The Legendary Necromancer Takes on the Towers

Right after finishing the interview with the reporter, I headed to the eastern hunting ground and finally decided to try out «Necromancer».

[S.Necromancer] Lv. 2

Basic Effects

– Command two loyal skeleton minions that emit a foul odor. Limited to monsters level 70 or below.

– Minions’ detailed levels are revealed and increase based on merit points. Survival and regeneration rates significantly increase in certain fields.

Additional Options

– <1> Increases all minions’ strength by 1.5x

Linked Skills

– Shadow Storage (Level 1)

: Store minions in your shadow. They’ll disappear if mana required for maintenance becomes insufficient.

“Time to see my stinking bone friends again.”

But first, I need materials.

Monster corpses.

[Gak!]

[Kaak!]

I destroyed their life cores cleanly while trying to preserve their bodies as much as possible. The head needs to be well-preserved too—there’s this troublesome condition where you can’t raise headless corpses as skeletons.

Once you acquire the ability, you naturally learn the activation word: “Arise.”

I learned all this from trying it out in previous regressions. Usually, there’s a lot you have to figure out yourself since the basic description doesn’t tell you everything, but thankfully I could skip that hassle since I’d used it before.

And Jiraffer… has never once explained anything about these abilities. Always deflecting, saying it can’t teach me directly.

Seriously. Why not butt in about stuff like this instead?

[ ( ･᷄ὢ･᷅ ) ] [Sigh. What I can’t teach, I can’t teach. Be a good child and figure things out yourself.]

[Kak!]

[Chiruruk…]

Several goblins and orcs lay dead. This should be enough corpses.

Looking over the pile of bodies, I decided to raise two orcs in their 30s. This eastern hunting ground was rank 8, so it only had monsters up to level 30—couldn’t be helped.

Well. Right now I just want to test the ability’s performance anyway. If they’re not helpful later, I can always switch them out for stronger ones.

Placing my hand over the corpses, I mentally recited the activation word. As dark, ominous energy swirled around, the flesh quickly melted away. Underneath, thick white bones began to emerge.

[Death’s traces have detected the energy of one who would be master.]

[Do you wish to subjugate this skeleton?]

YES.

Clatter-

The scattered bones began to move. At the same time, a stench that made me wrinkle my nose wafted over. What was it called again, the smell of death?

[⌒（⌒_⌒）⌒] [That’s right.]

Being just bones, at least the stench isn’t as bad as rotting corpses… if that’s any consolation.

The two beings, taller than me, looked down at me with empty eye sockets before kneeling. Using the «Necromancer» ability, I could see their detailed levels.

[Direct Minion List (2/2)]

– Lv. 35 Orc

– Lv. 35 Orc

Level 35. 

I’d heard orc corpses sometimes spawn as low as the late 20s in level, so getting level 35 ones was a pretty good start.

They might stink, but they never betray their master. Beings that can grow stronger indefinitely as long as you level them up.

This is exactly why I saw potential in the «Necromancer» ability, why I had a gut feeling it would help me.

“Ugh, shit.”

Just then, I heard a quiet cry from not far away. Someone passing by must have been startled by the moving bones.

The man turned and ran away.

Actually, I’d seen Necromancers several times in previous regressions, but most were treated as pariahs. The Necromancers themselves often tried to hide their ability, or it was accidentally revealed.

Since maintaining skeletons constantly drains mana, nobody except someone like me would use it properly. That’s why even I didn’t realize it was an S-rank ability for a while…

So I understand. A human walking around with bones—monster bones at that. It’s bound to be unsettling. 

Even if you say “My pets don’t bite,” not many people would believe you.

Anyway, I don’t really care about others’ opinions, I just hope this ability will be the key to breaking my regression cycle.

“What are you good at?”

I asked before properly putting the skeletons to use. The two who had been hanging their heads low looked up at me. They glanced at each other, then back at me, rattling their jaws.

They definitely understand speech. Seems like they’re trying to express themselves but can’t actually speak.

As I stood there trying to make sense of it, they suddenly showed different behavior.

Clatter, clatter.

One’s thick bone fingers curled into a fist. Looking in the direction they were staring, I saw another orc lumbering toward us.

[Chweek?]

The living orc seemed confused seeing its skeletal brethren, but…

CRACK!

The skeleton rushed in and smashed its kinsman’s skull. The force was so powerful—wow. Better than I expected?

Click click, clack.

The skeleton that had crushed its kin without hesitation clicked its teeth at me.

Hmm. 

Pass. 

Looks like I can make good use of these two orcs for now.

* * *

Afterward, I spent three weeks raiding hunting grounds non-stop with my two orc skeletons leading the charge. Their “merit points” must have stacked up nicely because their levels had shot up.

[Direct Minion List (2/2)]

– Lv. 60(▲25) Orc

– Lv. 60(▲25) Orc

At this point, they could take down most monsters with a single bone fist. Plus, all the mana from monsters they killed was absorbed by me, so it was killing two birds with one stone.

Thanks to that, my achievement rose to 5 stars.

All items dropped by monsters the skeletons killed were mine too.

…Of course.

Feeling like I was running a salt mine slave operation, I told them they could keep anything they wanted. They each took a sword and an iron club. With weapons equipped, they looked even more brutal.

Thanks to them, the raids went smoothly. This was exactly the kind of issue that would make people—mainly non-awakened—cheer, so the public was always watching and buzzing about my actions.

[Song Gi-hyeon’s Continuous Raid March!]

[“No More Hunting Grounds?” Seoul Cleaned Up]

[Rank 6 Hunting Grounds Vanish!]

But it wasn’t all positive attention. In fact, my reputation among domestic awakened ones—hunters—was quite poor.

[Voices of Concern… Domestic Hunter Society Could Be Shaken]

[Despite Continuous Hunting Ground Raids “Can’t Just Be Happy…”]

From their perspective, I’m the bad guy taking away their livelihood. While monster waves happen fairly regularly, you never know exactly when the next one will occur.

Until then, they have to survive on the monthly salary from the Association or work other jobs, so they can’t look favorably on me.

Well. Obviously, I have no reason to sympathize with their situation one by one.

[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [Not many domestic hunting grounds left now.]

That’s right. All that’s left are the southern Korean Peninsula area I’ve been putting off because it’s far, and a few rank 10 and 9 grounds in Gyeonggi-do.

I’ve already cleared all the rank 6 hunting grounds, the highest in Korea. Since I can’t achieve much more with the small hunting grounds left in Korea, it’s time to look overseas.

Hmm. Where should I go first?

Countries with towers like the US and China have quite a few named hunting grounds. Areas with at least rank 5 where monsters up to level 60 appear.

The problem is… The more renowned the area, the stricter the national management and entry restrictions.

Joining a guild would make it easier to access hunting grounds, but… I had no intention of joining any guild for this regression.

It’s a troubling point.

Clatter-

Suddenly sensing shade above my head, I looked up. Empty eye sockets of skulls seemingly looking down at me. Behind them, monster corpses were piled like mountains.

Since getting their weapons, they’d started clearing hunting grounds on their own without me having to do anything.

“Good work.”

The two orcs quickly clicked their teeth and bounced their shoulder bones up and down. Were they happy, perhaps?

Bzzt-

Just then, my phone in my pocket vibrated. Checking the caller, it was Yang Gyu-hyeok. First time since leaving a missed call a few weeks ago.

“Yes, Song Gi-hyeon speaking.”

“Ah, this is Yang Gyu-hyeok. Do you have time today?”

He seems concerned about not returning my call after leaving a missed one last time.

“I’m free. What’s the matter?”

“I have something to propose to you. I needed confirmation by today, so I’m glad I reached you.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes. Are you interested in raiding a rank 5 hunting ground?”

“How could I not be? You must know what I’ve been up to lately, Mr. Yang.”

“Haha. True. I was pretty confident asking. Actually, I received a raid offer. ‘Blue Marine’ in Michigan, USA.”

I already know about this. It was because Yang Gyu-hyeok achieved significant results there that his path to A-class became easier.

But why is he telling me…

“Would you like to join us?”

What?

“Including me, there are four people on the raid team. Two B-class, two C-class. We’ve got approval. The raid is scheduled for a week, but might finish faster depending on the situation. But if it’s too much—”

“When is it?”

“Pardon?”

“I’m asking when we’re going. So I can clear my schedule. No reason not to go.”

Who’d have thought connections would pay off here? What luck. No point working hard raiding rank 8 and 9 grounds down south when one rank 5 hunting ground is worth more.

And now this offer. I couldn’t help but welcome it.

[ ( ˙ꇴ˙ ) ] [So this is how this connection plays out.]

I know, right? Good thing I got his number back then.

“Can you come to my family home by seven tomorrow evening? We have a private jet, so we’ll take that.”

“Sounds good. Let’s do that.”

Yang Gyu-hyeok gave me his home address and ended the call saying he’d see me tomorrow.

…’Blue Marine’, huh.

An area that first appeared five years ago but failed to be contained, gradually expanding until reaching its current impressive size. And now destined to be my excellent lunch.

[ (ㆆ_ㆆ) ] [What an evil expression. Your true intentions are way too obvious.]

Ahem.

Click click click-

“Why are you two laughing?”

Tsk…

…Anyway.

Originally, Yang Gyu-hyeok and the original team members were supposed to succeed in “halving” the place. But this time, my presence will change that outcome.

Already, many things are different from what I knew in the previous regression. While there were always variables, never had they been as significant as in this regression.

At this rate, many more things will change going forward… Thinking about it, I start feeling a motivation I’ve never had before.

I used the linked skill ‘Shadow Storage’ to put the skeletons in my shadow, then headed home.