Chapter 49

Chapter 49

Spendthrift Necromancer (49)

Unorthodox Alliance (3)

The place where the Unorthodox Alliance Leader resided.

They headed toward the magnificent grand hall.

“Alliance Leader. Fifth Young Master has arrived.”At the Second Elder's words, the Unorthodox Alliance Leader raised his head. Kim Minwoo recalled what Jang Sam had told him.―……

Young Master was deeply afraid of the Unorthodox Alliance Leader. There wasn't anything you could call affection from him. You can probably tell from how the other Young Masters are still locked in endless competition.―Young Master has absolutely no faction supporting him. If there's anyone at all, it'd be…… me, Jang Sam?

Conclusion.

The Unorthodox Alliance Leader didn't have much familial affection.

Being an illegitimate child wasn't going to earn Minwoo any special treatment.

It felt more like, he's blood, so I found him and brought him here.

He'd supposedly arrived a year ago, and the fact that the man had assigned him nobody but Jang Sam said enough.

Fifth Young Master Baek Socheon was basically a half-abandoned child.

Then was there any need to show proper respect from his side?‘Nope.’The instant he saw those snake-like eyes, Minwoo understood instinctively.

The Unorthodox Alliance Leader didn't look like the type to toss out scraps just because someone wagged their tail a little.‘I only need to show that I'm useful.’Then the man would start wracking his brain over how to use him.

Minwoo only needed to exploit that in return.

After staring at him for a while, the Unorthodox Alliance Leader spoke.

“I heard you crippled Suheon.”

“You mean Fourth Young Master?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I didn't kill him. I'd say I showed enough consideration for your dignity, Alliance Leader.”

“You've grown remarkably arrogant since last I saw you.”

“The Clue to Ascension? I heard it's quite good. Good enough that even you covet it.”

The Unorthodox Alliance Leader's expression stiffened slightly.

“With some cripple like Suheon occupying a slot, forget the Clue to Ascension. Would you even obtain the third-place material?”

“So you're saying you intend to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering in his place?”

“That's the plan. It shouldn't be a bad offer for you either.”

“……

There are only a little over fifteen days left before the scores are finalized.”

“Then I just need to make one huge splash before that, don't I?”

“……There is no mission that awards 3,800 points at once.”

“Then make one.”

That was one of the reasons he'd beaten Fourth Young Master into the ground.

He'd taken the guy sitting in tenth place and crippled him in one shot.

That was basically proof of qualification.

If Minwoo couldn't participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?

The one who would regret it was the Alliance Leader.

The more talented people he sent, the better his chances of obtaining the Clue to Ascension.

“……

You want me to create a mission?”

“Otherwise, you'll have to send someone a little worse than the guy whose legs I crippled.”

“There are many eyes on this side as well. If I suddenly create a mission and hand it to you, complaints will erupt internally.”

“I trust your leadership will handle that problem nicely.”

“Hah.”

The Alliance Leader stared at him in disbelief for a moment.

Then he drew his sword and swung.[The Unorthodox Alliance Leader uses Spirit Sword Art(S)

!]

An enormous amount of mana split into seven streams and came pouring toward him.‘Looks like I'll have to give up an arm.’He calculated it the instant he saw the attack.

Cedric and the Skeletons were summoned in a rush and took several of the sword energies with their bodies.

They blocked three.

He twisted aside from one of the remaining four.

Two of the final three struck his body.

Blood sprayed upward, but it was fine.

They'd only grazed him. Nothing fatal.

The last one.

A sword energy aimed precisely at his heart.

He saw no angle to dodge it.

He raised his sword.

The instant he deflected it.[You have suffered tremendous damage!][Judgment Sword has been destroyed!]

The blade exploded, and the redirected sword energy completely severed one of his arms.

Blood sprayed from the cleanly severed stump.‘Cheap price.’Maybe because the man was one of the top figures in the entire martial world.

His attack had been vicious.

And Minwoo had stopped it by sacrificing only one arm.

More than worth it.

Holding the severed arm, he looked toward the Unorthodox Alliance Leader.

“Is the test over?”

“……”

The Alliance Leader remained silent, his face stiff.

Then he rummaged through his robes and tossed over a pill.

“Reattach your arm and eat that.”

“Sure.”

Minwoo pressed the severed arm against the stump and chewed the pill.[You have consumed a Highest-Grade Recovery Pill!]

The severed arm slowly began reconnecting.‘Looks like he planned to stop once he'd gotten a rough measure of me…….’He probably hadn't actually intended to kill Minwoo.

Killing him would be the Alliance Leader's loss.

He'd only wanted to test him.

But unfortunately for him.

Minwoo had actually stopped the attack and proven himself.

Now the Alliance Leader would never let him go.

That last attack would've instantly killed most young-generation elites.‘Then I should get what I want too.’Minwoo grinned at the Alliance Leader.

“Ah, I'll be doing the mission with my maid and servant. I'll split half the points with the maid too.”

“……

What?”

“My maid is fairly useful. Please adjust things properly so we can both qualify even after splitting the points. Otherwise, I won't clear the mission. Oh. And since you broke my sword, I'd like a new one. A decent martial arts manual too. That's all.”

Minwoo left the Unorthodox Alliance Leader's residence.

The desperate one was the one who dug the well.

So the Alliance Leader could dig it himself.* * *Unorthodox Alliance Leader Baek Hakseong.

His expression had hardened.

There was another reason he hadn't stopped the sword art halfway through.

It wasn't only because he hadn't attacked with his full strength.

He had sensed it.

This brat wouldn't die from that much.

Those cold eyes.

All the calculations had already been completed behind them.

And the result was exactly as Baek Hakseong expected.

The boy had countered his sword art with terrifying precision.‘His body is only around the level of a first-rate martial artist…….’If Baek Hakseong himself had possessed only that level of physical ability, could he have stopped the attack while sacrificing just one arm?

He couldn't be certain.

Terrifying talent.

He had glimpsed a fragment of it.‘……

This is good.’How his youngest son had been able to block Spirit Sword Art, whether he'd been hiding his skill all along.

Such minor questions didn't matter.

What mattered most.

Was that Baek Hakseong had unexpectedly acquired a tremendously powerful card.‘I must get him in.’No matter what method it took, Baek Socheon had to be inserted into the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.‘As for the mission…… I can give him that one.’Baek Hakseong's eyes gleamed.

He had already thought of a way to raise both the maid's and his youngest son's scores without creating too much noise.

Then a trace of regret entered Baek Hakseong's heart.

Until now, he'd believed the eldest possessed the greatest talent.

That was why he'd invested the most resources into him.

It was far too late to reverse that now.

There was very little time left before the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.‘If only he'd shown his talent sooner.’Baek Hakseong would've poured every resource into him instead.

He soon shook his head.

Regret was regret.

Now was the time to do what needed to be done.

“Second Elder, are you there?”

“Yes.”

“Gather the Elders. We need to hold a meeting.”

“Understood.”

“Ah, and…….”* * *He'd roughly memorized the route, so returning wasn't difficult.

He came back to the residence he'd seen earlier.

Jang Sam and Seo Yerim.

The two were waiting inside.

Jang Sam, who'd been sitting hunched over like a defeated dog, sprang to his feet.

“Y-Young Master! Why did the Alliance Leader summon you? Was it because you harmed Fourth Young Master?”

“Not just because of that. We had some things to discuss.”

Then Minwoo gestured for Jang Sam to step outside for a while.

Apparently misunderstanding something, Jang Sam glanced between Minwoo and Seo Yerim before scratching his head.

“Hehe. Then this humble servant shall withdraw.”

“……

It's not like that.”

“Oh, come now. You even gave Big Sis Aeng-Aeng a pet name. Was it Yerim? This Jang Sam understands completely. You're both hot-blooded young peop—”

“Oh, fuck! Will you shut up already?”

Seo Yerim's eyes sharpened viciously.

“Th-Then call me anytime! I'll be leaving first!”

Jang Sam hurriedly fled through the door.

Only then did the surroundings grow a little quieter.

“Your name is Aeng-Aeng?”

“……

Yeah. Just like you're Baek Socheon.”

Minwoo now understood why Jang Sam had been acting like that.

Their names in this wuxia world were Choi Aeng-Aeng and Baek Socheon.

But when they'd first met earlier, both had used their real-world names.

That must have sounded like pet names.

Maybe Fourth Young Master had actually had a reason to go berserk.

Perhaps he hadn't imagined that affair drama for absolutely no reason.

“……

Let's use our real names only when we're alone. It'll be annoying if people misunderstand.”

“Then what are you going to call me?”

“Aeng-Aeng. Something like that should work.”

“……

I'm seriously going to lose my mind.”

“What can we do? I'm the Young Master and you're the maid.”

If she didn't like it, she should've had a higher status.

In this kind of world, a Young Master who spoke politely to his maid every single time would be treated as the lunatic.

“……

Didn't your dad say anything? If a maid can fight well, doesn't she get promoted or something?”

“He didn't mention anything.”

“……

Fine. Do whatever you want.”

She pressed a hand against her forehead as though suffering from a headache, then gave up.

“Let's get to the point. Do you know the clear method?”

“I have a rough idea. The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”

Minwoo nodded.

As expected of someone beyond A-rank, she had at least enough sense to catch on quickly.

“I'm participating. Leaving through the midway zone isn't an option.”

“……

I thought so. Be honest with me. You entered this Gate on purpose, didn't you?”

“Yes.”

There was no need to deny it.

She'd already gotten a rough sense of his strength.

At the very least, she must have realized he wasn't weak enough to get shoved helplessly into a Gate while stammering like an idiot.

And that was indeed correct.

“Was that some Necromancer skill? Like secretly shoving someone with a ghost hand or something?”

“Snowy.”―Coo.

Snowy revealed itself on his shoulder.

Aeng-Aeng—no, Seo Yerim's eyes widened.

“Wait, when did that get there?”

“This one's concealment is rather advanced. Even the Sword Immortal couldn't detect it.”

“……

That tiny bird pushed him?”

“Yes. It's a Divine Beast, so it's pretty strong.”

Seo Yerim snorted with laughter.

“Mr. Jo Pilwook is going to be seriously pissed. I cursed him right to his face before I came in.”

“He'll be getting cursed a lot more from now on anyway.”

“……

Well, you're not wrong. Sigh. So you have no intention of leaving peacefully, right?”

“I'm already busy taking the rewards. So, Ms. Yerim, what are you going to do?”

“Hmm……”

She crossed her arms and thought.

“……

The rewards do look pretty good.”

“I'm taking first place. If you aim for second, that's fine.”

“……

Ha, funny. Who says I'm giving you first?”

“You'll have to. Otherwise, you won't even qualify for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. How are you planning to get the points?”

“……

By clearing missions.”

“There won't be enough time. The available missions barely give any points.”

“……

Even if I work really hard?”

“Probably not. The points are hard enough to build, and the sabotage will be disgusting. Once your score gets high enough, every bastard and his dog will come try to assassinate you.”

A maid dares build points?

Minwoo guaranteed it.

Starting with everyone barely hanging onto a ranking slot, they'd come after her with murder in their eyes.

It would become incredibly annoying.

“Damn, you're right.”

Seo Yerim scratched her head furiously.

“But isn't the same true for you?”

“That's why I crippled Fourth Young Master and went to negotiate.”

“What did you negotiate?”

“I'll receive one huge mission. Big enough that even if the two of us split the points, we'll both qualify for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.”

“And in exchange, I help push you into first place?”

“That's how the world works.”

“What if I betray you?”

“If you were that kind of person, you wouldn't have come in here to save me. I seriously thought some lunatic had jumped in to commit suicide.”

“……

Don't misunderstand. I didn't jump in because I like you.”

“I know. So, deal?”

There was no chance Seo Yerim would betray him.

She had entered this place to save his life in the first place.

And then betray him and kill him?

Stab him in the back?‘If she wanted to kill me, she would've stayed outside.’And if she betrayed him, how would she ever face the Sword Immortal again?

Minwoo didn't trust her.

He trusted her infinite affection for the Sword Immortal.

That was why.

“……

Fine. I might as well get myself a decent martial art while I'm here.”

“Good choice.”

When she agreed, Minwoo grinned inwardly.‘Powerful competitor eliminated.’His odds of taking first place had risen exponentially.