Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 61

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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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Chapter 61.
Lorang Lefebvre II
“Psychopath.”
“What?”
“That’s what your colleague called me. He said it to my face.”
My mind went blank for a moment.
If there was anyone in the party crude enough to throw around language like that, it would be…….
“Seigrina?”
“No. The mage.”
Kazen? That caught me off guard.
Not Kria, whose manner of speech had been corrupted by Seigrina’s influence. Not that quiet girl who I’d thought couldn’t curse to save her life.
“But what came next was dead accurate. He saw right through me.”
“What did he say?”
“That I don’t genuinely reflect on my actions or feel remorse. And he was right. At that time, I believed it was the most correct choice.”
He must be referring to when we abandoned the party and fled during the Wood Revenge.
“I still don’t regret it. Only conviction.”
“Conviction about what.”
“That I made the best judgment I could with the information available to me in that moment.”
…….
I was grateful Seigrina wasn’t here.
If she had been, another argument would’ve erupted on the spot.
What about me, though?
My mood was foul, but not enough to have me grab this man by the collar.
“What’s the point you’re trying to make?”
“The reason I accepted that offer back then wasn’t out of obligation to the Montrie Family. It was because of you.”
…….
Lorang Lefebvre possessed eyes as dry as weathered bark—the gaze of an observer standing a few paces removed from life’s theater.
But not now.
Beneath those parched irises, something turbulent churned, impossible to conceal.
An ambiguous gleam—anger, hatred, or something akin to anticipation—turned toward me.
“Your existence makes me wretched. It insists that every choice and judgment I’ve ever made is wrong, that my very being is a negation. It fills me with regret—the one thought that shouldn’t exist in this forest. If there’s a poison I must avoid at all costs, it’s that.”
“……So?”
“I want to see it. To witness your failure with these eyes. To prove I was never wrong.”
Goosebumps crawled across my forearms.
Lorang’s eyes were mad, but his tone was serene—the voice of someone discussing the weather.
“To see such a sight, yes. I swear my cooperation to you. I promise the fullest assistance I can offer, hoping in the depths of my heart that you’ll stumble. Not that you’ll meet death through some senseless calamity, mind you. Only if—after giving your all, straining with every fiber of your being—you still fail. Then, and only then, will that end prove my worldview was never mistaken.”
“Ha.”
I’d known he was unhinged, but not to this degree.
‘So all he wants is to watch me crash and burn?’
Just for that, he’d stake his life, masquerade as a party member, and meanwhile promise his best efforts to support me.
A hollow laugh escaped me, and Lorang asked, as if seeking permission.
“Kaindel…… will you accept me?”
Accept him?
“Of course.”
I’d confirmed Lorang Lefebvre’s competence countless times in this expedition.
Why would I turn away talent of that caliber just because his motives were impure?
As I’ve always said…….
To clear this game, I’d shake hands with the devil himself.
* * *
After our rest ended, we managed to return to the Burial Ground.
A bleak, unwelcoming backdrop.
I reached instinctively for my pouch and realized with a sigh that the Map was gone.
‘Right—I gave it to Kazen.’
Look on the bright side.
Lorang and I could find our way without it, but the others couldn’t.
‘At least I still have the Compass and Timepiece, don’t I?’
I checked my pouch, and both were completely shattered.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Apparently the impact from the fall had done this.
The damage was so catastrophic that repair was out of the question, so I threw them away entirely.
“Where do we head now?”
“I was thinking we’d check out that cliff where the Ossuary was first…… but my Compass broke.”
“Really?”
Lorang reached into his coat and produced a Compass, pressing it into my hand.
“What’s this?”
“Just in case. I brought a spare.”
……
So methodical, this one.
I’d almost felt moved.
“But can we really find our way with just a Compass?”
“I told you. I’ve memorized the Map.”
“All of it?”
“All of it.”
I’d thought the actual terrain would match the game map perfectly, but there were far more discrepancies than expected.
I’d worn myself out committing it all to memory.
Of course, memorizing the path was one thing—without the Guide trait, a prolonged journey would eventually lead me astray.
‘The key is joining up with Kazen’s group before I slip into Wandering.’
For now, I relied on the Compass to navigate forward.
As I walked, keeping alert, I broached the subject with Lorang.
“What do you think of the Plunderers?”
Still scanning the surroundings, he answered without turning around.
“I don’t regard them as human, at minimum.”
Fair enough.
So I didn’t need to worry about this man placing Plunderers on Utilitarianism’s scales.
“Speaking of which…… I heard about their methods recently.”
“Methods?”
“A technique that detonates living humans. It’s definitely a Corpse Mancer from the Wild Hunt.”
Damn.
An name I’d hoped never to hear tumbled out.
“The Wild Hunt? You’re certain?”
“Yes. You seem to know of them too.”
“…… Of course I do. But I’ve never heard of a Corpse Mancer before.”
I was acquainted with the core members of the Wild Hunt.
The named ones—bosses, key officers, that sort of thing.
None of them bore the title Corpse Mancer.
“Is that so? They’re fairly well-known in the Wild Hunt.”
Another divergence from the game?
…… Not entirely unexpected, though.
Most of the NPCs appearing in Popop have random variables applied to them.
In other words, except for key named figures and those essential to the story, it’s normal not to know them.
Yet if Lorang knows of them, shouldn’t they be named?
“From the title alone, they sound like a Necromancer type.”
“Similar, but different. What they research is supposedly ‘Living Undead.'”
What does that even mean?
“Living Undead? What is that—cold fire or something?”
“Not a contradiction that extreme. The word Undead itself already means a rejection of death, doesn’t it?”
“I suppose so.”
“I don’t know all the details, but apparently they conduct horrific experiments on humans in pursuit of creating Living Undead.”
In that process, they must have developed the corpse-detonation skill.
A wave of unease washed over me as I asked what mattered most.
“How strong are they?”
“I’ve never faced them, but…… if even half the rumors hold true, I couldn’t guarantee victory even with full preparation.”
Hell.
‘If Lorang would be overwhelmed, they’re at least A-rank. High probability of other Plunderers present too, which means…….’
The overall threat level exceeded that?
Was this a consequence of choosing Hell Difficulty?
The dungeon had become unforgiving—different from the first expedition, but unforgiving nonetheless.
‘Maybe I should consider retreating.’
If I abandoned the tomb and headed to the Fungal Kingdom instead, filling my Exploration Meter there…….
I could scrape together enough profit to offset the costs of this expedition.
The problem is that such methods can at best only prolong life.
‘Early growth is the key.’
I need to become a first-rate Delver within two years, at minimum.
As I’ve said before, if I’m lucky, a major upheaval will occur around that time.
That’s why I was so insistent on the Abandoned Cemetery, even if it meant pushing myself.
In any case, we exchanged stories and information, occasionally clashing with Undead hordes, until we finally reached our destination.
“Here it is. The place beyond the Ossuary, where the bridge had collapsed.”
In other words, where we parted ways with Kazen and his group.
Traces of Aira’s explosion remained, but I sensed no other signs of life.
With no suitable hiding places nearby, it was safe to assume they’d moved on.
‘That makes sense.’
Staying in one place too long only increases the chance of the cemetery keeper finding you.
I know, but I came to check anyway, just to be sure.
“Where do we go from here?”
“Northwest.”
I handed the Map to Kazen.
And there were several markings I’d made on it.
The most obvious would be the order in which to defeat the Gatekeepers.
Kazen’s mind would grasp that immediately, and it wouldn’t be strange to think of the next location as our rendezvous point.
‘I need to hurry.’
Lorang and I quickened our pace once more.
Toward the next destination…….
……it wasn’t an easy journey.
Every time we encountered Undead hordes, combat was unavoidable.
Fighting them as two people and one beast, I really thought we’d die.
A sensation like nerve clusters tearing to shreds.
There were too many variables to account for.
“……A burial mound with fragrance rising from it. Let’s rest here.”
So whenever a Safety Zone appeared, we took a break without fail.
With our overall combat power falling short, we had to maintain peak condition at the very least.
And so we advanced through the Burial Ground bit by bit…….
“Here it is.”
We’d finally reached our destination.
The northwest of the Abandoned Cemetery―
The last mid-tier boss, and the most difficult: the Decaying Wolf’s lair.
But.
“No one’s here either.”
The boss is nowhere to be seen.
All that remains on the field are signs of fierce combat.
There was clearly a battle here as well…….
‘Damn.’
It couldn’t have been Kazen’s group.
The three of them couldn’t defeat the Decaying Wolf even if they died and came back to life.
Then where are those bastards?
Did my judgment diverge from Kazen’s somehow?
Or did they get caught up in some incident I couldn’t have foreseen?
Then Lorang spoke.
“There’s something.”
“What?”
Clatter…….
Something staggered toward us through the mist.
[Lv.29 ‘Skeleton’]
A single skeleton.
In this graveyard map, a single skeleton isn’t particularly noteworthy, but…….
‘Why is the level so low?’
The minimum level for mobs appearing in the Abandoned Cemetery is 35 or higher.
Moreover, unlike the others wearing something or other, this one was practically naked.
Schink.
The moment Lorang drew his sword.
A sudden thought flashed through my mind.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“It could be on our side.”
“On our side? You mean…….”
Only then did Lorang seem to grasp the fact that we had a Necromancer among us.
Kria’s Level was twenty-nine, as far as I knew.
And the Level of an Undead raised by a Necromancer typically matches the caster’s own.
Clatter—
The skeleton’s condition was poor.
Its joints creaked with every movement, and it looked as though it might collapse into bare bone at any moment without anyone finding it strange.
‘Did it leave some kind of clue?’
Considering the skeleton’s endurance…….
It couldn’t have been long since Kria left this place.
And.
[…….]
The skeleton pointed with its bony fingers toward something—
Whoosh.
Then it collapsed, as if its purpose were fulfilled.
“……Sigh.”
A sigh escaped me, and Lorang asked, puzzled.
“Which direction was it pointing?”
“Southeast.”
“What’s there?”
Given that we were currently in the northwest, southeast would be toward the center.
In other words.
“The Royal Tomb is there.”
That’s where our final objective lies.
Lorang’s eyes narrowed.
“She went to the Royal Tomb? How? By your account, the Royal Tomb can only be entered after defeating all the Gatekeepers. Our party has slain only two Undead, and even the Ruby Skeleton we hunted together—just the two of us.”
“Our party did, yes.”
Lorang faltered.
“Don’t tell me…….”
“That’s right. She may have been captured by the Plunderers.”
Things were getting messier by the second.
“So what do we do now?”
“We go after her.”
“How? Do you mean to hunt down the remaining three Gatekeepers and slay them? That won’t be easy.”
Easy didn’t even begin to cover it—it was nearly impossible.
From every angle you looked at it—stamina, firepower, energy, Stress—it was beyond our reach.
Which meant.
“We gamble.”
There was one method I’d hoped never to use.
A way to enter the Royal Tomb—though it was more of a shortcut, really.
‘The Hidden Boss, the Grim Reaper.’
Defeating it would open a special passage into the Royal Tomb.
That wasn’t all.
‘I’d also get a Scythe Weapon good enough to carry me through the mid-game.’
The problem was that, true to its name as a Hidden Boss, its difficulty was far beyond the Decaying Wolf.
So there was no choice.
[Will you access the Achievement Shop?]
[Y / N]
I’d have to pull out every tool I had.

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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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