Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Spendthrift Necromancer (59)

Inescapable Net (3)

This was Murim, but it wasn't quite like the setting commonly seen in novels.

Usually, Murim was built around ancient China.‘This place is just…… an entirely different world.’It was more like Murim had formed on some unknown continent.

If Chinese Murim was World A.

This felt like some World C version of Murim.

Since Gates were fragments of other worlds, there was nothing strange about it.

Anyway.

Since he'd planned to run from the beginning, Minwoo had thoroughly researched the cities along potential escape routes and the martial clans inside them.‘Hanrim City.’A city surrounded by 10M walls, ruled by the Lee Clan, a family belonging to the Martial Alliance.‘Come to think of it, I killed their eldest son.’Lee Jehyeong, the older-looking man.

The one who had attacked him alongside three orthodox-faction members and gotten killed instead.

They must have received the news by now, so they were probably grinding their teeth at Minwoo.‘I heard martial clans here can even mobilize the government.’That was how Murim worked in this world.

The government and martial world don't interfere with each other?

Not even close.

The government had practically reached the point of bowing its head and saying Welcome, sirs.

The reason was simple.‘Because Murim produces the world's strongest person every hundred years.’What did it matter how many soldiers or masters you possessed when they couldn't touch a hair on the true strongest expert's body?

If those who obtained the Clue to Ascension had continued living on this land forever, martial artists might simply have become emperor generation after generation.‘Good thing they go to heaven.’He'd heard they usually ruled the roost for a few decades, then suddenly vanished one day.

Obviously, they probably went up to the heavens like Mutakta.

Anyway.

After getting butchered several times like that, the government had apparently learned to lower its head on its own.

Martial clans could easily move the authorities.= They could get horses whenever they wanted.= They could move city soldiers according to their wishes.

Roughly that kind of situation.‘Though getting soldiers deployed outside the walls is probably harder…….’He'd heard the Lee Clan was fairly powerful, but in the end, they were only one of countless families within the Martial Alliance.

The imperial government still had its dignity.

It couldn't allow every minor clan to control military forces however they pleased.

Something on the scale of the Martial Alliance, Unorthodox Alliance, or Demonic Cult itself would probably be needed for that kind of authority.

Wait.

But all three were working together now?‘……

If we get spotted, we're really going to have a fucking swarm after us.’For now, they were still chasing with some semblance of dignity, chuckling and pretending to be civilized.

But what if Minwoo's group kept slipping away and escaped much farther than expected?

They might mobilize every soldier in the surrounding cities and scatter them everywhere.‘So that's why it's called Inescapable Net?’Damn it.

In the end, this was a battle against time.

Dark night.

A tightly sealed city stood in the distance.

Soldiers kept watch between blazing torches.

“Take these.”

Minwoo handed her several potions.[Somewhat Strange Invisibility Potion][Rank: Normal+][A potion that looks like it will make you invisible when consumed. However, it also seems likely to have side effects.][Effect 1. Become invisible for 20 minutes upon consumption.][Effect 2. Suffer a random side effect upon consumption.]

“……

Somewhat Strange Invisibility Potion?”

Seo Yerim tilted her head while examining it.

A product made by the Skeletons.

Originally, the effect had lasted only five minutes.

After their crafting rank rose, it increased to twenty.

“……

It says there are side effects.”

“I tested it. Nothing major. Your stats just decrease somewhat for a few hours. A small price compared to becoming invisible.”

“How good is the invisibility?”

“Since it's nighttime, someone around Level 200 or below probably won't detect us.”

Low-level people couldn't see through it.

Mid-level people could.

Around that degree.‘Still useful enough.’It would easily fool ordinary soldiers standing on top of a wall.

Potions restoring Stamina, Mana, or boosting stats were common.

But potions with unusual abilities like this couldn't be made unless you possessed a recipe or had been taught the method.

That meant there was practically no market supply.

Fortunately, the Skeletons had been trained directly by Elves.‘Elves aren't called masters of alchemy for nothing.’They casually made potions ordinary human alchemists couldn't reproduce even after a lifetime of effort.

Just like Dwarves.

“The plan is simple. I'll enter and open the gate on the far side. Ms. Yerim, get horses. As many as possible.”

“To confuse the pursuit?”

Minwoo nodded.

Bags counted as equipment too.

Meaning even if a Skeleton was unsummoned, Bind Equipment kept both its gear and junk-filled bag attached.

If he obtained horses and put Skeletons on top?‘The weight will match.’It would confuse the pursuit once again.

“Get the horses, intimidate people with your aura or whatever you need to do, then bring them toward my side. Then we leave through the gate I open.”

They'd flee on horseback.

The horses should stay fresh enough to run for around a day.

After that, they'd be too exhausted.‘We'll worry about that then.’They had run all day and hadn't slept.

If they failed to get horses, exhaustion would end them.

Seo Yerim nodded.

“Then I'll circle around and wait near the other gate. Once the disturbance starts, I'll bring the horses.”

“Yes.”

They separated.‘I'll draw attention first.’Quite a few Skeletons had already been unsummoned.

Roughly five hundred in total.

That didn't mean ten entire groups had been wiped out.

A few from each squad had vanished.

Probably the ones hiding inside caves or mountain terrain.

Dolsoe, Cedric, and around five hundred Skeletons.‘Opening a city gate will be easy.’This would be a nighttime surprise attack.

Would anyone even imagine that only two people would attack an entire city?‘Probably not.’They'd received the reports, so the city would certainly be on guard.

But only to a normal degree.‘Security isn't that heavy.’There weren't many martial artists.

Soldier patrols were filling the gaps.

He'd roughly identified the patrol cycle.

Time to enter.

Minwoo drank the invisibility potion.[You become invisible for 20 minutes!][As a side effect, Strength and Agility decrease by 10 for two hours!]

Once a soldier passed, Minwoo leaped toward the wall with all his strength.

His powerful stats let him clear the 10M height in a single jump.

Perhaps because it was nighttime, the city inside was very quiet.‘No guards below.’He dropped down and ran forward.

After around twenty minutes, he began to see the gate on the opposite side.

Just like the first, a small number of martial artists and many soldiers were guarding it.

He drew his sword and charged.

“Who's there?!”

The martial artists detected him one step ahead of the soldiers.

But Minwoo had already closed to point-blank range.

A Skeleton burst from the ground and smashed one martial artist's leg with the iron mace in its hands.

“Guh!”

His leg shattered.

As he collapsed, another Skeleton chopped off his head with an axe.

Kim Minwoo also instantly killed one of the martial artists charging toward him.

“W-We're under attack!”

The entire city erupted into chaos.* * *Lee Wonpyeong.

Head of the Lee Clan.

He woke from sleep at the commotion outside.

“What is it?”

“C-Clan Head! Disaster! The criminals wanted by our Alliance have appeared!”

“……

What? You're saying those bastards are inside the city?”

“Yes. The northern gate has been breached, and they've fled with dozens of horses!”

Lee Wonpyeong's hair stood on end.

Baek Socheon and Choi Aeng-Aeng.

He'd heard their location still hadn't been discovered.

Nobody even knew whether they would approach a city.

Even if they did, he'd naturally assumed they'd bypass it.

What madman broke into a city and caused trouble while an enormous army was chasing him?

It was practically shouting to the entire world, We're right here.‘Baek Socheon, you son of a bitch…….’Lee Wonpyeong ground his teeth.

He'd heard the man had survived a trial where everyone except three had to die.

Perhaps that bastard was even the enemy who had killed his eldest son.

Judging by his points, the probability wasn't low.

Despite that, the Martial Alliance's blockade order had forced Lee Wonpyeong to remain trapped inside the city rather than leave.

But now things were different.

The fugitives' location had already been identified.

He could pursue them.

“Send a carrier pigeon to the Alliance immediately and gather the clan's martial artists! I will personally pursue those two bastards!”

“Understood, Clan Head!”

Lee Wonpyeong then raced toward the government office.

The authorities had already been thrown into chaos by news of the intruders.

He approached the official in charge of Hanrim City.

“Lord Gam! Can you lend me government troops?”

“……

Have we not already actively assisted with the blockade? That is as far as we can go.”

“Those criminals are traitors being pursued by the Martial Alliance! You must cooperate more actively!”

“……

Traitor is not the proper term here. One must commit rebellion to be a traitor.”

“……

Lord Gam. This will put you in a difficult position. Do you think the Martial Alliance will remain quiet once they hear?”

“Then do you possess an official order stamped with the Alliance's seal, as you did before?”

“…….”

Lee Wonpyeong fell silent.

Earlier, he'd been able to mobilize the government by presenting the Martial Alliance's written blockade order.

But now was different.

The fugitives had only just been discovered.

Even a carrier pigeon would take several hours to reach the Martial Alliance.

How could he possibly already possess a stamped document?

“Without such an order, I cannot send soldiers beyond the city walls. We have a duty to protect His Majesty's land and subjects.”

“……

Ha! What an upright scholar you are!”

What the hell was so great about the emperor anyway?

Lee Wonpyeong barely swallowed those words and turned away sharply.

At best, it seemed he'd be able to borrow horses.

The fugitives were strong.

Handling them with the Lee Clan alone would be burdensome.

That was why he'd sought government aid in the first place.‘No choice. We'll have to move ourselves.’The Clue itself was at stake.

Even delaying them for a while would earn enormous merit.

Besides.‘They took several horses.’Were they planning to switch mounts along the way?‘No.’If that were the only reason, there was no need to take so many.

Removing the weight of a single rider didn't make much difference.

After a day of running, all of the horses would be exhausted anyway.‘They're trying to confuse the pursuit.’He'd heard the man had played tricks with his undead before.

He could place them on horses and do the same thing again.

Then the pursuit would split once more.

But if Lee Wonpyeong followed them now and discovered their true direction?‘Becoming the greatest contributor isn't impossible.’His eyes gleamed.

When he returned to the clan estate.

Nearly four hundred martial artists were already mounted and waiting.

“We will pursue them no matter what. Ride as though your lives depend on it. Move!”

“Yes, Clan Head!”

The pursuit force left the city.

Even after running around twenty minutes, countless horse tracks continued straight ahead.‘I'll see through every trick!’If they split the horses two at a time to confuse the pursuit, Lee Wonpyeong would simply split his own force as well.

Every unit carried signal fireworks.

The main force even possessed five carrier pigeons.

Only a prosperous clan like the Lee Clan could keep that many.

Then they entered a straight forest road.

Lee Wonpyeong's eyes narrowed.

Something glittered in the darkness.

Even he, the strongest among them, barely spotted it.

Then his eyes widened.‘Chains?!’Taking advantage of the darkness, thick chains had been stretched between trees on both sides.

“Jump off!”

Lee Wonpyeong instantly threw himself sideways.

The leading martial artists followed without hesitation.

The weaker ones were different.

Before they could react.

The horses at the front caught on the chains and fell, tangling with one another and crashing to the ground.

The riders followed.

Skeletons burst from both sides of the forest and attacked the fallen martial artists.

Hundreds died helplessly beneath the devastating ambush.

And worse.

Thump.

Thump.

Not only did a gigantic monster made of bone appear.‘Baek Socheon! Choi Aeng-Aeng!’Two people with faces identical to the wanted posters stepped into view.‘They set a trap!’Lee Wonpyeong's eyes widened.

He'd expected them to do nothing but run.

He'd never imagined they'd turn around and set an ambush instead.

His impatience had become his downfall.

“You bastards……!”

Lee Wonpyeong ground his teeth.

One trap.

That was all it took.

The damage was catastrophic.

Nearly three hundred and fifty martial artists had been wiped out.

Only around fifty elites remained.

And the enemy's numbers?‘Almost two thousand.’Undead filled the surroundings.

Could fifty martial artists possibly defeat all those undead and the two fugitives?

No.

Could they even break through this encirclement?

Everyone's expressions darkened.

A true master could easily fight dozens of ordinary experts.

And these two were monsters who had slaughtered the finest young talents of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.

Lee Wonpyeong looked at his subordinates and shouted.

“Send the carrier pigeons immediately!”

Signal fireworks wouldn't mean much.

There were no nearby forces capable of coming to support them.

His subordinates hurriedly wrote messages and released the carrier pigeons.

Five birds flew into the sky.

Then.

Choi Aeng-Aeng raised the bow on her back.

Fwish!

One carrier pigeon was pierced cleanly through.

Lee Wonpyeong and the others stared wide-eyed at the unbelievable sight.

“S-Stop that woman!”

Fwish! Fwish!

Fwish!

Choi Aeng-Aeng drew her bow without even pausing for breath.

Four carrier pigeons were killed in an instant.

Only then did Lee Wonpyeong finally reach her.

With bloodshot eyes, he thrust out his sword.

“You bitch!”

Clang!

Choi Aeng-Aeng raised her sword and began fighting him.

Only then did Lee Wonpyeong relax.

At least one bird had survived.

They had been swallowed inside the encirclement, but the worst had been avoided.

“Everyone, break through! Every man for himself!”

“Yes!”

The Lee Clan martial artists charged in every direction.

Anything to leave even one survivor.

A chaotic melee erupted.

Meanwhile.

The sole surviving carrier pigeon continued flying.

Bam!

With the sound of an impact, its body was crushed as though a compact car had been hit by a truck, and it began falling helplessly toward the ground.