Chapter 83: Second Arrangement (9)
I had known for a while that a wave was coming. I’d scouted it out through Hayangi.
‘At least three thousand in number.’
To block it?
I’d need even more summons.
The mages were still in the middle of their training.
For now, I’d have to cancel their summoning.
‘No choice.’
After canceling the mages’ summoning, I used every summoning skill at my disposal.
[Using Bone Golem Summon (A)!]
[Using Specter Summon (C)+9!]
[Using Skeleton Mage Summon (E)+9!]
[Using Skeleton Summon (F)+9!]
A massive bone golem.
One hundred specters.
Five hundred skeleton mages.
And finally, nearly twelve hundred skeletons.
An enormous undead army rose up before the approaching path of the wave.
“Prepare!”
Clack!
Skeleton No. 1, aka Hail, thrust his sword forward as if commanding them to advance.
[‘Hail’ begins commanding the soldiers!]
Step. Step.
Thanks to Cedric’s training, the skeleton soldiers advanced in perfect ranks and files.
They formed up.
Skeletons wielding massive shields took the front line. The rear ranks were filled with skeletons holding various weapons.
The mages didn’t sit idle either.
[‘Miley’ begins commanding the mages!]
[The skeleton mage legion obeys the commander’s orders!]
[One hundred mages attempt ‘Magic Circle Formation’!]
[Success!]
[A mid-sized magic circle has been completed!]
[Four hundred mages begin gathering ‘Bone Rain’ into the magic circle!]
A massive magic circle floated in the sky above.
Mana continued to pour into it.
The specters positioned themselves across the sky.
The strategy was simple.
The skeletons would hold the enemies’ attention while the mages rained down magic damage. The specters, acting like assassins, would dive in during the chaos and unleash burst damage on their own.
‘But that’s not all.’
I downed a top-grade mana potion.
His mana filled up rapidly.
Far off, he could see the monster horde charging. Goblins, trolls, dryads, giant spiders, and more.
They were thoroughly infused with demonic energy, their bodies twisted grotesquely. Their average level was probably around 220.
And that wasn’t all.
Minotaurs, ogres, trolls—high-tier monsters were mixed in here and there.
If they clashed like this, the undead side would be at a disadvantage. He’d applied various buffs, but their average level was still hopelessly low.
So, time for a bonus.
There was a skill he’d learned but never used in real combat.
Land of Death.
Its range was incredibly wide.
And there was no one around.
Just enemies.
‘Let’s see.’
Just how strong could a true necromancer get in war once fully prepared?
[Using Land of Death (S)!]
[Land of Death conveys its power!]
[All allied undead stats increase by 20%!]
Allied stats up 20%.
But the effects didn’t stop there.
The charging monsters staggered as if caught in something.
Tripping and getting trampled was just the start.
[Land of Death effect activates!]
[Enemies rise as undead!]
[Death Lord’s effect applies!]
The trampled dead rose as undead. Normally, undead raised from such corpses would be weaker than in life. But these were different.
Every summoned undead’s stats rose 50%.
And apparently, the undead raised by Land of Death counted as “summoned” too.
‘This is insane.’
The newly risen undead roared ferociously and pounced on the surrounding monsters.
Monsters dying left and right in an instant.
But the bad news didn’t end there.
Plip.
Plip-plip-plip.
Sharp bone shards began raining down from the massive magic circle in the sky.
Over an area wide enough to blanket the entire three-thousand-strong horde.
The razor-sharp bone spikes pierced the monsters’ bodies. Area damage from Land of Death and Bone Rain piled up relentlessly.
Undead made more undead, who made even more undead.
Monsters weren’t stupid. Realizing this was hopeless, the horde charged straight at them.
Soon after.
Boom!
The skeleton horde clashed with the monster wave. Skeletons flew into the sky from the log swung by a demon-infused ogre.
That ogre was blocked by.
Thud!
A massive shield.
Dolsae, the summon whose strength yielded to no one.
His size was comparable to the ogre’s.
The ogre’s eyes turned serious at the heavy resistance from its grip.
―Kraaa!
The ogre swung its log.
Dolsae countered, smashing the ogre’s torso with his mace.
Kill and be killed.
Melee chaos erupted.
Skeletons and specters began dying one by one.
Yet the undead numbers kept growing.
[Specter 2 reverse-summoned…]
[Death Lord’s effect activates!]
The fading specter revived at full strength and swung its weapon, severing a monster’s head.
Revived once more.
The same went for undead raised by Land of Death.
In moments, undead outnumbered the monsters.
‘This is nuts.’
I was genuinely awed.
Death Lord and Land of Death.
The synergy between these two skills was utterly broken.
He’d been ready to jump in if needed, but it looked unnecessary. His chest swelled with pride at the overwhelming power.
Sweet auto-farming.
Just standing there, his levels were shooting up.
‘This is why I went necromancer.’
The job’s ceiling was insanely high.
* * *
Chaos erupted among the knights and mage battalion waiting near the watchtower. Dolores and one swordsmanship student had come running back first, reporting signs of a wave.
“Stop the exam now! It’s a wave!”
“Student Dolores, is that true?”
“Why else would vibrations like that happen out of nowhere? I knew the demonic energy was overflowing!”
Dolores’s group wasn’t the only one to sense something off and try to escape.
Other top groups had been ahead too, so they felt the tremors just the same. Naturally, they bolted from the forest without looking back.
As reports kept pouring in, the professors’ faces hardened.
“W-We have to rescue them now!”
Most students were still deep in the Devil’s Forest.
Defensive magic?
It wouldn’t last three minutes against a wave before shattering.
If students got massacred, the backlash would be enormous. Rescue came before any exam.
The knight order, mage battalion, and even professors all charged into the forest. The returned students followed suit.
A monster wave wasn’t something to take lightly—they’d need every hand available.
Magic flares exploded everywhere. Nearby students joined one by one, swelling their numbers.
By the time most students had gathered.
The professors tilted their heads.
‘The wave hit, but…’
‘No one’s dead?’
‘No distress signals either?’
The top groups made sense. They had the skills to back it up.
Escaping the forest faster than the wave? Not surprising.
But mid- and low-tier groups were different.
Most should’ve been swept away by now.
Yet there were zero casualties.
Not even a single distress signal.
Did the wave just vanish into thin air?
The knight captain asked a professor.
“How many groups are missing?”
“Group 232. They’re the only ones we haven’t found. Merhen and Kern.”
“…Hmm.”
The knights and mages’ minds grew complicated.
A monster wave.
They’d braced for some sacrifices.
That’s why they entered the forest.
They’d luckily saved almost everyone.
Just two left.
“If they didn’t see the flares…”
“They must be deep inside…”
Push into the heart of the Devil’s Forest for just two students?
While escorting the others?
As they agonized.
A skeleton and a person appeared from afar. Oddly, the skeleton resembled a dragon’s skull and was half-carrying the person.
“H-Help!”
“Student Merhen?”
“Where’s Student Kern?”
“He went to stop the wave! Alone!”
“…!”
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
Was the wave’s silence because Kern had drawn its attention?
It sure seemed that way.
Noble sacrifice.
Easy to say.
Hard to do.
But Kern had done it.
Against thousands of monsters, no less.
The knight captain gripped his sword tightly.
‘Not just any student’s resolve.’
It was the mindset of a noble, fully realized knight.
“Student Merhen. Don’t worry. The Solar Knights will go rescue him.”
“Our mage battalion will go too. Students, head back.”
“No. We’re going!”
“We owe Kern our lives—what kind of swordsmanship department would we be if we left now!”
“Our magic department’s going too.”
The students steeled their resolve.
Hundreds had gathered here.
Plus the knight order and mage battalion. They could handle a decent wave on their own. Repaying the favor was only right.
“Then let’s go.”
No objections.
They plunged into the Devil’s Forest. Demonic energy thickened the deeper they went. The eerie forest made them grip their weapons tighter.
After advancing some distance, they spotted a lone figure approaching from afar.
“K-Kern?”
It was Kern.
Walking unscathed and unharmed, leaving everyone stunned. The silence broke as professors rushed forward.
“Th-The wave?”
“All taken care of.”
Everyone blinked.
Processed a monster wave?
Alone?
“Y-You didn’t just dodge it or anything?”
Kern shrugged and pulled out his crystal orb. The professors’ eyes bulged at the pitch-black orb, saturated with demonic energy. Dozens of exams had been held, but no student had ever absorbed this much.
―5,032 points.
The score floating above it shocked them further.
“F-Five thousand?!”
Goblins gave 1 point each. Meaning he’d taken down at least five thousand of them.
‘Manipulation?’
It was so absurd they suspected Kern had tampered with the orb.
But that doubt didn’t last.
To confirm the wave was truly over, they all moved forward.
Soon, they beheld an unbelievable sight.
From ogres to trolls, minotaurs, and thousands more—monsters lay withered across the ground, blood drained dry.
“M-My god…”
“Impossible…”
Like staring at a monster.
They all gazed at Kern—no, Kim Minwoo—with utter incomprehension. This was beyond any student’s capability.
Shock was fleeting.
The knight captain’s face grew serious.
The original priority was rescuing students and evacuating.
Wave subjugation came after. But the wave was already done.
‘…In that case.’
They might resolve the incident’s root cause too.
He looked to the mages.
“…Located the demonic energy source?”
“Yes. We have a direction. We need to hurry. It’s like something’s forcibly widening the passage—the energy’s intensifying.”
“Can you seal it?”
“With a sealing magic circle, we can hold it for a while. Then send an official investigation team.”
That’s when it happened.
―Heh heh, too late.
A eerie voice echoed.
Space cracked open with a screech, and a massive winged demon burst forth. Kim Minwoo tilted his head at the sight.
‘…Vulcan?’
A top-tier demon.
Base level 700.
This Vulcan looked entirely different from others he’d seen.
Far larger.
Its aura towered immensely.
Like gazing at the old Cedric.
Cedric, now at his side, spoke with a stiffened face.
―…It’s Vulcan.
“Vulcan?”
―…The Lord’s first legion commander. Be careful. If he’s here…
With those words, an undead emerged from the rift.
A lich wearing a jewel-encrusted crown.
Its form was familiar.
Very similar to the Death Lord he’d faced just before starting the second arrangement.
‘No way—it’s emerging here?’
Kim Minwoo’s face hardened. Everyone present felt the same.