Damn Necromancer - Chapter 117

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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 Wasteful Necromancer (117)
‘No, this can’t be happening.’
Surely not that nightmare again…….
But it was.
As if signaling silence, Kim Min-woo brought his index finger quietly to his lips.
Popo, who had nodded frantically, turned to survey the Awakeners and spoke.
―Well…… um…… I’m going to announce the contents of the First Test! You’ll each be identical, but you’re going to different cities.
‘Cities?’
Popo continued toward the confused Awakeners.
―The duration is one week. You’re free to do whatever you want there. However, you’ll accumulate points based on your actions. Whoever accumulates the highest points wins! Your individual scores will appear on the announcement board from time to time, so keep checking and do your best!
Then Popo snapped his fingers.
―Alright, the First Test begins!
[The First Test has commenced.]
[You have entered ‘City – 123’!]
[This is a special stage where experience cannot be earned!]
[Instead, you will now accumulate points based on your actions!]
[Accumulate as many points as possible over the course of one week.]
[If you collect points above a certain threshold, something special may occur.]
[Rules]
[* Only the top 50 scorers in the First Test will advance to the Second Test.]
[* Previously owned items cannot be used in trade.]
I looked around.
From the architecture to the appearance of the people walking about.
‘This is definitely fantasy-themed.’
I was beginning to understand what Popo meant by identical yet distinct cities for each participant.
123, apparently.
There must be similar cities formed up to 150, matching the number of participants.
“Ha-yang-i.”
―Coo.
“Stay close to me. You understand, right?”
―Coo-coo.
I walked through the streets alongside the now-invisible Ha-yang-i.
The signboards were written in strange, curved script, but fortunately I could read them.
Even the voices of merchants hawking their wares were automatically interpreted and came through clearly.
“Fresh hot bread! Just baked! 2 Points!”
“Crisp fruit for sale! Starting from 1 Point!”
It was similar to how Gates worked.
There too, text and language came through clearly.
The fact that necessities were priced in this strange “Points” currency suggested this was a world where points functioned as money.
‘They said points accumulate based on my actions.’
I still didn’t know the full extent of what counted as “actions,” or what specifically would earn points.
I stopped one of the pedestrians and asked.
“Is there a Mercenary Guild around here?”
“The Mercenary Guild? Head that way.”
“Thank you.”
When you have no legitimate identity and no money.
The fantasy standard is to become a mercenary.
I followed the direction the pedestrian had indicated. Before long, a large building came into view.
[Mercenary Guild]
As I entered, I saw rough-looking mercenaries drinking inside.
Eyes began turning toward me, one by one.
“A newcomer?”
“Huh, the face is pretty decent, though?”
Soon a bald, muscular mercenary stood up abruptly and began closing the distance. An unpleasant smile played across his lips.
“Hey there, beauty. Being a mercenary isn’t all that easy. So here’s the thing…….”
“Three seconds.”
“Huh?”
“Scram.”
“Ha! This old timer’s gonna help you earn points the easy way——”
Bang!
The man’s face snapped back as the sword hilt struck him, and he crashed hard into the wall with a sharp bang.
The mercenaries’ expressions went rigid.
“What? Did that just happen to Kundel?”
“But he’s a Gold-rank mercenary!”
I glanced around the room.
The moment our eyes met, they quickly turned their heads away.
It seemed the man I’d just put down had been someone of some standing.
I walked toward the counter.
“Can I become a mercenary?”
“O-of course, sir. Do you happen to have any identification or anything like that?”
“I don’t.”
“I-I see. In that case, you’ll need to receive a Temporary Silver Badge. Once you’ve built up a track record, you’ll be issued a permanent badge. Here you are.”
The staff member handed me a round silver badge.
[You have become a ‘Temporary Silver Badge Mercenary’.]
[You are awarded 200 Points.]
[Current Points: 200]
So Points accumulated based on my actions.
It seemed becoming a mercenary earned Points as well.
“A silver badge, then…”
“T-to raise your rank, your track record is also crucial.”
“How high can I advance if I build up enough accomplishments?”
“Adamantium. You can rise all the way to that rank. Though it would require some truly significant accomplishments, of course.”
Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Adamantium.
The Mercenary Guild’s badges were divided into five tiers total.
“Where can I see the available missions?”
“Right here.”
The staff member pointed to the bulletin board as he spoke.
Mission notices were pinned across the board.
[Mountain Climbing]
[Ascend the mountain.]
[Time Limit: 30 minutes]
[Difficulty: Lowest]
[Reward: 10 Points]
[Beast Hunt]
[Dark Mountain. It’s said that fierce beasts dominate that place. Hunt down the creatures.]
[Time Limit: 2 hours]
[Difficulty: Low]
[Reward: 50 Points]
[Encounter with Assassins]
[A seasoned band of assassins confronts you. Can you survive?]
[Time Limit: 5 hours]
[Difficulty: Medium]
[Reward: 200 Points]
[Volcanic Region Survey]
[A scorching volcanic land. Deep within, they say an inexplicable cry echoes…]
[Time Limit: 24 hours]
[Difficulty: Medium-High]
[Reward: 1,000 Points]
[Cyclops Village]
[Exterminate the cyclops horde entirely.]
[Time Limit: 48 hours]
[Difficulty: High]
[Reward: 10,000 Points]
[Vampire’s Castle]
[Eliminate the vampire horde that guards the fortress.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Difficulty: Highest]
[Reward: 500,000 Points, ???]
[Remaining Attempts: 1/1]
“How do I undertake a mission?”
“Just tear the paper over there, and you’ll be transported to that location. However…….”
The clerk glanced at him with a cautionary tone.
“Starting from Medium Difficulty and above, you die if you fail. So don’t rush in recklessly.”
“Understood. By the way, about that highest difficulty mission over there—there’s a limit on attempts, but does it apply across all cities?”
“Yes. Once you complete that mission in any city, it will disappear from the list. Though it’s never happened even once so far.”
He nodded.
Mountain climbing. Beast hunting.
With these alone, you’d spend a lifetime languishing in the lower ranks.
The points were just too meager.
But the higher-tier missions?
Eliminating the Cyclops could net a staggering ten thousand points in just two days if completed. The Vampire’s Castle was in another league entirely.
Five hundred thousand points.
An absolutely enormous figure.
It seemed possible to make a rough assessment of difficulty levels.
Even the Cyclops alone was an extraordinarily troublesome monster.
Average Level over 600.
A giant-type monster with a depth of power incomparable to ogres.
‘They said it was a village, so there must be swarms of those things crawling around.’
Wiping out all of them was worth ten thousand points.
Yet fifty times that many points wasn’t enough—they threw in a bonus on top?
‘That means the difficulty is close to at least fifty times greater.’
If the vampire subjugation had that level of difficulty.
‘Maybe they’re all Pure-blooded Vampires.’
Vampire classification depended on the quality of blood that composed their bodies—those with genuinely proper blood.
Such creatures were typically called Pure-blooded Vampires. If that castle teemed only with beings of that caliber, offering five hundred thousand points wouldn’t be strange at all.
“I have a question.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Perhaps because he’d demolished a Gold-rank mercenary in one blow, the clerk was remarkably accommodating.
“How is this city’s perception of Necromancers?”
“Well…… not unfavorable?”
“As in, I could summon Undead and move around without issue?”
“Yes. As long as you don’t cause harm to others, there’s no particular restriction.”
Right. Exactly what he’d hoped.
He immediately summoned Cedric and Merchen—a massive skeleton and a woman holding a parasol. Even upon seeing them both, the clerk showed no particular shock.
Only.
“……Huh, so you really are a Necromancer?”
He asked with a note of mild surprise.
“That’s right. Do they receive points if they work too?”
“Yes. They receive five hundred points per month.”
“Five hundred points? That’s fifty climbs and you’re done, isn’t it?”
“True enough. Though there’s one thing you’re overlooking—an ordinary person can’t manage it within thirty minutes. Their bodies won’t keep up.”
Ah, something like that then.
He nodded and looked back at the clerk.
“Is five hundred points better than average?”
“A common laborer earns ten points per day. Compared to that, it’s not a bad rate at all.”
So commission work was available.
In a world where simply climbing a mountain could earn elite status, nothing seemed odd.
Laborers worked all day for ten points, yet mountain climbing for thirty minutes awarded the same—how could that be?
Twenty-four hours in a day.
Climb for just twelve of them and you’d earn two hundred and forty points.
Twenty-four times a laborer’s daily wage.
Points printing, pure and simple.
Mountain climbing was that lucrative?
‘Then there’s no way I’m skipping the test.’
He summoned Haeil-i.
Clang!
Pointing at the bulletin board toward the figure that saluted energetically, he spoke.
“Haeil-i. Tear that paper and climb the mountain for me.”
Clang!
The figure rushed forward and tore the paper cleanly in half.
That was the moment.
[Haeil-i’s location has changed!]
[Too far away!]
[Summon cancelled!]
‘Unfortunate.’
Tearing the paper seemed to transport her across a vast distance.
Points replication Plan One: failed.
But that was fine.
‘I have other plans.’
The rules were clear — I could do anything, and points would accumulate based on my actions.
Were quests the only option available?
No.
I pulled a decent weapon from my inventory and fixed my gaze on the receptionist.
“How many points do you think this sword is worth?”
“Hmm. May I take a closer look?”
The receptionist examined the blade I handed over.
The sword I’d just given him was one of the normal-grade items the skeletons could craft — something in the 100-level range. After inspecting it, he nodded and spoke.
“It’s a fine sword. I imagine mercenaries from the same tier, and even some silver-ranked ones, would treasure it. I’m not entirely certain of market rates, but… I’d estimate around four hundred points?”
Four hundred points was the kind of reward you’d earn only by running eight low-rank missions.
‘So normal-grade items fetch this much.’
When the skeletons crafted ten items, roughly three came out as Magic-grade.
Magic-grade pieces would likely command far higher prices.
I studied the receptionist.
“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“About the hundred and fifty cities. How far apart are they?”
“By carriage, the closest ones take about a day to reach.”
Malcom finished speaking and pulled out paper to sketch a diagram.
A small circle.
Another, larger circle above it.
He drew circles arranged in this layering pattern, then spoke.
“Our city number one hundred twenty-three is positioned here.”
Malcom pointed to the corner of the largest circle.
Not an unreasonable distance at all.
‘This is good.’
Cities one through one hundred fifty.
I’d wondered if they were completely isolated, but they weren’t — just spread out at some distance from one another.
If that were the case…
“There would be trading companies here?”
“Of course.”
Points replication plan.
I think I’ve found it.
Existing inventory items cannot be traded.
Crafting items from materials I already possessed made no sense.
I couldn’t sell them.
But what if I gathered materials here and crafted with them?
Would that trade restriction still apply?
‘It shouldn’t.’
Those wouldn’t be existing inventory items.
And a trading company would naturally have stockpiles of materials.
There was no better source for supplies.
“What’s the largest trading company in this region?”
“The Malay Trading Company is the most renowned. They conduct trade with thirty neighboring cities.”
I nodded with satisfaction.
The method: replicate points through crafting.
Materials had to be easily obtainable.
And consumers — the more the better.
‘Thirty cities…’
Silver-ranked and gold-ranked mercenaries would be plentiful there. And the demand wasn’t limited to those cities alone.
Each city would have its lord, guards, knights.
Everyone would covet fine weapons and armor.
‘That’s perfect.’
I asked a few more questions after that. Once I’d gathered everything I needed……
“How do you transfer points, exactly?”
“Just think about it.”
I tried it the way the receptionist described.
That was the moment.
[Will you transfer 50 Points to receptionist Malcom?]
Oh, it actually works.
I nodded.
[Points have been transferred to Malcom!]
Malcom’s eyes went wide as the 50 Points suddenly arrived in his account.
“Huh? Why would you……?”
“Information fee.”
“Th-thank you so much.”
Malcom offered his thanks with a bewildered expression—a gesture of appreciation for his diligent answers despite the tedious nature of the questions.
“If you have any more questions, feel free to ask anytime…….”
“No, that’s all for now. I’ll be going.”
I left the Mercenary Guild.
Merchen, who at least looked human, was one thing.
But even walking alongside Cedric, whose appearance was literally a skeleton, the citizens’ attention barely flickered toward us.
According to Malcom, it was certainly a city where Necromancers were welcome to live.
After about twenty minutes of walking, the destination came into view.
[Malay Trading Company Branch]
A trading house.
[Accumulate the most Points over the course of one week.]
[If you gather Points above a certain threshold, something special might happen.]
So that’s what they meant—if I collected enough Points, something special would occur.
Whatever that was.
I’d need to find out while earning some Points here.

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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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