Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Spendthrift Necromancer (8)

Dragon KnightA pitch-black space without a single speck of light.

A gloomy voice echoed through it.[If this has activated, then someone must have inherited my power.]

My power?

“Are you the Death Lord himself?”[There's no point asking me questions. This is merely a recorded voice. Just listen.]

An immediate answer.

He understood.

Whatever happened, it would begin once this speech ended.

Right now was prep time!

“Rise, minions.”[Using Summon Skeleton!]

Clatter.

Clack!

Skeletons rose from the ground. Thanks to all the equipment he'd piled on, an enormous number of them emerged.

Well over three hundred Skeletons![Opening Spatial Ring(Intermediate)

!]

A mountain of equipment piled up in front of them.

Alongside the cost-efficient Black Heart Sets were rows upon rows of other equipment.

Swords, spears, halberds, maces, and more.

Brutal weapons that would hit hard even if swung without much skill.

“Hurry up and put it on! Grab one weapon each! We don't have time! Move!

He issued orders while gulping down a mana potion.

This was his only chance to equip the Skeletons.

The voice continued playing all the while.[I ran onward for revenge. I stained the continent with death. I believed I had achieved my goal.]

Clatter!

Clack!

Helmets, armor, pants, gloves, boots.

The Skeletons hurriedly put on complete five-piece sets of dark-colored gear.”

Wear the leftovers too! If you don't know what to do, just throw on any spare armor!

“There are about two hundred Black Heart Sets. The rest will have to make do with individual pieces.[Yet at some point, I came to understand. I was merely…… one puppet upon the stage…….]

“So you were kind of a loser.”[Even with my power, I could not oppose them. And so I chose to prepare for the future.]

What, he isn't going to react to that?

The speech flowed on without even the briefest hesitation.

It really did seem to be nothing more than a recording.‘Was he being used by someone?’Anyone who had stained an entire continent with death clearly wasn't someone to take lightly.

So who could have been powerful enough that even a Necromancer like that couldn't oppose them?‘An Outer God, maybe?’If they were gods from beyond, influencing another world probably wouldn't be difficult.

Well, that wasn't important right now.

Just look.

He'd taken his eyes off them for one second, and one idiot was standing there with its arms dangling while holding two massive shields.

“Hey, dumbass! One shield! Take one!”

He smacked the Skeleton on the head, confiscated one shield, and shoved a sword into its hand.[Now I shall test your qualifications.][If you survive and prove yourself, you may inherit my authority.][But if you fail to prove yourself…….][You will be trapped in eternity alongside me. Even the comfort of death will become a luxury.]

Damn, you sure know how to make things sound terrifying.

“Yeah. We're already fully geared.”

This should've increased their combat power by at least fivefold.

Whatever it was, bring it on.[The first arrangement begins…….]

The scenery changed once more.

Everything blurred.[Battlefield of Eternity

– Participating in the Battle of Hrulunif!][You have entered an Ancient Battlefield!][You have acquired the title, ‘Just How Far Are You Going?’]***Before he knew it, Kim Minwoo was standing atop an enormous castle wall.

A suffocating silence filled the area, as though time itself had stopped.‘Huh?’He looked around the entirely gray world.

Fortunately, the Skeletons he'd just armed were lined up neatly beside him atop the wall.

The strange part was…….‘Those aren't Skeletons I summoned.’Endless rows of Skeletons he hadn't summoned stood around him as well.

Skeleton Mages.

Skeleton Warriors.

Skeleton Archers.

And those weren't the only undead.

Dullahans, Liches, Specters, Death Knights, and even…….‘A Bone Dragon?’A gigantic dragon made entirely of bone stood below the walls.

This place was quite literally a fortress of undead.[This is a battlefield of the past created from the regret of ‘Dragon Knight Cedric.’][The player is currently inhabiting a ‘Virtual Body.’ Skills, stats, and possessions remain unchanged.][However, experience cannot be gained.][The player joins the battlefield.][Frozen time begins to flow.]

Color flooded into the gray stage.

Flames began igniting one by one in the eyes of the undead.

Then…….

A voice entered his mind.―Are you the one the Lord prepared?

His head naturally turned.

Atop the Bone Dragon's back.

A huge golden Skeleton Knight sat astride it.‘What kind of monster is that now……?’A Skeleton Knight whose entire body was made of golden bones. Blue flames blazed in his eyes.

The pressure was almost suffocating.

He made Death Knights look like children's toys.

“……

Are you, by any chance, Cedric?”

The golden Skeleton Knight nodded.―……

Inexperienced Necromancer. I expect little of you. Simply survive, if you can.[You have been granted authority by Commander-in-Chief Cedric!][You may command the undead forces of Castle Wall Sector 16!][Undead Currently Available for Command: Death Knight 1, Lich 1, Dullahan 5, Specter 5, Skeleton 500][You have acquired the title, ‘Baby Commander!’]

Immediately afterward…….

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Orc! Orc! Orc!

A tremendous roar came from ahead.

The plain before the castle walls.

So many Orcs stood in formation there that they couldn't possibly be counted by eye.

Clad in pitch-black gear, the Orc horde rhythmically slammed their weapons against the ground, whipping themselves into a battle frenzy!

And that wasn't the only problem.‘You've got to be fucking kidding me…….’Forget a Bone Dragon.

A real dragon, so massive its form was visible even from far away, beat its wings.

Around it stood Wyverns, Hydras, Cyclopes, Kodos, Death Witches, and more.

Every last one was a terrifying top-tier monster.‘Wow, this is fucking brutal.’There were problems everywhere he looked.

Even with the advantage of the walls, the difference in sheer numbers was overwhelming. And was their side at least superior in quality?

No.

A living Dragon was normally far stronger than a Bone Dragon.

There were high-ranking undead such as Death Knights and Liches, but they were few and far between.

From the lowest ranks to the highest, they were badly outmatched in both quality and quantity.‘Nowhere to run either.’A sea of Orcs packed the front.

What about behind?

A sheer cliff dropped away into nothing.‘This castle is literally built as a last stand.’Surely the clear condition wasn't to jump off the cliff and find some miraculous opportunity at the bottom…….‘Guess I'm supposed to fight first.’The first possibility that came to mind was a time limit.

Maybe if he survived for long enough, Cedric or whoever would acknowledge him and end the battlefield.

Or reinforcements might arrive.‘Cedric does look strong, but…….’There was one problem.

Orc! Orc!

At the center of the Orc honor guard stood an enormous Orc Hero.

That Orc wasn't ordinary.

One glance was enough to tell it was insanely powerful.

Its chilling aura completely swallowed the surroundings.

It honestly looked much stronger than that Dragon……?

Could they really stall something like that?‘Think. First of all, trying to clear this head-on is murderously difficult.’The trial was structured so that it summoned you after reaching only the first stat cap of 50 and learning a single summoning skill.

How strong could someone summoned under those conditions possibly be?

At best, they'd be an inexperienced Necromancer around Level 30 or 40.

Death Lord(EX)

or not, there would be absolutely nothing they could do.

And they wanted someone in that condition to survive after being thrown into a place like this?

Gate Hunter was a difficult game.

But it wasn't an unfair game.‘There has to be another route. Is regret the keyword?’A battlefield created from regret.

He didn't yet know what exactly their dear Cedric regretted, but perhaps resolving that regret would end the battlefield.‘Whatever it is, there has to be a way to clear this.’He had to find it.

If he wanted to survive!

Gwooooooooooh!

The Orc Hero.

It thrust its glaive forward.

Orc! Orc! Orc!

The Orcs began charging toward the castle walls, carrying long ladders!

“Fire! Don't conserve arrows, shoot everything you've got!”

“The commander has given the order. Fire.”

At those words, the Death Knight atop the wall stretched out a hand.

Shshshshk!

A rain of arrows poured down.

Several Orcs toppled over, but it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.

Thud!

Ladders slammed against the wall one after another.

The Orcs were surging forward like a tidal wave.

“Boys, grab your tools!”

Shing!

Beside him, the Death Knight drew its sword. An ominous gleam entered the eyes of the Lich as it raised its staff.

The Dullahans drew double-bladed axes, while black mist gathered around the Specters' mouths.

His own baby Skeletons were also preparing for battle. They raised their weapons as though ready to swing them down at any moment!

Let's ignore for now the fact that, being Level 1, their strength was so pitiful their arms were trembling.

The instant an Orc's head appeared above the wall, Minwoo swung his sword with all his might.

Slash!

At that moment, Minwoo realized something.‘My body moves much more smoothly!’His stats were definitely the same.

Yet his body moved differently.

Far more smoothly, like a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis and taking flight.

Apparently becoming a Virtual Body had erased Kim Minwoo's atrocious physical talent.‘Even better!’The Orc's head flew off in one stroke.

But the deliveries were only beginning. Orc heads popped up everywhere like some deranged game of whack-a-mole.

“Swing down with everything you've got!”

Boom!

Crunch!

Gwoooargh![Skeleton 1 has caused an enemy far stronger than itself to fall to its death! Combat experience is accumulating rapidly!][Skeleton 171 has caused an enemy far stronger than itself to fall to its dea…….][Skeleton 223 has…….]..

The advantage of standing atop the wall.

The Orcs climbing up were slaughtered helplessly beneath attacks crashing down from above with full force.

But that only lasted for a while.

One baby Skeleton, following what it had learned, smashed its weapon down toward an Orc's head.

The climbing Orc caught the hammer firmly with one hand.

Clatter?

The Skeleton frantically shook the trapped weapon, but the Orc's grip clung to it like glue.

Gwooo!

The Orc yanked hard, dragging the Skeleton forward and sending it tumbling off the wall.

Clatter!

One by one, the Skeletons crashed below and shattered from head to toe.[Undead reviving…….][Skeleton 1's summon has been canceled!][Skeleton 16's summon has been canceled…….]

Even after reviving, they were surrounded by Orcs on all sides.

The Skeletons began being unsummoned almost immediately.

And that wasn't the only hardship.

Whoosh!

Orc archers on the ground began firing!

Minwoo narrowly dodged an arrow that skimmed past his face.

“Lich! Cut the ladders! Acid magic!”[Lich ‘Hans’ uses Acidic Touch(C)

!]

Acidic hands formed in midair and clamped onto the tops of the ladders.

The ladders snapped almost instantly.

The climbing Orcs fell while letting out mournful screams.

But there was no end to them.

And that wasn't the only problem.

At first, only ordinary Orc Soldiers and Warriors had been climbing.

Now higher-ranking Orcs were beginning to appear as well.

Gwooo!

Orc Berserker.

A species of Orc that grew stronger the more blood of its kin it witnessed.

Its enormous axe barely swept over Minwoo's head.

He drove his sword deep into its abdomen.

The blade slid in smoothly.

Blood bubbling from its mouth, the creature opened its jaws wide as though trying to bite Minwoo's face off.

He kicked it away, then casually lopped off the head of the next Orc climbing beside him.[You have slain one hundred Orcs far above your level!][You have acquired the title, ‘Orc Hunter!’]

What did that one do again?

Probably increased damage against Orcs.

He resummoned the Skeletons whose summons had been completely canceled.

Mana drained away.

Nearly two hundred Skeletons were replenished in an instant, but sadly, most were unarmed.

Their equipment had fallen beneath the walls and become impossible to recover long ago.

“Grab anything you can! Hurry!”

The Skeletons quickly picked up weapons.

The situation was so chaotic he'd have borrowed the hands of ants if he could.30 minutes.1 hour.2 hours.

They defended, and defended again.

In the meantime, mid-ranking undead such as Dullahans and Specters began dying one by one.

Even the Death Knights and Liches in the distance began disappearing.

He cut down Orc after Orc.[You have slain five hundred Orcs far above your level!][The title, ‘Orc Hunter,’ has changed to ‘Orc Slayer!’][Warning!][You have consumed too many potions within a short period! Your body is beginning to overload!]‘This won't work.’Saving resources now would only mean wasting them later.

“Hans! Use a big one!”[Lich ‘Hans’ uses Earthquake(A)

!]

Rrrrrumble……!

The ground before the wall split open like a crevasse, swallowing hundreds of Orcs whole. They finally gained a little room to breathe.

Somehow, they'd managed to hold out fairly well.

Until now.

Gwooo!

The Orc Hero's roar began swallowing the surroundings.

Flap!

The enormous Dragon spread its wings.

Rooooar!

The Dragon's form rapidly approached the castle wall.

And of all places, it was heading straight toward Sector 16.‘I can't dodge this!’There was a Death Knight and Lich Hans, but Minwoo trusted neither of them in the slightest!

He shouted reflexively.

“Cedriiiic!”

Do something!

I'm gonna die at this rate!

Then.

Flap!

The Bone Dragon flew in from behind and slammed itself into the living Dragon.

The golden Skeleton Knight riding atop it leaped powerfully toward the Dragon.

A spearhead rippling with dark energy plunged deep into the Dragon's head.

The Dragon thrashed its head wildly in pain.―……

I was just about to step in.

Bullshit. You were standing back there with your arms crossed watching the whole damn time.

Minwoo swallowed the words that nearly burst out by reflex and cut down the head of an Orc charging at him.

That bastard.

If he ever ends up under my command, I'm working him like a dog.

Minwoo silently vowed.