Necromancer Academy’s Genius Summoner - Chapter 43
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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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Summoning Prodigy of the Necromancer Academy, Episode 43
Missions.
One of the pillars that form the peculiar system known as Keizen.
After the Student Protection Period ends, Keizen students are granted a “Mission Period.”
This period spans roughly five days—two to three days before and after the weekend—during which students can undertake various commissions from outside parties.
From simple chores and part-time work to monster hunting, bodyguard assignments, assassination of dignitaries, and even proxy warfare.
The variety is endless. Even the missions that active Necromancers undertake are available to Keizen students.
Depending on the difficulty and success of an accepted mission, an “Evaluation Score” is awarded, and the Commission Fee can be claimed in full. For Keizen students strapped for funds due to massive material expenses, it remains the fastest and most lucrative means of earning money.
And just as Hong Peng had said the night before, Keizen had designated the five days including this weekend as the Mission Period.
“Students have different strategies during the Mission Period.”
At lunch, in the cafeteria, Dick was laying out information.
“You have to accept and complete at least one mission during this period. Some students just clear simple missions here on Rock Island and then buckle down on their studies during the remaining time to boost their grades, while others use the Teleport Magic Circle to venture outside the island, tackle one substantial case, and aim for both profit and mission points.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Simon nodded while taking a sip of his drink.
“What happens if you don’t complete a mission within those five days?”
“Obviously it’s a Mission Failure. No money, no points.”
Dick shrugged and continued.
“In special circumstances, you can write an excuse letter and keep working on the mission, but you’ll just end up skipping classes anyway, so it’s your own loss.”
“There’s real risk to it.”
Dick nodded gravely.
“That’s why I’m planning to snag something I can handle in Rochester, take it easy, and focus on expanding my business.”
[We have nothing to worry about!]
Pier’s avatar, clinging to Simon’s school uniform, spoke to him. Of course, only Simon could hear the voice.
[We use the mission as an excuse to venture onto the Continent! It’s urgent that we reassemble the Legion’s scattered forces and restore our former glory!]
Simon wholeheartedly agreed.
If the Ancient Undead that once served under his father were scattered across the Continent, he absolutely had to claim them.
No matter what anyone said, this was the maximum power-up he could possibly attempt right now.
‘There are Undead stronger than you?’
Pier’s avatar cackled.
[Khrkhrkhr! I am the administrator of the Legion! No one would dare defy me, but as far as pure combat ability goes, among those creatures who served as commanders under my authority, there are genuine monsters.]
‘Commanders under your authority?’
This was new information for Simon.
[The Legion was originally divided into several Undead divisions! Intelligent Ancient Undead governed the troops beneath them! If we gather all the commanders and the Undead they led, it won’t be a distant future before the Legion restores its former might!]
Simon could acquire new Ancient Undead besides Pier!
Simon’s eyes gleamed. He felt a surge of conviction—this was absolutely necessary.
‘But how would you know where the commanders are?’
[Khrkhrkhr! Those mad things aren’t about to sit quietly and cause no trouble. They’re bound to be stirring up problems across the Continent right now. The odds are good that they’re mentioned in Keizen’s missions!]
‘If there’s even a shred of a lead, I have to go out there.’
“Simon.”
While he’d been absorbed in conversation with Pier, Dick was watching him with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you suddenly grinning to yourself?”
“Oh, huh? Ha ha! No, I just thought of something funny all of a sudden…….”
Simon quickly laughed it off.
“Anyway, settling for simple missions is a problem too.”
Dick waved his fork about as he spoke.
“Your mission score is on the line. If you keep putting things off with only easy missions, eventually you might end up stuck with something genuinely dangerous, like an assassination contract.”
“So procrastinating isn’t wise either.”
“Right.”
Simon felt his resolve crystallizing all the more.
* * *
The next morning.
Mission boards were installed in key locations throughout Keizen, including the men’s and women’s dormitories. Students crowded around the boards, jostling and craning their necks.
“Anyone want to go hunt werewolves on Rock Island? It’s a three-person party!”
“Blue Request Form, scavenging Langoustine! That’s easy money right there.”
“Langoustine commission fees are garbage. If you’re going to take it, you might as well go farther.”
As Simon listened to the other students’ chatter, he examined the Request Forms posted on the board. He noticed each form was a different color.
White – Missions within Rock Island. No Priesthood conflict probability.
Blue – Missions within the Dark Alliance. Extremely low Priesthood conflict probability.
Red – Missions within the Neutral Zone. High Priesthood conflict probability.
Black – a mission within the Holy Federation. Conflict with the Priesthood.
It stood to reason that the more dangerous a mission, the higher its commission fee and evaluation score. And even among blue request forms, the fees varied wildly depending on the mission’s nature.
From where Simon stood watching, the white request forms were disappearing fastest of all.
First-year students were still in the process of adapting to the Keizen System, and they leaned heavily toward focusing on school life rather than missions. There was a psychology at work—avoid struggling on your first assignment, at least.
Simon’s thinking, though, ran differently.
‘There’s no way Father’s Undead would be on Rock Island again.’
Simon bypassed the white request forms entirely and turned his attention to the bulletin board displaying the blue ones.
Blue forms were popular precisely because they posed less distance or psychological burden. Students hungry for income but wanting reasonable safety gravitated toward them.
‘Pier.’
[Yeah, I’m looking.]
The fragment of Pier attached to Simon’s school uniform was rolling its eyes diligently.
[Nothing worth noting.]
‘Then let’s move on.’
Simon stepped forward toward the bulletin board displaying red request forms. The number of students browsing here dropped off sharply.
As he drew closer to read the smaller text, Simon accidentally bumped shoulders with someone standing nearby.
“Oh, sorro—”
A boy with a massive frame.
None other than Hector.
Recognizing who it was, Simon quickly put distance between them. He was aware that Hector disliked him.
“Simon Polentia.”
That was when Hector spoke.
“You’re looking to go to the Neutral Zone too?”
“…Just browsing.”
Hector let out a snort of laughter.
“The Neutral Zone is a lawless territory beyond Keizen’s reach. Whatever happens to you there, however you meet your end—Keizen will have no way of knowing.”
His mouth twisted into a deep smile.
“I only hope we cross paths during a mission.”
Hector tore a red request form from the board and strode away with long steps.
“Hector.”
“?”
As Hector turned around, Simon smiled.
“Take care of yourself.”
“…!!”
In that instant, Hector’s expression crumpled. Veins bulged thickly at his neck, and his fists clenched hard.
Simon kept his shoulders relaxed, meeting his gaze with an untroubled face.
“……”
“……”
A brief stare-down followed.
Eventually Hector turned away in irritation and climbed the stairs. Simon turned his attention back to the board.
[Hehehehe! What’s that pint-sized guy doing?]
‘No idea, honestly.’
No matter how hard Simon thought about it, he couldn’t fathom why Hector disliked him.
Was it because of that embarrassment in Summoning Arts class? But Simon had been embarrassed just as badly in Curse Arts, so that should call it even.
That scuffle in the bathhouse? That wasn’t even a real fight—it’d been broken up before things got serious when Cassan barged in.
Unable to recall any real reason, Simon simply wiped Hector from his mind and refocused on the red request forms.
‘Pier, what about this one? A village attacked by a pack of infected zombies.’
[Infection is too common a case.]
‘Then this one? An outbreak of red serpents causing damage to buildings and crops.’
[Interesting enough, but none of the pack leaders possess that ability.]
That was when Simon and Pier were methodically reviewing the request forms.
‘Why is this even here?’
In the corner of the cluster of request forms plastered thickly on the board, there was one that stood out distinctly.
Specifically, it was a blue request form stuck on the red request form bulletin board.
‘A mistake?’
The moment Simon stepped closer to look at it, someone yanked the request form away.
“Ah, it’s still up here. You can ignore that one, please.”
It was an attendant who managed the mission bulletin board. Simon asked quickly.
“What mission is that?”
“Oh, this is a request that’s been here for several months. A Necromancer contracted by Keizen took it on and then disappeared.”
Simon’s eyes widened. Not even a student—a Necromancer had been caught by this?
“Could I take a look at it?”
“What? Oh, but this isn’t really a mission for students…….”
“Please, I’m asking.”
The administrator handed over the Request Form with an uneasy expression. Simon and Pier quickly examined it.
Mission: Resolve Missing Persons Case
Mission Rank: D → B
Commission Fee: 50 Gold.
Location: Territory of Arnish.
Details: Young women discovered as withered, desiccated corpses.
Special Notes: Mission recipient whereabouts unknown.
Simon was startled as he looked at the photograph enclosed with the Request Form. The bodies were indeed mummified, twisted and drained.
[Found her!]
Pier’s mouth split into a grin.
[These traces belong to her! Erzsebet!]
‘Who’s that?’
[An Ancient Undead who commands the Spider Legion. When Erzsebet or the spiders under her command suck the bodily fluids from people, they end up like this. I’m certain of it!]
Simon carefully tucked the Request Form into his pocket.
The compensation was a full 50 Gold, likely because of the higher rank.
Simon, who had been struggling with cash flow ever since splurging on the Skeleton Set recently, couldn’t afford to miss an opportunity like this.
“……Student. You’re really going to take that one?”
“Yes.”
“The supervising professor probably won’t approve it.”
Simon smiled.
“I’ll have to try persuading them.”
* * *
White Request Forms could be taken on freely by anyone, but red Request Forms and anything ranked B or higher required consultation with a supervising professor.
Simon took a light breath and knocked on Jane’s office door.
“Professor Jane, it’s Simon Polentia.”
“Come in.”
Jane’s voice came through the door. Simon carefully stepped inside.
Bookshelves lined every empty space on the walls, crammed so tightly that not a gap remained visible, and countless towers of documents filled boxes scattered throughout the corners.
Still, the room was generally well-organized, with one exception: scattered papers lay in disarray across her desk.
Simon could tell these were the tasks she had to handle today.
“Are you here about a mission?”
As Jane examined the documents, she wore her hair pinned up and glasses—unusual for her. Even as she asked the question, her eyes remained fixed on the papers, and the quill pen in her hand moved at an incredible pace.
“Yes, Professor.”
“Let me see it.”
Simon approached quietly so as not to disturb her, and carefully placed the Request Form at the edge of her desk.
Jane’s eyes alone skimmed over the Request Form once before she returned to her own documents.
‘Did she really confirm it?’
As Simon stood there awkwardly, she opened her mouth.
“Find a different mission. This is not work suitable for a first-year student.”
She had clearly examined it properly.
Simon swallowed hard and spoke.
“I’m confident, Professor. I truly wish to take on this particular mission and resolve it.”
Her quill stopped. Behind her glasses, Simon saw Jane’s eyes studying him sharply.
Simon felt a wave of tension and straightened his spine stiffly.
“Confident, you say?”
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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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