My Catastrophic‑Level Summon Devours Gates - Chapter 9
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 9
The successfully completed Cave of Darkness conquest.
Thanks to that, I could be certain.
That sword training has the effect of improving Undead Control ability.
“Sir Isra. Time for training.”
【Aren’t we going into more Gates?】
“Right now I need to raise my Undead Control ability itself.”
The promotion exam has two subjects.
[Creation]
And [Control].
“Training will be more helpful than actual combat experience.”
I can’t even remember how many times I’ve failed the D-rank promotion exam.
After it went over ten times, I gave up counting.
So.
I should swing my sword even one more time until the day before the exam.
【That’s a good idea. Training will clear away distracting thoughts too.】
Well.
Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say getting beaten up by you rather than training?
So for the remaining two days.
I swung my sword like crazy at the Mountain Training Ground.
“Argh!”
【You’re putting too much force into your chest.】
[Your Imperial Swordsmanship proficiency has increased.]
After sweating buckets for two days.
The day of the final battle had finally arrived.
“Ughhhhh.”
Ding dong~♬
I picked up my phone at the alarm sound.
It was a message from the bank.
[KM Bank]
[Balance: 427,103,200]
It seems the Hwarang Newcomer friends finally sent the money.
“Wow.”
Look at this number.
This is the first time in my life I’ve seen hundreds of millions in my bank account.
My goodness.
It’s not just one hundred million either.
A whopping 400 million!
【Honey is dripping from your eyes.】
“At this rate, won’t I become rich soon?”
【Greed only clouds the eyes of a warrior, so don’t waste your mind on foolish things.】
“I’m not a warrior.”
【If you are my lord, then strive to possess the dignity befitting that role.】
“What are you saying.”
Didn’t you say before that you couldn’t acknowledge me as your lord but had no choice but to serve?
Completely doing whatever you want.
Still, I didn’t scold Sir Isra any further.
Being able to get my hands on hundreds of millions was all thanks to Sir Isra.
[Byproducts Processing – 26,135,100]
[Hush Money – 400,000,000]
The trap is that the hush money is 20 times larger than the money I earned from hunter activities.
Still, the money I earned from the Cave of Darkness was quite substantial too.
The Skill Book was worth 20 million won.
The D-rank Magic Stone that the Mutant Underground Dweller spat out was 300,000 won.
After disposing of all the remaining E-grade Mana Stones, it came to a little over 4 million won.
Even excluding lucky finds like the Skill Book.
An amount that would take a full month of work to earn was suddenly made in just one day.
“It doesn’t feel real.”
【As long as I am with you, you will gain even more honor and wealth.】
“Who was it that said greed was a bad thing.”
【I speak of what naturally follows when one pursues honor.】
Forget about honor.
I’ll be satisfied if I can make lots of money.
A whole lot of it.
【Is money that important?】
“Do you think Undead Creation is done by digging in the dirt?”
Just the material costs that went into making your body were about 1 million won.
Monster skin and tendons are quite expensive.
They’re the main materials for light armor.
Or they’re used in bowstrings too.
Even without the special option that only I can see.
It takes quite a lot of money to obtain Byproducts.
“I need to earn as much as possible while I can.”
【Then shouldn’t you dispose of the corpse you brought last time?】
He’s talking about the Mutant Underground Dweller Boss.
“I’m saving it.”
When I get promoted.
‘Corpse Crafting’, which is stuck at E-rank, will also develop.
Then I’ll be able to craft more powerful undead.
It would be a waste to turn a rare mutant corpse into something like a Zombie.
It would be more helpful to wait for promotion and craft it into a higher-tier entity.
【I understand.】
“Your body will also be upgradeable.”
【I look forward to it.】
I finished preparing to go out while chatting.
【May I ask one question?】
“Go ahead.”
【You’re not planning to dismember me again, are you…?】
Why wouldn’t I?
Instead of answering, I deployed [Corpse Crafting] in reverse.
I divided Isra into six pieces.
I thought I heard something like a death scream from somewhere.
Must be my imagination, right?
My hand gripped the door handle with full force.
Confident that this examination would be different.
I forcefully opened the door.
* * *
Hunter promotion examinations are conducted at the ‘Tower of Ascension’.
A tower several kilometers high that rose from the site of the Former National Assembly Building.
It has a form that looks like concrete buildings stuck together haphazardly.
A bizarre structure that directly defies the laws of reality.
Therefore.
The Tower of Ascension is regarded as a symbol of the Great Hunter Era.
As I always feel.
“There are so many people.”
The Carrier storing Sir Isra felt cumbersome.
I’ve earned money from hush money too.
I should buy a Subspace Backpack or something.
While slowly walking toward the Tower of Ascension.
I heard a noisy commotion.
“Mir’s big rookie is challenging the Tower of Ascension!”
“It’s the first Creator Mage promotion exam in the country.”
“This is a scoop.”
Reporters with cameras hanging around their necks ran as if their feet were on fire.
People in the vicinity were also gathering one by one.
The area around me quickly filled with crowds.
Ugh.
How annoying.
Promotion exams can be taken on the 10th of every month.
Since Yeouido was the only Tower of Ascension in Korea.
Whenever a celebrity challenged a promotion, the commotion was practically an annual event.
“Excuse me.”
I moved in the opposite direction from where the crowd was gathering.
I struggled to drag my Carrier and reached the entrance of the Tower of Ascension.
Perhaps because it was a structure with a larger area than the nearby 63 Building.
There were dozens of entrances leading into the tower.
I placed my hand on the door at the nearest location.
[Hunter – Park Min-ho]
[Grade – E]
[You are eligible for promotion examination.]
[Will you take the examination?]
Y/N
…a message appeared.
My heart was pounding wildly.
I popped the Mind Clearing Pill I had prepared for this day into my mouth.
Ugh.
Bitter. So bitter.
Two years ago.
I had bought it to eat only when I was confident of passing, and I was finally eating it now.
After performing my own success ritual, I pressed the Y button firmly with force in my hand.
Creak.
As I entered through the open door, it automatically closed behind me with a thud.
A space independent from the outside.
That said, it doesn’t overlap with the Hunters using the tower.
The interior is composed of a separate area from the outside, like a Gate.
The promotion examination.
Or they move to the corresponding floor depending on their purpose for using the tower, such as climbing the Tower of Ascension.
[The promotion examination will now begin.]
[Your class has been confirmed as Necromancer type.]
[Accordingly, the examination content and evaluation have been determined as a Necromancer test.]
A single Kobold corpse suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.
A corpse created without any warning.
It was torn to pieces, barely recognizable in form.
I wasn’t particularly surprised.
The type of corpse.
And its condition was different each time I took an examination.
This time it was in slightly worse condition than usual.
But I’d seen this scene so many times I was sick of it, so I felt nothing at all.
[This is the first examination.]
[Create an undead within the time limit.]
[The evaluation criteria is the completeness of the undead.]
[Time limit – 120:00:00]
A Kobold corpse like this?
I could turn it into a top-grade Zombie in 20 minutes, let alone two hours.
Before starting work.
I took out Sir Isra, whom I had packed in my Carrier beforehand.
【I am not an object!】
“I know that, but there’s no other choice.”
【You should have just told me to guard your house or Workshop instead!】
“Wouldn’t the Landlord be startled if he saw you?”
I used the Landlord as an excuse, but the real reason was different.
I was worried that Sir Isra might wander around, making excuses like wanting to learn about this era’s civilization or other random reasons.
I couldn’t tell him the truth.
【But why did you summon me?】
“I might miss something. Please watch along with me, Sir.”
I took out my Carving Knife, Hammer, and Chisel.
If the corpse had been in slightly worse condition, I would have made a skeleton.
That would have shortened the work time considerably.
【Isn’t what you make up to your will?】
“I have to consider the corpse’s condition.”
What if I turned a corpse with plenty of muscle and flesh still attached into a skeleton?
I’d get points deducted for missing the intended purpose of the question.
This Kobold corpse was so torn apart that it wasn’t easy to grasp the intention, but.
Having touched several monster corpses, I had a pretty good sense of it.
“Let’s get started.”
There are two key points for Zombie Modification.
Durability and strength.
【If you connect the bones like that, won’t the movement become sluggish?】
“Yeah. That’s the modification point.”
I don’t need agile movements like Sir Isra.
The core element of the first test is completion itself.
How well can you bring out the zombie’s strengths.
Swish!
The Carving Knife glided along the artery.
After quickly draining the blood, I used [Corpse Processing] to increase the decay level.
Using the skill to accelerate rigor mortis.
It’s an equivalent exchange of sturdiness and agility.
Joining or grinding broken bones.
Connecting torn muscles.
The mangled Kobold corpse was properly assembled.
“Awaken.”
Some of my mana flowed out.
The defragmented Kobold slowly raised its body.
[Evaluating the undead you have created.]
Blue light swept across the zombie’s entire body.
【How bold. Not even a breath disturbed during the evaluation moment.】
“I’ve gotten used to it.”
Try failing more than ten times.
There comes a moment when you don’t think much about evaluations or anything.
[All zombie conditions have been met.]
[Perfect! This is a level of completion that cannot be considered that of an E-rank Necromancer.]
[Evaluation Result – S Rank]
Up to this point, it went as I thought.
【What level is S Rank?】
“The highest score.”
【Hahaha. They’ve acknowledged your skills.】
“It’s a score I’ve already received before.”
If I get a failing grade on the next test, the highest score and everything else will be worthless.
[Evaluation ― Stage 2]
[Testing the Control Ability of the raised undead.]
Now comes the real deal.
【But how do you test precision?】
“You’ll know when you see it.”
The opposite side of the dark room lit up.
[Please follow the movements of the figures shown on the screen.]
What appeared on the brightened screen was a recently popular Idol Group.
They were famous for their sharp, disciplined performances.
The reason I knew this in detail was because the Landlord’s daughter, Kim Yeon-du, was crazy about them.
【Hmph. They look like they lack spirit. A true man should…】
“Shh. I need to concentrate.”
Making a Zombie that moves like a wooden block follow dance moves.
This was always the reason I failed the second stage test.
But this time is different.
I will definitely pass.
I lit fire in my eyes and instructed the Zombie to follow those movements.
Snap! Snap!
Though it was a Kobold Zombie whose body should have been stiff from rigor mortis.
Perhaps because the Heavenly Martial Body correction transferred over, it moved smoothly and followed the Idol Group’s dance quite well.
“This actually works.”
My complicated feelings were fully contained in my voice.
A dancing Zombie.
To other people’s eyes, it might look ridiculous.
But to my eyes, it appeared as a magnificent performance.
Three minutes that felt like thirty passed.
The afterimage of the Idol Group disappeared.
[Under review. Please wait a moment.]
【Excellent.】
“I think so too.”
Logically speaking.
Seeing this performance, passing the review was guaranteed.
Even so.
Perhaps due to learned fear, my hands clenched tightly.
Without even a chance to wipe my sweaty hands, I waited tensely for the results.
[Perfect! You have shown the finest performance.]
[1st – S / 2nd – S]
[Total : S]
[Promotion reward will be added.]
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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