The Regressed Necromancer Prepares for the Apocalypse - Chapter 35

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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 Returning Necromancer Prepares for the End — Episode 35

For infiltrators, gathering intelligence on their target is absolutely critical.
So the moment Leader received the contract on the Necromancer Lee Do-jin, he combed through every streaming broadcast the man had ever appeared in.

“Brutally strong. Disturbingly so.”

Starting with the Wolves’ Hunting Ground, the E-rank Under Arena where Do-jin had first logged in.
He’d systematically cleared the other E-rank Under Arenas as well — Wild Boar Valley, Rocky Mountain Monkeys, Goblin Cave — streaming every moment of it.
All of it broadcast live for the world to see.

“But he’s only hunting E-rank arenas, isn’t he? If a few of us hit him at once, that should be enough, right?”

A player who held back on leveling, specializing exclusively in E-rank arena streaming.
If you only glanced at the surface data, that’s exactly what it looked like.
But Leader’s instincts told him otherwise.

“Would you broadcast all your real abilities to strangers?”
“…Ah, no. You’re right.”
“Exactly. Figure our target’s actual ceiling at minimum D-rank. Maybe higher.”
“But Leader, D-rank players can’t even log into E-rank arenas, can they?”

That was common knowledge. But Leader stood firm.

“Look at the dates on all those streamed videos. More than that — we don’t know anything about how Under Arenas actually work.”
“……”

One of the men hesitated before speaking up.

“You’re saying he uploaded saved recordings but made them look like live broadcasts, Leader?”
“I told you already — this Necromancer might be connected to System Hacking.”
“……”

Silence fell between them.
They had their own information network, cultivated through the underworld.
So they knew that across the globe, people were secretly chasing down leads on System Hacking with barely contained frenzy.
They also knew those leads had surfaced at a gambling arena in Korea.
On the surface, all was quiet — but beneath, a vicious information war raged between factions.
Intelligence gathering had become cutthroat, not only from Quest participants but from every player who’d logged in during that arena. Baseless rumors were flying everywhere.
Each faction had even begun tracking down players suspected of having been logged in at that time.
The Necromancer from Test Guild that they’d been contracted to handle fell squarely into that category.

“There’s a chance he participated in the gambling arena Quest alongside Seo Hae-won from Test Guild… Do you think this one’s solid?”

Over the past month alone, they’d kidnapped and delivered several players suspected of being participants.
Another similar contract coming in now suggested either a different faction was behind this one, or the last guy they’d grabbed had been an innocent.

“……”

One of the men broke the silence.

“Boss… I’ve got a feeling this one’s another wild goose chase. Sure, the Necromancer probably ran with that little girl, makes him likely Test Guild — but something feels off about how quiet Hangang Group’s been. Unusually quiet.”

In short: if this Necromancer really had pulled off System Hacking, and Hangang Group already had him in their hands, why was everything so damn quiet?

“I mean, even for a megacorp like Hangang Group — with all this investigating and surveillance happening everywhere — how is there no sign of movement at all? I’m worried we’ll end up like those guys last time, taking the fall for touching the little girl.”

Hae-won’s information was already public knowledge, which meant she’d been questioned early — the very day after she’d logged out of the Vortex of Desire.

Isn’t this getting too out of hand?

The price for their recklessness had been steep. Those who’d stepped forward as proxies for the backing forces—merely expendable pawns to begin with—had to face Ra Hee, the Guild Master and a member of the Hangang Group’s ruling family, and be thoroughly mauled for their harassment of her guild members.
Though they were ultimately disposable pieces sent by distant powers, the pitiful sight of their fate made other factions think twice about exposing themselves.
And even after going to such lengths, they’d gleaned nothing of value from it.

“If the Necromancer yields nothing either, we’re all as good as dead……!”

Listening to his subordinate’s lament, the Leader and the rest bit their lips.
There was a reason why no uninvited visitors had come searching for Do-jin until now.
Player organizations backed by major corporations or government funding protected their key members meticulously.
They were, after all, the most vital source of revenue for their organizations.
Do-jin—a Necromancer who had achieved the first-ever clear of the Under Arena—was more than valuable enough to warrant the Hangang Group’s protection.
Whether or not he had any connection to the System Hacking lead.
In short, to investigate Lee Do-jin without solid evidence was an extraordinarily high-risk gamble—tantamount to kicking over a hornet’s nest.
The reason the intruders, despite being actual Players who had committed unauthorized Login into the Hangang Group’s Arena to investigate the Necromancer, dared not activate Streaming was precisely this underlying reality.

* * *

Thirty Undead.
Do-jin currently kept more Undead than that stored within the Pyramid, but he had no intention of withdrawing that many.
Just as the Leader of the intruders had told his subordinates before entering the Arena, Do-jin had no intention of laying bare his entire hand.
Sado, Do-jin’s first Familiar—a Raven Skeleton at Level 36, Knight class. Plus four more Raven Skeletons around Level 20, also Knight class.
Two Wolf Skeletons around Level 20, Knight class. One Intermediate Vampire Wolf at Level 25, Knight class.
Beyond these, countless corpses Do-jin had claimed while clearing the Under Arena had become Familiars, forming his army.
He was deploying only thirty of them.
All were Undead whose appearances and abilities had been demonstrated at least once during Streaming.

“Then…….”

While the intruders held their guard.
Do-jin moved first.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!!!!
Seven Wild Boar Zombies surged forward in a coordinated charge, spewing toxin in their wake. Their target was the nun retreating to the rear!
Just as the female nun’s face went pale, three Golems stomped forward to block her path.

“Fight!”

The final Golem, receiving its master’s command, lumbered forward with heavy thuds and began swinging its fists—massive as sledgehammers—with brutal force.
Crash!!!
That was the signal for both sides to commence battle.
The Summoner’s directly-controlled Golem targeted the swarm of Vampire Goblins.
But the Vampire Goblins scattered nimbly, evading the Golem’s charge.
What met the Golem instead was:

Click! Click!
Snap!
Goblin Skeletons.
Standing barely a meter tall, they swarmed over the towering Golem like soldier ants overwhelming prey, clawing and snapping with ferocity.
While the Golem’s legs were pinned, the ranged dealers positioned in the middle lines unleashed arrows at Do-jin.
Two massive arrows nearly two meters in length, coupled with a mana-infused crossbow bolt.
As three attacks converged from different angles toward Do-jin’s head and heart:

Shriek!
Four Raven Skeletons circling overhead deflected the arrows, and in the same motion, each engaged one of the archers in combat.

“Tch!”

The archer Players had initially underestimated the Raven Skeletons.
But now they ground their teeth and were forced to engage the battle in deadly earnest.

‘It’s no wonder. The ravens are the undead who have coordinated with me the longest.’

Do-jin’s mind orchestrated the undead with surgical precision. The more Familiars he commanded, the more critical his role as a Necromancer became.

– Wild Boars: do not break the monk’s encirclement. Drain his strength with endless poison while keeping the Golems pinned down.
– Goblin Skeletons: engage the Summoner and the Golem. Even when shattered, rise endlessly to exhaust them.
– Four Raven Skeletons: face the archers. Destroy their weapons and strip their arrows. Target the eyes and hands.
– Monkey Skeletons: split into two groups. Two of you handle the mage; the rest support the Wild Boars. If the monk tries to purify the undead, attack the monk and Golem from different angles simultaneously.
– And Vampire Goblins: all of you move in silence. Scatter and watch the intruders one by one. The moment an opening appears…….

Tear out their throats.
The undead receiving Do-jin’s orders through brainwave transmission moved in perfect unison.
Those given attack orders charged straight toward their targets in a single line.
Those given surveillance and ambush orders dispersed across the arena in secrecy, concealing themselves from sight.

‘This arena is one that issues a Quest to attack and destroy standing scarecrows. So there’s nowhere ideal for the Goblin undead to hide…….’

With the massive undead like the Wild Boars raging wildly, the tiny Vampire Goblins could slip through the gaps and remain unseen.
And as they began to pinpoint the intruders’ positions one by one…….
Clang!!!
Spear clashed against spear with violent force.
A man wielding twin spears, a man bearing a halberd, a woman with a crescent blade.
Three spear-wielding players had surrounded Do-jin.
Most players would be tense in such a situation.
Yet Do-jin smiled instead.
Through the covert use of Familiar Armament, Sado began to shield Do-jin’s body.
And at the same moment-
Another card Do-jin had hidden in reserve began to move.

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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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