Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: King of Kings
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About three hours later.
The clearing.
“Come out.”
At my call, a total of six absolutes gathered.
Taeyang, Eldrin, Kaden, Arin, Dmir, Dana.
My subordinates who had awakened through the medium dungeon.
“Grr, what a shame.”
Whoosh!
Taeyang ground his teeth as he shook his spear.
“If we’d had just two more minutes... If the lord hadn’t called, we would’ve settled it soon. Kaden.”
“Hmph, ridiculous.”
Boom!
Kaden slammed his shield down in response.
“You ran out of stamina, recharged, and then tried to overwhelm me in one go.”
“Remember, you were the one who first suggested ten minutes.”
“And weren’t you the one who proposed one minute?”
Bicker, bicker.
The training had ignited their competitive spirits.
The two showed more passion than I’d imagined.
‘Well.’
These were absolutes who had once ruled their worlds.
Unrivaled under the heavens, putting such独尊s together—trouble would be weirder if there wasn’t any.
Of course.
“Now, now, everyone quiet!”
At my word, they became as silent as clams—very proper absolutes.
“......”
Their gazes turned to me.
I could feel their curiosity about why their master had called them.
At the same time.
There was also puzzlement about why Arin was in human form, not bones.
Lick!
I lightly licked my dry lips.
“Well, you’ve probably guessed. We share emotions, after all.”
I felt their trembling at my words.
Polymorph.
The dragonkin’s unique magic to change appearance.
They already knew I intended to teach it to them.
Before I even opened my mouth.
“Lord... is it really true?”
Taeyang’s voice trembled.
“If so... can I really see my true form?”
Taeyang Spear.
A monster born in the desert, eyes gouged out immediately.
He had never seen his own original appearance.
‘Then.’
How could Taeyang use Polymorph?
Without knowing his form, could he restore it?
I had asked Arin about this once.
She said it didn’t matter—memory or not, the body remembered.
Well.
If he didn’t like the form, he could find a new model and change it.
“Wow, amazing. The kids will love it.”
Dmir, hammer slung over his shoulder, nodded.
“The kids?”
“Yeah, master. The rock tribe kids who are still busy building the city.”
“That’s right, master.”
Eldrin stepped forward and bowed her head.
It had been a while since I’d seen her with a bow.
She was currently casting ‘enchantment rituals’ for the cities’ convenience?
“The dead always yearn for the living. Just being able to take our original forms, even briefly, will give my subordinates strength.”
“......Like vicarious satisfaction?”
“A kind of hope. Like, ‘Ah, if we wait, we can have forms like that too’?”
“......”
It was fascinating.
I was a cursed necromancer.
I could only summon skeletons.
But they weren’t ordinary skeletons.
Not just bones without skin or muscle.
Each one had their own life, their own grudges.
“That’s why I’m glad.”
“......What?”
“That you’re my master.”
Hummm!
Eldrin drew up her energy.
Hum, hummm!
The other subordinates did the same.
Following the flow of energy Arin wielded, they mimicked it on their own.
“Master empathizes with the lives of us undead. We can feel your pure desire to gift us forms.”
Sss, sss!
Skin began growing over Eldrin’s bones.
Light yellow skin and slim, toned muscles.
Even her long ears filled out.
“Ahh......”
Golden long hair and green eyes formed, topped with her original high elf traditional garb.
“I can feel sensations. I can feel my muscles moving.”
Her jerky movements smoothed out.
A smile drew across her formerly expressionless face.
Indeed.
I’d seen it before, but Eldrin the high elf was stunning.
A mystical, beautiful face that didn’t seem of this world.
Ah.
She wasn’t of this world, after all.
“It’ll take great effort to maintain for long periods... but it’s truly moving. Thank you again, master.”
Eldrin gracefully lowered her posture and bowed.
“......”
Most necromancers say.
Undead inherently yearn for life.
‘No.’
The yearning for life is universal.
Survival instinct.
A bug thrashing to live.
Me scraping by in the dungeon.
All because we know life’s preciousness, right?
“Master.”
Boom!
Kaden stamped his shield and knelt.
“Thank you for gifting me these sensations again.”
Dana knelt too, hands clasped.
“Ahh......”
As she once had, in the form of the great saintess.
“All this is master’s love and grace......”
Everyone.
Began taking the forms of the absolutes from their memories.
Especially Taeyang.
Flap!
Gorgeous black wings sprouted from his back.
And eyes, which he hadn’t had before, formed.
The look suited him eerily well.
“......Lord.”
Tears streamed from Taeyang’s eyes—tears I’d thought impossible.
“......Lord, I can see myself.”
Aah.
Why.
Why did seeing this.
Make me so proud?
Feeling my heart warm inexplicably, I looked at them.
“Professor.”
Arin approached and spoke.
“Polymorph probably stops here. Those who don’t know their past lives or haven’t reached the realm can’t use it.”
“I see.”
Meaning the 1,110 skeletons they summoned couldn’t use Polymorph.
Well.
Polymorph isn’t some dog’s name.
You need a baseline level.
It mimics dragonkin authority—shouldn’t you need at least the stature of a world’s pinnacle?
As I watched their changing forms.
[Taeyang Spear feels the sensations of the living.]
[Eldrin feels the sensations of the living.]
[Kaden feels the sensations of the living.]
[Dmir feels the sensations of the living.]
[Dana feels the sensations of the living.]
“Huh?”
My eyes widened.
Messages?
System messages appear with changes...
[The dead feel the sensations of the living!]
[They are no longer lords ruling over skeletons.]
Skeleton Lord.
My former unique ability, now theirs.
[They are living undead.]
[The hope and envy of all dead.]
[Not just ruling undead, but commanding their loyalty.]
[They are ‘Skeleton Kings.’]
“......!”
Skeleton Kings?!
Does that mean.
They’re on my level now?
No.
Impossible.
[Hidden condition achieved!]
[Hidden condition exclusive to ‘Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer’!]
“Ugh!”
As expected!
If they’re kings.
I, who rules them, can’t stay a mere king.
[Condition: King of Kings]
- Raising your unique ability’s grade requires immense effort!
- Gain the loyalty of at least five ‘Skeleton Kings.’
Wow.
So this is how it works?
“Lord, thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve seen a beautiful world... That alone was overwhelming, but now it feels like a new life.”
Flap!
Taeyang folded his black wings and knelt.
“Master. I don’t even know how long it’s been since I smelled the forest like this.”
Like a hiker soaking in phytoncides, yellow-haired Eldrin sniffed deeply.
......Though this clearing has no grass, she smells forest anyway.
“Ahh, I think master... qualifies as emperor. Master is... the one who slew our natural predator, the Giant Dragon.”
“Same for my sect.”
Dmir with his fine muscles grinned.
“If master isn’t emperor, then who is!”
Emperor.
So my next title is emperor?
[Yes.]
[Six ‘Skeleton King’ beings serve you wholeheartedly.]
[You are the ‘Skeleton Emperor.’]
......Skeleton Emperor!
Eyes bulging, I hurriedly opened my status window.
[Hunter: Joo Dong-hoon]
[Title: Skeleton Emperor]
[Energy: 4,220/4,220]
[Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer]
[Ranking: 69th]
[Grade: S]
[Effects]
-You are a necromancer, handler of the dead. Subjugate foes with fearsome wraiths and deadly poisons. But you are cursed.
-You can only summon skeletons.
[Possessed Skills]
-‘Lord & King Summon’(S-Grade)
-‘Memory Recreation’(S-Grade)
-‘Teaching of All Arts’(SS-Grade)
-‘Pain Resistance’(S-Grade)
-‘Pure Azure Heart Method’(S-Grade)
-‘Resurrection of the Dead’(A-Grade)
-‘Roar of the Dead’(A-Grade)
-‘Immunity to All Poisons’(S-Grade)
-‘Bone Dragon Skeleton’(S-Grade)
-‘All Arts’(A-Grade)
-‘Soundless’(S-Grade)
-‘Poison Flash’(S-Grade)
“Ooh.”
Title changed.
Also, since Bone-il, Bone-pal, etc., are still Lords?
‘Skeleton Lord Summon’(S-Grade) became ‘Lord & King Summon’(S-Grade).
And not just that.
A reward for becoming emperor?
I instinctively knew Bone-gu’s seal was released.
[Name: Bone 9]
[Energy: 600/600]
[Unique Ability: Skeleton Lord]
[Class: Spiritist]
[Grade: S]
[Strength: 60] [Agility: 60] [Vitality: 60] [Mana: 60] [Technique: 60]
[Possessed Skills]
-‘Advanced Spirit Arts’(Lv.1)
-‘Skeleton Summon’(Lv.Max)
“......?!”
Spiritist?
I’d heard of it.
Hunters who contract spirits.
‘An undead spirit.’
Hilarious when you think about it.
A skeleton wielding spirits.
Well.
With healing skeleton Dana, nothing surprises anymore.
“Dmir.”
“You called, master?”
“Bone-gu’s class is set. You know?”
“Hmm, spiritist? Okay, got it. I’ll whip up a fancy statue soon.”
Dmir had already reverted to bones.
Even one minute of maintenance was taxing on energy.
“Indeed.”
Dmir smiled sheepishly.
“Dragons aren’t dragons for nothing. How did they maintain this hourly... no, yearly?”
“Dragons are dragons.”
Like ants can’t mimic humans.
We can’t fully mimic dragonkin.
“Anyway, nice.”
I watched my subordinates, repeating Polymorph and cherishing the sensations.
Subordinates toiling for me.
Rewarded because of me.
Proud.
Felt good.
Is this the bond with summons?
‘Bone-il, Bone-pal, Bone-gu, Bone-twelve too.’
Their day will come.
‘To make it so......’
I clenched my fist.
‘I need to get stronger.’
World ranking 1 aside for now.
Strength to clear medium dungeons.
Strength to resolve their ‘grudges.’
“Then, to celebrate your growth.”
I gazed at my now-skeleton subordinates.
“Shall we head back to training?”
For the foreseeable future.
It was time for endless training.