Necromancer Villain in Game Novel - 42
“We’ll be heading out then.”
“See you next time. It was fun.”
“Catch you later!”
After saying goodbye to the party members,
Fafnir remained alone and stretched his arms wide.
‘Now the party hunting is finished.’
Reconnection after death is possible in three days.
In the real world, that’s seventy-two hours, and in-game, three times that—two hundred and sixteen hours.
During that time, Fafnir had explored the sewers beneath the village with the help of the locals.
He restored the protective wards that shielded the village, cleared out areas for their daily lives,
and ultimately uncovered the hidden sacred artifacts.
“Then let’s finish the remaining quests.”
Fafnir wandered the streets, completing the leftover side quests one after another.
Each one seemed small, but together they brought nearly half the total experience.
“Huh? Fafnir? Are you that Fafnir who’s been causing all the commotion in the capital lately?”
“I guessed you were the one.”
“Here’s the reward I promised earlier, and this is my personal token of appreciation.”
The golden dove seal and rising fame brought even more generous bonuses.
That was the last stop—the modest cabin of the holy knight Endson.
“A welcome guest arrives.”
Endson, splitting wood, sensed Fafnir’s presence.
“Find the piece?”
“Yes.”
Fafnir nodded.
“Surprising. I thought you wouldn’t find it.”
Endson blinked in surprise, then said,
“Then hand it over.”
The quest was simply to deliver the piece, so it was the obvious next step.
But Fafnir shook his head.
“Sorry. I can’t do that.”
“Are you mocking me right now? Or admitting your ability falls short?”
“Neither.”
“If you permit, I’ll explain the reason.”
“……Go on.”
“Thank you.”
Fafnir explained slowly.
“Beneath the sewers lies a village of wanderers and the destitute. About a hundred and fifty people live there, followers of the Hades cult. The area resembles five stories of a mansion. They never see sunlight, eat rat or lizard meat, and drink stagnant water.”
He hid nothing.
He had sensed that confronting the truth head-on was far smarter than any half-truth.
“If I took the artifact, the wards around the village would shatter and monsters would turn it into a wasteland. I couldn’t bring myself to do that with my own hands. I’m sorry for failing the quest.”
Endson, still chopping wood in silence, finally spoke.
“You created the wards with pieces of the sacred artifact?”
“……Yes.”
The moment Fafnir’s answer fell, white aura surged into the axe he had been splitting with.
“You’re using the god’s relic of the Thor cult to protect heretics? You damn necromancer!”
“……”
Every hair on Fafnir’s body stood on end.
He hurriedly lifted dark mana.
“Prepare yourself!”
Endson’s axe swung with full force.
In that instant of life or death—
“Just kidding. Why so shocked?”
The axe, now infused with holy power, neatly split the log in two.
Endson grinned at the startled Fafnir.
“Your bluff is solid, but you’re far weaker than you look.”
“……Sorry.”
“Well, it was just a joke.”
Endson set the wood aside and brushed his hands.
“The Hades cult is the keeper of the afterlife. Even other gods would show some mercy. In a world that already overflows with gods who demand human sacrifice and infanticide for blood or anger, it’s only fair.” Endson continued, “Doomsday cults, the Blood God, the Wrath God— they actually do those things.”
“Besides, they’re ordinary people with no power. If it were my call, I would have left the relic where it was.”
“……Sigh.”
“Necromancers really are the most unforgivable sort. You’ve proven me wrong. Well done.”
Endson’s expression darkened as he gathered the remaining wood.
“I’ll have to report to the higher-ups that I couldn’t find it. They don’t care about common folk or otherwise.”
“Higher-ups?”
“The senior priests of the Thor cult. They’re the type who would cut off my limbs just to kill you.”
Endson clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“Anyway, the sewers beneath this city hide many secrets. Not just ancient ruins, but something unknown that sometimes moves right beneath our feet.”
The ancient ruins beneath the sewers dated back to the empire era long before the founding of the Baran Kingdom.
Even the first king of the Baran Kingdom had been a substitute from that empire, making the kingdom’s history comparatively recent.
“I would have loved to dig there myself, but ancient law forbids any involvement below. That’s why I enlisted your help.”
Breaking royal commands as a member of the cult would give the palace an easy excuse.
That was why he had been so cautious—until Fafnir received royal approval and accepted the mission.
“I’m glad it’s working out. No regrets.”
“It was only my duty.”
“If all necromancers were like you, I’d be thrilled. Ahem.”
Endson cleared his throat and suddenly stiffened.
“By the way, did you meet the Black Reaper down there?”
“Yes.”
“The Black Reaper… They say her name is spreading slowly through the underworld lately.”
The underworld.
Among the people operating outside the law, the Black Reaper was quite well-known.
“How did he handle the seal? I’ll have to investigate that separately…….”
Endson thought for a moment, then smiled in satisfaction.
“If the gods intended for the artifact to be used this way, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Well, necromancers do strange things. Since you’re different, I’ll treat you differently too.”
-Quest ‘Artifact Retrieval’ completed.
-Experience gained.
-Level up!
-Endson’s favorability has increased by +5.
The reaction was even stronger than Fafnir had imagined thanks to fame and achievements.
“Consider the quest complete. Take this.”
-Rare Flame Stone acquired.
-Normal Sealed Rune Log acquired.
An extremely difficult-to-obtain rare-grade property enhancer!
And the second one that arrived……
“You don’t like the mage’s log?”
“No, I do. Thank you.”
Fafnir stared in surprise, eyes wide, then bowed his head. Endson watched him and said,
“You brought something that should never leave the graveyard. Always use it carefully.”
“……”
Fafnir left without a word, head still lowered.
‘A sealed rune log? Unexpectedly valuable.’
The Great Mage Rune.
The NPC who created Fafnir’s main skill, Burn End, and a wandering mage renowned throughout the Horizon world.
**[Sealed Rune Log]**
-Grade: Normal
-Level limit: None
-Type: General
-Effect: Allows reading upon use.
-Description: A fragment of the log left by the Great Mage Rune. Currently sealed and unreadable.
‘Sealed?’
Fafnir clicked his tongue.
‘This…… I went through all that trouble to steal one skill, and now it’s sealed too!’
The cold world of Horizon.
‘Still, I have other genuine drops.’
Fafnir’s lips curved into a smile as he checked his inventory.
Above his eyes, a black stone like a peach pit was visible.
‘Then let’s turn this into my own.’
***
Fafnir headed toward the Necromancer Guild and rented a private room.
After confirming it was empty, he carefully took out the seed and dug a hole.
“Perfect. All set……”
He planted one seed in the soil.
Moments later, a stem shot up, and a black circular fruit formed.
**[Pandemonium Nepenthes]**
A carnivorous plant from the Demon Realm!
A plant-type monster that appears only in the Demon Realm, like the Blood Moon.
‘I guessed right. If there’s a bug, there must be a plant that collects its honey.’
It would take three days in real time, or nine days in-game, to obtain this plant after his party members arrived.
‘Valuable enough.’
Fafnir nodded and patted his chest.
“Still, I can tell you’re a holy knight the moment I see you.”
Endson hadn’t mentioned it, but using a Demon Realm plant is forbidden in every holy order that worships light.
From now on, Fafnir would have to use it as discreetly as possible.
“Everything’s ready.”
Fafnir summoned the skeleton soldiers and Bell.
“Attack the flower and take it down before it can regenerate.”
“Understood.”
“Clang, clang!”
The skeleton soldiers charged forward.
A fierce ten-versus-one battle began at once.
It looked like it would end in an instant, but suddenly explosions erupted from beneath the skeletons’ feet.
Boom! Ka-boom!
In the blink of an eye, the skeletons disintegrated into dust.
At the same time, countless tendrils from below the ground moved, striking the skeletons, each impact unleashing massive dark mana explosions.
Clang!
Whoosh!
The tendrils in the private room swayed wildly. The first, second, and third skeleton soldiers and Bell moved through the gaps, slicing them apart.
Whoosh!
The tendrils tried to surround and attack from all directions. At the same moment, Fafnir summoned more skeleton soldiers from the bones on the floor.
Boom!
The moment a tendril collided with a skeleton, the skeleton exploded into pieces.
Overwhelming explosive power!
But the first, second, and third skeletons didn’t miss the gap and instantly sliced the tendrils.
Sshh! Crack!
Black-red liquid dripped from the severed tendrils. Whenever new ones sprouted, Fafnir summoned more skeleton soldiers.
‘This is it.’
He had filled the floor with bones in advance, anticipating every move.
As time passed, the battle gradually favored Fafnir’s side.
But Fafnir did not grow complacent.
The Pandemonium Nepenthes he had seen underground was a venomous monster that could not be underestimated.
Whoosh!
Six times he repeated the attack, yet the Nepenthes only grew stronger, never withering.
At this rate, the bones beneath his side would run out first.
The first, second, and third soldiers fought valiantly, dodging the tendrils, but no matter how hard they struck, the fight never ended.
‘No choice.’
Fafnir took a deep breath.
At that instant, the necromancer Fafnir vanished, and the game’s emperor Kim Ganghan appeared.
He predicted the tendrils’ trajectories and moved in the opposite direction, slipping through the gaps that had only just appeared a moment ago like a ghost.
“Hoo.”
While the Nepenthes failed to notice, Fafnir closed in from behind and grabbed the flower and fruit with both hands.
-Summoning skill activated.
-Summoning failed.
-Summoning skill activated.
-Summoning failed.
-Summoning skill activated.
-Summoning failed.
The Demon Summoning Skill of the Dark Mage!
Failure after failure, yet Fafnir was relentless.
‘That Flush guy would have succeeded the moment he touched it.’
Grind. Grind. Fafnir gritted his teeth and tightened his grip.
‘Either success in one try or repeated attempts…… In the end, it’s the same result.’
Compared to Flush’s luck granted by the heavens, Fafnir’s was no better than a pebble on the roadside.
But that meant he had received the same ordinary luck as any normal person.
-Summoning skill activated.
-Summoning failed.
-Contact with exploding tendril.
-Hit by dark explosion.
-HP decreased.
-Same attribute.
-Received damage reduced.
-Poisoned by Nepenthes.
-HP decreased.
-Summoning skill activated.
-Summoning failed.
-Contact with exploding tendril.
-Hit by dark explosion.
-HP decreased.
-Same attribute.
-Received damage reduced.
“Grrrrrgh!”
Fafnir ground his teeth.
His vision turned white, yet he never let go of the flower.
If he gave up here, all his efforts so far would have been in vain.
How much time had passed?
As consciousness began to fade, a message window appeared with a golden border on his translucent vision.
-Summoning successful.
-You can summon the Pandemonium Nepenthes.
-Summoning skill level increased to 2.
-New achievement ‘Plant Taming’ earned.
-New achievement ‘Demon Realm Plant Taming’ earned.
-New title ‘Gardener of the Demon Realm’ acquired.
-Strength stat increased by +2.
-Vitality stat increased by +5.
-Dexterity stat increased by +5.
‘……Finally!’
The thrill that had washed over him when he spotted the oasis after days of wandering in the desert.
The very message window Fafnir had longed for and been certain would appear.
***
『Game Novel Inside, I Became a Necromancer Villain』