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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 31: Necropolis (2)
Before re-entering the border region, there were things to be done.
"1 kg of ghoul bone, 50 kg of scorching sand, 14 kg of strong moss. And get me a B-rank mana stone."
"I don't have any spare money because I'm building a potion factory."
"This time, I'll give you an advance, so relax your eyes a bit."
His bank account was flush with the proceeds from selling the Red Spider's equipment.
Hundreds of millions of won disappeared with a few touches.
"Check it out."
"Where the hell did you get this much money?"
"I got a decent commission."
"Don't tell me..."
Whether Shin Joonseok, who guessed the source of the funds, opened his mouth wide or not, Yoojin waved his hand, blocking the next words.
"The money is clean, don't worry."
There could be no problem with the money the Milky Way Pub madam gave him.
Shin Joonseok sighed deeply and opened his mouth again.
"But, sir. Ghoul bones aside, what are you going to use scorching sand and strong moss for?"
"It's no fun if I tell you in advance."
"You're going to borrow my hands, aren't you? I have to be prepared."
Tsk.
Yoojin clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.
"Golem."
"You mean a golem that can be maintained at all times with only a mana source, not a summon?"
"Then shall I order that as summon food?"
It has only been a year since the alchemist class appeared in the world.
Visible results are being produced in fields such as magic circuit inscription, but golems are just now starting to produce prototypes one by one.
"Oh, oh oh oh! Go, go go go go..."
"Don't get excited before we even start."
"Even large corporations are only putting out basic prototypes for golem research!"
Yoojin involuntarily stepped back at Shin Joonseok's eyes that had gone wide.
A chilling light was felt.
I forgot.
That Shin Joonseok was a madman who reached the pinnacle of alchemy through self-study alone.
Behind that innocent face hides a madness that is not inferior to his brilliant talent.
A fine example of a mad scientist.
"Ah. Let me ask you one more favor."
"Speak."
"Have you learned Reverse Mana Flow?"
"It's quite a difficult spell. But who am I!"
Shin Joonseok's nose, which was already high, went up even further.
Ugh.
The urge to press it with his finger suddenly popped up.
"Engrave that on parchment."
"Just like that?"
"Suit yourself."
"I'll do that much as a service."
[Magic Circuit - Reverse Mana Flow]
An alchemical spell that reverses the flow of mana.
The preparations are sufficient.
"Are you going to the border region now?"
"Just pray that I come back safely."
"Should I pray to the one you serve?"
〔Khahaha. This little human knows something!〕
Stop it.
That constellation is incompetent and doesn't have the power to answer your prayers.
"Just kidding."
"I'm serious. I'm going to start praying earnestly from today."
Yoojin's shoulders flinched slightly at the delusion that flickered in Shin Joonseok's eyes.
＊ ＊ ＊
-Clank-!
The heavy iron door creaked open.
Yoojin and his party passed through the door and entered the border region for the second time.
"I can't believe I'm setting foot here twice."
Kang Minho grumbled softly, but the strange sense of anticipation in his eyes somewhat diminished the meaning of his monologue.
-I will make you strong.
Perhaps it was because Yoojin's words from last night were vividly engraved in his mind.
Even though they had entered a place far more dangerous than the Gate, for some reason, he felt strength in his steps.
Yoojin, who heard his murmur, glared.
"If you have complaints, go back."
"Oh no. My mouth was just flapping on its own. Hyung!"
Kang Minho slapped his mouth with his hand, acting obsequiously.
Fafnir, who was looking at him with a pitiful gaze, looked around.
【Master. What is the goal of this trip to the border region?】
"I'm going to create a Necropolis."
【Necro... what?】
"A city of the dead. A territory that becomes the epicenter of necromancy."
If a mage or alchemist has a workshop.
Necromancers maximize the efficiency of necromancy by declaring their own territory.
Before returning, he had installed necromantic amplification mediators all over the world to maximize his power.
'To create and command more undead, I need to build a Necropolis.'
The border region is the optimal place for a necromancer's territory.
The place integrated with the Gate has a much higher mana distribution than ordinary land.
Monsters are constantly regenerating.
It's a place full of the scent of death, as they are hunted by Hunters or fight territorial battles amongst themselves.
〔Wouldn't it be difficult to defend a place where many battles take place?〕
'That's right.'
Yoojin stroked his chin.
Unlike the Gate, the grades of monsters that appear in the border region are not fixed.
Even though there are implicit boundaries between monsters, they are not absolute.
In fact, 'One-Eyed', infamous around Paju, periodically crosses the mountainside, indiscriminately killing any monsters or Hunters that catch his eye.
〔No matter how strong a monster is, it's ultimately a creature without reason.〕
'Want to see what a top-tier variant ogre can do?'
One-Eyed is a variant that is proficient in magic, even though it's not even a Twin-Headed Ogre.
What if a monster like One-Eyed breaks into the Necropolis?
'It'll be a relief if we don't die.'
I wonder if Fafnir could last even 5 seconds with his full power.
A land of coexisting opportunity and danger.
It was truly a tremendous decision for the Little Runts team members to follow Yoojin.
'I'll raise you all to be useful.'
With Fafnir as an excellent instructor, they will surely become strong.
The twin siblings have already proven their talent.
I'm not sure about Lee Seongmin, but if he doesn't give up on his own, he'll be able to improve his skills.
【But where are we going?】
"We're going to look for a site to build the Necropolis."
【We'll have to find a place with mountains behind and water in front.】
"Trying to find a lucky spot, are we?"
Yoojin scoffed and replied in an absurd tone.
【I just picked it up here and there.】
"It's not exactly mountains behind and water in front, but it's similar. We're going to find a place where water flows."
"Land with flowing water has strong Yin energy."
Places with strong Yin energy are where you see ghosts or get sleep paralysis.
"In the Four Elements theory of alchemy, water governs the realm of souls."
Both in the East and West, water has a close relationship with souls. So it's water energy.
【In that case, I should have brought chopsticks.】
"You mean a dowsing rod."
[TL/N: Dowsing Rod — also called a divining rod, is a tool traditionally used to locate things underground, like water sources, buried metals, or even ley lines. It's usually a forked stick or two separate rods held in the hands.]
【Hmm. The name is not important!】
‘Even if you say that while getting angry, it's not convincing in the slightest.’
Yoojin laughed briefly and then raised his spirit power.
Swoosh—!
A whitish energy shimmered on his retina.
【Come to think of it, Master. Did you imbue your eyes with spirit power?】
"It's a trivial trick."
【A trivial trick? Your modesty is excessive!】
Fafnir exclaimed in surprise, as if interrogating Yoojin.
"Why are you so excited all of a sudden?"
【Instilling your will into energy and giving it form is the first step to manifesting Aura.】
Yoojin let out a hollow laugh.
"It's just a branch of spirit power application. It's not something to compare with Aura."
【Master, you don't seem to realize how amazing that act was.】
Fafnir muttered in a low voice, scattering blue sparks in displeasure.
"I need to concentrate, so let's talk later."
Yoojin once again focused all his senses on applying spirit power.
Connecting the optic nerve and spirit power.
At his current level, it was a makeshift way to achieve 'Spiritual Sight', something he could barely even glimpse.
If a mistake occurs in the process of deploying spirit power, or if his concentration is broken, his eyesight could be permanently damaged.
'I see it.'
Water energy passes beneath the ground.
The souls of those who died in the border region ride that flow and move to lower ground.
The path where water energy flows.
It is the spirit vein.
After concentrating for about a minute, his eyes became dry.
When he withdrew his spirit power, his eyes stung as if he had sprinkled pepper on them.
【Are you alright? Your eyes are bloodshot.】
"I'm alright."
To find the flow of the spirit vein, you need specialized equipment like a dowsing rod.
The real thing with inscribed circuits, not the sticks that are circulating in the world, that is.
'If you don't have teeth, you have to use your gums.'
He calmed the pain in his bloodshot eyes with Life Drain and pointed in the direction the water energy was flowing.
【Huhu. Leave the vanguard to me.】
Fafnir took the lead.
"Hyung-nim. We'll take the rear..."
"Ah. It's okay to let him guard."
-Khehehe!
The ghost of Jo Seungchul, which had been hiding in Yoojin's body, flew around, venting its pent-up resentment.
"Huh, huh."
"You're not going to peek later, are you?"
The Little Runts team members, though bewildered, followed Yoojin.
-Kihihi! Kihi!
The ghost, revealing its bloodlust even though they hadn't walked far, spun round and round in the air, drawing a large circle.
【Enemy.】
The bushes rustled, and soon the monster's appearance was close enough to be seen with the naked eye.
"It's a Lizardman. Hyung-nim. Weaker than an Orc, but agile and..."
【A weak lizard.】
Thump- Thump—
Before Kang Minho could finish his explanation, Fafnir dashed out, leaving large footprints on the ground.
"Their scales hold oil, making them resistant to impact attacks!"
Crack!
A heavy impact sound overlapped with Kang Minho's scream. The Lizardman's chest, where Fafnir's fist had landed, caved in.
Blue blood flowed from between the crushed bones and muscles.
【What did you say?】
"W-well, that impact attacks don't work well."
【Next time you're in this situation, consider whether you lack strength.】
Bang! Kwabang!
Overwhelming violence swept away the Lizardman group.
[Using Flesh Control.]
[Using Raise Undead.]
The corpses, separated from flesh and bone, were used as materials for Armored Zombies.
Three zombies armed with heavy armor were added.
"Fafnir. I need to follow the flow of the spirit vein, so I'll leave all the fighting to you."
【Leave it to me.】
A Noll, a humanoid monster with a dog-like upper body.
A Kobold, skillfully handling various tools.
In addition, various monsters appeared one after another, as if they had come to a monster museum.
"It's different from last time."
Lee Seongmin, clicking his tongue, extracted a mana stone from the heart of a Kobold that had just collapsed.
"Because we're crossing through the monsters' territories."
The place where Park Haneul's soul resided was the Orc territory, so if you looked around the neighborhood, it was difficult to find anything other than Orcs.
Now they were crossing between the monsters' territories, following the spirit vein.
"Then isn't it dangerous?"
"It's endless if we turn back. It's better to break through like this."
It was fortunate that it was the entrance to the border region.
If they went deeper, it was a place where monsters like Trolls and Ogres lurked.
At the party's level, they would be finished off by the Ogres without even needing Paju's named monster, One-Eyed, to appear.
-Groooan.
The number of Armored Zombies also increased smoothly, filling up the maximum number of 18 + 2 (Fafnir and 1 ghost) that he could control.
Tsk.
Kronos clicked his tongue.
〔It's a hassle to make undead every time.〕
"That's the necromancer's sorrow."
As their forces grew, their movement speed also increased.
"Kuk, how did you know I was hiding?!"
-Kihihihi!
Even if there were monsters in ambush, they were detected thanks to the ghost, which was sensitive to the presence of the living.
Yoojin followed the spirit vein without much difficulty.
"This place will do."
A small hill overlooking a stream.
The flow of the spirit vein flowing beneath the ground was quite strong.
It was the highest ground in the vicinity, making it a suitable terrain for a Necropolis.
【Will it be alright? It's quite prominent and stands out.】
"We have to take risks."
【Look. The existing residents don't welcome new neighbors.】
The direction pointed by the sharp claws.
Monsters nearby were approaching Yoojin and his party standing on the hill.
The number seemed to be in the hundreds at a glance.
When Kang Minho gulped and tried to grab his weapon.
"You guys prepare for camp."
"The number of enemies is enormous. Shouldn't we join the fight?"
"I needed corpses anyway, so this is good."
Yoojin used [Bone Control] to float four magical weapons in the air.
Necromancers excel at endurance. The longer the fight, the stronger they become.
'No matter how many there are, I'm the one who wins.'
Shwaaaak—!
Cursed weapons made from ghoul bones cut through the air and shot towards the enemies.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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