Typically, a Necromancer is defined as a profession that wields dark magic to assault enemies, raising the corpses of the fallen to obstruct an opponent’s advance.
While such a description might sound appealing, their inherent combat prowess is meager.
Furthermore, in large-scale battles where they might prove useful, they are often cast aside due to their incompatibility with the essential party role of a Priest.
But what good was any of that now?
CRACKLE—!
With a single swing of the greatsword, the club the foe wielded shattered.
The greatsword, its speed undiminished, then cleaved through the enemy’s skull.
The grotesque sight, startling even me slightly, seemed to utterly strip the remaining half of the enemies of their will to fight.
This was hardly surprising, as the very foes I had just slain were now reanimating as skeletal warriors, supporting me from all sides.
“Rise.”
GRIND—!
[ LUCKY! Luck has been triggered by skill activation! ]
[ Skeleton (LV10) transforms into Elite Skeleton (LV10)! ]
The very foe whose head I had cleaved, now resurrected immediately.
A long crack marred its skull, yet it rattled its bones, stretched its limbs, and then stood proudly beside me.
“……Are you seriously calling yourself an Elite Skeleton?”
Its swaggering posture, as if it had just been promoted to a squad leader, was utterly absurd.
What kind of AI would even program such an attitude into a skeleton?
“Y-you, you bastard.”
Philemore, who had been so audacious moments ago, had long since gone pale.
The beggars, swiftly annihilated by Mado’s and my attacks, were now resurrecting as undead.
It was a phenomenon sufficient to make the overconfident fool, who had relied solely on sheer numbers, finally grasp reality.
“You’re speaking informally (TL Note: Banmal refers to informal speech in Korean, typically used among close friends or by superiors to inferiors.), you bastard.”
I ground my teeth, a guttural ‘Grrr’ escaping me, and raised my sword.
Somehow, as I transferred the pent-up frustrations I’d felt earlier onto this individual, my anger grew increasingly genuine.
It was almost as if the face of that GM Rae person was superimposed over theirs.
“Do you have nothing better to do than mock me?”
“……But I’ve never seen you before?”
“Shut up!”
Philemore flinched and recoiled, wearing a wronged expression.
The sight brought a strange sense of satisfaction, a surging relief.
–Why are you scolding them so much, lmao.
–This person is serious right now;;
–NPC fighting alongside slum beggars VS Necromancer intimidating opponents with undead. Which one’s the villain?
–Definitely the latter, lol.
“……Stop him, stop that man!”
The only one left was the bodyguard who had been protecting Philemore from the start.
It offered no reply, yet stepped forward as if it were the most natural thing.
The sight was deeply unsettling.
It displayed no trace of tension, fear, or terror.
Autonomous AIs, like Philemore or the beggars, typically exhibit reactions almost identical to humans.
This suggested either the bodyguard was incredibly powerful, or perhaps……
CRASH—! CRASH—! CRASH—!
‘That lunatic.’
What instantly shattered all those thoughts was the sound of its footsteps.
A hulking female figure, stomping with what sounded like an ultimate skill (TL Note: ‘Jingak’ often refers to a powerful, ultimate skill or awakened ability in Korean gaming contexts, implying a forceful, impactful movement.), was thundering towards me, shaking the very ground.
I sent my skeletal warriors to slow her down, but she merely ‘smashed’ through everything in her path, charging relentlessly.
“Stop, you bastard.”
CLANG—!
Mana surged from my hand, forming a chain that bound her body: Dark Chains, a spell learned immediately after becoming a Necromancer.
SNAP—!
“……That’s just ridiculous.”
However, aside from a momentary restraint, the chains simply burst apart like flimsy garbage.
Indeed, I had neglected to invest much into my Intelligence stat while leveling up.
“Mado!”
“Yes!”
Following my shout, her reply came, accompanied by a sudden surge of buffs.
While buffs from Priest-class professions were unavailable, those from fellow mages were perfectly applicable.
[ Strength slightly increases! ]
[ Agility slightly increases! ]
[ Stamina increases! ]
Witnessing all these messages, I charged directly towards her.
As soon as the distance between us closed, she began wildly swinging her fists.
I focused on evading her attacks, employing a more defensive sword style.
After all, I was no swordsman, and thus received no skill corrections for my swordsmanship.
Defeating an opponent with similar or superior stats was an arduous task.
But who said I was fighting alone?
STAB—!
One of the dagger-wielding skeletons slashed across her thigh.
Immediately after, it was crushed under her foot, yet—
“Rise.”
It reassembled itself into its original form.
Since it was merely a humble skeleton, my mana reserves remained plentiful, even without wielding a staff.
That was merely the beginning.
WHAM—!
Another skeleton slammed a club into her shin.
While it didn’t inflict significant damage, her movements noticeably slowed for a moment.
A long wooden staff struck the back of her neck.
Again, no visible damage, but her body stiffened all the same.
Like honeybees swarming a hornet to smother it, the relentless attacks of the surging skeletons caused her movements to falter repeatedly.
SLICE—!
And each time, my own attack found its mark.
The skeletons were performing beyond their expected role.
Inevitably, she seemed intent on creating distance, striving to break free from the encirclement of the attacking skeletons.
“Burn to ashes!!!”
BOOM—!
However, that movement too was intercepted by Mado.
A fireball, imbued with considerable magic through prolonged chanting, struck her upper body directly, finally causing her massive frame to stagger and sway.
CRUNCH—!
And with that, it was over.
I rushed forward and plunged my sword into her abdomen, and only then, as if her strength had finally given out, did she collapse, the blade still embedded in her.
SWIRL—!
A flurry of blue light spread from the wound.
Gazing at the beautiful spectacle that belied such a death, I whispered softly.
“Rise.”
[ LUCKY! Luck has been triggered by skill activation! ]
[ SUPER★JACKPOT! An additional evolution occurs with an extremely rare chance during the luck check! ]
[ Skeleton (LV23) transforms into Elite Skeleton (LV23)! ]
[ Elite Skeleton (LV23) transforms into Elite Skeleton Warrior (LV23)! ]
CLATTER—!
Like in its living days, a figure half again as large as the other skeletons rose.
I could instantly feel that the aura emanating from its body was on an entirely different level from the others.
……Of course, beyond that abstract feeling, I couldn’t help but notice it was devouring mana equivalent to five other skeletons.
“……H-how?”
Philemore seemed the most utterly shocked by the situation.
As if still unable to accept the loss of their last hope, they clutched their trembling legs and crawled across the floor like an insect.
They seemed intent on escaping somehow, but by now, that was surely impossible.
“Will you come quietly, or would you prefer to die and have only your head placed in a box?”
“……”
I stepped closer and whispered softly beside them, causing them to freeze, eyes wide.
“What are you agonizing over, you b*tch (TL Note: A derogatory term, ‘inyun-a,’ used to insult a woman.)? Do you want to die here instead?”
“……Capture, please capture me alive!”
SHIVER—
Watching them tremble and desperately bow their head, I sighed.
“Ha, now I finally feel a little refreshed.”
–Wait, was that really just blowing off steam? Lmao.
–Is this what this room is usually like?
–The host is seriously wicked as hell (TL Note: ‘Botna saakhane’ is a highly vulgar slang term used to emphasize an adjective, similar to ‘f***ing wicked’ or ‘wicked as hell.’ Due to its vulgarity, a strong English equivalent is used.);;
–But honestly, it’s kinda hot? The host going dark, yeah.
–I wish they’d grab my hair and call me ‘you b*tch’ too lol.
“……I did not grab anyone’s hair.
Please refrain from such slander.
****
[ Quest – Bounty Hunter has been cleared! ]
[ Reward – 28000 EXP ]
[ Other rewards can be claimed from the Gerthain Imperial Family! ]
After their capture, I handed Philemore over to the Imperial Guard.
The Imperial Guard attempted to spin some tales (TL Note: ‘Ippareul teoleodaetjiman’ literally means ‘they shook their teeth,’ a slang expression for talking nonsense or trying to trick someone with words.), claiming I wasn’t a officially recognized bounty hunter, but I simply ignored their bluster.
Had I naively fallen for their tricks, some trivial side quest would undoubtedly have popped up, and those usually resulted in a net loss.
“We did it easily, right?”
“Yes, we really did.
It ended so easily.
Necromancers are pretty good, aren’t they?”
Mado smiled brightly, echoing my words.
While her radiant grin was certainly due to the satisfaction of clearing the quest, it was just as likely attributed to the gold coins she had carefully tucked away in her waist pouch.
It was part of the initial reward paid by the Imperial Guard.
They had mentioned more would be officially disbursed later, so I forcibly stuffed the gold coins into Mado’s pocket when she tried to decline.
As a result, she had been in that state ever since: bouncing around and grinning like she was walking on clouds.
“How is it? It tastes pretty good, right?”
“…….It’s fine.
But do you really have to phrase it like that?”
“Huh? Phrase what?”
‘What on earth is the problem?’
When I asked again, completely at a loss, she simply looked exasperated.
“No, seriously, am I the only pervert? You all thought it too!”
Mado’s ‘you all’ was, of course, directed at her viewers and my broadcast’s viewers.
–Oh dear;;; what’s she saying;;; only she would think that;;;
–I, I don’t know anything, dechuung……
–No, are you a pervert???????
–Tsk, tsk, you lewd woman.
However, what flooded in simultaneously was nothing but condemnation.
Watching Mado shout back and begin arguing with her viewers, I merely shrugged.
“Their chat room seems really harmonious.
Will ours become like that later?”
–Har?monious lololol.
–No, at this point it’s not WWE, it’s UFC haha.
They’re choking each other.
–Choking with Hyun-ssam? Oh, kinda hot……
–Seriously, choking is a bit tempting, though?
–You guys are insane lolololol.
As we exchanged these lighthearted jokes, a scream suddenly erupted from Mado’s direction.
AIIIIIEEEEE—!
Turning my head at her frantic shriek, I saw an expression on her face as if the world had collapsed.
“Aargh! No! That, that person!!!”
Mado, frothing at the mouth, shrieked towards something, her eyes bulging as if they might pop out.
I looked in the direction she was screaming and pointing.
Far in the distance, a small child was running away with all their might.
And clutched in their hand was…… the very pouch of gold coins Mado had tucked into her waist earlier.
“……She got robbed already?”
I was simply dumbfounded.
