Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

---

‘Is this the Throne?’

It definitely felt different. I can’t quite explain it, but fundamentally, it had that vibe.

Like I’d finally returned to the place where I belonged.

The scenery, like a perfectly fitting puzzle piece, brought me a bizarre sense of fulfillment.

“So, what do I do now?”

“We must proceed with the ceremony for succession. However, this is my first time attempting it as well, so I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

Hearing that made me suddenly feel a bit uneasy.

It seemed Serejia felt the same, asking with a somewhat anxious tone.

“You said I have to participate in the ceremony, but what will happen to me?”

“I don’t know. It’s such a unique case that I can’t provide a clear answer for anyone.”

“No matter how I look at it, I can only picture a scenario where I serve my purpose and die…”

Serejia shivered and took a few steps back from the Throne.

I wanted to ease her worries, but frankly, I couldn’t argue with the logic behind her fear.

“Anyway, isn’t that the way of things?”

“…Can’t I just not do it?”

To Serejia, whose gaze began to waver, I whispered a word of comfort.

“If you don’t want to, don’t do it.”

“Huh?”

“Your life is at stake here. From that point on, it’s your choice.”

I’ve always repaid kindness and vengeance alike.

And if we’re being honest, Serejia leaned more toward the side of kindness than vengeance.

That’s why forcing her into this felt off to me.

Serejia looked at me strangely while trembling in fear.

“You aren’t the type to say things like this…”

“Pfft, then just be sacrificed. We’re out of time, so make a decision quickly.”

Serejia stiffened her expression and started to ponder seriously.

She had the duty to devote herself to protect Thebes, but that now held no meaning.

In other words, from here on, it was really a moment for her to decide for herself.

And soon, Serejia nodded and stepped forward.

“I’ll do it. I can’t back out now that I’ve come this far.”

With that, everyone steeled their resolve.

We gathered in front of the Throne and promptly followed Rama’s instructions.

“Then, let’s begin the ceremony.”

It was highly advanced, but honestly, it wasn’t anything too special.

As Rama said, the ceremony was simply about pressing the start button for succession. Ultimately, all of it depended on me as the subject.

“…Here it comes. Don’t resist, just comply.”

Thus, I slowly sat on the Throne and fell into a space of unconsciousness.

#

“…Where am I?”

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a barren wasteland with not a single blade of grass.

Dust storms raged about, and all I could see was the yellowed ground of the vast space.

The only thing here was me. I realized in an instant that this place wasn’t reality.

‘So this is how it comes out.’

This was probably some sort of process or trial.

The moment I completed everything I had to do in this space and stepped out, I would break the vessel and gain divinity, becoming the true King of the Underworld.

I glanced around, slowly drawing a circle in the air, and came to a conclusion.

‘This isn’t a question with a predetermined answer.’

I had to create and forge my own answers right then and there. That intuition dug into my mind.

“Ugh, there’s no easy way to go until the end.”

I plopped down on the ground and started pondering what I could do to produce an answer.

However, it didn’t take long for me to reach a conclusion.

“No, how am I supposed to know that?”

No matter how much I thought about it, not knowing was just not knowing. Moreover, Rama hadn’t given any hints about this situation either.

In that case, I had no choice but to try one thing at a time.

‘It’s an empty space.’

Such a setup must have some meaning. Therefore, filling this place with something was also one method.

I subtly incited some death energy and summoned the most basic Undead, a Skeleton.

Swish.

Yet for some reason, even after perfectly completing the incantation, there was no response.

As I faced the long-awaited failure in summoning for the first time in a while, I finally comprehended the true meaning of this space.

“…Indeed, I shouldn’t do it the way I’ve always done?”

Well, that’s true.

Normally, wouldn’t a divine being go through the trouble of writing out incantations and gathering power?

No. At least none of the beings I’ve encountered did.

They wielded their powers freely through divine energy, easily bringing about phenomena that were theoretically inexplicable.

In other words, from this moment on, I also had to handle power like them.

I began recalling my past experiences one by one and finally spoke softly.

“Rise.”

Whoosh.

Bam!

Boom!

I didn’t use any death energy.

Moreover, I neither crafted incantations nor completed any spell.

I merely uttered a single word with my will.

But that was enough.

In an instant, thousands of Skeletons lined up before me, all kneeling and bowing their heads.

Boom.

Creak.

Creeeak.

The sight filled me with intense satisfaction. It even brought a slight chuckle, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“What was I worried about?”

Now I could understand.

At this moment, what I was building right here would become my divinity.

The values and will I had pursued thus far. Everything would fill this vast wasteland, becoming my very source and symbol.

“…”

There are many choices before me.

I could summon hundreds of thousands of Undead and fill this place with my army, or I could summon the entirety of the Underworld.

However, after finishing my contemplation, I returned all the summoned soldiers back to the earth, summoning just one Undead anew.

Whoosh.

Bam!

Creeeak.

It was a rather shabby and pitiful Skeleton.

With numerous scratches all over, resembling a chipped blade, its frame was small, and its posture was even slouched.

Nothing about it was special; in fact, it was filled with shortcomings.

But that frail one brought me immense strength and courage back then.

“Even back then, you were enough for me.”

With those words, the Skeleton clicked its teeth together, seemingly delighted.

It may or may not have memories and emotions, but if it did, by now it would be overwhelmed with nostalgia.

That frail thing had, after all, grown so massive.

As I reminisced about the time that had passed, I waved one hand horizontally.

In an instant, my view changed, and my figure seated on the Throne came into sight.

Whoosh.

Thud.

“…Congratulations on the King’s return.”

The vessel lost its form.

And the emptiness was filled by something entirely new.

“…”

Personally, it felt as if I had simply shed a heavy layer of clothing, but at least I could be sure of one thing.

‘Refreshing.’

I had grown stronger. To an extent that it was truly incomparable to my former self.

Right now, I felt like I could tear apart that Tindalus from before, even if a truckload of them came at me.

“Is this what you call omnipotence?”

As I waved my finger, the space shrouded in mist rippled, and a powerful wave surged.

The dark-blue mist spreading in every direction, with violet waves flowing in between.

Even if this place was merely a divine residence, it was undoubtedly the appearance of the Underworld.

“Now this is something I can work with.”

Smiling in satisfaction, I stood up from the Throne and opened the door leading back to Earth once more.

“How much time has passed?”

“Just a little over a day.”

I had a rough idea.

Thebes was like that too, and I felt as if time flowed differently in that wasteland than outside.

“I need to hurry.”

So we stepped through the door, and along with achieving my perfect accomplishment, the space I had created for training also disappeared immediately.

‘…Well, I could just wipe it away now if I wanted to.’

What awaited us as we emerged outside was Shin Do Yoon, looking quite bewildered.

“…You’ve done something outrageous.”

“Why, is there a problem?”

“No, you did well. However, this will cause situations to shift abruptly.”

That was something I had also imagined.

Since I had obtained power outside of expectations, it was only natural that the energy density on Earth would also increase dramatically.

In other words, the enemies no longer needed to be cautious.

“I will push all plans forward. Are you prepared?”

“That was never needed from the start.”

“Good. I can count on you.”

With that, Shin Do Yoon steeled himself and vanished immediately.

Perhaps a decisive battle that could determine the future of all this was now just around the corner.