Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Spendthrift Necromancer (125)

PreparationTotal participants: 50.

Even after subtracting the five already sacrificed and the three Chinese Awakened, there should have been 42.

But only 27 Awakened were currently gathered.

The remaining fifteen were probably scattered throughout the area.

Finding them came first.

The Awakened split into two groups and searched in every direction.

Snowy proved tremendously helpful in the process.

Because it followed along while invisible, the Awakened didn't know it existed, but Park Siwoo and Seo Yerim were different.

Tap, tap.

Tap.

They felt its beak tapping their shoulders. Not only did it sweep its beak as if indicating a direction, it even kindly told them the number of people.‘As expected, so smart.’Seo Yerim murmured in admiration after receiving the signal.

Intelligence high enough to slap most summons back and forth across the face.

Outstanding scouting ability.

And as if that weren't enough, apparently it even shared attributes.

Most importantly…….‘Cute.’Maybe because it was still a baby, its appearance itself was adorable.

Being affectionate was a bonus.

Every time Kim Minwoo called himself its dad and doted on Snowy, she felt extremely jealous.‘I wish I had a pet like this too.’She badly wanted one.

The problem was that it wasn't easy.

Sure, an ordinary pet could simply be adopted, but a capable pet was an entirely different story.

You had to find one inside a Gate.

Mysterious abilities + extremely high intelligence + cute creature.

If something like that could be found just by looking for it, every Tom, Dick, and Harry would be walking around with a pet.

Only an extremely small number of Awakened blessed with both skill and luck possessed pets like this.

Stroke, stroke.

Her hand secretly stroked Snowy's head.―Coo.

A voice sounded by her ear as though rewarding her.‘Ugh…….’Shivering slightly at the adorable sound, she extended a finger.

“……

Ahem! Let's go that way.”

“Yes!”

The Awakened nodded without hesitation. Not only did she possess an Archer's wide field of vision, but they had found Awakened every single time she pointed somewhere.

After that happened over and over again, there was no room for disagreement. In only one day, they found all fifteen.

A large group of 42.

Their Classes and races were extremely diverse as well.

Practicing coordination was essential.

“From now on, we'll be your training instructors. We'll begin with individual lessons.”

Seo Yerim.

Park Siwoo.

Cedric.

And Merhen.

Two humans and two undead took the roles of instructors.

Honestly, up until that point, the Awakened were still half-doubtful.

Sure, they knew these people were skilled.

But teaching was a different matter, wasn't it?

They themselves were reasonably experienced.

And one of the instructors was a summon?

Hmm…….

That was roughly how they felt.

The only reason nobody complained was because they intended to watch first.

Park Siwoo went first.

He took charge of one of the melee groups, which had been divided into teams of ten.

They called it Group 1.Group 1's most conspicuous member was Thompson from America.

A bald black Paladin.

Even the muscles on the arm gripping his mace bulged as though they were about to burst.

Whether by appearance or reputation, he was easily the most eye-catching Awakened in Group 1.

“Mr. Thompson, could you act as team leader?”

“Sure.”

Thompson shrugged.

“So what's the training? If we're practicing teamwork, gathering only us doesn't seem particularly meaningful…….”

“First, I'll check your fundamentals. We'll work on coordination afterward. For now…… you just have to survive against me.”

“Okay.”

Thompson stepped forward first.

Raising a pure-white tower shield, he spoke with a serious gaze.

“I won't go down easily.”

Seeing Thompson settle into a solid defensive stance, Park Siwoo tilted his head.

“What are you doing?”

“……?”

“Why are you the only one coming out, Mr. Thompson?”

“……

Hey, Park. Just to make sure, you meant all ten of us should come at you?”

“Yes.”

“……

Okay. What are you doing? Everybody get out here.”

At his words, the Awakened stepped forward with reluctant expressions.‘……

Well, fine. Experience doesn't win fights.’Park Siwoo might be young and newly Awakened, but this world ultimately ran on ability.

He'd defeated an S-rank Awakened in ten exchanges. And apparently he'd taken third in the first trial too, so there was nothing about him they couldn't acknowledge. Still, they couldn't help feeling somewhat doubtful.

“……

Stay sharp. We aren't exactly pushovers…….”

That was when.

Baaam!

Along with a tremendous noise.

“Aaagh!”

Awakened went flying in every direction.Group 2's melee instructor, Cedric.

Every time the summon swung his spear among the Awakened, explosive booms erupted.

“He already started. Then I'll go too.”

The Holy Sword appeared in his hand and began shining.

The distance vanished instantly.

Thompson's eyes gleamed as he raised his shield.‘I'll endure!’Even if a Paladin lacked taunting Skills like a Warrior, no Class surpassed them in sheer vitality and endurance.

They could even use healing Skills of their own, albeit not as well as Priests. As long as he absorbed the attacks, his other teammates would take care of the rest.

He raised his shield toward Park Siwoo, who seemed about to swing with all his strength.

Thung!

Impact struck the shield.

The other Awakened immediately charged from every direction.

That was when.

Thompson frowned.‘……

Light?’For an attack that looked like a full-power strike, it had been unbelievably light. Had he really withdrawn all his strength in that tiny instant?

Whack!

“Ghk!”

A scream erupted beside him.

Renoir, the French Assassin he'd briefly greeted earlier.

At some point, the flat of the sword had smashed into his solar plexus like a baseball bat.

Whack!

Whack!

Awakened began flying everywhere.‘Did he lure us in on purpose?’It had clearly looked like a full-power downward strike. The more strength someone poured into an attack, the greater the opening it naturally created.

Like professionals, the Awakened had correctly targeted that gap.

But the blade that naturally bounced off the shield swept through every Awakened nearby.‘What kind of monster…….’In the blink of an eye, all nine had been sent flying. Only Thompson remained standing.

They hadn't beaten him even ten-on-one, so one-on-one went without saying.

“Ghk!”

In only two exchanges, a sword was resting against his neck.

“Done. Everyone gather around.”The members of Group 1 began regrouping.

“Mr. Renoir, you put too much strength into your arms when attacking. That makes it difficult to respond flexibly, okay? And Mr. Victor, it looks like you have a habit of twisting your waist when you attack…….”

Park Siwoo pointed out each team member's bad habits one by one.

After thinking carefully, the Awakened nodded.‘……

I think he's right?’Thompson received criticism too.

“Mr. Thompson, your body's too stiff. It's like you're curling completely inward just for defense. Could you try it like this?”

Park Siwoo stepped beside Thompson and adjusted his posture.

“How is it?”

“Definitely…….”

Thompson nodded.

He had only changed the positioning of a few body parts, yet somehow his field of vision felt much wider.

Thompson bowed politely.

“I apologize. Part of me was looking down on you. We weren't remotely good enough to act arrogant…….”

“It's fine. I understand. Honestly, compared to Hyung, I'm nothing anyway.”

Park Siwoo waved his hands and smiled awkwardly.

The Awakened tilted their heads.

“By Hyung, you mean Guild Master Kim Minwoo?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Sure. That man's summons are incredible. But you operate in different fields. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. No need to be so humble.”

Thompson patted his shoulder encouragingly.

“……

Different fields? Hyung is better with a sword than I am too.”

“……

Huh?”

The Awakened blinked.

What they'd just seen was monstrous enough to instantly understand why Park Siwoo was Sword Immortal's disciple…….

“Park, you're saying he's better with a sword than you?”

“Yes. I've never beaten Hyung in a spar. Not even once so far.”

Park Siwoo's eyes were far too serious for it to be a joke. Question marks appeared in the Awakened's eyes.

“……

Seriously?”

“Yes. Why would I lie? The fundamentals I'm using right now were all taught to me by Hyung.”

“……

Not Sword Immortal?”

“Well, I learned from him too.”

“……

Huh.”

They already knew Kim Minwoo used a sword. They also knew his level was fairly high.

But this genius Swordsman Park Siwoo had never once managed to defeat him with a sword?‘He's seriously that good?’Then just how much of a monster was Kim Minwoo?* * *The other instructors were equally busy teaching their groups.

Among them, the most terrifying atmosphere belonged to…….[Takeru uses Flame's Wrath(A)

!][Jackson uses Flame Spear(A)

!]―Are you idiots? Why are you casting it like that?

“Uh…….”

“Er…….”―No, I told you. You have to think when you use magic.

Merhen's group.

Arms folded, she kept staring at the Mages with open dissatisfaction.―Fire is hot. It burns. So why does your magic just sit there when you cast it?

“B-Because it still activates like this?”

Canadian Mage Jackson nodded in agreement with Japanese Mage Takeru's answer.―Ugh, this is frustrating. Just activating isn't enough. I told you to cast it like this.

Merhen stomped a foot in irritation and extended both hands.[Merhen uses Flame's Wrath(SS)

!][Merhen uses Flame Spear(SS)

!]

The exact same Skills from moments earlier activated instantly over her hands.

But the difference in power was like heaven and earth.

The two spells flew forward while radiating enough heat to melt everything around them.―You have to cast it with imagery. Mana shouldn't just move. It should move while blazing like it's burning. Is that so hard?

“……

Uh…….”―Seriously. Both of you, stand still.

Merhen reached toward the two Mages. Instantly taking control of the Mana inside their bodies, she began moving it as though operating them by remote control.―Memorize it. Like this. This direction. Let it churn. Move it toward your hand…….

Fwoosh![Takeru uses Flame's Wrath(S)

!][Jackson uses Flame Spear(S)

!]―Shoot it like that. Got it?

Just how talentless did they have to be for the output to remain only this high even when she personally moved their Mana?

It was truly horrifying.

But she couldn't simply give up on teaching them. Kim Minwoo himself had asked her.

They were clearly speaking to one another, yet communication felt utterly impossible.

What could she do?

She'd have to force them to memorize it if necessary.

“Y-Yes!”

The two Mages nodded frantically.

Magic they'd spent years using at A-rank had suddenly activated at S-rank in a single day.

Their nationalities and ages differed, but they shared one thought.‘What the hell…….’Until now, all they'd done was learn spells from Skill Books and fire them. Honestly, they still didn't understand most of what had just happened.

But they understood that they needed to change. The two desperately memorized the flow of Mana Merhen had just guided.―Go over there and practice now.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Countless Mages were already gathered where Merhen pointed.

Mages covered in cold sweat repeated their spells with grim determination.

The two joined them.

Sophia, the American Mage staring at the scene, clicked her tongue.‘I'm supposed to be a fairly promising talent in America too…….’Her magic was impressive enough that people said once she reached S-rank, she'd probably enter America's top ten Mages.

Yet compared to that summon, she was no more than a firefly before a full moon.

People had said she disrupted spells as naturally as breathing…….‘She really is a monster.’Watching Merhen make spells her own the instant she saw them and fire them back made Sophia's head ache.

An insane summon.

Just how had Kim Minwoo obtained a monster like this?

Her intense curiosity and awe lasted only briefly.

“Instructor! Is it my turn now?”

She asked with shining eyes.

Someone that skilled would surely have something she could learn from.―Yeah. Try.[Sophia uses Escape Drop(S)

!]

Her only S-rank spell, Escape Drop, activated.

A massive waterfall smashed into the pitch-black ground and carved away the earth.

“How is it?”―Everything about it is a complete disaster.

“……

Really?”―Yeah. Still, you're a little better than those two earlier.

At least she actually thought about magic while using it.

“How do I compare to Angela?”―……

Angela?

“Yes. The Mage who used Water Dragon Summon. The one whose Skill you copied.”―Hmm…….

Merhen frowned as though thinking. For her, it was surprisingly difficult.

Ants that were already tiny.

And now she was being asked to compare which ant was slightly bigger.―I think you're both about the same…….

“Still. One of us has to be at least a little better.”

Sophia kept pressing.

She considered Angela a rival.

People said Sophia would eventually enter America's top ten Mage rankings after reaching S-rank.

Put differently, that meant she would end up competing fiercely with Angela, who already occupied one of those top-ten places.

Naturally, she wanted to hear something favorable.

Something like, You can beat her.

And those words would carry more than mere encouragement.

Merhen was already famous for her blunt statements.

Put differently, she'd caused controversy because she was too honest.

If someone like that said Sophia had enough talent to surpass a top-ten Mage?

That carried an entirely different weight from idle gossip.

It would practically come with a guarantee.

Her market value could easily double.

Rumors that she might enter the top ten and certainty that she would were entirely different things.

That was one reason she kept clinging to the question.

Merhen frowned at her.‘Annoying.’What meaning was there in deciding which ant was better?

She answered carelessly.―Dunno. Maybe you're a little better.

“Really?!”―Yeah.

Or maybe not.

Merhen didn't care either way.