Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: A Complete Shift in Tone (3)
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In modern society, getting information has become incredibly easy.
Back in the day, if a reporter didn't publish a story, most people had no idea what had happened.
And if that information was manipulated, people would blindly accept the falsehoods as truth since they had no other sources. But now, there's NewTube, that groundbreaking hyper-connected video platform.
Not to mention blogs, cafes, communities, and more—it's an era of information overload.
Thanks to that, Kang Sa-hu could pull out his phone, browse the internet for a bit, and uncover exactly what he wanted to know.
"The tone has completely changed."
Even throwing together a dream team packed with as many S-rank Hunters from around the world as possible, a C-rank Gate would still take days to clear—and casualties were inevitable.
But that seemingly ironclad rule had been utterly shattered when Korea cleared a C-rank Gate in just 13 hours without a single casualty.
As a result, not just Kang Sa-hu but every Hunter who'd participated in the C-rank Gate was bombarded with interview requests. Some were even getting invites for variety shows and documentaries.
In fact, Kang Ji-ye had uploaded her "Necromancer Requiem" video to NewTube, and it had racked up hundreds of millions of views on its own. Her inbox was perpetually stuck at "999+ unread" from casting calls.
Of course, among the C-rank Gate participants, interest was overwhelmingly focused on Kang Sa-hu—the EX-rank Hunter whom all the others were openly praising.
"No need to show my face any more than this."
Kang Sa-hu had already achieved most of what he wanted.
As a Necromancer—not as a Hunter—what he'd desired was simple: for people to recognize that Necromancers existed.
Sure, some still thought of him merely as someone who'd "awakened as a Necromancer." But far more had caught on to his true nature.
But is that a skill? Never seen one like it before.
Of course not. The Necromancer class is exclusive to Hunter Kang Sa-hu.
Does that even make sense? And how many skills does Hunter Kang Sa-hu even have? The interview said an abnormal number.
I heard too. Darkening the sky, turning corpses into beads, spikes from the ground, summoning monsters...
Does that make sense? They say even 4 skills per Hunter is impressive, but Hunter Kang Sa-hu seems to have over 7.
What if... Hunter Kang Sa-hu was a 'Necromancer even before awakening'?
What lololol Are you saying Necromancers actually existed in this world? Such vivid imagination. Go be a writer.
Why the attitude?
Kang Sa-hu smirked as he scrolled through the comments.
Of course they'd think it's ridiculous.
The idea of real wizards or Necromancers existing in the world.
But they did exist, plain and simple. And to Kang Sa-hu—the living proof—their guesses were amusing and oddly welcome.
No need to rush. Rushing would just breed resistance.
Kang Sa-hu was a Necromancer himself, but to ordinary people, Necromancers were unsettling, something to reject outright.
Beings who breathed souls into peaceful corpses, raised them to serve their will, commanded spirits and souls, summoned and controlled the dead.
In short, Necromancers wielded death itself—the one thing all living creatures instinctively feared. Push too hard, too fast, and he'd be ostracized like before. That much was obvious.
Kang Sa-hu, who'd spent years pondering how to bring Necromancers into the light, knew it well.
"Oppa, what're you doing?"
As Kang Sa-hu organized his thoughts, Kang Ji-ye approached across the wide marble floor.
"Just checking the news. The tone's shifted quite a bit."
"Oh, that! Yeah. Now the Hunters are really starting to get active!"
After the guilds cleared the C-rank Gate not just successfully, but ideally.
Hunters noticed the world watching and praising them. One by one, they shook off their caution and resumed hunting.
It'd only been a week, but with each passing day, Hunters were lining up to hunt like bamboo shoots after rain.
Among them were standouts—high ranks, strong classes, excellent skills—showing off their prowess for various reasons.
"Makes life easier for everyone~ Though other Hunters are struggling a bit with the Gate competition."
And naturally, that sparked competition.
Hunting Gates had always been about easy money. Hunters who'd resumed activities soon made it their livelihood, reserving and raiding Gates competitively.
This turned E- and F-rank Gate bookings into a nightmare, like snagging concert tickets for a top idol.
But for Afterworld Guild, it wasn't an issue. Kim Ho-myeong had secured "priority Gate reservations" as a condition for their C-rank participation, along with various perks.
"But this is what you wanted, right, Oppa?"
Kang Ji-ye grinned knowingly and poked his side. Kang Sa-hu chuckled softly.
"Yeah. Wanted it, but wasn't sure it was possible."
"Knew it!"
Kang Ji-ye burst out laughing at his honest admission.
"Well, we've already made bank anyway. These days, I'm raking it in from TV gigs and NewTube—more than enough!"
As the "little sister of EX-rank Hunter Kang Sa-hu," and the one every C-rank participant called a "saint," Kang Ji-ye's NewTube channel had exploded.
Her first Requiem video had already been a massive hit, but sustaining a channel on one video is tough.
Now, just casual vlogs chatting with viewers hit tens of millions of views baseline.
Throw in occasional stories about Kang Sa-hu, her abilities, or hunting tales as spice?
Those videos shattered records, pulling multiples of her usual numbers.
"Still, shouldn't you change that channel name?"
"Huh? Why? It's great!"
Kang Sa-hu sighed, recalling her channel: "Beauty Cutie Pretty High School Senior Hunter."
"Fine, if you like it."
"But yeah, we should change it soon. I'll be an adult before long."
Kang Ji-ye pointed regretfully at the calendar—few months left in the year.
With mid-November's chill prompting thick coats everywhere, she'd turn twenty soon enough.
At that point, "High School Senior" in the name would feel off, regardless of technicalities.
"You'll be spending Christmas at the Necromancer Society, huh."
"Probably."
Kang Sa-hu needed to head there to upgrade his troll summons—stuck in soul core stasis—into far stronger minions.
If he were aiming for zombies, ghouls, or even the "devourers" other Necromancers deemed impossible, he could've done it anywhere.
But he had his sights on something far higher: draugr.
And the pinnacle among summons, one most Necromancers couldn't even dream of: death knights.
The reagents alone would fill a truck. The spells required rivaled a law textbook in complexity. With so much prep...
Even Kang Sa-hu couldn't say for sure how long it'd take.
"Death knights... You can really make those?"
"What're you talking about? The Death King commands over a hundred himself."
"That's because it's the Death King! He's ancient!"
Kang Ji-ye shot him an exasperated look as he compared himself to the Death King, who'd upheld the Necromancer Society since the 16th century.
"And like you said, no one else has any besides him."
"But he does, so they exist."
"W-Well... true."
She had no comeback for his calm resolve—not arrogance, just steady determination.
"I have the creation ritual, so I can try. Worst case, draugr it is."
"Sigh. Fine. You'd have a plan anyway."
Kang Sa-hu smirked as she conceded.
Ding-dong—ding-dong—
The intercom chimed as their talk wrapped up.
Kang Ji-ye checked the screen, beamed, and hit the talk button. Voices came through.
[Guild Master?]
"Nope! Not the Guild Master!"
She replied playfully, and Kim Ho-myeong chuckled dryly.
[Ji-ye, huh. Can you buzz us in?]
"Heehee. Sure, one sec."
She hit the door release—click—and the entrance swung open.
Kim Ho-myeong and Lee Yu-rim slipped off their shoes, donned slippers, waved hello to Kang Ji-ye, then waved off Kang Sa-hu as he rose from his chair.
"Guild Master, no need to stand!"
"Please, stay comfortable."
"No, I want to greet you properly."
Despite their protests, he stood straight and bowed. They looked awkward but inwardly touched by his unwavering courtesy.
"Is everything to your liking?"
Kang Sa-hu shook his head at Kim Ho-myeong's question.
"Far from it—I'm grateful. When I asked for your help, I never imagined you'd lend us such a fine building for the guild. Thank you."
"Glad you like it."
When his home address leaked and reporters swarmed.
Kang Sa-hu anticipated more trouble ahead and immediately asked Kim Ho-myeong for temporary lodging.
Surprisingly, Kim had been ready—handing them the top floor of the future Afterworld Guild building.
Perfectly furnished and interior-designed for this, they only needed personal items to move in.
Kang Ji-ye was hooked on the high-rise night views, blissfully content daily.
"By the way, Oppa, what's the rent here?"
"Rent? Why?"
Kim Ho-myeong blinked in confusion, but Kang Ji-ye looked at him matter-of-factly.
"Obviously, we gotta pay you rent."
"......"
Kim Ho-myeong looked drained at her unexpected words.
"Hey, you think I'd charge the Guild Master and you rent?"
"Why not? I've got money! I can pay—just tell me!"
She puffed out her chest proudly, and he chuckled.
But she kept insisting, so he finally whispered the actual half-price rent to her alone.
Whisper whisper.
"......"
She froze briefly after hearing it.
Then bowed 90 degrees.
"Oppa, thank you for not charging rent. We'll keep it spotless."
"Good. And don't worry about clean—it's cleaned daily anyway."
Kim Ho-myeong laughed endearingly at her quick pivot.