Damn Necromancer - Chapter 145

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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 (145)
Blood Jade Pearl
Special guests had arrived at the main house—four elders, Geom-seon among them.
“Dragon blood, you needed it?”
“Yes, we do need it, but…….”
“We thought as much and gathered some beforehand. I’ll pass them to you now.”
“You gathered them in advance?”
Geom-seon nodded as he spoke.
“Hah. Indeed. Did you think we’d simply wash our hands clean with a single Dragon Race corpse?”
“I hadn’t even considered it…….”
“Going forward, if you need anything else, feel free to ask anytime. We’ll procure what we can.”
The three other elders nodded in agreement.
After receiving such profound kindness from Kim Min-woo.
All four had even given him their direct numbers, yet Kim Min-woo had never made a single request in return. Instead, he’d only checked in occasionally with brief greetings and offered donations.
That wasn’t to say there were no difficulties he might have sought help with. He’d simply borne them all in silence alone.
One could see that plain truth in Kim Min-woo’s growth rate alone.
If anything, it only made the four elders more anxious.
Geom-seon especially felt it keenly.
Not only had he received help from Kim Min-woo, but his granddaughter had as well. A debt so profound it could never be repaid.
Without Kim Min-woo, he’d still be awkward with his granddaughter now.
It was the sort of problem that even someone called Geom-seon couldn’t solve alone.
He ought to give something in return.
What depths this young man possessed.
Why wouldn’t he just ask for something so they could know whether to help or refuse?
The Dragon Race corpses were something he and his brothers had accumulated carefully with precisely this in mind.
“We’ve stockpiled about forty of them. Where should I set them?”
……Forty?
Kim Min-woo let out a silent exclamation of wonder. Each Dragon Race member was a creature comparable to at least a mid-tier boss, if not an outright boss monster. And not just one or two—but a full forty.
What stroke of fortune was this?
Besides, nothing about a Dragon Race corpse went to waste. The blood went into the Blood Jade Pearl, the bones to Cedric and the other Undead, and the materials could be used for future crafting.
Naturally, they were valuable beyond measure.
Of course, the real issue wasn’t the money—it was how one procured them in the first place.
‘A jackpot indeed.’
Forty corpses were more than enough to strengthen Merchen and Cedric, along with the rest of his Undead forces.
“I accept with gratitude. That space over there happens to be empty. Could you place them there?”
“Of course.”
And so Dragon Race corpses began pouring forth in an endless stream from the inventories of the four men. Bodies not quite as massive as an ancient dragon, but still possessed of considerable bulk.
Had he tried to purchase these with money, he might have spent trillions without batting an eye.
He drew out the Blood Jade Pearl.
The spherical gem immediately began to hum and resonate. A crimson aura rose from the bodies of the fallen Dragon Race creatures.
[Will you absorb the blood?]
The moment he nodded.
Whoosh!
Blood surged from all sides, draining into the pearl like a receding tide.
“What a curious instrument. Is this why you needed blood?”
“Yes. When blood is absorbed here, it can be used to strengthen the Undead—just as we did with bone.”
Even as they spoke, the pearl continued its hungry drain. By the time every Dragon Race corpse had withered to desiccated husks.
[All blood in the vicinity has been absorbed. The quantity of blood is sufficient!]
[Dragon Blood: 100% charge state.]
[Structural alteration to Blood Prison is now possible. Will you proceed?]
Dragon Blood.
The finest of all vitae.
There was never any question which Undead would receive it first.
Merchen and Cedric.
The two Legion Commanders appeared before him.
“Oh, these are your greenhorns, Min-woo?”
Gwon Wang regarded them with evident curiosity.
“That’s right. These are the elders who’ve always looked after me. Say hello.”
Cedric, watching the four, nodded in understanding.
―These are the ones who replaced my head?
“Yeah. I’m going to change the blood too.”
―Blood?
I showed Cedric the Blood Jade Pearl. Merchen drifted over for a closer look as well.
―Wow, you’re enhancing it with dragon blood?
“Yeah. These dragon corpses here—thanks to your help with all this.”
―We’re happy to help! Everyone’s worked hard to support Min-woo!
Merchen bounded forward on light feet, taking each of the four by the hand in turn.
“Ahem. That is, miss—your age…….”
Dok-ma asked carefully.
At his words, Merchen tilted her head.
―Single, perhaps?
“I have children, though…….”
―What? Then you should know how rude it is to ask a woman’s age?
Dok-ma sank in defeat.
Cedric added his thoughts.
―There’s no real discomfort. We’re all much the same age. It’s just that we don’t grow old.
―Min-woo! That’s all lies. Merchen doesn’t age at all. Right?
“Right. I know.”
Though honestly, I had no idea.
But what did it matter?
What mattered was that the four of them felt no discomfort.
I stepped closer and spoke softly.
“Please bear with me, sir. My summons are rather… unique.”
“Ha, we understand. You know, undead are older than they look. They don’t age, after all. How can I—someone living in the mountains—not know the basics?” Shin Chang laughed.
“……But there are also undead who are younger than they appear. I was asking just in case. Ahem.”
Additional information logged about Dok-ma.
Sensitive about age.
I steered the conversation elsewhere.
“I was thinking of enhancing the Legion Commanders. Would you like to watch?”
“Is that permissible?”
“Of course.”
I had forty dragon corpses to work with.
Surely I could spare the resources for a demonstration.
I activated the Blood Jade Pearl’s function.
That was the moment.
[Blood Prison opens!]
With the message came what looked like an actual crimson jail cell, manifesting before us.
Large enough for two or three people to step inside.
[Place target undead within Blood Prison to begin enhancement.]
[The more undead you place inside, the larger the prison grows. However, enhancement effects may become diluted with greater numbers.]
[Blood consumption varies according to the undead’s level and abilities.]
―A prison, literally?
“It looks crude, but the results will be spectacular. Go ahead and enter.”
Without question.
I’d absorbed the blood of forty dragons—the effect would certainly be extraordinary.
Good-natured Merchen entered first, pushing open the prison’s door.
Then came Cedric.
The moment both stepped inside:
[Both are undead with sufficient latent power to receive Dragon Blood!]
[Estimated Dragon Blood consumption: 50%]
[Proceed with enhancement?]
“Shall we?”
―Yes.
―By all means.
[Enhancement initiated.]
With those words:
A crimson mist began to coil around the two undead’s forms.
Cedric’s bones steadily flushed red, while Merchen’s skin took on the same crimson hue.
“Does it hurt at all?”
―No. It just feels like soaking in hot water. Drowsy, almost.
―A fitting comparison, indeed.
[Dragon Blood is being absorbed into the bodies of both Undead.]
[Estimated time: 10 hours]
Ten hours, then.
The reinforcement process was taking considerably longer than usual.
‘Perhaps because they’re consuming so much blood?’
That made sense.
They were absorbing half the blood extracted from forty dragon corpses—the equivalent of Dragon Blood from twenty of the Dragon Race.
That was reason enough for the time investment.
“It’ll take about ten hours. Would you like to wait inside, or…?”
“No need. I’ve seen enough of the outline. I think I understand the gist of it.”
At Geom-seon’s words, the three elders nodded in agreement.
They’d seen something extraordinary; that was sufficient.
They weren’t curious enough to wait ten hours just to see the final result.
The dragon blood would strengthen them on its own regardless. What mattered was that it would help Kim Min-woo, however the process unfolded.
Now that they understood it was working, their task was complete.
“Then we’ll take our leave.”
“You could rest a while longer…”
“No. We must always devote ourselves to training—that’s the only way to avoid falling behind, isn’t it?”
“What you say is right, Geom-seon. If we’re to give Min-woo even this small bit of help, we must train earnestly ourselves.”
Shin Chang echoed Geom-seon’s sentiment.
Both of them radiated a fierce dedication to their cultivation.
“At least I won’t be bored. That Isabella girl—she has considerable spirit. She’ll make an excellent sparring partner.”
Gwon Wang spoke with a snort.
His muscles were already twitching beneath his skin, his whole body itching for action.
“Is she still at Geom-haeggak?”
“I saw her on the way out today. She doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving anytime soon. You can tell just by looking—her eyes are completely fixed on the place.”
“Could you keep it confidential for now?”
“Hm? I wasn’t planning to tell anyone anyway. Good people are good people, and this is something else entirely. Isn’t that right, you two?”
“Exactly. One must separate public and private matters. I was only thinking of drilling the fundamentals with her. Even that alone will give her plenty of benefit from her time here.”
Dok-ma’s reply was sharp and decisive.
These were truly dependable elders.
The four of them departed.
When ten hours had passed.
[Reinforcement complete!]
With the message, the prison’s door swung open. Merchen emerged, his face slack with exhaustion.
[Dragon Blood has been infused into Merchen’s body!]
[Demon Dragon’s Heart has been created!]
[Dragon Authority stage 1 has been unlocked!]
[The Rampage function has been opened!]
These were the messages that appeared for Merchen.
And for Cedric:
[Dragon Blood has been infused into Cedric’s body!]
[Blood Dragon’s Heart has been created.]
[Dragon Authority stage 1 has been unlocked!]
[You are a Dragon Knight!]
[You receive additional bonuses!]
[The Incarnation function has been activated.]
[The effects of the ‘Dragon Knight’s Master’ Title are additionally unlocked!]
A cascade of additional messages followed. I’d half-suspected that as a Dragon Knight, he might receive some kind of bonus.
‘A home run?’
I studied both summons.
First, Merchen.
“What’s changed?”
―Look at this!
[Merchen uses Dragon Authority stage 1: Wyrmling’s Wings.]
Whoosh!
A delicate pair of wings sprouted from Merchen’s back. They bore an unmistakable resemblance to those of a true dragon.
“Can you fly with those?”
―I think so. Let me try.
Flutter-flutter!
Small wings beat the air, and Merchen took flight into the sky.
“Oh, that’s fast.”
―Yeah. I can move even faster if I use wind magic. Like this.
Whoosh!
Merchen shot forward in a blur, riding the wind at incredible speed.
Kim Min-woo’s eyes lit up.
‘This is good.’
The mage’s weakness.
First and foremost: mobility.
Merchen herself wasn’t particularly fast in raw movement speed. She could only teleport from place to place through magic.
But with those wings?
‘Her mobility would double, at least.’
Her survivability would improve dramatically.
And Merchen’s transformation didn’t end there.
―Min-woo, look at this too!
[Merchen activates Dragon Authority Level 1: Wyrmling’s Hide.]
Her skin suddenly took on the texture of dragon scales.
“Let me run a test. I need to know how tough it really is.”
―Yeah. But it’s incredibly hard. I bet your sword can’t even pierce it.
The durability was indeed formidable, just as Merchen claimed. Even under his full-power strikes.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the blade rebounded.
‘I’d need several stacking hits to break through.’
And that was without any defensive magic layered on top. Add magic to the mix and it would be ridiculous. As for Rampage…
[Rampage activates!]
[For 10 minutes, all magic damage increases by 30%!]
[Magic can be stacked up to five times simultaneously!]
A small dragon form materialized above Merchen’s body. The amplified damage that followed was brutally impressive.
[Merchen stacks Wrath of Flame (SS) multiple times!]
Over her palm, the concentrated flames grew increasingly crimson.
Boom!
A section of the Training Ground’s wall vanished without a trace.
“Wow.”
Kim Min-woo whistled in appreciation.
A spell packed five times over with full stacking delivered damage that defied imagination.
It wasn’t a five-fold increase.
The damage output approached nearly eight times normal. The only drawback was the casting time required.
‘This is incredible.’
This was genuinely good.
Just watching Merchen, he could see that clearly.
And Cedric, being a Dragon Knight, received additional benefits on top of it all.
First, the Title.
[Master of the Dragon Knight]
[You have become the master of Dragon Knight Cedric.]
[Effect 1. Learning ability of all Skeleton-class Summons increases dramatically.]
[Effect 2. Skeletons can now reach the Dragon Soldier rank.]
[Effect 3. Dragons and dragon-related monsters experience intense suppressive pressure from you.]
Effects 1 through 3 remained unchanged from before.
But Effect 4 opened a new function.
[Effect 4. You can now create Glephnir, Cedric’s companion Divine Dragon.]
[Effect 5. Locked.]
‘Divine Dragon Glephnir?’
Was that referring to the true dragon he’d seen in the first arrangement?
As he examined the effect more closely, the detailed information materialized.
[Divine Dragon Glephnir Creation]
[Materials Required]
[1. The corpse of an ancient dragon, at least ten thousand years old]
[2. Flower of Sorsalon]
[3. Blood Vein of the Abyss Lord]
[4. Balrog’s Blood, 500 Liters]
[5. Three Threads of the Eastern Witch Guild]
[6. A Handful of Mimir’s Sigh]
Familiar materials mingled with unfamiliar ones throughout the list.
“Cedric, do you know what things like Sorsalon’s Flower or the Eastern Witch Guild’s Threads or Mimir’s Sigh are?”
—So Glephnir’s crafting has become available?
“Yes.”
—I’d advise against attempting it right now. All the related materials are tied to organizations, one way or another.
“Organizations?”
—Sorsalon’s Flower is connected to the Dragon Legion, the threads to the Eastern Witch Guild, and Mimir’s Sigh to the Giant Tribe.
I’d grasped the general picture.
‘Thinking about it now will just give me a headache.’
They’d gather one by one when the time came, anyway.
With that shrug, I looked toward Cedric.
“So what did you end up with?”
—This.
Immediately after.
Cedric’s appearance changed.
[Dragon Authority manifests!]
Not only had his bones turned a complete crimson, but his frame had swollen to nearly twice its size.
His bones had grown thicker still, and his head, already dragon-like, had transformed until it achieved one hundred percent synchronization with dragon form.
Flap!
Scarlet bone wings erupted from his back.
[You are in ‘Incarnation’ state.]
[It will be maintained for 30 minutes.]
[Strength, Agility, and Vitality increase by 50%.]
[Dragon Blood Slash becomes available for use.]
Cedric began flying freely through the air on his wings.
When he unleashed the Dragon Blood Slash, a massive crescent-shaped scarlet slash tore through everything in a straight line. The power was every bit as savage as it was beautiful.
It wasn’t quite as strong as Merchen’s five-fold stacking, but it had the distinct advantage of requiring far less casting time.
‘This is incredible.’
Both legion commanders had essentially gained a kind of awakening skill.
A boost to full power?
Nothing short of explosive.
And furthermore…
‘I still have half the dragon blood left.’
This could be applied to all my ordinary summons as well.
Dol-soe would naturally have to be given some.
Beyond that, there was Durahan, Specter, and Skeleton.
Summons to infuse with dragon blood were more than abundant.

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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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