Damn Necromancer - Chapter 92

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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 Spendthrift Necromancer (92)
‘Yuk-ho in an instant…….’
From Il-ho to Chil-ho, they all felt a chill creep down their spines. They’d received their numbers in the order they’d entered. Which meant Yuk-ho’s Level was on the lower end.
But even accounting for that, it had happened far too fast. He’d rushed in first, and his body was cleaved in half without landing a single blow.
‘We were played.’
A warning siren wailed through their minds.
Kim Min-woo’s one-on-one combat prowess was nowhere near what they’d anticipated. They’d only used their encounters with Cho Pil-wook as a benchmark.
He might’ve fought somewhat better than that. But they’d set their standard right at that threshold—not exceeding it by much, just around that line.
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
At that level, Yuk-ho should have endured at least twenty exchanges.
Instead, he’d died after just one exchange, even with Cedric and that strange woman’s help.
It meant one thing fundamentally: Kim Min-woo’s Swordsmanship was beyond imagination.
‘His movements were being read completely.’
He was simply toying with them.
No other conclusion was possible.
Han Baek-gil’s mind raced at high speed.
‘Can we even win this?’
Wei Long-gang had drunk a Potion, but his Mana was tangled and sluggish.
Even if he tried to cast magic, if that witch interfered, it would become meaningless all over again. With Yuk-ho and Wei Long-gang out of commission, eight S-rank Awakeners remained in total.
‘The Light Attribute Artifact is blocked too.’
Was that all?
Why were these pathetic skeleton summons so strong? They felt like well-trained regular soldiers.
The skeleton forces formed ranks and narrowed their encirclement methodically, as though appraising a powerful monster.
They raised shields to block, then cast nets from behind.
At precise intervals, they thrust long spears to bind their prey’s legs.
Were these the summons that had been serving as meat shields before?
‘Defeating them isn’t the problem…….’
The real issue was the time being wasted on these summons.
It was all stamina and Mana.
They drank Potions, but the consumption was becoming unbearable.
Even the magic the Mages pooled their strength to cast was treacherously difficult.
S-rank Awakeners, yet they fell victim to petty curses that narrowed their vision.
The massive Golem endured blow after blow, continuing to tank every attack.
“Commander!”
“What do we do?”
The S-rank Awakeners called out urgently.
They too felt the disadvantage in their bones.
The trivial summons were intelligent.
Light attacks didn’t work.
Kim Min-woo’s Swordsmanship skill exceeded all imagination.
And on top of that, the strange woman had appeared and unleashed all manner of high-tier magic.
They’d thought they’d prepared thoroughly and made their decision boldly.
‘We were careless.’
Looking at the results, it amounted to nothing but carelessness.
Kim Min-woo.
That bastard was hiding far more than expected.
To hunt him down, it would require not just the Korea branch, but Shadow’s headquarters itself to move.
Only two choices remained.
Either accept sacrifices and retreat.
Or charge straight into the undead and kill Kim Min-woo.
The problem was that fear had already begun to take root in the eyes of the S-rank Awakeners.
Even if they all charged as one with full power, they’d be lucky to capture him—and they’d descended into panic like this?
‘This won’t work.’
A pack of frightened wolves rushing a lion.
Once one or two wolves died, the rest would yelp and flee.
That’s where they were now.
If even one or two more fell, they’d all start running.
Once they reached the Safe Zone, they could at least survive.
By then, the damage would be catastrophic—the word ‘sacrifice’ wouldn’t begin to cover it.
“……We’re retreating!”
Han Baek-gil roared, teeth gritted.
‘Korea is expendable.’
He had to reach the central headquarters and warn them of this man’s danger.
Not merely someone who could shake Korea alone, but a monster capable of shaking the entire world.
‘At least there’s merit in this.’
He’d discovered that Kim Min-woo’s undead were extraordinary.
Mere skeletons knew how to apply tactics, could construct proper magic. Thousands upon thousands summoned, and they possessed learning ability?
The implications would exceed imagination.
Even the United States would begin to guard heavily from now on.
He himself couldn’t even judge where his ceiling lay. Compared to uncovering that, the sacrifice of one or two S-rank Awakeners was negligible.
‘Anyway, men like that are quickly replaced.’
It was possible because of rapid leveling speed. The S-rank Awakeners hurried toward the exit. In that moment, magic flew at them and bound their feet.
O-ho and Chil-ho.
Relatively weaker members of the group.
The remaining personnel, seeing them immobilized, actually smiled with relief.
‘This works out.’
‘They’ll buy us enough time.’
Shadow had never been an organization bound by deep camaraderie in the first place. They had no desire to save anyone.
If anything.
Slash!
They severed the legs of the trainees running alongside them.
“Ugh!”
“Wh—why!”
Han Baek-gil and the core members rushed onward with cold eyes.
O-ho and Chil-ho.
And the remaining trainees as well.
They were sacrificial pawns.
Bound and crippled, they would do their best to buy time.
In the meantime, he had to find the Safe Zone quickly.
* * *
O-ho and Chil-ho.
Plus three remaining trainees left behind.
Three more before the summoning could be completed, and he’d been given almost five sacrifices.
O-ho and Chil-ho.
He looked at them first.
They were visibly struggling to break free from the spell.
‘If it were easily broken, it wouldn’t be SS-grade Magic.’
Unlike Yuk-ho, these two needed to be held longer, so he’d bound their feet with SS-grade Magic. It would take at least another ten seconds to break free.
Kim Min-woo, Cedric, and Dolsoe closed in on them. Awakeners who had made names for themselves as pillars of fairly renowned guilds.
Those two S-rank Awakeners were devoured in an instant without mounting any real resistance.
‘They seem even weaker than before, actually.’
They were the same people as in his past memories.
Despite their elevated levels, their skills were unimpressive.
Perhaps it was because they’d relied on the Experience Duplication Bug for leveling.
Either way.
Hunting hollow S-rank Awakeners was easier for Kim Min-woo than picking his nose. With Merchen, Cedric, and Dolsoe here now, it was even easier.
[Your level rises by 3!]
[Your level rises by 2!]
Levels climbing steadily with each kill.
Items dropping as a bonus.
Naturally, he stored them all in his Inventory.
‘I must’ve earned over thirty billion already.’
The equipment befitted high-rank Awakeners—well-stocked and quality. There were no truly jackpot items, but they wore respectable gear nonetheless.
The value alone would be substantial.
“P-please… spare us….”
The trainees stared at him, gripped by terror.
Gone were the eyes full of fighting spirit from the first ambush.
He smiled faintly, looking at them.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be joining you soon enough.”
He’d revealed everything to them.
The most perfect way to keep a secret is to kill everyone who knows it.
Just like this.
Slash!
Three necks fell in a single stroke.
[Total hunted: thirteen!]
[Hidden mechanism revealed!]
[Map changing!]
[Entered the One-Way Map!]
Rumble…!
The Gate’s arena began to shift. A straight pathway materialized high above the void.
Kim Min-woo stood at one end.
Directly opposite, the Shadow members lined up.
Between them, a rectangular stage like an arena took shape.
“What—what is this?”
“Why did the map suddenly—?”
“Damn it, it’s a Hidden Boss!”
Han Baek-gil and his group stared in bewilderment at the suddenly transformed arena. The path ran in only one direction, a straight line.
On either side yawned a dizzying void.
What happened if you fell—you didn’t need to see the video to know.
[Someone satisfied the condition. Map has changed!]
[One-Way Map commencing.]
[Rules granted.]
[You are the Predator.]
[Move to the midpoint, wait for the Prey, and kill them all!]
[The greater your enemies’ despair, the more Demon Points you accumulate!]
[Upon hunting all Prey, a demon will appear to reward you according to your score!]
This was the message Kim Min-woo received.
[You are the Prey.]
[Through voting, you may elect a comrade to face the Predator first.]
[Your elected comrade will advance to the center to confront the Predator!]
[Should you fall into the precipice on either side of the path, death is certain.]
This was the message that appeared for Shadow.
“……This is insane.”
Han Baek-gil’s face went rigid as he read it.
This was essentially asking them to walk out one by one and die.
“This can’t be right!”
“Bullshit!”
Sam-ho and Sa-ho tried to move forward, but after taking only a few steps, their bodies refused to advance, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
[Only one person elected through voting may move!]
[First voting begins. One minute.]
[Please select the Prey member to make the first challenge.]
Cold sweat began to bead on everyone’s brow.
* * *
One-Way Map.
The rules were simple.
One Predator and one Prey emerge from opposite sides.
They meet in the center.
‘Vicious,’ he thought.
The very rules reflected that cruelty.
If one could overcome ten opponents, they could dispatch the rest just the same—in theory.
But on the Prey’s side, there was no possibility of cooperation.
Only one could advance to the center through voting.
And this map had no Safe Zone either.
‘The entire structure itself….’
This was a stage built for the demons’ entertainment. A stage designed to watch the weak sacrifice each other through voting and see them slaughtered.
Especially cruel was how Demon Points accumulated—the more despair inflicted, the higher the score. Once maximum points were reached, a higher-ranked demon would appear to reward the victor.
‘After this, the Demon’s Castle map continues.’
And yet.
‘This works better for me.’
If these were ordinary Awakeners caught up in the same situation, it would be one thing.
They came with the explicit intention of killing him—there was no reason for mercy.
No reason at all.
He could hunt them one by one at his leisure, watching them destroy each other in the process.
For Kim Min-woo, it was the perfect map.
‘And I’d pocket some decent rewards in the bargain.’
Three birds with one stone.
In the distance, he could see the Shadow operatives screaming their lungs out.
They’d chosen to flee because they couldn’t handle the numbers even with everyone together.
And now someone steps forward alone?
It was as good as a death sentence.
No wonder they were thrashing about, desperate not to be chosen.
“Han Baek-gil, you son of a bitch!”
Halting Korean spilled from his lips.
It seemed the first sacrifice had already been decided.
Wei Long-gang, the Chinese S-rank Awakener mage.
He was cursing with every ounce of breath in him. Unfortunately, his curses didn’t change the outcome.
With the unanimous support of the group,
Wei Long-gang was chosen.
‘He’s buying time,’ Kim Min-woo thought.
What was more useless than a mage who couldn’t cast magic?
Sadly, on this stage, that was exactly what Wei Long-gang was.
He was summoned to the center immediately.
[First Prey has joined the arena!]
[Combat begins in 5 seconds! Prepare yourselves!]
Wei Long-gang cast frantically, summoning spell after spell.
Unfortunately, Merchen had materialized nearby and was staring at him with unwavering intensity.
―Still so simple-minded?
Cold sweat poured down Wei Long-gang’s face.
His teeth chattered.
‘No, that’s not it…….’
No.
This time it wasn’t one massive detonation spell.
During the preparation window, he’d cast countless offensive spells. Even that witch couldn’t dismantle them as easily as before.
It had to work.
If it didn’t…….
[Combat begins!]
Before he could even unleash his magic,
―Fool.
[Earth Binding (S) casting cancelled!]
[Flame Dragon’s Breath (A) casting…….]
[Tidal Wave Summoning (A) casting…….]
[Wind Hook (B) casting…….]
.
.
“Ah.”
His limbs were severed from his body in the next instant.

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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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