking just in case, but can you Awaken other royals besides me?”
“Who are you referring to?”
Abdullah listed the names of dozens of royal family members.
Fortunately, I was well-versed in the Awakening Conditions for the other royals as well.
Users had thrown themselves into the effort to uncover it. Hearing the names, they were all charming wealthy men.
“It seems possible. Of course, I can’t guarantee the Achievement Grade. That applies to Your Majesty as well.”
Abdullah and the other royals’ talents hovered near the lower tier.
They should simply take pride in the fact that they could Awaken at all.
‘That alone is damn good fortune.’
How many wealthy people shed tears over being unable to achieve that much?
“Really? Then… could my wife and children also…?”
“Yes.”
At those words, Abdullah’s eyes brightened.
If not only he, but the other royals loyal to him and their families could all Awaken, then one hundred trillion won hardly seemed an expensive sum.
It would mean he wasn’t spending the Royal Family’s personal treasury solely for his own advancement, but for the security and prosperity of the entire Royal House.
Naturally, the burden felt much lighter.
Even if it became public knowledge, it would be easy enough to navigate through.
“Your Majesty, but with one hundred trillion won, aren’t you trying to get too much for free?”
“I can’t withdraw any more personal funds. Instead, let’s do this. You’re closely connected to Ilseong, aren’t you?”
“Are you offering business rights?”
“In our Saudi Arabia, construction projects are breaking ground every single day.”
The king smiled faintly as he spoke.
It wasn’t bad.
Saudi Arabia’s construction sector was quite substantial.
With Ilseong in the picture, there would be considerable profit to be made. Oil Money could prove quite lucrative.
“Naturally, I needn’t pay any fees, correct?”
Once rebates were distributed here and there, nothing would be left. The Royal Family, having received their Awakening, would naturally need to keep such matters tightly controlled.
“Well, if you really Awaken all these people as you say… no one will mention the matter again.”
Done.
I’d established a connection with the Royal Family. In Saudi Arabia, there was nothing beyond the reach of the Royal Family’s influence.
“Excellent. Let’s proceed. I must reiterate: I cannot guarantee the Achievement Grade. If the royal members or their families receive lower grades, you must accept it as it is.”
“I don’t mind. It’s already a miracle to receive a blessing from Allah. May I verify once myself?”
“Of course. I’ll provide the conditions for the rest of them. You can test them according to what’s written.”
It wasn’t just one or two.
If I personally guided each person through Awakening, it would consume all my time.
For such a crowd, I could simply tell them to figure it out themselves.
“But do you really know all of it?”
“I do.”
“How?”
“Isn’t it impolite to ask about someone else’s trade secrets so directly?”
At those words, the king clicked his tongue.
A moment passed.
I handed him a document with the details written out.
“Follow this and it should work.”
“Hm…”
Abdullah let out an exclamation upon reading the Awakening Conditions for the royals and their families.
I couldn’t speak to other matters.
But at least one thing was clear.
If these really were the conditions, there was certainly a reason they hadn’t Awakened until now.
All manner of bizarre and outlandish methods were listed. Among them, there was even a royal who had to eat cow dung to Awaken.
“For now, stay here today and get some proper rest.”
“Very well.”
He probably wanted to verify whether those were really the Awakening Conditions.
He could wait as long as it took.
When some time had passed in this manner,
Abdullah called him over urgently.
The man’s eyes were wide with genuine astonishment as he stared at him.
“How on earth did you…!”
“I told you not to wonder about it. But tell me—did you manage to save face?”
Abdullah nodded.
He’d selected a few members of the Royal Family with relatively simple conditions and tested them.
And they actually awakened!
That those royals now looked at him with reverence rather than mere gratitude was an unexpected bonus.
‘This can’t be real…….’
Not just one or two—five of them had awakened.
The contents of that document were genuine.
‘Which means I…….’
Can I truly awaken as well?
Abdullah swallowed hard.
‘What exactly is this man…….’
He’d thought him merely a skilled Awakener in combat, but it was far from that simple.
The ability to discover the Awakening Conditions—in this era of global Awakeners, the magnitude of such power hardly needed explanation.
‘It’s a terrifying ability.’
Even now, he couldn’t fathom the ceiling of this power; it would only grow from here.
Imagining where Kim Min-woo might ultimately reach seemed impossible. Their eyes met.
“Your Majesty’s Awakening Condition is……”
“What is it? Don’t tell me it’s something grotesque like that other fellow?”
“It’s nothing like that.”
He spoke while glancing at him meaningfully.
“You awaken when you’re shot in the thigh.”
“……What?”
“When you’re shot in the thigh, you awaken.”
Abdullah, who had volunteered to protect the players and then experienced a terrorist attack before awakening—this was what he’d learned.
Shot in the thigh, and awakening follows.
It was an awkward condition, certainly, but whether it was truly difficult……
‘It’s not particularly difficult.’
It wasn’t the heart or head—merely the thigh.
Besides, one could always resort to tactics like using Low-lethality Ammunition.
If the condition required something genuinely life-threatening instead, something that demanded taking a serious bullet,
Park Si-woo’s route to awakening would have been blocked long ago.
No matter how desperate for awakening, no one would bet their life on the word of a complete stranger.
Even someone suspicious might perk up their ears for a condition risky enough to seem worth attempting just once.
When he revealed this fact, the king let out a relieved sigh.
“……It’s less difficult than I expected.”
“Awakening is always simple once you know the condition.”
The problem is merely finding the condition.
Since each person had such varied conditions, even the most dedicated Awakening specialists had their limits.
After all, how could anyone conceive of simply shooting the king in the body to experiment?
Such conditions weren’t common.
“……Then, if I’m shot with a lower-caliber weapon, my Achievement Grade would be lower as well?”
“That would likely be the case. Though it shouldn’t matter much.”
“True enough.”
F-grade or B-grade Achievement.
Unless it reached S-grade, both were much of a muchness to a king.
“You’re not thinking of chasing S-grade, are you?”
“For that, wouldn’t I need to take dozens of rounds? I’d have to walk the line between life and death…….”
“Simply taking hits won’t reach that realm. Just get shot once with Low-lethality Ammunition and awaken.”
Then have it treated, and the awakening is complete.
Quite simple.
“I’ll give it a try then.”
Abdullah moved with obvious urgency.
He’d likely entrust this task discreetly to a trusted member of his guard.
‘He’ll handle it as he sees fit.’
He waited a moment, and the man walked in with a radiant smile on his face.
“Ha! I never imagined something I’ve been fretting over my whole life could be resolved so easily! I couldn’t have dreamed it!”
“Congratulations on your Awakening.”
“Much obliged, thank you! You are a hero of Saudi Arabia!”
The king patted his shoulder repeatedly, eyes gleaming with honey-sweet delight.
“All things unfold according to Allah’s will.”
“By Allah’s will. The promised sum will be transferred to your account shortly.”
“Thank you.”
His liquid assets had swelled considerably.
Add to that the pocket change from Park Si-woo and Seo Ye-rim.
‘The game is over.’
He could already hear the cries of anguish from the Awakeners who would participate in the auction.

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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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