Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Spendthrift Necromancer (5)EX-Rank Skill[You have acquired the Necromancer skill, Death Lord(EX)

.][Death Lord][Rank: EX][Type: Passive][Effect 1. Summoned undead revive once upon death (limited to once per day).][Effect 2. All summoned undead gain 50% increased stats.][Effect 3. Mana cost for summoning undead is reduced by 50%.][Effect 4. All undead under your command gain the ability to learn.][Effect 5. Upon fulfilling certain conditions, you will be given a Trial of the Death Lord. Overcoming it will grant a special reward.]‘Holy shit.’Kim Minwoo's jaw dropped as he read the skill's effects.

He'd seen quite a few S-rank skills by now.

That was why he could tell at a glance.

EX-rank skills existed on an entirely different level from S-rank ones!‘Isn't this insane?’Even just looking at the raw efficiency made it obvious. Say there was another Necromancer exactly like him.

When that Necromancer summoned ten Skeletons.‘I'd summon twenty.’Because his summoning mana cost was halved. And if their stats were also increased by 50%?

Mathematically, they'd have the strength of thirty.

And as if that weren't enough, they revived once after dying.

Taking that into account, it was effectively sixty.

The longer this snowball rolled, the more absurd it would become.

And the effects didn't end there.‘The ability to learn.’Undead did possess learning ability. But that normally applied only to high-ranking undead.‘Starting around Dullahan, if I remember right.’Dullahans, headless knights that belonged to the upper-middle ranks of undead.

They had to be at least that level before they could learn anything.

But with this effect…….‘Does that mean even an ordinary Skeleton can learn?’It was an incredible effect.

Of course, he'd have to summon and control them himself before he knew exactly how effective it was.‘It's an EX-rank skill.’There was no way its efficiency would fall short of the other effects. Just thinking about it made his chest swell with excitement.

As for the trial in Effect 5, he didn't know the conditions yet, so all he could do was focus on what came next.‘Status.’[Name: Kim Minwoo(23)][Class: Necromancer][Level: 1][Skills Possessed(1/1): Death Lord(EX)][Mana: 100/100][Titles: None][Strength: 8] [Agility: 8] [Stamina: 7] [Magic: 10]

The human average for stats was normally 10. By that standard, Kim Minwoo's body was below average.‘Well, at least his Magic barely qualifies as human.’Every 10 points of Magic opened one additional skill slot. It also granted 10 mana per point.‘First things first, I need to raise Magic.’He had a skill that strengthened undead, but no skill with which to actually summon them.

He needed to raise his Magic and open more skill slots.

Rummaging inside his clothes, he took out the pill.[Sword Shadow Pill][Rank: A][An elixir produced by the Sword Sea Pavilion. Consuming it increases all stats by 10 (cannot be applied repeatedly).]

As expected.

Premium goods really were different.

Ten points to every stat was, in other words, like adding the strength of another entire person.‘It's a waste to eat it now.’Like studying, stats became harder to raise the higher they went.

An elixir of this caliber would be better saved for later.‘I should find some other elixirs.’Lower-grade items were easy enough to obtain as long as you had money, so he decided to solve his stat problem that way.

Then…….

His phone rang.[Father]

“Hello?”―Minwoo. I heard you awakened. Is that true?

Chairman Kim's voice sounded urgent through the phone.

The bodyguards must have reported what happened.

“That's how it turned out.”―Come straight home. Don't wander around anywhere else.

“Yes.”

He had no shortage of things to spend money on—elixirs, equipment, and even the donation.

The timing couldn't have been better.* * *Chairman Kim Kangcheol.

He paced around his study.

Even now, he found it difficult to believe the phone call he'd received just moments ago.

The contents had simply been too shocking.

Even lies had to stay within reason to sound believable!

His good-for-nothing eldest son had not only fought the Sword Immortal in a fierce duel, but had even been praised by the man as a great swordsman?

If this were a novel or movie, people would've called it garbage before it even released.―Hoho. You seem quite taken aback. But I swear upon my sword that everything I just told you is true.―Ah, one more thing. If you ever require the Sword Sea Pavilion's strength in the future, say the word. If necessary, I'll come help you myself.

Even Chairman Kim, a man who had weathered every sort of trial in life, could do little more than repeatedly say yes to the Sword Immortal.

After all, how could he carry on a conversation when he had no idea what the hell was happening?!

After finishing the call with the Sword Immortal, he immediately contacted the bodyguards…….―Yes. I don't know much about swords, but the Young Master definitely wasn't being overwhelmed by the Sword Immortal.―If anything, it almost felt as though the First Young Master was pushing the Sword Immortal back. Though he eventually collapsed because his stamina gave out…….‘Impossible.’It truly made no sense.

Yet it was reality.

As he paced anxiously, the study door opened.

“I'm back, Father.”

“Here, sit down. Sit. What in the world happened?”

“I dueled the Sword Immortal. I lost because my stamina gave out.”

“……

No! That's far too simple! Explain it properly!”

Seeing Chairman Kim practically squirming with impatience, Minwoo scratched his head.

“Well, you see…….”

As the explanation continued, Chairman Kim alternated between chuckling, frowning, and smacking his knee.

His eldest son had failed to act like a proper human being even after turning twenty-three, causing Chairman Kim no end of headaches over the years.

But look at him now!

The sheer boldness to casually wager a hundred billion won and challenge the Sword Immortal to a duel.

And terrifying talent so great even the Sword Immortal couldn't define its limits.

Had his eldest son always been this lovable?

Before he knew it, a broad smile had crept across Chairman Kim's lips.

“Hahaha! That's my son! My son! Of course! A tiger doesn't sire a dog!”

“Huh? You're the tiger, Father……?”

“Ahem! I made quite a name for myself as an Awakened when I was young too! If I hadn't been forced to inherit the company, I'd be S-rank by now…… Ahem!”

Chairman Kim cleared his throat, apparently realizing he'd gone too far himself.

“Still, I'm worried.”

“Worried? About what?”

“I went and slapped down a hundred billion won, but as you know, Father, I'm broke. You confiscated all my money too…….”

“Hahaha! What's a hundred billion won between us! There's nothing to worry about! Your father will handle it, so don't concern yourself.”

“Really?”

“Of course! Naturally!”

Chairman Kim answered heartily.

It wasn't as though he was paying a hundred billion to clean up another disaster his son had caused.

This money would improve their relationship with the Sword Sea Pavilion of all places.

The Sword Immortal had said there was no need to pay, but Chairman Kim had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.‘Money I couldn't give them even when I wanted to. This worked out perfectly!’Money was a medium for tightening relationships, after all. Now he had an excellent excuse to hand it over.

He felt full without eating a thing.

So this was the pleasure of watching your child grow up.

Chairman Kim asked with anticipation.

“So what rank was your achievement? I heard the light during your awakening was incredible. B-rank? No, that's too stingy. At least A, perhaps even S…….”

“Father. Is that all the ambition a tiger father can muster? Aim higher.”

“Hm?”

What was that supposed to mean?

Chairman Kim tilted his head.

Higher than A?

But hadn't he already considered S?

For a moment, he couldn't understand what his son meant.

Then Kim Minwoo pointed a finger toward the sky.

“Higher than S.”

“……

Higher? Higher than S?!”

Chairman Kim's hair stood on end. Goosebumps ran down his spine.

“What do you mean……! Isn't S the highest achievement rank?!”

It was common knowledge.

Not a single Awakened anywhere in the world had ever received an achievement rank above S.

And there was something beyond it?

How could that possibly make sense?

“There is. I'm living proof.”[Awakened Kim Minwoo is sharing his Status Window!][Would you like to view it?]

Gulp.

Chairman Kim barely managed to swallow before accepting his son's shared Status Window.

“……!”

His eyes bulged.[Skills Possessed(1/1): Death Lord(EX)]

“EX? What the hell is this……!”

First he was shocked by the unfamiliar rank and its effects…….[Class: Necromancer]

“Wait, hold on! Wh-What?! Necromancer?”

Then he was shocked all over again by the class.

“Yes. I changed class to Necromancer.”

Seeing his son announce it so proudly, Chairman Kim's thoughts briefly short-circuited.

Hadn't the Sword Immortal clearly praised him as a great swordsman?

Then why?

Why in the world……?

At that moment…….

Kim Minwoo's expression turned solemn, as though he'd made a grave decision.

“Father.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Our family has a lot of money.”

“We……

do?”

“If I buy awesome equipment and hand it to Skeletons, wouldn't that make them invincible?”

“W-Well, that's not entirely wrong…… but why go that far?”

“Because that's romance. Besides, Necromancers can swing swords too. If I really miss it, I'll just become a genius swordsman Necromancer.”

Chairman Kim was left utterly speechless.* * *‘Somehow, I managed to convince him.’Minwoo sighed after returning to his room.

The Sword Immortal had been convinced with some vaguely plausible nonsense, but that kind of talk would never work on Chairman Kim, who was a C-rank Awakened himself.

Boundaries, No-Self, whatever.

He'd be lucky if the man didn't call him a cultist.

Fortunately, while Chairman Kim had been somewhat disappointed, he'd accepted Minwoo's reasoning.

I chose it because our family has money.

The EX-rank skill is insane.

If you invest in me, I'll pull my weight.

Isn't that what family is for?

So please give me money.

The chairman's purse strings had opened before that invincible five-step argument…….―Now that you've awakened, give it everything you've got. Minwoo, you're the only Awakened who can bring glory to the name of Ilseong.[100,000,000,000 won has been deposited into Kim Minwoo's account.]He managed to secure a hundred billion won as his first round of support.‘Everything's gone according to plan so far.’The reason he'd revealed his true rank to Chairman Kim was simple. He'd watched the man for six years while playing.

Chairman Kim was a good father.

At the very least, he wouldn't stab his son in the back.

And most importantly…….‘I'm going to need money. A ridiculous amount of it.’He could have vaguely claimed that his Awakening Achievement was A or S rank and left it at that.

But while that might have earned him a decent amount of support.‘It wouldn't open the floodgates.’The world's only one and a merely promising talent were treated very differently. His first investment might have been drastically smaller than a hundred billion won. The second and third would have been smaller too. He had to hunt an Outer God within seven years.

Every single day was precious.

If he wanted to race ahead, he had to act boldly.‘Well, with this much…….’At least I can buy some treats for my Skeletons.

Money and encouragement weren't the only things he'd received from the chairman.[Lowest-Grade Magic Pill][Rank: E][Required Level: 1 or higher][Slightly increases Magic when consumed. (Effective up to stat 50)][Lowest-Grade Stamina Pill][Lowest-Grade Strength Pill][Lowest-Grade Agility Pill]

He'd been given a huge supply of mass-produced elixirs ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of won each.

“With all these, I should get everything to 50, uh…… obviously, right?”

He examined the elixir's effect.

‘Slightly’ increases a stat.

How much that ‘slightly’ meant depended on the individual's body and talent.

Someone with a gifted body and tremendous talent might gain a full stat point from every pill.

But Kim Minwoo?‘This bastard makes me really nervous.’He'd practically swept the warehouse clean of low-grade elixirs before coming back…….

For Kim Minwoo, these elixirs were basically lottery tickets.

The sort you had to force down one after another while praying the stat would actually rise.

There was a reason treasures like the Sword Shadow Pill were so precious.

That one guaranteed a fixed increase of ‘10.’

Even Ilseong only had a few items like that.‘Going after those already would be difficult.’Ilseong had other Awakened too.

Considering those people also needed elixirs, even the chairman couldn't casually hand such treasures away.‘I can aim for those later.’Once he proved his strength, high-quality elixirs would naturally come his way.

And so he consumed nearly several hundred elixirs…….

“Ah.”[Strength: 32] [Agility: 33] [Stamina: 34] [Magic: 35]

“Sorry, Chairman.”

Kim Minwoo's talent had exploded.

In the negative direction.‘Well, at least I opened more skill slots…….’For now, he'd just have to buy more elixirs.