Damn Necromancer - Chapter 44

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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 Donjiral Guild’s Necromancer (44)
Debut
A vast underground forge carved into bedrock.
Clang!
Clang!
Countless skeletal figures wielded hammers, their labor producing equipment in an endless stream.
Bubble, bubble!
In another corner, crucibles simmered with alchemical reagents—Plus Items materializing in real time before his eyes.
Every step of production was locked under the strictest security. Materials arrived by the ton, then vanished through the Interdimensional Ring into shadow.
After several runs through the relay, stock accumulated in this hidden underground workshop, smuggled and stashed.
Once inventory reached critical mass, the finished goods went straight into an Interdimensional Ring and delivered to the Ilsung Group.
‘They’re all desperate to know who’s behind this.’
The hottest rumor sweeping through the market these days was about the master craftsman flooding it with Plus Items.
Every corporation had eyes wide open, hunting frantically for this mysterious figure.
‘Their effort is almost admirable.’
The problem was they were chasing a master craftsman—never imagining a necromancer at all.
As Kim Min-woo, he moved freely without attracting suspicion.
No one would ever dream a necromancer could orchestrate output on this scale using skeletons.
Before long, equipment piled haphazardly across the floor—mountains of it.
He picked one up at random.
[Ratman’s Spine Sword]
[Grade: Standard+]
[Required Level: 10 or above]
[A novice weapon bearing the craftsman’s touch. Holding it feels like your life’s been saved.]
[Effect 1: Strength +2, Agility +1]
[Effect 2: On hit, low chance to inflict minor bleeding.]
One of the skeletons’ mass-produced templates.
For a standard item, its performance was phenomenal.
‘Didn’t we move that one for nine million won?’
Finding anything comparable at the Auction House would run you twenty million.
The Auction House prices ran inflated because of the ten-percent broker’s fee.
This was less than half.
And what terrified him most was the profit margin remained enormous even at that price.
Just ratman spine, a handful of monster byproducts, and finishing materials—nothing more.
‘Materials probably cost under two million.’
Craftsman wages and miscellaneous overhead bloated the final figure.
Awakeners understood this perfectly.
They bought anyway.
Why?
Nobody haggled over the price of their own life.
And commissioning cost less than the Auction House.
That’s why every major corporation had thrown themselves into equipment manufacturing.
Once you carved out your territory, money printed itself.
Then.
A familiar figure descended into the basement.
Park Si-woo.
“I’m here.”
“Yeah. Dump the materials over there.”
“Will do. And I grabbed a ton of Attribute Items this time. The Auction House had fresh stock when I checked.”
Park Si-woo unloaded the Interdimensional Ring’s contents in a chaotic cascade.
Security was everything in this line of work.
Trust the wrong person, and the whole operation would be exposed before dawn—chaos spreading across the globe.
That’s why Kim Min-woo had chosen Park Si-woo.
They were in the same boat. No point running his mouth.
Beyond that, the man’s character was solid.
Park Si-woo kept security tight as a drum.
Even while grinding dungeons relentlessly, he found time to ferry supplies—diligent to the bone.
“Ha-yang-i, dinner time.”
―Squawk! Squawk-squawk!
At the mention of Attribute Items, the creature erupted into frenzied motion, rushing straight for the pile.
Ha-yang-i’s mouth fell open as she approached each item imbued with its respective element.
Then, in quick succession:
[The fire attribute contained in the Sharp Flame Sword is completely absorbed!]
[The wind attribute contained in the Wind-Imbued Armor is completely absorbed!]
[The lightning attribute contained in the Static Electricity Staff is completely absorbed!]
.
.
[Fire attribute increased by 0.05%…….]
[Wind attribute increased by 0.06%…….]
[Lightning attribute…….]
Over the past few days, I’d fed Ha-yang-i a tremendous quantity of attribute items. As a result, the feathers on her neck had taken on multiple colors.
‘Fire, wind, lightning, earth.’
I planned to hunt for ice shards in the next Gate to round out that element.
These four attributes, then, were the ones I’d raised so far.
A total of five elements.
With that much coverage, I could handle just about any Gate that came my way.
I’d decide on the remaining two attributes later.
“Wow, it never gets old. Every time she absorbs an attribute, the item’s rarity just drops to common……. That’s got to be bleeding gold, right?”
Park Si-woo gestured at the now-hollowed items as he spoke.
He was right, of course.
Every item that had been rare or near-rare in magical quality was turning to common-grade equipment the moment its attribute was drained.
‘Well, what else would you expect?’
What’s the essence of an attribute item?
The attribute itself, obviously.
Strip that away, and all you’re left with is an empty shell.
“It’s an investment. That’s how I look at it.”
“Brother, feeding her like this—will it raise her attributes a lot?”
Let me check.
[Calling up the status window for the Divine Beast Ha-yang-i!]
[Name: Ha-yang-i]
[Species: Seven-Colored Bird]
[Attributes Possessed: Ice 20%, Fire 0.52%, Wind 0.51%, Lightning 0.5%, Earth 0.53%]
“So all four attributes have only gone up about 0.5% so far.”
“What? 0.5%? The items you’ve fed her have to be worth two hundred billion won…….”
“I’d already steeled myself for it.”
A fragment of the winter that froze the entire northern continent had only filled ice to 20%.
From that point on, I’d had a rough sense of what lay ahead.
That raising attributes would require spending money with absolutely reckless abandon.
‘Still, I can’t just go hunting for seven separate Hidden Gates.’
I knew how to open a few Hidden Gates, but not all of them were tied to elemental attributes.
Even if they were, it was unclear whether I could fill them to 100%.
So spending money was the only way.
Money itself could be obtained one way or another—the real problem was finding enough attribute items.
‘They’re just not common enough…….’
For now, I was scouring the Auction House, buying whatever came up, and feeding it to her.
―Squawk.
Ha-yang-i, having absorbed several hundred billion won’s worth of goods, flew back over with a pleased cry.
“Did you enjoy that?”
―Squawk-squawk.
“That’s right, sweetheart. Your father will work hard and find you more.”
―Squawk-squawk-squawk.
As I gently stroked her head, she chirped happily.
I turned to Park Si-woo.
“What level are you at now?”
“Around 93, I’d say.”
“Oh, you’ve climbed quite a bit.”
“I’m getting close to 101…….”
He glanced over at me sidelong.
It was clear he was itching to register with a guild.
“You confident? Like I said, if you join my guild, you’re probably going to find yourself in some rough situations.”
“I’ve been through every trial imaginable. Air combat, ground combat—you name it. Even if an assassin came for me now, I’d be confident! I really would.”
Fair point.
When he thought about it, the kid had been through quite a lot since that impressive debut alongside Geomson.
He’d made a name for himself as Geomson’s disciple and received recruitment offers from all ten of the major guilds.
Word was they’d thrown every conceivable perk at him, yet he’d rejected them all and stuck with Kim Min-woo instead—a testament to his loyalty.
“Good. Then join the Donjiral Guild.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Perfect timing, actually. I was thinking of wrapping up production soon anyway. Let’s hold a press conference. Time to step into the spotlight.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Oh, before that—about your sister. Send her to Geomhaegak for a while. I’ll give them a heads-up beforehand.”
“Understood. I was planning to do that.”
Park Si-woo nodded in agreement.
Truthfully, if he joined the guild, there was no telling what might happen. Especially now, with the public turning on wealthy heirs en masse.
Would those rabble-rousers take responsibility for their own failures?
Not a chance. Blame-shifting was their specialty.
They were probably grinding their teeth against Kim Min-woo as we spoke.
‘The elder and I should be fine, but…’
His sister wasn’t an Awakener. No matter how expensive an apartment was, its security couldn’t be foolproof.
That was why he’d agreed without hesitation.
Geomhaegak was renowned as one of the most secure facilities in Korea. It was the perfect place to entrust his sister’s safety.
“But wouldn’t it be better to keep manufacturing? You said it was like printing money.”
“I’ve already stockpiled around a hundred thousand items. My Proficiency is maxed out too. Time to get back to hunting.”
He checked the skeletons’ crafting skills.
[Skeleton Summoning (F)+9]
[This skill has been enhanced to its limit.]
[Consumes 10 Mana to summon 2 Level 51 Skeletons (1+1).]
[* Possesses Melee Weapon Technique (F), Dwarven Crafting Method (E), Elven Alchemy (E).]
[Melee Weapon Technique (F): Damage from all melee weapons increases by 10%.]
[Dwarven Crafting Method (E): Allows crafting of equipment with additional effects through dwarven craftsmanship.]
[Elven Alchemy (E): Allows crafting of alchemical items with additional effects through elven alchemy techniques.]
After producing countless items, things had changed considerably.
The skeletons’ average level had jumped all the way to 51.
‘And both my crafting skills ranked up by one grade each.’
Churning out tens of thousands of items daily meant Proficiency climbed at breathtaking speed.
Now the skeletons could even craft Magic-tier Plus Items from low-level materials.
Of course, he’d already prepared equipment befitting Level 51 for the skeletons to use.
Since he had gear equipping, he could outfit them without worry.
And by trading bones he’d purchased, he’d swapped out two skeletal parts.
It wasn’t a perfect success, but he’d settled for a normal success—still yielding tremendous stat increases.
In the course of crafting, he’d also finished setting up for the next hunt.
‘The mage-type levels lag a bit behind.’
He’d deal with that later if needed.
High-volume production was more efficient with ordinary skeletons anyway—unavoidable.
Either way.
He’d accumulated a massive reserve. Even without manufacturing more items for a while, he wouldn’t run into shortages at the equipment shop.
It was time to move toward the next hunt. He’d already picked his destination.
‘A new Gate should open up in Gyeonggi Province soon.’
The process of a Gate appearing was straightforward. Before it emerged, Mana would flood explosively into the surrounding area, and shortly after, the Gate would rupture into existence.
‘The difficulty’s B-rank.’
A-rank would be too rough.
C-rank would be too easy.
B-rank was just right.
‘I should grab that First-Clear Reward.’
There was always meaning to the word “first.”
Gates were no exception.
The first party to enter a Gate received special missions.
‘The difficulty spikes.’
More like B+ rather than straight B.
But the rewards were correspondingly higher than a standard Gate clear.
They gave special bonuses.
It feels like a kind of Hidden Gate.
Naturally, the moment signs of a Gate’s emergence appear, guilds and all manner of organizations swarm in like packs of dogs.
For the guaranteed jackpot of a first clear. But I didn’t rush in blindly.
When a Gate first manifests, its rank comes up as a question mark.
Only after investigation does the rank become clear. Once investigated, the organizations that have gathered select one to attempt the conquest.
‘Originally, this Gate was claimed by the Dorim Guild.’
According to the game’s story, years from now, the Dorim Guild Master reveals some of the rewards he obtained.
‘Yuger’s Ring.’
Common—Magic—Rare—Unique—Legend—Ancient—Mythic.
Among these seven ranks, a ring that falls squarely into the Legend tier.
I still remember vividly what that bastard said at the lecture.
―Many of you have been curious about my ring. I was truly fortunate. Do you remember the B-rank Gate that appeared in Gyeonggi Province a few years back? I obtained a starter item there……
The conclusion.
Join the guild and you too can have such opportunities—that was the pitch for recruitment into the Dorim Guild.
Afterward, some of the ring’s options were made public, and it caused quite a stir for a while. The effects were exceptional, as befitted a Legend-tier item.
He was genuinely fortunate.
To possess something far beyond his actual skill level.
‘In the end, I never managed to buy it.’
When I played as Kim Min-woo.
That was from much further in the future than now, and the Legend-tier ring was already on that bastard’s finger.
Even when I offered figures in the billions and made aggressive overtures to buy it, he refused to sell.
The options he kept hidden must be equally exceptional.
‘I’m taking that ring.’
As Dorim Guild Master, he won’t have grounds for complaint either.
After all, he claimed it would be used not for personal gain but to defend against foreign threats.
One must make sacrifices for the greater good.
‘It’s time to move in earnest.’
The situation is vastly different from when I cleared the ancient tomb. Now I have the strength to protect myself.
‘If it’s what I desire…….’
I’m prepared to shake the entire world once more.

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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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