The Regressed Necromancer Prepares for the Apocalypse - Chapter 8

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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 Regressor Necromancer Prepares for the End — Episode 8

The F-Rank Arena comes in many varieties, but most offer safe Quests where blood is never spilled.
Every Quest that the Players inside this Arena boasted about so casually fell into that category.

“You know? I jumped and smashed that disc floating in midair!”
“That’s nothing. I set a personal record the last time I was in the Arena.”

Beyond that, the Players kept flexing their shoulders, each one bragging about the Arenas they’d cleared.
Watching them, the chat from viewers flowed just as fast.

– What’s the target this time?
– Quest hasn’t dropped yet
– Think the Cosmo Guild trainees will do well? Straight to top-tier E-Rank after finishing F-Rank… that’s insane.
– If they pull it off, Cosmo Guild is gonna blow up

Among those messages, one question stood out.

– Where’s the Necromancer?
– Lol, what are you talking about? A freshly hatched chick doesn’t show up here
– True. It’s only been a day since his debut match. He’ll probably be resting for a while.

The viewers were right. Do Jin’s presence wasn’t showing up anywhere in the regular Arenas.
But then the forum exploded.

– RL just spotted the Necromancer
– Where?
– Under
– ??????

* * *

Players are human too. Just because they’ve Awakened doesn’t mean they suddenly become skilled and composed in combat overnight.
Yet occasionally, there were Players who challenged Arenas above their Level — dangerous territory that had no business accepting them.
Such people were either throwaways cast off by their guilds, or they were obsessed with streaming and crazed for public attention, or sometimes they were simply overconfident in their own potential.

– Sir, you Awakened with a Unique Class and now you’ve finally lost it?

And those Players who made such reckless attempts, naturally enough……

– I thought Korea finally had a high-Ranker-level rookie, but…… (sad emoticon)

……paid the price.
They suffered fates worse than death itself.
Knowing this well, viewers who’d heard of Do Jin were rapidly logging into his stream.

– Is this really the Necromancer?!
– He’s challenging the Under Arena?
– He was doing so well in the F-Rank Arena, but looks like his self-awareness just got destroyed lmaooooo

Of course, that interest wasn’t coming from a good place. Do Jin had only just made his debut in the lowest-tier Arena yesterday, and his fan base hadn’t solidified yet.
But there was definitely another reaction.

– Either way, I’m curious. Not a single Player logged into the Under Arena for over two years!
– I’m gonna watch the Under Arena stream~

……Watching all those messages, Do Jin was selecting which Arena to log into.

Do you wish to log into the Under Arena? (Entry Fee: 1,000 Gold)

Yes / No

– Haha, it’s been ages since we saw a paid arena
– It’s a money-losing arena lol

The viewers burst into laughter at the new window that suddenly appeared beside Do Jin.
A paid arena, a money-losing arena, the underground.
With so many different nicknames attached to it, the Under Arena’s existence had become quietly famous among the people.
As an arena that devoured Players.
You could tell just from the notification window right now, but unlike any ordinary arena, the Under Arena required an entry fee just to log in.
At minimum, Gold. And if you went to the higher levels, it accepted only Mana Stones.
That alone meant a Player would suffer losses.
Moreover, the Under Arena had a problem with its Quests too.

“I see you all are familiar with it.”

The Quest content itself was harder than ordinary arenas, but the real reason that made Players so averse to the Under Arena lay elsewhere.
Quests with Penalties.
There was no reason for Players, already driven to pursue only safe clears, to willingly risk danger in the Under Arena.
In ordinary arenas, you face no Penalty even if a Quest fails. You can retry as many times as you wish.

“Gold confiscation, Mana Stone confiscation, item confiscation, raised entry fees, and then Level downs and Rank downs—every possible Penalty all together in one arena.”

– Hahahaha (crying emoji)
– I used to watch streams just for that
– Nobody does it anymore though
– Chick—chick—chick—

The chat was speaking truth.
In the early days of the Great Change, Players had challenged the Under Arena countless times. Precisely because of the Penalties, the viewers had thrilled at the danger, and when a clear succeeded, the rewards would be all the sweeter.
But then the Under Arena kept handing out Quest after Quest far harder than those in ordinary arenas, and not a single Player who tackled it…
ever cleared it.
That wasn’t all. Among the early Players who had carefully avoided the Under Arena, there were those who became Rankers through steady leveling, but.
Those who took the risk and challenged the Under Arena…not one of them…

“became anything but a low-level Player. Some even had their Player status revoked entirely.”

– Yep
– That’s why they call it the Player’s grave lol
– Why else would the Awakening Bureau have issued warnings to stay away from it?

Just as it’s hard to close a gap that’s opened up.
Not a single Player who suffered those Level downs and Rank downs ever became a Ranker again.
The governments worldwide, desperate to increase the number of high-level Players needed for Mana Stone and Gold acquisition, had cemented the image that the Under Arena was an ant trap.

“So nowadays, the Under Arena has become like ancient history.”

For Players frightened by the Penalties, the government warnings about the Under Arena had become a convenient excuse.

“So!”

Do Jin fixed his gaze on the chat window.

“I’m thinking of reviving that ancient history today.”

– For real? True?
– Seriously? Lol

Without hesitation, Do Jin’s finger pressed [Yes].

– lol crazy

Under Arena login attempt
Target – Player Do Jin
Entry fee of 1,000 Gold confirmed

Under Arena E-Rank Wolf Hunting Ground login
Visitor – Player Do Jin

The moment Do Jin logged in, every viewer saw it.
Another arena, one long forgotten, coming into being.

* * *

“…….”

Unlike the typical arenas that maintained the appearance of a sports venue, the Under Arena conjured the illusion of stepping into an entirely different world.
A sunless sky. Countless trees that pierced it as if determined to split it open.
Do Jin’s Under Arena login had placed him in the heart of a forest.
A forest that was somehow desolate, unnatural, and deeply unsettling.

– Is this the Under Arena?
– Doesn’t look like inside an arena creepy

The viewer chat boards themselves seemed to hold their breath.
But Do Jin—

– He’s smiling
– Does he laugh when he’s nervous?

Nervous? Yes. This was the first familiar tension Do Jin had tasted since his return.
It was so familiar that it had become almost comforting.

“Welcome to the Under Arena, everyone!”

Do Jin’s tone had grown noticeably more natural.

“Some of you may have watched my debut match last time, and others might just be here because you’re bored. Isn’t that right?”

– yeah

It was true. Do Jin’s channel viewer count was already climbing at a steady pace.

– Show us the skeleton
– So this is the Under Arena

And most of them had come out of curiosity.
About the new Class, the Necromancer, and about the Under Arena that no one had logged into for so long.
Whoooosh—
The moment Do Jin activated the Pyramid on the back of his hand, the Apostle and Crow Skeletons immediately surged into the air.

‘Since I’m streaming, I might as well give the viewers a little showmanship.’

– It’s actually a skeleton!
– Looks better on livestream

Monitoring the viewers’ reactions, Do Jin opened his mouth.

“The quest will begin shortly. Until then, please take your time exploring the Under Arena.”

At that same moment, a new private message arrived in Do Jin’s chat.

– Ra Hui: Confident?

A message focused purely on business—utterly devoid of warmth.
It was from Ra Hui, Do Jin’s employer and Guild Master of the Test Guild.
Despite the contrast with her cheerful nickname, Do Jin merely smiled faintly at the dry tone.

“At minimum, the Gold you’ve invested won’t go to waste.”

At that very moment, the Quest window finally appeared.

Rank: E-Rank
Login Limit: 100 Players / E-Rank and Below (Lv. 1~30)
Clear Condition: Hunt 100 wolves within one hour
Reward: 1 Skill (Random)
Penalty: Level -10

– Brutal
– Penalty’s insane

……

Indeed, the Under Arena proved formidable from the start.
Do Jin’s current level was Lv. 12.

‘If my level had been just slightly lower, I’d have lost my Player status.’

This—this was real combat at last.
For the first time since his Regression, Do Jin felt a thrill coursing through him, tasting the weight of reality once more.
Do Jin surveyed his surroundings.
The Under Arena’s Wolf Hunting Ground was a dense forest.
Clearly terrain favoring the wolves, the indigenous masters of this woodland—and yet also an alien landscape for Players accustomed to the video-game Arenas they’d known until now.
But naturally, such considerations meant nothing to a Regressor like Do Jin.

Howwwwwwwww—–
The distant cry of wolves echoed through the forest.
This was the Under Arena—the domain of monsters.
The sound of monsters announcing the hunt’s beginning.
Yet at that same moment, the viewers heard another declaration.

“I make you a promise, dear viewers.”

The young Necromancer, commanding his Minions, made his proclamation.

“Today, every wolf in this Arena will perish.”

* * *

The viewers were busy chattering among themselves.

– Where’s he going?
– When are the minions coming back?
– Why isn’t he bringing them this time?

Do Jin had sent his Crow Skeletons out as scouts long ago.
All he carried now was a single spear.

“Of course, I stayed close during my debut match. But wouldn’t the same tactics grow tedious every time?”

– lmao he gets it
– most other players fall into such ruts
– still seems pretty risky to do Under solo though……

“I’m curious about my own limits, you see. How far can I climb on my own?”

– like that’s gonna happen

Then a quest window appeared before him.
But this time, it wasn’t Ra Hui who’d sent it.

– [Hekl Jjang] has donated 10 Gold.
Quest: Clear solo — reward 1 Superior Mana Stone
Accept? Yes / No

Someone reacted even more sharply to this than Do Jin did. That someone was—

– Ra Hui: Hekl Jjang?
“Do you know that username?”

Noting the guild leader’s reaction—subtly different from usual—Do Jin asked quietly.

– Ra Hui: …….

No response came back.
But to Do Jin, that silence spoke volumes.

“Not a welcome acquaintance, then. Understood.”

There weren’t many people wealthy enough to scatter Mana Stones so casually—the kind that would make Ra Hui uncomfortable.
Even fewer were those who watched over the Under Arena without handing out Mana Stones or Gold, even stones and wealth that governments and corporations coveted.

‘That’s a problem for later.’

For now, his focus needed to stay on the arena before him.

‘And on the stream, of course.’

The chat was loud and chaotic regardless.

– A Superior Mana Stone? For real?
– Damn, this guy’s loaded
– How much is one Superior Mana Stone worth?
– Getting one of those is basically like winning an apartment lottery
– Hekl Jjang hyung just give me a popsicle

“……A Superior Mana Stone, huh.”

Do Jin had no reason to refuse personal income.
The contract with the Test Guild explicitly stipulated that the Mana Stones and Gold obtained through sponsorship belonged entirely to Do Jin.

“I’ll accept it gratefully.”

His motivation to clear this Quest grew all the stronger.
Do Jin drew out the secret weapon he’d kept hidden in his pocket, prepared for the Wolf Hunting Ground Quest.

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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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