Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Familiar Necromancer
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The events at the Zombie House didn't go as well as I'd hoped.
The hidden card I'd counted on, Ugwi, couldn't be captured.
They took back the dead knight's corpse themselves, saying they'd mourn him.
Since it was Ricurena's older brother's heavily modified body, the Revive spell didn't work.
I'd just wasted time.
“Hoo.”
All I gained there were four regular skeletons.
Even those got dispelled on the way back in a fit of anger.
Regular skeletons like that could be summoned anywhere anyway.
Back at the lodging, I had a talk with Jeongwoo.
“So no Ugwi, just modified zombies?”
Fresh out of the shower, I dried my tousled hair with a towel as I answered.
“Yeah. Main event kicks off tomorrow, and it's a total bust.”
“How many usable summons do you have right now?”
“Park Gyuhwan, one. If it's just about padding numbers by grabbing anyone, I could make thirty in the hunting grounds nearby.”
“...Jangyu Mansion has a headcount limit, right? Can't just bring randos.”
Jeongwoo's point was spot on.
The main event of the fourth round, the ‘Jangyu Mansion’ event, limited each group to a set number of entrants.
Sure, as a main event, other groups could join up, but the group cap was fixed.
Ten total.
Excluding players, that left six summon slots for me.
Dragging trash-tier summons to a key event would just raise the odds of getting spotted by enemies.
At this point, regular summons were more liability than asset.
Jeongwoo stretched out comfortably on the bed and asked me.
“Nothing worth combining in the front yard?”
“Who knows. Tested it at the Zombie House—system buffs or not, they weaken once they're under me.”
“...So the bonuses drop off?”
“Yeah. Back to their base strength.”
“Early-game monsters are useless then.”
I nodded.
“If I could catch one, I'd love a scorpion-basilisk combo.”
“Hey, forget catching a scorpion. We tried as a group earlier—when it's low on HP, it just burrows and bails.”
“Chase it down and nab it, problem solved.”
“That worked on PC maybe.... You gonna crawl into a pitch-black tunnel? With a monster waiting inside?”
Lighting my cigarette, I cracked a wry smile.
Tsssk. Tsss.
Sss.
Puff—
“What's stopping me? Worst case, I die.”
“Then you do it. Once you see a real scorpion hole, your legs'll shake. Pitch freakin' black.”
“Why not send Ricurena?”
“How's she gonna catch a scorpion? She just hit level ten.”
Ma Jeongwoo shot up from the bed and snatched the cigarette from my lips.
Sss.
Puff—
“Where do you keep getting these? Hit up a convenience store?”
“Nah. Still burning through the ones Kim Juncheol gave me.”
“How many left?”
I pulled the pack from my pocket and checked.
“Three. Gotta swing by a store tomorrow.”
“...Why wait? Let's grab a beer downstairs and hit the shop now.”
“Yoo Sora and Michael?”
“Let 'em crash. Exhausted from hunting all day.”
“...Okay.”
* * * * *
Anticipating trouble, Jeongwoo took time suiting up in armor and came down late.
I'd headed to the pub first and spotted Yoo Sora nursing a beer alone.
Her face flushed from who-knows-how-many drinks, she looked lonely, forlorn.
I approached and spoke up.
“Sora.”
“Huh?! Cheonjae.”
“Why drink alone?”
“...Just felt like it.”
“It's risky. Next time, call Michael or Jeongwoo.”
She twirled her glass rim with a fingertip and said to me.
“Isn't danger everywhere now? World's gone to hell....”
“...”
“How are you so calm, Cheonjae? I feel like I'm losing it.”
I'd known Yoo Sora was struggling mentally, but I hadn't expected her to hit the pub solo and get wasted like this.
“...”
“Just earlier, fighting monsters—blood bursting everywhere, limbs hacked off and scattered. And that modified zombie? Eating it all. Haa.... Urp. Makes me sick thinking about it.”
“I get it.”
“Zombies right in my face, that putrid stench.... Any moment could be our last.... Hoo....”
Her sigh carried a thick whiff of booze past my nose.
I stood there awkwardly, but sensing the talk dragging on, I sat across from her.
Thud.
“...Sora, you okay?”
“If I'm not, you gonna ditch me?”
“No. If I ditched you for struggling, I'd have to ditch myself too.”
“...Honestly, I don't think you get where I'm coming from, Cheonjae. You've experienced everything here, right?”
I'd experienced it.
On PC, sure.
But some misunderstanding here.
Pre-playing Land of Ruin: Last Game on PC didn't mean facing monsters with zero emotion, like a game avatar.
“Sora, you're pretty drunk. Let's get you to your room to rest.”
Yoo Sora stared at me blankly with unfocused eyes.
Counting glasses on the table—over ten.
“Us.... Can we all survive like this? Where the hell are we even headed?”
“...Hard to say for sure where we're going.”
Where were we headed?
Her question sparked a whirlwind of thoughts.
If the game played out as I knew, we'd loop the areas I remembered and end up back in this ‘Desolate Village.’
After that?
Beats me.
Though I had one clue from my chat with Jeongwoo.
If this was all a dream.
Or a virtual world from some god's prank.
The login screen for Land of Ruin: Last Game held the answer.
[The Opener opens the door.]
[Returning to the departed place.]
The Opener was a player, obviously. But the departed place? No clue.
One thing was certain: my personality wouldn't let me sit idle waiting to die.
“Sora, let me walk you to your room.”
“Quality! Don't touch my bo—dy—”
Thump.
Yoo Sora passed out cold, face-planting on the table.
I stroked her hair to check her consciousness, then lit a cigarette.
Tsssk. Tsss.
Sss.
Puff—
‘...’
Bitter.
Having to drag along someone this unadapted to the game.
But to become the ‘Opener,’ I needed Yoo Sora with me.
Why?
She had the extremely rare green eyes.
The system designated her as the Opener's companion.
Back when Jeongwoo and I played on PC, we hadn't grasped what ‘green eyes’ meant.
Not until we got here.
On PC, character eyes were too tiny to discern color.
But here, from the first round, it was clear.
All players' eye colors varied by trait.
To reach ‘Opener’ status, I needed her along—until another green-eyed player showed up.
“...”
I slouched in the chair, exhaling a long plume of white smoke.
A sip of her beer cooled the tightness in my chest she'd caused.
As I watched her silently slumped over, Ricurena approached.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
“Something wrong, sir?”
“...Nah.”
“Our crew's always guarding this place. No worries.”
“Thanks.”
Now that I noticed, Ricurena's minions filled the pub. New players mixed in, but no real threats.
Ma Jeongwoo finally came down, saw Yoo Sora facedown on the table, and tilted his head.
“What's up?”
“What else? Drank alone and passed out.”
Ma Jeongwoo mimed swinging a fist at the back of her head.
Whoosh—
“Didn't knock her out, didja?”
“Why would I hit a girl? Quit yapping and let's hit the store.”
“What about Sora?”
“Ricurena's here; she'll be fine. Worried? Call Michael.”
I called Ricurena over and left Yoo Sora in her care.
With over twenty minions, all leveled enough for jobs—no way lowlifes would get the drop on them.
Out of the pub, Ma Jeongwoo and I headed for the convenience store.
The pub area had enough foot traffic for decent lighting.
But after two alleys, it was pitch-black—no moonlight, couldn't see a foot ahead.
Should've grabbed a cheap lantern; even though the store was close, navigation sucked.
Ma Jeongwoo grumbled at me.
“Hey. Lost.”
“It's around here. Keep an eye out for the sign.”
“Pfft—how, in this dark? Huh? Hey! That it?”
He pointed—wooden sign with a four-leaf clover.
“Yup. Good night vision?”
“Think it's just vision?”
Giggling, I slapped his back and headed in.
Creeeak—
Door opened, light spilled out. Good—the NPCs here didn't sleep.
“Anyone here?”
I called softly, stepping inside. As we entered, a white-haired granny in a frilly apron rushed out.
“Oh my! Customers this late?”
“Hello. Cigarettes ran out—got any now?”
“'Course. What kind?”
“Red 6mm, please.”
“Red 6mm.... How many?”
“One pack. I'll be back soon anyway.”
Wanted to stock up, but hunting drained coin—no room for extras.
Jeongwoo, knowing that, grabbed one pack too.
Paying up to leave, I spotted the necromancer from the armor shop.
Same class as me.
His getup was unforgettable—strikingly familiar.
Skull armor, reaper scythe.
Just like the outfit I'd stuck with in Land of Ruin.
Appearance-wise, at least.
‘My cosplay?’
Unlike my mythic gear, his skull armor and scythe topped out at rare.
Blade sheen and armor material gave it away.
Still, scoring that early? No average player.
He glanced at me, then cleared out the entire medicine corner's first-aid kits—ramen-packet-sized ones.
Not a single one left.
“...Jeongwoo.”
“Yeah?”
“You know that guy?”
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