Ch. 8 — Necromancer of Destruction

Darkness.

Absolute, suffocating darkness.

Not a single ray of light pierced the inky blackness. Within this void, a chilling voice resonated.

[The fact that this has been activated means that there is someone who has received my power.]

The voice echoed, unanswered. A figure materialized in the gloom, clad in dark armor. He, Kim Minwoo, recognized the voice – a mere recording triggered by his inheritance.

“Excuse me, are you Death Lord himself?”

Minwoo spoke into the abyss, already aware of the futility of his question.

[It’s no use asking me anything. This is just a recorded voice. Just listen.]

The reply was immediate, extinguishing any hope of dialogue.

Minwoo braced himself.

He understood. Whatever horrors awaited him wouldn’t unfold until the recording finished its chilling monologue.

With newfound determination, Minwoo boomed, “Arise, my minions!”

[Skeleton Summon Activated!]

The ground trembled as his command echoed.

Click!

Click!!

A skeletal army, vast and nightmarish, clawed its way from the earth. It was a spectacle both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Hundreds of bony figures, each corresponding to an item Minwoo possessed, materialized before him.

[Opening the Subspace Ring (Intermediate)!]

“Equip yourselves quickly! We have precious little time!”

He yelled, gulping down a magic potion to replenish his mana reserves.

The skeletons wasted no time. With surprising agility, they donned their armor and seized their weapons, transforming from a shambling horde into a disciplined fighting force.

The disembodied voice continued its narrative.

[I came for revenge, I stained the continent with death, I thought I had achieved my goal].

Minwoo paid half attention, his focus primarily on preparing for the coming battle.

Click!

Click!

Helm, armor, pants, gloves, and shoes.

The skeletons diligently put on the five-piece black set.

“Wear everything else that’s left over! If you don’t know what to do, just put on any remaining armor!”

There were about 200 pieces of the Black Heart set. The rest had to be filled with individual equipment.

[But at one point I realized… that I was just… one of the puppets on the stage…]

“It was all a sham.”

[Even with my power, I couldn’t stand up to them. That’s why I decided to plan for the future.]

No, you’re not going to react to this?

The lines flowed out without a moment’s hesitation.

It really seemed like a recorded voice.

‘Am I being used?’

Judging by the fact that he had dyed the continent in death, he didn’t seem like an ordinary person.

Who was the strong man that such a necromancer couldn’t stand up to?

‘Was it a foreign god?’

If it was an outer god, it wouldn’t be difficult to influence other worlds.

Well, that’s not the important topic right now.

Look at this.

As soon as he looked away, one of the idiots was holding two heavy shields with his arms dangling.

“Hey! I told you to only pick up one shield!”

He snatched one of the shields away and gave him a sword.

[Now I will test your qualifications.]

[If you survive and prove yourself, you will be able to obtain my power.]

[But if you fail to prove yourself…]

[You will be trapped in eternity with me. Even a comfortable death will be a luxury.]

Wow, you sure know how to scare people.

“Yeah. I’m already fully equipped.”

This must have increased his power by at least five times.

Whatever it is, just come out.

[The first arrangement begins…]

The scenery changed once again.

Everything became blurry.

[Entering the Battlefield of Eternity – Battle of Hrungnir!]

[You have entered the ancient battlefield!]

[You have acquired the title, ‘How Far Will You Go, You?’]

***

Kim Minwoo found himself standing on top of a massive wall.

A deathly silence had settled over the area, as if time had stopped.

‘Huh?’

He looked around, taking in the world around him, which was rendered entirely in shades of gray.

Fortunately, the skeletons he had armed just now were also standing in formation on the wall with him.

But what was strange was…

‘These aren’t the skeletons I summoned, are they?’

There were endless rows of skeletons that he had not summoned.

Skeleton mages.

Skeleton warriors.

Skeleton archers.

And the undead didn’t stop there.

There were also dullahans, liches, specters, death knights, and even…

‘A bone dragon?’

There was even a massive dragon made of bones below the wall.

It was the very image of an undead city.

[This is a battlefield of the past created from the regrets of ‘Sir Cedric’.]

[The player is in a ‘virtual body’ state. Skills, stats, and inventory are the same.]

[However, you cannot gain experience points.]

[The player joins the battle.]

[Time, which had been frozen, begins to flow.]

Color was added to the gray stage.

One by one, the eyes of the undead began to burn with fire.

And then…

A voice rang out in his head.

-”Is it you? The one the Lord has arranged for.”

His head turned naturally.

On the back of the bone dragon.

A massive golden skeleton knight was riding on it.

‘What the hell is that…?’

A skeleton knight with a body made of golden bones. Blue flames flickered in his eyes.

A suffocating sense of oppression was felt.

The death knight looked like child’s play compared to this.

“…Are you, Mr. Cedric?”

The golden skeleton knight nodded.

– …Clumsy necromancer. I don’t expect much of you. Just survive. If you can.

[You are granted authority over Commander Cedric!]

[You can command the undead forces of Sector 16 of the Wall!]

[Currently commandable undead: Death Knight 1, Lich 1, Dullahan 5, Specter 5, Skeleton 500]

[You have acquired the title, ‘Baby Commander’]

Right after that…

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Orc! Orc! Orc!

A tremendous roar came from the front.

The plain in front of the wall.

There, countless orcs were lined up in rows.

Orcs clad in black armor, banging their weapons on the ground in unison, rousing their fighting spirit!

That wasn’t the only problem.

‘This is crazy…’

It’s not like a bone dragon.

A real dragon, so large that its form could be seen even from a distance, was flapping its wings.

Near it were wyverns, hydras, cyclops, kodos, and witches of death.

[TL/N: The speaker is describing the dangerous creatures that live near the location.

Wyverns are two-legged dragons with wings.

Hydras are multi-headed snakes.

Cyclopes are one-eyed giants.

Kodos are giant, rhinoceros-like creatures.

Death witches are powerful spellcasters who can control the dead.]

One by one, the top-tier monsters were lined up.

‘Wow, this is so screwed up?’

It looked like a lot of trouble at first glance.

Even with the advantage of the wall, the difference in numbers was overwhelming. So was the quality superior?

No.

A living dragon is usually much stronger than a regular bone dragon.

Even though there were high-ranking undead like death knights and liches, they were few and far between.

In terms of both quality and quantity, they were greatly outnumbered, both in the lower and upper ranks.

‘There’s no place to run, is there?’

In front, the orcs were swarming like a pack of dogs.

Then what about the back?

It was a cliff that fell away into the distance.

‘This castle structure is a piece of cake.’

Surely the way to clear it wasn’t to fall off the cliff and look for a chance…

‘I guess I’ll just have to fight.’

The first thing that came to mind was the time limit.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

If you survive for a certain amount of time, you’ll be recognized by Cedric or whatever his name is and the battlefield will end.

Or maybe reinforcements will come.

‘Of course, Cedric looks strong, but…’

There was one problem.

Orc! Orc!

The huge orc hero in the middle of the orc guard.

That orc was not an ordinary orc.

He looked really strong at first glance.

His eerie presence completely overwhelmed the surroundings.

He seems to be much stronger than the dragon there…?

Can he buy some time?

‘Let’s think about it. The frontal attack is murderously difficult.’

It’s a structure where you can summon only one skill after learning one limit ability value 50.

How strong would the summoned one be if it was strong in that situation?

At best, he would be a clumsy necromancer at level 3~40.

There’s no way Death Lord (EX) can use it at all.

And in that state, you’re going to throw me in here and tell me to survive?

Gate Hunter is a difficult game.

But it wasn’t an unreasonable game.

‘There must be a workaround. Is regret the keyword?’

A battlefield created from regret.

I still don’t know what our Mr. Cedric regrets, but I guess if I solve that, the battlefield will end.

‘There is a strategy, no matter what.’

He has to find it.

I must, to survive!

Krrrrrrr!

The orc hero.

He thrust his glaive forward.

Orc! Orc! Orc!

The orcs started running towards the wall. Carrying long ladders!

“Shoot! Don’t spare the arrows, shoot them all!”

“The commander has ordered it. Shoot!”

At those words, the death knight on the wall stretched out his hand.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

A shower of arrows rained down.

A few orcs fell, but it was only a drop in the bucket.

Thud!

Ladders were hastily placed against the wall.

The orcs were pouring in like a tidal wave.

“Archers, fire!”

Sling!

The death knight next to him drew his sword. The lich raised his staff, his eyes filled with ferocity.

The dullahan drew his double-bladed axe, and the specter’s mouth curled into a dark mist.

His baby skeletons were also preparing for battle. The skeletons raised their weapons, ready to strike at any moment!

Let’s ignore the fact that their level 1 strength made their arms tremble.

The moment he saw the orc heads above the wall, he swung his sword with all his might.

Swish!

In an instant, Minwoo realized one thing.

‘My body moves much more smoothly!’

The stats were definitely the same.

But the way his body moved was different.

It was much smoother, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis.

It seemed that Kim Minwoo’s physical talent had disappeared as he became a virtual body.

‘I like it better this way!’

Orcs were killed instantly.

However, the delivery had only just begun. Orc heads popped up from all sides, like a whack-a-mole game.

“Strike down with all your might!”

Thud!

Crack!

Krrrrrrr!

[Skeleton 1 has killed an enemy much stronger than itself! Combat experience is starting to accumulate rapidly!]

[Skeleton 171 has killed an enemy much stronger than itself…….]

[Skeleton 223 has…….]

…

…

The advantage of being on the wall.

The orcs who were coming up were killed without being able to fight back by the powerful attacks from above.

But that didn’t last long.

The baby skeletons, who had learned to swing their weapons at the orc heads, were caught.

The orc coming up grabbed the hammer with one hand.

Snap?

The skeleton shook the weapon it was desperately holding onto, but the orc’s hand was stuck to it like glue.

Krrrr!

The orc pulled with all his might, and the skeleton, which was sucked in, fell down the wall in an instant.

Crash!

The skeleton army, which was being crushed one by one.

[Undead Resurrection…….]

[Summon of Skeleton 1 canceled!]

[Summon of Skeleton 16 canceled…….]

Even if they were resurrected, it was an orc field all around.

The skeletons began to be recalled without any strength.

The suffering didn’t end there.

Twang!

Orc archers started shooting from the ground!

Minwoo narrowly avoided an arrow that grazed his face.

“Lich! Cut the ladders! Acid magic!”

[Lich ‘Hans’ uses Acidic Touch (C)!]

Acidic hands created in the air grab the top of the ladder.

The ladder breaks in an instant.

The orcs who were climbing up fall down, screaming in pain.

But there was no end to the orcs climbing up.

That wasn’t the only problem.

At first, only orc soldiers and warriors came up.

Now, even the upper-level orcs were starting to appear.

Krrrr!

Orc berserker.

An orc species that gets stronger the more it sees the blood of its own kind.

His huge axe narrowly grazes his head.

He thrust his sword into his abdomen.

The sword slips in smoothly.

The orc, blood dripping from his mouth, opened his mouth wide as if to bite his face off.

He kicked the orc’s body away and chopped off the head of the orc climbing up next to him.

[You have hunted one hundred orcs that are much higher level than you!]

[You have obtained the title, ‘Orc Hunter’!]

What was the effect of this again?

I think it was increased damage against orcs.

He summoned the skeletons that had been canceled again.

Mana is sucked in quickly.

In an instant, nearly two hundred skeletons were replenished, but sadly, most of them were unarmed.

This was because they had been dropped below the wall and had been in a state of unrecoverable for a long time.

“Hurry up and pick up anything!”

The skeletons quickly pick up weapons.

The situation was so chaotic that he needed all the help he could get.

30 minutes.

1 hour.

2 hours.

He blocked, and blocked again.

In the meantime, the mid-level undead, including the dullahan and specter, died one by one.

The death knights and liches far away began to disappear as well.

He cut down the orcs and ran again.

[You have hunted five hundred orcs that are much higher level than you!]

[The title, ‘Orc Hunter’ is changed to ‘Orc Slayer’!]

[Warning!]

[You have consumed too many potions in a short period of time! Overload is starting to occur!]

‘This won’t work.’

If he saved them, they would be useless.

“Hans! Use the big one!”

[Lich ‘Hans’ uses Earthquake (A)!]

Urrrung…!

The ground in front of the wall cracked open like a crevasse and hundreds of orcs were sucked into it. He had a little bit of time to breathe.

He was doing a good job of blocking them, in his own way.

Until now.

Krrrr!

The orc hero’s roar began to fill the air.

Flutter!

The huge dragon’s wings moved.

Kheugh!

The dragon’s form rapidly approached the wall.

And it was heading towards his section, the 16th sector.

‘I can’t avoid this!’

There were death knights and lich Hans, but he didn’t trust them at all!

He reflexively shouted.

“Cedric!”

Do something!

He is going to die at this rate!

Just then.

Flutter!

The bone dragon that flew in from behind crashed into the native dragon.

The golden skeleton knight riding on it jumped up towards the dragon.

The dark aura-filled spearhead pierced the dragon’s head.

The dragon shook its head madly in pain.

―…I was going to come out anyway.

Damn, he just stood there and watched until now.

Minwoo reflexively swallowed the words he was about to say and cut off the head of the orc that was running towards him.

That guy.

If he ever becomes my subordinate, I’ll make him work like a dog.

Minwoo vowed to himself.

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]