Damn Necromancer - Chapter 27

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Profligate Necromancer (27)
A mass of Orcs emanating an ominous aura.
Their numbers alone well exceeded a hundred, and more kept pouring from the hovels scattered throughout the settlement.
Given it was a D-rank Gate, these creatures’ average level had to exceed at least 100.
‘Starting off brutal, huh?’
He clicked his tongue and finished his preparations to summon Undead.
The moment the Orcs stirred.
Combat would begin immediately.
Then.
―Hold! Hold on a moment!
An elderly Orc raised his hand, speaking urgently. He was festooned with leather pouches slung across his body, and leaned on an Oak Staff—by his appearance, plainly a shaman.
―Bektar! What is the matter?
―The spirit of a valiant warrior dwells within that human’s frame. The ancestors revealed it to me. Look closely!
The Orcs’ gazes immediately converged.
―……The human’s homely, but I confess, he grows on me.
―I sense the aura of a true warrior. A human who lives up to his name. Bektar speaks truth.
A critique session among the Orcs ensued.
Since beauty standards were inverted between their races, unsparing praise came his way.
‘This doesn’t feel like we’re going to fight…….’
Ordinarily, this wouldn’t happen at all. Orcs and humans were sworn enemies, locked in endless slaughter.
‘Is it because of the Title?’
One Recognized by Mutakta.
The effect granted intense favor among Orcs and opened the possibility of accessing a special route.
Perhaps that was why.
‘A special route, then…….’
He decided to try talking first.
If nothing came of it, he could always deal with them later.
Kim Min-woo had made up his mind.
“I am one recognized by the Orc Hero Mutakta!”
―The Orc Hero Mutakta?
―A name I’ve never heard.
Then.
The shaman Orc’s eyes widened dramatically.
―Wait! You don’t mean—that Mutakta, do you!
―Who is this Mutakta you speak of?
―You fools! How could you forget the name of the one who completed the Ascension Ritual!
―The Ascension Ritual?
―A great Orc, then?
Murmurs rippled through the gathered Orcs.
Kim Min-woo’s curiosity surged equally.
A fragment carved from another world entirely.
That was the interior of a Gate.
Just because a Gate’s interior belonged to the fantasy category didn’t mean it represented a single fantasy world.
Fantasy World A.
Fantasy World B, and so on.
Even within fantasy classifications, countless variations could exist.
It made perfect sense that these Orcs would be unfamiliar with Mutakta.
Still, he’d invoked the name primarily to seize the advantage from the outset.
After all, he’d been recognized by someone who appeared impressive enough.
That was the impression he meant to project.
‘But he does know, it seems.’
He observed the shaman called Bektar.
“Yes. That Mutakta.”
―……A noble has come to our settlement! A warrior of great renown!
Just as Bektar opened his mouth, eyes alight with excitement—
Thud!
Heavy footsteps rang out, and a massive Orc emerged into view.
[The Boss of the Ice Forest, ‘Chieftain Urkan,’ arrives!]
The Orc raised a Battle Axe with veins bulging across his massive arms.
―Human. Urkan no understand complicated words. Warrior. Fight well. Human, only talk.
—Squawk! The chief’s sharp!
—Squawk! Truly the village’s greatest warrior!
The orcs erupted in enthusiastic cheers at their chief’s words. Bektar made no move to restrain him either.
Instead, his eyes gleamed as he watched both the chief and Kim Min-woo.
It was the behavior of an orc truly mad for battle.
‘A boss, then.’
The usual pattern seemed to be: wipe out this orc mob, then proceed from there.
“So you want a real fight?”
A nod.
The chief nodded.
“Fine by me. Any time.”
He drew his sword.
Compared to the other orcs, this one looked considerably stronger, but an orc was still an orc.
Combat was second nature to him.
Orcs from a D-rank Gate weren’t even a warm-up.
It made no difference if this one was a boss.
“Come on.”
—Squawk!
The chief charged like a water buffalo.
Kim Min-woo’s sword and Urkan’s Battle Axe collided with savage force.
* * *
—Squawk. The chief’s getting pounded!
—Squawk! The ugly human, so strong!
The orcs muttered among themselves.
The human’s skill was beyond imagination.
The enormous Battle Axe wielded by the village’s greatest warrior flowed past like water, while the small blade stabbed repeatedly at his thigh.
A blow or two could be endured with resolve, but when it became ten, twenty—the story changed.
Urkan let out a mournful cry and collapsed heavily to the ground.
After that came a one-sided torrent of violence.
Slash!
Slash!
Each time the flat of the blade whipped out like a whip, Urkan’s skin flushed crimson.
“Hey, give it up already.”
—Squawk. Human! Not Urkan’s brother!
True to his warrior race, there was no surrender in him—only the burning fire of combat still blazing in his eyes.
“You lost to me.”
—Urkan! Not weak! Urkan is chief!
“You already lost to me.”
—Not yet lost! Urkan still standing!
“Want to go again?”
—Squawk! Fight! Get up!
Urkan staggered to his feet on legs covered in wounds.
The sight was rather pitiful.
“Drink this, then rub it on your legs.”
He tossed the creature a few Intermediate Potions.
—Squawk? Red. What is this?
“Ah, that’s something called a potion. It heals wounds.”
—Squawk-squawk! Urkan drink potion!
Urkan roughly dumped the contents of the potion into his mouth.
The wounds on his legs healed rapidly.
The orcs watched the sight with startled eyes.
—Squawk! Chief all better!
—Squawk! Faster healing than Bektar’s Shamanism! Potion is amazing!
The orcs gasped in wonder like primitive men discovering fire.
There was nothing strange about it.
It would be terribly difficult for creatures living in crumbling hovels to manufacture potions. At best, they’d manage to salve wounds with herbs.
“Again.”
—Squawk-squawk!
Beat him.
Give potion.
Defeat.
Give him a potion.
The endless cycle began to turn. Perhaps because orcs were so large, Urkan showed no signs of overload even after gulping down potion after potion.
When he’d shattered the orc’s legs roughly twenty times.
“Drink.”
―Huh-hic. Urkan understood. This human—truly a brave warrior. Stronger than Urkan.
“Ah, so you’ve caught on.”
But this alone wasn’t enough.
Verification had to be thorough.
“Who’s your older brother?”
―Huh, huh-hic…!
“Want to drink more? I’ve still got plenty.”
―…Urkan has an older brother now. This human is my older brother!
The orc lowered his head deeply.
An orc, confident anywhere, bowing his head?
It was a perfect signal of submission.
[You have become Urkan’s brother!]
[The orcs of the Ice Forest are greatly moved by you!]
[The orcs will now regard you as a brother!]
[You obtain the Title: ‘Brother of the Ice Forest Orcs’!]
―Huh-hic! The chieftain lost!
―Human is the village’s greatest warrior!
―Huh-hic! We must hold a festival!
A festival erupted in the center of the village.
‘Done.’
Normally, even beating him like that wouldn’t have earned Urkan’s respect.
Before that, one of us would have died.
But now it was different.
He’d carved out an entirely new branching path.
What needed to be done next was simple.
Find out what he could actually accomplish by becoming brothers with these orcs.
‘I need information.’
Among these orcs, the only one who could really be called intelligent was….
“Bektar, wasn’t it?”
―Huh-hic! Great warrior! It’s an honor you remember our name!
This old orc.
“It’s a festival, but there doesn’t seem to be much food.”
Only a few small animals were roasting over the bonfire.
It was nowhere near enough to fill the bellies of over a hundred orcs.
This was supposed to be a festival.
It was clear their food situation was dire….
At those words, Bektar’s face grew gloomy.
―Huh-hic! I saw it in books! It wasn’t always like this! Warm sunlight, gentle earth! All orcs ate their fill! There were many children!
“…It wasn’t always like this?”
―That’s right! The Caesar Continent was truly a blessed land! Under the great leader Mutakta, we orcs even built a kingdom!
[You obtain the keyword: ‘Orc Kingdom’.]
‘Information.’
In Gates, you could learn information through conversations with objects or living creatures. Meaningful information was often saved in keyword format.
“But why did it come to this?”
―Huh-hic! Mutakta was too great a warrior. In the end, he received a call from the heavens. After that, we orcs gradually lost our strength.
He nodded.
‘He called it the Ascension Ritual.’
It was true that when a great leader disappeared, a nation’s rise and fall often hung in the balance. Mutakta had gone, time had passed, and the kingdom had crumbled.
“So you were driven all the way to this cold place and built your village?”
―Huh-hic! Human! You’re mistaken!
“Mistaken?”
―This entire continent is cold.
“…The entire continent? But you said it was warm and gentle?”
―…Huh-hic. A cold ice dragon, an evil witch. The two monsters joined hands. The continent froze solid, huh-hic.
[You obtain the keyword: ‘Ice Dragon’.]
[You have acquired the keyword ‘Witch’.]
‘Oh.’
The scale of this was expanding, piece by piece. Each keyword sent shivers down his spine.
‘This has to be connected.’
Though not right now, certainly. If it were, the Gate wouldn’t be D-rank—it would be S or higher.
He turned to Bektar.
“Why would a dragon and a witch join hands?”
―A cold dragon desires cold lands. A wicked witch desires fresh corpses. The ice dragon freezes. The witch obtains her dead.
“I see.”
He nodded slowly.
Living things rot once they die—that’s nature.
But if they were frozen?
Transport became clean and simple.
The ice dragon expanded its domain and was satisfied. The witch received mountains of frozen corpses and was satisfied.
Both sides’ interests aligned perfectly.
“Did you ever try to resist?”
―……Hiss. Many of our ancestors fought. All died. Now only workers like us survive.
“Workers?”
―……When an orc in the village dies, we carry the corpse. When we see others, we carry those too. That’s how we’ve survived.
Bektar drained the liquid from the wooden cup in one long pull.
―……Hiss. But we won’t last much longer either. The cold deepens. I can no longer remember the sound of a child’s cry.
Bektar’s pupils grew distant, as though dredging up some ancient memory.
Then.
The faces of the orcs dancing near the campfire went rigid.
―Hiss, hisss!
―An evil presence!
As though conditioned fear had been injected into them, the chieftain Urkan trembled no less violently.
“Bektar! What’s happening right now?”
―Hiss, hisss! This aura…… a, a Corpse Collector! It shouldn’t come now, so why……!
[You have acquired the keyword ‘Corpse Collector’.]
And then……
Dark shadows began to fall across the village boundary.
Colossal forms appeared.
Eight spider legs.
Atop them, the upper body of a werewolf.
The head resembled a lion’s, and enormous pincers hung from its arms.
A monster stitched together from every conceivable creature, like a ragged golem.
Only one word came to mind.
‘A Chimera?’
The exclusive domain of dark sorcerers.
A Chimera.
And there were five of them.
‘This isn’t D-rank level.’
Chimeras were typically monsters that appeared in B-rank Gates.
Five of them should have warranted a C-rank rating at minimum.
Soon the Chimera horde began entering the village with grotesque smiles. Bektar lurched forward hastily, lowering his head.
―Hiss, hisss! The quota from last month was delivered in full. Why have you come here now?
―The cold grows severe. Living creatures vanish, and the efficiency of you workers will plummet. So the Witch has made a decision. Dispose of the workers.
―Hiss, hisss……!
Bektar’s dismay was evident.
The orcs trembled as well.
Kim Min-woo stepped forward.
“Are you the Witch’s subordinates?”
―Mm. You…… by the aura you carry, I understand now. Are you a Necromancer?
“Yes. That’s right.”
―How fortunate. The Witch requires many talented individuals. Come, Necromancer. Your abilities will be put to good use.
The Chimeras gestured to him.
Only then did Kim Min-woo grasp why this Gate had received a D-rank rating.
‘It was structured to last against the orcs?’
If you could endure the orcs, the Chimeras would arrive to sweep them away—that was the structure, a path to joining the other side.
Of course, just surviving an encounter with a horde of orcs would be grueling enough.
‘But not an inferno.’
That was when it happened.
The interior of the Gate froze, and a message materialized.
[You have reached a Branching Point of the Gate!]
[A special route has been opened!]
[You may choose!]
[‘The Witch’ and ‘the Frost Dragon’ are malevolent forces staining this continent with death. If you join hands with them, you may gain certain advantages.]
[The ‘Orcs’ are a race that has endlessly declined since their former glory. They are gripped by fear, and their power is woefully weak. If you join hands with them, you may walk an extraordinarily difficult path.]
[Whose hand will you take?]
Kim Min-woo smiled faintly upon reading the message.
He’d thought it somewhat dull.
Now it seemed like things were finally getting interesting.
He looked toward the Chimeras.
“Here’s the thing, though. There’s one problem.”
—……A problem?
“These orcs are my brothers.”
—How peculiar, human. Do you make pacts with vermin as well?
The Chimeras tilted their heads in confusion.
[Warning! If you take the Orc’s hand, unimaginable trials may befall you! Are you certain you wish to choose this option?]
Yeah, this is the right call.
Shing!
He drew his blade.
He leveled it toward them.
“I won’t abandon my brothers.”
[You have chosen the Orcs!]
[Affinity with all Orcs across the Caesar Continent rises sharply!]
[You acquire the Title: ‘One Who Walks the Hero’s Path’!]
[You have entered into opposition with the Witch and the Frost Dragon!]
[The difficulty of the Gate has changed significantly!]
The die had been cast.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————