Damn Necromancer - Chapter 72

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

The Spendthrift Necromancer (72)
A duel.
One of the special functions administered by the system, and its advantage was straightforward: results from a duel were immune to prosecution, even in cases of murder.
The reason this was possible came down to one thing.
The moment a nation attempted to punish someone for the outcome of a system-sanctioned duel, the system itself would retaliate against that nation.
In the end, having learned their lesson the hard way, nations across the globe reached a worldwide consensus.
No legal sanctions would be imposed for the results of a duel.
There was, however, a condition.
What if someone held a sword to your throat and forced you into a duel against your will?
Since misuse could turn it into a vehicle for legalized murder, any duel required at least five certified witnesses.
Without them, the state could pursue charges of assault, murder, and countless other crimes—penalties the system would not contest.
State and system.
They had each found their own compromise.
A certified witness, in practice, usually meant—
‘A neutral party who is B-rank or higher Awakener.’
A neutral party.
In other words, someone with minimal conflict of interest.
Otherwise, six friends could mob a victim, force him into a duel, kill him, and walk away.
The system typically made that determination, and free training at the Training Center didn’t count as a conflict of interest—unlike the bodyguards.
“Ah, witnesses?”
Several Awakeners emerged from the Training Center.
Though free, the facility boasted top-tier equipment, so high-ranking Awakeners were plentiful. Among them were members of famous guilds.
“Pil-wook here is asking—you’ll all serve as witnesses, right?”
The Awakeners nodded.
There was no downside to witnessing, and they could grant such a request without hesitation.
Besides, they were curious too. Just how strong was Kim Min-woo, the one whose name had been making waves?
It was the perfect opportunity to observe his abilities up close under the guise of acting as witnesses.
The group proceeded toward the Practice Grounds.
When they arrived at the expansive arena—
“I, Kim Min-woo, challenge you, Cho Pil-wook, to a duel.”
―Kyaa haha
―This matchup is pure gold
―Is this conqueror’s haki? Is this conqueror’s haki? Is this conqueror’s haki?
―Man, if the terms get too brutal the stream might get cut off.
―Yeah; that’s why I think it’ll drop mid-broadcast. Guess we can’t help it.
[‘Duel’ has been activated!]
[Please set the detailed conditions!]
“Pil-wook, what terms do you want?”
“…….”
Cho Pil-wook’s face twisted as he stared at Kim Min-woo. He’d expected the man to back down, but instead he accepted without hesitation.
That kind of confidence suggested he truly believed in his own strength.
‘……Fine.’
It didn’t matter to him.
Cho Pil-wook was equally confident in his own abilities.
Even if he had cleared an A+ Gate, there was no way to know how he’d actually contributed in there.
Perhaps he’d found the exit.
Perhaps he’d solved the gimmicks.
Perhaps he’d drawn aggro well.
And so on.
It wasn’t uncommon to rack up a high contribution share without direct combat.
And now, in front of millions watching, he’d initiated the duel and was supposed to back out?
There was no way he’d let himself look like a coward.
Cho Pil-wook’s eyes turned cold. All that mattered was winning.
‘Killing him might be too risky…….’
But crippling him permanently? That was acceptable.
Sever his arm and crush it to pieces, and it couldn’t be reattached.
Even the world’s greatest healer couldn’t regenerate a lost limb.
Making him a one-armed man would delight Chairman Jo as well.
Ever since Kim Min-woo spouted all those conspiracy theories in that interview, Chairman Jo had been grinding his teeth.
“I think I’ll smash one of your limbs. You won’t mind, will you?”
“Sure. That’s fine. Pil-wook will probably march right along even on crutches.”
[Condition set: Destroy one of the opponent’s limbs to achieve victory!]
[The duel arena is confined to this Practice Grounds!]
[Until the victory condition is met, no one may enter or exit the arena.]
[Five or more witnesses confirmed!]
[The duel is established!]
In that instant.
A pure white aura flooded the Practice Grounds, and Kim Min-woo and Cho Pil-wook were swept to opposite ends.
Once a duel was established, it could not be stopped by will alone.
That was precisely why duels weren’t used more often.
Once you fought, you had to see it through to the bitter end.
Most people who did agree to one would set modest conditions—take a certain amount of damage and you lose, that sort of thing.
But Cho Pil-wook was nothing if not a straightforward brute of a tank, so he’d set the condition as simply as destroying one limb outright. I’d been generous enough—a one-armed man could still enter a Gate.
Fine then. He’d get his crutches.
[Duel begins in 10 seconds!]
[10 seconds remaining.]
[9 seconds remaining.]
.
.
[Duel start!]
In that instant.
Kim Min-woo extended his hand forward.
[2,000 Skeletons summoned!]
Nearly two thousand skeletons materialized.
But the summoning wasn’t finished.
―Roooaarrr!
A massive Golem rose among the skeletal soldiers.
And on top of that, there was Cedric.
“……?”
Cho Pil-wook tilted his head in confusion.
‘What the hell is this?’
How many were there, exactly?
After setting the Gate record back then.
He’d summoned around three hundred skeletons at most. So even with his level raised, summoning a thousand had seemed ambitious—
But this was far beyond that scale.
The sheer number of summons was staggering.
It was chilling.
The broadcast chat erupted just as violently.
―WTF. How many is that?
―Do Necromancers normally summon that many?
―If they all did that, who wouldn’t play Necromancer lol
―I’m a Level 100 Necromancer and at this level summoning 200 skeletons is already impressive…….
―But why does this guy have an extra zero lol
―What’s with that Golem? Do Necromancers even have that kind of summon?
―Pil-wook’s getting crutches today for real huh? lol
Kim Min-woo spoke calmly, gesturing toward Cho Pil-wook.
“Tear off one of his legs. Make sure it doesn’t reattach.”
―Roooaarrr!
The Golem and summons charged forward with force. Kim Min-woo, keeping his distance, wove a curse with his remaining mana.
[Curse of Aging (D)+9 activated…….]
The curse had failed several times due to the level gap, but it finally took hold on Cho Pil-wook.
[Target level is significantly higher!]
[Ascension Ring amplifies curse effect by 50%!]
[Cho Pil-wook’s defense and speed reduced by a total of 17%!]
Slowed considerably, Cho Pil-wook broke into a cold sweat.
‘Crazy!’
Accounting for the level difference, even with a +9 enhancement, it should’ve landed at less than 8%.
But 17% reduction?
Immediately after, the skeletons thrust their weapons at him.
Cho Pil-wook’s class was Warrior.
His profession came with naturally high defense to begin with, and the gap in equipment and level meant the damage wasn’t severe—but that didn’t mean he was taking no damage at all.
He’d been cursed.
The enemy forces were simply too numerous.
Like rain soaking through cloth, he’d be worn down gradually.
Cho Pil-wook’s eyes hardened with resolve.
‘I have to force a path through. No other choice.’
The duel had already begun.
He couldn’t stop now.
If he kept fighting the summons, he’d exhaust himself first and collapse.
Warriors didn’t have many area-effect skills, so ultimately he had to go after the summoner—Kim Min-woo.
Mana surged through Cho Pil-wook’s body.
[Cho Pil-wook activates Skeletal Armor (B-rank)!]
[Cho Pil-wook activates Iron Rush (A-rank)!]
An instant later, shield raised, he charged forward with the apparent intent to bulldoze everything in his path.
Crash!
The skeletons he collided with flew scattering in all directions.
But his valiant charge lasted only a moment.
—Graaah!
Whoosh!
At Dolsoe’s attack—a full-swing sweep as if a troll wielding a club—Cho Pil-wook’s charge came to a jarring halt.
The golem’s strength was far more formidable than expected.
“Get back!”
Cho Pil-wook swung his mace.
[Dolsoe activates Defensive Stance (B-rank)!]
But solid as he was, Dolsoe didn’t give ground either.
While the golem held and grappled with Cho Pil-wook, Cedric closed in and began his assault.
‘What the—?!’
Cho Pil-wook’s eyes widened in shock.
He’d thought the golem would be the trickiest summon, but he was wrong.
This skeleton called Cedric.
Its performance was absurd.
Those thrust-and-stab patterns exploiting every opening—it felt like being devoured by a predator while trapped in a shell.
The broadcast chat erupted.
―Isn’t Cho Pil-wook supposed to be a pretty strong Awakener?
―Yeah, B-rank Level with A-rank Awakening Achievement means he’s in the top tier in Korea.
―So why does it look like he’s about to get cut down by a summon?
―Kim Min-woo’s summons are way stronger than expected lol especially that Cedric—he’s insanely strong. Is this an S-rank skill or something?
―…wait, could it be higher than S-rank?
―Don’t exaggerate too much lol there’s no such thing as above S lol
―Yeah. Even another S-rank Achievement Awakener wouldn’t get pushed around like that by Pil-wook. But…being pressured like THIS doesn’t make sense though….
―He’s already spent a ton of money. There’s even rumors he cleared Hidden Gates. I’m convinced honestly.
―Yeah, think about it. Would Geombong have given him 5% Clear Share for nothing? He wouldn’t have handed it out unless it made sense lol
―Right? Looking at 50% Clear Share on first clear of an A+ tier? Pil-wook getting rolled is obvious lololol
―Facts. If Pil-wook goes to A+ tier, is he even gonna get 5% Clear Share? Seems tough lol
―Probably figured Cho Pil-wook got his Clear Share from something other than combat. That’s why he challenged him to a duel lol reasonable enough lolol
Then.
“Aaaargh!”
With a roar of fury, Cho Pil-wook activated another skill.
Even as his whole body was battered, he charged forward toward Kim Min-woo.
It seemed he’d decided to ignore the summons entirely now.
Well, if Cedric had reached level 151 and used all his new skills acquired then, Kim Min-woo would probably just stall him out anyway.
‘I’ve shown enough.’
There was no need to lay every card on the table.
The skeleton fighting in dumb meat-shield mode.
Cedric not using his breath attack and various other skills—it all came from the same reasoning.
Why expose everything just to defeat one Cho Pil-wook?
It already helped his market value skyrocket without any issues.
And beyond that.
‘I’ll handle the rest myself.’

The Bone Commander Sword.
I’d drawn a Legend-grade blade.
Cho Pil-wook came rushing forward, his entire body soaked in blood, yet solid like a true warrior—no fatal wounds, not yet.
‘Severing a limb would be simple enough.’
Sturdy armor?
It didn’t matter. Cumulative Damage would eat through it all the same. Strike the same spot a few times, and the Bone Commander Sword would slice through with a clean crack.
Thirty seconds of combat unfolded.
―Whoa, what’s this? Why is Kim Min-woo’s swordwork so sharp? He’s dodging every single attack.
―;; Cho Pil-wook’s really screwed. He probably charged in thinking he’d just grab the Necromancer, but what now lmao
―So he’s a Necromancer by profession, but actually a genius swordsman all along ㅋㅋ
―Dude’s writing light novels one chapter at a time lol
―His sword technique is solid, but he’s completely dismantling him with psychological warfare. Kim Min-woo’s timing his footwork to match the provocation perfectly. A warrior’s got no answer to that lmao
―Is he actually cutting off a leg right now?
―Yeah. Once the duel’s underway, nobody can stop it. But I don’t think it ends there.
―Probably; they both said they wanted to wreck each other, so it sounds like they’ll need to cripple one another completely before it’s over.
―Who’s he gonna blame lol His eyes were already bloodshot when he proposed it first lmao
―Look at Cho Pil-wook’s steel pants all torn up lmao One more hit and that leg’s coming clean off.
―That’s already the fourth Cumulative Damage. The damage multiplier’s insane. Next hit he’s definitely getting severed.
―Is that really Cumulative Damage? I’ve only heard rumors about it……
―First strike just left a scratch, but by the fourth one the armor started cracking like crazy lol That’s gotta be Cumulative Damage lol
In that moment.
The camera angle suddenly panned upward.
Slice!
With the sound of something being severed, Cho Pil-wook’s body collapsed.
Since the camera was angled high, his lower half wasn’t visible.
Kim Min-woo looked directly at the camera and shrugged as he spoke.
“Well, the duel isn’t over yet. You see? The Practice Grounds still haven’t deactivated.”
True to his words, the pure white aura binding the Practice Grounds remained unchanged.
A signal that the duel continued.
Until the conditions were met, there was no escape.
“It seems the system wants something more conclusive. Beyond this point I’d probably face review, so I’ll bid you farewell for now.”
After that.
[The broadcast will be forcibly terminated.]
The broadcast ended.
―Wow…… Pil-wook’s life is over;; So he really did get the crutch ending lmao
―But seriously, why is Kim Min-woo’s swordwork so clean? Cho Pil-wook couldn’t land anything.
―Yeah; he dodges every attack and keeps striking the same spot…… Even without summons and just holding a sword, Cho Pil-wook would’ve lost.
―For real; Geom-bong wasn’t just talking when he said the guy uses a blade well…… This guy’s insane…….
Kim Min-woo stared down at the collapsed Cho Pil-wook.
Destroy one of four limbs, and victory is his.
‘Destroy’ in this context meant rendering the body incapable of ever reattaching that limb.
Kim Min-woo and Cho Pil-wook.
That was precisely what both of them wanted.
He gazed intently at Cho Pil-wook’s severed leg.
Tears and snot streaming down his face.
Cho Pil-wook looked up at him with trembling eyes.
“Pil-wook. To end the duel, there’s no choice. You understand, right?”
“No, don’t…… Please……!”
“Use your crutches well from now on.”
Dolsoe stomped down hard on the severed leg.
And the skeletons tore into it savagely.
To a degree that even Hua Tuo himself, risen from the dead, could never reattach.
[Victory condition achieved!]
[You have won the duel!]
At last, a satisfying message appeared before his eyes.

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