The Regressed Necromancer Prepares for the Apocalypse - Chapter 9

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

The Regressed Necromancer Prepares for the Apocalypse, Episode 9

As mentioned before, Do Jin had issued simple commands to the Apostle and the Crow Skeletons, then sent them all out.

– Find the wolves’ location without drawing the attention of others.

When he’d given that order, Do Jin’s thinking had been far simpler. He’d assumed the Crow Skeletons would return after locating the wolf pack and report back to him, nothing more.
But it wasn’t like that. The connection between a Necromancer and their minions was far more intimate than Do Jin had anticipated.
Not long after sending the skeletons out……

“……!”

Do Jin found himself experiencing a sensation both familiar and strangely foreign.
One eye saw the forest before him, while another watched the same forest from high above, suspended in empty air.
Between the towering, densely packed trees where not a breath of wind stirred, his hair and cheek felt the touch of rushing wind against them.

‘……Shared senses?!’

A second landscape blurred past his vision like fast-forwarded footage—
and finally, what entered Do Jin’s sight was—

‘One hundred twenty meters ahead, at the three o’clock angle from my position. Three of them.’

The instant he processed that information.
Do Jin’s lips curved upward.

– Found something?

He gave the viewers’ chat a brief reply.

“Excuse me.”

Do Jin’s body shot forward like a rocket!
At the same time, he sharpened his senses to their maximum.
The endless row of trees and boulders. Between them, he felt the distinct presence and mana of a monster—not that of Do Jin or any other player, but unmistakably bestial.
He already knew what they were.

“Gray Wolves…… It’s been a while?”

They were low-tier monsters incomparable to Eye Wolves, Horn Wolves, or Fire Wolves, yet they were heralds of death to E-Rank Players.
As for F-Rank Players below them, there was nothing more to say.
But for Do Jin as he was now—

“……Let’s go!”

He left the other skeletons to continue scouting, and when only the Apostle, the alpha among them, glided down smoothly to his side.
Do Jin stepped forward without hesitation toward the three Gray Wolves that bared their fangs and lunged the moment they spotted him like sentries, spear firmly gripped.
And ahead of him, following Do Jin’s will, the Crow Skeleton Apostle flew toward the wolves first, clutching a bottle filled with mysterious liquid in one of its talons.

“Snarl!”
“Screech! Screech!!”

Was it thanks to the mana and tactics Do Jin had honed through countless real battles, or because the savage instinct of a wild creature born from survival of the fittest still existed even in undeath?
The Apostle evaded the Gray Wolf’s attack with practiced ease, gliding through the air with effortless grace.
Next, the Apostle hurled the bottle it held in its talons at the face of the wolf pursuing it—

“Screech! Screech!!”

Drenched in the liquid, the wolf thrashed and leaped in place, unable to open its eyes properly, writhing in agony.
The Gray Wolf charging from behind stumbled at the sheer force of the impact.
Then, at that exact moment—

“Even monsters hate the taste of Vinegar, don’t they?”

That’s right. Before sending out the Skeletons for reconnaissance, Do Jin had pulled a secret weapon from his pack.
And one of those weapons was the Vinegar he’d just used!

– Vinegar? For real?
– Not even a poison item?

While the chat erupted with questions.
A spear blade flashed past, cleanly severing the third wolf’s neck in a single motion. It was Do Jin.
Without pausing, his spear moved like a serpent toward the two Gray Wolves writhing in agony from the Apostle’s opening assault.

“SHRIEEEEK!!!”
“HOWWWL!!!”

One thrashing wolf exposed its belly for an instant, and he drove the spear deep through its heart.
The other, unable even to open its eyes as it tried to flee, received the spear driven down from above—a killing blow.

……

Do Jin stared down at the wolf, its breathing completely ceased.
Then he lifted his head to look at the chat window.

“Well? I’d say that was a decent warm-up.”

Throughout it all, notification after notification kept appearing—monster after monster defeated.

Gray Wolf defeated. 25 Gold and Experience Points (+50%) earned.

Level up! (Lv. 13)

Three identical notifications sounding one after another, followed by one final alert—Do Jin smiled as he read them all.

– Where’d you learn spear work like that, hyung?
– When did you Awaken as a Necromancer? You must’ve trained hard in combat!

Do Jin’s mouth curved upward at the promising start, and he examined the spear more closely.

‘Good. This one’s solid.’

Of course, Do Jin hadn’t bought it with his own money. It was the spear he’d taken from a Spearman Player who’d been eliminated in the last Arena.
As Do Jin, he’d intended to return it once the quest was over, but……

– Get lost! I don’t need some cheap trash like that!

……The Player, whose face had flushed red with wounded pride, formally rejected it, and from that point on, the spear became Do Jin’s possession.

– [Harry Carter] has donated 100 Gold.
Mission: Hey hyung, can you show me how to make Subordinates? (pleading emoticon) I’ll pay 300 Gold per one!
Do you accept? Yes / No

‘300 Gold?’

Do Jin couldn’t help but be tempted by the offer. After all, it was already common knowledge that he was a Necromancer, and if he was going to execute his plans going forward, he could never have too much Gold.

“Harry Carter, thank you so much! It’s high time our Crow Skeleton friends welcomed some new companions.”

The Gray Wolf was a low-rank monster, so its body was no larger than a medium-sized dog. It barely qualified as a small-class creature.
It was exactly the sort of specimen Do Jin’s Necromancy could handle right now.

“Hmm. One of them’s too badly damaged to be useful, I’m afraid.”

Do Jin picked out two wolf corpses that were in relatively good condition, and then…

“I’ll gratefully accept the 600 Gold.”

– Caw caw!
– Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!
– Never thought I’d see this

He drew forth the Death Energy and opened his mouth.

“Awaken.”

The phenomenon that followed resembled the awakening of the Apostle.
If there was any difference…

– This is insane! It’s actually real?

It was only that the viewers’ stream of astonished chat messages flooded in immediately after.

– Mission Complete: [Harry Carter] has donated 600 Gold.
– An investment with no regrets…!

From that moment on, the viewer count for the Under Arena’s Wolf’s Hunting Ground began to skyrocket.
Two Wolf Skeletons opened their eyes anew.
The Death Energy they received from Do Jin rippled like a living aura, coiling around their bones like a fur coat.

1. Crow Skeleton (Lv.7 / Soldier)
2. Crow Skeleton (Lv.5 / Normal)
.
.
.
6. Wolf Skeleton (Lv.1 / Normal)
7. Wolf Skeleton (Lv.1 / Normal)

* * *

After that, the battle proceeded smoothly.
Though Do Jin was still more comfortable with the close-quarters style he wielded as a spear user, the combined assault of his undead minions proved invaluable to him.
Moreover, with four smaller Crow Skeletons constantly relaying the positions of the Gray Wolves to him, Do Jin could enjoy one-sided hunting unlike any of the other players in the zone.

“Grrrrrrowwwwl!!!”
“Awooooooo!”

Sensing that the intruder was no ordinary threat, the Gray Wolves began pouring out in droves. At this point, it was practically a monster wave.

“Hah… this is no joke. Takes me back to the old days.”

Before the Regression, Do Jin had spent his days fleeing, hiding, and fighting one against many.
Which meant that his present crisis was familiar territory.

“Apostle, take the lead. The rest of you, keep pace!”

……
……
……

Perhaps the undead were creatures incapable of speech by nature—they made no sound in response to Do Jin’s orders, only shifting their movements to match his commands.

‘I have to admit, this is convenient. Obedience without question, without hesitation.’

Do Jin moved with deliberate cunning. An ordinary player fresh from Awakening would have skirted the monster concentrations, but Do Jin did the opposite. He steered directly toward where they gathered thickest.

“Grrrrrrr……!”
“Bark! Bark!”

And everywhere Do Jin led his undead throng, the Gray Wolves gave chase without exception—as if bewitched.

– Hey Necro, why are the wolves only chasing you?
– Is this how Under Arena monsters normally act? Or is it just me?

No—it was no illusion.

‘The effect is remarkable.’

A faint, distinctive odor drifted from the pouch hanging at Do Jin’s waist.
And every Gray Wolf that caught even the slightest whiff of it was seized with the same impulse……

“GRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHH!!!”

They pursued him in a state of absolute frenzy.
This was the power of Do Jin’s second secret weapon.

‘Mix pepper, chili powder, and pulverized monster bone, infuse it with mana, and you get a pheromone excitant that drives monsters wild.’

This was an era that had not yet discovered such knowledge.
By mixing materials scavenged from the Guild’s research lab and brewing an improvised Pheromone Excitant on the spot, luring monsters became child’s play!
And the four Crow Skeletons besides Apostle diligently dispersed the excitant, herding even distant Gray Wolves toward Do Jin with flawless coordination.
And so, the result was……

Quest Clear

New Record!
Do Jin achieves fastest completion time: 15 minutes!

– No way he took down 100 in 15 minutes?
– Look at those minions—the herding and hunt support are perfectly synchronized

Simultaneously, a mission window bloomed across the screen.

– Mission Complete: [Heckle Jjang] has donated 1 High-Grade Mana Stone!
– This guy’s something else

At Heckle Jjang’s chat message, dripping with mock amazement, the other viewers scrambled to pile on their own comments.
Do Jin’s words fanned the flames of that already heated atmosphere.

“Viewers, shall we see something fun?”

– Been waiting for this!
– Dude dude dude

Do Jin was now herding every Gray Wolf in the arena around with him. He looked like a matador, or perhaps a wild animal trainer from a circus troupe.
One moment he seemed to be fleeing in retreat, then suddenly spun on his heel and thrust his spear, impaling a wolf.
He launched himself over fallen branches in a tumble, leaving faint afterimages in the air.
At times the Apostle, responding to Do Jin’s will, descended like a hammer and punched a hole through a wolf’s skull.
And the two Wolf Skeletons, with Do Jin commanding their attention, lunged at the distracted wolves and tore their throats out.

– Haha, now THIS is it!
– Skeletons and spear work perfectly together
– Come clean. When exactly did you Awaken?
– [Pow Pow] donated 1 Gold.
– Thumbs up

Do Jin’s channel viewer count had now reached 7,380 people.
He could feel their attention.

‘I’ll answer the chat later.’

Right now there was only one thing to do.
Cleanup.
A spot he’d finally found in the dark, overgrown forest—a place that suited him.
Open enough to maneuver, yet not so wide that all the Gray Wolves could charge at him at once.

“Yes, viewers! I’ve herded them all around in a circle!”

At that moment, Do Jin gathered all his subordinates. Simultaneously he gripped his spear and took his stance…….
Positioning the undead at their designated points.
Channeling the Mana in his body at the same time.
And targeting Do Jin and his undead minions…….

– Kyaaaah
– Wolf tsunami omg

The Gray Wolves began to surge forward like a tidal wave!
Moreover, throughout the herding, he’d used his undead to split their focus and draw aggro, so the thoroughly enraged Gray Wolves—

“Three…… two…… one!”

The moment Do Jin re-gripped his spear after the Crow Skeleton Apostle—
As if it was all they could think of, the Gray Wolves launched their attack in a straight line!
At the same moment, the chat erupted once more.

– What is that
– That’s an Aura
– No way
– Am I seeing things?

“Screeeeeee!!! Shriek!”
“Kyiiiiiii…….”

The cries and shrieks of the Gray Wolves echoed loudly through the forest.
Do Jin’s spear, concentrated with Aura, danced in his hands.

Whoosh— Splash!
Crack! Bang!
Answering their master’s spear thrust, the Apostle and the Crow Skeletons flitted about, pecking at the eyes of the Gray Wolves and tearing at their heads.
The Wolf Skeletons savaged the very pack that had once hunted together.
Never straying from the positions Do Jin had arranged with such precision.

“Growwwl! Snap!!!”
“Grrrrrrrr!!!”

The Gray Wolves that had broken free from the undead’s attack range now opened their jaws, fixing their aim squarely on Do Jin.
It would have been a scene to terrify any ordinary person—

‘Just as I thought. Even in the Under Arena, the monsters of an E-Rank dungeon are little more than simple beasts.’

In C-Rank arenas, or even D-Rank ones, the monsters that appear grow cunning. Those that hunt in packs devise strategies among themselves, even dig traps.
But the monsters of a mere E-Rank arena lacked the intelligence for such things.
They were now being utterly trampled under Do Jin and his Subordinates’ coordinated assault.
A massacre, despite the staggering difference in numbers!

“Howwwl!!!”

Do Jin’s spear flowed like water.
He sidestepped the first wolf lunging at him and drove the point through its neck.
As the next one charged, he kicked it aside straight into the waiting jaws of his Wolf Skeletons.
Then one came at him from behind, but the Apostle flashed in to block its vision. In that instant, Do Jin planted his spear and launched himself skyward, bringing his heel down hard on the wolf the Apostle had been engaging. Its neck snapped.
The Gray Wolf’s neck broke cleanly.

‘Good.’

Even as combat flowed endlessly around him, Do Jin felt no fatigue. He was as accustomed to one-against-many battles as he was to prolonged wars of attrition.
That was why he knew well the art of replenishing his Mana even as he fought without pause.

“…….”

Even now, he drew in the Under Arena’s Mana as he would draw breath, steadily, continuously refilling his reserves.

‘No matter how wretched this body is, I won’t die to Gray Wolves.’

Was it because he’d Awakened the moment he Regressed and learned to sense Mana? Or did it mean that a Returnee’s flesh truly retained some echo of his former abilities, no matter how faint?
Do Jin’s body moved through combat with a grace that even he found astonishing.
One by one, the Gray Wolves fell to the silent strikes of the undead and the thrust of his spear.
Each death heralded by a stream of notification windows.

You have hunted a Gray Wolf. Obtained 25 Gold and Experience Points (+50%).

You have hunted a Gray Wolf. Obtained 25 Gold and Experience Points (+50%).

You have hunted a Gray Wolf. Obtained 25 Gold and Experience Points (+50%).

‘……Truly, the effect of Blessing of Prosperity is phenomenal.’

And there was another spectacle unfolding.

– Never thought I’d see a massacre in E-Rank
– Love you, oppa
– [Candy Princess] has donated 20 Gold.
– [Chewing Gum] has donated 5 Gold.

And so, as I felled the last Gray Wolf, a new notification window blazed across my vision.

World First!
Under Arena Clear – Player Do Jin

New Record!
Under Arena World First Overflow – Player Do Jin

Level up (Lv. 25 / E-Rank).

Conditions met.
Clear consecutive Hidden Quests, and you may claim the original reward one additional time.
Would you like to begin the Hidden Quest?

Yes / No

There’s no need to ask.

One for one!

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