Chapter 141

Chapter 141

Spendthrift Necromancer (141)

FollowerHong Tao and the other Awakened stared at Liang Xiaojun in utter bewilderment.‘What?’‘Why did he suddenly kneel…….’He was even sobbing uncontrollably, tears and snot pouring down his face. Liang Xiaojun burst into tears while staring at Kim Minwoo as though there could be nothing more sorrowful in the world.

Kim Minwoo was just as dumbfounded. Still, it wasn't as though he had absolutely no idea what might be happening.‘A Follower…….’Come to think of it, Liang Xiaojun was an SS-rank Necromancer, wasn't he?

At a glance, this definitely seemed related to the Death Lord somehow…….‘Demen.’After offering a reverent prayer in his heart, he looked at the Chinese delegation.

“Doesn't seem like we should do anything right away. Why don't you rest for a bit first?”

“Uh……. Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

Hong Tao answered blankly, apparently still not over his shock.

The Chinese delegation supported Liang Xiaojun and moved to a lounge inside the center.

The moment he got far enough away from Kim Minwoo, Liang Xiaojun snapped back to his senses as though someone had splashed cold water over him.‘……

Huh?’What the hell did I just do?

Those memories suddenly flooded into him, and he'd lost himself and dropped to his knees.

As if that weren't enough, he'd even bawled his eyes out while staring at Kim Minwoo.

Just what had the Nine Dragons Guild members thought while watching him?

Liang Xiaojun's brain began working faster than it ever had in his life.

If they merely suspected he'd gone insane, that would be a relief.

But what if they suspected there was some kind of connection between him and Kim Minwoo?‘I'm fucked.’Cold sweat dampened his back.

That was when.

Hong Tao sat him down on the sofa and asked with concern.

“Are you all right? Why did you suddenly…….”

“Th-That's…… ngh!”

That dizzying moment when memories belonging to some unknown existence had flooded into his mind.

And on top of that, the unbearably sorrowful sense of duty telling him he had to offer his loyalty to Kim Minwoo.

The moment he recalled those emotions, hot tears began pouring out on their own.

Still crying his eyes out.

Liang Xiaojun spoke.

“When I saw that bastard Kim Minwoo's face…… I felt so miserable thinking about our China's situation…… and when I thought about how wronged the President must feel, the tears just came out before I knew it! I'm sorry!”

The Nine Dragons Guild members flinched.

They too were hardcore Party members who prided themselves on their loyalty to China.

But they could say with certainty that none of them burned as fiercely as Liang Xiaojun did today.‘……

His loyalty to the President ran this deep?’To the point where merely seeing that bastard Kim Minwoo made his legs give out from sheer resentment and brought him to tears?

Hong Tao's gaze turned serious.‘Even Nine Dragons Guild's intelligence network had a blind spot.’As China's greatest guild, background checks were mandatory whenever a new member joined.

And this was an SS-rank Achievement holder.

Naturally, they'd investigated him two and three times over.

According to those reports, there had been nothing especially remarkable about Liang Xiaojun. Put another way, even his patriotism and loyalty had seemed merely average.

That was precisely why President Li Zemin had continued ordering Hong Tao and the intelligence team under him to maintain strict surveillance.‘……

All of that worry was pointless.’That behavior just now.

And those burning tears.

Hong Tao had seen countless people over the years as Guild Master of Nine Dragons.

That was why he could say it with confidence.

Those feelings had been completely genuine.

Perhaps this young man had simply lived quietly while concealing his true feelings deep inside.

So thoroughly that not even Nine Dragons Guild's intelligence apparatus could detect them.

But today.

In the end, he'd exposed those feelings to the entire world. Perhaps there had always been an innocent side to him that he simply couldn't suppress.

“……

I'm sorry. I'll be more careful from now on. Ngh.”

“……

It's fine. At least for this moment, don't hold it in. Cry as much as you want.”

Hong Tao warmly patted Liang Xiaojun's shoulder.‘We really can raise him without reservation.’‘I'm saved.’The two men's completely opposite thoughts crossed at the same time.* * *An intrigued smile appeared on Kim Minwoo's lips as he looked toward the lounge. Whatever anyone might say, Liang Xiaojun's reaction just now had been genuine.

When he'd seen him drop to his knees as though pledging loyalty.‘If I use him well, this could hit the jackpot.’And what made it even better.

Liang Xiaojun wasn't the only SS-rank Necromancer.

They'd spread quite widely across the world.

There were already ten of them.‘Even if only half of them are Followers…….’Wouldn't that be fucking sweet?

If he got really lucky, all ten might be Followers.

And the Necromancer rally wasn't even completely over yet.

More SS-ranks would continue appearing with time, and some of them would undoubtedly choose Necromancer. That was how much the Class's standing had risen.

Achievement Points and loyal retainers on top.‘Looks like I'll have to perform even more from now on.’Of course, it wasn't as though Kim Minwoo had no complicated thoughts about the matter.

What exactly the Death Lord's Arrangement was. Why connections to the Death Lord kept appearing even in reality. What kind of picture all these threads would eventually weave together.

Even he couldn't predict every consequence.

For all he knew, in the worst possible case, all of this could be part of some grand plan for the Death Lord to steal his body and resurrect himself.

He'd already shown how vicious he could be with Merhen.‘But the train's already moving.’Necromancers?

They'd already spread everywhere.

Was he supposed to stop performing and stop growing stronger just because the Death Lord was scary?

No.

If anything, that was even more reason to respond actively rather than passively and build his strength faster.

That was Kim Minwoo's way.

Besides.‘It's probably not only Necromancers that work like this.’The EX-rank beings behind the other Classes were probably all monsters in their own right. Who said they didn't have agendas of their own?

Either way, he had no choice but to move forward with them.‘I'll get on the train first and think about it afterward.’That was why.

For now, he focused only on what he could do and what he could gain from it.

Either way.

He had just gained one more reason to live diligently.‘That aside…….’If this setup made them kneel and cry every single time they met him, it would become troublesome for Minwoo too.

Once or twice could probably be brushed off with some excuse, but the same excuse wouldn't keep working forever. People would eventually suspect there was some shady relationship between them.

Minwoo himself didn't care.

The cute Followers were the problem.

From the perspective of someone who needed to use them well, wasting a powerful card like a Follower in such a pointless way…….‘Wouldn't be much fun.’At times like this, there was something he had to do.‘I believe in you. Demen.’Pray.

The Death Lord must have designed the system properly. Surely he hadn't overlooked something this obvious.

And sure enough.

When the Chinese delegation appeared again.

Liang Xiaojun looked at him calmly, as though he'd never shed a single tear.

When Minwoo smiled at him, Liang Xiaojun flinched and looked away.

Well, Minwoo had no intention of making things difficult for him right away.

He'd arranged a fairly long training period anyway. There would be plenty of time to speak privately with Liang Xiaojun.

“Then let's begin the training. All five of you, come at me.”

Kim Minwoo drew his sword.

Hong Tao nodded with a serious expression. He'd already confirmed Minwoo's skill during their previous meeting. Kim Minwoo had subdued him in only six exchanges. He had every right to be arrogant.

Nine Dragons Guild had already been informed of that fact beforehand.

And so the lesson began.

Several hours later.

Kim Minwoo looked around at everyone and spoke.

“Good. That's enough group instruction. From now on, I'll coach you individually, one at a time. It'll be more efficient that way. Mr. Hong Tao?”

“Yes.”

“Follow me. Everyone else, once the Guild Master comes back out, enter one at a time.”

“Understood.”

Liang Xiaojun's face went pale when he saw Kim Minwoo and Hong Tao enter a private training room.‘What is this? This wasn't supposed to be part of the schedule…….’Individual instruction?

They'd only been told they were receiving training. There had never been any detailed curriculum like this.‘Don't tell me…….’Was he doing this to create a place where they could talk without anyone else watching?

Please no.

Please.

A few guild members went ahead of him, and before long, Liang Xiaojun's turn arrived.

The moment he stepped into the training room and closed the door.

“Well, well. Mr. Liang Xiaojun.”

“…….”

“Feels like we have quite a lot to talk about. You think so too, don't you? Fortunately, this room is very well soundproofed, so you can relax.”

“W-What are you talking about? J-Just hurry up and start the lesson…….”

“You're my Follower, aren't you? Am I wrong?”

Thump!

Liang Xiaojun's heart turned cold.

“Wonder how this works. Ah, could you bring me that dumbbell over there?”

That was when.

Under an inexplicable pressure insisting that he absolutely had to obey those words, Liang Xiaojun's body began moving on its own.

He walked over to the dumbbell, picked it up, and gently placed it in Kim Minwoo's hand.

“W-What the……! Wh-Why is my body…….”

Liang Xiaojun's pupils trembled violently.

It was an eerie sensation, as if someone else were controlling his body like a puppet.

“Interesting. So it works by making you obey orders? But your consciousness seems perfectly intact.”

“W-What are you planning to do to me?”

“I don't intend to hurt you, so don't worry too much. Why would I harm my own Follower?”

“…….”

“Read through your Skill description for me. And tell me what you can summon.”

Liang Xiaojun clenched his teeth and kept his mouth shut, driven by the conviction that he couldn't allow himself to become a slave like this. But the more he resisted, the more that strange pressure tightened around his heart as though trying to burst it.

Eventually, Liang Xiaojun couldn't endure it any longer, and his mouth opened.

“I-It's called Follower of the Death Lord…….”

Kim Minwoo's reaction after hearing the details was simple.

“That thing is literally a perfect inferior version of mine.”

“……

What?”

“Varian? You said he's a minion of a Dragon Knight.”

“Th-That's right…….”

“Cedric's a Dragon Knight.”

“……?”

“And you're my Follower. Looks like your summon is basically a lackey under one of my Legion Commanders. Summon him. I'm curious.”

Liang Xiaojun silently summoned Varian.

Kim Minwoo summoned Cedric as well. The large Skeleton, built like a sturdy barbarian, stared directly at Cedric.

Then.―Commander…… see…… good…….

Varian lowered his head after forcing out those clumsy words.―Varian?―Yes…… I…… your…… subordinate…… also…… greet…… successor…… of…… great…… one…….

He gave Cedric a brief nod.

But toward Minwoo, Varian bent deeply at the waist with unmistakable respect. Liang Xiaojun stared at him with his mouth hanging open.

He had summoned Varian countless times by now, but without exaggeration, this was the first time the bastard had ever spoken this much.

Ignoring Liang's shock.

Kim Minwoo asked Cedric.

“You two close?”―We were enemies. Once.

“Enemies?”―I was a knight defending the frontier against the barbarians. Varian was their chieftain. In the end, he was subjugated. Later, I petitioned the Lord to resurrect him. His ability was too valuable to leave as a corpse.―Right…… that…… happened…….

“So there's no lingering grudge from when you were alive?”

Cedric shrugged.―We fought for ten years. We spent hundreds together afterward. I think that answers your question.

Kim Minwoo nodded.

“Varian.”―You called…… successor…… of the great one…….

“Just call me Successor. That's too long.”―Understood…… Successor…….

“If he and I both give you orders, whose comes first?”―Great one…… highest…… Successor…… same…… must…… obey…….

Liang Xiaojun stared blankly at Varian. Sadness and betrayal mixed across his face.

“Don't look so miserable. I intend to preserve your autonomy as much as possible.”

“……

Yes.”

“By the way, you knelt and cried earlier. Did you remember something?”

“……

I'm not sure. Unknown memories flooded into me, but they've become extremely faint now. All that's left is…… the sense that I encountered some overwhelmingly great existence.”

Kim Minwoo nodded.

Maybe the memories fading was why Liang Xiaojun no longer kept dropping to his knees.

That wasn't a bad thing for him either.

“From now on, we're going to run a few experiments.”

“Experiments……

?”

“How far my commands can reach. How much autonomy you have. Things like that. You need to know too, don't you?”……

He didn't want to know.

But frankly, there was no way around it.

The fact that he was a Follower had already been exposed for all to see.

Even if Liang Xiaojun were in Kim Minwoo's position, he would've naturally thought about how to make use of a Follower.‘Damn it…….’How had his life become this tangled?

Liang Xiaojun let out a deep sigh.

And while they remained at the Training Center, several experiments were carried out.

The more they tested, the brighter Kim Minwoo's face became, while Liang Xiaojun's complexion grew increasingly dark.

The range of commands was incredibly broad.

Even his autonomy could be forcibly overridden whenever Kim Minwoo wished.

Honestly, this was no different from slavery.

It didn't matter how great the Death Lord was.

Who the hell would be happy about becoming a slave?

Liang Xiaojun was no different.

But what was even more frightening was…….‘Damn it. Damn it…….’Every time he carried out one of Kim Minwoo's commands, some inexplicable, overwhelming sense of mental fulfillment flooded into him.

The more complex and detailed the command, the stronger that fulfillment became.

Kim Minwoo had noticed that long ago too. Every time he gave an order and Liang carried it out, he bombarded him with questions. And after three days of testing came to an end.

“Mr. Liang Xiaojun.”

“……

Yes.”

“You've probably figured it out by now, but you can't escape from me anyway.”

“……

I suppose not.”

“So come with me. I'll raise you properly.”

“What exactly do you mean by raising me……?”

“Let's think big. Really big. Don't you want to become President of China someday?”

Kim Minwoo asked with a grin.