Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 367

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

The Summoning Genius of the Necromancer Academy: Episode 367
—Grrrrowl!
—Snarrrl!
One by one, werewolves bounded from the darkness-stained forest.
Fully grown adults at that, their fangs tinged with a reddish glow—these were particularly dangerous specimens of their kind.
Simon stepped forward with Herseba, now transformed into a staff, cradled before him.
“Herseba, from now on we fight with your power. Tell me everything about your anomaly.”
Herseba’s expression turned to one of shock.
[What are you saying?! I never gave you permission to—]
“Permission be damned!”
[Ah! No! Don’t grip so hard! Your palm’s all sweaty! How unsanitary!]
Even as a staff, the Lich’s tongue wagged without pause.
At that moment, the lead werewolf—crouched low and watching for its opening—suddenly sprang upward in a surprise assault.
“Herseba!”
Simon cried out urgently. She let out a muffled sound, squeezed her eyes shut, and yanked her staff-form upward with both hands.
Then.
Thonk!
Instead of striking the werewolf, the staff’s end came down hard against Simon’s crown. At the same instant, the werewolf’s razor claws raked across him.
Shrieeek!
—Yelp!
The werewolf rolled across the ground in agony, as though its claws had just scraped solid stone.
Somewhere in the exchange, Simon’s entire body had turned gleaming gold, statue-like and rigid—only to revert to flesh moments after.
“Whoa!”
Simon staggered back in astonishment. As his senses cleared, the werewolf that had lunged at him lay writhing on the ground.
[That’s my ability.]
Herseba spoke.
[Anything that touches my hand becomes gold. Merchants and collectors would kill for such power, wouldn’t they?]
As Herseba stirred of her own accord, kicking up sand from the ground, the scattered particles transformed into golden light that swirled together into the form of a woman.
A beautiful woman with long hair—Herseba as she must have been in life.
Seated upon the staff like a witch, she spread her fingers.
[Duration of aurification is about thirty minutes for living beings, a week or so for inanimate objects? Since I’m undead now, I’m not entirely certain. Ah, and now that I’m a staff, I don’t have hands anymore!]
“That’s incredible.”
Even hearing the explanation alone drew his admiration.
But there was no time to catch his breath—another werewolf was already charging from behind.
[You’ve got the hang of it?]
The radiant woman-form of Herseba draped her arms around Simon’s shoulders and placed her hand over his on the staff.
“I do.”
Together they thrust the staff toward the incoming werewolf and shouted.
“Aurification!”
[Aurification!]
Clang!
The werewolf turned to gold mid-leap, frozen in that posture.
[And at the same time!]
Herseba’s eyes gleamed. The werewolf, now inexplicably golden, rocketed skyward dozens of meters into the air.
[I can control all the gold in this world—including the gold I’ve transmuted—as I please!]
High overhead, the werewolf’s aurification effect wore off. It plummeted from the height and crashed against a rocky outcropping, dying on impact.
[And hey! Hey! If you’re going to do this, don’t turn living things to gold! It’s exhausting!]
“Got it. Primary use: aurification of objects, and control.”
Herseba mimicked a flick to her forehead with her fingertip. The sand that had formed her feminine shape crumbled and settled to the ground.
Simon, now understanding his strategy, gripped Herseba firmly in both hands and lowered his stance. Three enraged werewolves were charging at him simultaneously.
‘Aurification!’
As Simon brought the staff down against the earth, several meters around him became golden ground. The werewolves, charging forward on solid earth, suddenly skidded as though they’d stepped onto ice.
‘And control!’
He lifted the staff slightly, then brought it down again.
Squelch! Splurt!
The golden ground erupted into sharp spikes that punctured through the werewolves’ bellies, piercing clean through to their backs. All three fell dead in a single stroke.
[You’re doing well, little one.]
Simon let out a low gasp of wonder as he surveyed the spikes he’d created.
Looking closer, he realized they weren’t spikes at all—they resembled the pointed roofs of some elaborate building.
“That’s strange. I never envisioned this or controlled it to take that shape.”
[You’re the one giving orders, but in the end, it’s my power.]
Simon was satisfied. The responsiveness was excellent, the destructive force remarkable. Best of all, he wasn’t burning through his own Dark Element reserves.
This was the Lich’s power. The creature he’d just fought was a Lich, and in a sense, Simon had dispatched the monster without spending a shred of his own darkness—merely wielding a staff.
‘If this keeps up…!’
Unlike before, he wouldn’t exhaust himself using his guard unit and collapse in combat. When he truly needed to pull out all the stops, he could deploy both the guard and his Aurification ability simultaneously.
For someone like Simon, whose combat endurance had weakened, it was the ideal summon.
‘What…?’
But then Simon looked down at his own arm.
From his right hand gripping Herseba, up his forearm, something like a ribbon or bandage wove together black and gold, rotating in measured spirals at a steady distance.
“What is this?”
[…Hmm?]
The sand particles reformed into Herseba’s feminine shape as she scratched her chin.
[The Golden King’s Robe. It’s the symbol of the Golden King. Normally when I use my abilities, it’s me who appears, but that garment took a strange detour straight to you.]
Simon, not entirely grasping her meaning, reached out and touched the strange binding that now covered his arm.
The texture felt metallic, yet the sensation was fibrous. And it was spreading gradually from his right arm across his entire body.
[That’s proof you also possess the Golden City Authority.]
“Uh… I’ve never heard that term before, so I don’t follow.”
[Want me to explain?]
In that moment, Herseba’s gaze sharpened with keen intensity.
[Keep using your ability, little one. Until the Golden King’s Robe covers your entire body.]
Then her form scattered and settled to the ground once more.
Simon set his jaw firm, nodded, and began wielding his Aurification ability in rapid succession against the surrounding Werewolves.
By the time he’d subdued about ten of them,
[Good. That’s enough. Plant me straight down into the ground.]
Simon did as instructed, driving Herseba into the earth.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!
From the golden land that unfurled around Herseba, something began surging upward.
‘What… what in the world is that?’
They were buildings of a strange architectural style.
This time, not just the roofs, but the full bodies of the structures rose completely into view.
Soon the buildings revealed themselves in their entirety, their doors swinging wide, and from within came things moving out on their own.
‘By all the heavens…!’
—Screech-screech-screech-screech-screech-screech!
Monsters wrapped entirely in bandages.
Simon had never laid eyes on such creatures directly, but he knew of them through the Undead Compendium.
They did not exist on the continent. Legend spoke of them dwelling beyond the continent’s edge—truly creatures of myth.
‘Mummies!’
Herseba continued summoning buildings from the Golden City with her ability, and from within each, the Mummies made their appearance.
They all waited for Simon’s command.
[Kahahaha! This is rather entertaining!]
Pier’s avatar, who had been watching the unfolding scene, finally spoke.
[I’ll confess, I was skeptical when all the fuss started about creating a Lich, but it looks like you’ve struck gold, boy!]
The true ability of the Lich Herseba.
It was the power to endlessly summon Mummies from the Golden City.
[An army of legendary Mummies joining the 7th Legion! Congratulations, boy!]
“…Ah.”
Simon felt momentarily dazed, though joy welled up from deep within his chest regardless.
[Hmm… my ability’s specifications have shifted since becoming Undead.]
This time Herseba spoke.
[Creating Undead like those wasn’t part of my original ability.]
“Really?”
[The Aurification ability’s specs have diminished, and it seems a new capacity—to create Undead as a Lich—has taken its place. Curious.]
But then one problem emerged.
The Werewolves had been driven off, but the Mummies began multiplying without end.
The Forbidden Forest was off-limits to students, and it was already late in the predawn hours.
Fearing discovery by the Wardens, Simon pulled Herseba from the ground and grasped her in his hand.
At once the Golden City and the Mummies began to fade, scattered like wind, as if they had never existed in this world at all.
[Right, wait. There’s still one last thing.]
“Last thing?”
[Yes! Whether your strength while wearing the Golden King’s Robe is sufficient, I’m not sure, but shall we give it a try?]
Whoooooooosh!
A tremendous golden radiance poured forth from the staff.
[Listen well. My Anomaly’s first-stage authority is Aurification, the second stage is the Golden City and its inhabitants. But my true power begins with this third stage!]
Before anyone could blink, Simon’s entire body was enveloped in a complete robe woven of black and gold.
[Let me show you! The apex of my strength!]
In that instant.
Simon felt his consciousness growing distant and hazy.
And then.
───────────!
He was invited into a world buried beneath sand and gold.

* * *
[Commander! Commander!]
As Simon’s eyes opened, he saw Erzsebet’s face hovering above him, etched with worry.
‘Ah.’
He had been resting his head on her lap. When Simon stirred and sat up, he could see the Ancient Undead scattered around them.
[It seems the final authority was too much after all.]
Herseba, now in the form of a staff, hung limply from a tree, bound by webbing.
[Silence, Lich!]
Erzsebet’s mouth opened in a spider-like snarl of fury.
[How dare they treat the Commander this way……!]
[Did I, did I really end up like this?]
The eyes attached to the staff spun dizzily.
[Still, it was quite an experience, wasn’t it? Little one.]
“…….”
Simon clenched his fist and nodded firmly.
“Yes. I really want to visit that world again.”
[You’re exhausted, Commander. You must rest today.]
“Right. I will.”
Simon rose to his feet.
A smile refused to leave his face.
He felt certain he had gained possession of a summoned creature of tremendous power.

* * *
The next day was a weekend.
After waking at Pier’s Ruins, Simon headed straight for Rochester.
Since the Spatial Artisan Gelen Eclipse would be in Rocksum for about a week, Simon met with him alongside Benya.
“You want me to create a dedicated Subspace for you? Like with the Overlord?”
Simon nodded repeatedly.
“Yes! Yes! Just like the Overlord—the main body stays safe inside the Subspace, but the staff can still exert influence on the outside! Is that possible?”
“It’s not difficult. I’ve made that before.”
Gelen offered Simon two options.
Complete creation of a new product.
Or retrofitting an existing prototype into a dedicated Subspace.
In the case of the Overlord Subspace, it had been the latter.
“Since you said you’ll be here for about a week, I’d appreciate the fastest option possible!”
“I see. Then I’ll move forward with retrofitting a prototype.”
Gelen fumbled in a brown pouch and emptied its contents onto the table with a cascade of glittering items.
Countless accessories gleaming brilliantly. They were all Subspaces.
“There are several decent ones here.”
Gelen smiled as he sorted through the accessories.
“All I need is a function that connects the Subspace to the exterior, correct?”
“Yes! And maintain it for as long as possible!”
Herseba’s greatest problem right now was that she couldn’t move the Lich directly.
Originally, as a Lich, she would have wielded the staff herself and activated her Anomaly, but now her consciousness dwelled within the staff itself.
Simon planned to store her main body in a Subspace just like the Overlord, then extract only the staff for combat. Even a single mistake—a stray enemy attack striking the Life Vessel—would mean losing not just twenty-five thousand Gold, but an entire Mummy Legion with it.
Gelen said he would inform Simon through Benya once the commissioned Subspace was completed. He also agreed to service-retrofit the previously made Overlord Subspace if Simon wanted, so Simon entrusted him with that as well.
‘I can’t wait for the day I finally use Herseba in actual combat!’
Every inch of his body thrummed with anticipation.
For now, it was all-in training to master his Anomaly.

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