Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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“No, I told you it was necessary…”

“Well, since you have a history, I can’t trust you at all.”

Serejia, already a mess due to my punishment, finally spilled all the details without hiding anything.

The conclusion was simple.

Though it was an act borne out of some grievances, it was also an essential part of dimensional travel.

“Why the hell is that needed for dimensional travel?”

“Since it’s my first time doing this, there were many trial and errors. Moreover, almost all your power was contained in your soul, making the coordinate settings tricky.”

That’s why, instead of moving both body and soul at once, I decided to send a constructed dummy body first and then pinpoint the soul directly into it.

“If it had been any different, the body and soul might have misaligned, turning into some bizarre three-part combination chimera. Of course, that’s all just theoretical.”

“But why does it look like this? You could’ve just made me look exactly the same!”

“That’s… you see, my divinity allows me to take liberties with such things, and like I said, it carries a bit of petty grudge…”

“So in the end, it’s all because of you. Is that the truth?”

Bam!

Having finished my understanding, I struck Serejia’s head one more time.

Regardless of the initial intent, it ultimately meant that personal feelings had stirred the pot.

It was honestly so petty that it left me sighing, considering such a ridiculous revenge between demigods.

Gazing at Serejia, who was curled up tightly, I immediately issued my command.

“Then there’s nothing holding us back. Return me to normal quickly.”

“No, uhm, that’s… not possible…”

“What nonsense? Do you want to die for real?”

Twisting and turning, she was changing her story again. My growing irritation prompted me to raise my fist again.

“I’m serious! Right now, the boundary between your body and soul has vanished, making it completely indistinguishable.”

At her unexpected claim, I blinked and questioned again.

“What does that even mean? Is there really a difference?”

Of course, I knew my own state best. I believed it resulted from regaining my strength and achieving enlightenment, prompting my growth.

“Well, it’s not about whether it’s good or bad. Moreover, from what I know, for you, it carries somewhat of a special meaning, doesn’t it?”

“What special meaning?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself, just know it by knowledge, but we call that state achieving one’s level on our side.”

“Achieving a level?”

It’s a truly vague expression.

I often spout off things like achieving a level in necromancy, and it’s a scale used across many fields.

“So, it means you’re in a state of readiness.”

“What kind of readiness?”

“Readiness to gain divinity.”

“Are you spewing nonsense again?”

Bam!

With irritation in my strike, Serejia sported an aggrieved expression.

“Wh-why this time…?”

“What’s so special about this? I’ve seen something similar so many times.”

Right among my subordinates, Volcanus held a similar form of soul, and the giant king I encountered at the last massive gate had been no different.

But Serejia did not back down, continuing her speech.

“I already told you. It’s just preparation. Just because cooking prep is done doesn’t automatically make the dish. It’s a matter of whether the materials are prepped or not, a dimensional issue.”

“No, you claimed it had special meaning!”

Serejia paused, then looked at me as if questioning my understanding with incredulity.

“…The fact that someone as strong as you hasn’t reached a level until now is what’s special.”

For sure, hearing it that way, I could vaguely grasp what she wanted to convey.

“So it means I’m amazing, doesn’t it?”

“That is true, but it also feels a bit weird.”

“And thus, you can’t return my body to normal?”

“If you could show some leniency regarding that…”

Towards the now dejected Serejia, I exhaled a deep sigh.

“Fine. Honestly, who cares?”

I’m quite accustomed to living in this body now, and it hasn’t hindered my daily life or combat situations at all.

There’s the minor downside of lacking a bit of dignity, but it comes with its own advantages.

‘Like playing games all bundled up in winter.’

Having shaken off some lingering attachments, I gestured for Serejia to get up and laid out my main business.

“So, all this leisure means you found it, right?”

“Yes. But honestly, it didn’t seem like there was anything to hide.”

“That means there’s a high chance of traps being prepared.”

However, that wasn’t really my worry. Traps only matter if they take effect; they mean nothing against opponents who won’t fall for them.

“I’m leaving tomorrow afternoon. Make sure you prepare.”

“Do you have any plans in the morning?”

“No, waking up early just tires me out.”

“What does that even mean…?”

At this level, honestly, I could go a month without sleeping and be perfectly fine.

It was just a matter of feelings.

Thus, the next day, I set out with Henesia, Astrid, and Serejia.

“…So where is it?”

“In Egypt. Looking at the coordinates, it seems to be in the heart of the Sahara Desert.”

“How annoying to be stuck in such a place!”

Grumbling at Henesia’s remarks, I applied various spells on myself to maintain comfort ahead of time.

Hooong.
Jajajjajjaj.

Once Henesia opened a teleport portal close to the destination, we all stepped inside together.

What unfolded was a yellow space filled with sandstorms and sunlight.

“Moving north for about 5 km will take us to the destination. Since I succeeded in detection last night, it hasn’t budged at all.”

“What a mysterious guy. Does he really have that much confidence?”

Without any tension, we were exchanging random chit-chat as we walked toward our destination.

There, waiting for us, stood a stout middle-aged man who appeared to be of Western descent.

“…You’ve come. I’ve been waiting.”

Seeing his face, I frowned as a strange sense of familiarity washed over me.

“Feels like I’ve seen that somewhere?”

In response to my remark, it was none other than Chae Hwa In, who was inside the Book of Death.

[…It’s Hudson. The former head of the U.S. Association, the one who orchestrated my death.]

With that said, I remembered. He was indeed the mastermind behind the Chae Hwa In incident that had gone missing after retirement.

“You were the puppet master?”

“People are often shocked when they realize that. But in the end, all of them met death.”

Hudson, speaking without a clue, raised his hand with his distinct arrogance.

“You will all be buried here today.”

Boom!
Drudrudrudu!

With Hudson’s gesture, revealed was a massive gate set within an underground chamber.

And with a loud laugh, he opened his mouth at the entrance.

“If you have confidence, then follow me.”

Hooong.

As Hudson vanished, the three of us watching the scene turned to me.

“What should we do?”

“Of course, we should follow. Let’s go take a look.”

However, Serejia and Henesia seemed to have some reservations about it.

“Why?”

“Isn’t there a high chance a high-ranking deity behind this situation is laying in wait inside?”

It was indeed a valid concern, but I shook my head firmly.

“No, that’s impossible.”

This is a sort of rule.

While the energy of Earth may be saturated now, it still wasn’t enough for the culprit to breach over here.

This had been confirmed through conversations with Shin Do Yoon.

“…Then there’s no reason to run away.”

With our worries eased, we strode confidently into the gate Hudson had prepared.

The spectacle inside was, to put it simply, an underwater palace.

“…Uh.”

Simultaneously, a chilling pressure coursed through my entire body, enveloping me everywhere.

Feeling that, Serejia stared at me with a distressed look.

“Y-you said it couldn’t come over?”

“…….”

No, I definitely said it couldn’t come over!

However, as Serejia pointed out, this aura definitely was not that of an ordinary person.

In fact, it was rather similar to the solemn presence I felt from Shin Do Yoon earlier.

And at the entrance to the palace, someone appeared alongside Hudson.

“…Glad to meet you, outsiders.”

The man had the upper body of a human but the lower half of a fish, his hair flowing like a dragon’s whisker in the waves.

I tried to quickly gauge his strength, but it was difficult to measure.

“My name is the Sea God Tyndalus. They say I am the ruler of the planet Pludon.”

And,

“I am the being who will send you into eternal slumber.”

With the conclusion of his words, a massive tidal wave engulfed us mercilessly.