Damn Necromancer - Chapter 142

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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 Spendthrift Necromancer (142)
The Big Picture
Liang Xiaojun stared at Kim Min-woo in a daze.
What in the world had he just heard?
“President? What do you even mean by—”
“You don’t want to?”
“I do want to, but… that’s not the issue, is it?”
The presidency wasn’t something handed out just because you wanted it.
It was the apex position of a populous nation with well over a billion people.
And Li Zhaomin, who currently held that seat, had maintained power for over twenty years—meaning his roots ran deeper and his foundations were far more enormous than anyone could imagine.
Yet Kim Min-woo’s attitude was something else entirely.
He spoke as though that position were merely an interchangeable component, easily swapped out. No wonder Liang Xiaojun felt bewildered.
That was when it happened.
Kim Min-woo asked seriously.
“Why couldn’t you take that position? From where I stand, your foundation seems more than sufficient.”
……
“China’s first SS-rank Achievement Awakener. You’ve broken records in France too. And I hear the Gulong Guild thinks highly of you? From what I gather, you’ve already proven your loyalty.”
“W-well, yes, but…”
“I’m not saying you should seize the presidency tomorrow. I said it already—think big. Think very big.”
Li Zhaomin, the current president.
True, they were cooperating now, but there was no guarantee it would last forever. Bluntly put, he was only funding them because he’d been backed into a corner, not out of genuine love and support. The moment a better opportunity presented itself, he’d betray them without hesitation—that much was clear from what Liang Xiaojun had told him about the internal atmosphere within the Gulong Guild.
Lying in wait. That was their motto—endure until the opportunity comes. What else was there to say?
Why would Kim Min-woo allow someone he couldn’t trust to sit in the president’s chair
when he could have a loyal follower there instead?
‘My own supporter in that seat would be a far prettier picture.’
A faithful subordinate who could never betray him—and that man would actually be the President of China?
A smile was already blooming across his face.
Already.
“Of course, if you don’t like the idea, I won’t force you. You said you dislike the Pyongyang position—same principle applies.”
Liang Xiaojun fell silent.
One thing, however, was crystal clear.
His eyes burned with hunger.
This wasn’t just any position—it was the presidency of China. How could anyone not covet it?
Deep within Liang Xiaojun’s heart, greed had begun to smolder.
President?
President?
Alone, it was absolutely impossible. But if Kim Min-woo, this powerful ally, stood behind him…
‘…it’s possible.’
What man, born into this world, hadn’t harbored grand ambitions at least once?
He’d simply grown old, worn down, and resigned himself to reality over the years.
You’d make me president?
It was undeniably an offer that made his blood run hot.
After a long silence, he spoke.
“Do you have a plan?”
“Of course. But first, you need to become a hero.”
An ordinary nobody becoming president—no matter how he pictured it, the image wouldn’t come into focus.
Liang Xiaojun would need to rapidly build his weight class. Only then would he be a credible replacement once Li Zhaomin was cast aside.
“If you help me…”
“Naturally, I’ll do everything I can. When the time comes, I’ll shake the upper echelons of China for you as well.”
Gulp.
Only now did the reality of it begin to sink in, and Liang Xiaojun licked his lips.
“…Then what I owe you…”
“Before that. What do you think of China?”
“Just… as my homeland, I suppose…”
“Then from now on, consider Korea your spiritual home. You become president, you settle your debt, and everyone’s happy. Simple, right?”
Honestly, there was nothing left to wring out of Liang Xiaojun right now. He was the sort you needed to fatten up and nurture.
Raise him well.
Let him grow plump, round-bellied with success—then enjoy the feast.
“I-I will!”
“Good. Write down the names of your rivals within the party. And if there’s anyone in the upper ranks you dislike, write that down too.”
For Liang Xiaojun to become President?
First, advancement within the Communist Party was essential, he had to win internal power struggles, and his name had to be added to the Standing Committee—the highest-ranking position.
Money, items, skills—China was already supplying those generously.
Our support should be indirect rather than direct. For instance, we could eliminate potential rivals and anyone who might become an obstacle within the party.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard and wrote down every name of those who might pose problems in the future. Most were unfamiliar names, but several stood out.
These were figures of considerable standing in China.
Some of them were Standing Committee members themselves. Kim Min-woo nodded as he reviewed the list.
“All of them belong to Xu Guochang’s faction, don’t they?”
Xu Guochang.
Fifth-ranked member of China’s Standing Committee.
“That’s correct. They’ve been looking unfavorably upon me, so…….”
“I see. You must have suffered greatly. But don’t worry anymore.”
Fifth rank?
Taking someone’s head wasn’t particularly difficult at that level. Especially not now, with the partnership between the United States and China already underway.
‘There’s not a clean one among them.’
Dig deep enough, and something always surfaces.
The more serious the problem becomes, the more Li Zhaomin will opt for disposal rather than protection.
I simply needed to draw that picture very naturally.
“But do you have any major connections you could rely on?”
“……Not yet. I wasn’t sure whom to choose, so I’ve been exercising caution. At least our guild master, Hong Tao, maintains a relatively neutral stance…….”
The power dynamics within the Gulong Guild were complex. It was structured with Hong Tao, a high-ranking party official who enjoyed the absolute trust of the President, at the helm.
But that didn’t mean other factions had no access.
The Standing Committee members especially did.
The Gulong Guild was a powerful national guild.
It was only natural that they wanted to extend their influence there.
Some guild members had ties to the Standing Committee members, while others maintained neutrality alongside Hong Tao.
Liang Xiaojun had naturally been approached many times as well. But since political maneuvering could easily cost you your head if you made a single misstep, he had simply maintained a position close to neutrality.
“Still, it would be wise to secure at least one connection. Otherwise, you’ll be swept away by the storm.”
“……Do you have any connections you could recommend?”
“Zhao Cizang, third-ranked. This man seems promising.”
If I remembered correctly, he’d been collaborating closely with Li Zhaomin for quite some time.
“What about second-ranked…….”
“Don’t even look at that direction. He’s already finished.”
“……Do you know something about him?”
“Just idle gossip I picked up.”
Information I’d learned from the game, though I couldn’t tell him that. So I gave a vague answer instead.
“Then I’ll pursue my connection with Zhao Cizang. Though I’m worried about how the guild master will react…….”
“It seems you’ve grown closer to Hong Tao recently?”
“He mistook my luck for something else. Ever since then, he’s been treating me very warmly.
“Then play both sides.”
“……Both sides?”
“After all, the Standing Committee members and Hong Tao aren’t openly hostile to each other, are they? So maintain connections with both. Simple, right?”
Whether it was the third-ranked member or the guild master of the Gulong, both would want to bring Liang Xiaojun to their side. For now, he could feel his way between the two while building his strength.
Kim Min-woo then drew his sword as he spoke.
“So, shall we do some special training?”
Unlike the others, Liang Xiaojun was a special subject of attention.
As such, I intended to raise his abilities significantly through generous advice and instruction.
And so the training hall was filled with Liang Xiaojun’s pitiful screams.
* * *
[(Breaking News) The Champion’s Rematch Returns! Gulong VS Ilseong! This match will be held at Sangam Stadium…….]
[(Breaking News) Champion’s Match Result: 6:4, Korea Wins Again!]
[(Breaking News) Guild Master Nam Cheol-min remarks that unlike last time, this victory was extremely difficult…….]
[(Breaking News) Hong Tao, returned to China, says it was regrettably close, but unlike last time, he had no regrets about the match…….]
[(Breaking News) President Li praised the Gulong Guild! Noting their considerable development in a short time……, he announced plans to supply Highest-Grade Elixirs more actively going forward…….]
The night after the rematch between the Gulong Guild and the Ilseong Guild ended, one story dominated all the news.
―This is a special report. Ilsung Energy has developed a new Magic Stone Battery. According to their announcement, its performance surpasses batteries from the United States……. We now bring you an interview with Dr. Kim Seok-jin, who led the research and development…….
Dr. Kim Seok-jin appears on television, his face flushed with excitement.
―First, I want to express my gratitude to Guild Master Kim Min-woo. Without his invaluable advice, the development of this new Magic Stone Battery might have been impossible forever.
Dr. Kim Seok-jin then proceeds to explain the new Magic Stone Battery.
Let me cut through the noise and get straight to the point.
―All tests have been passed. Every result has been verified jointly with the government. I’m confident in saying this: no battery in the world, no matter where it comes from, can match or exceed this performance.
―With Ilseong Group’s full support, we’ve already completed mass production preparations. As for the name, Guild Master Kim Min-woo graciously gave me the honor of deciding, so we’ve settled on calling it the Slime Battery.
Slime Battery.
Literally a battery that utilized slime in its manufacturing process.
Of course, that wasn’t the whole story.
Starting with conventional materials—lithium, cobalt, manganese, nickel—and extending to specialized materials developed through Dr. Kim Seok-jin’s unique technical expertise.
The result of blending all of these in optimal proportions.
Naturally, that formula was proprietary.
And the performance of the resulting battery was beyond imagination.
The Magic Stone Battery’s range on a single charge was roughly 1,000 kilometers.
The Slime Battery, on the other hand?
According to the data released in the news, a staggering 3,000 kilometers.
But here’s what was even more astonishing.
Despite such performance, the battery’s weight had actually dropped dramatically.
Beyond vehicle batteries, miniaturization meant it could be applied to countless other products—that announcement followed as well.
It was only natural that journalists began bombarding with questions about how this was even possible.
―I’m sure you all have questions. We’ll demonstrate everything tomorrow morning at Yeongam International Auto Racing Track. Ilseong will be unveiling a new vehicle as well, so we’d appreciate your keen interest. You’ll see pure, unmanipulated performance. And Guild Master Kim Min-woo will be personally handling the presentation at that time.
―?
―What did I just see?
―Does this even make sense? With this kind of performance gap, every American battery company would go bankrupt.
―They only announced specs so far. Could be vaporware.
―Come on lol they wouldn’t have namedropped Kim Min-woo if it was vaporware lol
―Good morning lol Ilseong stock gonna moon tomorrow confirmed lol
―Ugh I’m a US shareholder and what is this circuit breaker nonsense lolol
―Hold tight lolol
―Battery stocks plummeting rally lolol
―Apple’s going down with them lolol
―Has to be lol shrink it down and put it in Ilseong phones the market explodes lolol
―Wait are you serious; why did circuit breakers trigger on some garbage rumor site?
―Is Kim Min-woo’s name really worth that much weight lolol
―(INFO) Kim Min-woo is an international figure with direct connections to China’s President, the US President, and the Saudi King.
―Everyone dumping their bags lol
―Yeah panic selling’s done right? All the retail traders who dumped are liquidated lolol
―Still haven’t learned? America’s just unbeatable lol
(Photo of President Robert smiling brightly)
―Trust this bastard lollol
―Real talk lol even if this is legit America’s gonna use it too~
Just one minute after the announcement, S&P had plummeted 7%, circuit breakers had tripped, and that wasn’t even the end of it.
Fifteen minutes later, when the circuit reopened, stocks rocketed up 2%, and the market began its roller-coaster ride in earnest.
Did they interrogate aliens?
They actually developed something like this?
Surely not.
There must be some performance inflation mixed in.
And America couldn’t possibly collapse like this, right?
After a night that made countless stock investors laugh and cry in equal measure, morning came.
Yeongam International Auto Racing Track was already packed with crowds.
CNN, FOX, ABC.
Starting with major American broadcasters and extending to prestigious international media outlets.
They’d all shown up without exception.
Naturally they had.
Days earlier, they’d been contacted—told to come first for an exclusive, their palms greased well in advance.
Kim Min-woo, standing before the crowd, spoke.
“Good to see you all. I’m Kim Min-woo. You’ve already heard the specs. Today’s demonstration is straightforward. This vehicle next to me is a new model developed by Ilseong. We’re calling it the Voltron. Pretty sleek, isn’t it? We’ve packed it full of Slime Batteries, and we’re going to run it until it comes to a complete stop.”
Voltron.
A sleek-looking SUV.
After giving a brief explanation of the Slime Battery’s specifications and the vehicle’s performance parameters, he gazed toward something off to the side.
“The Korean government will assist with verification—everything from weight to various other metrics. There’s no manipulation involved, so don’t worry. That’s not the kind of petty game I play.”
The government verification process began to unfold.
After glancing around at the gathered crowd, he continued.
“We have ten Voltrons ready in total. Filming will take place while we drive both inside and outside the vehicle. Since we’ll need to cover considerable distance, the choice of driver will be crucial. Ideally, someone with exceptional stamina and sharp focus. That’s why we’ve invited some representative figures today.”
With those words.
Someone emerged from behind the stage. The moment the crowd caught sight of them, their eyes widened.
The other nine participants weren’t particularly surprising—they were all members of the Ilseong Guild.
Familiar faces, every one.
But there was one exception.
“……Isabella?”
Isabella.
After she’d come to Korea and stopped by Geomhaegak, everyone had assumed she’d withdrawn from public sight entirely.
And now, out of nowhere, she was appearing here.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Isabella. I’ve taken on the role of promotional ambassador for the Slime Battery developed by Ilsung Energy. I should clarify that the vehicle, Voltron, has no involvement in this advertising campaign.”
She was stating her position as ambassador with natural ease.
There was no way not to be stunned.
She had a reputation for endorsing only the finest products, and her advertising department was notorious for how meticulous she was in selecting campaigns.
And yet, for the first time, she was taking on a promotional role for an East Asian company’s product——
And that product was the Slime Battery.
While Voltron received no such endorsement?
What that meant was……
‘Wait a minute.’
‘Doesn’t this essentially say the Slime Battery is the superior one?’
It was certain—a seal of verification had been stamped before the demonstration had even begun.
Reporters who sensed an exclusive rushed to tap away at their keyboards.

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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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