Damn Necromancer - Chapter 15

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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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Spendthrift Necromancer (15)
The Tomb Guardian.
One of the most notorious bosses.
Boiled down to its essence, it was an upgraded corpse scarab.
Nastier blood.
Add to that a massive frame and agile movements.
‘Certainly a tricky opponent for an F-rank Gate boss.’
―Hyeeek! Run away!
The shameful memory of Kim Min-woo refusing all combat and fleeing surfaced.
I had no idea how appalled I’d been at the time.
‘I really did make a person.’
The Tomb Guardian, belying its grim reputation, was being subdued helplessly.
The skeleton soldiers moved with orderly precision under Cedric’s command.
Dozens of shields blocked its charging attacks, while between them spears and blades thrust repeatedly.
From behind, maces and axes struck against its hide.
Of course, it resisted fiercely in return.
A boss’s attacks were hardly something ordinary skeletons could endure. Blocking every blow was impossible, even with Cedric’s command.
The skeletons simply couldn’t keep up with his orders.
Every time it unleashed a sweep, ten skeletons were resummoned.
Whenever it thrashed violently, I drove my blade deep into it.
Its high stats meant the hide split like tofu. Cedric, commanding all the while, unleashed devastating strikes between intervals.
The guardian’s blood began draining rapidly. Then one of its horrific patterns emerged.
The Tomb Guardian’s jaw gaped wide.
Hundreds of small scarabs burst from its maw.
They exploded on contact, spreading poison.
‘Vicious.’
The key to clearing it was making them hit something. If that something was our bodies, it would be a total wipe.
Normally you’d need a mage with shields to clear this easily.
They’d have to block the scarabs with something like a barrier and detonate them before they arrived—otherwise a wipe was inevitable.
Unfortunately, the baby skeletons had no such magic at their disposal.
Boom!
The detonated scarabs scattered their poison everywhere.
The skeletons crumbled helplessly.
[122 skeletons are being resummoned!]
Now, as if it had seized victory, the Tomb Guardian’s eyes gleamed.
Grrrrgh!
The frenzied Tomb Guardian thrashed violently.
Though its body had become a wreck, the skeletons still all fell in the end.
Grrrrr……!
The guardian glared at both Cedric and me with furious eyes.
“Sorry. Let me refill once more.”
I drank a Potion and gestured.
[506 skeletons are being summoned!]
Grrr……?
The Tomb Guardian’s jaw dropped at the sight before it.
* * *
[The Gate’s boss, the Tomb Guardian, falls!]
[The skeleton unit’s combat experience increases significantly!]
[Leveling up…….]
As expected from a boss, substantial experience came through.
I jumped from level 22 to level 25 in one shot.
The skeletons’ average level had also risen to 7.
‘Took exactly ten minutes.’
[You have cleared the Gate!]
[Would you like to exit?]
There’s a clear difference between exiting from the midway point and exiting after clearing.
The Gate’s color changes when you leave after clearing.
From the midway point it’s white.
Clear it and it turns green.
The total time elapsed so far was around 2 hours and 10 minutes.
‘No need to rush out right now.’
I dismissed the message.
―Master, aren’t you leaving?
“It’s a tomb.”
―You think there might be hidden elements.
“Not certain, but roughly, yes.”
Besides, Isabella, who held the world record, had taken two days to clear it.
If I cleared it a bit faster than that, it would be enough. Though when I entered, I did mention something about drawing aggro before the cameras died down.
‘I need to pace myself a bit here.’
Success is good.
But too much success becomes exhausting.
The gap between her, who’d already reached Level 49, and me was overwhelming.
And on top of that, the clear time is extreme too?
Skills crafted from S-rank Skill Books varied from person to person, even within the same class.
Still, there was a rough average range.
Basically, I had a sense of what S-rank skill level was supposed to feel like.
‘I’ll be suspected.’
Whether my achievements might be beyond S-rank.
Nothing above S-rank had been confirmed because no one had appeared with such power yet.
If people start suspecting I have SS or SSS-rank abilities?
I’m the son of Korea’s most powerful conglomerate family.
Even America would give up trying to recruit me.
Frankly, why would I go there?
I’d just live lavishly in Korea.
Then naturally, people with questionable intentions would emerge.
If I can’t have it?
Then I’ll destroy it.
That sort of thinking.
It would become tremendously bothersome to operate.
Of course, eventually I’d inevitably face such a fate.
But that wasn’t now.
‘Around forty hours should work.’
That would be enough to make it seem plausible.
Since I’m undead, I’m immune to fear.
I have some resistance to poison.
So I gained that advantage.
Plus, I’m a genius with the sword.
I discovered a Hidden Route in the Gate, gained an advantage in clearing, and so on and so forth.
Since the gimmick elements are variable, it would sound plausible enough.
Especially with Japan and China, who are at odds with Korea—they’d rather believe I cleared it fast because I got lucky than because I’m simply that good.
‘Since it’s impossible to eliminate suspicion entirely anyway.’
But I can delay the real power struggle that’s coming.
I picked up the miscellaneous items.
“Cedric, gather up the junk items and put the guys through some training.”
―Understood.
The skeletons picked up Drop Items like quiet, diligent farmers.
There wasn’t any particularly special reward.
Or, to be more precise—
[You obtain: Tomb Guardian’s Carapace Armor!]
The items that dropped would excite most Awakeners, but for me they were just Cedric’s equipment—roughly equivalent in quality.
“Take the armor. It’s a bit better than what you’re wearing now.”
―Very well.
Cedric changed into the new armor.
That’s the end of the Boss reward.
‘What’ll the clear reward be?’
Items dropped by the Boss and Gate clear rewards were treated separately.
A message appeared telling me to wait a moment.
[Gate Clear Reward has been granted!]
[You have achieved a special condition!]
[You are a Necromancer above standard level!]
[Osiris’s Arrangement is granted!]
“Oh, a Hidden Piece dropped?”
A small necklace settled into the palm of his hand.
[Tattered Necklace]
[Grade: ??]
[A necklace that seems mysterious in some indefinable way. The groove at its center lies empty. Perhaps it will activate if you place the right gemstone into it.]
[Effect 1. Insert a gemstone that matches the groove, and you will gain the qualification.]
[Effect 2. Upon gaining the qualification, you will be able to perform Osiris’s Arrangement.]
“A Linked Quest item?”
There was no quest log per se, but the structure followed much the same pattern.
If a quest window existed, it probably would’ve displayed something like this.
[Find the gemstone that matches the groove, insert it into the necklace, and perform the Arrangement!]
Roughly along those lines, anyway.
Min-woo had seen items like this before.
Linked Quests could chain together just one quest, or they could branch into several.
‘The more complex the structure, the better the rewards.’
The payoff from completing a Linked Quest was typically greater than simply going to a Gate, smashing everything to pieces, and collecting ordinary drops.
Assuming it was a proper Linked Quest with a real thread running through it.
‘You’d get something spectacular.’
Possibilities came to mind.
Powerful titles.
Unique-grade accessories or better with low Level requirements.
Rare potions.
Or special summons, high-performance Skill Books, that sort of thing.
The kind of items that made the game dramatically easier once you had them.
‘I need to find the gemstone.’
The groove in the center had an oddly distinctive shape.
Intricately carved as if to depict a dragon, the craftsmanship was exquisite.
‘It won’t be some ordinary gemstone you can buy anywhere.’
Even if you cut an ordinary jewel and fitted it to match, it didn’t feel like it would activate.
And why shouldn’t it? That would be far too easy.
He could think of two main possibilities. Either it was something you could obtain as a reward from other Bosses in this Gate.
‘Or it exists somewhere within this Gate itself.’
Though it could be something else entirely.
But when in doubt.
“Everyone gather up. We’re going to comb through this entire Gate from here on out. Smash everything, open everything. Knock on the floors and walls! Report anything unusual immediately! Let’s move!”
―…Move!
Clack!
Starting from what’s nearby is always the right approach.
Min-woo began sweeping through the interior of the Gate.
‘This is excellent.’
His mood was superb.
The scent of something extraordinary was drifting toward him.
Think about it.
This necklace is an item that gets handed over once you clear the condition.
A Necromancer of B-rank Achievement level would definitely have passed through here.
Yet it’s only activating now.
‘Which means the requirements are quite stringent. Minimum A-rank, possibly even S-rank.’
He could feel it.
A sense that the difficulty was going to be formidable.
And formidable difficulty meant correspondingly substantial rewards.
Having found a thread leading into the furnace of fortune itself, there was every reason to be pleased.
* * *
“Reporter Kim, it’s been forty hours already. Why don’t we head inside?”
“Forget it. You go in first if you’re so keen.”
“No way, I can’t. The director will have my head.”
“Like I don’t have a director? Anyway, before the camera dies. If this keeps up the whole thing will freeze solid.”
Reporter Kim gripped the hand warmer in his palm tightly.
As the warmth spread through his fingers, it felt almost bearable again.
Reporter Park, watching him, chuckled and spoke.
“It’s still warm since you’ve had it on, hasn’t it? And really, didn’t you half expect this anyway? You weren’t actually hoping for it, were you?”
“Well, it’s been a while since anyone became an Awakener in Korea. I figured someone had to step up soon.”
Reporter Kim spoke with an awkward smile.
To be honest, he had been holding out some hope. After all, Min-woo had spoken with such boldness.
“A true patriot, if I ever saw one.”
“It’s not just that, you know. You understand—there’s a lot more at stake.”
Kim Min-woo had already been drawing considerable attention.
As something of a villain, in a manner of speaking.
‘The black sheep of Ilseong. A failure passed over in the succession.’
That was how the public saw it.
The group’s management was expected to pass to the second son.
But what if that villain set a new world record here?
The entire board would be turned on its head.
Ilseong itself would descend into chaos. Management ability and Gate clearing had little direct correlation, though it was a debatable point—but what did it matter?
‘Who cares about that.’
A record had been set.
When someone achieved overwhelming results in one field, people naturally began to think—and hope—they might excel at other things too. With a powerhouse like Ilseong behind him, there was no doubt about one thing.
Korea was going to get very interesting.
“Well, that’s true, but… honestly, will it work? Probably not. Forty hours have passed and still nothing? By the looks of it, just coming back alive is already a blessing, let alone—”
“Yeah, true.”
Right now, they didn’t even know if he was dead or alive.
Usually, if an Awakener didn’t emerge from a Gate within a month of the expected time frame, they were pronounced dead.
The death rate inside Gates was that high. Especially in a Gate with a ninety-five rating.
Even if he’d perished, it wouldn’t have been surprising.
‘If he was going to fail, I’d at least hope he came back alive…’
Reporter Kim thought privately.
He was the driving force behind the upheaval that had shaken Korea in mere days.
Whether he was a super rookie remained unclear.
But he was definitely a prospect.
Korea was already suffering from a shortage of Awakeners.
Major nations like Japan, the United States, and China had launched a scouting war with eyes wide open.
Whenever a promising Awakener appeared, they came running with stacks of cash.
Kim Min-woo was one of the rare chosen few freed from that controversy.
“Man, I’m getting sleepy. I’m about to turn in. What about you, Reporter Kim?”
“I think I’ll wait a bit longer.”
“Don’t overdo it. Don’t. Sir, you’ll end up—”
“…!”
The eyes of both reporters snapped wide open in an instant.
It was a reaction shared by every journalist stationed nearby.
“Wake up! Hurry!”
Every reporter who’d been dozing, every one sleeping in the tents came pouring out.
The Gate was rippling.
A signal that the party inside was emerging.
Only one party had entered that Gate recently.
A solo party. Kim Min-woo.
Cold sweat beaded on every journalist’s forehead.
Their hearts began pounding like they’d gone mad.
Only two outcomes remained.
White or green?
If it was the former, it would be recorded as a promising rookie’s struggle.
But if it was the latter—the green of a clear—
“Holy shit…”
“Green! It’s green!”
“Insane, a world record?!”
“Upload the article now! Move it! Just write the headline first and post it!”
In an instant, the waiting area outside the Gate erupted like the floor of a marketplace.

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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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