Chapter 161
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 161.
Jerome arrived underground.
The undead he had summoned and the cult members followed closely behind him, as if guarding him.
"These useless things...!"
The underground was in chaos.
The undead guarding the prison had been destroyed, and the cult members were all dead.
Moreover, the most important necromancers had vanished without a trace.
"Where did all the necromancers go?!"
"I... I don’t know."
Jerome exploded in fury.
His gaze turned to the cult members who had been guarding the surface and had belatedly descended underground.
"What have you been doing all this time?! You couldn’t even stop the intruders, let alone properly support the underground! Were you just watching?!"
"N-no! The enemies set up magic at the entrance, so we were busy dismantling it..."
"Where did those enemies go?!"
"They escaped. I’m sorry!"
The answer only fueled his anger, but now wasn’t the time to lose his temper.
Jerome hurriedly headed deeper underground. Straight to where Noel was.
‘The others can all disappear for all I care. But Noel... that one must remain!’
Jerome violently kicked open the door.
Kwang!
The already half-broken door couldn’t withstand the force and shattered.
And the sight inside the room.
"Noel."
Jerome let out a sigh of relief. Noel was still asleep on the experiment table.
The artifact floating in the air was also unharmed.
"Was there an undead guarding him?"
The room where Noel lay was guarded by undead. The Death Knight and undead Jerome had summoned earlier using the corpses of the hunters.
The undead he summoned moved more fluidly and were stronger than ordinary undead.
‘They must not have had time to break through here.’
He felt relieved. If he lost both the necromancers and Noel, his plans would crumble.
Jerome approached Noel.
Never before had the sight of the undead guarding the area felt so reassuring.
‘Huh? Wait.’
Were those undead always there?
The moment that thought crossed Jerome’s mind—
Stab!
"Ghk!"
A sword pierced his abdomen.
A blade radiating ominous energy. Jerome’s trembling eyes turned to look behind him.
"Death Knight... why?!"
—Groooaaarrgh...
"Grrk!"
The Death Knight, its eyes glowing crimson, twisted the sword, gouging the wound deeper.
Jerome gritted his teeth and called for the undead. But the moment they tried to enter—
Whoosh!
"…!"
A massive wind barrier erupted.
A sweeping gust of wind, conjured by a spear scraping the ground, blocked the undead from entering.
Yoo Baek-jun had unleashed a storm.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Seems like now’s not the time to worry about that."
"What?"
Yoo Baek-jun gestured behind Jerome with his eyes. Jerome slowly turned his head.
Noel, who had been lying down, was now standing.
His eyes radiated a deep violet glow.
"Noel! Kill that bastard—!"
Now.
That was what Jerome had been about to say, but his body trembled.
Noel, who should have been brainwashed by the artifact, was awake. And the Death Knight that had attacked him—who had summoned it?
"You... no way... Grrk!"
Noel raised his hand.
Dark energy flowed from him. A black hand emerged from the air and seized Jerome’s throat.
A hand filled with curses.
"How... kh... how could this...?!"
"Did you plan to make me your slave? Too bad. Someone saved me."
"That... bastard...!"
Jerome’s hate-filled eyes glared at Yoo Baek-jun, who merely shrugged.
Jerome tried to retaliate, but the curse was draining his strength.
"Kgh... khahaha..."
A moment later, a faint, mocking smile appeared on Jerome’s pained face.
"Do you really think... you can do this to me?"
"......"
"Your family... those orphans you cherish like your own life... I have them..."
Jerome burst into maniacal laughter.
"Do you want to watch them die? If that’s what you want... I’ll make it happen! If I die, they all die. Every last one!"
His laughter filled the room.
But there was no reaction. Noel and Yoo Baek-jun simply stared at him expressionlessly.
No—they almost seemed to be mocking him.
"What’s with those looks?!"
"Can’t help but laugh. I already rescued the hostages you were holding."
"What?!"
Yoo Baek-jun smirked.
"Try contacting your subordinates. I wonder if they’ll even answer. No—actually, I doubt you’ll even be able to contact them."
"…!"
Was this a bluff?
No, that confidence wasn’t fake. Realizing the situation, Jerome panicked.
"W-wait. Noel, think about it. Who was it that pulled you out of that rotting orphanage? Who made you realize your talent as a hunter, who nurtured your potential as a necromancer?!"
"It was you."
"That’s right, me! I saved you from rotting away as a nobody in that orphanage! Knowing that... kh! Knowing that..."
Crack!
The grip around Jerome’s throat tightened. His face turned darker.
"Ghk... khh!"
"Yes... you threatened my family. You killed people from the orphanage, captured me, and subjected me to horrific training!"
For the first time, emotion surfaced on Noel’s face—deep, seething rage.
"You won’t rest in peace even in death. I’ll make sure of it."
"Wait, plea—!"
"Now, pay the price!"
Crunch!
A sickening snap echoed.
Moments later, a corpse collapsed to the ground.
Noel exhaled sharply, looking down at the corpse with cold eyes.
"Feel a little better now?"
"......"
No response came.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at the undead outside. The undead Jerome had summoned had reverted to ordinary corpses upon their summoner’s death.
"Then, I guess it’s time we talked."
Noel slowly nodded.
* * *
Yoo Baek-jun worked with the others to eliminate all remaining enemies in the mansion.
Then, in Jerome’s office.
"......"
"......"
Yoo Baek-jun and Noel sat facing each other. But no words passed between them.
‘He’s a tough one to deal with, huh?’
Noel was quiet and expressionless, making it hard to read him.
Of course, this was just how he was now. If brainwashed, he’d lose half his mind.
‘He goes completely insane and rampages during the Night of Death event. Hmm... is this better?’
The artifact Yoo Baek-jun had destroyed earlier had the effect of inverting one’s personality.
Because of it, Noel’s calm and collected nature had flipped, turning him into a madman.
Anyway,
‘Since I’ve saved him now, it doesn’t matter.’
The only thing left was to recruit Noel.
Yoo Baek-jun checked his status window.
[Noel]
[Stats]
Strength: D
Agility: D
Stamina: D
Spirit Energy: A+
[Unique Ability: King of the Dead (A+)]
[Traits: Natural Necromancer (A+), Curse Specialist (A), Bottomless Spirit Energy (A), Frail Body (B), …]
Yoo Baek-jun whistled lowly.
‘Would you look at that.’
An A+ rank Unique ability.
The ability to command an enormous number of undead single-handedly, with the undead he summoned resurrecting with far greater power.
Among other effects, the most notable was this:
‘He can create undead that retain their full consciousness from when they were alive.’
There were limitations, of course.
Ordinary undead lose their memories and sense of self upon resurrection, often rendering them unable to use their former skills.
Noel was different.
He could create undead that retained their combat abilities exactly as they were in life.
‘No wonder they’re stronger than regular undead. And the higher the undead’s rank, the bigger the gap becomes.’
There was a reason Jerome had gone crazy over his talent.
It was a unique ability worthy of that obsession.
‘And right now, I really need that ability.’
No doubt, this kid was a monster.
A unique ability that would make any necromancer drool, packed with high-tier traits.
Noel was the kind of talent Jerome had poured his soul into nurturing.
"...Thank you."
"Huh?"
While Yoo Baek-jun was lost in thought, Noel suddenly spoke up.
"For helping me... and for saving the people at the orphanage..."
"Ah, right. Well, I didn’t do it just to hear thanks." Yoo Baek-jun shook his head. "I saved you because I wanted something from you."
"...I see."
Noel was colder and more pragmatic than his childlike appearance suggested.
Rather than empty pleasantries, it was better to be upfront about his intentions.
"I want you to work for me."
"Work? Doing what?"
"Using your talent as a necromancer. It’s a useful skill these days."
"......"
Noel silently stared at Yoo Baek-jun.
"Of course, I’ll pay you fairly. I’ll also arrange a place for your orphanage friends to stay."
Still no response.
Noel remained silent, but his gaze seemed to hold unspoken words.
"What? If you have something to say, say it."
"I..." Noel hesitated before speaking. "...I’d rather pretend this talent doesn’t exist and live an ordinary life again."
"An ordinary life."
"I want to return to the orphanage and live with the sisters and the others."
"You want to live as a civilian, not a hunter?"
Noel nodded.
Yoo Baek-jun could understand his desire to live a normal life.
But he also knew how impossible that was in this world.
"You have talent."
"Once you know you have it... you can’t go back to living like before."
"......"
"If you return to the orphanage, do you think you can live like before? No—even if you want to, another Jerome will come for you."
This wasn’t speculation—it was facts.
If Noel were let go now, another event would inevitably occur.
"If you want to be prepared, you’ll need power. The power to protect yourself and those around you."
"...Can this horrifying ability really become that kind of power?"
"Yes."
Noel looked down at his hands.
His eyes wavered uneasily.
"A cursed power that uses human corpses... can it really protect someone...?"
"The choice is yours. Whatever you choose, I’ll support you since I’m responsible for saving you."
"......"
Yoo Baek-jun spoke casually.
Whether Noel joined him or not didn’t matter. But his true feelings were entirely different.
‘After all the trouble I went through to save you?!’
Noel was a talent who could play a major role in future events.
He could efficiently fill the shortage of manpower—and since they were undead, they were expendable.
‘I went through all this to save you, and now you want to go back to the orphanage?’
If he had any conscience, he wouldn’t.
Yoo Baek-jun barely kept his true feelings hidden as he waited for Noel’s decision.
And then.
"...Alright."
The answer he’d been waiting for came.
"I’ll do it."