Wiseville

"Damn it, watch out!" Jor'dan lashed out with a sudden ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strike. Or rather, whatever passed for a hand on that thing. His form was nothing like a human's. Black, sticky tentacles like tar-soaked ropes shot toward Noman. Sion reflexively thrust his shield forward, blocking the attack.

"Something like this is..." As an Ironclad, Sion deflected Jor'dan's strike with ease. An Ironclad with a shield is strong. As long as they don't drop their shield, they won't go down easily.

But right then—

Jor'dan burst into maniacal laughter and formed a hand seal. Black darkness erupted from the tips of his tentacles and crashed down over Sion's body. Even an Ironclad armored in shield and plate had no real defense against magical attacks. Sion's level wasn't particularly high, either. He couldn't handle an opponent raining down non-physical strikes.

"Sion!"

His face ashen, Sion tumbled across the ground. Wisps of ghostly smoke poured from his mouth. Human faces with expressions like death masks dissolved into ashen smoke and drifted upward.

When Sion collapsed, Jangcheok let out a roar, his reason seemingly shattered.

"GRAAAAAH!"

"Don't! Jangcheok! Come back!"

I barely managed to stop him from charging forward.

"Stay calm. Sion isn't dead yet!"

With the obsidian greatsword pointed at Jor'dan, I stood guard over Sion.

The status window confirmed the creature was a demon. My first real demon since falling into this roguelike world. But I'd killed this thing thousands of times before. In the game, at least.

Gluttonous Demon. Estimated level 6–7. A monster that specializes in debuffs, firing beams of the Extreme Hunger curse. The Extreme Hunger debuff shares effects with paralysis. You can't move or cast spells. The difference is that paralysis is a physical debuff, while Extreme Hunger is magical.

"Ugh..." Sion groaned weakly. The Extreme Hunger debuff had left him unable to so much as twitch a finger.

In Dungeon Overseer, debuffs were always overpowered. That's why it's such a brutal game. No wonder fungal creatures and undead get called broken.

Jor'dan whispered like a serpent. The Gluttonous Demon. The chef of endless banquets, Jor'dan. He looked like a giant version of the Necklace of the Long-Lived's Offering. He had devoured countless lives, absorbing their energy to grow his own body.

"If you like banquets so much, why didn't you just stay as a necklace? What, you crawled out here just to die by my hand?"

「Hohoho... That spirit. I like it. Would you not offer your body to me and live for hundreds of years?」

"Screw off. Filthy demon bastard."

One should never listen to a demon's whispers. Demons must be destroyed the moment they're seen. That was true in the game, and it's true here.

「How unfortunate.」

Jor'dan swung his arm like a whip. The limb, twisted like black rope, flew at terrifying speed.

"Dodge!"

Jangcheok and I scattered left and right at the same time. Jor'dan's arm struck the empty floor.

"Shit."

The ground split in a straight line. Not gouged—split. What kind of blade-hand was that?

"Hah!"

Missing his attack meant the opening was ours. I swung the obsidian greatsword and severed Jor'dan's arm.

「Hmm.」

Black blood like tar splattered. Jor'dan, now missing an arm, looked at me with surprise.

「Quite a sharp weapon. Might you tell me where you obtained it?」

His tone pissed me off so much that profanity slipped out before I could stop it.

"Shut the hell up, demon scum."

The obsidian greatsword, soaked in demonic blood, began to wail with an eerie sound. I wiped the sweat from my brow and gripped the sword properly.

...The curse's power felt stronger.

「You've piqued my interest. That sword. I shall take it for myself.」

While he spoke, Jor'dan's arm steadily regenerated. It was suspicious enough to wonder if he was deliberately stalling for time.

I focused, ready to intercept Jor'dan's attacks. His slender body moved with absurd speed. But I was prepared for anything.

Come on, then. I'll cut you apart symmetrically.

In that instant, Jor'dan charged.

...His target was Jangcheok.

"Jangcheok!"

I understood his strategy. The obsidian greatsword was a threat, so he planned to eliminate the rest of the party first.

Jor'dan swung his arm down like a massive guillotine. Jangcheok tried to dodge, then froze.

...Sion lay collapsed on the floor.

If he ran, Sion would die. Jangcheok's eyes hardened with resolve as he glared at Jor'dan.

The moment Jor'dan's blade-like strike came down—

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"GRAAAAAH!"

With a tearing battle cry, Jangcheok swung his sword.

Clang!

Jangcheok's blade barely managed to deflect the attack! But once the arm had built momentum, it didn't stop easily. Jor'dan's arm continued plunging toward Sion.

Jangcheok rammed his shoulder into the arm and shoved it aside. He saved Sion as intended, but the price was horrific.

"GRAAAAAH!"

Thud. With a sickening sound, Jangcheok's arm dropped to the ground. It had been severed. Blood gushed from the stump in thick pulses. Overcome by pain, Jangcheok collapsed.

"Jangcheok..."

My vision spun. He'd thrown his own body to protect Sion. And all I could do was watch helplessly as he was gravely wounded.

If only I could use necromancy... Even if I'd raised a zombie to take the curse instead, it wouldn't have come to this.

All I had now was this cursed greatsword. The only thing I could do was deal damage.

There weren't many chances. I'd kill Jor'dan with this.

Greatsword in hand, I charged at Jor'dan.

"Hah!"

Right then—

"Ugh."

My legs gave out and I dropped to my knees. It was the sword's curse. The curse clinging to the blade was growing stronger. It felt like someone was squeezing my brain.

"H-Hajun! Get up! You have to get up!"

Noman's panicked scream rang out. Flustered, he looked between me and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jor'dan before shouting in a shrill voice.

"This is insane! Hey, you monster! Your opponent is me!"

"Hraaaah~"

Noman's feeble battle cry followed. Whip in hand, he moved to fight Jor'dan. A flimsy whip couldn't block Jor'dan's attacks. If it connected properly, Noman was finished.

I had to move. If I didn't help Noman now, he would die. But my body wouldn't listen. Was this another effect of the curse?

Suddenly, a voice echoed in my mind.

「...death to... ...death to...!」

What? Who was speaking?

「Death to demons!」

In that moment, I lost consciousness.

#

When I opened my eyes, I saw a skull. A floating blue-flamed skull. My heart lurched. Had I... died?

「How utterly pathetic. Is this wretch truly the Queen of Vengeance's proxy?」

The skull circled around me, floating in the air.

...What the hell was going on?

"Who are you?"

「What? Who are you? You sound like someone whose tongue I should rip out!」

All I'd done was ask a single question, and the ghost was already raging on its own.

...Anger management issues?

「If you must know, I am Nern, the great ruler of the Crafolt Kingdom and the king's closest friend! The lord of all necromancers, the Black Sun!」

"Black Sun?"

The name rang a bell. Nern, the Black Sun. The necromancer who systematized necromancy and authored the Grimoire of the Eclipse. His achievements were so revered that the title Black Sun was still used to honor the greatest necromancers.

In short, the father of necromancy. You could say he created the Necromancer class itself.

And yet this legendary figure... now looked like nothing more than an undead trash mob.

Thanks to the Necromancer trait, I felt no fear looking at Nern.

「I had some hope when you resisted the lure of ruin. But to think you're a necromancer who can't even control my own vengeful spirit. A disappointing facade.」

"...Could you explain?"

「The obsidian greatsword you carry is called Demonbane. A demon-slaying blade I forged to tear demons apart.」

The explanation didn't help much. If it were a fixed item in the game, I'd know it, but this was a random unique item. A so-called random unique.

「Demonbane is steeped in the vengeful spirits of countless demons. That is why the weak fall to the lure of ruin born from a demon's death throes and take their own lives.」

"No wonder it felt so strong."

「You held Demonbane and remained sane. I thought you might be something special... but my power crushed you and stripped away your necromancy.」

I'd probably resisted the suicide temptation thanks to the status window. If I'd given in, a message like [You are overwhelmed by the urge to commit suicide!] would've appeared.

"But why my necromancy..."

「Because you're incompetent and stupid! You useless brat!」

The Necromancer Lord Nern attempted a headbutt. I ducked to avoid it. Maybe being called a "lord" had gone to his head—he seemed unnecessarily arrogant.

"I'm the highest-ranked explorer in the Runen Necromancer Guild, you know."

「That title is worth less than a bone some mutt buried in the neighbor's yard! You pathetic trash! A half-baked necromancer!」

"...You're quite the angry one."

Nern clicked his tongue. Quite the demanding skull.

「You will slay countless demons in the future. As the Queen of Vengeance's proxy, that is only natural.」

"Probably."

「But if you die before even tasting a demon's blood... that would be rather unpleasant as well.」

Nern's eyes glowed bright blue. A status window appeared before me.

I silently marveled. This was the Death Knight form. It was definitely a good skill, but necromancers in Dungeon Overseer rarely learned it. The Death Knight form boosted a necromancer's melee capabilities, but since there were so many dedicated melee classes, there was no need to learn it.

But for me right now, it was clearly useful.

「I shall teach you how to use this magic. Just once.」

"You really don't have to..."

But Nern ignored me. He spoke with what sounded like delight.

「Be honored that I, Nern himself, am teaching you necromancy!」

A moment later, a flash of light filled my vision, and everything went dark.

I slowly opened my eyes.