Chapter 9
Chapter 9
"Ah... haha, you've arrived?!"
Lee Hyeon-jae greeted us with an awkward laugh.
"Crazy bastard."
To think he would greet us with a smile in this situation.
He wasn't in his right mind.
"Die."
Lee Su-ah drew her dagger.
The coldly gleaming blade stopped right in front of Lee Hyeon-jae's throat.
"Waaait!"
Lee Hyeon-jae shouted urgently.
His Adam's apple bobbed.
"I... if you kill me, there's no one to manage this place!"
"You son of a bitch."
Lee Su-ah's dagger touched Lee Hyeon-jae's neck slightly.
A thin line of blood trickled down.
But she didn't cut him completely.
"Heh... hehehe."
Lee Hyeon-jae seemed to think he had the upper hand in the negotiation.
Unlike his trembling neck muscles, a shallow sense of relief spread around his eyes.
However.
I said without hesitation.
"Just kill him."
"What? Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
I had no need to keep him alive.
The reason had already appeared.
Earlier, taking advantage of a short break in the battle, I posted a thread on the Gallery.
[Any necromancy that keeps them sane? There's a fucking asshole I need to deal with]
└[Corpse Researcher] : Oho! Finally a colleague.....no, wait. I've put it up in the shop for now.
└[Necro-aspirant] : Ugh.....disgusting!
└[Corpse Researcher] : Shut up! It's a colleague I got after so long. As a senior, I must show the way!
It seemed like there was something, but they didn't explain it in detail.
It felt a bit sketchy, but the shop was the priority.
[Name] : Soul Bind
[Category] : Skill
[Required Ether] : 30 million Ether
"Wow.... why is it so expensive."
A skill three times more expensive than Corpse Explosion.
But it made sense.
'Because I'm getting a useful servant.'
Something that Variants or zombies can't follow—human intelligence.
An entity with intelligence is valuable in any situation.
They understand orders, make judgments, and speak.
That alone was reason enough.
"Good thing."
It was the perfect timing since I had plenty of Ether.
The corpses I collected after catching the Abomination were quite lucrative.
Especially the Abomination's corpse, which was worth a whopping 50 million Ether.
-Current Ether : 60 million Ether.
I bought the skill immediately.
[Skill Name] : Soul Bind Lv.1
[Required MP] : 30
[Cooldown] : 1 minute
"Alright, kill him now."
As soon as I bought it, I told Lee Su-ah.
Lee Su-ah, as if she sensed that I had found a way, silently grabbed Lee Hyeon-jae's arm and dragged him into the inner room.
Bang!
The door closed.
"Gyaaaaaah!"
The scream that followed was tremendous.
It was loud and sharp, as if it would pierce through the walls.
"......Does she have a separate torture skill as an Assassin?"
'Well, not my business.'
I decided to take this opportunity to reorganize.
It was time to sort out the newly opened things.
"The Gallery opened a new region, huh....."
Did another region open besides Necra?
I checked the Status Window.
-Please select a region.
1. Valkar
Continent of warriors.
The land of those who prove themselves with steel and blood.
2. Lumien
Federation of mages.
A region where magic power and knowledge are power.
3. Alker
City-state of alchemists.
A place where equivalent exchange and experiments are daily life.
"As expected."
The three regions in the Fantasy dimension opened all at once.
I had a dilemma.
Honestly, the most attractive options were 2 and 3.
Mages and alchemists are both excellent means to support a Necromancer's characteristics.
However.
'They can't cover my weaknesses.'
Both mages and alchemists ultimately share the same limitations as a Necromancer.
The moment a melee warrior or assassin closes the distance, an intelligence-based class crumbles helplessly.
On the other hand.
'Valkar is different.'
A Necromancer who is also a warrior.
I would hold both.
The shortcomings would be filled.
"Alright, let's go to Valkar."
-You have selected Valkar.
-Opening the Gallery.
[Stand Up with Fists] : What is this? Gallery? Did the spellcasters create something new?!
└[Musclemon] : I was bored from training, this is good. Make me laugh.
└[Big Sister Will Beat You] : Gallery? Is it an arena? Should I step in?
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : I can see the level. Talking about battle from the start.
"As expected."
The Valkar people were amazed this time too.
But there was a peculiar point.
"They're both independent galleries."
The galleries for Valkar and Necra were separated.
They existed individually without being connected.
"Can I connect them?"
-Would you like to connect the Valkar and Necra galleries?
"No!"
It seemed possible to connect them, but I had no intention of doing so.
Just looking at it, I could clearly see what would happen if the belligerent warriors and the Necra users who handle corpses were mixed in one space.
First, let's start with a greeting.
[Nice to meet you. Warriors. I'm the Gallery Master. Please take care of me.]
└[Stand Up with Fists] : Gallery Master.....I don't know what that is, but you seem strong?
└[Musclemon] : To what extent must one train to become a Gallery Master?
└[Big Sister Will Beat You] : Seems like a strong man. Should Big Sister give you a treat?
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Hmm.....Gallery Master, don't associate with such vulgar people.
They all had distinct characteristics.
Still, since they seemed to welcome me in their own ways, it wasn't bad.
I posted one more thing.
[I have a question, what should I do to train my body? If you post items, I'll buy them.]
└[Stand Up with Fists] : Items? Do you mean elixirs?
└[Musclemon] : Gallery Master, I'm disappointed. You must train and train!
└[Big Sister Will Beat You] : Big Sister will give you one.
└[Eldest Son of the Sword Family] : Hmm.....Elixirs, is it. Shall I post one?
I immediately opened the shop window.
[Name] : Dragon Blood Pill
[Category] : Elixir
[Required Ether] : 100 million Ether
[Name] : Sacred Body Elixir
[Category] : Elixir
[Required Ether] : 30 million Ether
There were many types of elixirs.
But most were at prices I couldn't even touch.
Among them, one item I could barely reach caught my eye.
"Sacred Body Elixir, huh...."
Sacred Body Elixir
-Enhances the body's muscles, skeleton, and durability overall. Increases training effectiveness.
Overall physical enhancement.
Simple, but certain.
"Well, do I have a choice."
I bought it.
A small pill appeared in my hand.
It was a pure white pill.
It was much smaller than I thought, so I doubted it for a moment, but I put it in my mouth without hesitation.
A subtle fragrance spread across the tip of my tongue.
After waiting for a while,
Bang!
The door opened, and Lee Su-ah dragged Lee Hyeon-jae out.
He was a mess.
There were scabs of blood here and there, and he was dragged along the floor without even being able to stand properly.
"...Kill... me."
The guy who wanted to live so badly earlier was now asking to be killed.
I didn't really want to know what Lee Su-ah did.
'Serves him right.'
The crews that headed to this research complex.
Most of them didn't return.
The fact that the corpses were concentrated on the first basement floor meant this guy was the cause.
If they didn't have a spare key card like me, they wouldn't have been able to open it and get out.
At that moment,
Lee Su-ah sniffed and approached me.
"What did you eat?"
"Why?"
"No, there's a fragrant smell."
"...Really?"
I didn't know the pill would have a scent.
I couldn't smell it.
"Just a snack."
"...Give me some too."
"Alright, let's make it now."
I turned my gaze elsewhere and changed the subject.
While we were talking, Lee Hyeon-jae's breathing had quietly stopped.
Lying on the floor, his chest wasn't moving at all.
But I couldn't let him just die like that.
"Soul Bind. Zombie Control."
I activated both skills simultaneously.
Black energy stretched from my fingertips and wrapped around Lee Hyeon-jae's body.
It flowed into the corpse's limbs like thin threads.
"Ughhh....."
With a low, hollow groan, Lee Hyeon-jae's upper body slowly rose.
He propped himself up with his arms, set his legs, and balanced unsteadily.
His eyelids trembled, and soon his eyes opened.
Eyes focusing blurrily.
"W...what? Didn't I die?"
Lee Hyeon-jae looked at his own hands.
He wiggled his fingers one by one.
He touched his neck.
He tapped his chest.
Then he stopped.
"...Huh? Why is my skin.....the complexion...."
He would have known even without a mirror.
The skin on the back of his hands was fading to an ashen gray.
The blood drained away, and a chill seeped in.
He had become an undead.
"N...no! Kill... kill me! No, please kill me!"
Lee Hyeon-jae clung to us.
He begged with both hands and struggled.
The composure from earlier was nowhere to be found.
But he has to pay for his sins.
"Go over there."
I pointed in a direction with one hand.
"M...my body is moving on its own!"
Lee Hyeon-jae's two legs began to move toward where I pointed, regardless of his will.
Unlike his struggling expression, his body followed the order quietly and faithfully.
Despair was etched clearly on his face.
"Nice, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Since he has intelligence, it's convenient for us."
I got a good slave.
Around the research complex.
People were doing their own work, but every now and then, they glanced toward the research complex.
Regardless of age or gender.
Some stopped their hands and just cast glances, others pretended to work while pricking up their ears.
"Did you hear there's a crew that went into the research complex?"
"Again? They must be all dead."
"I heard they're Awakeners?"
"But why would Awakeners go in there? Shouldn't they go to the shelter?"
"I don't know, it's their choice."
Everyone was coming to the same conclusion.
-Wiped out.
Not a single crew that had entered the research complex had returned alive so far.
Usually, when a crew is broken, one or two survivors crawl out, but there wasn't even one such survivor.
The research complex was that kind of place.
A place where it's the end once you enter.
"Tsk.... if they were going to die like that after Awakening, they should've just given me their ability."
It was a man from the large mart who had sent the Awakeners toward the research complex.
He stood with his arms crossed, looking toward the research complex and sneering.
"Heh heh, could you even handle it?"
"Of course! I, you see! I used to box like this! Like this!"
The man raised his fists and bragged.
The people around him chuckled.
Just then.
"Yo, long time no see?"
"Huh?"
A voice heard from behind.
It was a familiar tone.
The man turned his head reflexively.
And.
His eyes froze.
The two Awakeners who had entered the research complex were standing there.
He had seen it clearly.
Those two walking into the research complex.
He thought they would never come out again.
That was common sense.
The man opened his mouth wide and asked him.
"A...are you alive?!"
"Of course."
One of the two Awakeners said calmly.
Without even catching his breath, with a face that looked completely fine.
"The research complex is ours now. We came to say hello as neighbors."
"T...that's impossible....."
The man's head spun rapidly.
They took the research complex.
That research complex.
The place where no one had ever returned alive.
The two of them.
The man judged intuitively.
A new hegemon had appeared in Daejeon.