Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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Although others may have thought I was acting recklessly until now, in reality, I tended to make quite rational judgments when it came to battle.

That had been the case up to this point.

I quantified my strength, compared it with my opponent’s, and developed strategies accordingly.

‘…….’

My initial estimation of Lee Ji Cheol’s strength was around 10 points.

For reference, Gordon was at 5 points, and I was currently at 8 points. In other words, I had given enough credit to Lee Ji Cheol’s strength with my earlier words.

But that was incorrect. I could tell from that last blow alone. Lee Ji Cheol’s upper limit was much higher than I had anticipated.

‘…13 points? No, perhaps even 15 points.’

Honestly, this was quite troublesome.

Gordon, Hans, and even Khan—my combination was specifically designed to deal with a 10-point Lee Ji Cheol.

Smash!

Boom!

“An immortal soldier? This is interesting.”

Crash!

Bang!

Crackle!

The undead dullahan, Hans, had certainly become even more robust than before. I owed that to my hard work in leveling him up.

However, even so, Hans was continuously being destroyed at such a rate that he couldn’t keep up with his regeneration when facing Lee Ji Cheol head-on.

“Apirus’s Thunder.”

“Cursed Lance!”

Whoosh!

Sizzle!

Kaboom!

Crackle—

Although Gordon unleashed the cursed lance and Khan summoned dark clouds to unleash powerful lightning, Lee Ji Cheol raised his magical power and absorbed it head-on.

Then, shaking off his body violently, both spells dissipated without any significant effect.

“…Goodness.”

Taking advantage of a brief opening, Hans quickly pulled back, clutching his partially regenerated head and muttering.

“What a foolish fellow. I’ve never seen such a strong opponent on this side before.”

“Goodness, this is troublesome. My lord, I might not be able to handle this with my current strength.”

Hans and Khan’s opinions echoed my own. With our current setup, we couldn’t break through Lee Ji Cheol.

In the end, it meant we had to look for some other means.

‘I really don’t want to summon Chae Hwa In if I can help it…’

If I did, she would undoubtedly prove to be a reliable ally against Lee Ji Cheol, but for some reason, it felt like the more I used her in battle, the more she slipped out of my control.

Ultimately, pondering it over, I let out a small sigh and quietly spoke.

“Khan, prepare the ritual.”

“The ritual? But that hasn’t been verified yet…”

“Just do it.”

Previously, I had considered several methods with Khan, an expert in sorcery, to regain a bit of my power.

From that, I formulated a hypothesis that might yield some effectiveness.

‘Necromancy.’

The mysterious chain that Helena directly touched when she meddled with my soul a few months ago.

At that time, Helena reported that merely loosening the chains bound to the soul allowed her to witness immense power.

Then, through a necromantic ritual that directly stimulates my soul, I might be able to achieve a temporary boost in strength.

That was the method I was considering based on that idea.

“Understood. I’ll begin immediately.”

“Gordon, you help Khan. Hans, just buy us time while getting beaten up.”

“…You sure are making unreasonable demands all of a sudden.”

Khan began the ritual by sprinkling totems all over the ground, and Hans charged at Lee Ji Cheol without hesitation, stabbing with his sword.

Swish—

Crash!

‘Honestly, I don’t know if this will be effective.’

To put it bluntly, the risks might be greater. However, I couldn’t stand the frustration any longer.

‘Am I really supposed to run away in fear of this guy?’

That my pride wouldn’t allow. As the so-called ruler of the underworld, I couldn’t accept the notion of defeat.

‘…….’

It had been quite a while since I felt this way. Rather than crushing an enemy from a position of overwhelming strength, it was a battle of finding a way against a stronger opponent.

Before I became omnipotent, I had experienced this countless times, but afterward, it was a sense I had forgotten.

‘This would have been nothing more than a mere snack in my prior life.’

Thanks to that, I found myself taking the pointless gamble of directly meddling with my soul.

The situation wasn’t exactly favorable.

It was just a hypothesis with no solid ground, and I was attempting it for the first time in a rather impromptu manner.

However, if the ritual succeeded—

Lee Ji Cheol would pay a hefty price for it.

#

‘How strange.’

Lee Ji Cheol, having completely shattered Hans with melee skills, felt a lingering discomfort throughout the battle.

‘He certainly doesn’t measure up to those monstrous henchmen of hers.’

While it was impossible to call him weak, it was clear that Helena’s undead were superior in total power. That much was certain.

However.

‘What is this unsettling feeling?’

Although subtle, there was something in him that the undead under Helena lacked.

Despite easily overpowering him, he felt as though he was facing a much higher-tier opponent.

“Seawang Strike.”

Crack—

Kaboom!

Feeling a mysterious unpleasant sensation, Lee Ji Cheol used his most power-consuming skill to completely disassemble Hans’s body.

“…At last, he is dead. I have to admit, that resilience is impressive.”

Even if he was a high-ranking undead, he had taken life-threatening wounds multiple times and still returned unscathed moments later.

That vitality, defying the norms, momentarily caused even Lee Ji Cheol to recoil in horror.

“The charade ends here. I can’t do anything else to you now.”

He’d caught on to the fact that something was lurking behind the scenes, preparing a trick.

Lee Ji Cheol sneered and once again gathered his magical power around his entire body vigorously.

The skill he’d used to initiate the battle would be unleashed with all his might this time.

The surroundings were bound to get noisy, but the ominous feeling he’d sensed earlier still weighed heavily on his mind.

Thus, he planned to quickly end the battle with a decisive blow.

Whoosh.

Crackling.

“…Earth Smash.”

But just then, he felt a presence approaching from behind. It was none other than Hans, the dullahan zombie he thought had exhausted all his energy.

“The bell tolls. That one was a bit intense.”

Lee Ji Cheol felt a chill course through him, immediately shifting his target and slamming his arm down at Hans.

Boom!

Crash!

A blow filled with magical power and enhanced strength.

Hans’s body grotesquely twisted and shattered into pieces, collapsing onto the ground.

However, once again, the scene he had witnessed countless times began to unfold before Lee Ji Cheol.

Crack!

Crunch!

“Impossible. An undead like this cannot exist.”

“Those who faced me for the first time always say that.”

It was a phenomenon closer to ‘unable to die’ rather than ‘immortal.’

Every power came with a cost. To achieve such flawless regeneration, a considerable amount of energy would undoubtedly be consumed each time.

Yet, the opponent was defying those principles by repeating endless revivals.

‘…It’s pointless to keep breaking him over and over.’

If that were the case, it would be far simpler to deal with whoever was maintaining him.

Looking over, he realized that whatever they were preparing had reached its final stage. It wouldn’t be good to allow the one who created such a bizarre undead to act freely.

Lee Ji Cheol pushed Hans aside with his power and headed straight towards Baek Eun Ha’s position.

Actually, he intended to.

But then.

“Well, that’s a problem. I was told to stop you until the ritual is complete. I won’t accept being reprimanded after all the work I’ve done.”

Hans grabbed Lee Ji Cheol’s arm. Lee Ji Cheol scoffed, trying to shake him off while channeling his magic.

Yet, for some reason, his captured arm wouldn’t budge.

“Huh? How is this…?”

“Ha, this is what humans are like. Acting arrogant without knowing how to harness their own strength.”

It was clearly different from before. Realizing this, as he turned to look back, Lee Ji Cheol finally grasped the source of the discomfort he had felt since the beginning of the fight.

Crack!

Crack!

“If I could exhibit my full power, you would have been crushed instantly. Isn’t that right?”

“How could this power exist…!”

As time passed, Hans’s body, which had been pressuring Lee Ji Cheol, began to crack as if it were breaking apart. He had overexerted himself beyond his limits.

“Well, it seems like I’ve bought enough time. Until we meet again, though I don’t know if there will be another chance.”

Scatter.

As the remnants of Hans blew away like dust, Lee Ji Cheol gritted his teeth with trembling eyes.

‘This guy has been hiding his strength.’

And with that thought, another troubling idea pierced through Lee Ji Cheol’s mind.

Hans was an undead summoned by Baek Eun Ha. The fact that he was hiding his strength meant something more significant was also being proven.

‘Does that mean he hasn’t shown his true abilities yet?’

As Lee Ji Cheol sensed the ominous future approaching, a sudden wave of magical power erupted.

To be more specific, it felt far heavier and denser than ordinary magic.

Along with it came a bizarre resonance.

It felt akin to a heartbeat or perhaps a serene bell chime.

While he sensed something unusual happening, as he turned his head,

Lee Ji Cheol saw death in an instant.