Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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The memories that followed were incredibly hazy, making it hard to recall anything clearly.

The only two things I could definitely discern were that the man ultimately failed to clear the enormous Gate and that some powerful entity made contact with him after his defeat.

After that, my memories completely faded away.

However, through him, we managed to obtain a very important clue.

“The Dungeon incident didn’t occur only here?”

Initially, I had considered various possibilities, but a vague memory hinted at this realization.

I don’t know the details, but it was clear that the man was also in the position of tackling dungeons against the world’s crisis.

“…This is quite interesting.”

“Indeed, it’s more productive than I expected.”

As I concluded the extraction of memories, I clicked my tongue softly.

I wanted to conduct a few more tests, but the previously liberated power had already begun to wane.

So for now, I decided to finish what needed to be done.

“Gordon, let’s do it again.”

– Yes, Master. I’m ready.

“If you can’t recall something useful this time, you’re out.”

– Th-that…

This was to revive Gordon’s memories from the previous failure.

But since he occasionally seemed to be trying to remember something afterward, I decided to take one more chance, even if it felt like a gamble.

As I gathered the fading power and sweated profusely to complete the ritual, the powerful Death Energy that had been swirling around my body dissipated.

“I didn’t want to rely on necromancy for a while, but…”

There was no helping it today. This opportunity might not come again, so I had to seize it.

And since I obtained results proportional to the risk, I had no complaints.

I collapsed onto the couch with exhaustion and commanded Gordon.

“Yeah, you go out and carry it back home.”

Now, it was time to organize the information I had gained and retreat to my room for another week.

#

After the situation was resolved, the aftermath was swiftly handled.

The news that only three Hunters cleared an S2 Rank Dungeon shocked the world, and the large guilds that had been clinging to my dungeon ownership went silent, hiding like dead mice without uttering a word.

It seemed they suffered great losses while tackling the S4 Rank Dungeon, so they would likely have to devote all their efforts to reorganizing their guilds for a while.

“Shouldn’t they have just handed it over to me earlier?”

Had they done so, they would have cleared the dungeon without any trouble and wouldn’t have suffered losses. How nice would that have been?

It was inevitable that those who hadn’t even fully matured would be greedy.

As I sprawled out on the couch, reading news articles, one caught my eye.

Just yesterday, there was news that S2 Rank Dungeons had appeared in both the United Kingdom and Spain.

While sitting on the couch and checking the news, Song Ha Yeon turned to me and asked.

“I wasn’t expecting this. How was the S2 Dungeon? Do you think other countries can clear it?”

“Uh, who’s to say.”

While we cleared it without too much difficulty, it was indeed a pretty dangerous difficulty for Earth’s Hunters.

It was certain that without Hunters of the Seven Stars level, it would be quite challenging to clear without significant losses.

Song Ha Yeon seemed quite curious about the S2 Rank Dungeon, persistently throwing questions my way with a pleading look.

“Come on, if you don’t know, who would? Please tell me in a bit more detail.”

“Don’t get too close. I might kick you.”

But seriously thinking about it, there were certainly concerns.

“…Maybe the United Kingdom is fine, but Spain probably won’t clear it.”

Unless they borrowed power from another country, it was undoubtedly going to be too much.

Based on my own experience, and considering that those two dungeons appeared later, they would likely be stronger.

“Is that so? Then Helena might also be in danger?”

“Huh? Why her?”

“She’s affiliated with the UK. I heard she’s going into this dungeon too.”

Now that I thought about it, I had been so focused on Hades that I had temporarily forgotten, but Helena was indeed a Hunter from the United Kingdom’s Calliope Guild.

“Now I’m feeling anxious all of a sudden.”

I could no longer exert my power due to the side effects of necromancy. And starting tomorrow, Helena would also enter the dungeon and wouldn’t come out for a while.

If I were the leader of Hades, I would undoubtedly conduct the Resurrection Ceremony at this timing.

“Isn’t it okay? They don’t know you can’t use your power.”

“True, but…”

Something kept bothering me.

Especially, the fact that they are suddenly minimizing their activity after actively participating until recently felt like they were waiting for the right moment.

“Can’t I just tell her not to go?”

“Where’s the logic in that? If it’s an S2 Rank, all high-ranking Hunters affiliated with the country must participate. Unless they abandon their nationality.”

“Why does it have to be at a time like this…”

Of course, unlike me, who had confidence in clearing the dungeon alone, she’d be a significant threat in another country.

It’s only natural they would pour all their strength into it.

“I have a bad feeling about this…”

No matter how much I thought about it, my stomach churned, but there was nothing I could do.

In the end, I thought, “Let it be what it will be,” went into my room, and turned on the computer to focus on the game.

Trying to suppress the unsettling feeling.

#

“Wow, we have a problem…”

In a quaint traditional house.

In a small space within it, a woman fiddled nervously with the cards laid out on the table.

Seo Min Ah, an S Rank Hunter from Korea, known as a Mage.

She had a secret that few knew.

She could glean a glimpse of the future to some extent using her awakening abilities.

“I’ve never seen such ominous divination before.”

The future was extraordinarily mysterious. And in most cases, it was better to leave it untouched rather than tampering with it.

Therefore, Seo Min Ah had never revealed her secret to the country or anyone else until now.

However, this time was different.

She sensed that something incomparably dangerous was slowly approaching.

“I need to draw out more power and confirm this.”

Resolving herself, Seo Min Ah drew on all the magical power she had honed through training and moved the cards again.

Whoosh.

Shwa-raaak!

The cards levitated in the air, dancing at a speed that couldn’t be deciphered, and as time passed, some of them began to land before Seo Min Ah.

Piiing!

Ping!

Thud!

Boom!

Thud!

“…Why is it so ominously chaotic?”

Though she had used this ability countless times, she’d never seen the cards show such erratic movements and end up stuck on the table like this before.

It indicated that this issue was exceptional.

Whoosh.

Twirling.

Tick.

Gradually gathering her power, she began to focus on the cards embedded in the table, interpreting the divination.

First, the initial question.

“What do we see ahead?”

Piiing.

As she drew the first card, a chaotic display of black colors blurred her vision.

And within that, something faintly illuminated.

At a glance, it seemed to take the form of a human, but it was definitely not human.

Simply encountering this fragment of a card invoked a sense of fear.

It stirred an instinctual terror within.

Though she couldn’t articulate that sensation, one word fittingly surfaced in her mind.

“Death.”

It was approaching this planet slowly.

Swallowing hard, Seo Min Ah did not stop there and drew the next card. Then she asked the question.

“Is this a future that can be changed?”

The card that appeared resembled a Joker from a Trump deck.

Its meaning was simple.

It could not be stopped in the ordinary way. However, there might be an existence that could facilitate it.

As she felt her powers reaching their limit and began to struggle for breath, cold sweat dripped from her hand as she drew the last card.

And for the ultimate question, she asked.

“What should I do?”

Piiing.

The card she flipped over revealed the figure of a Lord, looking down at her with a haughty expression.

However, oddly enough, it took the form of a girl, not that of an authoritative sage or heroic figure.

Moreover, her dazzling silver hair fluttered unusually.

“Is this child…?”

A skeleton occupying the throne, and countless corpses that seemed to serve her as if they were attendants.

The hints exactly aligned to someone that Seo Min Ah was quite familiar with.

“……”

Having made her decision, Seo Min Ah immediately set the cards down and prepared to leave the room without hesitation.

In the now-empty room, piles of cards made of magical energy faded away into the air, as if melting into emptiness.