Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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The next day, feeling back to normal, I spent my day tinkering with my laptop at the hotel.

During that time, I was able to get in touch with Joseph and hear various bits of information.

[S Rank Hunters participating in the strategy? Well, you’re right there on the scene, aren’t you?]

“…Well, some guys aren’t showing up in the banquet hall. Can you summarize and let me know?”

It’s quite frustrating to have a conversation without the ring’s effects after such a long time. After grumbling for a moment, Joseph sent something my way after banging on his device with determination.

[Give this a read. There may be some missing, but it should be mostly accurate.]

The file Joseph sent contained many familiar faces I had seen yesterday.

[Excluding the hunters from the U.S., the most famous ones would probably be Saintess Yesiel from France or Blue Lion Ivan from Russia.]

“I-Ivan? That jerk?”

[Beyond that, there’s the rising Divine, Sanada from Japan. Apparently, he wields a sword and possesses a very keen sense.]

They say he’s a know-it-all, and Joseph certainly knew a lot of things. I fired another question at him.

“So, what about the U.S.?”

[The notable ones are basically new-gen superstars like Mikael, the wave magician Poden, demon hunter Austin, and Jacob of Black Iron. Those four are veterans who participated in the first S Rank Large Dungeon raid.]

The moment Joseph finished speaking, a faint reaction occurred deep within my soul.

Tracing the sign, it seemed to be Chae Hwa In from the Book of Death.

[What’s up? You’re not disconnected, are you?]

“Oh, no. Keep going.”

The reaction was fleeting, so without noticing anything strange, I refocused on the conversation.

[There are other S Ranks, but those are the ones to watch out for. By the way, they say the Tyrant from Korea is with you?]

“L-Lee Ji Cheol?”

[That should make things easier to understand. You can think of the ones I just mentioned as having skills that don’t fall short of the Tyrant.]

Thinking about it, there were definitely some who seemed stronger than Lee Ji Cheol, so Joseph’s assessment seemed roughly accurate.

And now, I was about to squeeze myself into that mix and enter the S Rank Dungeon.

[Anyway, I heard you were pretty close to Helena? Last time she came all the way to Italy, but this time, she didn’t even join the strategy team.]

“Ugh, she’s busy with Hades. You know that.”

[Seems she’s been out of requests lately. Not exactly on talking terms.]

At this point, it didn’t matter whether Helena was around or not; I had no reason to be intimidated by anyone.

After a lengthy chat with Joseph, I geared up once more and headed towards the banquet hall.

I hadn’t checked properly yesterday because I was drunk, but I intended to take a good look at the main players of the strategy team this time.

Whoosh.

Whooosh.

Fwoosh!

“Ugh, this is chaos again.”

Just as I was about to move, the air rippled and the Book of Death suddenly appeared.

And naturally, what appeared from there was none other than Chae Hwa In.

“Why did you hold it all in and come here? Get back inside.”

“…It’s frustrating. I’m going for a walk.”

“Do you think wandering around here, you won’t attract a monster? I won’t help you.”

Having gotten used to it now, I tried to speak nicely, but Chae Hwa In ignored me and just walked away.

Since this had happened more than once recently, I shrugged it off and continued toward my destination.

Besides, if it were Chae Hwa In, even if a fight broke out with an S Rank Hunter, she wouldn’t get killed.

‘…….’

But there was something a bit different about Chae Hwa In’s vibe today compared to usual, though I tried to ignore it.

I just chalked it up to simple feelings like any other time.

#

‘…I have a headache.’

Chae Hwa In’s memories of her human life were faint.

After being revived by Baek Eun Ha, she could recall certain scenes, but that was about it.

Beyond that, it was like there was a fog in her head preventing further thoughts.

‘…Who was I?’

She knew her name. Chae Hwa In. And she was a Hunter from South Korea.

There seemed to be a family, but she couldn’t recall much. And she seldom remembered the moment she approached death.

What had changed that situation happened only a few months ago.

‘Something in the corner of my head was ringing loudly.’

It was when Baek Eun Ha was bringing back a mental stabilization artifact from the U.K. to Korea.

While passing by a certain man there, Chae Hwa In felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

And it was a very slimy kind of something.

‘…….’

The second time she felt that sensation was when she checked certain individuals on TV at Baek Eun Ha’s home.

A man with brown long hair wearing sunglasses and a young blonde—Jacob and Mikael, the Hunters from America, she had heard.

‘…This feels weird.’

Just seeing their faces and recalling their names made a corner of her heart ache. It was as if she was being urged to remember something.

The source of that feeling was, of course, Chae Hwa In’s own soul.

“I smell something.”

Thud.

Thud.

And just a moment ago, Chae Hwa In once again felt that sensation for the third time.

Some names thrown by Joseph during their conversation started to trigger a relentless surge of emotion from within her.

Thus, Chae Hwa In stepped outside. And she began to walk, led by her instincts.

“Hey, what’s up with being fully armed…”

“It’s troublesome to be dressed like this inside the hotel.”

In the process, someone tried to speak to her, but she didn’t pay any mind.

After all, what mattered right now wasn’t that sort of thing.

“…It’s frustrating.”

With the knot that wouldn’t resolve, Chae Hwa In kept moving forward.

And as if fate played a prank, she unexpectedly encountered someone from her memories at the end.

“Hmm? Who are you?”

It was a middle-aged man wearing a fancy hat. The moment Chae Hwa In saw him, she recognized who he was.

He was the man she had passed by at the London airport a few months back, and who had first brought her discomfort.

“…Your name.”

“You want my name? It’s Oliver. An A Rank Hunter from the U.S. What do you want?”

“Oliver.”

Every time she pronounced that name, something inside her stirred. It felt as if the fog that had consumed her mind was beginning to lift.

“Oliver…”

She was sure she had heard that name before.

Perhaps even before being revived by Baek Eun Ha.

“Oliver.”

“What are you talking about? If there’s nothing, I’m going.”

As Oliver was about to leave after spitting on the ground, Chae Hwa In suddenly recalled a word in her mind. And she uttered it out loud.

“Oliver Wood.”

“What? You really know me?”

His full name, which hadn’t even been mentioned until just now.

The moment she pronounced it, memories began surfacing one after another as if the dam had broken.

“Oliver Wood.”

“Stop being overly dramatic. If you have something to say, spit it out quickly, or you’ll get into some weird trouble.”

Even though her memories weren’t fully returned, Chae Hwa In felt an overwhelming bloodlust rising from within her.

This man in front of her had to die by her own hands. She was certain of that.

Without hesitation, she drew the sword she had strapped to her waist.

Swish.

Clank.

“…Wha—!”

Bam.

Oliver quickly distanced himself and entered a battle stance, yet his expression bore a strange hue.

After a moment of silence, he widened his eyes and spoke.

“This aura… I’ve definitely felt it somewhere….”

“Oliver Wood.”

Once again, as Chae Hwa In uttered the man’s name, a chilling killing intent radiated from her as she raised her left hand to remove her mask.

Swish.

Clank.

“…I think I told you before.”

A pale face and two eyes glowing green.

Chae Hwa In, revealing herself, muttered the oath she had screamed in anger that day.

“The day I return to life, I will tear all of you to pieces.”

“W-What?!”

Oliver began trembling like a aspen tree, as if he had seen something he wasn’t supposed to.

Chae Hwa In slowly walked toward Oliver with a cold expression.

Thud.

Thud.

Bam.

“I remember everything. Your faces, your names.”

“Hey, calm down. You probably didn’t know at that time, but unlike them, I opposed the plan….”

Swish!

Crack—!

“Eeeaaargh! You crazy fiend…!”

With one swift slash, Chae Hwa In tore Oliver’s mouth open, splitting it into two.

Those ripped lips strangely seemed to curve into a sinister smile.

Facing Oliver’s pained expression with his hands clutching his face, Chae Hwa In spoke ominously.

“Make sure to remember clearly.”

“…Cough, cough!”

“You were laughing then too, just like right now.”

With a persistent killing aura devoid of hesitation, Oliver, who realized his future, sank into despair.

And he desperately began to summon his magic, charging toward Chae Hwa In.

Whoosh.

“Cough, cough! You should’ve died already! If you wish, I’ll gladly end your life once more!”

Slash!

Clang!

However, Chae Hwa In merely observed it indifferently, shaking the blood from her blade before sheathing it.

And with a quiet voice, she remarked.

“…Oliver Wood. You shot my legs eight times in that dungeon, hiding in unseen places.”

Only one of those hits had landed, but Chae Hwa In remembered all of it clearly.

Therefore,

“I will cut you eight times too.”

Boom!

Oliver, charging in with a fierce momentum, for some reason lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.

His two legs lay scattered behind him, neatly severed without a trace of curvature.

As Oliver’s expression became stained with pain and fear, fine lines began to etch themselves into his body and face.

And eventually,

Splash!

Splatter—!

Red blood sprayed everywhere as his body was cut into pieces, losing its original shape.

Counting them all, it totaled exactly eight pieces.

‘…….’

Chae Hwa In, staring at that horrific scene with an emotionless face, soon turned her head and continued walking.

Thud.

Thud.

“Jacob Turner, Mikael Brighton, Austin Miller, Poden Diaz.”

Each a current S Rank Hunter in the U.S., known for being veterans among veterans.

And now,

“…They’re all here.”

They were all Chae Hwa In’s prey.