Damn Necromancer - Chapter 16

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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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Squandering Gold Necromancer (16)
Super Rookie
World Record broken.
It was hardly an easy feat.
Many Super Rookies had challenged for it before. Yet ninety-nine out of a hundred had failed to break the record.
Those who had set the records in the first place were themselves Super Rookies, after all.
It was a task with an extremely high probability of failure.
Moreover, Kim Min-woo hadn’t pursued some modest record-breaking like the other Super Rookies.
Level 1 solo clear.
Isabella herself had only managed it after reaching Level 49—and he was attempting it at Level 1?
It was madness.
France, home of Isabella, was the first to laugh coldly.
Japan followed with a snicker.
China mocked him.
The United States was beside themselves with laughter.
At best, he’d clear to the midpoint and flee with his tail between his legs.
It was common sense.
He would inevitably fail.
Naturally, save for his homeland of South Korea, the attention he drew was minimal. Without expectation, there was no point in paying attention at all.
Why waste effort on something destined to fail?
Only a handful of foreign journalists had bothered to visit South Korea.
Why?
To write scathing articles the moment he failed.
A world record? Japan’s younger brother, South Korea, still has a long way to go!
A foolish attempt! Go eat some more and come back!
Things like that.
And yet…….
―Holy shit……!
―So, sono baka na!
It was impossible.
The impossible was unfolding right before their eyes.
Such a thing happening in South Korea, a minor Awakener nation!
Naturally, foreign journalists’ phones caught fire.
Thousands of text messages poured in. From their broadcasters, families, relatives, even neighbors.
The gist of every question was identical.
Was this really happening?
‘As if it were a hidden camera prank!’
While foreign journalists stood slack-jawed, South Korean journalists in the waiting area rushed urgently toward Kim Min-woo.
“Kim Min-woo! Kim Min-woo! We’d like to ask you some questions!”
“Hey, you! Move!”
“You move!”
Every journalist scrambled for a single interview. At this moment, Kim Min-woo’s value had skyrocketed past the heavens and was about to pierce the cosmos. By tomorrow morning, the entire world would surely be in uproar.
“Please, ask your questions slowly. I’ll answer them for you.”
Kim Min-woo smiled broadly.
“How does it feel to have set a world record?”
“I’m both dazed and delighted. Fortune favored me, you see. I found a hidden element and cleared it far more easily than I expected.”
“Something like that existed in the Tomb?”
“Why don’t you think about what my profession is?”
“Ah…….”
The journalists nodded in understanding. Given that he possessed what appeared to be a high-tier Achievement, it was hardly surprising he’d discovered a Hidden Route that aided his strategy in the Tomb.
“We’ve heard your Achievement grade is S-rank—is that truly the case?”
“Yes, it’s true.”
The journalists’ eyes lit up.
An Awakener who possessed an S-rank Achievement was called a Super Rookie.
This was the moment Kim Min-woo’s status as a Super Rookie was officially confirmed.
It made sense, really.
With a mere A or B grade, setting a world record would have been impossible. The gap between S and everything else was that severe.
Then…….
One of the foreign journalists raised his hand and asked.
“Um…… I’m Tanaka from Japan. So, setting the record was ultimately just a matter of good fortune, then?”
His pronunciation was rough, but the meaning was unmistakable. The surrounding journalists narrowed their eyes, glaring at the Japanese reporter.
As the atmosphere grew tense,
Min-woo chuckled softly and spoke.
“Well then, that would mean Isabella had less skill than just a lucky Level 1 nobody, wouldn’t it?”
The moment France got dragged into it, the Japanese reporter’s eyes began darting nervously.
Soon after, he answered, cold sweat beading on his brow.
“Ah… my Korean is poor, so I don’t understand well. I, I withdraw my question.”
As the Japanese reporter quietly sank away, the Korean journalists let out a triumphant laugh.
“I’m sure many of you are curious. What kind of Achievement Skill allowed him to clear the Gate so smoothly?”
It was natural.
The only reason no one dared ask outright was that Kim Min-woo’s status had changed dramatically from before.
Previously, revealing a skill was merely showmanship.
Now, one slip could become a breach of classified information.
Exceptional Awakeners were treated as strategic national assets.
“Today, I’ll satisfy some of that curiosity for you.”
Min-woo spoke.
The moment he snapped his fingers…
[300 Skeletons are summoned!]
A horde of skulls materialized in front of the stage.
A low roar rippled through the crowd.
“How, how many are there?”
“At first glance, it looks like at least three hundred…”
“That’s way more than the hundred and fifty Geom-seon mentioned!”
The skeletal warriors swiftly donned equipment that materialized from a Ring.
Armored skeletons formed perfect ranks and columns.
“Could this large-scale skeleton summoning be related to his S-rank Skill?”
“Something like that.”
The journalists nodded knowingly. While individual skeletons were weaker than grown men, equipped and deployed in such numbers, they became formidable.
This wealthy young master had poured over two hundred million won into outfitting each skeletal soldier.
And Kim Min-woo was, after all, someone Geom-seon had acknowledged as talented.
So many skeletal soldiers.
A Hidden Route discovered in the Tomb and outstanding swordsmanship.
Combined with support from Ilseong, achieving a World Record was entirely plausible.
Only now did it make sense how he’d cleared the Gate at Level 1. If he’d decimated the first wave like that, his Level would have skyrocketed steadily.
But that didn’t diminish how remarkable it was. Obtaining an S-rank Skill Book itself was proof of ability.
Click!
Cameras began snapping frantically at the solemn ranks of skeletal warriors.
* * *
Gulp, gulp!
Bang!
A can of beer slammed hard onto the table.
“Damn it.”
Seo Ye-rim tore into a squid leg, shredding it savagely.
Crunch, crunch.
She threw heavily salted almonds into her mouth.
Chomp, chomp.
She crushed them viciously between her teeth.
“That bastard. Like he’s so damn good with a sword!”
People have desires.
But they also possess the discipline to restrain those desires for the sake of their goals.
Dry chicken breast instead of delicious food.
A single sparring match instead of enjoyable entertainment.
Reviewing training drills instead of comfortable rest.
Seo Ye-rim had sacrificed much for the sword.
She’d poured more than half her life into it, earning the epithet “Sword Saint” in return.
And so,
this epithet was her life, her everything.
To have it all denied.
By that damn reckless bastard, no less.
Naturally, her curses poured out freely.
Kicked off a live broadcast.
A spectacular humiliation.
By tomorrow morning, hundreds of articles would be churning out jokes about it.
That part she could handle.
Media was easy to ignore if you simply didn’t look.
But what really, truly infuriated her—
was that she couldn’t deny Kim Min-woo’s words, not in her heart.
Damn it all, that bastard wielded a sword with genuine skill.
A direct hit. Brutal honesty wrapped in steel.
So there it was…….
That exact tone? That exact tone? That exact tone? That exact tone? That exact tone? That exact tone? That exact tone?
His voice looping endlessly like a recording tape.
Under such crushing stress, every shred of her self-control shattered in an instant.
Binge eating. Then binge eating again.
Then—
―Wow, insane!
―You actually pulled it off!
―He broke through! He really did!
Cheers erupted from where the instructors’ rooms were. What were they celebrating at this ungodly hour?
Predictable.
That irritating face flashed past in her mind.
‘This damned…….’
An A-rank Awakener’s brutal strength crushed the beer can flat in one motion.
Splash!
Beer erupted overhead like fireworks bursting.
“Damn it!”
Nothing was going right.
She dried her hair with a towel, then reached for her smartphone.
Seo Ye-rim was in an unrestrained state now.
With beer-chilled hair and her restraint stripped away, curiosity became impossible to resist.
‘He really broke through that? Impossible.’
Her insistence on impossibility hadn’t come from mere jealousy. It was genuinely, objectively impossible.
……But how did he even crack it?
“……Just, let me check real quick.”
What Awakener could resist? She muttered the excuse under her breath and opened the news feed on her phone.
[(Breaking!) Kim Min-woo Brings Glory to South Korea! World Record Shattered!]
[(Breaking!) 40 hours, 23 minutes, 32 seconds! The World’s Greatest Necromancer Is Born!]
.
.
“……That can’t be right.”
40 hours.
Nearly eight hours faster than Isabella at Level 49.
What about public opinion beyond the news?
She frantically switched the screen to NewTube.
Videos celebrating South Korean pride were already flooding the site, surpassing a million views mere minutes after posting.
[K-Awakener Kim Min-woo Makes a Splash! Before the Necromancer’s Might, Isabella Bends the Knee—Why Is All of France Paralyzed by Silence?!]
[South Korea Breaking Free from Awakener Weakness? K-Awakener Kim Min-woo Sets New World Record! Awakeners Worldwide Stunned by His Talent!]
[The Star and Hope of South Korea—Kim Min-woo! What Drives International Media to Drool at His Heroic Achievements?! Live Coverage Included!]
Channels she’d subscribed to because they frequently posted videos about her grandfather.
Usually, when videos with this level of nationalist fervor dropped, opinions split roughly fifty-fifty.
Viewers often found parts that seemed excessive.
Even her grandfather, Geom-seon, had reactions skewed more favorable—about eighty percent support to twenty percent criticism.
But now…….
Likes: 999,832
Dislikes: 1,773
South Korea was boiling.
The comments were equally fervent.
―Is this real? ㅋㅋ Seriously though ㅋㅋㅋ Mods! Inject even more of this national pride serum!
―Today we’ll forgive the mods for working themselves to death ㅋㅋㅋ
―40 hours broke the scale ㅋㅋㅋ Those French bastards tried everything and now they’re sinking ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
—Isabella’s bubble burst lmao, that’s French-level for you lmaooo. This is supposed to be the country’s number one Awakener lololol
—See how she sank that Japanese reporter with one needle jab? Hahaha
—Ohhhhh~ this is the spicy Korean flavor, you bastards lmaoooo
The heat of public opinion blazed hot.
Even GateNet, the Awakers’ own community, was ablaze.
[Is Kim Min-woo a bubble?]
[Upvotes: 123,423]
Seo Ye-rim’s eyes gleamed as she hurriedly clicked on the post rising through trending.
—Un-be-LIEVABLE bubble, you clowns lolol
ㄴHaha lol everyone who was bashing Kim Min-woo is getting stunned lolol
ㄴAnyone doubting Kim Min-woo? Hahahaha
Watching the thread, Seo Ye-rim’s brow furrowed sharply. The World Record had certainly been impressive.
It was perhaps only natural that intense reactions followed.
But still.
This was Kim Min-woo we were talking about.
How could public sentiment be this favorable?
Tap-tap.
Rat-a-tat-tat.
Her fingers drummed across the smartphone.
[Why is public opinion like this right now?]
[Nick: OOO]
(Picture of an orangutan scratching its head)
—Kim Min-woo’s impressive, sure, but is this really worth all that? You all forgot he’s a reckless maniac? Even Geom-seon didn’t get this kind of reaction;
ㄴThat old man already showed everything he had to show, and Kim Min-woo’s fresh meat—why compare them? lol
ㄴReal talk lol. The poster doesn’t get the point. Korea’s last Super Rookie was seven years ago lol
ㄴ……So what? What’s that got to do with anything?
ㄴEvery time a decent Awakener pops up, we lose them, getting picked clean from every direction—that’s just daily life in Korea lol. And Kim Min-woo is what came out of that situation lol
ㄴBut he’s a total maniac. Everyone hated him before, didn’t they?
ㄴThey didn’t hate him. Did he commit a felony? Does he have a red flag? No—so what’s the problem? lol
ㄴReal talk lol. The poster’s just trying to throw shade on a good day—looks like intelligent hate to me?
Moments later, the downvotes began raining in.
[Downvotes: 3,733]
The post shot straight to Worst 8th place. She gazed at the Worst rankings.
[1. Bouncing around this much shows their level, huh lol. As expected, Awaker weak-nation tier lolol]
[Downvotes: 101,231]
[2. The awakening superpowers spit out Super Rookies like they’re eating rice lolol]
[Downvotes: 78,745]
.
.
[8. Why is public opinion like this right now?]
[Downvotes: 3,842]
.
.
“…….”
By then, nearly another hundred downvotes had accumulated. It felt like being the one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind—except now everyone could see.
As the downvotes climbed higher, her mood soured sharply, and she left GateNet. But in her absence, the fervor only grew fiercer.

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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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