Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Necromancer Society (1)
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Wuoooong—
The ring of phantasmal stones, cloaked in green light, began to vibrate faintly.
Beams of light connected with one another, gradually tracing out a complex magic circle.
However, the green light, which had flowed freely and unimpeded like water along a stream, started wandering aimlessly in certain spots, pooling on the ground as if lost.
Kang Sa-hu, gazing at the areas where the green-mana light failed to connect, narrowed his eyes.
It had been ages since he'd last visited Stonehenge, but he immediately grasped why the magic circle, which had been working fine, had stalled.
"It's missing some parts."
Stonehenge was an ancient site, with traces of wooden pillars dating back to around 8,000 BCE.
Given the vast span of time, it wasn't strange for sections to have vanished naturally or otherwise, so Kang Sa-hu calmly assessed the deficiencies without panic.
"Thirteen Shale Circles and about twenty-six Aubrey Holes..."
Stonehenge consisted of three stages: the Shale Circle, the Blue Circle, and the Aubrey Holes.
The outermost ring was made of sarsen stones, the inner Blue Circle of bluestones, all forming a circular layout with the Aubrey Holes on the exterior.
But with thirteen structures of the Shale Circle and twenty-six of the Aubrey Holes missing, the magic circle stuttered and failed to activate properly.
Having identified the issue, Kang Sa-hu gravely examined the void emanating from the lost sections.
And then.
"This much can be filled with mana."
As if it were no big deal, he concluded and drew up his mana in a grand surge, using it as raw material to temporarily reconstruct the missing structures.
Groooar—
Mana poured from his body, solidifying densely like spiderwebs, taking on the precise form of the absent stones.
The mana-forged proxies perfectly bridged the gaps, absorbing the pooled mana and completing the circle.
Whoooosh!
With the mana linked and the magic circle whole, Stonehenge was enveloped in a dome of green aurora-like energy.
Soon, at the center, a circular hole blending black and green silently formed.
Swooo—
A sound like iron spheres rubbing softly on a metal plate echoed as the perfect void stabilized. Kang Sa-hu stared at it for a moment, exhaled deeply, and stepped inside.
Whiiiiiir—
Standing at the center, magical energy seeped into his body like ink diffusing in clear water.
An instinctive revulsion rose, but Kang Sa-hu, all too familiar with the sensation, simply accepted the invading magic.
The flow coursed through his body, scanning his soul and reaching his spirit.
Unsettling as the eerie energy was, the process ended in under five seconds.
The probing force reacted to Kang Sa-hu's spirit.
["Necromancer Society's Edict"]
Familiar words appeared, and Kang Sa-hu read them aloud.
As he reached the end—"Edict"—the script dissolved like fish scattering in the sea, replaced by new lines.
["I am the one who guides the dead and commands them."]
["Through me, enter the city of woe."]
["Through me, enter eternal pain."]
["Through me, join the lost throng."]
Kang Sa-hu read on, and the text shifted in sync.
Keeping his focus unbroken, he traced the long passage with his eyes.
["Before me, nothing but eternal things."]
["I endure forever, above all creation."]
["All you who enter here..."]
Having memorized the finale perfectly, Kang Sa-hu recited the last line from memory, eyes unneeded.
["Abandon all hope."]
Krunch!
With the Necromancer Society's Edict fully recited, an anomaly shattered the endless abyss.
Jet-black darkness cracked with green fissures.
The void of pure descent fractured, hurtling toward collapse.
As shards of darkness shattered like razor glass aimed at him, Kang Sa-hu calmly spoke again.
"I am the summoner who calls departed spirits, the necromancer who commands them, the lord of all poisons."
Light blazed from his eyes, surging upward like horns.
"Necromancer, Kang Sa-hu."
Fwoosh!
His name sealed it, and the world inverted.
The impenetrable dark vanished, revealing a vast underground realm below.
Green auroras lit the sky in place of blue, with dim green flames—not bright white—illuminating the world.
At its heart stood a solitary medieval castle, surrounded by sprawling modern architecture.
Somber yet majestic, eerie yet beautiful—the Necromancer Society revealed itself in all its dizzying glory.
Whoooosh!
Plummeting past the fist-sized castle image, his velocity—built to terrifying heights over the long fall—was about to slam him into the ground.
Then gravity flipped on him mid-drop, decelerating sharply until his feet touched down.
"Whew."
Planting his feet in the underworld, Kang Sa-hu wiped cold sweat from his brow and exhaled.
He knew the procedure inside out, but going through it after so long still tensed even his steady nerves.
As he stood waiting,
Heavy footsteps approached from afar—a group clad in armor drawing near.
["How extraordinary. To think someone would enter through the main gate."]
The voice echoed from every direction, as if spoken in a sealed chamber, emanating from within the armor.
Red glows leaked from the helmets as the figure placed a hand on the sword hilt at its waist.
["You who reached here by legitimate means and proper procedure. State your affiliation and name."]
The lead figure commanded, and the others mechanically followed suit—disciplined, precise—hands on weapons without a hint of deviation.
A scene that would terrify anyone, where a wrong word meant instant death.
Yet Kang Sa-hu replied as casually as greeting a neighbor.
"Affiliation: Necromancer. Name: Kang Sa-hu."
[...Huh? Wh-what?]
The armored beings rattled in confusion at his response.
Red glows widened in shock as one reconfirmed.
[...Sa-hu?]
"Yes, that's me. Sir Verdact."
[Sa-huuuuu—!]
Verdact—the Death Knight of the Underworld King, captain among a hundred—charged at Kang Sa-hu with lightning speed.
Sweeping him into a bear hug, spinning once, Verdact pounded his back heartily, his wary glare softening to pure affection.
["You rascal! No word you were coming!"]
"Sorry. Wanted it secret, so I didn't tell a soul."
["Knew it! Seung-hwan or Ella wouldn't have kept quiet!"]
Kang Sa-hu gave a wry smile as his parents' names—Seung-hwan and Ella—came up naturally.
"Yeah, kept it from Mom and Dad too."
["You sneaky punk! Anyway, welcome—great to see you! How long's it been?!"]
["Captain. Mind if we greet him too?"]
["Always acting like you're the only one excited..."]
Verdact clung tight, ignoring the Death Knights waiting patiently behind, who began grumbling.
But as he rambled on, they finally lost patience and lumbered forward to pry him off.
["L-let go! You lot! Starting a mutiny?!"]
["Mutiny? Careful, the King might hear. That's lèse-majesté."]
["You bastards! Lèse-majesté's fine now?!"]
["Yep."]
No matter his rank as Death Knight captain, sixteen determined knights overwhelmed him through sheer force.
After fierce greetings with the others, Kang Sa-hu felt his stamina—fresh just moments ago—nearly half depleted.
"Still on guard duty, I see."
["Well... of course."]
Verdact scratched at his helmet in response.
["After that massive hit... can't slack even a moment. Not like it was minor. Nearly..."]
Seven years prior, the unprecedented—and unrepeatable—cataclysm at the Necromancer Society.
Verdact muttered darkly about it, then waved his arms frantically as the mood soured.
["But! Thanks to you, Sa-hu, we escaped major losses. That's why we're extra vigilant—no repeats."]
"Good to hear."
Not eager to dwell on it himself, Kang Sa-hu smiled awkwardly in agreement, and silence fell.
As Verdact sought to lighten the air,
The Death Knights sighed deeply at a skull flying toward them from afar.
["Oops. Sa-hu, looks like you're busted already."]
["Obviously. Our sight, hearing, taste— all linked to His Majesty."]
["No, seriously—sight and hearing for security, fine. But taste? Why?"]
Sight and hearing made sense for security, but taste baffled them—no one knew why, so the question hung unanswered.
The skull fluttered close, red energy blazing like flames in its sockets as it fixed on Kang Sa-hu.
Then its jaws parted slowly.
[Sa-huuuuuuu—!!]
From the pristine white skull, fierce red glow in its eyes, burst a voice like a wailing child.