Resurrecting the Demigod of Death
Of course, such a cheeky attempt didn't work in front of the two.
"Do you want to die?"
"Are you insane, Chesia? Have you finally lost your mind? Just because you're a Magic Tower Master doesn't mean you can ignore royalty."
"I-I was just joking," Chesia hastily excused himself.
The gaze of the two was so cold it felt as if they would tear him to shreds.
"Here. Please take this, Your Majesty."
"Very well."
You have obtained an item.
...
While Tae-hyun received the item, Chesia began to set up a modest altar. It was nothing special. He laid a stone tablet on the sandy floor and carved Nebuchadnezzar's mark onto it.
"Is this it?"
"Yes."
"Well... he's not my god, but shouldn't we offer some sacrifices anyway?"
Tae-hyun looked at Nebuchadnezzar's mark with a deeply pitiful gaze. Having managed a religious order for so long, summoning him with absolutely nothing felt a bit pathetic. It was almost like... the Archisus Church!
Carbanog agrees. It says this is a completely bankrupt religious order.
Chesia stared at him as if he were speaking nonsense. "I mean... aren't you summoning him just to abandon your faith anyway?"
"You fool. You don't understand the heart of a god."
"?!"
"He's so pitiful, I should at least put one more thing on it."
Tae-hyun placed a rice cake made of sand on top of the stone tablet. Watching this, Lee Se-yeon thought, Wouldn't that make him even angrier? It was technically food, but no matter how she looked at it, it was the kind of food that would only provoke rage!
"What's next? Do we need magic?"
"You just need to pray with all your heart."
"Without even needing magic? That's too easy."
"Actually, there are conditions... like, having high infamy, high black magic..."
Your current Infamy is extremely high.
You possess the Advanced Black Magic skill.
As a member of the Black Magic School...
You possess the title Great Destroyer.
You possess the title Royalty Slayer.
You possess the title Noble Slayer.
You have sent countless souls to their deaths!
...
You are capable of summoning Nebuchadnezzar!
"...Your Majesty fits the conditions so perfectly that it's not an issue."
The best person on the continent to summon Nebuchadnezzar!
"Hmm. As expected, living a diligent life pays off."
Carbanog nods in agreement.
"..."
"..."
"Alright. How much time is left? Once construction is complete and everything is ready, I'll pray."
Reputation exceeding 100,000!
You have obtained the skill Absolute Defense.
This is a skill that can only be used by the person with the highest reputation on the continent. The reputation accumulated so far transforms into an absolute armor that blocks all attacks.
Hmm. It's good, but a bit of a waste.
The Absolute Defense skill! For any other class, this skill, which blocked any single attack once, would be of immense value, but for Tae-hyun, its value was slightly diminished. After all, Tae-hyun's style was to dodge rather than block.
Furthermore, Carbanog asks why the name has changed to the Fortress of Pantheon.
Who knows? Maybe because I was too considerate?
Did it turn out like that because he was too considerate of the other religious orders?
It says that wasn't consideration, but coercion...
A pleasant double level-up right before the decisive battle with Nebuchadnezzar. Level 162. At first, he had wondered when he would ever level up, but surprisingly, he was catching up bit by bit.
If I tell people my level now, I'll at least be treated as a high-level player.
A level that had just barely entered the high-level player range! Although the top-tier rankers were running ahead in the mid-to-late 200s... this was enough for Tae-hyun.
The Fortress of Archisus Pantheon is now your property.
This fortress will serve as a shield to protect the faith from all enemies!
The special function, Requisition, is now available.
You can requisition the special class, [Holy Knight], from the fortress.
You can requisition the special class, [Inquisitor], from the fortress.
...
"?"
Usually it would be Hiring, but this was Requisition. The difference between the two...
Hiring meant calling people by paying them money, but Requisition meant calling people without paying them a single cent!
It seems good, but I don't know how far it goes. I'll have to try it out later.
You can use [Fortress Skill] related to the fortress.
Other religious orders may become enraged.
"..."
He knew exactly what kind of skill it was immediately!
It was clearly a skill to forcibly seize and use others' power.
"Alright. Everything is set... Now, I pray."
Outside, preparations were complete. Everyone was waiting anxiously, asking, "When is Nebuchadnezzar coming out?" and "Is Nebuchadnezzar really coming out?" If he didn't show up now, it would be an even bigger disaster.
You pray to Nebuchadnezzar.
You are the Pope of the Archisus Church. There is no penalty.
...
The fragment containing Nebuchadnezzar's soul resonates!
You are fully qualified.
...
...
Nebuchadnezzar, the Demigod of Death scattered across the world, descends!
Your Black Magic skill level rises significantly!
I only have a few black magic skills, but it feels like their skill levels are incredibly high.
Nebuchadnezzar will soon be resurrected!
Whoooosh!
In the windless dungeon, a wild gale suddenly began to rage, and dark energy started gathering around the altar. Seeing this, Tae-hyun said, "Since we've done all the prep, shall we head outside?"
"...That's a great idea!"
Both Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were top-tier rankers who had ways to prevent death at least once. However, neither of them had any intention of being the first to get hit by Nebuchadnezzar for no reason! The three of them scrambled out of the dungeon.
The waiting crowd saw them and asked:
"What happened?!"
"Is Nebuchadnezzar resurrecting soon?"
"Yes! Everyone, get ready!"
"Ohhh! He's resurrecting!"
"Finally!"
Most of the players weren't even tense. Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon—their reputations were simply too massive. Since it was a quest prepared by these two, what could possibly go wrong? If people knew how they were planning to clear this quest, they would lose their minds.
Not only those on-site, but people all over the world watching the broadcast stared intently at their screens.
A few people offered somewhat plausible opinions, but most of them were just shut down with insults. That was how rock-solid the faith in them was!
Tearing through the weakened rift of the world, Nebuchadnezzar is resurrected!
Rumbleeee!
A pillar of black energy erupted from the ruins, soaring high enough to pierce the sky. It was a magnificent spectacle, but Tae-hyun's mind was filled with a completely different thought.
Surely that weakened rift in the world isn't because of me... right?
Nebuchadnezzar absorbs everything in his surroundings.
Nebuchadnezzar absorbs the Hunger Dungeon!
Nebuchadnezzar is afflicted with the Curse of Eternal Hunger.
"Uh... Kim Tae-hyun. Did you calculate that too?" Lee Se-yeon asked in a flustered voice. The Hunger Dungeon, which had been standing just moments ago, collapsed completely, and the surroundings began to dye in pitch black.
"O-Of course."
"You didn't calculate it!"
"Did too. I totally did."
The Demigod of Death, Nebuchadnezzar, reveals himself to the continent.
Nebuchadnezzar's goal is the death of all living things! There is no hope unless you stand against him.
An overwhelming terror presses down on the surroundings!
The Domain of Terror unfolds!
Nebuchadnezzar looked like an ordinary Lich. A skeletal body, eyes glowing with a chilling blue light. He wore no equipment on his hands or body. Yet, the pressure radiating from him was intense!
Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon looked at each other.
Aren't you scared?
He's seriously terrifying...
He was bound to be the worst opponent among all the boss monsters they had faced so far!
Nebuchadnezzar looked around arrogantly, then pointed at Tae-hyun.
—I shall grant you an opportunity.
"?"
—Become my lieutenant and rule over death with me. It is a glorious opportunity; there will not be a second.
"Gasp. How enviable... Ah, wait." Chesia muttered to himself before freezing. There were too many eyes watching.
"Mmm. I decline."
"If you're going to decline, just decline. Why did you hesitate?"
Honestly, he was a little tempted! It was a shame he couldn't pull any tricks because of all the eyes watching him from behind. He couldn't exactly defect to Nebuchadnezzar's side as a spy with this many people around.
And I have to command them, too.
—Is that so.
Nebuchadnezzar nodded surprisingly easily.
Is he actually a nice guy?
Carbanog tells you to snap out of it! It says there's no way! That jerk is a total piece of...
—If you will not submit to me... you shall serve me in death.
With those words, Nebuchadnezzar's attack began.
A Necromancer's power was heavily influenced by their environment. If there were many powerful corpses nearby, the Necromancer utilizing them would receive a buff.
There were no corpses around here. At most, there were only a few giant corpses! It was an incredibly desolate and remote area, and because of the giants, other races rarely ventured here.
Tae-hyun had calculated that as well, but...
Nebuchadnezzar shattered that expectation without a second thought.
—Path of Eternal Death. Summon Legendary Commander. Wave of Great Undead.
He merely waved his bare hands, yet earth-shattering skills erupted with every gesture.
Tearing through the already darkened sky, Skeleton Wyverns appeared. Riding atop them were Legendary-grade Death Knights clad in pitch-black armor.
While a ranker Necromancer could summon undead monsters without corpses...
...summoning so many powerful undead monsters all at once was on a completely different level.
It wasn't just the sky. On the ground, an immense number of Skeleton Warriors rose and charged forward. A crazy scale where every single one of them was Advanced-grade or higher!
"Prepare for battle!!"
"We will send that Lich back to death!"
I'm glad Nebuchadnezzar is the quiet type.
Tae-hyun felt relieved. If Nebuchadnezzar had been a talkative sort, he might have blurted out nonsense like, "Why did you summon me only to reject me?"
"A Lich is a goner if we get into close combat!"
"Let's go!"
The prepared Assassins and Rogues stepped forward. One good hit, and they'd hit the jackpot!
Mage classes traditionally had low defense and low HP. Nebuchadnezzar was no exception. Showered in buffs from their respective religious orders, the players charged forward with grim determination.
"Shouldn't we stop them?"
"They wouldn't listen even if we tried, and besides, I want to see what happens."
Tae-hyun watched from behind. How would Nebuchadnezzar defend himself? The Assassins had already completely vanished into stealth.
The Demigod of Death detects your stealth.
Living creatures cannot enter Nebuchadnezzar's domain.
"Gah!"
"Crazy!"
An area-of-effect field.
A skill that automatically took effect the moment anyone entered its range.
Can I pierce it with the Domain of Archisus? I think I can.
Having finished his calculations, Tae-hyun leaped forward.
"K-Kim Tae-hyun!"
"Even so, you shouldn't risk your life to save them!"
The people behind him shouted in misunderstanding. To them, it looked like he was risking his life to save the others!