First Meeting
“Still haven’t spread the greatness of my master across the world!”
“That’s right.”
“So we can’t do it right now! People say you leave a name behind only after death!”
“That makes sense.”
I nodded seriously.
“Let me see….”
Level 37, and MP spent on investments is 500.
“Kyah! Ten more skeletons added!”
Clap clap clap!
Skeleton Shield Soldiers x10. Skeleton Spearmen x10. Skeleton Archers x9. Normal Skeletons x10.
“We’ll be at forty soon.”
“Yes, Master.”
I planned to equip the normal skeletons with gear I’d make in the Necropolis.
Since I still had the dragon’s tooth left, the archer chance was high.
“Let me check the rewards…”
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[ Inventory ]
Goblin General’s Magic Stone (A)
Orc Warrior’s Magic Stone (A) x2
Goblin General’s Club (C)
Orc Warrior’s Axe (C)
Dragon’s Dung (F)
================
“Oh! The axe dropped!”
“Last time you didn’t give it, but now you do!”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t seem useful…”
“I checked the internet. It turns out drop equipment sells at high prices. Magic stones are piling up too, so maybe sell them with the stones?”
“Uung…”
“Master!”
Yeongwon showed a firm face toward me, trying to dodge my thoughts.
Normally I would have brushed off “Uung” with fidgeting, but…
“Master… actually, I need items for equipment crafting in the Necropolis. Right now we’re using the dragon’s corpse, but if we use it all up, the workshop and research lab will be idle.”
“Uung…”
“One-line summary! I need materials!”
“Ah ha!”
“The best cost-performance material right now is human bones!”
“Eh… that’s a bit…”
Human bones… where would I even get them?
“Animal bones are fine too… and even if they’re not complete shape, that’s okay…”
“Eh… how about chicken with bones for dinner tonight?”
“Chicken bones are too weak, no use…”
“Then pig trotters…?”
“Only legs and toe bones…”
“Uhm… uhm… oo… oooh?”
A light bulb flashed in my head! I remembered a place where human and animal bones were lying around.
“Since the artillery bombarded the hell out of it… all the animals living on that mountain must be dead, right?”
“The Nokrim?”
“Yeah.”
I pulled out my smartphone and started chatting with the Haneul Hunter.
=========
Bandit: Haneul-ah
=========
I called but got no reply. She must be busy lately.
Thinking about it, the reason I had some free time with the Haneul Hunter lately was the Hunter Association’s strategy.
She probably had always seen the Nokrim as a thorn in her side. With Haneul Hunter, we had a reason to wipe them out… so they probably went back to their original spot.
“Still shooting cannons lately…?”
A mutter. Normally I would have ignored it.
But Yeongwon quickly snatched my phone and started typing furiously.
Materials were urgent, apparently.
“After last night, the bombardment stopped. But the executives including No Okrim are still alive, so entry is banned…”
“Huuuung…”
I hesitated for a moment.
“What’s the chance of running into Nokrim people in that vast mountain?”
“Very low, right? They must have moved away from the bombardment site. Still, Master… don’t go.”
“Yeongwon…”
My loving wife who worries for me. But saying that only makes me want to go more.
“Don’t worry. I’ll sneak in and out.”
“Master…”
“The mountain is huge… no way I’d run into them.”
Yeongwon looked troubled for a second. Then, with resolve, she said.
“In case the worst happens, I’ll step in. I’ll check how much the Heavenly Court interferes.”
“Aigoo~ It’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
As I said that, I had a hunch.
Oh, I’ll meet the Nokrim. I made a slip of the tongue.
But since Yeongwon is coming along, I won’t die.
I searched for the location where the bombardment hit. It was far. So I waited for Haneul Hunter’s reply.
The reply came the next day. In the meantime, one skeleton had increased.
=========
Bandit: Haneul-ah
Haneul: Yes, Oppa
Bandit: I’m at the Nokrim place and want to go… what should I do?
Haneul: Is there a reason you must go?
Bandit: Yeah. I’ll go around the areas where the bombardment fell. Then there won’t be any survivors to meet, right?
Haneul: Hmm… even if you meet survivors, unless it’s Okrim, you can win. They’re injured and starving.
Bandit: Then can you give me a ride?
Haneul: You weren’t supposed to come through dimension shifting?
Bandit: Eh? That’s right?
==========
I turned my head to look at Yeongwon. She shook her head.
“Places I haven’t been to are hard… to do that, I’d have to use influence on the outside for exploration, but that would mean Heavenly Court interference…”
“Uung… that means it’s impossible, right?”
“Yes, yes…”
==========
Bandit: It’s tough right now. So I wanted you to give me a ride…
Haneul: I’ll send the staff you saw last time.
==========
The appointment was set. Since the staff had a schedule too, he was coming to pick me up tomorrow.
While at it, he’d sell the magic stones and items.
A short while later, he said he got unofficial search permits from the Association and the Ministry of Defense.
But to avoid operational confusion, he wouldn’t inform the field personnel.
Just great, Haneul.
I lounged around and killed time. One normal skeleton had increased.
The promised time came, and I went to the meeting place.
The car from last time, and the staff I saw then. I put the magic stones, axe, and club into the prepared box in the trunk.
I boarded the car right away. The staff explained the things to watch out for.
“For a while, soldiers won’t be patrolling. But if you run into a soldier, run away immediately.”
“The bombardment stopped, but fighter patrols are still ongoing. If you hear fighter sounds, stop moving and cover your body with the cloak in your backpack.”
“No deliveries like last time. You have to eat on your own… just in case, I put two days’ combat rations and water in the backpack.”
The staff’s mouth never stopped moving.
Uung… my head hurts…
The staff’s words slipped in through my ears and out of my brain like a machine. I nodded as if humming.
After emptying my brain and syncing the rhythm, we arrived.
I got out of the car. The staff took the backpack from the passenger seat.
“As I said again, the backpack…”
“…… uhm…”
“Guild Master said it’s heavy, so don’t carry it yourself. Just summon the summons. There’s no one around here.”
“Ah… you saw me calling the skeletal diver before, right?”
I called the skeletons. Two. One carried the backpack, and one carried me on its back.
“If you hear fighter sounds, you have to cover with the cloak. It’s a cloak that hides your presence…”
“I’ll just wear it around.”
“It’ll be hot…”
I took the cloak from the backpack and wrapped it around myself. Please, no more nagging!
“Let’s go!”
I climbed the mountain at a run. The staff waved his hand.
Thus began the mountain hike. Riding a skeleton with no bones was a bit uncomfortable, but better than struggling.
- Master… can you hear me?
Yeongwon’s voice came. Not through the ears, but directly into my head.
‘Yeah. It’s amazing.’
- If the worst situation where your life is in danger comes, you must call me right away.
‘Yeah, I know.’
Yeongwon who doesn’t easily brush off problems about my safety. Sometimes it felt over the top, but I didn’t mind.
It’s not like I don’t have a wife. I have no other mistress.
I got strength after changing jobs. I used to be a person who always tried hard with positive energy, but now I’m incredibly lazy.
If Yeongwon hadn’t been there…
Uung… I don’t want to think about it… huh?
I feel something. What is it?
Me? A useless Necromancer. I don’t know about human auras or anything.
But I definitely feel it. Like someone is angry over there.
I headed there. I could see it. I identified the identity at a glance.
Was it because I became a Necromancer? That’s a soul.
- Shit… shit… shit… shit!
“Why are you acting like this?”
I got closer. Then the soul looked at me in fright.
“Can you see me? Don’t say weird things like that.”
- SHIT!!! I can see you!!!
This was the first time I saw the reaction of a dead person’s soul… it was the usual.
“Uhm. Why are you so angry?”
- THAT BASTARD NO OKRIM!!!
“Okrim?”
- YES!!! That bastard deceived me!!!
“What did he say?”
- Let’s hunt monsters together! He said we could earn a lot of money!
“Outside the tower, monster corpses can be farmed?”
- Yeah! When I actually went, there were monsters. I only caught one orc, but he paid five million won.
“Wow, that’s sweet.”
- So, that’s why I got deceived. He said strong monsters coming down from the North are handled by Kim Haneul, and we just catch weak monsters here and suck honey.
“Really?”
- Yeah!!! Shit, the mountain village is so remote that the smartphone doesn’t even get signal. I just believed what Okrim said!!!
“Whoa! So you died here?”
- Shit, shit, shit!!! I didn’t even know why I died! I just heard some sound like wind tearing and it was over!
That’s pitiful. I didn’t know how the Nokrim works and ended up dying from a barrage of bombs.
“Then this was the base?”
- No. It’s a rear outpost. I was in charge of security.
“You were alone?”
- There were colleagues. But only I remained like this.
“Let me see, let me see.”
I had the skeleton dig in the land where the soul hovered.
Under the soil, there were remains of the building that was the outpost. When I dug it up, I saw the corpse.
“You bastard!”
This was the first time I saw the body of a human who had been torn apart. The flesh had melted away, and the body was grotesquely twisted.
“He died miserably.”
- SHIIIIIT!!!!
“Yeongwon.”
The dimension split and skeletons came out. They respectfully collected the corpses.
- What are you doing with my body!!!
“I’ll use it a bit. Hey, you’re dead anyway, what’s the problem?”
- What?! This crazy bastard!!!
The soul went wild. Ah, it’s noisy… I need to quiet it down.
“You want revenge on No Okrim, don’t you?”
- Of course! Because of the revenge I ended up like this!!!
“All of that. You didn’t even know the deep meaning, you just get angry?”
- Now that I think about it… the reason you’re wandering around here…
“You want to kill Okrim.”
- Shit… good! I’m dead anyway. If I can kill that bastard Okrim, use my body however you want!
“Yeah. Let’s go together and watch how my body is used.”
- Understood!
The soul entered the dimension opened by the skeletons. This idiot… he’s stupid.
“Hmm.”
Looking at the tragically dead human didn’t bring joy.
Dealing with an angry soul wasn’t joyful either.
But that was it. Just not joyful.
Life is originally not joyful. There are times when you have to force yourself even if you don’t want to.
“Today I’ll rest a bit. Not just taking a breather, but living as a healthy Necromancer.”
I moved to the feeling-like place. I recovered the corpses and souls.
When hungry, I ate the simple meals in the backpack. When sleepy, I slept while riding a skeleton.
Then eventually…
The time to pay the price for the slip of the tongue had come.
A middle-aged man holding a huge axe.
I ran into No Okrim.
“A guy sent by the Association…”
Height over 180. Muscular body. Bushy hair.
He looked strong at a glance.
“Okrim…?”
- YOU BASTARD SON OF A BITCH!!!
Okrim rushed at me.
Yeongwon split the dimension as if she knew this would happen.
I stopped her from trying to jump out and instead poured out twenty skeletons.
The rest were reserves.
I still didn’t know his full power.
“Get the hell out!”
Twenty skeletons rushed toward Okrim.
And I, riding the back of a skeleton, jumped exactly in the opposite direction.