Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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After dealing with Tindalus and Hudson, I promptly met with Shin Do Yoon, accompanied by Serejia.

“So, care to explain a bit?”

“…To be honest, I didn’t expect an enemy of that level to come. I apologize for bringing this crisis upon us.”

Unexpectedly, he was quick to accept it. Shin Do Yoon acknowledged his mistake with a stoic demeanor.

Seeing this, Serejia opened her mouth as if she found it somewhat fascinating.

“So this is the one from Earth…?”

“That’s right. Young demigod. Now that I think about it, I should be thanking you.”

“Why?”

Serejia tilted her head, not understanding, and I too was intrigued and focused my attention.

Then Shin Do Yoon calmly revealed some background that he hadn’t mentioned before.

“When Baek Eun Ha first crossed over to Earth, I was also quite flustered. If it hadn’t been for the separation of body and soul causing a gap, it would have been impossible to impose restrictions.”

In short, if Serejia hadn’t messed things up, Shin Do Yoon wouldn’t have been able to casually interfere with my powers either.

“So, it was really all your fault?”

As I looked at him with a bitter expression, Serejia flinched, avoiding my gaze.

However, in hindsight, it ended up being a good thing. I was able to advance a step in the process, and we avoided a rapid increase in dungeon difficulty.

“Tsk.”

“So, wasn’t there something else you wanted to ask?”

Right. If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have bothered coming back to see him after just yesterday.

“About that guy we fought earlier, how formidable is he in your perspective?”

“Tindalus possesses the power of a fourth-tier deity. To put it simply, he’s about mid-tier. However, it seems he couldn’t use his full strength.”

In other words, he wasn’t particularly strong among those with deity status.

The expected answer made me click my tongue and furrow my brow.

“If an enemy comes that’s about twice as strong as him, it would be tough for me.”

Upon hearing my grumbling, Shin Do Yoon tilted his head for some reason and replied.

“That’s quite greedy. From my perspective, just overcoming someone who reached deity status with a human body is impressive in itself. It’s an achievement you could be a bit prouder of.”

Of course, that wasn’t an incorrect statement. However, the situation itself didn’t seem too optimistic.

“If you can command a fourth-tier deity, then their backers must be at an even higher level.”

“…Indeed, you’re right about that.”

After pondering for a moment, Shin Do Yoon opened his mouth again with a somewhat grim expression.

“I initially suspected that he was a second-tier deity. But after today’s battle, my thoughts have changed.”

“Then?”

“Most likely, he’s a first-tier deity, a top-tier god that has accumulated immense history and power.”

Honestly, it was hard to grasp the weight of that information just by hearing it. The only deities I had fought were Serejia and Tindalus.

However, at that moment, I had a perfect comparison right in front of me.

“What about you? What tier are you?”

“I’m third-tier. I wouldn’t stand a chance against a deity like Tindalus.”

Shin Do Yoon nodded with an air of pride.

Wait, is that really something to boast about?

“Then even if a second-tier deity comes over, doesn’t that mean we’re done for?”

“Earth is practically my territory. Even if it’s a second-tier deity, they won’t be able to exhibit all their power here.”

That sounded fairly reassuring. Seeing Serejia and me somewhat relieved, Shin Do Yoon smirked and added one more thing.

“Don’t let your guard down. Even accounting for that, my defeat is still a certainty.”

“…So the answer is that there’s ultimately no escape.”

The opponent is most likely a top-tier first-tier deity.

Meanwhile, we have just one third-tier deity and me handling more than half of our combat power.

That’s a pretty desperate situation, to be honest.

“…Do we stand a chance?”

“Of course.”

His confident demeanor made Serejia and me look at Shin Do Yoon with surprise.

“What are you staring at? The plan never included Baek Eun Ha’s existence from the very start. Naturally, I have a plan in place.”

Now that I thought about it, that was true. Shin Do Yoon had been fighting off enemies on his own without my assistance. It was just that circumstances had led us to establish a cooperative relationship.

“Why do you think I created the Hunter and system structure?”

If the goal were merely to fend off the dungeon at that moment, the powerful Shin Do Yoon could have just acted on his own.

In other words, there was another intention hidden within that whole series of events.

“This can be seen as the first step to filter out the sprouts.”

“Sprouts?”

“To weed out those who might have a chance of obtaining deity status.”

That sounded quite bold.

“To be honest, they all seem about the same; can a contest be held based on that?”

“I’ve already made all my preparations. If they meet the qualifications, I can grant them immense power.”

Shin Do Yoon seemed quite confident.

I had thought he might be somewhat untrustworthy, but it turns out he was thoroughly prepared.

As I expressed a hint of admiration, Shin Do Yoon quickly corrected his expression and raised a finger, indicating a number.

“However, for that, two things are absolutely necessary.”

“What are they?”

“First is time, and the second is materials. As you know, humans haven’t even reached the planning stage yet.”

So, what did he mean by materials? The answer became clear in what he said next.

“Bring out Tindalus’s corpse.”

“…I think I understand what you’re getting at.”

Swiftly.

Boom!

Eventually, right in the center of the extracted corpse, Shin Do Yoon embedded a peculiar seed with strange power.

“Well, now your role is vital. You need to secure as many deity-level beings as possible that will cross over.”

Moreover, it would simultaneously buy time to develop other hunters.

“Even a first-tier deity has its limits. They won’t be able to send overwhelming force for a while, and there will undoubtedly be aftereffects.”

In other words, this was a kind of grand strategy.

A war on the chessboard, where both sides are constantly exchanging pieces in preparation for the final showdown.

And my role was undoubtedly that of a shock troop, the vanguard that would break through the enemy.

“You’re a strange being. Even if you were to face me, the authority of this planet, it wouldn’t be easy to determine a victor.”

“I think I could still beat you.”

“…Just listen without interrupting. That’s not what’s important, is it?”

Shin Do Yoon soon sent me a serious look filled with heartfelt trust.

“Even if several qualified individuals gather, the greatest chance to take the enemy’s head will lie with you.”

“…That’s obviously a given.”

“So if you encounter an opponent that’s too overwhelming, just retreat. Losing you would be the most painful loss for me.”

Despite various twists and turns, we ultimately had become each other’s greatest allies.

Feeling the strengthened cooperative relationship, I nodded in reassurance.

Only then did Serejia, who had been quietly listening, chimed in.

“…So, do I just sit back and do nothing?”

“Well, I don’t know much about demigods myself since I’m one of the lower-tier gods.”

Right after, Shin Do Yoon continued with a somewhat significant expression, resting his chin on his hand.

“However, the very form of being a demigod feels oddly unsettling to me. What is a demigod, after all? Isn’t it strange that a being who should be complete takes on an incomplete form?”

In media such as movies or games, children born between gods and mortals are often referred to as demigods, but in reality, that doesn’t exist.

Gods don’t exist as the children of anyone, and the concept of inheritance doesn’t apply to them.

“The answer is surely within yourself. I can’t say anything beyond that.”

With that, we parted from Shin Do Yoon and returned to our comfortable home.

Plop.

Bang!

Staggering through the door and throwing myself onto the bed, just a day’s worth of events felt like a long journey.

Yet this has clarified the future.

“So, in the end, I just need to topple every single opponent that comes over.”

A lot has happened, but looking back, not much has changed.

After all, it’s something I’ve always done until now.

Only this time, the opponents have transformed into beings from above.

“…Doesn’t matter.”

I was a powerless person without any strength from the start.

After being sent to Thebes as a penniless failure, I struggled upward from the very bottom.

With each attempt, the enemies grew stronger, and I had no choice but to keep challenging the impossible.

“This time will be no different.”

Eventually, just like always, I would calmly defeat my enemies and rise to even greater heights.

That alone was the only faith I held in myself.