Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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After finishing the call with Joseph and confirming the aftermath of the battle on screen, I fell into deep contemplation.

‘… No matter how I think about it, it seems right.’

At first, I thought it might be a misconception, but once I got a grasp of it, I became certain soon enough.

The owner of that sword strike was indeed a person I knew from Thebes.

‘How on earth?’

It was a shocking situation, but thinking back, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Since Serejia, who had helped me during the dimensional shift, was in Thebes as well, if the right conditions were met, it wouldn’t be difficult to pull off the same feat.

‘So could it really be?’

Rumor had it that the invaders who attacked Russia and the U.S. were an unidentifiable duo.

If that were the case, it was highly likely that another person I knew was also here.

‘…Astrid and Henesia, huh.’

As I mentioned before, I had no formal apprentices in necromancy, but there were those who had been taken under my wing for a while. Those were Astrid Luminium and Henesia Robin.

And if the two were indeed the assailants, I could easily guess the reason they mentioned my name.

‘No doubt they’re looking for me.’

I thought they would just be doing fine on their own, but this had turned into quite a nuisance.

Moreover, this made the situation significantly more complicated.

I had maintained my stance of being unrelated to the attackers, yet it turned out I was connected after all?

‘Could they recognize me as I am now?’

If I were to show them a few skills, convincing them would be easy, but that wasn’t an option right now.

At least until my powers returned, it seemed best not to contact those two.

“Master, isn’t this situation quite dangerous? It’s getting bigger than I expected.”

“…I don’t know. If we can just last for four days, we’ll manage somehow.”

For now, my relationship with those two remained a secret from everyone around us.

Four days.

I had to endure without causing friction with anyone for at least four days.

I vowed to stay holed up at home without even going to the convenience store, and crawled back under the covers of my bed.

#

Boom!

“What on earth is happening?”

As of now, the upper echelons of the Hunter Association in the U.S., among others, were absolutely furious.

They were already troubled by recent involvement, and now it turned out their country’s S Rank Hunters had been turned into pulp by an unexpected group of assailants.

And it was three of them, no less.

“Is that even possible? Did the standards for S Rank suddenly drop without my knowledge? Speak up!”

“Please calm down and relax. It’s not something so simple.”

“What do you mean?”

As soon as he returned, the association president, McKean, was greeted by the vice president, Joshua, who looked like he had a headache.

“It’s really hard to believe, but it seems the attackers possess quite exceptional skills. The three S Rank Hunters involved this time are all seasoned veterans. They are not opponents that could be easily taken down.”

“Then that doesn’t make sense! Where on earth did such individuals come from?”

“I’m puzzled about that too. At first, I thought it might have been someone meddling from the Seven Stars, but it seems that’s not the case either.”

“This is quite the headache.”

McKean shook his head and flopped into a chair.

Recently, the upper management’s chastising had been relentless. But McKean had no choice but to remain cautious.

After all, three S Ranks had fallen; sending pursuit units would only end in disaster.

“Forming an alliance with Russia seems ideal after all. Are there any advancements in negotiations?”

“Russia is firmly willing to cooperate. The Korean side has also offered assistance in tracking down the assailants.”

“What about that Baek Eun Ha fellow?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. Besides the assailants mentioning his name, we haven’t found any connections. I heard Baek Eun Ha has entered training, so he’s refusing contact with the outside world for the time being.”

“…I really can’t make heads or tails of this. For now, let’s hear back from him as soon as we can.”

“Yes, that might be best.”

Despite being a long-standing powerhouse of Hunters globally, the U.S. was currently in a shaky position.

Thus, it was imperative to resolve the situation as quickly and accurately as possible this time around.

And just then, news reached them of powerful reinforcements.

Thud.

“They’re still around. I just received an urgent message.”

“William? What’s the matter?”

He was William Scott, who held a significant position within the National Security Agency of the U.S.

And if it was a crucial message from the NSA…

“Could it be that he…?”

“Just as you thought. I managed to get in touch and secured a commitment to collaborate.”

One of the Seven Stars and a first-generation Hunter who had made a name for himself since the early days of the Day of Change: Ryan Bristol, known by the title of the Thunder God, declared his involvement in the situation.

#

Swoosh!

Above an ocean where waves were rolling, two women were flying through the air.

It was none other than Astrid and Henesia.

“Well, I think I have a rough idea of how this planet works. In some ways, it’s much more advanced than Thebes, but on the flip side, the average combat capabilities of humans seem lower.”

“I’ll leave the course of action to you.”

“Well, that makes sense. Since I’m not really good at this, it’s probably best to conceal my power. Let’s quickly track down the teacher’s trace.”

Just like in Thebes, they were both considered transcendent geniuses in their respective fields.

Among them, Henesia had already grasped most of Earth’s systems using her special talents, and she was perfectly adapted in terms of knowledge.

“So, what did you think about those S Rank Hunters we encountered?”

“…They weren’t weak.”

“That’s a boring assessment. Seems like it’s rare to find a strong opponent that can pose a threat to you.”

Henesia could observe from the side and knew that those S Rank Hunters were indeed strong. They were probably talents that could secure a place anywhere in Thebes.

However, merely being that strong wasn’t enough to surpass Astrid right in front of them.

Her sword was truly powerful and terrifying.

She had reached a level difficult to find proper comparisons even in Thebes’s long history.

‘Of course, they are still far from our teacher…’

At least both had grown much more than before. And she wanted to show this clearly to Baek Eun Ha.

“We’re soon reaching our destination, Korea. Let’s not cause any unnecessary commotion and quietly slip in.”

“Okay. I’ll suppress my magic.”

Whoosh.

The trace of the magic that vanished in an instant became undetectable, even though they were right beside it.

Still an astounding control over magic.

“Seriously, you’re like a monster.”

“…I’ve just practiced so I won’t embarrass the teacher.”

Before their view, the distant land began to come into sight.

Checking their invisibility spell once more, Astrid and Henesia slowly concealed themselves within the clouds.

#

“… I’m bored.”

It had already been two days since I decided to remain cooped up indoors.

Rolling on the sofa, I kept voicing my complaints.

I still had two whole days until my power returned, yet I just couldn’t stay still.

Since there hadn’t been any additional problems so far, I had relaxed a little.

“Can’t I just go out?”

“Seo Ha might worry. She won’t return until tomorrow due to entering the A Rank Dungeon.”

“But you’re here. You can protect me.”

“Tch. Didn’t you just say not too long ago that I wasn’t even at that level?”

Still, thanks to the intense training during my power loss, Song Ha Yeon had developed a more refined necromancy.

It was somewhat unexpected, but honestly, it felt like S Rank wasn’t that far off anymore.

“You really do have talent. It’s impressive how well you’re growing without much interference.”

“…Doesn’t that mean you’ve been neglecting me for quite a while? It’s like you haven’t been answering my calls at all.”

“You don’t understand. To grow properly, one needs time alone.”

That was, in fact, a lie. I had also been busy with other matters lately, and, ultimately, it was just out of laziness.

Anyway, since Astrid and Henesia were quieter than expected, and Song Ha Yeon had really leveled up, I figured there wouldn’t be any problems with a short outing.

I pulled Song Ha Yeon along as we headed for the entrance.

“Come on. We’re going to the arcade.”

“…Well, a short trip should be fine.”

And I was left with no choice but to regret that decision within just one minute.

Whoosh.

Ding!

Brrrhhh…

On the first floor, as the elevator doors opened, two women with strikingly familiar faces stared at me and Song Ha Yeon.