Chapter 113

Chapter 113

Spendthrift Necromancer (113)

Necromancer (1)

The Politburo Standing Committee of China.

It was China's highest organ of power and decision-making body. All seven members of the Standing Committee had gathered there.

The world's first SS-rank Achievement Awakened had appeared. They were here to discuss that very subject.

“What's his background?”

“There should be no problem accepting him as one of our Communist Party's own.”

At those words, President Li Zemin nodded in satisfaction.

“That's fortunate. Put him in the Nine Dragons Guild.”

The age of Awakened.

Superhumans were beings capable of shaking the foundations of existing power.

Especially under a one-party dictatorship like China's, they were no different from dangerous poison.

But China couldn't simply move directly against the flow of the world.

That was why, alongside fostering private guilds, the government was also raising guilds of its own.

Guilds that were essentially secret state-owned enterprises.

As a bonus, they openly promoted them as patriotic guilds and showered them with every conceivable benefit. China's number-one guild, the Nine Dragons Guild, was the prime example.

Every one of its members was the child of a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official, and only those whose loyalty and ideology had been thoroughly vetted were accepted.

An SS-rank Awakened certainly qualified to enter the Nine Dragons Guild.

“So, has this Liang Xiaojun fellow chosen his Class?”

“How could he? He's waiting solely for your command, Mr. President.”

“Hmm.”

President Li Zemin nodded with satisfaction.

Even as an SS-rank Awakened, the man knew how to bow his head and navigate politics.

Of course, they'd need to watch him a little longer, but he seemed worth investing in.

He examined Liang Xiaojun's information in the document.

One special note said he was skilled with a sword.‘But not exceptionally so.’―He should perform well among the upper ranks, but seems likely to hit his limit at the very top.

It was the conclusion reached by China's Awakened combat analysts, so there was little reason to doubt it.‘Then making him a Swordsman is a bit awkward too.’His Achievement could probably cover some of the gap in skill.

But no matter how high an SS-rank Achievement was, it didn't seem enough to defeat a monster like Korea's Sword Immortal.

“Class, Class…….”

The President considered it seriously.

Then he spoke in a solemn voice.

“Korea has been bothering me quite a bit lately. Kim Minwoo, Ilseong, all of it. Their growth is far too unusual. Don't you all agree?”

“……

Yes. We do.”

“A thought occurred to me. What if that Kim Minwoo bastard was actually an SS-rank Achievement Awakened all along?”

The Standing Committee members nodded.

Before, they'd assumed he was merely an unusually outstanding S-rank. But his successive feats couldn't be explained by that alone.

“As you say, Mr. President, it certainly seems suspicious.”

“If he's SS-rank, everything he's shown so far would make sense.”Even the difference between A-rank and S-rank Skills was enormous.

The gulf between S and SS would naturally be even greater.

Great enough to explain both his terrifyingly powerful summons and his overwhelming numbers.

“What if we make Liang Xiaojun a Necromancer?”

“A Necromancer?”

At the President's words, the Standing Committee members fell into thought.

Training Necromancers was something many countries had attempted in the past.

A one-man army that summoned and commanded countless undead.

If nurtured properly, it could become an extremely powerful weapon for clearing Gates.

Naturally, China had tried it too.

And discovered countless problems.

Where another Awakened needed ten billion won to become strong, a Necromancer needed one hundred billion.

And did that strength overwhelmingly surpass the ten-billion-won Awakened?

Not particularly.

Summons?One attack from the ten-billion-won Awakened and they all died.

The problem remained even if those summons were Liches or Death Knights.

You could pour money into the setup, and you'd still be lucky to summon one or two.

Then a high-Level Awakened with ten billion won invested into them simply broke through.

Was the Necromancer themselves strong, then?

Without the summons, they were little more than support.

Investing trillions just to compensate for those weaknesses was burdensome even for a nation.

With that money, why not raise a hundred talented Awakened instead?

And if they invested trillions, would the Necromancer truly become that much stronger?

There were plenty of doubts about that too.

Growth wasn't some fixed equation where every additional won poured in produced a proportional increase.

That was why so many countries had tried it, spat it out, and moved on.

China was no different.

Normally, there would've been no reason to even reconsider the matter.

But Kim Minwoo's performance had been far too shocking.

Enough to make them wonder whether Necromancers possessed some hidden potential they simply hadn't understood.

Seeing the silent committee members, the President spoke.

“Think about it. Didn't our Chinese think tanks analyze this too? The higher the Achievement rank, the more advantageous Necromancer becomes.”

The committee members nodded.

Kim Minwoo and Seo Yerim.

After those two cleared an A+-rank Gate, China hadn't simply stood by and watched.

The country's finest think tanks had gathered and combed through the Necromancer Class with a fine-toothed comb.

Their conclusion was simple.―A Class that grows stronger through financial investment.―Kim Minwoo is estimated to have invested tens of trillions so far. Other Necromancers, by contrast, have invested only several hundred billion at most…….―The higher the Achievement rank, the synergy may rise beyond imagination. Skills that affect all summons may appear.―However, there is doubt as to whether this level of performance is truly possible with only an S-rank Achievement…… the possibility of an Achievement beyond S cannot be excluded…….

Why was Kim Minwoo strong?

Because even though he was only an individual, he was insanely pouring in sums even nations wouldn't invest.

And maybe this bastard was above S-rank?

That had been the think tanks' analysis.

At the time, even the President and Standing Committee hadn't been certain whether that conclusion was true.

An Achievement beyond S-rank.

They'd wondered whether such a thing genuinely existed.0% wasn't impossible, but they hadn't believed the probability was high either.

Now things were different.

SS-rank truly existed.

What if Kim Minwoo had simply achieved SS-rank one step earlier?

Then there was nothing strange about his feats.

The President's gaze grew serious.

“SS-rank Achievements are certainly precious. But sooner or later, we have to run an experiment. Don't we?”

“Hmm…… you're right, Mr. President. We can't ignore the potential of Necromancers.”

Besides, Kim Minwoo was still only an individual.

China, on the other hand, was China itself.

If they decided to invest, tens of trillions could be spent without hesitation.

What if a Liang Xiaojun raised with that kind of support crushed Kim Minwoo?‘A despairing Korea.’‘What a beautiful picture.’‘And this fellow uses a sword too.’Even the concept was strikingly similar.

Their Achievement ranks were the same.

And if Liang Xiaojun received even more investment, there was no reason China's hope should fall behind.

Swordsmanship was the only real variable, but even that wasn't much.‘It's not like Kim Minwoo is the Sword Immortal.’He may have rampaged at low Levels, but in the high-Level range, everyone eventually had to rely on their true Class to survive.

As time passed, Kim Minwoo was bound to flicker out like a candle before Liang Xiaojun's relentless pursuit.

And China was the world's most populous nation.

The belief that this wouldn't be their only SS-rank Achievement also eased the pressure.

“Necromancer sounds excellent. Making him a Swordsman or Mage would hardly have any impact. Once again, I am amazed by your insight, Mr. President.”

“Haha. You flatter me. Then Liang Xiaojun will become a Necromancer. While we're at it, let's have China set some new records of its own.”

It would be a beautiful sight if he broke Kim Minwoo's records one after another.

The President and Standing Committee members' eyes gleamed.* * *Training Ilseong Guild.

Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo readily agreed as well. Naturally, relief spread across Nam Cheolmin's face.

“Thank you very much.”

“We should help each other. If the day comes when we need Ilseong Guild's help…….”

“Then Ilseong Guild will naturally do everything in our power.”

After the warm conversation ended.

Nam Cheolmin glanced at his phone, which had been vibrating nonstop, and asked with a puzzled expression.

“Um, did you see the news? Apparently China produced an SS-rank Awakened…….”

“I saw it a moment ago. Interesting. And he's choosing Necromancer of all things.”

“……

Are you all right with that? If the Chinese government officially announced it, it must be real…….”

Concern showed on Nam Cheolmin's face.

China's first SS-rank Awakened. And of all things, he was choosing an unpopular Class like Necromancer?

It looked like an obvious attempt to target Kim Minwoo. And given how loudly they were debuting him, there was a high chance the Chinese government planned to support him properly.

“If he becomes a Necromancer, I'll be grateful.”

Kim Minwoo grinned as he spoke.

The appearance of SS-rank.

He'd already half expected it.

If humanity's potential had risen, then higher-rank Awakening Achievements could naturally appear too.‘Since it's come to this, I hope they invest a ton in him.’Korea, China, and Japan.The three countries were locked in bloody competition.

If one stumbled, another smiled.

The more Minwoo grew, the more other nations would eventually start moving too. Schemes and plots of every kind would fill the board.

And in a situation like that, one of the most annoying countries, China, was voluntarily doing something this stupid?‘Thanks, I guess.’They'd waste money.

Waste a decent Awakened.

And weaken China's overall power.

There was nothing for him to lose.‘Since we're already here, I actually hope their Necro does pretty well.’China had boldly volunteered to take the lead.

If a Chinese Necromancer performed well, would other Awakened powers really sit still?

Their neighbor Japan would be the first to start squirming.

A Korean Necromancer and a Chinese Necromancer both becoming hits, and Japan was supposed to resist?‘No way.’Necromancer.

It was Pandora's box.

China had lost patience and opened it first. Now countless other nations around the world would begin reaching for the handle.‘And the more that happens, the higher my value rises.’That was when.● You are humanity's ‘One Who Opened the Horizon’!● You recognize a change in the world!● You have caused a great power to choose an option it originally would not have taken!● Part of the story begins to change!● 50 Achievement Points are awarded!● You possess the Achievement Vending Machine! Points are doubled…….

“What?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Something good suddenly happened.”

“Uh…… congratulations?”

“Thank you.”

“Then I'll be heading back.”

Nam Cheolmin awkwardly congratulated him and left the room.

At that moment.

An uncontrollable smile spread across Kim Minwoo's face.

He'd never imagined he could earn points this way.

What kind of windfall was this?

Then breaking-news alerts flooded the news feed.[(Breaking News) World's first SS-rank Achievement Awakened officially appears in China! Class confirmed as Necromancer!][Copying Kim Minwoo? SS-rank Necromancer Liang Xiaojun announces challenge of F-rank Gate ‘Ratman's Sewer’ in 3 days!][Ratman's Sewer has a Clear Difficulty of 93…….]‘He really picked Necro.’They had chosen an option they never would've chosen originally.

Minwoo immediately understood what that meant.

China had become a full-fledged shit connoisseur.

And thanks to that, Achievement Points had fallen into his lap for free.

Kim Minwoo stared seriously at the article.‘He isn't going to die in there, right?’He'd already been rooting for the man before, but now his feelings grew even more desperate.

What if the SS Liang Xiaojun capsized before it even properly left port?‘No. All the other countries will run away.’China would become the greatest fool of the century, and neighboring countries considering opening Pandora's box would flee as far as they could.

That couldn't happen.

Every major power needed to pick Necromancer if Minwoo wanted to duplicate Achievement Points.‘If he takes elixirs, brings +9 Skills, and fills out his equipment…… he has a chance.’Minwoo himself had cleared in two hours, then spent the remaining thirty-eight looking for clues to the hidden piece.

But expecting a brand-new SS-rank rookie like Liang Xiaojun to clear it in two hours would be far too cruel.‘Isabella took two days.’The ideal result would be beating Isabella's time.

Only then would other countries start coveting Necromancers too.‘Though that might be a little tough…….’In Korea, Isabella had become a meme and got mocked as the baguette martial artist, the GOAT, a fraud, and so on.

But did that mean Isabella was some easy opponent?

Absolutely not.‘She's the real deal.’She fought like a beast.

Even Kim Minwoo had fought her several times and been impressed by how good she was.

She'd been an outright monster even back when Achievement rank was capped at S.

The only reason she got mocked was because Minwoo himself was an even bigger monster.

Liang Xiaojun, on the other hand…….‘I have heard the name before.’Wasn't he one of China's S-rank Swordsmen?

His swordsmanship had been slightly below Seo Yerim's.

Even that much had been enough for him to gain a reputation as one of China's top forty Swordsmen.

But on this Stage 6, he'd suddenly been forced into Necromancer.

From the sword usage to the SS-rank Achievement.

It looked like they'd forcibly changed his Class just to copy Minwoo.‘He might even struggle to beat Isabella.’Current world-ranker-level Awakened's record from when she was Level 49 VS Level 1 Chinese small-fry Swordsman + SS-rank Necro Skill.

What a glorious matchup.

Even borrowing the power of an SS-rank Skill, at best he'd probably be a little faster than Isabella.

Or a little slower.

Something around there.

“Do your best, Liang Xiaojun.”

He offered the man a few words of encouragement.

If possible, he hoped Liang could at least beat Isabella.‘If this bastard can pull off a Great Leap Forward.’And then if Minwoo took first in the Super Rookie Selection Tournament, a massive Necromancer craze might sweep the world.

Trends had a way of spreading like wildfire in an instant.‘Time to fan the flames.’It seemed he needed to start moving in earnest.

Until the whole world was drunk on Necromancer hype.