Damn Necromancer - Chapter 146

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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 (146)
―Caw.
Loyal Dolsoe.
The freshly summoned creature tilted its head at the sight of the Blood Jade.
“Go on in.”
―Caw!
Dolsoe nodded vigorously and stepped into the Blood Jade.
[This Undead possesses the potential to accept Dragon Blood!]
[Estimated Dragon Blood consumption: 10%]
Forty percent of blood remained.
I’d already summoned some Dullahans, Specters, and Skeletons.
‘Putting everything into one type isn’t ideal.’
With the new equipment and Titles mixed in, my Mana now hovered close to twelve thousand.
If I summoned only Dullahans, I could bring forth nearly two hundred and forty of them.
But there were problems with reinforcing only Dullahans. A Summoner’s maximum Summon capacity is proportional to maximum Mana.
In other words, if I called forth two hundred and forty Dullahans, I couldn’t summon other creatures like Skeletons or Specters.
But combat doesn’t rely on Dullahans alone, does it?
Ha-yang-i and Mile would feel neglected, for one.
So I divided them appropriately.
“All of you, go inside.”
Fifty Dullahans.
A hundred Specters.
And the Skeleton and Mage contingents as well.
All of them were seasoned elites who’d started at Level 1.
The Undead troop marched amicably toward the Blood Jade.
The numbers were vast, but space wasn’t an issue. The interior expanded steadily as more Undead entered.
[Accepting Dragon Blood…….]
Dullahans cleared.
Specters cleared.
Even the Skeleton troops passed the potential assessment.
‘Of course.’
Were my Skeletons ordinary ones?
They were Dragon Soldier candidates and the first specimens on Earth to experience the promotion system—premium Skeletons through and through.
There was nothing they couldn’t accept, even Dragon Blood.
The Mages were no different.
After hundreds of Undead shuffled their way inside,
[Estimated Dragon Blood consumption: 40%]
[Will you proceed with reinforcement?]
All the Dragon Blood could be consumed.
Unlike the Legion Commanders, the other Undead’s reinforcement didn’t take long.
[Reinforcement complete!]
[Dragon Blood now courses through Dolsoe’s body!]
[You can now use Blood Burst!]
[Dragon Blood now courses through the Dullahans’ bodies…….]
[You can now use Dragon Blood Horse…….]
[Dragon Blood now courses through the Specters’ bodies…….]
[The effects of Ghostification are greatly enhanced…….]
[Dragon Blood now courses through the Skeletons’ bodies…….]
[You can now use Dragon Blood Tool!]
Countless messages filled my vision.
Fundamentally, all the Undead except the Specters grew larger, their bodies becoming considerably harder.
[* Blood Burst: Detonates Dragon Blood in a self-destruct. Damage equals three times maximum health.]
The newly acquired Blood Burst ability Dolsoe had gained.
This was a kind of…….
“A suicide bomb?”
Damage equal to three times Dolsoe’s health.
The damage potential was absolutely staggering.
“Dolsoe. We need to test it out. You think you can do that?”
A test run was essential regardless.
At my words, Dolsoe gave a firm nod.
In the corner of the Training Ground, Dolsoe’s body flushed crimson as he embraced the steel dummy like a devoted warrior.
[Using Blood Burst!]
Boom!
The dummy vanished without a trace in the tremendous explosion.
The surrounding earth didn’t merely crack like a crater—it was gouged out over twenty meters deep.
“Impressive.”
Kim Min-woo applauded in admiration.
From activation to explosion: barely a second.
The charge time was short.
But the damage output eclipsed Merchen’s standard spellwork with ease.
It would take three-layer magic to match the destruction.
Perfect.
Really perfect.
Let him tank most attacks, and if that fails—trigger a self-detonating assault.
The tactical framework crystallized in his mind.
Especially useful against formidable foes immune to taunts.
He’d be a meat shield either way, but now he could layer damage into that role too.
His strategic flexibility had grown considerably.
He summoned Dolsoe again.
Kim Min-woo’s gaze had softened to something warm and golden.
“Dolsoe.”
―Kree-kree.
“You work so hard.”
―Kree-kree.
At the light tap on his legs, Dolsoe raised both arms and bellowed with force.
“We’ll keep pushing forward. I promise I’ll get you to your moment in the sun. You trust me, right?”
―Kroo-kroo!
A response brimming with loyalty and affection. The very image of an earnest, dependable golem.
Next, he turned his attention to the Durahan unit.
[* Dragon Blood Horse: materializes a horse from the Dragon Blood inherent in one’s body. Can be mounted.]
“You know what to do?”
A sharp nod.
The Durahan unit nodded forcefully and extended their hands.
At that moment.
Crimson blood sprayed upward, coalescing into form.
―Neigh!
Three-meter scarlet horses materialized before them.
The Durahans mounted up.
What had been a ragged group of Durahans now became a cavalry unit, performing acrobatics from their saddles. Since the steeds were born from blood intrinsic to their bodies, the synchronization between horse and rider was flawless.
‘The junior summoners are going to cry over this.’
It wasn’t for nothing that cavalry had long been prized as the elite of the battlefield.
The combined power of mount and rider transcended imagination.
And that was before factoring in the senior Durahans mounted on Dragon Blood Horses.
From number one to fifty.
The prowess of the senior Durahans had transformed beyond recognition. The Specters, with their baseline Ghostification ability, had been significantly enhanced.
Thirty percent constant reduction to physical damage.
But now.
[* Enhanced Ghostification: Physical damage is reduced by 50%.]
The Specters had grown far more translucent.
Their appearance bordered on unsettling, ghostly even.
But when you stroked their heads.
―Sssss…….
They rubbed against your fingers contentedly—surprisingly endearing creatures.
Finally, the Skeletons that formed the backbone of his legion.
[* Dragon Blood Tool: generates tools suited to the apprentice’s occupation.]
They’d gained the ability to summon equipment.
“Mile, summon your tools.”
Clink!
In that instant.
An orb materialized beside Mile’s hand. In one hand a staff, in the other an orb—Mile stood perfectly equipped.
“Magic.”
[Mile uses Wind Blade (E)!]
Whoosh!
The wind magic struck the ground with an even sharper force.
“Well, well. Who’d she learn from to pick it up so quickly?”
Just then.
Mile pressed her fingers urgently against the earth.
Three letters began to form, deliberate and clear.
〈Merchen〉
When did she learn all of Korean?
A skeleton’s learning ability was genuinely formidable.
―I taught her everything. You know that, don’t you?
“Of course. I know how hard our Merchen works.”
Merchen, the mage Legion Commander.
When summoned at home, she typically spent her time eating, lounging on the couch while fiddling with her smartphone, and teaching the skeleton mages.
Cedric wasn’t much different—except he preferred watching TV to the phone when he wasn’t eating, and training the melee summons on top of that.
That was the bonus part of his duties.
―Still, we have a long way to go. It’s dreadful. I can barely believe I taught her all this.
T_T.
I could see Mile’s burning eyes transform into an emoticon of some kind.
“…… You taught her that too?”
―Yeah. When she can’t speak during lessons, it gets frustrating. You know how we chat? I taught her emoticons.
“That works?”
“Yeah. Once you do rote teaching like that, they pick it up.”
A summon who could be taught emoticons.
My chest swelled with strange pride.
To be honest, I hadn’t originally thought of giving phones to the Legion Commanders.
But Chairman Kim had set up phones in Merchen’s and Cedric’s names and handed them over directly.
And what did he do then…….
‘He filmed them using the phones and posted it to Ilsung’s SNS.’
As summons who could use smartphones.
Merchen’s touch recognition was one thing, but strangely, Cedric’s skeletal fingers manipulated the smartphone just as well.
‘Ilsung must have customized it.’
Thanks to that, Ilsung’s phone popularity apparently surged explosively again.
Either way.
Since I summoned her so frequently at home, Merchen seemed to be growing more accustomed to modern life.
Truth be told, this was partly intentional. A Legion Commander deserved special treatment, didn’t she?
Enjoying modern conveniences, being able to communicate openly without reservation—things like that.
Since she could eat now, we’d share meals together sometimes.
Her Loyalty was maxed at 100, but genuine bonds built through shared experience felt far better than mechanical obedience.
Summoning her frequently was for that reason. Fortunately, my family had adapted well long ago—so much so that they’d ask why I wasn’t summoning her if I went without.
Either way.
I’d already recouped my investment with the Blood Jade.
And I planned to keep drawing from it like an inexhaustible well.
The Legion Commanders possessed Dragon’s Authority at Stage 1, didn’t they?
Surely there were Stage 2 and 3 as well.
‘It probably doesn’t require massive amounts of blood.’
If it did, I wouldn’t have stopped after absorbing just 50%.
I suspected advancing stages might require injecting stronger dragon blood instead. The three corpses Geom-seon and the others had brought were relatively high-level for draconic creatures, but—
‘They’re weak compared to the really strong ones.’
For instance, the ancient dragon over ten thousand years old that Cedric had used as his vessel during his Golden Skull days. Those kinds of dragons were in a different league.
‘But you never see those kinds of dragons in Gates.’
If one appeared, the Gate would explode and Earth would be done for.
Still, I’d have to hunt for such dragons eventually.
‘So…….’
I’d need to strengthen the remaining summons too.
The blood didn’t have to be dragon blood necessarily.
‘It’s hard to obtain anyway.’
Blood from other high-tier monsters could produce decent results.
“I’ll have to hit some Gates soon.”
Gradually, the power enhancement was drawing to a close.
* * *
After finishing the preliminary battle,
I’d sown countless seeds.
Relations with two superpowers—China and the United States.
The development of a slime battery on top of that.
The strengthening process of my summons as well.
Brief though it was, I could say I’d spent a truly productive time.
The items I’d purchased from the Heavenly Auction House had long since been distributed to my guild members.
My real-world tasks were more or less complete.
Now it was time to run toward growth once more.
“I’ll be heading out to the Gate for a bit.”
Since I’d been dropping hints for several days that I’d be going soon, my family’s surprise wasn’t particularly great.
It was more of a sense of resigned acceptance.
“Go on. Take care of yourself. And please look after those Legion Commanders as well.”
Choi bowed her head politely.
Merchen quickly took her hand and answered.
—Don’t worry. I’ll protect Min-woo.
—Even if the master fell to hell, he’d return without a scratch.
She nodded her head, as if reassured.
“See you later, brother. Come back quick.”
“I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
Na-ye waved her hand with surprising composure.
For her not to cry at all—she’d grown quite a bit.
Chairman Kim spoke matter-of-factly as well.
“Work hard. Ilsung will do what it can on our end.”
“I have faith in you, Father.”
With that, I stepped into my room and pulled an item from my inventory.
[Mysterious Necklace]
[Grade: ??]
[A necklace from which a malevolent design has vanished, and upon which the aura of a hero has begun to settle.]
[Effect 1. It is a medium through which you may undertake Continental Salvation (S+). Your previous progress will be saved until then. (Minimum required level: 251 or higher)]
[Effect 2. Two slots exist. It seems something can be inserted into them.]
[Effect 3. This necklace can only be activated if you possess the Title ‘One Who Walks the Hero’s Path.’]
‘It’s been a while.’
Urkan and the other orcs.
And the dwarves and elves as well.
Since my previous progress would be saved, there would be no flow of time.
I’d last left off after defeating Gelitas at the Northern Fortress and having Ha-yang-i consume the Winter Fragment.
‘S+ difficulty…’
It was no easy challenge.
Fundamentally, Gates of S-rank and above spawned monsters at Level 500 or higher, and with a plus attached, the level would be far greater still.
But even accounting for that,
‘I’ve grown so quickly. I think it’ll be a bit easier now.’
The Witch of Eternal Ice?
It was no longer a hellish difficulty. At most, I’d get a little tired fighting her.
Yet heaven helps those who help themselves, as they say.
For all my newfound strength,
a way to throw myself into that hellfire still existed.
“Let’s go to the Gate with Dad.”
—Coo. Coo. Coo?
“Yeah. The Gate. We’ll see the orcs again, and the elves and dwarves too. You’re good with that, Ha-yang-i?”
—Coo!
I’d finished all my preparations while still in the real world.
There was no reason to hesitate.
[The Mysterious Necklace activates!]
[You enter your previous progress point!]
When the scenery shifted,
I could see a group of orcs sprawled out beneath the warm sunlight, their faces completely relaxed.
It was exactly the state we’d left things in after destroying the Winter Fragment at the Northern Fortress.
―Whoa! Big brother! You look incredibly cool now!
Urkan gazed at the changed equipment, marveling aloud.
―But who’s that woman besides Cedric?
“A friend of mine.”
―Big brother’s friend? Then she’s our older sister?
―Just call her sister.
“Got it, sister!”
Urkan had finished establishing the order of hierarchy with Merchen quickly.
I spoke to him.
“Urkan.”
―Huh! Big brother, did you call me?
“Do you like boring things, or do you like thrilling things?”
―Huh! I hate boring! Thrilling is the best!
“Right? I thought so too.”
A continent where orcs formed the vast majority.
Urkan’s thoughts were as good as the thoughts of all orcdom.
Then I had obtained the consent of most of the native population as well.
Let’s raise some hell.
[You retrieve the Dice of Fate!]
[Will you roll it?]
Of course I had to roll it.
Clatter-clatter!
The die hovering above my palm began to tumble wildly.
That was the moment.
[The Title, ‘Super Lucky Guy’ activates!]
[Bizarre fortune wraps around your body!]
Along with the title’s activation.
Thud. Tap.
The die came to rest, its face showing the number one.
[Destiny has been decided.]
[‘Greatest Adversity’]
[An incomprehensible force begins to engulf the Gate!]
Rumble…!
The earth beneath us began to shake.
―Huh! It got dark all of a sudden! The sky’s pitch-black!
―Huh! The ground’s shaking! This is amazing!
[A calamity approaches!]
[The Gate’s difficulty increases dramatically!]
“Oh, lucky.”
―Caw. Caw.
Ha-yang-i flapped her wings gleefully in response.

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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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