New Boss, New Home
“Ah, crap.”
I’d poked and prodded every inch of the thing. Grandpa wasn’t it. Definitely not.
“This guy’s solid, no holes in the bones, and he looks healthier than a two-day-old corpse.”
Grandpa had dentures—every single tooth gone—and osteoporosis. No way was this bone from him.
“Then who the hell are you? Bones like this… soul’s gotta be in there somewhere. Gotta be.”
My head throbbed. I gave up thinking. _Who cares whose bones they are? Whose soul? Doesn’t matter._
“Hehehehe.”
[Class: Necromancer (S)]
I couldn’t tear my eyes away. S-rank? Me? I’m the biggest dopamine hit of my life.
Back when I was lying to Grandpa about going to school and slaving at the factory… getting my first paycheck felt better than this.
I leaped onto the bed in my room and rolled, hugging the pillow bigger than my body.
“Gate? Tower? What’s it gonna be?”
“Hehehe!”
I imagined it—S-rank hunter, skinning every single piece of chicken and tossing the fat.
Pulling infinite summons in mobile games. Holding hands with an idol, walking into a five-star hotel.
“Hehe… I’ve waited so long, haven’t I?”
I felt bad. Sorry you’ve been lonely.
My hand reached for the 180mm howitzer pointed at my tears.
I waved at empty air.
“Ah… right. It fell off.”
“This… is the price of power?”
A heavy emptiness hit me. The spot where the howitzer should have stood was empty. Soft, puffy, nothing.
“Idol and hotel? Forget it.”
“Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue. But it was fine.
He was just a guy I was gonna use as a piss pot anyway. “The meat-eater who’s tasted meat eats the best.”
My hand fumbled toward my phone. My short arms couldn’t reach it.
I rolled once and snatched the phone.
Opened the map app. Searched nearby gates. None.
“I guess I have to climb the tower.”
I stared at the skeleton standing there like an idiot. No idea how strong it is.
Necromancer—pack of gangsters. The weakest moment for a gangster necromancer? When you have zero minions.
MP charging at one per hour. Fifty hours to get the next one. Too slow.
That’s when the ding sounded.
[Necropolis process complete.]
“Necropolis…? Oh. Right. There was another skill besides skeleton summoning…”
The second I said that, everything swallowed me.
[Starting dungeon mode.]
“Huh…?”
[Dungeon guardian summoned.]
A soft wind blew. No, the wind was gathering in one direction.
“Damn, it’s pitch black.”
[The heart of Necropolis. Soul Empress has been summoned.]
The wind stopped.
Whoosh!
Blue flames rose. Tiny, palm-sized.
Thanks to that I could see again.
“What the—?! Damn it!!”
A torch was stuck to the wall.
“Aaaah! Fire!!”
A torch. It’s literally fire.
“My rent’s already late and now the whole house burns? My life’s over!!”
I ran toward the flickering blue flames.
My breath hit my throat. How long had I run?
About thirty seconds… and my stamina was gone too.
“Hah… ha.”
I couldn’t run anymore. Then a soft voice came from beside my ear.
“O great being. One who rules over death. My eternal master.”
“Huh?”
I turned.
Long white hair. Red eyes. Alluring figure. A dress that matched.
An incredibly beautiful woman. No—floating.
“No legs?”
“Yes, Master. I am the Soul Empress. The final evolution of a Banshee. In simple terms… a ghost.”
“But… ha… wait…”
My head spun.
A torch suddenly on the wall. A sexy ghost suddenly popping out.
“Where am I…?”
Now I see, this isn’t my house.
The ceiling is insanely high, no end in sight. Black bricks everywhere.
Torches with blue flames lined the walls at regular intervals. Far away, stairs disappearing into darkness.
“The wall where light from the great Master doesn’t reach. This is Necropolis.”
“Necropolis…? Yeah, the skill called Necropolis… it was in progress.”
“Correct, Master. A city that existed to wait for you. Completed the moment you commanded it to appear in your name. This place, Necropolis.”
“Hmm.”
I thought. This pumpkin-bodied, super-sexy ghost calling me “Master” is obviously my subordinate.
The in-progress skill Necropolis finished.
City? World? It’s done.
The ghost who called herself Soul Empress looked at me with a gentle smile.
Like she knew my thoughts were correct.
“Okay. Then how do I get back home?”
The ghost empress looked flustered.
“That… you cannot return.”
“What?”
“You cannot return? This feels like the city of the dead.”
“Don’t tell me I’m supposed to live here forever with those bonehead guys?”
The ghost empress spoke.
“This is the house where you lived, Master.”
“I’m losing my mind.”
“T-that… you do not like the current appearance of Necropolis?”
“Of course not. This is my rent house. My rent’s been late a lot.”
“Wait… could you spare a little time? I would like to acquire knowledge of this place.”
“Sure.”
The ghost empress closed her eyes.
A magic circle appeared under her transparent legs.
Transparent beings like ghosts rushed in.
They were sucked into the Soul Empress’s body.
After absorbing quite a few, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Current status of Master. Perfectly understood.”
“Right? If a random landlord comes, it’s total chaos.”
“How could a lowly human dare harm Master? If such a thing happens, this girl will act. I will rip out his soul and make him taste endless pain…”
“No no, the landlord auntie did nothing wrong. Stop with the scary stuff. She’s actually a good person.”
“Ah… I overstepped. Please forgive me.”
“C-can you restore it to the original state?”
“I will obey.”
“Blink.”
Only that amount of time was needed to return the house to its original look.
“Oh.”
“It has been returned to the original appearance. However… it does not suit a great being like you…”
“Hmm.”
“Currently you have lost power, so it may be sufficient. However, as soldiers increase, it will soon become cramped.”
“Yeah.”
“Therefore, may this girl be permitted to offer one opinion?”
“Yeah.”
“I will designate the space of your original living quarters as the entrance to Necropolis. And I will create a portal shaped like a door in the room your grandparents used. From there you can move to the true Necropolis.”
“Uuu… my head hurts. Do that yourself.”
“It is an honor entrusted to this girl. I will strive to satisfy you.”
“And… you, your name is…”
“Name… a word I haven’t heard in a long time.”
“Hehe.”
The ghost empress smiled like she was pleased.
“After becoming the empress of Necropolis, I forgot.”
“Hmm. Calling me ‘you’ doesn’t feel right, and ‘Soul Empress’ is hard. Let me see… Necropolis… Fung? No.”
“Fu… Fung?”
“Fung isn’t bad, but let’s see. The first subordinate after removing the boneheads from Soul Empress… let’s call her Eternal.”
“Ah… this girl will engrave the name Eternal that Master gave into my soul.”
“Good. And you talk too much.”
“Talking… is too long?”
“Yeah. I’d like you to speak more casually, like me. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“… Understood.”
“A bit more casual.”
“… Okay.”
“Excellent. Then, Eternal, go do your work.”
“My duty is to assist Master.”
“You were gonna make a portal and stuff?”
“Necropolis is my body. If I will it, I can move like my hands move when I think. Likewise, I can move and change Necropolis with a thought.”
“Ugh… you talk too much. That’s what ‘dissolve’ means.”
“Dissolve… correct. I mean… yes…”
“Dissolve” didn’t sound right in her mouth. She looked embarrassed and trailed off.
“Then, shall I send the skeleton to Necropolis?”
“Yes. Sent.”
“… Huh?”
“Minions of Necropolis obey my will. Ah! Of course I obey Master.”
“Uuu… that’s really convenient.”
“Feel free to use this girl whenever you like. Ah! Also, minions of Master inside Necropolis can be summoned to your side at any time. Even outside Necropolis.”
“Oh ho.”
“Oh… oh ho…”
I walked back to the room while listening to Eternal’s explanation.
I read the newly updated skill window.
[Skill: Necropolis (EX)]
The ultimate skill that expands the territory of a Necromancer.
Summons the Soul Empress (EX) who rules Necropolis.
- Blesses minions within the area. Grade increases by one.
- Curses enemies within the area. Grade decreases by one.
- Minions within the area are immortal. Recover damage instantly.
- Enemies within the area disappear. Souls return to the Soul Empress upon death.
[Summon: Soul Empress (EX)]
The highest governing entity born by absorbing the soul of Necropolis.
Necropolis is no different from the body of the Soul Empress.
Minions of Necropolis obey the will of the Soul Empress.
- This being is both a skill and the subject who uses the skill.
- Grade increases by one through Necropolis. (EX → ???)
- Unmeasurable.
“… EX?”
No stage above S-rank? People have always wondered.
Until now, no one had ever said there is a stage above S.
But now. Right there in my skill window: EX.
Beyond that, ??? .
“Question mark… if it’s one stage above EX, doesn’t it make sense that it should be SEX?”
But the ??? in the skill window didn’t change.
