Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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The interior of the dungeon was quite pleasant.

It felt like looking at a well-crafted temple. The aura emanating from it suggested it was an approximate low B Rank dungeon.

After briefly surveying the surroundings, Shin Do Yoon raised his magical power and said to me.

“Let’s tidy up the area for a bit.”

At the same time, I sensed various presences approaching from the front.

Soon, what appeared were mummified monsters clad in armor and wielding weapons.

Shin Do Yoon began chanting a spell in a language I had never heard before and instantly activated an attack spell.

Whoosh.

Thud!

Kaboom!

Crack!

The monsters were crushed and annihilated in an instant as if something heavy pressed them down.

Was it a type of gravity magic? It had a visibly powerful effect.

‘…Pretty strong.’

That single strike was clearly more than Jackson. I didn’t let my guard down and remained alert.

Boom!

Crack crack crack!

Shin Do Yoon slaughtered the monsters that appeared one by one, as if showcasing his power.

Once a decent number of surrounding monsters were cleared, he approached me, shrugging his shoulders.

“It looks like it’s all done.”

“……”

“Shall we start talking?”

Since no hostility was immediately evident, I casually sat down nearby and nodded.

Shin Do Yoon, seemingly displeased with my attitude, twitched his face before starting to speak.

“I made a contract.”

“Contract?”

“I don’t remember the appearance or identity of the other party. That was probably part of the contract too.”

It was quite an intriguing story from the start. In some ways, it was similar to Gordon’s case. As I focused on his words, Shin Do Yoon continued slowly.

“And in exchange, I received the ability to detect dungeons.”

“Detect dungeons?”

It seemed even more suspicious.

Is there really a being that can grant such a capability to find dungeons quickly and accurately?

I had been observing it carefully before, but dungeons had quite a strange structure.

It was clear that it wasn’t something anyone could easily engage in like this.

‘If that’s possible…’

It implied that this being was at least somewhat related to this unprecedented dungeon incident.

“Then what did that being want by contacting you?”

That was important.

I felt a sudden excitement building up as I awaited Shin Do Yoon’s answer.

However, Shin Do Yoon merely wore a troubled expression without responding.

After a long pause, the words he finally spoke were truly disappointing.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t remember anything in particular, and since I returned here, I haven’t done anything related to the contract. I guess I could say I’ve been neglected.”

I made a face of disbelief at his statement.

If he entered a contract after giving something up, there must be some use for it, yet this was perplexing.

“So the conclusion is that you know nothing?”

“That’s not entirely wrong. To be honest, I’m even more curious than you.”

What a useless fool. I thought I would finally get some vital information, yet this was deflating.

‘But…’

It was somewhat helpful. Especially the fact that the contract involved granting dungeon detection abilities.

In other words, it meant that the being gave that ability for its own purpose, which ultimately meant that such capabilities would help achieve its goals.

Although it wasn’t definitive yet, I could view it as an interesting piece of information.

As I fell into thought, Shin Do Yoon spoke to me again.

“Now it’s my turn to ask.”

“……”

Now that I think about it, he had indeed dragged me here for some reason.

Meeting my gaze filled with questions, Shin Do Yoon opened his mouth.

“Do you know anything about a guy named Lee Ji Cheol?”

Lee Ji Cheol is definitely the S Rank Hunter known as the Tyrant of South Korea. I shook my head in denial.

“I’ve never met him.”

“…That 1-year Returner really is useless.”

Well, who’s talking?

Seeing my displeased expression, Shin Do Yoon pressed on with another question.

“Do you have any clues about the being that made a contract with me?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve heard various stories about Returners, but you’re quite special among them.”

“……”

“So I thought you might know something, but it turned out to be meaningless.”

Shin Do Yoon, turning away with a harsh sound, then revealed an unreadable expression and hinted at a meaningful smile.

“…Or maybe you’re hiding something.”

Ku gu gu gu.

Shin Do Yoon’s magical power began to spill out like a flood, and the surrounding terrain started shaking.

“Is this what you wanted?”

“There’s no need to choose a difficult path.”

It certainly was a Returner-like way of thinking. I felt a familiar sensation after a long time and subtly raised the corners of my mouth.

“True, I feel more comfortable this way.”

Boom─!

Was the power he drew attention-grabbing? The moment my words finished, an explosion happened right behind me.

It felt oddly nostalgic. Most fights on that side were like this.

Whoosh.

Before Shin Do Yoon even spoke, the spell I had prepared in advance successfully blocked the attack. I quickly summoned the undead and began analyzing Shin Do Yoon’s spell.

‘Is he a mage?’

Just based on the spells used so far, it seemed that way.

However, he was a mage from another realm that I didn’t know. I could not let my guard down.

“Undead Call.”

Whoooosh!

Bam!

[Grug.]

[Gigi geek.]

[Grrah!]

I quickly summoned Skeleton Mashers and Phantom Wolves to buy some time.

As Shin Do Yoon began forming his attack spell, I too immediately pulled out a medium and began summoning another undead.

“Seems you’re definitely a Necromancer.”

“……”

“Sorry, but the number of Necromancers I’ve killed myself is over ten.”

Crash─!

As Shin Do Yoon waved his hand, lightning struck from the empty air.

Bang.

Thanks to my Phantom Wolf’s ability to teleport near me, I managed to take the hit, but the backlash was powerful.

Wham.

Wham.

I raised my magical power further, holding on as I completed the summoning spell I had been preparing.

“Undead Call.”

Whoooosh!

Bam!

[Guah.]

[Goohh!]

Jackson and Madison, now Doom Warriors, and the Zombie Assassin Wei were summoned. This was the so-called Hades executive set.

“Just break their arms and legs and drag them here.”

Thud.

Boom.

Thud.

While the expression sounded playful, these three were the best undead I could call forth without using the Book of Death.

Even if they couldn’t use their abilities from their living days, they could still crush an average A Rank Hunter with their cooperative attacks.

I shook off the numbness in my body and subtly retreated behind the range of my opponent’s attacks.

Swoosh!

Boom─!

Seemingly flustered by their imposing presence, Shin Do Yoon managed to catch his breath while dodging the barrage of attacks.

Observing the scene from behind, I couldn’t help but smirk as I spoke.

“What’s up? Didn’t you say you’ve killed over ten Necromancers?”

“……”

Seemingly wounded in pride, Shin Do Yoon clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground.

Boom!

“…Yeah, I did say over ten.”

Sizzle.

Rumble─!

The ground split and rose, moving like a living creature, and quickly devoured my undead.

Whoosh!

Splat!

Although Wei, who had shown great agility in life, barely avoided the attack, he was pierced all over by the spikes that shot up like thorns.

To be honest, it was an unexpected sight, leaving me momentarily speechless.

“…I heard you got thrashed by an A Rank member of the Clear White Guild in a duel?”

“Is there really a need to expend effort on such things?”

While he was right, there’s still a limit to that. I quickly stepped back, gazing at Shin Do Yoon who had completely transformed into a different person.

“I haven’t seen any S Ranks myself, but if they give such titles to mediocre people, then there’s no reason why I shouldn’t receive one either.”

Honestly, I felt that sentiment was a bit of self-importance, but it was undeniable that Shin Do Yoon was strong. Realizing I couldn’t deny it, I steeled myself and began chanting my spell.

“Book of Death.”

Whoooosh.

It surged.

The powerful magical energy and Death Energy flooding the passage startled Shin Do Yoon, who momentarily looked surprised.

“…You’re holding a dangerous toy.”

“It’s probably not just that.”

Hans isn’t a good match, and to be honest, Jackson seems challenging to deal with right now.

After a brief consideration, I decided to summon new minions and gathered power to open the book.

Whoosh.

Swish.

Swish!

The page turned to the twenty-fourth sheet.

What was contained there was a totem piece made from the body of Kan, the most renowned shaman of the ancient continent of the Heum tribe.