Damn Necromancer - Chapter 14
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Chapter 14: Osiris’ Tomb
The game’s setting was simple. It was a kind of fragment created by cutting out a region from an existing world.
And there were not just one or two of these other worlds. There were regions filled with fantasy, martial arts, cyberpunk, and even monsters.
Truly, it was very diverse.
‘Low-level zones are usually fantasy, right?’
That’s the kind of place where you’d see goblins, wolves, and orcs.
Gates that were C-rank or higher usually started to appear.
Anyway, players could conquer these gates and obtain various rewards such as mana stones, items, experience points, and titles.
F-rank gates were abundant.
Among them, there were several reasons for choosing Osiris’ Tomb.
Firstly, there were no special gimmicks.
‘Those gimmicks can be a real pain in the ass.’
You had to find puzzles or hidden elements to open the path.
The gimmicks inside the Gates were not fixed elements. They changed slightly every time you entered.
‘That’s why it takes so long to solve them.’
But this gate was very straightforward.
You just had to beat up whoever you saw along the way.
Pretty easy.
‘And then there’s the ‘tomb’ part.’
Tomb.
It seemed like it would have something to do with necromancers, wouldn’t it?
Unfortunately, he hadn’t confirmed that before. He was a player who wanted to clear the game in the shortest possible time, and each character had a different job that suited them best.
It was like being the swordsmanship genius like Park Siwoo or the magic genius like Han Siah.
You can’t choose a necromancer with such characteristics, can you?
Moreover, Namgung Min and Seo Yerim, with the third and fourth highest difficulty, respectively, started with their jobs already set, so they couldn’t choose Necromancer in the first place.
[TL/N: Some Name Changes Hansia -> Han Siah, Nam Gungmin -> Namgung Min]
“But now it’s different.”
What about Kim Minwoo now?
He’s a necromancer.
And it’s a tomb.
Can he endure it?
‘I can’t.’
Of course, there was no absolute certainty that something related to necromancers would be hidden here.
While necromancers were considered a minority class, there were always people who chose what others didn’t.
Even in this gate, necromancers must have visited several times.
‘But, they would have lower achievement ranks, right?’
A necromancer with an S-rank achievement?
At least not in Korea.
Even A or B was at the level of a natural monument.
The reason was simple.
To become stronger as a necromancer, you had to pour money into it as a basic structure.
And not just pour, you had to pour geometrically.
Only then could you gain the upper hand over other classes.
It was a widely known formula in the world.
So, it was burdensome to choose compared to other classes.
It’s the same even if you receive support from the country or a large guild.
They weren’t fools.
The money they gave would eventually be a debt that had to be repaid someday.
But choosing a necromancer with such a rare S-rank skill book?
Unless your dad was Chairman Kim, barely believing in that level of backing…
‘Debt is debt, but that doesn’t mean you can’t overwhelm others.’
It’s a shortcut to hell. That’s why people with common sense don’t choose Necromancer.
The only variable is if an incredibly wealthy person awakens.
“But how would you know the awakening conditions?”
If they’re rich, they’ll try various things first. If awakening comes easily, they’ll end up with low-level achievements.
But if they can’t awaken, it means the conditions are strict.
Even if they find out.
‘How would they achieve S-rank?’
Even he, who knew the conditions, struggled to go for S-rank. Can wealthy people easily achieve S-rank?
That’s why there are no high-achievement necromancers.
In conclusion, if there’s something related to necromancers, there’s a high chance he’ll get it.
Of course, he didn’t expect a huge reward as it was an F-rank gate.
He had to conquer it anyway.
‘Just getting one title wouldn’t be bad.’
That’s about the extent of his expectations.
Moreover, if he were to set a world record, he had to do it the hard way. It wouldn’t be cool if it was easy.
That was the last reason he chose this place with a difficulty of 95.
He reached out.
[Using Cedric Summon (SSS)!]
[Using Skeleton Summon (F)+9!]
Since he purchased the equipment that had exploded in the previous battlefield, 28 mana was added to the summoning. Plus, the effect of the Indomitable Soul was added.
A total of 113 monstrous mana.
Plus, the effect of Death Lord reducing mana by 50%.
[422 skeletons are summoned!]
The vast gate was filled with skeletons.
‘Didn’t they say I’d summon around 150?’
Thinking about public opinion, Kim Minwoo smirked.
It was nearly triple the number.
Moreover, these skeletons weren’t the same as the dumb ones before.
Through Cedric and Death Lord, they absorbed education like drinking water, increasing their learning effects. And their stats were also inflated by 50%.
Plus,
[The Subspace Ring (Intermediate) opens!]
With sturdy armor to equip the skeleton soldiers, their power began to explosively increase.
‘Chairman, thank you.’
After boldly declaring his ambition to set a world record, Chairman Kim’s third support was fully implemented.
Thanks to that, the Subspace ring and numerous equipment were reborn.
Swish!
Swish!
The armed skeletons began to move in formation. The sound of their footsteps echoed.
At that sound, monsters inside the gate began to awaken.
Scuttle.
Scuttle.
Along with the sound of insects crawling busily from all sides.
‘There they are.’
A swarm of giant cockroaches blocked his way.
Corpse Wheels.
These were insect-type monsters that he would encounter frequently in this gate.
Their average level is around 40.
With their disgusting appearance, hard shells, and tenacious vitality of cockroaches, they’re quite formidable.
In addition to their strong jaws, they also had overwhelming numbers.
‘But the most troublesome thing about them is their blood.’
Their blood contains random toxins, ranging from hallucinogenic to stamina-draining or fear-inducing toxins, posing quite a challenge.
‘That’s the main reason this gate got a score of 95.’
Corpse Wheels swarmed from all directions.
Inevitably leading to chaotic battles. Avoiding the splattering blood from all sides is extremely difficult, and getting hit by it can drastically affect one’s mental state and health, leading to failed attempts at conquest.
‘Of course, Cedric and I can calculate the trajectory of the blood and dodge it, but…’
Ordinary people can’t.
That’s why antidotes are essential in standard strategies.
But antidotes typically last only about 30 minutes and are quite pricey. Many come here to make money but end up spending more than they earn.
‘That’s why, it’s an unpopular, even hated gate.’
Even the baby skeletons would probably get a good dose of blood today.
But he didn’t really mind.
Would the skeletons be unsummoned?
He could just wait until their numbers were reduced, eat a potion, and summon them again.
While an ordinary necromancer might take down a group, have a potion, and continue, he was different. With his current skeletons, he could wipe out up to five groups in one go, and they even resurrected once more.
For Kim Minwoo, it was a gate without any particular burden.
As the corpse wheels rushed towards him, they hesitated upon seeing the sheer number on his side.
Creak?
Creak?
The wheels were not very intelligent, but they had a basic sense of danger. An enemy that outnumbered them by far!
“Cedric, let’s wipe them all out.”
–Master, I was waiting for that command. Let’s go, my brothers!”
Clang!
Clang!
The skeleton spearmen, who had formed a wedge-shaped formation with Cedric, rushed forward.
Puhk!
Puk!
The corpse wheels spouted green liquid as they were pierced by the spears.
Then, the club-wielding skeleton soldiers relentlessly struck the wheels’ bodies.
Although the skeletons’ individual strength was weak, their weapons were high-quality, starting at level 40.
Kiiieek!
A wheel in pain bit down on the torso of a skeleton.
The skeleton collapsed to the ground, surrounded by wheels.
Despite resisting roughly, the skeleton eventually lost its strength.
The victorious roar of the wheel was short-lived as the resurrected skeleton’s blade sliced through its innards.
Cedric’s performance was exceptional.
With every swing of his spear, the heads of the wheels exploded.
‘This is great.’
This was the charm of automated hunting.
Even without moving, the monsters were being taken care of.
[41 Corpse Wheels have been hunted!]
[Your level has increased by 5!]
His level went up in the blink of an eye.
“Haha, nice.”
[The Skeleton Squad gains combat experience against insect-type monsters!]
[The Skeleton Squad gains experience points!]
Summoned creatures couldn’t exceed their master’s level.
That’s why the skeletons had remained at level 1 until now.
But things were different now.
With Kim Minwoo’s level rising, the average level of the skeletons would also start to increase.
Of course, with 422 summoned skeletons evenly dividing the experience, their leveling would be relatively slow.
‘But what about growth?’
It was a hundred times better than not growing at all.
‘I’ve roughly figured out the level of the skeletons, so…
Now it was time for him to start moving.
He drew his sword to set a new world record.
* * *
[52 Corpse Wheels have been hunted!]
[Your level has…!]
[55 Corpse Wheels have been hunted!]
[Your level has…!]
[60 Corpse Wheels have been hunted!]
[Your level has…!]
Once he joined the battle, his advance speed became almost supersonic. The level difference between him and the wheels was so great that his level went up every time he encountered a group.
A normal person would come here with a party.
So, he was monopolizing the experience points that a party would normally share, so it would be strange if he didn’t level up.
‘That’s why I raised my abilities first.’
Level up?
He could always postpone the things he could do anytime.
He could just do it all at once like this.
[You have acquired the title, ‘Insect Slayer’!]
[Effect: Damage to insect-type monsters increased by 10%]
He even got a title in the middle.
And by the time he reached the boss room.
‘It only took 2 hours.’
He stopped once in the middle.
It was to reorganize by drinking a mana potion and re-summoning the soldiers after more than half of them had been wiped out.
‘Current level 22.’
An unimaginable leveling speed for an ordinary person.
He had literally exploded in one round of the gate.
The same was true for Cedric, who shared his level.
As his level increased, his spearmanship was becoming more and more sophisticated.
“You’re growing, boy. I feel good as your master.”
–Hmm… I wouldn’t say I’m growing, more like I’m just relearning what I used to know…
“Tsk. I told you not to talk back to your hyung.”
–… It was just my personal opinion.
“Now it’s time to kill the boss.”
–What’s the boss here?
“The Tomb Guardian.”
–The Tomb Guardian? Is that an insect too?
“Uh. It’s a giant cockroach.”
That’s why it was also a creature that shook the Awakened’s mentality.
In particular, some Awakened would even go crazy at the attack where it spewed a swarm of small wheels from its mouth like a performance.
Even if you’re Awakened, something disgusting is still disgusting.
–Master, don’t you find insects disgusting?
“Well, I do. But it’s okay. I’ve seen too many of them.”
There are more than one or two gates where insect-type monsters appear. He had already surpassed that point long ago.
Cedric tilted his head at that.
–You’ve seen a lot? Do you get insects in your house?
“…Well, something like that.”
–I think you should be more careful about hygiene. Your house looks fine, but you should clean up right after you eat.
“Shut up, you.”
–Master. I’m worried about you, so why are you hitting my head?
“I’m doing it because I love you all. Let’s go.”
He opened the door to the boss room.
[The boss of Osiris’ Tomb, the ‘Tomb Guardian’, appears!]
Creak?
“Kill it.”
The skeletons, who knew no fear, began to swarm forward.
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