The Notebook's Final Page
My gaze instinctively drifted toward Isra.
“Mm. This ruin... it appears to have been crafted by the necromancers themselves.”
“You really must have loathed those necromancers.”
It was the necromancer class, after all.
Isra folded her arms, her tone tinged with displeasure as she replied.
“Had we not fully uprooted those villains, my eternal grudge would still linger.”
“Ugh.”
Her sigh was downright chilling.
《Ordinary undead cannot defeat the emperor's loyal dog.》
《A being who has reached the Grand Master realm. One swing of the blade and, before the mountain and river-devouring monster, undead are nothing but trash.》
《How then are we to prevail against that terrifying and formidable foe?!》
It read more like a lament or curse than a research journal.
Isra.
Just how deeply must she have tormented those necromancers?
《While pondering the limits of soul manipulation, I discovered the answer.》
《The power of the created depends entirely on the strength of the corpse serving as the medium.》
《To topple Isra, we require the body of a living powerhouse. Where could such a thing be found?》
It was the kind of chicken-or-egg dilemma that had me scratching my head.
《After much deliberation, we found the solution. If we lack the body of a living powerhouse, we could simply fabricate one.》
《Among the fragmentary alchemical knowledge left behind, there were records concerning homunculi.》
《A artificially created human! We would simply craft a body from the very beginning that was suited for undead creation!》
We built a powerful human with our own hands.
Then, after slaying it, we resurrected it as an undead.
“Creative waste,” I muttered.
“Not necessarily so.”
“Reinforcing the parts would offer better cost-efficiency, no?”
“Ordinary necromancers, unlike Master, encounter limits when enhancing undead.”
True enough.
Each part reinforcement or connection was a Necrosmith specialty.
Yet the thought of it felt less efficient.
I flipped the page to see what came next.
《We succeeded in breeding and creating homunculi.》
《Their performance improves at an astonishing rate. At this speed, we may even mass-produce them—Dura, at the very least.》
…
《The limits of the homunculus were clear. It could only be created by an aura user; anything beyond that was impossible.》
《Even after modeling it on the concepts of the Doom Knight, why could we not manifest greater power?》
《I believed our aspirations would be fulfilled, yet this insidious enemy Isra perished before we could delve deeper into the research.》
《There was no further reason to continue studying the homunculus. I scrapped the facilities and retained only the data… Wait, what is this? Spatial distortion?!》
Those final lines marked the end of the research journal.
“The research facility was apparently relocated in its entirety.”
Ingrid and Megus's eyes gleamed with unusual intensity.
In contrast, Isra's gaze remained utterly indifferent.
Fair enough.
Merely from reading the research journal, one would assume only the homunculus lab had vanished.
The continent I had once known had not been hurled into oblivion.
The two of us, consumed with excitement over analyzing the Cross Gate's structure, held differing views.
[The research journal on homunculi has been thoroughly read.]
[User's necromancer comprehension level has increased.]
[Homunculus creation skill added.]
**Homunculus Creation**
**Classification:** Alchemy / Soul Manipulation **Grade:** A **Type:** Passive
Artificially cultivate life. The talent and personality of the homunculus vary according to the crafting materials and the user's comprehension level.
A skill had been added simply because I read the research journal.
It wasn't even a formal skill book, yet its effects were immense.
Even epics had variants.
“I don't know if this skill suits Master.”
“Indeed.”
Creating homunculi had been an attempt to surpass the limits of necromancy.
Its utility aside,
the [Corpse Processing] and [Corpse Creation] skills of the Necrosmith could already produce far stronger undead.
Even among the same undead.
My touch made their specs nearly double in strength.
“Undead's power falls slightly below conventional standards. However, Master’s aura-touching corpses are the exception.”
Isra nodded in agreement.
Homunculus.
It boasted a high grade, yet whether it would prove useful remained to be seen.
“How does it look to the Great Alchemist?”
Megus shook his head slowly.
“Shouldn't we head toward Morro or Seoul?”
A current of reverence stirred within me.
The eccentric old man who had always shouted, “Alchemy is supreme! I am the Great Alchemist!” now displayed the wisdom of a master alchemist when examining the homunculi researched by the necromancer.
“It's a bit disappointing.”
All items salvaged from the ruins were linked to homunculi.
The research journal taught the skill.
The dissection recorded the structure and design methods.
For an ordinary necromancer, these offered elements for power enhancement.
But to a Necrosmith like me, they were mere relics.
[Soul manipulation medium research skill added.]
[Compatible with corpse creation / corpse reinforcement skills.]
[Homunculus creation skill integrates with the two above.]
[The skill is evolutionary. Its grade rises due to the influence of homunculus creation.]
[Comprehension level is adjusted to the user's grade limit.]
[Advancing to a higher tier automatically raises the grades of corpse creation and corpse reinforcement skills.]
“Wow.”
The term “relic” had been retracted.
The necromancer's research journal—truly the pinnacle!
The fact that an A-grade skill had vanished was a minor blemish.
The skill's function had been absorbed into corpse creation and reinforcement, allowing homunculi to be made with nothing but knowledge and equipment.
Even better, homunculi created via corpse methods received spec-increase corrections.
It could even be called an improvement.
Of course, I had no intention of actually creating homunculi.
“Does this dissection have any use?”
The homunculus design drawings researched by the necromancers.
Reading them might spark fresh inspiration for new undead creation.
With a racing heart, I opened the homunculus dissection.
[Necromancer comprehension level is too low.]
[Corps e reinforcement / corpse creation skills must be at least A-grade to read the dissection.]
The text was pitch black on white.
I had clearly seen something, yet it made no sense.
“A-grade, you say.”
Thanks to the research journal, I had reached 100% comprehension on corpse reinforcement and corpse creation.
A single promotion would bring both skills to A-grade.
Then I could understand the homunculus design.
“I have another reason to promote.”
“You must apply yourself diligently.”
“We shall assist Master with all our might!”
Both of them's eyes blazed with fervor.
They were thrilled at the prospect of bending me to their will. Thrilled.
“Creating a powerhouse is disappointing, yet I expected no less.”
“You said the limit was an aura user, didn't you?”
“Excellent. I look forward to it.”
Megus's alchemy was immensely useful.
It enhanced the performance of the internal structures within the Death Blacksmith.
It also aided undead creation.
One could only imagine what insights might be gained from viewing the homunculi crafted by the Great Alchemist.
“Shone, shall we explore the ruins a bit further?”
“Whatever you wish.”
“Kyaaah! The scent of treasure tickles my nose—do not disturb it!”
“Why does the thief refuse to hold it in any longer?”
Isra clicked her tongue.
“Ha ha. Why blame the dog for holding in its poop?”
“That is precisely correct.”
“Shone is not a dog!”
The two of them were really getting on my nerves.
Whoever saw them would think we were competing in loyalty.
“Protecting Master is my duty.”
“You iron-headed one. I will not allow you to monopolize Master alone.”
“If you harbor assassin thoughts, you should know better, Shone.”
The two of them bickered like children.
…
Since the request was simple, one verse only, please. You two.
* * *
Rustle.
The woman hiding among the bushes exhaled a long-held breath with a soft, relieved “Pfu.”
Her ears were twice as long and pointed as a human's—symbols of the forest race, elves.
‘Did it sense me?’
Her heart thumped wildly.
Even as she told herself it was impossible,
the moment her eyes met Isra's, terror surged anew.
‘It can't be.’
The woman suppressed the primal fear rising within her.
The distance to Minho's group exceeded one kilometer.
With the forest's blessing—elves' racial trait—there was no way they would notice.
Their eyes meeting had been nothing but a cruel coincidence.
The woman reassured herself one more time and let out a deep sigh.
‘The mission is complete.’
The command given to her was to observe the dimensional rift's base.
The dimensional barrier generation device, the [Gaia Former], was drawing attention from various races crossing the Cross Gate.
A crossing point of the rift.
Only a select few races could form safe zones within the Cross Gate.
It was not technology.
It was the powerful authority of superior beings that suppressed the rift's nature.
Yet.
Humans had succeeded in suppressing monster regeneration with some unknown technology.
‘If I obtain that technology!’
The woman calmed her excitement.
The orders from above were only for surveillance—nothing more.
But why did I feel the urge to approach closer?
‘Is it because of the familiar mana pattern?’
While observing Minho's group,
she had detected a strange wavelength in the air.
Her kin's mana pattern.
No—far deeper mana stirred her ears.
‘It is a mistake.’
The elf shook her head vigorously.
She was a high-ranking member of the forest race.
Only high elves possessed mana deeper than hers.
No such wavelength could reach her from the human crowd.
‘Don't overthink it—go report.’
Patter!
Even while stepping on twigs and running, not a single sound escaped her.
The elf vanished into the forest like a shadow.