The Legendary Necromancer Takes on the Towers

At the entrance of the Blue Marine hunting ground.

In front of the gathered group, Anderson Hercel explained the rules for this subjugation.

“If an unexpected situation occurs and we get scattered, immediately fire a signal flare. Then get out of the hunting ground and wait within three days. Anyone who doesn’t return after three days will be considered dead and abandoned.”

Those who don’t return are ‘considered dead’ and abandoned. It might have sounded cold, but no one expressed any complaints. 

That meant they all understood how dangerous this place was and acknowledged their own limitations.

“You’ll need to follow along well so you don’t get lost and cry, Mr. Song. This isn’t a place you can survive with just your disgusting skeleton friends.”

David Fortzen advised with a sneer in his voice. I let it go in one ear and out the other as I followed the tense group while observing the surroundings.

-Chirp chirp

The eerie silence gave off a strange feeling. 

Only the chirping of unknown birds broke the stillness. Meanwhile, the fog covering the ground grew thicker as we ventured deeper inside.

[ (　˙-˙　) ] [The fog is thick. Seems like we’re entering their territory.]

Hmm. If I recall correctly, the monsters that frequently appear near Blue Marine’s waters are the eight-eyed eel, mermaids, and mudmen?

[ (　˙ㅁ˙　) ] [That’s right.]

“Everyone be careful!”

Oh. The timing couldn’t be more perfect.

-Splash!

Right after Anderson Hercel’s shout, water droplets showered from beyond the fog. Through it, the silhouette of something massive could be faintly seen. And eight eyes glowing brightly.

“It’s an Eight-Eyed Eel.”

After someone’s quiet murmur, the ‘Eight-Eyed Eel’ revealed its imposing figure from within the fog.

[Eight-Eyed Eel]

– Characterized by eight red eyes on its flat face. Sizes vary but most are heavyweight class.

– Appears at average ±50 level

– Lives in Grade 6 or higher areas

Secretions dripped from its gaping maw.

Sizzle-

Plants that touched it instantly dissolved and died. Trees crushed under its bulk snapped while stones and buildings corroded, emitting smoke. While the Eight-Eyed Eel’s size was enormous, those teeth harboring strong acid were its most threatening feature.

Of course, I’m an exception. Even without the power of 「Breath of Life」, its secretions couldn’t pierce my skin.

“Please leave this to me.”

I was thinking of stepping in since it seemed like it would provide a decent amount of mana, but David Fortzen beat me to it. 

He pushed up his glasses with his index finger, looking quite composed. The others didn’t seem particularly afraid of the Eight-Eyed Eel either.

Hmm…

Everyone’s more proactive than I expected; at this rate, there might be competition over monster kills.

[⌒（⌒_⌒）⌒] [What will you do?]

What else? If I try to steal them openly, I’ll just look like the bad guy, so I’ll have to use some sleight of hand. I don’t care about items, but it would be troublesome to lose all that precious mana.

I picked up a few stones from the ground. Meanwhile, David Fortzen slightly rolled up his sleeve. What he wore on his wrist appeared to be some kind of item.

-Whoosh!

As he lightly swept his arm through the air, thread with hooks extended forward. The thread, moving as if alive, wandered through the air before firmly grabbing the Eight-Eyed Eel’s body.

[KAAAK! KAK!]

The angered Eight-Eyed Eel began to thrash about, but the thread proved sturdier than expected and held firm, giving David Fortzen the opening to activate his ability.

“『Restriction』!”

In that instant, the Eight-Eyed Eel’s movements stopped. As if it had turned to stone. Whatever connects him and his target doesn’t matter. 「Restrainer」was an extremely troublesome ability to deal with when wielded by someone with high achievement and good control.

-Thwack!

David Fortzen leaped up and stabbed the Eight-Eyed Eel’s eye with the sword at his waist.

-Stab!

However, unfortunately, that wouldn’t be enough to deliver a fatal blow.

Right at that moment, not missing the subtle timing, I flicked a stone hard with my finger.

-Thwip, whoosh!

The stone, shot at incredible speed cutting through the air, flashed for an instant. It precisely penetrated where the Eight-Eyed Eel’s vital point was located, its life core.

-Thunk!

And no one here had good enough dynamic vision or keen enough senses to track that.

-Thud.

David Fortzen sheathed his sword and landed, leaving the collapsing Eight-Eyed Eel behind. The glance he gave me showed a face full of heightened arrogance.

“Not bad. Though of course, not as good as the great Lucas.”

“Good work.”

The others, none the wiser, seemed absolutely convinced that David Fortzen had taken down the Eight-Eyed Eel.

Of course. The Eight-Eyed Eel’s mana was steadily flowing into me. While items have no owner, mana is absorbed by whoever delivers the decisive fatal blow.

Heh. One-shotting them—this is the true power of stone bullets.

[ ( ¯⌓¯ ) ] [To think you’d steal it like that. You devil.]

Yeah. Thanks for the compliment.

The situation continued similarly afterward. 

I’d leisurely watch from behind while the others—especially David Fortzen and Anderson Hercel—worked hard to pin down monsters. 

And I’d deliver the finishing blow. Let others put on the show while I reap the benefits.

Actually, my original plan was to only take the prime targets, but (self-proclaimed) stone bullets worked better than expected, so I kept using them. 

Thanks to this, I could conserve energy while gathering plenty of mana. Six stars shouldn’t be far off. As for items, well… I’ll have more than enough later anyway, so no need to be greedy right now. Pretty satisfactory.

If there were any downsides, it would be that I couldn’t raise my skeletons’ achievement points since I was taking all the kills.

Also, that my mana accumulation was still at a standstill. Well. Regarding mana accumulation, I experienced this in previous cycles too. I’ll probably only be able to properly collect it when it’s time to climb the towers.

“As expected, though I predicted it. You’re completely useless.”

Just then, I heard an openly sarcastic voice. It was David Fortzen, who held a grudge against me.

“Mr. Gyu. If you plan to bring acquaintances along in the future, you should think it through more carefully than this.”

To that, Yang Gyu-hyeok smiled with an unreadable expression. Lucas Bolamir, who had half-removed himself from the subjugation at some point, just watched us with indifference. I didn’t particularly respond either.

Whoosh-

During this strange standoff, as a cold wind blew through.

“L-let’s take a break!”

Anderson Hercel, sensing the bad atmosphere, suggested a rest.

Night was falling anyway. We needed to set up camp somewhere suitable and rest. To safely continue the week-long march, managing stamina was necessary. For the others, not me.

-Crackle, crackle

While sitting around the campfire we’d lit, as I was resting against a tree trunk, I overheard Anderson Hercel and Yang Gyu-hyeok’s conversation.

“We’ve been roaming the hunting ground all day, but we still have such a long way to go. At this rate, how much can we accomplish within a week…”

“Hmm. In the current situation, it would be a miracle if we could clear even half of it within a week.”

To Anderson Hercel’s worry, Yang Gyu-hyeok responded with a slight smile. And hearing that, I had to suppress a snicker. 

Because Yang Gyu-hyeok was just putting on an act. He hadn’t shown his full hand yet. In my opinion, if he pulled out the S-grade ability he was hiding now, he could probably subjugate a third of Blue Marine by himself.

The reason he’s not doing that is simple. 

Though they’re team members now, they’ll all be rivals in the upcoming international class rank matches. 

There was no need to show all his cards, or potential weaknesses, in front of them.

Did I mention it before? That he’s an extremely calculating person.

Since this isn’t a solo subjugation, both Yang Gyu-hyeok and I are equally passive about being proactive.

“Ah, come to think of it. There’s something I’m curious about, Mr. Song.”

Suddenly, Anderson Hercel addressed me. Wondering what it was, I looked at him, and he continued with a somehow careful and polite tone.

“I’ve heard that maintaining familiars as a 「Necromancer」 consumes a lot of mana. From what I can see, your ability maintenance time seems quite substantial, are you okay?”

In other words, he’s worried if I’m forcing myself to maintain them. I looked to the side.

-Clatter.

The two orc skeletons looked down at me too. I still can’t tell what they’re thinking.

“I’m fine. I’m just maintaining them by absorbing mana from the atmosphere anyway.”

My mana heart keeps absorbing free mana from the atmosphere as it empties, supplying it continuously. So there’s no burden.

However, the others’ expressions became strange as they looked at me. David Fortzen laughed loudly. Anderson Hercel had a bewildered face before belatedly laughing.

“Haha. Absorbing mana from the atmosphere, that’s an unheard-of idea.”

“But it’s interesting. If such a thing were possible, we could raise achievements more quickly and easily.”

“That’s nice. Perhaps if there were a blacksmith, they could make such an item?”

“Stop with this nonsense. How would you even know if there’s mana in the atmosphere or not? This is the kind of fantasy only children would think up.”

They couldn’t understand the concept of ‘intentionally absorbing mana from the atmosphere’ itself. 

Well… It’s a familiar reaction to me. I didn’t bring it up expecting them to understand anyway. It’s not their fault.

[⌒（⌒_⌒）⌒] [Don’t be too sad. Even if others don’t know, I know everything~]

Who’s sad? You?

[ (≖ᴗ≖ ) ] [Let’s say that.]

That tone. That emoticon. What’s with that? It’s unsettling.

[ ( ͜♡･ω･) ͜♡ ] [♥]

Stop that, it’s creepy.

“Shh.”

Just then, as if sensing something, Lucas Bolamir’s eyes suddenly changed as he put a finger to his lips. 

Simultaneously, I felt a strange presence too. 

Below. 

Very deep below. 

I could detect it thanks to my heightened sixth sense and perception stats, but he seemed to have caught that presence with just his natural senses.

“Hmm, I hear something strange somewhere. Where is it?”

He looked around, apparently unable to pinpoint the exact location. Still, I was impressed. Lucas Bolamir’s sharp senses were extraordinary.

[ ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ ] [He was born with animal-like instincts.]

Right. There’s always someone naturally gifted like that.

“Strange sound?”

Yang Gyu-hyeok’s face tensed as he narrowed his eyes questioningly. He seemed to trust Lucas Bolamir’s instincts quite a bit.

“I don’t hear anything.”

Meanwhile, David Fortzen seemed clueless, and Anderson Hercel was more worried about Lucas Bolamir.

“Aren’t you just tired? Um, I’ll take watch today, so Lucas can rest first…”

“Hmph. Nothing’s more foolish than not trusting the great Lucas’s instincts. I definitely heard an unpleasant sound nearby.”

Around the time Lucas Bolamir went so far as to put his ear to the ground, I also focused on what was below.

-Gruuuuung…

The noise was getting closer. Something that had been swimming deep underground was rapidly rising. 

It seemed enormously large too. If my intuition was right—and it probably was—this was the Great Worm, a super heavyweight monster even among level 60s.

Hmm. At this rate…

[ ╭( ･ㅂ･)و ] [You’re going to experience being launched into the sky!]

Right. That’s probably what’ll happen.

-Gruuuuuuung…!

I jumped to my feet. 

Even if I got launched up, this was to ensure I could land properly afterward. The alert gazes all turned to me at once at my sudden movement.

Right after, the creature came right below us.

Crack-crack-crack!

The area began splitting like a spider web. Stone dust flew as trees and buildings tilted like toys.

“…! Everyone be care—!”

Yang Gyu-hyeok shouted belatedly, but it was already too late by the time they tried to prepare.

-BOOM!

The creature’s snout, having burst up with full force, pierced the ground and struck us.