Damn Necromancer - Chapter 88

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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 Donzirah Necromancer (88)
The Government
I boarded a government vehicle.
The car wound toward Cheongwadae.
‘What on earth is this about?’
The system occasionally sent messages to nations.
The content varied.
But.
‘It doesn’t send them for trivial matters.’
Usually, a message arrived when something significant was happening.
‘And I might be involved in this one.’
I wondered if it was some kind of tournament. To my recollection, the system hadn’t staged anything around this time before, but……
‘We’re at level 6 now.’
Even if things had changed from before, it wouldn’t be all that strange. I’d need to meet the President to get the full picture.
Before long, I was entering Cheongwadae.
“Welcome. I’m President Lee Gang-hoon.”
“Kim Min-woo. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Ha ha, think nothing of it. It’s all an honor for me. Come, please sit.”
President Lee Gang-hoon appeared to be in his fifties.
His actual age hovered near seventy. He simply looked young because he was an Awakener.
‘I’d always thought of him as a quiet sort of person.’
If I had to describe him, colorless and odorless would be apt.
In any case.
The seated President spoke with a grave expression.
“Min-woo, you’ve likely heard the general outline already.”
“Yes. I heard that a message from the system was delivered, but……”
“That’s right. The content is simple. The Super Rookie Selection.”
“…… The Super Rookie Selection?”
The President nodded and handed me a sheet of paper.
“Take a look.”
[The Super Rookie Selection shall be held.]
[Organizer: The System]
[Duration: One month from now]
[Eligibility Requirements]
[1. Participants must be between levels 151 and 499.]
[2. A maximum of 50 nations may participate.]
[3. Each nation may send exactly three participants.]
[4. Each nation shall select and designate its own participants.]
[5. Death may occur during the trials. Responsibility for such outcomes rests with the individual.]
[6. The top three finishers shall receive special rewards.]
‘The Super Rookie Selection?’
An event like this was entirely unprecedented.
I looked at the President.
“This was sent to the government a while ago. Based on these terms, Korea is planning to designate three participants.”
“Is that why you called me? To ask if I’m willing to participate?”
“Precisely.”
Lee Gang-hoon nodded as he spoke.
“A tournament of this scale would surely offer exceptional rewards. But…… there is risk involved. The terms explicitly state that death may occur during the trials.”
“And the level range is quite broad.”
“Yes. From D-rank to A-rank—though anyone at level 499 might as well be considered S-rank.”
The President’s eyes turned serious.
“At first, I considered sending a different Awakener instead of you. If something were to go wrong……”
Kim Min-woo nodded in understanding.
First son of the Il-Sung Group.
An Awakener whose name was beginning to spread not just across Korea, but worldwide.
And his level was notably high at that.
No.
Even from the President’s perspective, sending him carried considerable burden.
Other nations would typically be sending Awakeners at level 400 or higher.
One wrong move and the government would face a barrage of criticism—how they’d sacrificed a promising young talent for bureaucratic expediency, and so forth.
“I understand.”
“Yes. If I hadn’t seen that duel footage back then, my mind wouldn’t have changed.”
“You watched it too, Mr. President?”
“Heh heh. I’m only human. It’s natural to pay attention to such a spectacle. In any case, seeing how easily he handled an Awakener of that caliber—my perspective shifted as well. Or to be frank, I felt greed stir. Sending run-of-the-mill A-rank Awakeners won’t cut it if we’re aiming for the top ranks.”
Cho Pil-wook was proving useful once again.
To participate or not to participate.
Kim Min-woo’s answer was already decided.
‘I have to compete, no question about it.’
The scale wasn’t small.
The reach spanned fifty countries.
Every up-and-coming rookie worth their salt was planning to enter.
‘The rewards have to be solid too.’
For an event like this on its debut, he couldn’t know what the prizes would be, but one thing was certain—they wouldn’t be trivial.
“I’d like to participate. I’ll take full responsibility. I could even write a will before I go.”
“Heh heh. That won’t be necessary. Didn’t I say? I’m feeling greedy too. So the government will share in the responsibility as well.”
Lee Gang-hoon shook his head, his eyes gleaming as he spoke.
“Your words bring back my youth. Back then, Korea was undoubtedly a powerhouse among Awakeners. I’m hoping you, Kim Min-woo, will reclaim that glory for us. To that end, the government will spare no support.”
Lee Gang-hoon’s gaze was steely and unwavering.
He was reassuring.
‘He wants to place his bet on me.’
A+ rank Gate Clear with a fifty-percent clear rate.
A Level 300 Awakener like a plaything in his hands. He’d proven he could hold his own not just against the lower ranks but against the upper echelon as well.
His potential was running wild.
It was no wonder the President would say such things.
In this world, a single talented Awakener could reshape a nation’s image.
“Have you already selected the remaining two members?”
“Not yet. However, we intend to prioritize your opinion above all else, Kim Min-woo. Do you have anyone in mind?”
The President was clearly signaling that he’d back this one fully.
It would be better to have a balanced team of the same nationality.
That seemed to be why he was handing over the authority to select the members.
“One moment, please. Ah, would it be alright if I took a photo? I’d like to show my guild members.”
“Of course. As long as it doesn’t leak outside, there’s no problem.”
“Thank you.”
He opened his phone and entered the guild’s group chat.
[Kim Min-woo]
―I’m at Cheongwadae right now. Got a proposal to discuss with you guys.
[Park Si-woo]
―Whoa, no way…… You actually met the President?
(nervous emoji)
[Seo Ye-rim]
―What kind of proposal?
(tilted-head rabbit emoji)
[Kim Min-woo]
―Yeah, I met with the President, and the business at hand came as a system notification but…….
(photo attached)
There’s apparently a tournament like this. Does everyone want to participate?
[Park Si-woo]
―Oh. I’m in!
(eyes gleaming, hand raised emoji)
[Seo Ye-rim]
―Si-woo, have you reached Level 151?
[Park Si-woo]
―I’m at 143 now, and with a month left, I think I can make it? You’re coming too, right? You’re Level 420.
[Seo Ye-rim]
―OK. I’ll participate too.
Warnings to be careful because it would be dangerous.
There was no need for such things anyway. The details were already in the attached photo, and being an Awakener was already one of those professions where you wagered your life.
“The remaining two—both will participate from our guild.”
Lee Gang-hoon nodded.
Sword Saint Seo Ye-rim more than met the qualification threshold from the start.
The other two were much the same.
Kim Min-woo and Park Si-woo.
Though their Levels lagged, they were already known as Super Rookies who’d achieved S-rank Achievements—they might well be stronger than most A-rank Awakeners.
S-rank Achievements were no trivial matter, after all.
“Very well. I’ll add the three members of your guild to the final candidate list. We’ll likely conduct a verification process in due course.”
“A verification process?”
“We’ll filter through Awakeners via a preliminary round. The three selected that way will then face off against your three members in a match.”
Ah, so that’s what this was.
Skip all the preliminaries and go straight to the finals.
‘Not bad.’
Keeping the selection completely confidential was impossible anyway.
Fifty countries were participating, after all.
Among those fifty, there were bound to be nations that conducted their selection openly.
And naturally they’d publicize their reasoning.
If the Donzirah Guild were simply handed the final spot without going through any process, all manner of rumors would circulate—allegations of political collusion, backroom dealings, that sort of thing.
Better to demonstrate ability once and silence such talk than to leave with that noise ringing in their ears.
Fortunately, they’d managed to skip the tedious preliminaries altogether.
“Excellent. Oh, by the way—I’d like to clear a Gate if possible.”
“Which Gate are you referring to?”
“The demon Gate near Incheon.”
“Ah, the B-rank Gate?”
He nodded.
Its official name was Demon’s Castle.
Commonly, people just called it the demon Gate. Demon-type Gates were rare in Korea.
“That one shouldn’t take long to clear, I imagine.”
“I should be back by the time the preliminaries end.”
Demon’s Castle wasn’t large in area.
The monsters were simply densely packed inside. Fundamentally, it wasn’t a Gate that consumed much time.
Of course.
‘That’s only if I don’t trigger the Hidden Piece.’
Activating the hidden elements did alter the internal environment somewhat.
‘But still. It’s quick.’
Either way, it wouldn’t take long.
Just then.
Lee Gang-hoon’s expression grew serious.
“The international situation is precarious these days. The United States hasn’t made a move yet, but Japan and China are certainly keeping a close watch on Kim Min-woo.”
He nodded.
Both countries were geographically close to Korea, and like bitter rivals, they growled at each other without quite drawing steel.
There had actually been several attempts to poach him—offers in the tens of trillions to change his nationality, that sort of thing.
He’d been ignoring them all.
He had no interest in going to the United States either, after all.
“There’s a possibility assassins could come looking. If Kim Min-woo wishes, our government can provide assistance.”
“No, that’s alright.”
He shook his head.
Not because the government’s help would be useless—there were certainly capable Awakeners scattered throughout the government.
The pay was good and the work stable, being civil service.
They could even run the measuring device at the Gate entrance to block unauthorized intrusions.
But……
‘That would be problematic right now.’
Demon’s Castle.
The conditions for triggering the Hidden Piece in a demon Gate were rather sinister.
It required sacrifices.
Quite a few of them.
Back when he’d played Kim Min-woo.
He’d learned this fact because assassins kept pouring in to disrupt him.
After slaughtering all those assassins, he’d ended up discovering the Hidden Piece in the process.
But if the government assisted?
It would become difficult for sacrifices to enter.
What use would that be?
“……Are you quite certain?”
“Yes. I’m fine with it.”
Experience from defeating Awakeners was worth several times that of equal-level monsters. On top of that, each corpse converted straight to currency.
Besides, these were people who’d come here expressly to kill him—offering them up as offerings carried no burden whatsoever.
‘Convenient, really. There are people worth hunting down.’
The Shadows.
Those who’d said they’d return in a month.
That deadline was creeping closer. When they met again, he’d deliver a firm refusal—but what would happen then?
Would they simply leave him be to grow stronger in peace?
Kim Min-woo didn’t think so for a second.
Anything with a brain would start moving to eliminate the threat.
Especially with a growth rate like his—it was absurd.
‘I’ve already rattled their cage.’
He’d advertised how pathetic they were as an organization. The stronger he got, the more their insides would churn with regret.
There was no way they’d leave him free to clear Gates in peace.
‘I’ll kill them all here.’
The gap between now and when he’d first met Han Baek-gil was astronomical.
The Death Knight Sword had grown, and he’d already acquired a second Legion Commander.
‘I’ll get Achievement points too. Couldn’t have worked out better.’
An S-rank assassin?
Let them come.
He’d swallow them whole instead.
An antlion trap.
It was time to set the stage.

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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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