Damn Necromancer - Chapter 98

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

The Donzirah Guild Necromancer (98)
Giant Dungeon
The Ilseong Guild and the Donzirah Guild.
The moment news of the Guild War between the two broke, articles flooded in by the dozens.
[(Breaking) Donzirah Guild’s Flashy Debut? Challenging Ilseong Guild to War! Are We About to See Brotherly Bloodshed?]
[(Breaking) Reason for Guild War Revealed: The Scale of Ilseong’s Investment!
[(Breaking) Ilseong’s Gamble or Madness? Betting 60 Trillion Won on 20% of Donzirah Guild’s Shares…….]
―?? Wait, Ilseong and Donzirah are actually going head-to-head?
―Yeah, it’s at the Sangam Awakener Stadium. But what’s with the investment amount? lol
―20% for 60 trillion? Didn’t they buy 10% for 5 trillion last time?
―Yeah. But back then they hadn’t done much besides setting an F-rank record. Things are pretty different now.
―They cleared an A+ Gate, got Geombok on board. But 60 trillion? Do they even have that kind of cash……?
―Ilseong’s got enough liquid assets for that. They’re cash-rich lol
―3 trillion per 1% share; lmao;
―Kim Min-woo’s net worth alone is 100 trillion they say lol
―Is Ilseong serious? Did they really set the price based on what those nationalist fanboys were saying? lol
―Sorry, I didn’t think they’d value him at 100 trillion…… my heart swells with pride…….
―Wait, isn’t that some kind of loophole? Guild investments don’t count as gifts for tax purposes.
―No idea. Could be tax evasion, could not. But people are definitely gonna talk shit about it. They’re paying way too much…….
―Maybe that’s why they’re doing the Guild War? If they actually beat Ilseong’s First Squad, 60 trillion’s a steal, right?
―100% would be 300 trillion? That’s a top-tier guild’s valuation lol And Ilseong’s just tier 2.5 lol
―Ugh honestly. You gotta look at potential. The point is, if they beat Ilseong’s First Squad, those three can clear S-rank Gates together.
―Yeah. That’s just how the world works—high potential commands a premium. If they actually pull it off, there’ll be less talk.
―Can they even win? Ilseong’s been 5th forever, but they’re a wall of tears to anyone below them. They fight better than people think;;;
―Only if someone’s exceptional. But can the three of them pull it off? Except for Geombok, they’re rookies not even three months in?
―It’s possible. Kim Min-woo tanks with his Summons, and in the meantime Geombok picks them all off lol
―Possible how lol A priest’s prayer once and all the undead go down lol
―Yeah. And their guild master, Cheol-min Zoa, is an S-rank Archer, right? You think Korea’s top-tier archers look like nothing to him?
―Kim Min-woo gets sniped immediately and all his Summons get countered.
―Nah, Geombok will shoot arrows to block them lol
―Have you been watching too many movies? Arrow blocking arrow? Come on lol
―Kim Min-woo uses a sword pretty well. He’ll deflect them himself. I’m more worried about Si-woo; what’s he even gonna do lol
―Fr fr lol He’s probably the first one getting knocked out. Can’t be that high level anyway.
―People keep saying he’s good so everyone thinks he actually is lol But I’m an A-rank Awakener and this looks like a losing gamble to me ngl.
―Yeah. They should’ve waited a few more months. Be a shame if their momentum gets broken while they’re climbing so fast.
The consensus was largely the same across all platforms.
The Donzirah Guild?
Sure, they had potential.
They’d cleared an A+ Gate, and they were made up of talented Super Rookies.
But what good was a solid roster when Seo Ye-rim had only been with the guild for less than a month?
She’d only recently switched to being an archer.
There simply hadn’t been time for them to find their rhythm together.
The Ilseong Guild members, on the other hand?
Seasoned Awakeners who’d been coordinating with each other for anywhere from years to decades.
High-ranking Awakeners were positioned throughout, and their gear was top-notch.
More than that, they had synergy.
They had multiple S-rank Gate Clears under their belts, even if they were lower-tier ones.
That was the power of Korea’s 5th-ranked guild’s First Squad.
And they were supposed to fight?
No matter how high the difficulty of an A+ Gate, it couldn’t compare to an S-rank Gate.
Any way you looked at it, this crossed the line.
It looked like nothing short of a desperate gamble on the part of Guild Master Kim Min-woo.
That was exactly why public opinion was so negative.
Then.
[(Breaking) Donzirah Guild Enters A-rank Gate: Land of Giants! Combat composition: 3 members…….]
Another breaking report surfaced, and the online chatter heated up considerably.
―Looks like this is their first guild activity. Were they trying to sync up? lol
―Syncing up when the Guild War’s tomorrow? My heart swells with pride…….
―Wait, is the Guild War getting canceled? Even with a narrow map like Land of Giants, it should take 3 days to clear?
―Nah. Any First Squad in the top 10 can clear it in half a day.
—Isn’t First Squad supposed to be thirty people in a full party? There’s only three of them lol
—They can always come out from the Midpoint Region. Lucky they’re getting practice in now.
—We should check the Gate Clear time. See if they have any real shot at it.
—If they clear it within half a day, that’d be something.
—Half a day? lol Come on, stop drinking that nationalistic kool-aid damn it lol
—Ah, is the bubble really deflating?
—Still, they had their moment, right? Let’s have another drink~
* * *
A shimmering desert stretched before them.
Sand drifted across the endless expanse of earth.
Moments later, an undead horde stepped onto the sand.
Specters and Skeletons.
Cedric and Merhen among them.
Thousands upon thousands of troops had assembled in the blink of an eye. Cedric’s gaze swept the surroundings before settling on Seo Ye-rim.
—Changed your job class?
“Yes. It sort of just… happened.”
—Well, that’s fortunate. Congratulations.
“You’ve changed quite a bit yourself, haven’t you?”
—That was the strange form. Park Si-woo, it’s been a while.
“Yes!”
He greeted with energetic enthusiasm.
His eyes then shifted to Merhen.
“But who is this person, if I may ask…?”
—A legion commander like me. Her name is Merhen. She’s a mage.
Merhen nodded slightly.
“Wow, but she’s really undead? She looks so human.”
—…Yes. A Banshee.
“A Banshee? That’s completely different from what I imagined. You’re truly beautiful.”
—…Thank you.
“I’m just being honest, so why wouldn’t I.”
Buoyant Park Si-woo exchanged greetings first, and then Seo Ye-rim and Merhen did the same.
“Um, hello.”
—Mm.
After they’d grown familiar with each other’s faces,
“Alright, let’s head out—time to hunt.”
The undead horde and three people began walking into the desert.
But not for long.
Seo Ye-rim, holding the Divine Bow, narrowed her eyes.
Her vision extended into the distance as if she were peering through a telescope.
Far ahead, she could make out Giants gathered in packs.
“There—mobs ahead. Four total. One Priest, one Mage, one Warrior, one Knight.”
“…Wow, archers really are something else.”
Park Si-woo murmured his admiration softly.
And for good reason—where Seo Ye-rim pointed, there was nothing to see.
Only endless desert stretching on and on.
“That’s just the archer’s job. We’re supposed to see far.”
She shrugged and turned to Kim Min-woo.
“So, Min-woo, how should we hunt? Should I snipe one of them?”
“Will you make the shot?”
“I’ll make it.”
Kim Min-woo nodded, satisfied by her confident assertion.
By what standard was an exceptional archer judged?
Usually, it came down to this.
‘How far can their effective range reach?’
Range was the alpha and omega of archery. And Seo Ye-rim was an Awakener who approached the far end of that spectrum.
The Divine Bow’s powerful enhancement.
It expanded her vision and granted Mana Arrows power to travel far beyond what ordinary arrows could achieve.
Certainly, among S-rank archers, there were others who could shoot just as far.
‘But that’s only for now.’
In raw potential, they couldn’t compete with her.
How are we supposed to beat an archery genius wielding an SSS-rank Divine Bow?
“I’ll take down the priest.”
“Understood.”
The bowstring of the Divine Bow grew taut. A Mana Arrow materialized along the string.
Then.
Twang!
The arrow shot forward with a sharp whistle.
The cluster of giants gathered in the distance.
A small hole punched clean through the giant priest’s skull. Blood fountained as the priest crumpled.
Instant death.
The panicked giants charged toward the direction the arrow had come from.
A horde of giants nearly four meters tall.
Each footfall sent sand sweeping violently across the ground.
Boom!
Boom!
“Should I take down more?”
Seo Ye-rim asked coolly, watching the menacing giants charge toward her.
Warriors or knights with helmets could be a bit troublesome.
But if she crippled their legs and left them dragging, she could eliminate the entire force before they even reached her position.
“Once the numbers grow a bit larger, we’ll do that. Park Si-woo.”
“Yes, Ye-rim.”
“Let’s see how much you’ve improved since we last trained.”
“I think you’ll be quite surprised.”
Park Si-woo grinned and summoned the Holy Sword. A pure white radiance bloomed as the blade settled into his grip.
“Then, I’ll go first!”
A swordsman not yet level 150 hurled himself at three giants well over level 400.
[The giant mage uses Root Binding (A-rank)!]
[The giant warrior uses Taunt (A-rank)!]
[The giant knight uses Right Angle Slash (B-rank)!]
The taunt from the giant warrior.
A slash descending where the taunt would pull him, and roots binding his feet.
A clean coordination.
Potent enough that even a decent A-rank swordsman couldn’t simply brush it aside.
But Park Si-woo?
‘I’m an SSS-rank swordsman.’
The level difference meant the taunt still landed.
His body drifted naturally toward the shield-bearing warrior.
Blades and spells rained down upon him.
In that instant, he bounded upward and drove his heel into the warrior’s shield.
Suspended in the air, he evaded the roots sprouting from the ground, then deflected the knight’s blade with casual ease before—
Rip!
The Holy Sword began tearing through the giant knight’s body.
The warrior desperately tried to hold his attention, though taunt carried a cooldown like any other skill.
Once a warrior spent it, they were vulnerable for several seconds.
Just like this.
Park Si-woo cut through or dodged the mage’s spells with his Holy Sword, focusing entirely on dismantling the knight.
Each time taunt activated, he adjusted his movements as if he’d anticipated it—genuinely SSS-rank caliber.
Before long, the giant knight fell. Next came the mage, who’d been orchestrating the harassment.
―Gaaaaah!
The last remaining warrior fought desperately to the bitter end.
‘Regrettable.’
A warrior outclassed by a dealer was simply meat for the grinder, nothing more.
Even the lone giant warrior finally collapsed.
Three enemies eliminated in just over three minutes.
Park Si-woo, having cleared the giants, turned to face her with a grin.
“What do you think? Am I getting somewhere?”
“Well, better than that desert island stint, anyway. You were pretty useless back then. You’ve grown?”
“I’ve been pushing myself hard enough to get kicked out of Gates. This much is the least I can manage.”
She nodded.
She’d gotten a rough sense of his abilities; now it was time to see how they worked together as a party.
Merhen and Cedric joined them, along with Dolsoe.
“Everyone, let’s synchronize once.”
The two men nodded.
From that point on, they advanced at breakneck speed.
They encountered a mob.
The priest fell before he could even approach—an arrow through the brow, death instant.
The moment Merhen gestured, every mage became a tin can.
They collapsed gushing blood, which was merely the afterthought.
Dolsoe, Cedric, and Park Si-woo handled the knights and warriors.
While the stalwart Dolsoe held the line against the deluge of attacks, the two moved with fluid grace—Giants toppled, spewing blood under their unbroken assault.
Four.
Eight.
Twelve.
Even as the Giants’ numbers swelled, nothing changed in the pattern.
The only difference was that from twelve onward, Merhen and Seo Ye-rim began to actively engage in containment as well.
‘This is basically automated hunting, isn’t it?’
Just two hours.
They’d already blown past the Midpoint Region long ago. And they hadn’t even deployed the Specters or Skeletons yet.
Kim Min-woo hadn’t made an appearance either.
But there was no friction anywhere.
‘Feels like we could finish the whole thing in another two hours?’
The clear speed was so fast it was becoming a problem.
When four hours had elapsed in total.
[The Gate’s Boss, Giant Prince Opherian, falls!]
[Gate Clear rewards are granted!]
The boss was annihilated and the Gate cleared. As befitted an A-rank boss, the minions dragged out were numerous and tedious enough.
But ultimately.
What chance did common infantry stand against one EX-rank and four SSS-ranks?
The skeletal mob thrown as a meat shield was completely obliterated, but the core forces remained untouched.
Park Si-woo spoke with a broad grin.
“Man, with three of us, it’s incredibly fast. Ten levels in four hours—this is sweet.”
“Right? In that case, let’s do another run.”
“Huh?”
“Our Mana and stamina are still full anyway. Might as well get you some more levels while we’re at it.”
The three of them exited the Gate, and immediately found themselves facing a sea of journalists standing slack-jawed and staring.
Understandably so.
A four-hour clear was something they couldn’t have imagined.
And this wasn’t even top speed. If he and his summons joined in, it would be far faster still.
“W-wait, Mr. Kim Min-woo! Could we get an interview……!”
“I’ll do it later. I’ll be back soon. See you then.”
Before anyone could protest, the three vanished back into the Gate.
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Uh…….”
Left standing alone in the spring chill, the journalists could only stare at each other in stunned silence.

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