Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 008
Chapter Title: First Day
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Lee Jung-woo couldn't have cared less about the chaos in the outside world.
He gazed contentedly at the skeletal foundations of his empire rising from the ground.
Now, what masterpiece he painted on this blank canvas was entirely up to him.
"Sis, take a good look over there at the main gate."
Jung-woo pointed toward the entrance of the old apartment complex.
Se-ah reluctantly turned her gaze, her heart filled with resignation.
At that moment, the space in front of the main gate warped black, and twenty-four knights clad in pitch-black armor identical to Kairon's appeared without a sound.
They stood in a perfect line, utterly motionless, like statues that had guarded the spot for centuries.
Half of them—twelve knights—were mounted on horses, but their necks were bare, headless.
Instead, they clutched their own severed heads under their arms.
The empty helmets atop those heads glowed with an eerie light, like lanterns from hell.
"Du... Dullahans?"
Se-ah murmured the name she'd only seen in games, without thinking.
"Right on the money. They're Kairon's direct subordinates, the first gatekeepers of Necropolis."
Dullahans and Death Knights.
The moment they took position at the gate, Necropolis was physically—and psychologically—cut off from the outside world.
No mortal would dare pass through those gates.
"Now, let's call in some workers."
Jung-woo muttered and gestured once more.
This time, the ground throughout the city began bubbling like mud.
Slowly, bony arms emerged from the muck.
Soon, hundreds of skeletons clawed their way up through the earth.
Those wielding massive hammers were known as Tyrant Skeletons, while the ones forged from razor-sharp steel bones were Steel Skeletons.
"Why are they just standing there?"
Jung-woo chuckled at Se-ah's question.
"They're connected to my legion's soul network right now, waiting for orders."
"They have individual consciousnesses, but they're holding for my overall command. They'll handle things on their own just fine."
With a snap of his fingers, the hundreds of skeletons simultaneously turned their heads toward Building 103, where he stood, and bowed in respect.
That's when Se-ah caught sight of the most horrifying scene yet.
From the dark pit where the underground parking lot had been, human-like figures were crawling out.
But they didn't walk on two legs.
They scuttled on all fours like beasts, greedily licking at the remnants of the old world on the asphalt.
The sound of their long, slimy tongues scraping the ground sent chills down her spine.
"Urk..."
Se-ah clamped a hand over her mouth, dry-heaving involuntarily.
Her stomach acids churned, threatening to rise.
"Oh, those are ghouls. Corpse disposers and low-level laborers. They're ugly to look at, but pretty useful."
Jung-woo's casual explanation brushed past her ears, but her mind had gone completely blank.
My little brother... the lord of these monstrosities.
It was right then.
ZZZT...!
With a burst of sparks, every light in the 103 Building's living room flickered out at once.
The TV, the fridge, even Se-ah's laptop screen—all plunged into darkness.
"Huh?"
A soft cry escaped Se-ah amid the sudden blackout.
"Power outage?"
Belial reported quietly from the shadows.
"My liege, it seems the external power supply to this apartment complex has been cut off. A timid act of resistance from the mortals."
"They cut it from outside? The government?"
"Yes. It appears so."
"Ah, damn it. What a pain."
Jung-woo muttered a curse under his breath.
For the first time, irritation creased his serene face.
He fell silent for a moment.
In the darkness, only the Necropolis construction site visible through the living room window—and the eerie magical flames of the liches illuminating it—flickered.
He glanced at his sister's trembling shoulders.
Then, with a sigh, he spoke.
"Sis, hold on a sec."
Jung-woo stepped out onto the balcony.
He extended his hand not toward the entire complex, but only toward Building 103, where they were staying.
"Darkness doesn't suit the emperor's abode."
From his fingertips rose mana darker and thicker than the blackest night.
It resonated with the central Soul Obelisk, then flashed as a streak of green light racing along the building's exterior walls.
Hisss...
The sound of every wire and circuit in the building filling not with human electricity, but with the mana of death.
Moments later, the living room lights flickered back on.
But the glow was no longer the warm white of before.
It was a faint, chilling green, reminiscent of the hue of souls.
Under that strange light, Se-ah's eyes darted between her brother's pale face and the hellscape outside the window.
She murmured in a voice that sounded like total surrender.
"My eyes hurt... How am I supposed to read in this light..."
Jung-woo stared at her in silence for a moment after hearing her mutter to herself.
"..."
His face still bore that world-weary boredom,
but in his seemingly vacant eyes, the faintest, subtlest shift passed.
"Oh, yeah?"
He seemed to ponder for a second, then snapped his fingers dismissively.
Snap.
In that instant, the eerie green light bathing the living room began softening, shifting hues.
The eye-piercing green vanished, replaced by a gentle, warm orange, like the glow of sunset.
Even the brightness adjusted to match her usual desk lamp.
"How's this color? Better for reading?"
The living room, which had felt like the gateway to hell moments ago, transformed in an instant into a cozy book cafe.
Se-ah couldn't tell if she should be angry or amazed at the absurdity.
Outside the window, skeletons still built, and horrors prowled.
But at least in this 1504 unit of Building 103, an uncanny peace reigned.
Jung-woo flopped onto the sofa and gestured toward the fridge.
The door slid open smoothly, and a can of cola floated out, landing perfectly in his hand.
"Ahh..."
He cracked it open, took a swig to wet his throat, and casually grabbed the TV remote as if nothing had happened.
But the screen only flashed "No Signal."
"Right, broadcasts are cut too. Belial, hook us up."
"My liege, please wait a moment. Connecting to the mortals' crude network will take a bit of..."
"Forget it. Just plug straight into KBC's server."
"Understood."
Soon, the "No Signal" vanished, replaced by the KBC news channel.
The anchor, face pale with fear, was delivering breaking news on the Suwon incident.
In the corner of the screen, Go Se-gu's YouTube live feed played as stock footage.
Jung-woo snickered at the sight of his own mosaic-blurred face on the news.
"Look, sis. I'm on TV. Heh heh."
Se-ah didn't respond.
She sat on the sofa, staring for a long, long time at her brother's profile as he sipped his cola— so utterly nonchalant.
Being a web designer meant late nights were inevitable, like a curse.
Last night, she'd barely caught the last train home after a surprise client revision request.
Dragging her exhausted body through the front door, she saw her brother's room dark.
Out drinking with friends, but already home and asleep, huh?
That's what she'd thought as she collapsed into bed.
Just the day before yesterday, he'd sprawled on his bed after another failed interview.
Last night, heading out the door saying he'd grab drinks with friends.
Until this morning, she'd assumed he was snoring away in his room.
That boy was sitting right there now.
His appearance hadn't changed.
But something inside him had become... something entirely different.
Finally, Se-ah voiced the question she'd been too scared to ask until now.
Her voice trembled faintly.
"Jung-woo."
"Yeah?"
"What... exactly happened last night?"
Jung-woo's eyes stayed glued to the TV as he idly flipped channels with the remote.
"Nothing much. Just had some drinks."
"Don't lie to me!"
Se-ah shouted before she could stop herself.
She jumped up, pointing first at the TV, then the horrific city outside, and back to Jung-woo.
"The guy who went out drinking yesterday... overnight, you turned the whole world upside down, chased everyone out, summoned those monsters to build a house."
"And that's 'nothing'?"
Only then did Jung-woo turn to her with an annoyed look, like why are you making this a hassle?
"It'd take forever to explain."
"Even if it's long, you have to tell me. What happened? I thought you just came home drunk and crashed last night. But what's all this? What the hell is this?!"
Se-ah's voice cracked, her eyes welling up red.
The moment he saw her tears, the annoyance on Jung-woo's face faded ever so slightly.
He let out a long sigh and set down the remote.
"Fine, fine. I'll tell you. Just don't cry."
He stared at the ceiling, as if dredging up memories.
Yesterday.
That day that was surely yesterday.
"I'd split from Min-cheol and Su-bin, staggering home alone. Pretty wasted. Around 1 a.m., maybe..."
He recalled the usual quiet alley he took, devoid of people.
"But... suddenly, this weird thing appeared in front of me. Like a black hole. I don't know exactly... maybe I tripped. Next thing I know, I'm dropped into some strange forest."
Se-ah's face drained of color as she listened.
A sudden gate? That nightmare from the news?
"What... happened there?"
Jung-woo fell silent again.
He seemed to realize words couldn't convey it.
He stood and approached Se-ah.
Then lightly touched her forehead with his fingertip.
"Words won't cut it. I'll just show you three seconds out of the three hundred years I went through."
"Three hundred... years? That was real?"
Before Se-ah could press further, cold mana flowed from his finger into her mind.
Her vision blurred.
She was no longer in the 1504 living room.
A damp forest in the rain, reeking of mud and blood.
Before her eyes stood her brother, fresh out of college—just yesterday, perfectly fine. But he was no longer the cheeky job hunter she knew. He was just a terrified human, flung into an alien world.
A wolf-like monster roared and charged at him.
Se-ah tried to scream, but no sound came. She could only watch as her brother was torn open by its claws.
But in that instant, Jung-woo moved.
Out of pure survival instinct. His hand, gripping a jagged broken branch, pierced the monster's eye dead-on.
Splat— Kraaaagh!
Blood sprayed. The gruesome sensation of flesh ripping transmitted to Se-ah as if it were her own. She watched her brother collapse atop the corpse, trembling hands tearing into the raw meat and swallowing it down. To survive.
"Hahk... hahk... hahk..."
Se-ah slumped on the sofa, gasping raggedly. Just three seconds, but it felt like her soul had been worn to nothing. Her body was soaked in cold sweat.
Jung-woo sat silently beside her and took another sip of cola.
"That was my first day. And days like that... went on for about three hundred years."
He spoke flatly, like recounting someone else's tale.
"I just endured there. To survive. Got stronger, gained subordinates, built an empire... and became emperor."
Se-ah finally understood. Her brother hadn't simply become a powerful Awakener. In the one night she'd crashed from overtime, he'd walked through hell, claimed an emperor's throne, seized near-divine power—and returned.