Chapter 76
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: The Second B-Rank Gate (1)
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After having the apes dig up whatever resources could be used, Kang Sa-hu exited the gate and immediately spotted Myeongwang panting heavily. He quickly supported her and took her back to her room.
The usual Myeongwang would have brushed it off, insisting she was fine no matter what and calming him down.
But the aftereffects of dredging up memories from so long ago had clawed at her heart so deeply that even empty words like that were beyond her.
He might have been startled by her sudden behavior after hunting in the gate, but Kang Sa-hu remained composed.
Any other necromancer would have been shocked, but as one of the rare few who could pierce through the wildly surging spirits and qi in her magic circle to meet her...
This wasn't the first time he'd seen Myeongwang like this.
Myeongwang, who had fled into this sunless underworld and stayed in the Necromancer Society for over 400 years without ever stepping outside her magic circle, all to protect the necromancers there.
And considering she still retained the sensibilities of her 18-year-old self, it would be foolish to think her mind was perfectly healthy without any issues.
But as the king of necromancers, Myeongwang deserved his utmost respect, so Kang Sa-hu didn't let a hint of such thoughts show.
"Would you like something to eat?"
After laying her on the bed, Kang Sa-hu asked, but she shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. Sa-hu, you go out and grab something to eat. Come to think of it, you haven't stepped outside once since coming to Necro Castle. Seung-hwan and Ella must be feeling neglected."
On the surface, it sounded like she was just telling him to get some fresh air, but Kang Sa-hu could sense the deeper meaning: she wanted to be alone.
Still, she had a point, so he followed her words without argument.
"Understood. Then I'll spend some time with my parents today."
"Yeah, go spend time with them. That's something you can only do while they're still around, you know~"
Myeongwang tossed the words out like a joke, but Kang Sa-hu's face stiffened ever so slightly.
Noticing his reaction right away, Myeongwang smiled faintly and stroked the arm of Kang Sa-hu, who was sitting beside her.
"Why the long face? It's been over 400 years since I lost my parents. You weren't even born back then."
"...No matter how many times I hear it, 400 years is just unimaginable."
Kang Sa-hu, who was turning 26, shook his head at a span of time more than sixteen times his own lifetime.
Myeongwang burst into laughter at his reaction and smacked his arm playfully.
"Ah, just go already! I'm tired!"
With feigned cheerfulness and brightness in her voice, Kang Sa-hu quietly bowed his head in farewell and left the room.
"...Hoo."
After opening the thick Hell Gate door and stepping out, he let out a quiet sigh once it closed behind him.
"400 years."
As his thoughts deepened, a fierce glint flickered in his eyes.
"Just a little longer."
Recalling the catalyst that had set his goal of 'legitimizing necromancers' in motion, the glint in his eyes sharpened upward, forming the shape of horns.
Leaving Necro Castle and returning to his parents' home, Kang Sa-hu reflected on his own negligence as he watched his father, Kang Seung-hwan, embrace him tightly and sob uncontrollably.
Ella seemed to feel the same, her hands—which would normally have smacked his back by now—folded neatly over her lower abdomen without a twitch.
"Sa-hu, you rascal! If you're going to come this late, at least stay for a meal! Do you know how upset we'd be just having a cup of tea and sending you off?"
"I'm sorry, Father. I was in such a rush because I thought it was Myeongwang's summons."
At the keyword 'Myeongwang'—which commanded absolute obedience among necromancers—the 'But still!' that had nearly burst from Kang Seung-hwan's throat sank back down deep.
"...Yeah, Myeongwang would have her reasons."
As soon as Kang Seung-hwan finished speaking, Ella jumped in as if she'd been waiting.
"Your mother understands your choice."
"......?"
Kang Seung-hwan stared at Ella with wide eyes.
Just yesterday, his wife had been grumbling alongside him about their 'insensitive son,' so this sudden change left a bubbling sense of betrayal swelling in his chest.
But when Ella shot him a sharp glance behind Kang Sa-hu's back, that brewing betrayal vanished like clouds swept away by a typhoon, as if by magic.
"So, is Myeongwang doing well?"
Ella smoothly shifted the topic by asking after Myeongwang.
"Yes, she's in good health."
"She must have been thrilled to see you after so long."
"She was. She's been alone for quite a while, after all."
Of course, even without leaving her magic circle, Myeongwang wasn't completely isolated.
Not only Kang Sa-hu, but two elders close to her in age could also push back against the power emanating from the circle to meet her.
Above all, her summoned beasts, which drew strength from the magic circle itself through their connection to her, could visit whenever she wished.
Especially the Death Knight, who possessed a soul and thus self-awareness, could serve as a conversational companion like any person.
Not being able to leave the magic circle was constraint and loneliness enough; had even that been impossible, Myeongwang would have lost her mind long ago.
Kang Seung-hwan nodded gravely in agreement with Kang Sa-hu's answer, rubbing under his nose with a finger.
"Ahem. Sa-hu, you'll eat and stay the night, right?"
"Yes, that's the plan."
Though Myeongwang's suggestion had prompted his visit, Kang Sa-hu had another purpose beyond seeing his parents.
"When were you thinking of having dinner?"
"Hm, it's been about three hours since we ate. We're planning for three hours from now. Hungry already? I can prepare something now if you want."
With no sunlight to go by, Kang Seung-hwan checked the clock as he spoke, but Kang Sa-hu shook his head.
"No, I wasn't thinking about food right now either. Then, I'll head to the lab for a bit."
"What? You just got here and you're leaving again?"
Kang Seung-hwan looked shocked and hurt at Kang Sa-hu's words, prompting him to scratch his cheek awkwardly.
"The Death Knight is in the process of being created right now, and I need to return to Necro Castle soon, so while I'm out, I wanted to check on the magic circle's progress and the draugr."
"Uh, yeah, I see. Our son is busy, after all..."
Kang Seung-hwan was left speechless and dejected at the mention of two top-tier necromancer summons.
Watching him, Ella chimed in.
"It's a bit disappointing. I wanted to chat more, and if it's not too much trouble, there's something I'd like to ask our son."
"Something you need help with?"
Kang Sa-hu chided himself for not realizing sooner.
The Necromancer Society was in the underworld, making it hard to acquire modern machinery.
Forklifts, excavators, trucks—essentials for modern life—were not only irreplaceable but nearly impossible to bring in.
Necromancers had no choice but to rely on their own strength or that of their summons for manual labor.
With gate hunts, prophets, guilds, Myeongwang, and his personal matters piling up, he'd overlooked his parents' situation without realizing it.
But Ella, ever perceptive, noticed her son's self-reproach and shook her head.
"It's not urgent, so don't worry. Your mother has already received plenty of your thoughtfulness."
Ella glanced sideways as she spoke.
Turning his head naturally to follow her gaze, Kang Sa-hu spotted the gold bar chest he'd given them before heading to Necro Castle.
"......"
Looking back, Kang Seung-hwan was also nodding in satisfaction at the chest.
'...Next time, I should bring more.'
He hadn't expected them to be this pleased with material gifts; a small regret rose that he should have brought more.
"So, you really just need extra hands?"
When Kang Sa-hu took the initiative to ask, Ella nodded.
"Ever since gates started appearing in the Necromancer Society, Myeongwang's energy, which used to be evenly distributed across the whole territory, has weakened a lot. We're cutting back on summons and making up for it with manual labor. As you know, how much manpower can necromancers really provide?"
Necromancers spent their lives studying at desks, scouring for magic materials, and tinkering with magic circles—their physical abilities were generally below average.
In fact, even Kang Sa-hu before awakening had been tall but skinny, often criticized for his frail frame, and he'd agreed.
"Then, while I'm at the lab, I'll have my summons help you out, Mother—and Father too. If anyone nearby needs assistance, let me know."
"What? No, no, that's fine. Save your strength, son! Controlling summons isn't easy."
Thinking it too taxing, Kang Seung-hwan waved him off.
Handling summons required the owner to bear all the energy costs from summoning, activity, to unsummoning—not to mention preparation.
The farther the summon strayed from the owner, the more energy maintenance demanded proportionally, so his concern was valid.
But there were two things he didn't know.
First, unlike typical necromancer summons, Kang Sa-hu's didn't require spirits, qi, or mana for activities beyond summoning and unsummoning, thanks to the 'Soul Core Creation' skill.
Second, through all his hunting, Kang Sa-hu's qi—his mana—had grown vast beyond their imagination.
"Don't worry about that. I'll have them handle as much as possible, as quickly as possible."
With that, Kang Sa-hu pulled out his soul core pouch.
"Shall we go?"
At the lab, Kang Sa-hu checked the trolls steadily mutating into draugr and nodded in satisfaction.
By the looks of it, the timing would align perfectly with Kataku fully evolving into a Death Knight.
-Woo, wooaaah!
Satisfied with the lab's steady progress, Kang Sa-hu peeked out the window at the cheers echoing from outside.
There were 70 Corpse-Eating Apes, led by their chief, the Vampiric Ape.
And 60 orcs he'd turned into devourers before coming to England, hauling two or three logs on each arm, hammering away so fast their hands blurred.
The spectacle was so awe-inspiring that even Myeongwang's Death Knight, drawn by the rumors, had joined the crowd of watching necromancers.
'It'd be perfect if the Hell Hounds could just control their heat.'
Yet the absence of his most frequently used and longest companion—the Giant Hound, now Hell Hound—complicated his thoughts amid the scene.
'My summons will keep growing from here. At some point, I'll have to make choices.'
Unlike before, now that he knew his summons could evolve, one more decision loomed.
But as it meant more possibilities for the future, Kang Sa-hu felt satisfaction and pleasant anticipation outweighing any complaints.
'And for that, I need to push forward.'
The 50 gates Myeongwang had been blocking.
Of those, only three remained—and among them, the single highest-rank one he'd encountered so far, uniquely B-rank.
Thinking of that gate, a fierce glint poured from his eyes.
'Time to challenge the B-rank gate again.'