The Regressed Necromancer Prepares for the Apocalypse - Chapter 3

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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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The Necromancer Who Returned Prepares for the End – Episode 3

Dal-dong District, where twenty-year-old Do Jin had settled, was a place of poverty and squalor.
The hillside behind it in particular was a haven for crows, their cries perpetually furrowing the brows of passersby.
And since the crows seemed to divide into rival flocks, the noise only worsened on days when they fought among themselves.
So it hadn’t taken long for Do Jin to find what he was searching for.

“……Found it.”

Do Jin approached the motionless crow. It was an unusually large bird—perhaps the alpha of the flock—lying dead and riddled with wounds from what appeared to be concentrated assault.

“……!”

Do Jin concentrated his mana toward the crow’s corpse.
In that instant, a notification window materialized before him.

This corpse can be made into a familiar.
Will you bind it?

Yes / No

“Of course I will.”

The moment Do Jin made his choice, the notification advanced to the next stage.

Available Minions to Craft
1. Crow Skeleton (Bone Attribute) : Available

2. Crow Zombie (Poison Attribute) : Unavailable (Required Level – 5)
3. Vampire Crow (Blood Attribute) : Unavailable (Required Level – 7)
4. Crow Ghost (Soul Attribute) : Unavailable (Required Level – 10)

“Quite a variety of undead I can summon with all these attributes. Though it looks like I’ll need to level up.”

The moment he selected Skeleton, a new window materialized as if on cue.

You must speak an incantation to bind the familiar.

‘An incantation?’

Do Jin paused, his mind working.

“……Awaken.”

Death is eternal sleep.
Then wasn’t awakening from that sleep the only fitting word for the undead?

In that moment, the corpse began to transform.
A sickly green flame, like foxfire appearing from nowhere, poured forth and engulfed the body.
The feathers and skin burned away like ash being erased, and then—

Click-click-click—
Skeletal bones connected one by one, drawn together by Do Jin’s mana.
And then he felt it: a thread of magical power linking him to the Crow Skeleton.

1. Crow Skeleton (LV.1 / Soldier)

It was the moment Do Jin’s first familiar came into being.

“Good. The basics are ready.”

The Crow Skeleton alighted on Do Jin’s shoulder, its skeletal frame emanating a Death Aura invisible to ordinary eyes, and began to preen its beak affectionately like a pet bird.
Do Jin bestowed a name upon the skeleton that fawned over him with such endearing gestures.

“In mythology, ravens were deeply connected to the sun and death. They were also messengers of the gods, bearers of divine prophecy.”

Do Jin gently stroked the small skull of the skeletal raven.

“So your name is Sado.”

Then Do Jin’s gaze shifted.
First toward the distant arena sprawling in the distance.
Then toward the scattered corpses of other ravens lying at his feet.
Those crows scattered and dead here and there were smaller than Sado, but such details were trivial to Do Jin.

“I should adapt to a Necromancer’s combat style as well.”

Do Jin’s emerald mana shimmered like heat haze in the air.

“Awaken.”

Moments later, five Crow Skeletons rose into the air at once, their wings unfolding in a ghostly blue-green glow like wisps of spectral fire.
Returned from death and circling their master at the center, they moved like courtiers rejoicing at the arrival of their king.

“With this, I have five familiars.”

Do Jin slowly gathered his thoughts, recalling what he needed to do next as a Player.

“There should be a decent arena somewhere in this area, right? An arena that would be good for preliminary training in handling familiars…”

* * *

“You’re registering?”

In the twenty-first century, the world prospered by acquiring Mana Stones and Gold from various arenas since the Great Change.
The first thing that appeared when the Great Change began was the arenas themselves.
These numerous stadiums that suddenly erupted across the globe were initially met with suspicion and wariness, but they had since become critical government facilities.
Players brought Mana Stones and Gold from these arenas, after all.
Though only Players were permitted to enter the arenas, governments worldwide found it no difficult matter to acquire this new-generation resource—Mana Stones and Gold—thanks to them.
Moreover, except for certain special arenas, they posed no threat to human life, so the world unhesitatingly chose coexistence with the arenas.
Thus, two years after the Great Change, there naturally existed governmental departments and civil servants tasked with handling arena and Player-related matters.
The bureaucrat facing Do Jin wore an indifferent expression.

“Name: Do Jin. Age: twenty.”

Without lifting his eyes from the computer monitor, he accepted Do Jin’s arena registration application with the same cursory attitude he always employed.

‘Another penniless fool flocking here like moths to a flame.’

The bureaucrat’s rudely dismissive thoughts were, in a sense, understandable. Do Jin’s appearance was that shabby and unremarkable.
A faded and threadbare t-shirt and jeans, their original color nearly unrecognizable. Tattered sneakers.
He looked nothing like a Player.

“All right, then—have you Awakened?”

The Arena he currently oversaw was the lowest tier: F-Rank.
In most Arenas, participants fought elegant illusions of monsters or constructs, so there was no real danger of death or injury—but F-Rank Arenas didn’t even offer that much.
That was precisely why ordinary people applied in such numbers, clinging to the hope they might Awaken here.
At the same time, it was where inexperienced Players who’d only recently Awakened came to train and hone their skills.

‘So many civilians convinced they’ll Awaken just by stepping into a space saturated with Mana. How many of these types does he have to process?’

So when he asked the question, he harbored no expectations whatsoever. The inquiry directed at Do Jin was merely procedure—nothing more.
In any case, if an ordinary person tried to masquerade as a Player and apply, they wouldn’t even be permitted to enter the Arena.
That’s how it should have gone……

“Yes.”

But something about the man before him was different.
More precisely, the thing perched on his shoulder was far too conspicuous—something the official would have noticed long ago if he hadn’t been staring at his monitor.

“Wait, hold on. That’s……?”
“I’ve Awakened.”

The official’s eyes went wide. Awakened? There were Awakened ones with a style like that?
A skeleton?!
At the same moment, every person standing behind Do Jin in line, as well as those who had already completed their applications and were leaving, turned to stare at him.
Their gazes mingled in a complex tangle of astonishment, envy, and disbelief.
Yet not a single person doubted his words.
The being sitting on Do Jin’s shoulder
was proof enough that he was a Player.

“Wh-what’s your Class?”

Curling his lips in a sneer at the reaction around him, Do Jin answered simply.

“Necromancer.”

* * *

“Come on, everyone move it! Faster!”
……

Inside the bus, a rough, metallic voice rapped against Do Jin’s ear.
The moment he finished his application, Do Jin had boarded the Arena-bound bus alongside the other participants. Now, at last, they had arrived.
Do Jin’s eyes fluttered open to the sight of an overseer bellowing at the participants to wake up. Everyone had dozed off after the long ride.
Listening to the loud clamor demanding they get up, Do Jin turned his head. Then a landscape came sharply into focus in his eyes.
An enormous circular arena, where vintage gravitas harmonized with modern simplicity.

“……An Arena.”

No question about it. Though it appeared to be a mere stadium, the palpable flow of Mana made it unmistakably an Arena.

‘For five years during the Tutorial, this was where Players made their mark. But the moment the Tutorial ended, every Arena transformed into a Dungeon.’

Of course, for now it was still in Tutorial mode.
That was why the Arena district remained a place people traversed without fear—vibrant and prosperous, lined with shops large and small, restaurants, theaters, and parks.

‘But once the Main Scenario begins, all of this will be abandoned.’

No one wanted to keep living in a dangerous place.

“…….”

Do Jin stepped off the bus, raising a hand to his shoulder.
Something wriggled against his palm in response.
But the other participants eyed it with revulsion—this creature that nuzzled playfully against him.

“……What is that thing?”
“A Necromancer, isn’t it……?”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. What’s some pile of bones gonna do anyway?!”

Yet no one dared openly provoke him, perhaps sensing an inexplicable pressure radiating from Do Jin. They simply huddled among themselves, muttering behind his back.
Do Jin paid them no mind. He simply stroked the head of Sado, perched on his shoulder, with a gentle touch.
Then he entered the Arena stadium with the casual confidence of someone who needed no guidance from the official overseeing it.

“…….”
“……O-okay, let’s go too.”
“Y-yeah!”

Perhaps it was the natural ease that clung to Do Jin’s body—the other participants found themselves following in his wake, watching his every move.

“H-hey!”

Even the official, a bureaucrat from the government, was caught off guard.
Meanwhile, Do Jin’s stride never faltered, indifferent to those who trailed behind.

Rank: F-Rank
Entry Limit: 100 Players / Level 5 or Below
Clear Condition: Break 100 or more discs within one hour
Reward: 3 Low-Grade Mana Stones, 50 Gold

“……How nostalgic, this Arena quest.”

Inside the Arena he had entered.
Whirrr— whirr—
Whirrrr—
Countless discs drifted erratically through the air, emitting only a faint, barely audible hum.
These were the targets of this Arena.

“Damn…… of all things, disc-breaking?”
“Does anyone have a ranged attack skill?”

The other Players in the Arena looked troubled as they observed the discs drifting through the empty space.
Do Jin’s expression, however…….

“…….”

Only a habitual sneer played across his lips.

‘No penalty.’

A quest log with no penalty for failure felt strange to him, which was why the situation struck him as odd.

“Let’s go!”
“If I perform well here, I could join a Guild……!”

The crowds scattered in all directions with a shout, their bodies suddenly animated.
Their reaction was only natural. Awakening as a Player was a blessed thing.
During the Tutorial period, regardless of education, connections, or race, anyone who awakened as a Player could enter the Arena, acquire Mana Stones and Gold, and earn more than enough to live on.
With a bit of luck, one could even become a star.
That was why countless people chased the dream of becoming a star Player, challenging the Arena again and again.
And here, in Seoul’s Gangnam Arena, the scouts from famous Guilds kept a watchful eye—it was the perfect stage for Players to showcase themselves to the media and to the Guilds themselves.

“Might as well go for an overflow.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Do Jin opened his backpack—
Sado launched into the air from Do Jin’s shoulder.
Following in Sado’s wake, another Crow Skeleton burst from Do Jin’s pack and took flight.

“Come on, you lot.”

A smile crossed the lips of Do Jin, who had maintained an expression of cold indifference the entire time.

“Hunting time.”

Five Crow Skeletons surged upward in a chaotic blur, diving toward their prey in the void.

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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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