Chapter 7

Become a Legendary Necromancer - Chapter 007

Yulias was currently sitting at the dining table.

Of course, calling it a dining table was a stretch. It was nothing more than a small low table.

There was no way I could fit a proper dining table into my one-room apartment.

'It's already cramped enough as it is. What would I need a dining table for?'

Yulias was sitting on a miniature chair that he had personally prepared on top of the table.

And it was a chair that looked luxurious at first glance.

There was even a separate dining table set up in front of him, which looked equally luxurious.

A plate rested on it.

Yulias held a knife in one hand and a fork in the other.

Anyone watching might have mistaken him for someone dining alone at a fancy Western restaurant.

And none of this had been prepared by me.

Yulias had prepared it himself.

He had simply pulled out the chair, table, and everything else from somewhere with a pop.

Slice, slice, slice—

Using his tiny hands, Yulias cut the meat placed before him.

Naturally, it was beef.

A piece so small that I could have swallowed it in a single bite.

Yet Yulias was cutting that little piece with his knife.

As though he were cutting a steak.

Watching him, I remembered something I had briefly forgotten.

'Come to think of it, he did say he was a noble.'

Yulias practically radiated elegance at the moment.

Currently, Yulias was in a state of 'Manifestation.'

Yulias could manifest himself by consuming his own mana.

Apparently, when he manifested, Yulias, who was normally an illusion, became a physically existing being on Earth.

Naturally, other people would be able to see him as well.

My gaze returned to Yulias.

Chew, chew—

Yulias chewed his meat with graceful elegance.

However, his expression didn't look particularly pleased.

'Doesn't he like the taste? That can't be right.'

Since this was my first meal with Yulias, I had spent every bit of money I had on the beef.

It was premium Korean beef ribeye, graded 1++.

Before my regression, I hadn't even dared to eat something like this because it was too expensive.

“Doesn't it taste good?”

I brought a piece of beef from the grill to my mouth.

Chew, chew.

My eyes widened.

There was a reason it was graded 1++.

Wasn't this exactly what people meant when they said meat melted in their mouths?

It was delicious enough to make me think that.

“What? It tastes amazing, though?”

Pop—

I popped another piece of beef into my mouth and looked at Yulias.

That was when it happened.

The flames in Yulias's eye sockets curved into long, crescent shapes.

And...

It was also the moment Yulias's dignified appearance completely crumbled.

[It's so tender! It just disappears in my mouth, Honored Master!]

He directed a gaze overflowing with emotion toward me.

The displeased expression he'd worn just moments earlier was nowhere to be found.

How should I describe it?

As though he were melting into a puddle?

That was exactly how his eyes looked.

His body trembling with delight was an added bonus.

[Ahhh! This is it! This is what I've been waiting so long for! Honored Master, hurry up and eat some too!!]

Slice, slice, slice—

Afterward, the knife and fork in Yulias's hands began moving again.

Whenever he cut his meat, he looked incredibly refined and dignified. But the instant he put a piece into his mouth, all that dignity came crashing down.

[Mmmm...! It's so delicious!]

Watching his behavior change from moment to moment was entertaining in itself...

I also put another piece of beef into my mouth.

But it really was delicious.

I placed a piece of perfectly cooked beef onto Yulias's plate.

[Thank you, Honored Master!]

“Sure.”

There's a saying that watching someone else eat can make you feel full.

I'd always thought that was half nonsense, but now I felt like I could understand the sentiment a little.

That was how thoroughly Yulias enjoyed his meal.

Simply watching him eat was enough to make me feel pleased.

After I placed about five more pieces of beef on his plate.

Pat, pat—

He leaned deeply against the backrest of his chair and patted his stomach.

He was patting a stomach he didn't even have.

After all, he was a Skeleton made entirely of bones.

Still, anyone could tell.

It meant he was full.

[Buuurp!]

He even let out a hearty burp.

Nevertheless, I decided to ask just to make sure.

“Are you finished?”

[Yes, Honored Master!]

“After eating only that much?”

[I've eaten more than enough to fill myself to bursting!]

With those words, he abruptly rose from his chair.

Snap!

Then he saluted me.

His expression had become quite serious, and the flames in his eyes were filled with determination.

[From now on, I shall serve you with all my heart and soul! With absolute loyalty, Honored Master!]

A chuckle escaped my lips.

Had giving Yulias the carrot instead of the stick perhaps been the wrong choice?

A small part of me had still harbored that concern.

But it had been completely unnecessary.

Besides.

'Judging by how much he eats, I don't think I'll have to worry about food expenses, either.'

This much was nothing.

Immediately afterward, Yulias quickly tidied up his surroundings.

The chair he had been sitting on, the dining table, his knife, fork, and plate all disappeared in an instant.

And I did the same.

After finishing the dishes, I prepared to head out and spoke to Yulias.

“Let's go.”

The flames in Yulias's eyes shook wildly.

[Don't tell me... You mean we're going outside right now, Honored Master?]

“Yeah.”

[...]

Yulias fidgeted with his hands.

He looked like a puppy desperately needing to relieve itself.

[Um, Honored Master...]

He hesitated before continuing very cautiously.

[Could we... rest for just a little while before leaving? Even office workers get breaks after lunch and dinner...]

“...”

Strangely enough, it was a rather convincing argument.

______________

Yulias hadn't brought it up simply because he wanted to rest.

The mana consumed when he manifested.

The reason was that he needed time to replenish it.

Apparently, controlling Skeletons required a certain amount of mana.

“How long will it take to refill completely?”

[About an hour!]

It was just about the amount of time someone might spend eating and resting afterward.

In any case, it wasn't a problem.

It would take about that long to reach our destination anyway.

I left the house with Yulias.

Naturally, Yulias had already canceled his Manifestation.

We headed toward a bus stop to use public transportation.

And while we were waiting for the bus.

[Honored Master... Don't tell me you're... waiting for a bus right now...?]

I heard a trembling voice.

When I turned my head, I saw Yulias, the flames in his eyes shaking violently.

What now? Why was he acting like that again?

When I nodded to confirm it, Yulias's eyes immediately changed.

They took on the appearance of someone shedding tears.

[I'll... make sure you earn lots of money. Sob, sob!]

He actually started shedding enormous tears.

Naturally, I couldn't help feeling bewildered.

Why was he acting like this?

It wasn't difficult to figure out.

It was because I didn't own a car.

That was probably why he'd asked if I was waiting for a bus.

First, when he saw my one-room apartment, and now this...

Yulias seemed to find my current circumstances terribly pitiful.

Screech! Click!

Before I could say anything to Yulias, the bus we'd been waiting for arrived.

I boarded the bus.

There were very few passengers inside.

After taking a seat near the back.

Yulias settled down on my lap.

Being so small certainly had its advantages.

'Come to think of it.'

Watching Yulias pity me earlier had suddenly reminded me of something.

'He knows quite a lot about this world.'

Yulias was surprisingly familiar with this world.

The fact that he knew about one-room apartments and buses made that obvious.

Those were things someone would only know if they'd lived here.

'Now that I think about it, he said he'd had previous masters. Could it be related to that?'

But if that were the case, there should have been some records or information about Yulias.

Yet there was absolutely nothing.

I asked Yulias about it.

[Aha! It's only natural that no one in this world knows about me.]

“Natural?”

[The worlds where my previous masters lived were similar to the one you live in now, Honored Master, but they were different. The worlds themselves had completely different structures.]

“Different structures... You mean other dimensions?”

[Yes! That's exactly the right way to understand it. Multiple similar worlds exist across different dimensions.]

Yulias quickly continued.

[For example, there could be another Earth that's almost identical to the one you live on, Honored Master, but with a slightly different history.]

It was an intriguing fact.

To think that multiple worlds could exist.

If Yulias was telling the truth, that meant there were countless worlds resembling Earth.

And ultimately.

[That's right. They all ended in destruction. Of course!]

Clatter!

Yulias clenched his fist tightly.

[This time has to be different!]

Afterward, I had quite a long conversation with Yulias.

And I learned a great deal about him.

Normally, I would have slept during the journey or spent the time feeling bored.

But now, that wasn't the case at all.

Having someone to talk to meant I wasn't bored in the slightest.

Aside from Yulias's abilities, I even found myself thinking that simply having him around was quite nice.

His antics were rather cute in their own way, too.

[Hehe!]

Watching Yulias grin, I couldn't help chuckling.

Immediately afterward, Yulias moved toward the bus window and began looking outside.

Meanwhile, I opened my Status Window.

[Status Window]

-Name: Yoo Seong

-Level: 4

-Nationality: Republic of Korea

-Class: Necromancer

-Stats: Strength 4 (+2), Agility 7 (+5), Stamina 2, Mana 2, Magic Power 2

-Unique Skill: Soul Devouring (EX)

-General Skills: Mana Release, Necromancy (EX)

I had gained three levels after defeating the Red Orc inside the Gate.

However, I hadn't yet distributed the bonus stat points I'd received.

I had decided it would be better to allocate them after fully understanding Yulias's abilities.

'Still, my stats have increased a little thanks to the Divine Bow.'

The number of stat points awarded with each level-up was two.

[You have unallocated stat points.]

[Remaining Stat Points: 6]

I added three points each to Strength and Agility.

'For now, it's best to focus on improving my own abilities.'

Fortunately, using a bow was quite compatible with the Necromancer class.

After all, if I positioned my Skeletons in front, I could comfortably fire arrows from behind them.

'I can easily make up for my lack of mana through items or skills.'

That was precisely why I was heading to Incheon.

The Scorpion Gate located in Incheon.

There was an item hidden inside it.

'An item that can solve these problems all at once.'

Having experienced Floor 0 of the Tower of Trials, I was confident.

At my current level, clearing the Scorpion Gate wouldn't be particularly difficult.

'And while I'm at it, I'll reach Level 5.'

At some point, Incheon had come to be called Demon Realm Incheon.

It wasn't merely a joke. The name had genuinely changed to that.

The reason was the enormous number of Gates that had appeared in Incheon.

Before long, I arrived in front of the Gate that was my destination.

[Verification complete.]

Click!

When I held my Awakened registration card against the access control device, the entrance leading to the Gate opened.

[Republic of Korea Gate #21431]

-Rank: F

-Description: A Gate that allows five people to enter simultaneously. Once entered, re-entry is impossible.

-Entry Level Requirement: 1–20

The information about the Gate appeared briefly.

[This Gate is exclusively for parties of five.]

[Would you like to enter?]

A warning message appeared.

It was because I was attempting to enter alone.

Flash!

And just like that, I entered the Gate.

_____________

In the middle of a desert beneath the blazing sun.

A System message immediately appeared.

[Eliminate all Scorpions inside the Gate.]

[Objective: Annihilation]

[Reward: F-rank Magic Stone ×3]

This could be considered one of the more difficult F-rank Gates.

'The rewards are stingy, and you have to kill every single monster before you can leave.'

Nevertheless, this Gate was considered one that every F-rank Awakened should experience at least once.

That was because it offered excellent experience points.

I immediately started moving.

With every step, my feet sank deeply into the sand.

The sand swallowed my feet well above the ankles.

Restrictions on movement like these were what made the Gate difficult.

Whoosh!

Before long, something suddenly burst out of the ground directly ahead.

A Scorpion that had been hiding beneath the sand revealed itself.

A monster shaped like a gigantic scorpion.

I immediately drew my bowstring.

Whoosh! Thud!

The arrow pierced the Scorpion's tail precisely.

More specifically, the area around its venomous stinger.

And that was the Scorpion's weak point.

[You have defeated a Scorpion.]

Clatter!

[As expected of you, Honored Master!]

Yulias gave me a thumbs-up.

I activated Soul Devouring.

[Absorbing the Scorpion's soul.]

[Proficiency in the Soul Devouring skill has increased.]

[Proficiency: 21% → 22%]

Then I summoned a Skeleton using Necromancy.

After that, defeating the Scorpions was no trouble at all.

How much time had passed like that?

[You have leveled up.]

[You have reached Level 5.]

[A Class Skill will be granted.]

At last, the System message I had been waiting for arrived.