Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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After successfully resolving the Dungeon Break and completing various follow-up actions, we had no choice but to return home, marking the end of our short vacation.

Although it was earlier than planned, no one expressed any objections as everyone was tired and the mood for fun had already faded away.

Vroom.

Thud.

Even amidst all this, the side effects of disregarding the consequences had not vanished; I found myself alone, leaning out of the car window and pitifully getting drenched by the rain.

As time passed, I was now soaking in a bath at home, relieving my fatigue.

Thud.

Of course, the raindrops following me were still persistent. It had escalated to the point where it was now beyond annoying, teetering on absurdity.

I tried my best to ignore it and began organizing my thoughts.

‘…Still, I’ve leveled up quite a bit.’

Thanks to having accumulated some experience points beforehand, I had achieved a remarkable increase of 2 levels.

My current level is 39.

I’m now just one step away from the long-feared 40 level.

This unexpected situation unfolded during my rest, but considering that the Break involved a high-ranked Large Dungeon, the experience gain was truly satisfying.

Plop.

Thud.

‘The Book of Death is also steadily being activated.’

Lately, I had been facing a variety of worries, but my growth was quite smooth overall.

For now, it seems I can continue at this pace while unraveling the tangled issues one by one without too much trouble.

“Gordon.”

– Yes. Did you call for me?

“Is there any change in the memories?”

– Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any.

However, there is one aspect that remains stagnant.

A considerable amount of time has passed since I decided to restore Gordon and Chae Hwa In’s memories, yet there hasn’t been much progress.

While other matters had been favorable, this was the most disappointing aspect at the moment.

“Well, you’re one thing, but why isn’t Chae Hwa In showing any reaction yet?”

At first, I wondered if the memories had completely vanished, but after checking in various ways, that didn’t seem to be the case.

It is clear that her memories are somewhere within that soul, but they are stubbornly refusing to surface.

– Perhaps, she simply doesn’t feel the need to do so?

“Explain further.”

– From what I’ve heard from the Master, Chae Hwa In was fighting desperately for survival in her soul state. In other words, she was doing everything she could to protect her existence.

“That makes sense.”

– So, we could say that she has let go of everything else in order to maintain her existence.

“……”

– In short, she might be in a state akin to a lock feature in a game.

“So, until she feels the need for it, she won’t be able to retrieve her memories?”

– Correct.

Gordon’s words held a certain weight. This means that without a situation where Chae Hwa In desperately needs to regain her memories, a natural recovery would be difficult.

“This is tough……”

How can I stimulate Chae Hwa In to awaken her dormant memories?

“Should I really bring my younger sister to her or something?”

– Personally, I think that’s quite a good idea.

However, when one considers it, I’ve already unilaterally turned Chae Hwa In into an Undead. It felt a bit too abrupt to suddenly disclose that.

“Let’s hold off for now.”

– That’s unfortunate.

About an hour later, while I had been soaking in the tub, the rain drizzling over me began to gradually subside.

Plop.

Thud.

“…This is taking a while.”

I was worried that it might last until I fell asleep, so I was rather relieved.

At that instant, a notification sound began echoing from the phone I had left on the sink, which was running Otolo games.

Ding ding ding.

Ding ding. Ding ding ding ding.

– Shall I check it for you?

“…No, stop there.”

Something seemed off. I hadn’t set such a loud notification sound, nor had I ever heard it.

Moreover, right from that moment, I could vaguely sense the presence of a third party’s mana coming from the phone.

Swish.

Woosh.

I cautiously raised my mana and Death Energy as a precaution, slowly approaching the sink to pick up the phone.

On the screen, a single message was flashing, making its presence known.

The sender was JP.

There was no other content displayed. Without hesitation, I clicked on it.

Tap.

Suddenly, my vision shook, and something began to burrow into my mind.

– Oh no! Activate the protection spell…

“No, it’s fine.”

I instinctively tried to defend myself, but for some reason, it didn’t feel hostile. I allowed myself to be swept up in the flow and accepted the mana.

Woosh.

Within my head, a swirl of various information of unknown origin began to take shape.

A basement with an unfamiliar view.
A man confined by a certain magical confinement device.

The location was Brenner, located at the northernmost tip of Italy.

And an urgent voice of the man could be heard reverberating.

[I’ve been caught. Two contacts. A silver-haired girl and a man with a sun symbol on his face. Both are strong. It’s not certain, but the man with the sun symbol is speculated to be one of the founders.]

“What the hell is this?”

The context of the situation was becoming clearer.

It seemed that an Awakened One with some sort of ability had sent the message through him, and there was a high chance it was JP, who is also my gaming friend.

And the man trapped in the memories was probably JP.

Yet the fact that I had no clue as to why remained unchanged.

“Why are you suddenly sending this to me?”

– What on earth is happening?

Ignoring Gordon’s question, I struggled to sort through my confused feelings.

‘He probably doesn’t know who I am.’

After some careful thought, I realized I hadn’t revealed the facts of being a Hunter or a Returner.

What is clear is that he didn’t send it to me hoping for assistance.

‘From the outset, the message’s content isn’t aimed at me.’

JP was likely trying to convey some sort of information to someone and request help.

And that target wasn’t me.

Then.

‘He must have been in a hurry, unable to convey the message properly, or he could send it to no one else but me?’

Nonetheless, it was quite certain that my internet gaming friend was in danger.

– Master?

“I’ve heard of the founders somewhere before.”

– The founders are what they call the initial members of that organization called Hades, no?

“Hades?”

Thinking back, it seemed Trioné had mentioned something like that. I promptly picked up my phone and called her for confirmation.

[The man with the sun tattoo? There was definitely one of those among the founders. I heard he was a Returner and, although I’ve never met him, his abilities are said to be terrifying.]

This was too coincidental to be mere happenstance.

“Was that guy really from Hades?”

If that’s the case, it’s no longer unrelated to me.

For some unknown reason, JP was investigating Hades, and in the process, he was captured by a high-ranking individual, sending out a distress signal.

‘Exactly what the situation is, I can’t be sure…’

He would undoubtedly possess valuable information and seem quite competent in terms of abilities. On top of that, he’s become my indispensable gaming friend.

It would truly be harder to find a reason not to help in this situation.

– Are you considering accepting the request?

Nodding at Gordon’s question as I understood the situation, I resolutely replied.

“I need to go to Italy.”

After finishing my bath, I confidently stepped outside and began looking for nearby flights and travel routes.

And then, the very next day.

“…You’re saying a foreign friend I met in a game sent an invitation? That sounds very suspicious.”

“Isn’t he a weird guy?”

“How would you know that, big brother? I always say you don’t have a sense of danger. Just looking at it clearly raises suspicions.”

“Come on, even though he knows where I live and what I look like.”

“Do you know how dangerous the world is these days? Having an Awakened One involved makes it trivial for committing a perfect crime. There are more than a few who can change their faces, you know?”

As I was preparing to leave for Italy right away, I had to put a great deal of effort into persuading Seo Ha, who charged in with a fire in her eyes.

#

“In the meantime, that bothersome woman has been selling off our information quite well.”

In a dark basement, a man with a sun symbol on his face spoke to Joseph, who was bound.

“They say you’re a well-known informant in that industry?”

“…Hmph, pointless chatter. No matter what you do, there’s no news I’ll share with you.”

“I don’t particularly need that. If there’s something I want to know, I’ll simply find out myself.”

It sounded somewhat arrogant, but for the man before him, that was not a joke at all.

Joseph, aware of that fact, swallowed hard, feeling the rising tension.

“What are you planning to do with me?”

In truth, there was no remaining options anymore. Joseph’s life was wholly in the hands of the man before him.

And the man continued to speak to Joseph, who looked desperate.

“Now that most of the work here is completed, I suppose this is a good opportunity.”

“What?”

“Using the lives of tens of thousands of villagers, we shall summon his fragment.”

That was undoubtedly related to Hades’ main objective.

Seeing Joseph adjust his expression to one of seriousness, the man spoke with a meaningful smile.

“Don’t worry. You’ll also be used as that sacrifice, so your journey won’t be boring.”

“What a bunch of crazy bastards…”

Despite hearing that they would offer up tens of thousands of lives, there was nothing Joseph could do.

Creeeak.

Clunk.

Soon, the man left the scene, and Joseph was left alone in the dark basement.

“Damn it…”

At that moment, a sudden unfamiliar notification sound echoed in Joseph’s mind.

Ding ding ding.

Ding ding. Ding ding ding ding.

‘What?’

Joseph was startled by the sound.

This was definitely his own ability. It was unfolding to him for the very first time.

‘This cannot be happening…’

While it wasn’t entirely impossible, it depended on whether there was someone else with similar abilities.

However, given the circumstances, he held a multitude of questions in his heart and hurriedly checked the voice contained in the message.

And what the message contained was.

[I’m on my way.]

Just those four words. Those four words bearing a clear meaning were all there was.