Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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“Extraction.”

Whoosh.

Thud.

With a clattering sound, I dropped the totem piece I extracted from Death on the ground and chanted again.

“Materialization.”

Whoosh.

Kugugugu.

Suddenly, the ground shook, and a large totem emerged right in front of me.

Kugung.

“Do you think I’ll just let that happen!”

Flash.

Fizzizizzz—!

Once again, Shin Do Yoon struck down with a fierce bolt of lightning made of magic, but it was instantly absorbed into the totem.

It was like watching a lightning rod; as I gazed at it, I quietly recited the spell that signaled the completion of my consciousness.

“Undead Call.”

Once known as the legendary shaman of the ancient Hum tribe, who protected a village from a crazed dragon.

At the same time, a primitive sage who amassed vast knowledge of the world with a brilliant mind.

“Khan.”

Whoosh.

Kwadiziz!

As the spell completed, the totem split into two, revealing a small, frail old man.

His pale skin showed patches of bone, and his body was like something woven from straw, adorned with a primitive leather outfit that covered only parts of him.

“Ho, what is this…”

Finally revealing himself, Khan stared at my changed form for a moment, then knelt down to pay his respects.

Thud.

“This feeble old man greets the Lord.”

“It’s been a while. Spare me the formalities.”

Shin Do Yoon, who had watched the spectacle with a frown, turned to me with a look that said he recognized this situation.

“…So this is a High-Ranking Undead? It seems you were a more skilled Necromancer than I thought.”

“Isn’t it a bit early to be boasting?”

“I’m not boasting; I’m simply at ease.”

As Shin Do Yoon finished speaking, luminous letters burst forth from his arm.

The symbols, intertwined like rings, began to disintegrate one by one as he chanted a spell.

“Heh, that’s quite a unique technique. Who is that?”

“…It’s a bit complicated. Just think of it as using otherworldly magic.”

“Ho.”

Finally, as all the ring symbols vanished, Shin Do Yoon’s intrinsic magical power began to swell dramatically.

“This technique is highly dangerous and one I rarely use. Normally, I would place a limitation like before.”

“……”

“If you’re going to surrender, do it quickly. There won’t be any more lovely limitations from now on.”

Ignoring him, I immediately began to chant my spell. Seeing that, Shin Do Yoon let out a sigh and raised his hand.

“You’re about to regret this.”

Whoosh.

Whirrrrr!

Suddenly, the air around us froze entirely. The temperature inside the hallway plummeted to a bone-chilling point, and I noticed my breath forming a mist.

Whooooosh.

Then, a massive wind began to swirl around us. Sensing an intense attack coming, Khan hastily moved his hands, and I too completed my readying spell.

Whoooooooosh!

Shuddering—!

Soon, a blizzard-like storm enveloped the area, completely blocking my vision.

Ice shards, sharp as blades, pummeled my body, and the already low temperature began to freeze my limbs.

“Just freeze solid.”

Shuddering!

With the output on the rise, a colossal chunk of ice came crashing down on me.

#

“It’s over.”

Shin Do Yoon looked at the completely frozen passage and was confident of his victory.

A massive ice spell shot off at maximum output. There was no way a Necromancer could withstand that in the middle.

‘A Returner, but isn’t this all he’s got?’

That wasn’t unreasonable. To build up this kind of power, Shin Do Yoon must have endured hardships unimaginable.

Ordinary people would never push themselves so far. Shin Do Yoon had learned that lesson during the ten years spent on the other side.

‘He reduced his killing power, so he probably hasn’t died yet.’

Now, it was just a matter of extracting memories from Baek Eun Ha, who had become unable to fight.

Given his current level, it seemed unlikely to retrieve the information I wanted, but surely I could salvage something.

Just as Shin Do Yoon finished his incantation, he noticed something astonishing: the previously solid ice began to crack.

Crack!

Crack—!

“What?”

Emerging from the cracks, not surprisingly, was Baek Eun Ha.

Armored in bone and flanked by the Undead I had seen earlier, she appeared untouched by the previous attack.

I couldn’t tell how, but it seemed she had somehow managed to defend against the onslaught.

‘Still, how can she not be injured at all?’

It was hard to believe. No matter how he reduced his killing power, it was still a full-force strike. That kind of spell shouldn’t allow for someone to come out unscathed.

“…What trickery is this?”

“Why, is it strange that your confident attack didn’t work at all?”

Seeing Baek Eun Ha grinning as she swung her shoulders nonchalantly, Shin Do Yoon finally felt an abstract sense of unease for the first time since the battle began.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he couldn’t hide his panic and began secretly preparing another attack spell from behind.

If she has powerful defenses, then all the more to break through them.

Just as he was about to unleash the completed spell, Baek Eun Ha smirked and opened her mouth.

“If you’re confident, then go ahead and shoot.”

“……”

“It’s obvious what people like you are thinking. I’ll gladly take it.”

Grinding his teeth, Shin Do Yoon unleashed his spell.

To dare to receive it knowing what was coming? That’s remarkably arrogant.

With his pride thoroughly wounded, Shin Do Yoon’s magical power surged, and intense flames began to generate above Baek Eun Ha’s head.

It split into eight orbs, scorching the air as they aimed for her.

The top-tier fire magic that Shin Do Yoon boasted of: Inferno.

Fwhoosh!

Fwhirrrrrrr—!

The overwhelming heat could be felt even from where I stood. He didn’t hold back this time. There’s no way she could withstand it.

However, moments later, Shin Do Yoon’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but swallow hard at the sight that unfolded before him.

Whew—!

Fwhoosh—!

The fireballs that should have incinerated her suddenly dispersed in all directions and began to be absorbed into the ground.

I noticed strange, peculiar columns of patterns had appeared on the ground, seemingly out of nowhere.

As Shin Do Yoon was engulfed in panic, Khan spoke up, stroking his chin.

“Impressive, but ultimately, that’s all there is. Nothing special.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I mean, the analysis is complete.”

That can’t be. It’s impossible. How could a mere Undead following its master comprehend his magic? That’s unthinkable.

Even while Shin Do Yoon was convinced of that, he sensed a growing anxiety in the back of his mind.

“If you don’t believe it, I’ll show you now.”

Whoosh.

Crack!

As Khan chanted, bone-chilling ice orbs began to rise into the air one by one.

A spell that recombined the large-scale freezing magic and the top-tier fire magic Shin Do Yoon had used.

Seeing it coming towards him, Shin Do Yoon hastily created a barrier.

Boom!

Crash!

Shuddering—!

‘This can’t be happening!’

Shin Do Yoon, in a fit of rage, summoned all of his magic power.

But at that moment, the swelling magic surged and suddenly deflated, sapping strength from his body.

“Breath of Decay.”

Spotting an opening, Baek Eun Ha exploited it and cast a curse.

Boom!

Crackle!

Eventually, the barrier couldn’t hold, and Shin Do Yoon became entangled in a sphere of ice made from magical energy, freezing half his body in place.

Step.

Step.

In his combat ineffective state, Shin Do Yoon heard footsteps approaching him.

“…Don’t joke around!”

Whoosh.

with a flick of her wrist, Baek Eun Ha blocked Shin Do Yoon’s last-ditch effort with one finger.

Snap.

Wearing bone armor made from death energy, Baek Eun Ha strode towards him with a sword in one hand, now right in front of him.

‘…….’

To be honest, I had suspected her strength from the first time we met in the Clear White Guild.

And looking into those unfathomably deep eyes, Shin Do Yoon finally could no longer deny it.

The being standing before him was undeniably fundamentally different.

#

To be honest, this was a quite strong opponent. At this level, she could be compared to Gordon at his prime, the one I faced before.

Though I hadn’t brought him here as backup, should the two face off, it would have truly made for an interesting match.

“You strutted about all high and mighty.”

“Tsk.”

“Hehe, isn’t it harsh to measure one’s abilities in front of the Lord?”

Ignoring Khan’s flattery, I slowly fixed my gaze on Shin Do Yoon.

There was a simpler method to pluck his memories by merely touching his soul, but I couldn’t know how the contract with the unknown being would affect the process. I needed to be cautious from here on out.

“…There’s no need for that. I’ll be honest about everything.”

Seemingly realizing what I aimed to do, Shin Do Yoon spoke up in resignation.

“I mentioned before, but there’s something I kept hidden.”

“…Go on.”

As I urged him, twisting my fingers anxiously, Shin Do Yoon clicked his tongue and finally revealed the secret he had concealed.

“I received a directive once, the first and the last.”

And that instruction was:

“Lee Ji Cheol, the S Rank Hunter from Korea, known as a tyrant, to eliminate him.”