Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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As I stepped outside, the sun was already setting. Given that this was a leisurely trip, I spent the first day grilling meat and enjoying various dishes.

“Master, what level are you now?”

“Th-thirty-seven.”

“You’re already close to 40…”

Both Song Ha Yeon and I had numbers that were by no means low compared to those around us.

But then there’s Seo Ha right next to me, sporting a level of 61. I suppose S Rank Hunters usually surpass 65, don’t they?

In other words, I might have to face an opponent with nearly double my level soon.

This was undeniably a perilous situation.

“Still, I need to investigate Lee Ji Cheol.”

Currently, the most suspicious character was him. Whatever happened, the probability of finding new clues using Lee Ji Cheol as a key seemed pretty high.

“What are you thinking about so deeply?”

Seeing Song Ha Yeon casually tossing me a question, I clicked my tongue out of annoyance.

Tsk.

Hooong.

After activating the ring for a moment, I began to roast Song Ha Yeon, who was munching on dried fish.

“When are you going to rank up?”

“…If I rank up here, I’m really going to be an S Rank, you know?”

“And so what? It’s not like you’ll play in the second division for life.”

To be honest, Song Ha Yeon was growing at a decent pace, but I was worried for no reason.

After all, I had accepted her as a disciple; I had to make sure she wasn’t at a level where she’d go around getting beaten up.

“If you were a gacha game, you’d now be a low-tier character in the main team. You’ve already fallen behind the first party. Are you going to be completely abandoned?”

“What? Why? Don’t abandon me!”

“So just do better.”

While we were bickering, Gwak Min Ji, who was roasting marshmallows nearby, asked.

“What about me then?”

“Uh…”

While Song Ha Yeon pondered with her arms crossed, I grabbed a marshmallow and skewered it, replying casually.

“You’re like a cost-control unit or something.”

To be honest, there wasn’t really a place for Gwak Min Ji to be used as a power unit. She had been tackling dungeons with Kim Seung Min’s party, but her growth rate was slow, and compared to her level, she hadn’t become that strong.

That was proof that her talent as a Hunter was just about that much.

“…So can you just let me go now?”

With that blunt expression, Gwak Min Ji narrowed her eyes and huffed.

I offered her a word of consolation.

“Still, you’re the best at managing the game.”

“Ugh, I’m so happy to hear that.”

And just like that, the first night passed quickly.

#

The next day, after waking up, we headed into town for a light breakfast.

“37 minutes…”

I must have decided not to use the ring for trivial matters, but somehow I became addicted to its convenience.

Still, it had been ages since I had a regular meal at a restaurant. I justified it as a worthwhile endeavor and lay back in the car’s backseat to cancel the ring’s effect.

Of course, I didn’t forget to cast a silence curse on myself in case I made a scene.

Tumble tumble.

“Hey, bro, we’re here. Wake up.”

“Yeah…”

As I groggily got out of the car, the familiar view of the sea greeted me.

And for some reason, there was Song Ha Yeon, seemingly all set to jump into the water.

“…What are you doing?”

“Well, since we’re here, we should at least dip in the water. When else are we going to come here?”

“It’s not even summer yet?”

“Anyway, with enough mana, it won’t be cold.”

She wasn’t wrong, but she sure was lively. Shaking my head and looking away, I saw Gwak Min Ji and Seo Ha getting ready too.

“……”

“What? Can’t I go in?”

“Like Song Ha Yeon said, we don’t get to come here often. Are you going in, bro?”

But since it was the weekend, quite a few people had set up camp on the sandy beach. Feeling a sudden wave of loneliness, I went into the tent and started passing time on my phone.

Ding!

[What are you up to?]

A friend from an online game using the name JP. A perfect partner for idle chit-chat when bored.

However, for some reason, unlike his usual prompt replies, he hadn’t checked any messages for days.

“Did he get his account hacked…?”

I hadn’t thought the friendship would last long, but still, it felt a bit bittersweet knowing we had played together since my return to Earth.

As I was wrapped in a gloomy mood and idly played mobile games inside the tent, I suddenly noticed outside getting noisy.

Flop.

I cautiously lifted the tent flap to peek outside and saw a group of citizens gathered in one corner of the beach, pointing at the sea with their fingers.

Murmur.

“What’s that?”

“…It doesn’t look like just ordinary waves.”

“Isn’t something odd about the movement of the water around there…?”

It felt like something was off.

Hurrying to avoid the crowd, I moved forward and found my companions wearing serious expressions.

“W-what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. The currents suddenly became strange…”

Unlike the others who just sensed something was unusual, Seo Ha seemed to have a sense of something.

“We need to evacuate the people.”

“What?”

“It might be a Dungeon Break. Monsters will swarm in soon.”

As if to validate her words, peculiar shadows began to emerge from beneath the surface of the sea far away.

A sudden state of emergency was underway.

#

At the same time, in a detection center located in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, chaos had erupted.

“Gate Break response! It’s in the waters near Sokcho, Gangwon Province!”

“…An underwater dungeon.”

This occasionally happens. A dungeon seed forms underwater and is discovered by no one, leading to a Break.

To counter this, we operate exploration teams around the three sides of the sea, but given the vast area, perfect search coverage is impossible.

“Don’t panic. Follow the manual. Send a support request to the nearby guilds first.”

“Yes! Understood!”

They say it’s a blessing in disguise, but in most cases like this, things usually get sorted out without much damage.

If it’s a land-based monster, it takes some time to reach the shore, and if it’s a sea-based monster, it faces restrictions moving on land.

Moreover, near the three sides of the sea, there are stationed Awakened Ones from military bases and Hunters from nearby guilds.

Thus, we could expect citizens to have enough time to evacuate.

However, the subsequent reports made even the head of the situation management, who was facing a panic, gasp.

“T-Team leader! The readings are not normal!”

“…What do you mean?”

“The estimated number of monsters significantly exceeds average levels. It’s a Large Dungeon! Expected rank is between B1 and A3! And on top of that, their speed…”

Hearing that, the team leader of the situation management office, Joo Min Cheol, hurried to the monitor to check the readings himself. He slammed his fist on the desk in shock.

Bang!

“What the hell?!”

“Is this really…?”

Creatures that could move freely in both water and on land. That was the only way to interpret their behavior pattern.

If that’s the case, the urgency escalates significantly. Although it’s not peak vacation season, there were still quite a few people casually coming to hang out, and being in the countryside meant there wasn’t much power to respond immediately.

Especially if it’s an A Rank Large Dungeon.

‘…A disaster is about to occur.’

Human and material losses would undoubtedly reach a level that couldn’t be ignored.

Amid the panic, Joo Min Cheol desperately shouted to the staff.

“Convey the seriousness of the situation as quickly as possible! We need to deploy all available power! No, even if it’s unofficial, send requests for support to every Hunter whose location is identified nearby!”

A truly desperate situation,

But just then, as if the heavens were helping, one of the subordinates eagerly shouted.

“A Hunter nearby has contacted us for support!”

“How many?”

“Two A Ranks and two B Ranks! The representative is Baek Seo Ha from the Clear White Guild!”

“What? What did you say?”

That was quite a shocking piece of news. Baek Seo Ha was among South Korea’s top-ranking Hunters. Had she coincidentally been near this Dungeon Break situation? And she was even accompanied by another A Rank Hunter and B Rank Hunters?

While everyone was stunned, the staff member briefly checked the communication and continued reporting.

“She’s already on site, guiding citizens for evacuation and forming a first line of defense!”

That was literally a glimmer of hope.

Out of nowhere, we had something to rely on from the worst-case scenario.

Joo Min Cheol rejoiced as he desperately urged the staff.

“While the monsters’ advance is delayed, we must mobilize our power immediately!”

They could no longer handle the situation on their own.

What was about to unfold now depended entirely on her and her group.