Chapter 5

Become a Legendary Necromancer - Chapter 005

[C-check whether it's true?]

The flames in Yulias's two eye sockets momentarily changed into question marks.

It was incredibly easy to tell what he was thinking right now.

'He certainly doesn't hold back when it comes to expressing his emotions.'

I had more or less finished examining Yulias.

However, there were still more things I needed to check.

Leaving Yulias behind, I reached into the air.

Immediately afterward, four palm-sized boxes appeared before me.

Starting with an F-rank Random Box.

Followed by a D-rank Weapon Box, Skill Box, and Random Box.

They were the rewards I had obtained from clearing the Gate this time.

'Let's start with the F-rank Random Box.'

Simply put, a Random Box was a box that offered a chance to hit the jackpot.

That was because it was possible to obtain an item one rank higher than the box's original rank.

Of course, that was extremely difficult.

'The probability of getting an actual item from a Random Box is ridiculously low to begin with.'

Since consumables were included in the possible rewards, most of what came out were consumable items.

I opened the box.

[Opening F-rank Random Box.]

Flash!

[You have obtained an F-rank Health Potion.]

'Figures.'

This time, I opened the D-rank Random Box next.

[You have obtained a D-rank Mana Potion.]

Another consumable item.

I wasn't disappointed.

After all, disappointment only comes when there are expectations.

I was far too accustomed to things like this.

I merely felt a little regret.

Besides.

'What matters starts from here anyway. The boxes that don't include consumables in their reward lists.'

Unlike Random Boxes, these boxes guaranteed an item.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to it.

If possible, I hoped to get an item for Necromancers.

With that thought in mind, I opened the box.

[Opening D-rank Weapon Box.]

Flash!

“Oh!”

An exclamation escaped my lips the moment I saw it.

Because I had obtained exactly what I needed.

[You have obtained the Divine Bow (D).]

The Divine Bow was a weapon I was familiar with.

A bow that could use mana in place of arrows.

In other words, I wouldn't have to spend money separately on consumable arrows.

Its price was around 700 million won.

In fact, it was extremely expensive for its rank.

Since D-rank weapons generally cost between 200 and 300 million won, it was more than twice as expensive.

However, there was another important reason for that.

'Because it's an item without a level requirement.'

[Divine Bow (D)]

-Description: A bow made from Aken's bones that can use mana in place of arrows.

-Effect: Attack Power +10%, Vision +10%, Movement Speed +10%, Strength +2, Agility +5

-Required Level to Equip: None

“Not a bad start, huh?”

I carefully picked up the Divine Bow and drew its bowstring.

Creak—

Then I channeled mana into the Divine Bow.

Wooooong!

An arrow appeared on the previously empty bowstring.

An arrow formed from blue mana.

Fssss...

Before long, the arrow dispersed like smoke.

So the arrow disappears when the mana supply is cut off. That's pretty fascinating.

At that moment, a voice reached my ears.

[It's not a Necromancer item. Well, can't be helped.]

A calm, indifferent voice.

It was Yulias.

However, contrary to his composed tone, his eyes had already changed into T-shaped expressions.

He really was an unpredictable character.

Shaking my head, I opened the final box, the D-rank Skill Box.

[Lightning Spear (D)]

-Description: A skill exclusive to the Mage class.

-Effect: Fires a spear made of lightning energy forward.

-Required Level to Learn: 30

It was a skill exclusive to Mages.

“Well, I can just sell this.”

In truth, obtaining the Divine Bow alone was enough to consider this round of box-opening a success.

Now that I had a new weapon, too...

“Then I suppose it's about time we get going.”

Holding the Divine Bow in my hand, I rose from my seat.

Yulias tilted his head.

[Huh? Where are we going?]

“I told you I'd show you.”

Immediately afterward, a System message appeared before my eyes.

[The currently accessible floor of the Tower of Trials is Floor 0.]

[Would you like to enter Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials?]

I answered silently in my mind.

That I would enter the Tower of Trials.

[H-huh...?]

I could see the bewilderment on Yulias's face.

But that lasted only a moment.

As the System message appeared, the transportation began.

[Transporting you to Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials.]

Flash!

_____________

Moonlight illuminated the surroundings instead of sunlight.

Whoooooosh—

A chilly wind brushed across my skin.

The grass, which had grown as high as my knees, all bent in unison in the direction of the wind.

I looked around.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of white crosses were planted in the ground.

Graves.

To be precise, a cemetery.

A place where the dead rested...

And at the same time, the place where the challenge of Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials would take place.

It was at that moment that a holographic window appeared.

[You have entered Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials.]

[Survive the Ghouls present in this area.]

[Objective: Survival]

[Reward: F-rank Magic Stone ×1]

Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials.

Commonly known as the Tutorial Floor.

It was a floor designed to guide those who had just awakened. In other words, those entering the Tower of Trials for the first time.

Furthermore.

'It's also one of the few floors where dying in the Tower doesn't mean dying in reality.'

I turned my head and saw Yulias staring blankly at me.

He hadn't said anything, but I could tell from his expression.

'Why on earth did we come here?' That was what he was asking.

I spoke to Yulias.

“Just watch. I'll handle everything myself.”

[What do you mean...?]

“Watch and see whether things really won't go well for me without your help.”

The flames in Yulias's eyes repeatedly shrank and expanded.

And that wasn't all...

Clatter, clatter—

He was nervously fidgeting with both hands.

He looked as though he didn't know what to do.

I wondered why he was suddenly acting like that, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

Instead, I raised my bow.

Swoosh—

I was getting ready.

'Because it's about to begin.'

And sure enough.

Bang!

The sound of something bursting rang out.

It was the sound of the tops of the nearby graves exploding.

Whoosh!

Something shot out.

A hand.

And not just any hand, but one with fingernails extending like long hooks.

And this phenomenon didn't occur in just one place.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hands suddenly burst out of dozens of graves simultaneously.

Hands, heads, bodies, and finally legs emerged as the creatures practically crawled out of the graves.

Their appearances were horrifying and grotesque, as though half their skin had melted away.

Ghouls.

The sight of them crawling out of dozens of graves all at once was truly bizarre.

As I watched them...

I suddenly remembered the first time I had visited the Tutorial Floor before my regression.

A faint chuckle escaped my lips.

'I was completely overwhelmed back then.'

At the time, I had naturally assumed I would be able to clear the Tutorial Floor.

Even though I couldn't use my Unique Skill or Mana Release.

But that had been a mistake.

I couldn't kill the Ghouls.

'After failing on the Tutorial Floor, that's when I came up with the idea of using a bow.'

[Time Remaining: 00:14:59]

With the appearance of the Ghouls, a timer had appeared in the upper-left corner of my vision.

Creeeeak!

Shaking off my thoughts, I drew the bowstring.

Wooooong!

Blue light shimmered along the bowstring, and an arrow formed in an instant.

At that moment, a powerful gust of wind blew through.

Whoooooosh!

Of course, that wasn't a problem.

'Because I'd already been feeling the wind for quite some time.'

I had been reading it.

'By the way, I really can see much better.'

The Divine Bow's effect increased Vision by 10%.

Because of that, my vision was different from before.

Twang!

I released the bowstring.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew rapidly through the air.

And it struck a Ghoul with perfect accuracy.

With a thud, the Ghoul's head snapped sharply backward.

Then it fell flat onto its back.

Its body remained perfectly straight, as though standing at attention.

[You have defeated a Ghoul.]

Twang! Thud!

Afterward, another arrow struck an Orc directly between the eyes.

[You have defeated a Ghoul.]

[You have defeated a...]

System messages continued ringing in my ears without pause.

Then, a Ghoul crawling along the ground entered my field of vision.

_____________

The bowstring was drawn taut.

As Yulias watched his master, he thought to himself.

'Well, this much is nothing special.'

It was only the Tutorial Floor.

A floor that any Awakened should be able to clear.

In fact, failing to clear it would be considered abnormal.

Yulias knew that very well.

Before his regression, his master had survived for an incredibly long time.

To think he had managed to survive for so long without being able to use either his Unique Skill or Mana Release.

That had certainly been beyond Yulias's expectations.

Nevertheless, the fact that he had managed to do so meant...

'He must have something he can rely on.'

And apparently, that something was a bow.

Blue light shimmered around his master's hand as he drew the bowstring.

He had strengthened his body using Mana Release.

'But even so, how good could his shooting possibly—'

Twang!

At that moment, the bow fired.

The arrow flew straight ahead.

With a thud, the Ghoul's head snapped sharply backward.

Thump!

The Ghoul fell flat onto its back.

It had died from a single shot.

[Gasp!]

Yulias covered his mouth with his hand.

Because he had seen it clearly.

The arrow had struck the Ghoul precisely between the eyes!

However, he had no time to remain astonished.

Another arrow was fired.

Twang! Thud!

And once again, it struck a Ghoul directly between the eyes.

His master didn't stop after that.

He repeatedly drew the bowstring and fired arrows.

And each time, the arrows struck the Ghouls precisely between the eyes without the slightest deviation.

'Wait, how is he hitting them so accurately?!'

The flames in Yulias's eyes trembled violently.

His master had only just regressed.

Regression didn't allow someone to bring back the skills they had possessed before regressing.

That meant his only skills were his Unique Skill and Mana Release.

Yet he could shoot with such precision? Without a single skill that provided any correction or assistance with archery?

'How is that possible?'

Yulias simply couldn't understand.

And for good reason.

Yulias knew very well that a bow wasn't a weapon that could be handled so easily.

Bows were weapons particularly affected by their surroundings.

[...]

Yulias turned his head and examined the surroundings.

Whoooooosh—

As the wind blew, the grass repeatedly bent over in unison and stood back up.

That meant the wind was blowing quite strongly.

'He can actually... read wind this strong?'

His master wasn't waiting for the wind to stop before firing his arrows.

He was firing continuously.

That meant he could feel the wind and account for it when shooting.

And that wasn't all.

He wasn't even standing still while firing his bow. He was shooting while moving.

'How can something this ridiculous...?'

Could it be...

That his Talent Stat of 100 applied to something other than 'Soul Affinity' as well—

'Come on. What kind of ridiculous thought is that?'

Yulias dismissed it as a foolish idea.

Even while he was thinking, the Ghouls continued falling backward one after another.

Only then did Yulias understand.

How his master had managed to endure for so long before his regression.

At that moment.

'Gasp! That thing!'

A Ghoul entered Yulias's field of vision.

It was crawling along the ground, concealing itself in the bushes as it stealthily approached his master.

[...]

Yulias quietly watched it.

His master wasn't even looking in that direction.

'Don't tell me he hasn't noticed? He really doesn't know?'

His master was still looking elsewhere and firing arrows.

The distance between the Ghoul and his master gradually narrowed.

Perhaps it finally believed its target was within striking distance.

The Ghoul abruptly sprang to its feet.

Graaaagh!

It immediately lunged toward his master's back.

It was at that moment that the flames in Yulias's eye sockets erupted explosively.

[Why, you! How dare an insignificant creature lay a hand on him!!]

Crunch!

Immediately afterward, bones burst out of a Ghoul's corpse lying right beside Yoo Seong.

A Skeleton formed in an instant.

And that Skeleton blocked the attack of the Ghoul targeting Yoo Seong's back.

But it didn't stop there.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Skeleton mercilessly beat the Ghoul.

So brutally that even an outside observer would have found it ruthless.

And...

Before anyone noticed, a gentle smile had formed on Yoo Seong's lips.