Damn Necromancer - Chapter 114

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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 Donzirah Guild’s Necromancer (114)
The candidates for the Super Rookie Selection Tournament had been chosen, and the finals were drawing near.
Yet Korea’s attention was fixed not on its own selection tournament, but on China’s challenge for a new record.
And for good reason—the candidates chosen were merely A-rank Awakeners, after all.
Three of them taking on the Donzirah Guild, which had destroyed the Ilseong Guild’s first team? The outcome was obvious.
The result was predictable.
China’s record challenge, however, was different.
Korea’s rising star, Kim Min-woo.
It was a direct challenge aimed at him. With the two nations already bickering, such provocative content was bound to capture all the attention—there was no mystery there.
The finals ended, as expected, in a display of overwhelming skill disparity.
“Man, they didn’t stand a chance.”
The Awakeners shook their heads ruefully, grinning awkwardly as they held something out.
“Say, could the three of you sign these for us?”
“Of course.”
A-rank Awakeners hovering just below level 499. After signing everything from clothing to the backs of phones.
The Donzirah Guild held a press conference.
“As the public expected, you’ve been chosen as finalists for the Super Rookie Selection Tournament! How does it feel?”
“I’ll tell you how it feels after we win the tournament.”
The journalists nodded.
The same words sound different depending on who speaks them.
These three had every right to be arrogant.
After all, this wasn’t some Gate seizure tournament where real Awakeners—the true elite—competed. It was merely a rookies’ tournament.
Aiming for victory was only natural.
‘Well, we got their feelings.’
The journalists’ eyes gleamed.
The real highlight was about to begin.
“Guild Master Kim Min-woo! This is Han Chae-rin from SKS News! An SS-rank Achievement has appeared in China—have you also achieved an SS-rank Achievement?”
Even when only S-rank was known to exist, people had suspected there might be something higher. Now that a new SS-rank tier had emerged, the suspicion felt justified.
It was no surprise that such questions began pouring toward Kim Min-woo.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“……!”
The journalists’ eyes widened.
While they’d privately suspected as much, there was a world of difference between suspicion and official confirmation.
[(Breaking) Kim Min-woo Officially Recognized as SS-rank Achiever!]
[(Breaking) Korea Becomes First Nation in the World to Achieve SS-rank!]
[(Breaking) His Exceptional Performance Had Good Reason Behind It!]
―Honestly, I knew it wasn’t S-rank ㅋㅋ
―I could accept it up to Cedric, but even throwing in Merchen’s eyes was too much ㅋㅋㅋ
―For real though, what S-rank skill summons all that? ㅋㅋ
―Still, he admitted it pretty cleanly ㅋㅋ
―Yeah. Now that precedent exists, revealing the actual grade feels less burdened.
―Right. If he’d done this at a low level, every assassin would’ve swarmed him. Especially from the North ㅋㅋ
―But isn’t his level still low even now? He only bought that Duelhan Skill Book recently.
―That’s by normal Awakener standards. If Kim Min-woo’s over level 251? Assassins would be chasing him backward ㅋㅋ
―But then why’d China reveal it? Isn’t Liang Xiaojun also at a low level—isn’t that dangerous?
―The Gulong Guild probably had a death grip protecting him, right?
―Yeah. Gulong’s a world-class first-tier guild. Though they’re mid-tier if you look at the whole first tier. Anyway, they’re several times stronger than Korean guilds ㅇㅇ
―So you’re saying his backing is insane?
―Yeah, that’s one way to put it. Meanwhile, Kim Min-woo’s protection at low level was kind of ambiguous. At best, the Ilseong Guild or bodyguards, but…… hmm…….
―If assassins decided to take him down, it would’ve been rough ㅋㅋ
―Korea’s sorry again ㅠㅠ Korea’s sorry again ㅠㅠ Korea’s sorry again ㅠㅠ
Articles poured out in torrents.
The journalists’ fervor heated up as well.
An SS-rank Awakener appearing simultaneously in both China and Korea.
Even their professions were identical, and they’d both challenged Gates of similar difficulty at level 1—the circumstances were exactly the same.
Liang Xiaojun must have received substantial government support too, meaning he’d been equipped with everything from 9-Rank Skill Books to Elixirs to Equipment.
Was that all?
Liang Xiaojun also had a long-standing reputation as a skilled swordsman.
He was currently being mocked as a Kim Min-woo copycat, but what if he succeeded in breaking the record?
The atmosphere could sour in an instant. This was nothing less than a battle of national pride between the two countries. Because of that, questions had to be asked.
“Liang Xiaojun will be entering the Gate soon, won’t he? Do you think the Commander will manage to set a new record?”
“You’re joking, right?”
“You mean it’s impossible?”
“Why would Super Rookies form a party at Level 1 and move together?”
“Well… because they lack practical experience?”
“Exactly. China should be grateful just to beat Isabella. Honestly, I’m not even sure that’ll happen.”
“……But Kim Min-woo cleared a Level 1 Gate solo, didn’t he?”
“Are he and I the same person?”
―Hahaha
―This is Korean confidence for you lol
―He backs up what he says! Kim Cola! lol
―Honestly, not all Super Rookies are created equal lol
―Right. Just because you hit an S-rank Achievement doesn’t mean you’re automatically a world-class ranker lol
―Exactly. Don’t forget. Kim Min-woo is the man who brought Geom-seon to his knees at Level 1 ㄷㄷ
―That’s an exaggeration. He barely held his own at best lol
―Do you have any idea how incredible it is to hold your own against Geom-seon with a civilian body? lol
―Apart from the national pride, yeah, it was pretty impressive lol
―Kim Min-woo’s got a decent chance. This isn’t wishful thinking. Realistically speaking.
―Why?
―He’s China’s first SS-rank Awakener, so he’d have analyzed everything. If his swordsmanship was that good, wouldn’t he have gone Necromancer? He went Swordsman instead lol
―Is he trying to lowball Kim Min-woo?”
―Nah, there’s a limit to that. The way I see it, his swordsmanship was just mediocre, so he chose something else.
―True. If he could hold his own against Geom-seon with a civilian body, he’d definitely have gone Swordsman lol
―But why did Kim Min-woo……?
―(horror) One of the world’s eight greatest mysteries ㄷㄷ
―(eerie) Nobody knows the answer.
―He must have had some grand reason lol
―Might as well go with that lol
―In the end, Merchen’s the real standout though, right? Here’s to that~
* * *
Korea wasn’t the only place burning with Kim Min-woo’s bold proclamation.
China was ablaze as well.
The fervor of public opinion burned hot.
You could tell just by looking at the reporters gathered before the F-rank Gate, Ratman’s Sewer.
A flood of questions poured down.
“Liang Xiaojun! We’ve just received Kim Min-woo’s live statement…….”
At the reporter’s words, Liang Xiaojun’s face flushed red.
Especially at the part about “Are he and I the same person?”—his face turned not merely red but crimson.
“Ha, how arrogant of this small-nation Awakener. Trapped in such a narrow well, he cannot see the truly vast world around him.”
“Are you confident about breaking the new record this time?”
“Of course!”
Liang Xiaojun nodded.
An SS-rank Awakening.
This unexpected stroke of fortune was nothing short of a gift from heaven itself.
He’d been admitted into the legendary Gulong Guild without hesitation, and now received support beyond measure.
But that wasn’t all.
His family was swimming in special privileges as well.
‘I have to succeed no matter what.’
If he didn’t?
As China’s first SS-rank Awakener, he wouldn’t face outright punishment, naturally.
But still…….
his future would grow considerably bleak.
He might spend his entire life being compared to Kim Min-woo, branded forever as runner-up.
Massive investment plans worth tens of billions might be scrapped entirely.
The thought alone made his skin crawl. A Necromancer was one of those professions that collapsed without funding.
No investment?
Why pick Necromancer in the first place?
Might as well have gone Swordsman and called it a day.
At that thought, cold sweat beaded on his brow.
‘It’s fine. Kim Min-woo is just the same rank as me, after all.’
Liang Xiaojun steadied himself.
He had no choice—the path of the Necromancer was his to walk.
How could he refuse a direct order from the Chairman himself?
Having chosen this class, he might as well master it.
‘That bastard might have a slight edge with swordplay, perhaps.’
But he possessed an SS-rank Skill—and a spectacularly impressive one at that.
Naturally, the Gulong Guild had already disclosed this Skill.
The Chairman, supreme authority of China, along with countless high-ranking officials, were all eager to know its details.
“Heh heh, I’ll place my faith in you alone.”
The moment the Gulong Guild Master saw the Skill, he’d patted his shoulder with such a contented smile that the magnitude of its power was unmistakable.
[Follower of Death Lord]
[Grade: SS]
[Type: Passive]
[Effect 1: All ability scores of summoned Undead increase by 20%.]
[Effect 2: Mana cost for Undead summoning decreases by 20%.]
[Effect 3: Every certain level interval, a powerful Commander can be summoned.]
‘Heh heh. Just looking at it makes me feel satisfied.’
A precious passive Skill indeed.
Moreover, it was a large-scale Skill capable of affecting an entire army.
He wasn’t sure what Death Load actually was, but whatever it was, it seemed to be something immense.
That explained why such remarkable effects had been granted despite bearing the title of mere follower.
‘That bastard Kim Min-woo likely had something similar.’
Even accounting for Skill Book 9-Rank, the Elixir, and Equipment, the number of Skeletons that fellow had summoned was extraordinary.
He surely possessed some mana-reduction effect.
Given that he’d summoned something like a Knight or whatever it was, he probably had a Commander-summoning effect too.
And stat increases on top of all that!
‘In the end, whether it’s him or me, our foundations are similar.’
It would come down to raw skill.
‘But… when it comes to Commander summoning, I hold an overwhelming advantage.’
Summoning powerful Commanders.
He’d already verified this long ago.
What could be summoned from level 1 was none other than:
‘Varian, Servant of the Dragon Knight.’
He didn’t know what a Dragon Knight was, but the name certainly sounded impressive.
A servant of such an exalted being, no less.
The summoning result had been entirely satisfactory.
A Skeleton Summon of tremendous bulk and strength.
If a barbarian from a novel were to become skeletal, surely it would look something like this.
‘Language proficiency is rather limited, though…’
That hardly mattered.
Varian compensated for his sparse speech with all his ability scores concentrated in combat.
‘This will do nicely.’
What use was conversation in a fight?
Crushing a monster’s skull with a grip of bone—that was the point.
“Today, I shall show this continent the true spirit of our nation!”
Liang Xiaojun cried out confidently, his fist raised high and clenched tight.
“Wahhh!”
“Liang Xiaojun!”
“Death God!”
“Crush that petty nation’s pride flat this time!”
Journalists and onlookers alike erupted in cheers.
Liang Xiaojun entered the Gate with his shoulders thrown back, exuding confidence.
[Entering F-rank Gate: Ratman’s Sewer!]
“Come forth, Varian!”
The massive skeletal Commander burst forth.
Behind him, nearly two hundred bone soldiers emerged from the shadows. Liang Xiaojun carefully outfitted them with Equipment.
“Advance! This world record shall belong to the Middle Kingdom!”
The Undead army marched forward with conviction, and…
* * *
[(Breaking News) China’s World Record Attempt Ends in Failure!]
[(Breaking news) Did he at least preserve his last shred of pride? With a 47-hour 59-minute 30-second clear, he’s shattered Isabella’s record…….]
[(Breaking news) Liang Xiaojun, was it the spoiled food he ate yesterday? He reportedly suffered from food poisoning and spent half a day bedridden inside the Gate…….]
[(Breaking news) Premier Li offers encouragement to Liang Xiaojun! He remarked that it was strange how much he was sweating before entering, greeting him with warm words of support…….]
[(Breaking news) Official announcement from the Chinese government! France prevailed even in the worst circumstances! The spirit of China is not yet dead, they stated…….]
―Lol food poisoning is actually pretty original ㅋㅋ
―Fr fr though for a pathetic excuse, the time isn’t even that bad ㅋㅋ
―Yeah. A Level 1 47-hour clear would normally flip the world on its head, but of all things……. ㅋㅋㅋ
―(Photo from Kim Min-woo’s Gate clear / Photo from Liang Xiaojun’s clear)
One guy looks like he just took a neighborhood stroll and the other looks like he came back from a war zone ㅋㅋㅋ
―Liang’s extreme two-day power diet ㄷㄷ
―Ratman’s actually kind of a nasty monster ㅋㅋ
―Wait, the baguette swordmaster got beaten again? For real? ㅋㅋㅋ
―30 seconds apart ㅋㅋㅋ
―Watch the Chinese immediately grab France by the hair and drag them down ㅋㅋㅋ
―At least there’s something to grab onto ㅋㅋ
―Fr fr ㅋㅋ

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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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