Damn Necromancer - Chapter 26

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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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Money Spender Necromancer (26)
Winter Kingdom
After much back-and-forth, he handed over a 10% equity share to Il-sung.
The price tag: 5 trillion won.
Park Si-woo’s existence had been the single most effective factor in the valuation.
He’d brought in an SSS-rank Achievement holder overnight. Why assume Park Si-woo would be the end of it?
Expectations about the future had inflated the share price enormously.
‘If I’d founded the guild alone, 5 trillion wouldn’t have been in the cards.’
He’d already secured 1 trillion in funding. Even with excellent performance, he probably wouldn’t have pulled in more than 2 trillion.
‘Well, looking far ahead, this is actually dirt cheap….’
An EX-rank Awakener. An SSS-rank Awakener.
Honestly, if he laid bare every ability he had, there’d be no shortage of nations lining up with even fatter bundles of cash.
‘But then I’d really be on a leash.’
Before he could even spread his wings, he’d be caged like a zoo animal.
Not exactly an appealing scenario.
Il-sung, on the other hand, had cut a deal that was almost like a tall uncle—massive investment, minimal interference.
‘That’s the blood relation buff right there.’
That’s what family was good for.
Since he’d need to keep leveraging Il-sung’s power down the road, handing over a reasonable stake was a win for both of them.
‘Got money now.’
Of course, this fortune wasn’t meant solely for himself.
Park Si-woo.
He needed to invest in that kid too. That was the whole point of taking the funding in the first place.
He glanced at Park Si-woo.
“You caught that earlier, right? Once you hit 101, you’re joining the guild I’m putting together.”
“Yes. I understand. If I joined now, I’d draw too much attention.”
Park Si-woo nodded, showing he grasped it.
Back when they’d cleared Osiris’s Tomb.
Kim Min-woo had been an unproven rookie.
Chasing a new record?
Maybe he’d hit his head harder than he thought?
That was the prevailing sentiment.
But things were different now.
He’d already proven it decisively, once and for all.
If Park Si-woo drew S-rank attention on top of that?
There was a reason for the old saying about resenting your cousin’s success.
People always wanted to trip up someone doing too well.
And now an S-rank Achievement holder—a baby Awakener at level 1—would be visible?
Dark hands would reach for Park Si-woo from every direction.
Everything from enticement and temptation on the small scale to assassination attempts inside gates on the large.
The enticement wasn’t really a worry.
Their time together had been brief, but the friendship they’d built wasn’t shallow.
And with generous support flowing his way, there was little reason to fear Park Si-woo would look elsewhere.
But assassination attempts inside gates were another matter.
‘That’s what I need to be careful about.’
He’d crushed Lee Seo-yoon easily enough, but Park Si-woo wasn’t at full strength yet.
If an assassin of that caliber showed up, things would get very messy.
That’s why he’d worked out terms with the chairman.
The guild would be established immediately.
But Park Si-woo’s entry would come a bit later.
That was roughly the arrangement.
The benchmark was 101.
The threshold of D-rank.
By then, he’d have accumulated decent combat experience, and his skills would be ingrained in his body.
He’d enter the guild with at least enough strength to protect himself.
“I’ll walk you through what you need to do until then.”
“Yes, sir.”
He handed over Choi Yu-na’s number.
“Get in touch with her and ask her to make Spirit Potions—priority over my orders. Use those to practice low and mid-grade potion work.”
“Understood.”
“I’m going to solo clear Gates with decent difficulty up to level 101.”
He, by nature, had a body that made party play extremely difficult.
The moment he wielded the Holy Sword and slaughtered monsters.
Wait?
Just how many Achievements does this guy have?
Such suspicions were inevitable. But if he truly suppressed his full power to do party play, his growth speed would slow to an abysmal crawl.
So solo play was all he could do.
Fortunately, not all Gates were difficult.
Even within the same Rank, difficulty varied between a 30-point and a 90-point Gate. Solo clearing a low-scoring Gate wouldn’t draw any particular attention.
Beyond that.
He handed over several identification cards.
All of them were cards that had been registered for quite some time. Yet they remained trapped in their bracket…….
‘Stagnant water credentials.’
F-Rank Gate specialist.
E-Rank Master.
With a single card like this, you could pull it off.
“Enter Gates according to the Rank matching these cards. I made the photos similar to yours.
Stagnant water that’s lingered long in each bracket. If such stagnant water clears low-scoring Gates, it’ll be even less conspicuous.
The soldiers at the entrance will probably assume it’s natural. There were always people stuck at each level.
Park Si-woo nodded after seeing the identification cards.
“I’ll also find you a Master, so practice your swordwork diligently.”
“A Master?”
“Yeah. Just a moment.”
He made a call right away.
A moment later.
―Min-woo? It’s been a while.
A familiar voice came through the receiver.
“Yes, it’s been a long time. Actually, I’ve found some material worth using. I was wondering if Geom-seon might take on instructing them?”
―Worth using, you say. For you to put it that way, this must be no ordinary child.
“I think you’ll find it quite enjoyable. Would it be alright to ask for your help?”
―Send them over. I’ll take a look myself.
“Thank you. I’ll visit you when time permits. Yes, yes.”
After hanging up, he looked at Park Si-woo.
“Whenever you have time, go to Geom-hae-gak and learn swordwork. Okay?”
“……Wow, you’re really impressive. You just called Geom-seon directly…….”
Geom-seon was someone whom even the instructors of Geom-hae-gak couldn’t easily meet.
Naturally, receiving direct instruction from him was something one could scarcely dream of.
Yet Kim Min-woo had created such an opportunity with just a single casual phone call.
‘He really is an extraordinary person.’
Park Si-woo swallowed hard as he realized this. And he also grasped what kind of opportunity he had just seized.
“Thank you so much! I’ll work hard!”
‘Grateful? I’m the one who should be grateful.’
Kim Min-woo smirked.
Five hundred million in investment capital.
He planned to make excellent use of it himself.
‘A Swordsman doesn’t necessarily need Level 9 skill enhancement anyway.’
Of course, it would be nice to have it.
But it was far less efficient than for someone running an army. The phrase “focus and choose your battles” existed for a reason.
He’d given him Awakening.
He’d given him a Master.
He’d given him Spirit Potions.
And if equipment was properly arranged, hadn’t he done everything he could?
Having given so much, it was only fair that the investment capital went to him instead.
It was precisely high-efficiency money duplication.
“Right, work hard.”
He should probably head out and clear a Gate himself soon.
* * *
[(Breaking) Kim Min-woo, Now Guild Master? Leaves Il-sung Guild to Establish New Solo Guild!]
[(Breaking) Guild Name Known as ‘Money Spender’…….]
[(Breaking) Money Spender Guild Really Living Up to Its Name? Received Major Investment from Il-sung! Some equity shares traded for enormous sums…….]
[Breaking News: Il-sung’s faction states that new guild members will be selected after consultation with the guild master…….]
Han Baek-gil, who had been staring at the television, turned his gaze toward his assembled members.
The past week.
He’d poured all of Shadow’s resources into finding whoever had hunted down Lee Seo-yoon.
From Il-ho through Chil-ho.
They’d all gathered in one place again.
“Sam-ho. What did the investigation turn up?”
“None of them are Grade A or higher Awakeners, for starters. Their activities are all above board—no opportunity to slip into a Gate.”
“Chil-ho. Anything from the lower-tier Gates?”
The man wearing a green mask shook his head before speaking.
“Captain, this one’s gotten complicated.”
“How so?”
“There were roughly five hundred people who entered the lower-tier Gates alone that day. I’ve managed to verify the rest of them. But this one’s different.”
Chil-ho handed Han Baek-gil a document with personal information.
[Park Chul-woong (32)]
[Awakener Grade: D]
[Occupation: Swordsman]
A document with personal information as mundane as they came for an Awakener.
Chil-ho, who had handed it over, spoke.
“This identity is forged.”
“…You’re certain?”
“Yeah. I went to the address on file—empty house. According to records, he lived there for ten years, but none of the neighbors know who this bastard is. That doesn’t add up, does it?”
Han Baek-gil nodded.
In nine cases out of ten, that meant a forged identity.
“So?”
“Usually only black market types do this kind of thing, right? So I dug into it. But I couldn’t find anything.”
“The dealers clammed up?”
“No, it’s not that simple. The laundering is far cleaner than what those types usually manage. This identity—it’s connected all the way into the government system.”
Typically, forging an ID meant just copying the format convincingly enough.
The soldiers and Awakeners at the checkpoints didn’t scrutinize the details that carefully.
Especially not for something meant to be used at a lower-tier Gate.
But connected to the government system itself?
That meant someone had manipulated the administrative systems. It meant the laundering had been done thoroughly, professionally.
That wasn’t something you could accomplish with money alone.
You needed power as well.
Han Baek-gil’s face hardened gradually.
“And the moment this one realized we were investigating, he cut off his tail. This identity’s been completely purged. Now there’s no such person as thirty-two-year-old Grade D Awakener Park Chul-woong anywhere in Korea. Gone overnight.”
“…He must have connections in the corporate world or politics.”
“Yeah. And not just weak connections either. This bastard’s backing seems pretty substantial. Like that Kim Min-woo character on TV over there.”
The television still broadcast coverage of Kim Min-woo’s guild founding.
Several members who’d been watching it like they were mesmerized let out quiet chuckles.
“Come on, Chil-ho. You’re not seriously suspecting him, are you?”
“Do I look that crazy? I’m just saying—it’s an analogy.”
Il-sung’s eldest son.
Forging an identity to this degree would be child’s play for him.
But it was difficult to believe Kim Min-woo was the culprit.
Impossible, really.
The man had been Level 1 mere days ago.
Could a low-level Necromancer possibly take down an assassin with 300 Levels and Grade A achievements?
Even if he summoned a hundred skeletons—a thousand—Kim Min-woo couldn’t win that fight.
An assassin?
Hide, approach, one slash to the back of the head, and the game’s over.
Even if the concealment was detected beforehand, the problem remained.
He’d just move forward openly, swing his dagger once, and the skeletons would crumble. How could a Necromancer even resist?
The rumors said he had some skill with a blade, but overcoming a Level and equipment gap like that was impossible regardless.
That was common sense.
The members of Shadow were skilled Awakeners, and skilled Awakeners were very sensible people.
Han Baek-gil was no exception.
“…Check every corporate and political connection. Find out if anyone recently awakened, and if they did, what their level is. All of it.”
“Roger that. I’ll start with the top tier. Anyone capable of pulling something off this cleanly would have to be high up.”
It wasn’t particularly strange that their investigation had drifted slightly off course.
* * *
[Consuming Limit Break Spirit Potion!]
[Level Potential rises to 250!]
[Consuming Limit Break Spirit Potion!]
[Level Potential rises to 300!]
[Consuming Limit Break Spirit Potion!]
[Level Potential rises to 350!]
“Damn, this is it.”
He let out a delighted cry at the dizzying peak he’d reached. Never again would he shed tears of blood trapped behind the ceiling of an intermediate Awakener.
350—the outer edge of Grade B.
Just one more level from here and he’d cross into Grade A. From Grade A onward, anyone was recognized as a senior Awakener.
One more Spirit Potion and he’d have it in the bag. After that, he’d crush Shadow and everything else, no problem.
The Achievement points would copy over.
‘Time to make the move.’
He gazed at the necklace in his palm.
A Grade D Gate.
He had no idea what waited inside, what kind of Gate it would be.
But this wasn’t his first time.
Kim Min-woo felt confident.
Preparations were complete.
There was no reason to hesitate.
“Let’s go.”
[Mysterious Necklace activates!]
[Transit corridor opens!]
A crimson portal materialized in the room.
The moment he stepped through.
The world shifted before his eyes.
Whoooosh!
A winter swept through by howling wind.
Inside a small village.
Kim Min-woo was summoned into a broad clearing.
There was one peculiar detail, though.
“What the hell is that, squeaky?”
“Squeaky? Human? Looks like a human.”
“Squeaky! Intruder! I’m gonna kill the intruder!”
Instead of people, the village was crowded on all sides with musclebound orcs massed together.
“Uh… hello?”
At the sight of a human offering a greeting, the orcs answered by raising their axes.

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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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