Damn Necromancer - Chapter 56

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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 (56)
[‘Choi Aeng-aeng’ is marked on the map.]
[Duration: 15 minutes]
Seo Ye-rim held second place with 6 points. Her position appeared on the map moments later, and we’d be crossing paths soon.
“Want to team up?”
Seo Ye-rim nodded.
Eight points and six points.
First and second place had joined forces.
‘Ten people left.’
With the two of us out of the running, that left eight opponents total.
I recalled the last standings that had been announced.
[1st place: Baek So-cheon, 8 points]
[2nd place: Choi Aeng-aeng, 6 points]
[3rd place: Seok Won-cho, Baek Mu-han, 4 points]
[4th place: Namgoong Hye-ji, 3 points]
.
.
Seok Won-cho and Baek Mu-han.
The two of them had 4 points, while Namgoong Hye-ji had 3.
The rest of the small fry all had 1 point.
‘It’s finished.’
Even if the remaining eight coordinated an assault, they couldn’t win the way things stood.
Seok Won-cho, Baek Mu-han, and Namgoong Hye-ji might make some headway, but the remaining five were all sitting at 1 point.
Nab even one of them, and our stats would skyrocket through the multiplication effect.
Besides, the surviving factions were fragmented too—the Murim Alliance, the Demonic Sect, and Sadoryeon all mixed together like a jumbled broth.
At this point, internal strife was the only thing that could be counted on, not cooperation.
Their options were dwindling fast.
They could mount a joint attack.
Or run and gamble for third place.
Or else…
[Someone has died.]
[Someone has died.]
[Someone has died.]
[Rankings are being updated.]
[1st place: Baek So-cheon, 8 points]
[2nd place: Baek Mu-han, 7 points]
[3rd place: Choi Aeng-aeng, 6 points]
[4th place: Seok Won-cho, 4 points]
[5th place: Namgoong Hye-ji, 3 points]
.
.
“Damn it! My second place!”
Seo Ye-rim gnashed her teeth as she stared at the rankings. Getting knocked down to third in an instant—she had every right to be furious.
“He killed all his own people, didn’t he?”
“It looks that way.”
Among the remaining 1-point runners, I recognized some names.
Three of the Sadoryeon faction’s young masters and two of their warriors.
It seemed like until now they’d been traveling as a group, feeding their points to Baek Mu-han.
‘He killed them all.’
Discard after use.
That was exactly the situation.
[‘Baek Mu-han’ is marked on the map!]
[Duration: 17 minutes]
“Let’s take him out. I’ll claim this kill. In exchange, you can have the next one.”
“Fine by me.”
Seo Ye-rim nodded readily. We’d already agreed beforehand that I’d secure first place in the final standings.
This was why reliable teammates mattered. I broke into a run across the island beside her.
Baek Mu-han was on the move, visibly panicked.
First place and third place.
Our positions were probably marked on his map too. He’d have realized that a coordinated assault would be his death.
And in fact, that was exactly right.
“I’ll circle around and advance ahead. Just buy me some time.”
He nodded.
Seo Ye-rim bolted forward.
After chasing for about ten minutes.
The sound of clashing blades echoed from far ahead.
‘She’s caught him.’
Seo Ye-rim and Baek Mu-han.
The two swordsmen were exchanging ferocious blows.
Though Baek Mu-han’s score was a point higher, Seo Ye-rim was herself a swordsman called transcendent A-rank.
She didn’t falter easily.
‘A hot spot indeed.’
First, second, and third place had all gathered in one location.
The remaining stragglers would obviously converge here if they had a single brain between them.
The only play left worth making was the fisherman’s profit.
Still, it didn’t matter.
He had subordinates of his own.
The moment he extended his hand forward.
Nearly three thousand skeletons were summoned along with Dol-soe.
Several hundred Mages were added as a bonus.
The power of inflated Ability Scores.
“Attack anything that comes close.”
Clatter-clatter!
The skulls, having nodded in acknowledgment, formed a perfect circle like an arena floor. It would take time to push through to the inside.
He charged toward Baek Mu-han.
The man’s eyes trembled fiercely upon seeing this. He was already exerting his full strength against a single handmaiden.
If Baek So-cheon joined in as well?
The outcome was obvious.
“I’ll yield second place to your handmaiden! Let’s cooperate!”
“No, I won’t.”
Baek Mu-han’s score was uselessly high. He could become a variable, so killing him now was the better choice.
The moment they clashed, the man found himself overwhelmed.
“H-help! If I die, it’s all over! You’ll all end up dead at these bastards’ hands!”
Baek Mu-han shouted desperately, glancing around. Only then did several candidates reveal themselves and begin attacking the skeletons, frantically trying to cut a path through. Their judgment had come too late.
‘Though I can understand it.’
First, second, and third place could fight each other, but they could also cooperate.
They were even of the same Baek clan.
He suspected that’s precisely why they’d remained hidden until now, feeling each other out.
‘Too late for that.’
Even if they’d helped Baek Mu-han from the start, the result would have been the same.
Baek Mu-han’s head flew skyward.
[Your Level increases by 3.]
[You obtain 7 points.]
As befitted the strongest late-stage hunter among the Yongbong Tournament participants, his level surged by 3 the moment he was eliminated.
The points gained were explosive in scale.
An overwhelming surge of power washed over his body.
Fifteen points.
The multiplication effect was magnificent.
Nearly a fourfold increase in Ability Score gains.
He saw candidates turning to flee in the distance.
[Dol-soe uses Provocation on Seok Won-cho!]
Seok Won-cho, who had been spinning to escape.
Provocation was a skill that forcibly seized the target’s attention.
His body was drawn back around.
A heartbeat of vulnerability.
He closed the distance in an instant and severed the man’s leg.
“Aaaagh!”
Seok Won-cho collapsed, clutching at his severed limb, even as his blade found the fleeing woman’s throat in one swift motion.
[Your Level increases by 1.]
[You obtain 3 points!]
The three points seemed to indicate that this was the woman Namgoong Hye-ji.
Eighteen points.
Now, even if I killed every remaining one of them, first place was guaranteed.
Seo Ye-rim severed Seok Won-cho’s neck.
Only four remained.
And two of them were worth just one point each.
The game was as good as finished.
“The remaining people should scatter and search.”
Whoever was found first would die.
There was no particular emotion about it.
Everyone who entered here would have resigned themselves to that possibility from the start.
The structure of the game meant it couldn’t end unless three people remained.
Then.
Seo Ye-rim fixed her gaze on me.
“You said I would remain here.”
“Yes.”
“What exactly is your plan?”
“Surely you’re not thinking of staying behind with me?”
“…If you think the plan is something worth doing. Surely you weren’t planning to get attacked by thirty thousand people from the start.”
I took out a white orb from my inventory—something I’d fashioned beforehand, having gathered information about what the Clue of Ascension looked like.
It naturally had no special properties whatsoever.
It was junk.
“I’m going to wrap this in a cloth and throw it at the Sadoryeon Master.”
“…Will that work?”
“The Yongbong Tournament is held once every hundred years. Meanwhile, the masters of Sadoryeon and the Murim Alliance, and Cheonma—they said they’re in their eighties.”
The previous Yongbong Tournament had already taken place long before they were even born, and the Clue of Ascension had already been released then.
“…So they don’t know exactly what the Clue looks like? And that’s why you’re wrapping it in cloth and throwing it?”
“Yes. According to records in old texts, each organization won once over the last three hundred years. And the descriptions say that each time they received something like a white orb.”
Kim Min-woo continued, eyes fixed on the orb.
“But looking at it any way I can, it seems like it’s a consumable item that disappears when used.”
“…A consumable?”
“There must be some kind of power contained in the orb, right?”
“Probably… yes?”
“So if they got it and used it, and the structure is such that once the power is drained it becomes empty… wouldn’t they at least display even an empty shell somewhere?”
Seo Ye-rim nodded.
An item of that magnitude wouldn’t be discarded—it would be preserved somewhere.
“But none of the three organizations have any record of that. About the Clue, there are only rumors and hearsay floating around.”
“So it’s a consumable?”
“Probably? Anyone under a hundred and twenty years old or so wouldn’t have even seen the Clue. In short, they don’t know. Not a single one of them knows what the Clue actually is.”
All they knew was roughly that it was a white orb and that obtaining it made you supreme under heaven.
At those words, Seo Ye-rim exhaled slowly and spoke.
“…Your plan seems to have a lot of holes. Those three could potentially know information others don’t. What if the Clue gives off some kind of mystical energy or something?”
Moreover, whether the Clue of Ascension was truly consumable or not was unknowable.
Kim Min-woo shrugged at her words.
“You’re right. There are plenty of holes. But if it’s that kind of object, it couldn’t be replicated in the first place.”
No perfect plan exists in this world.
It’s just a game of probabilities.
I’d heard that no one had ever submitted a fake reward before.
It would be hard to suspect.
I throw the fake orb.
The Sadoryeon Master catches it.
The other two organizations, seeing that, lose their minds and pick a fight.
War breaks out and I slip away.
If this succeeds, my chances of survival would be considerably higher.
But what if all three of them realize it’s fake the moment the orb is thrown?
‘Survival would become much harder.’
Then I’d have to grit my teeth and run.
Though I doubted I’d even survive that.
‘But what choice do I have?’
To swallow this gamble, I had to accept that level of risk.
Throwing the fake orb was merely a gamble to inch up the odds of survival, however slightly.
Best case, I’d strike gold; worst case, there was nothing to be done about it.
“This is insane, really…….”
“That’s why I’m telling you not to participate. The odds of dying are too high.”
“……You’d do it knowing that?”
“Clearing a Gate is never easy, after all.”
Hunting foreign gods within seven years.
To achieve this goal, I couldn’t afford to hesitate when the moment came to act.
‘Besides, the stakes are high.’
Ascension?
It was the kind of word that made your mouth water. At the very least, it was worth risking your life for.
“In any case, that’s what I’m going to do. You decide for yourself.”
I wouldn’t mind her help, but that’s my own concern.
She had no obligation to participate. I scanned the remaining candidates scattered about and singled out the last one.
‘There you are.’
The Stat distribution was overwhelming.
With the arena having shrunk considerably, finding someone in hiding wasn’t difficult.
“Now, wait a——”
I slit the throat of whoever was trying to speak.
[Your level has risen by 1.]
[Only the final 3 participants remain.]
[The trial has ended.]
[Results]
[1st Place – Baek So-cheon]
[2nd Place – Choi Aeng-aeng]
[3rd Place – Cho Won-hui]
‘Well hidden, I’ll give you that.’
Cho Won-hui took third place on just one point.
The unfamiliar name suggested they were from the Demonic Sect or the Murim Alliance.
In the end, luck too was a form of skill.
‘Hundred and thirty.’
Ten levels from a single tournament.
It was a staggering explosion of growth.
[Your reward is being bestowed!]
[You have obtained the Clue of Ascension!]
A properly weighty orb materialized in my grip. Its pristine white surface bore a striking resemblance to the fake.
‘I don’t feel any particular energy from it.’
I examined the detailed information.
[Clue of Ascension]
[Grade: Legend+]
[A reward given to the first-place victor of the Yongbong Tournament.]
[Effect 1. Upon possession, you gain the qualification to attempt the Ascension Ceremony.]
[Effect 2. ???]
[Effect 3. ???]
[You have fulfilled part of the Gate Clear conditions! (1/2)]
[Present the Clue of Ascension to the Sadoryeon Master!]
‘The Ascension Ceremony, then.’
Mutakta crossed my mind.
The orc who had demonstrated such overwhelming power that he’d torn apart a complete Cedric.
I had a feeling the secret to that strength lay hidden here.
I stashed the real one in my inventory immediately.
Then took hold of the fake orb wrapped in cloth.
[You are exiting the arena!]
The scenery shifted in an instant.
Three master cultivators stood before me: the Sadoryeon Master, the Murim Alliance Master, and one called Cheonma.
After the barrier vanished.
Everyone’s expression hardened at the sight of only three returning alive — but it was brief.
A smile rose at the corners of the Sadoryeon Master’s mouth alone.
Baek So-cheon.
He held the wrapping cloth in his hand.
What lay inside was unmistakably a pearl.
The Clue of Ascension!
He had won first place—there was no doubt about it.
All his other sons had failed to emerge alive.
It pained him as a father, but he had steeled himself for this possibility the moment he entered them in the Yongbong Tournament.
What mattered was the Clue.
With this, Sadoryeon’s dominion could finally begin in this generation.
“My son, you’ve labored well…….”
“Father. I bring you the tribute!”
Whisk.
Baek So-cheon hurled the pearl wrapped in cloth toward him.
Whoosh.
The three masters watched the pearl sail through the air without drawing breath. In the next instant, it landed in the Sadoryeon Master’s palm.
That moment.
Cheonma and the Murim Alliance Master, eyes blazing crimson, launched forward simultaneously.
“Baek Hak-seong! Release it at once!”
“Ascension belongs to the Murim Alliance! Put all these Sadoryeon dogs to the sword!”
Thirty thousand fighters drew their blades in unison.
They had all steeled themselves for the blood tribulation to come.
A hundred years ago.
Two hundred years ago.
It had always been this way.
Whoever claimed the Clue and lived to depart could bask in enlightenment for a generation.
Sadoryeon’s warriors formed their ranks instantly. So long as they could protect the Master, they were willing to die here and have their bones buried in this place.
Blood fountained up from every quarter of the battlefield.
Then.
The Sadoryeon Master, weathering the assault of two masters, tilted his head in confusion.
‘What is this?’
The Clue of Ascension.
He had heard that upon obtaining it, a mysterious passage would appear before one’s eyes.
It was one of the sayings passed down through the line of Masters.
‘But why is there no response at all……?’
Something was wrong.
Could it be that the ancient wisdom passed down through generations was a lie?
Or…….
Baek Hak-seong’s gaze darted across the battlefield. Amid the clash of weapons and shower of sparks, Baek So-cheon and the handmaiden had long since vanished.
‘Wait. Could it be……?’
A single possibility dawned on the Master, and his eyes flew wide.
“Stop! Wait! This is a fake!”
“Nonsense! Is this body’s sword technique so dull?”
“Hahaha! Baek Hak-seong! How you’ve diminished! Driving even your own son to unfilial rebellion!”
The Murim Alliance Master and Cheonma raged on like madmen.

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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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