Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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The confusing situation came to an end, and under the guidance of the two, I returned to the hotel and took a rest.

“I really don’t like being outside…”

Enjoying the fresh air and the warm blanket—a mesmerizing collaboration—my mind suddenly drifted back to earlier events.

‘Quite interesting.’

Though it was a bit infuriating, the information I received from Choi Ha Min, another Returner, was quite beneficial.

Returners automatically become Awakened Ones upon returning to Earth. However, I did not fit into that category.

There were two plausible reasons for this.

‘First, because I didn’t follow the standard route.’

Unlike other Returners who were brought back to Earth by some power, I found my own way here.

It was a minor difference, but problems often arise from small matters.

‘And the second is…’

Simply because I was too strong.

“…That’s definitely possible.”

Though it was a slightly embarrassing statement, it wasn’t self-obsession. It was a serious hypothesis of sorts.

Whether the subject of that ‘Awakening’ was anyone specific is unknown, but it was entirely possible my power had been deemed a destabilizing factor for some reason.

‘…….’

There was something that’s been nagging at me from my encounter with Choi Ha Min.

Why did I not experience my usual aversion towards him?

And what exactly is the scope of this side effect?

First, I’ll note that the monsters from the Dungeon, which were exempt from this anxiety, and Choi Ha Min shared one commonality: they were empowered by otherworldly forces.

If that’s the case, wouldn’t the scope of this side effect be limited strictly to Earth’s existence?

In other words, it seems there’s an intent behind it to prevent me from harming the creatures of this world. I was crafting such a hypothesis.

Thinking it through, many parts align with the story from earlier.

‘Of course, there’s also Seo Ha’s case, so I still can’t be sure.’

If I could meet more Returners, I might be able to inch closer to the truth.

After mulling this over, I immersed myself back into the game for hours.

Then, once again, the intercom signaled an incoming visitor.

“Who could it be now…”

I whined as I made my way to the hotel room door. This time, I didn’t forget to check who was at the door through the intercom.

“……”

The visitor’s identity was instantly clear upon seeing them.

It was Helena, the S Rank Hunter who had trouble with Seo Ha earlier.

I stopped in my tracks and held my breath as soon as I confirmed it.

If I pretend I’m not here, will she leave?

Of course, that was wishful thinking.

“I know you’re inside; are you not going to open the door?”

“W-well, we promised not to let anyone in…”

“I could just open it myself, you know.”

“…I’ll open it right away!”

In the end, I gave in and carefully opened the door.

With an S Rank Hunter’s power, opening a closed door would be child’s play.

With her deep turquoise hair fluttering, Helena stepped into the room.

“We’ve met once before, right?”

“……”

She wore a mesmerizing smile, but the desire within it was palpable. It was clear she had a purpose, whether good or bad.

“I can’t stay long, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

After a fleeting smile, Helena asked me as if she knew everything.

“Are you hiding your power?”

“……”

All I could do was stare blankly in response.

I mean, I don’t have any power to hide right now!

Perhaps sensing my lack of intention, Helena continued speaking.

“You’re a Returner, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s true…”

“You’re the one who taught Song Ha Yeon, right?”

That comment was rather disorienting. I hadn’t expected her to suddenly mention her name.

However, it allowed me to vaguely understand why things had escalated to this point.

Surely, that was where her interest originated.

‘I didn’t expect things to turn out like this…’

Perhaps the trouble with Seo Ha stemmed from that reason too.

I fell into a brief silence, pondering what answer I should give.

If I answered too hastily, who knows how she might react?

Seeing me hesitate, Helena smiled once more and reached out her hand toward me.

“…So you’re not inclined to tell me freely. In that case, I’ll ask your soul directly.”

“Wha…?”

No, I’m more than willing to share!

I was just considering how to phrase it!

Before I found a moment to become defensive, I felt my vision blur.

In an instant, I lost consciousness.

#

As an S Rank, Helena was well-versed in Necromancy and incredibly versatile in that regard.

Naturally, calling forth the soul of another person to extract confessions was within her capabilities.

“Show me your soul.”

Having engaged in direct conversation, there was a sense of clarity. It was evident that the answer she sought was held by the girl before her.

Helena smiled in anticipation and called forth the soul of Baek Eun Ha.

Slowly.

Of course, she had no intention of causing any harm. Once she obtained the answer, she would erase this moment’s memory as well. That would be the end of the matter.

Such thoughts were all wiped from her mind the moment she laid eyes on the form of the revealed soul.

‘What the… is this?’

She called forth the soul, but there was nothing to see.

Some kind of chain seemed to bind the entire soul, wrapping it tightly.

Despite using this method dozens of times before, this was the first instance of such a case. Helena felt her heart race after a long time.

“……”

One must know the unknown.

Only then can one find peace.

With delicate movements, Helena handled Death Energy and stripped away a portion of the chain, only to be immediately unsettled.

Bam!

‘Ah.’

Suddenly, the world turned black.

I could see nothing.

My eyesight wasn’t failing.

It was simply that the released Death Energy had instantly filled the room.

“What the….”

It was thick.

So incredibly thick.

Even the high-level Undead, the Lich, I had seen in the Dungeon did not possess this kind of Death Energy.

To put it plainly, it was on a different level altogether.

“…Ah.”

I instinctively sensed it.

Helena was meddling with something that should not be touched.

But the urge was too strong to resist.

‘Just a little more, I want to see.’

Swish.

Swish.

Helena was captivated, peeling back the chain layer by layer.

One layer. Then another.

Then, she suddenly regretted her actions.

“Ah.”

What she heard was a scream.

The lamentations of the specters, the wails of the gluttons trapped in hell.

Whether real or a vision, such echoes seemed to resound in her ears. Her thoughts came to a standstill, and her senses felt entirely broken.

It was only then that Helena understood.

That overwhelming death energy from just moments ago was merely a sliver of the entity before her.

This should not exist in this world.

The fact that such a thing had even taken on a semblance of human form was hard to believe.

It was, quite literally, living death.

‘…….’

Helena froze like a mouse before a cat, unable to move an inch.

Cold sweat dripped down her face, and her hands and feet shook.

In the midst of that, her mind processed the new information it had just acquired.

People, when faced with extreme terror, often shed tears without realizing it.

‘Ah….’

Helena instinctively knew.

She would die right here and now.

Without ever being able to close her eyes in death, her soul would be devoured without a trace.

The consumed soul would be bound to the present entity for an eternity, suffering endless torment as retribution for its insolence.

In other words, until the end of the world.

At the moment Helena fell into despair, everything tilted in an instant.

Swish.

For some reason, the unfastened chains moved on their own, returning to their original position, and the soul engulfed in death energy vanished, returning to Baek Eun Ha’s body.

Whew.

“Gah, ha.”

I had no idea what just happened.

Right now, I wasn’t even interested in knowing.

In my restored vision, Helena simply sat there blankly, wiping away her tears with a vacant expression.

#

“……”

“Uh, um…”

I was helplessly flustered, unable to make sense of the situation as I stared at the woman before me.

Clearly, after she reached out her hand to me, my memory went blank, and now I was back to my senses, finding her in a daze with a blank expression, trembling uncontrollably.

“T-take it easy…”

“……”

The carefree atmosphere that once reigned was now utterly absent.

Her once beautiful eyes were red and puffy from tears, and her trembling form had cooled, losing all warmth.

It took an incredibly long time to calm down the disheveled Helena.