LIGHTNOVELONLINE [Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 180: Symposium (2)
When Kim Minwoo entered, a message appeared before the eyes of all the necromancers except Liang Xiaojun.
[You have encountered a great being!]
[Numerous followers are present!]
[Your soul resonates!]
[Memories of a past life buried deep within your soul are surfacing!]
“Wh-What?”
Mikhail uttered in a bewildered tone.
Encountering a great being?
And past life memories resurfacing?
What kind of nonsense was this…?
At that moment, emotions began to churn like an uncontrollable volcano. Mikhail’s rough hands trembled. As if injected with a needle, countless memories flooded in like a tidal wave.
[The memories of your past life, ‘Kentra,’ are surfacing!]
Kentra.
He was a sewer rat in the back alleys.
A despicable rat who could rummage through trash cans and smash someone’s head with a stone for a small piece of bread.
The great war between the undead and humans.
In the war that engulfed the continent, hunger and begging were commonplace.
Memories of a harsh life continued, where one arm was severed and the face melted away due to a plague.
One day, a figure in a black robe approached through a dark alley.
— A mere insect, but quite useful. Your emotions are well-ripened.
— Wh-Who are you?!
The figure removed their robe, revealing a jet-black skull adorned with a crown of massive jewels.
— Eek! A l-lich?! An undead!
— Hush. There’s nothing to fear. Does it matter that I am undead?
— …Huh?
— Think of what truly matters to you. Didn’t you want to escape this wretched life? I will give you a chance.
Saying so, the lich offered a steaming piece of bread.
Kentra couldn’t resist the temptation.
No, he couldn’t.
It didn’t matter that the one speaking to him was an evil lich.
A warm meal.
Sweet power and authority.
The promises made were far more important.
— If you truly do as you say… I will pledge my loyalty to my lord. I will offer everything I have! Please save me!
— From this moment on, the contract is sealed.
Kentra’s life changed dramatically after that.
— Th-This is…
— The church. A church where those like you gather. Hirod, the parish priest.
A man named Hirod ran towards the Death Lord. Seeing his face, Mikhail’s eyes widened in shock.
“Li-Liang Xiaojun?”
Hirod’s appearance was identical to Liang Xiaojun’s.
— Teach this child from now on.
— As you command.
Thus, Kentra became a member of the Death Cult.
There, he found not only himself but also countless other orphans.
His severed arm regenerated.
His dying body was completely healed. He learned vast knowledge.
Every time he reached out his hand, the undead were summoned.
He was no longer a sewer rat.
He was a full-fledged necromancer.
Soon, he was mobilized for a great war. Espionage was also part of his duties.
As a human, he infiltrated human society, disrupting their rear like poisonous mushrooms.
Finally, the great war between the undead and humans ended.
All humans became slaves, and the members of the Death Cult were all able to ascend to glorious positions as administrators.
As a follower of the Death Lord, he rose to the position of managing five cities. As promised, he gained endless glory and power.
But…
The power that seemed to last forever also came to an end.
The invasion of a powerful external force.
Numerous races flocked in, and the Death Lord fell.
The life of Kentra, who had followed him, also ended.
Or so he thought.
But it didn’t end.
The scope of the contract designated by the Death Lord.
It wasn’t based solely on being alive.
Even after death, the shackles of the contract continued.
With the words that it wasn’t the end, for eternity.
His vision returned.
“Gasp!”
Mikhail let out a rough breath.
‘Wh-What was that?’
Was it magic?
An illusion created using an item?
Or sorcery?
He couldn’t tell.
But one thing was certain…
His instincts were screaming. This was definitely his memory. Mikhail’s eyes trembled fiercely as he looked at Kim Minwoo.
Mikhail wasn’t the only one bewildered.
Sakura from Japan.
Liang Xiaojun from China.
Andrew from the United States.
The other necromancers’ pupils were also trembling violently, as if they had seen similar memories.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Kim Minwoo.
* * *
It wasn’t just the other necromancers who saw the memories.
Kim Minwoo did too.
[You have discovered your followers!]
[Your souls resonate!]
[The memories of the Death Lord are manifesting!]
He, too, saw numerous scenes.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
The Death Lord was enraged at humans, moving with all means and methods.
One such means was the cult. In the great war between the undead and humans, death was always near.
Naturally, the manifestation of related talents also increased. The stage was set for the Death Lord. He sought out those with talent in necromancy.
He peered into their souls as if piercing through them, choosing the most miserable and desperate.
Their lives were devoid of even a glimmer of light.
In this way, the Death Lord gathered his followers and taught them necromancy. Those in despair clung to him, thirsting for his teachings.
Kim Minwoo exhaled heavily.
His whole body felt weary, as if he had completed a long journey.
‘So this is how he gathered his followers.’
Kim Minwoo blinked.
He looked around at the gathered necromancers. It was as if he had seen them in the memories of the Death Lord. Those who willingly abandoned their miserable lives and chose the path of death.
Every face was familiar.
Even Liang Xiaojun, who had been the parish priest, was there. The others had also risen to recognized positions within the Death Cult, becoming talents who managed cities.
They could be considered the high-ranking members of the cult.
After a very long time, they had met again.
As the successor and his followers.
‘Could this also be part of the arrangement?’
Perhaps.
[How you utilize them is your freedom.]
The message he had seen with Liang Xiaojun appeared again.
‘Well, they’re all followers?’
He had thought that even if only half of the necromancers gathered here were followers, it would be more than enough.
He hadn’t expected them all to be.
It seemed that even the SS-rank necromancers who would be born in the future would also be his followers.
The reason was simple.
The scale of the Death Cult was larger than he had thought.
In comparison, only twelve had gathered here.
There were still many more to come.
‘Well, this is quite satisfying.’
Anyway, since they were gathered like this, it was time to get down to business.
“Have you all come to your senses?”
“Y-You… what are you?”
Mikhail spoke through gritted teeth, trembling. The other necromancers felt no different.
At that moment,
Bang!
Liang Xiaojun slammed his hand on the desk and slowly stood up.
His eyes were filled with a light akin to madness. The other necromancers looked at him with puzzled eyes, but Liang Xiaojun didn’t care.
After looking around, he shouted,
“Are you all still not getting it? He is the successor of the Lord. The one we must pledge our loyalty to!”
With that, he approached Kim Minwoo.
“I greet the great successor. I, Liang Xiaojun, will never forget my lifelong loyalty to you.”
Liang Xiaojun bowed respectfully.
His eyes shone fiercely. Even before coming here, his heart had been drawn to Kim Minwoo.
And now, he had even seen the memories.
The memories of his past life hadn’t had a tremendous impact on him.
But one thing had become clear.
‘The number of followers will definitely increase.’
Mikhail was a prime example.
He was a member of the Death Cult.
The faces of the necromancers gathered here were all familiar.
They must all be related to the Death Cult. The necromancer craze was already sweeping the Earth.
SS-rank necromancers would continue to be born, and they would most likely be followers.
‘They will become his minions.’
If they were followers, they wouldn’t be able to refuse Kim Minwoo’s orders.
He himself was like that.
He was already doing well, and now, with all the SS-rank necromancers in the world under his command?
It was impossible to predict how far he would go.
He couldn’t refuse orders anyway.
Wasn’t it a bond that had continued from a distant past life to the present?
In that case, it was better to…
‘I need to make a good impression first.’
It would be better to actively show loyalty before the number of followers increased.
‘Right now, I have the advantage.’
While the others were all flustered and stuttering, he would be the first to take the initiative and show his loyalty. Kim Minwoo wouldn’t refuse.
Maybe he could even rise to a high position like parish priest, just like in his past life.
Kim Minwoo also noticed this.
‘He’s decided to side with me.’
He was originally a money-wasting maniac character. There were a truckload of people clinging to him to take advantage of him.
Liang Xiaojun was one of those people.
The only difference was that he had absolute control over him. Kim Minwoo patted Liang Xiaojun’s shoulder.
“How have you been?”
“Yes! I’ve received a lot of help. Thanks to you, I’m starting to get noticed in the guild.”
“Isn’t the position of President starting to come into view?”
“…Yes. Gradually.”
Sakura tilted her head at their conversation.
It was because of Liang Xiaojun, who was acting as if he would give his liver and gallbladder.
And…
“President? What are you talking about?”
“I can’t just ask for loyalty without giving anything in return, can I? Everyone has free will. So I promised him. I’ll make him President.”
“…?”
Sakura tilted her head again.
Kim Minwoo was talking about the President as if he were replacing a company employee. Even if he had become a world ranker, it was honestly too crazy.
It was one of two things.
Either it was a bluff, or he was really confident.
At that moment, Liang Xiaojun raised his hand and spoke.
“I definitely received help. The Henan gold bar incident, and getting rid of my competitors… none of it would have been possible without the information Mr. Kim Minwoo gave me.”
“…So you’re saying you’re pledging your loyalty because of that?”
“Well, something like that. And it seems like everyone is mistaken about one thing…”
“What are we mistaken about?”
“Do you think you have a choice whether to pledge your loyalty or not? The moment you came here, it was already decided. To pledge your loyalty to him.”
At that moment, Mikhail spoke coldly.
“Hmph! That strange illusion magic earlier, and now this nonsense… Did you call us here to pull this kind of crap? There’s nothing more to say. Everyone, what are we doing? Let’s go!”
This was practically the opponent’s home turf. It wouldn’t be strange if the message and scene they had just seen were meticulously prepared illusion magic.
‘It must be a carefully prepared trap.’
One thing was certain.
They had to get out of here as soon as possible before those guys could pull any more tricks.
As Mikhail turned around abruptly,
“Stop.”
Kim Minwoo’s voice rang out.
Abruptly, his body stopped as if frozen in place. Kim Minwoo’s figure approached with the sound of footsteps.
Kim Minwoo began to stare directly into Mikhail’s eyes, who couldn’t take another step.
“Your eyes are quite disrespectful. You’ve been like that since you first came here.”
“…Did you cast a freezing spell on me or something?”
Mikhail started to snort roughly. His eyes were filled with a mixture of fear, envy, jealousy, and all sorts of other slimy emotions. Seeing this, Kim Minwoo chuckled.
‘This is good.’
Sometimes, it was necessary to impress upon others the meaning of the gap between them.
And now was the time.
It would be a good example for the other necromancers.
“Hey.”
“…?”
“Kneel.”
At that moment,
Thud!
Mikhail roughly knelt down.
The other necromancers gaped at the overwhelming scene.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]