Chapter 6

Become a Legendary Necromancer - Chapter 006

Every time an arrow left my bowstring and struck a Ghoul unerringly between the eyes...

I felt a strange sense of pleasure.

No, perhaps I should call it a thrill?

My chest swelled with emotion, as though it might burst.

I was so happy I could hardly stand it.

Why on earth hadn't I been able to do something this easy before my regression?

I even found myself thinking that.

'...Well, considering how much effort I put in.'

I had devoted myself to shooting arrows day and night, trying to hit exactly where I wanted.

I practiced and practiced some more.

Because I believed that was the only way I could survive in the Tower of Trials.

And in truth, those efforts hadn't been in vain.

Thanks to them, I had managed to survive until the very end before my regression.

'Although I ended up dying because the world was destroyed...'

Anyway.

Showing Yulias what I could do wasn't difficult.

But then, a question suddenly occurred to me.

How would Yulias react if I were in danger?

'Judging by his loyalty, he should help me without question... but I can't say I'm completely convinced.'

It was all because of Yulias's behavior earlier.

The way he had made two demands in a somewhat threatening tone.

There was no need to agonize over it.

Because there was a simple way to find out.

'I can just test it myself, can't I?'

So I deliberately pretended not to notice the Ghoul.

Rustle, rustle—

The Ghoul stealthily crawled toward me along the ground.

Graaaagh!

Before long, the Ghoul sprang to its feet.

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

Yulias used a Skeleton to block the Ghoul that was trying to attack me.

He even said something rather admirable while doing so.

A smile naturally formed on my lips.

I immediately revised my assessment of Yulias.

Naturally, in a favorable direction.

'That's right. There's no way the System could be wrong.'

Yulias's loyalty of 100 was certainly no lie.

After all, he had immediately tried to help me when I was in danger.

At the same time, I learned something else.

His ability to control Skeletons.

Hadn't he said that he could draw out their abilities to the absolute limit, as long as those abilities remained within the bounds of the monster's original intelligence?

The difference in skill when it came to controlling Skeletons was strikingly obvious.

'He said the Skeletons he controls are different. He certainly wasn't lying.'

The Skeleton was already dealing with other Ghouls rather than the one that had attacked me.

No, to be precise, it had taken up a position to protect me.

It was threatening the Ghouls.

Not just one, but several of them, preventing them from approaching me.

And the reason that was possible...

'Naturally, it's thanks to Yulias.'

I glanced to the side.

There was Yulias, the flames in his eyes blazing as though he wanted to devour the Ghouls alive.

Seeing him like that, I had to admit he was rather admirable in his own way.

'Well, that's beside the point.'

I shifted my attention away from Yulias and looked at the Skeleton.

'He said he controls the Skeletons, but does that mean I can't control them myself?'

The method of controlling Skeletons had already been imprinted in my mind.

I issued a command to the Skeleton.

To come over here.

And then.

Clatter—

The Skeleton stopped everything it was doing and approached me.

It had accepted my command.

'It works?'

Apparently, it prioritized my commands over Yulias's.

'Then could I perhaps use the skills, too?'

Flash!

Immediately afterward, light burst from the Skeleton's body.

It had activated Iron Shield, the skill extracted from the Red Orc.

'What the hell? I can do this, too?'

If that was the case, I couldn't understand Yulias's behavior earlier.

It meant that neither controlling Skeletons nor using extracted skills was an ability exclusive to Yulias.

Of course, there was a difference in our skill at controlling Skeletons...

'But I don't think that's enough for him to act so confidently while making demands like those...'

What exactly was going on?

Thoughts about Yulias briefly crossed my mind, but they soon faded.

Because the Ghouls were already gathering around me.

In any case, I had confirmed everything I wanted to check.

There was no longer any need to drag things out.

Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang! Twang!

I began drawing and releasing the bowstring at a speed incomparable to before.

[You have defeated a Ghoul.]

[You have defeated a...]

The number of Ghouls rapidly dwindled.

Thud!

Before long, the last remaining Ghoul collapsed to the ground.

It was at that moment that a System message announcing the rewards appeared.

[You have completed the objective of Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials.]

[Rewards for Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials will be distributed.]

[F-rank Magic Stone ×1]

However, the System messages didn't stop there.

[An achievement exceeding the original objective has been confirmed.]

[You have achieved the feat of eliminating all Ghouls present in the area within the survival time limit.]

[Calculating your record...]

Records.

Every floor of the Tower of Trials had something called a record.

Simply put, it determined who had achieved the best performance on that floor.

Naturally, there were benefits.

Those who ranked first, second, and third received a special reward called a 'Blessing.'

And these Blessings could be revoked depending on the records.

If a new person took first place, the previous first-place holder would lose their Blessing.

'With a performance like this, I could probably rank among the top players... but that won't happen.'

And sure enough.

[You have previously entered this floor. Your record will not be reflected in the rankings.]

[Additional rewards will be distributed.]

[F-rank Magic Stone ×10]

As expected, I received no special reward, only a modest additional reward.

'It can't be helped since I've already entered this floor once.'

Records were measured when someone entered a particular floor for the first time.

Only on that occasion.

Naturally, I knew this as well.

That was why I had taken my time killing the Ghouls.

Otherwise, I would have done my absolute best to set a new record.

'It's a shame I regressed to a point after I'd already entered the Tutorial Floor... but there'll be other opportunities.'

I decided to look on the bright side.

After all, I could start challenging the records from Floor 1 onward.

[Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials has been cleared.]

[You have obtained a ticket to Floor 1 of the Tower of Trials.]

[You will be transported outside the Tower of Trials in 1 minute.]

As soon as I saw the following System messages.

I immediately ran toward the location of the Ghoul corpses.

I intended to use Soul Devouring.

Fortunately, I didn't have to absorb each soul individually.

Hissssss...

Black energy began writhing out of the Ghouls' corpses.

Not just one, but every Ghoul in the surrounding area.

Click!

And just as before.

The energy flowed into a door that had appeared in midair.

[Absorbing the souls of the Ghouls.]

[Proficiency in the Soul Devouring skill has increased.]

It was at that moment that I frowned.

“What? It only increased by this much?”

[Proficiency: 20% → 21%]

My proficiency had increased by only 1%.

When I absorbed a single Red Orc, my proficiency had risen by 10%.

But this time, I had absorbed a staggering fifty Ghouls.

Ah. To be precise, forty-seven. I had immediately revived three of them as Skeletons.

Next time, I would use Soul Devouring before reviving them... Anyway.

“So the stronger the corpse, the more proficiency I gain?”

I quickly received an answer to that question.

[...That's right.]

When I turned my head, I saw Yulias looking utterly dejected.

The flames in his eye sockets had shrunk to almost nothing.

He hung his head and rubbed his foot against the innocent ground.

Of course, since he was floating in midair, he wasn't actually touching the ground.

Anyway.

There was a need to establish the nature of our relationship.

'If only he hadn't helped me, that is.'

Companions, huh.

After considering that word once again, I finally made my choice.

The carrot or the stick.

Which one I would give him.

“So, what exactly do you want to eat so badly?”

At my words, Yulias, who had been hanging his head, suddenly looked up.

[...!]

He understood it, too.

What I meant by asking that question.

[Master...]

He spoke with deep emotion.

I was certain of it.

Because the flames in both his eyes had already changed into T-shaped expressions.

'He's really easy to read.'

Yulias flew over and settled on my shoulder.

Soon, a System message rang out.

[You are being transported outside the Tower of Trials.]

Flash!

____________

After returning to my one-room apartment.

I went out to buy the food Yulias wanted to eat.

I stopped by a supermarket and filled a shopping cart with beef and other foods.

And throughout that time...

Yulias talked incessantly.

In the end, giving him the carrot had been a wise decision.

[Hehe. Of course, there's no way I could just stand by and watch when you're in danger, Master! If you're in danger? Then I'll save you somehow, even if my body breaks apart and I die in the process!]

Before I knew it, the way Yulias addressed me had completely changed.

From 'Master' to 'Honored Master.'

Even his manner of speaking had changed entirely.

From informal speech to respectful speech.

And this way sounded much more natural.

Apparently, the reason he had kept stumbling over his words earlier was that he had been forcing himself to change his manner of speaking.

[You mean when I said I wouldn't care what happened to you? Oh, come now! Those were just words!]

[And there was actually a very profound reason behind them! It was so I could gain control!]

[You think that would be bad for you, Honored Master? Oh, you're only saying that because you don't understand!]

[All of my previous masters died young. Ah! Let me make this clear in advance: it wasn't because my abilities were lacking, all right? My abilities were so outstanding that they mistook them for their own strength.]

[That's why I decided to take control right from the beginning. Using the method I tried on you, Honored Master.]

[I thought that if I held the authority, you would be able to survive much longer, too. Because then I could order you to stay in the rear at all times.]

[That was the profound reasoning behind it! As for the condition that I absolutely had to eat whatever I wanted... well, that was just something I added while I was at it. Hehe!]

Even afterward, Yulias continued talking without pause.

While responding to Yulias's words, I began organizing my thoughts.

I remembered Gates from before my regression that contained extraordinary items and skills.

No, I had memorized them.

'Because I had to make a living.'

Before my regression, I had worked for the Awakened Association.

Because I needed a steady income.

And to work there, I had to take examinations regularly.

Just like memorizing 'when certain events occurred' for a history exam...

Gate information, clearing strategies, and rewards were all included in the examination material.

Things that were absolutely necessary for me.

And beyond that, suitable monsters whose skills I could obtain through Soul Devouring.

I focused on organizing that information in my mind.

And just then, I remembered a Gate that perfectly suited my needs.

As we finished shopping and headed back home.

'But...'

Come to think of it, Yulias was visible only to me.

That meant other people couldn't see him.

That was why nobody at the supermarket had noticed Yulias.

Simply put, Yulias was an illusion.

'But then, how on earth is he planning to eat anything?'

Whether he knew what I was thinking or not, Yulias merely continued smiling happily.

'Well... I suppose he must have some way.'

I soon pushed the thought completely out of my mind.

And after we returned home.

I was utterly astonished.