The Saint Who Levels Up Through Necromancy

Chapter 131

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 131: Stumbling Into Opportunity

"Hyung-nim, over here!"

"Why did you set up so many tents?"

"We couldn't just leave the undead we transported out in the open to get covered in dew."

Minho’s sense had improved.

The mid-tier undead were placed inside the tents set up behind the lodgings.

"Minho, did the Phoenix Guild pass along any messages?"

"They said training starts tomorrow. Today, we should rest."

"What about you guys?"

"We’re going to do some light warm-ups."

Minho’s face showed clear signs of nervousness. It was understandable—after all, he was about to participate in joint training with the 2nd and 3rd ranked guilds in the country.

"Don’t push yourself too hard. If you wear yourself out training, you won’t be in shape for tomorrow."

"Yes, hyung-nim."

"You should train with us too, hyung."

"I’m going to rest. I spent weeks rolling around in the borderlands."

"Come on, we were wiping our faces with wet tissues and living rough too—ow!"

"Hyung-nim, please get some proper rest."

After waving off the younger team members, he stepped into the lodging tent.

Large hunter guilds always prepared camping facilities in advance, anticipating long stays in the field.

If a gate appeared in a remote location and the conquest dragged on, traveling back and forth became impractical.

Some expeditions lasted only a day or a week, while others stretched on for more than a month. In such cases, proper field accommodations were essential.

〔Didn't you finish in a day?〕

'Forgotten Temple took a week, though.'

〔Ah, indeed. Such a thing happened. I overlooked it.〕

After haphazardly throwing off his sweat- and dust-soaked clothes, he plopped down in the middle of the tent.

He was dying for a shower, but he had something to do now.

'I don't have time to put it off if I want to be ready for tomorrow's schedule.'

〔What are you talking about?〕

"Absorbing the Millennium Snow Ginseng."

〔Oh ho. The reward you received from that commission. I thought you'd forgotten about it since you never mentioned it.〕

'It was an elixir that could only be absorbed after becoming a 4 Star.'

Millennium Snow Ginseng.

An elixir he received from Chairman Jin Seonghyun of the Seongcheon Corporation.

He had cured his daughter using an undeveloped healing method.

Without Shin Joonseok's help, Yoojin couldn't have been 100% sure of success.

〔Rather than just thanking him, you should give him a proper reward.〕

"Why are you getting so worked up? You didn’t even help."

〔I had to watch that poor human being exploited up close.〕

"Shin Joonseok is happy."

Yoojin said.

‘That alchemy-obsessed—no, the future Grand Alchemist—cared about nothing but his craft. That’s why, even before my regression, he had remained single his entire life.’

Yoojin paused.

‘Well, whatever. As long as he's happy, that's what matters.’

〔And what gives you the right to judge someone else’s happiness?〕

Rather than responding to Kronos’ questions, Yoojin pushed them aside.

⋯⋯⋯

[Millennium Snow Ginseng]

- Rank: Unique [U]

- Type: Elixir

- Restrictions: None

- Durability: 10/10

A ginseng shaped like a human. It contains extreme yin energy and grants immense power to those who wield magic from the Yin Dimension.

⋯⋯⋯

The white ginseng, shaped eerily like a person.

As he placed the elixir infused with Yin-Dimensional energy onto his palm, an icy chill seeped into his skin.

"Doesn’t seem like it needs any special preparation."

Without hesitation, Yoojin tossed the Millennium Snow Ginseng into his mouth.

His teeth clamped down, crushing the elixir.

A bitter liquid coated his tongue, but almost instantly, a cooling sensation—like sucking on a mint candy—spread throughout his mouth.

"I need to make sure none of its energy escapes."

Encasing his entire mouth with spiritual power to prevent any loss, he swallowed it down in one motion.

Gulp.

The liquid trickled down his throat, and the moment it reached his stomach, his body trembled.

An overwhelming cold.

The extreme yin energy coursing through him made his limbs shake violently.

〔Are you alright?〕

"You think this is my first time taking an elixir?"

'The system isn’t absolute. I forgot that.'

Even if something wasn’t explicitly defined within the system’s framework, meeting certain conditions could still unlock skills or traits.

Especially when it involved "enlightenment."

"Then why was it an elixir that triggered it?"

【Try using Aura directly. You’ll understand.】

"That’s way too simplistic of a solution."

【Huhu. Your problem is that you overthink everything.】

Coming from a former martial authority, that statement somehow carried weight.

Though still somewhat reluctant, Yoojin pulled a spear from his inventory.

‘All this from taking one elixir. What a mess.’

Hoo—

Exhaling deeply, he erased all distractions from his mind.

Aura.

A power of the martial world that had been beyond his reach in his previous life.

Thanks to Fafnir’s guidance, he could now manifest it—but even now, drawing out that power required intense concentration.

'I need to imbue my intent into my spirit power...!'

Wooong—!

A faintly glowing aura enveloped the spear.

At that moment—

The energy from the [Millennium Snow Ginseng], which had seeped into his dantian, reacted to the movement of his spirit power.

'Huh?'

A third energy, distinct from spirit power, had accumulated in his dantian.

A portion of the life force he had absorbed through [Life Drain] surged through his meridians, traveling up the shaft of the spear, where it mingled with the yet-unformed Dark Battle Aura.

[You have activated Dark Battle Aura.]

A swirling fusion of pale energy and a greenish hue.

Even Yoojin, who had been through countless battles, had never seen an aura of this color before.

【This is insane.】

"What are you sensing?"

【Two energies coexisting without rejecting each other. It must be because you primarily use a spear... Oh, I see now. That’s how it works.】

"Explain it in a way I can understand."

The [Millennium Snow Ginseng] was an elixir best suited for martial artists.

Since it contained an extreme yin energy, Yoojin had been able to absorb it without issue.

But at its core, it was still meant for martial artists—so by stimulating the energy in his dantian, it had compensated for Yoojin’s deficiencies as a magic-user and priest-class hunter using life force instead.

【That’s my theory, though I admit it’s a bit of a stretch.】

"No, it actually makes sense."

Had there ever been a case of a pure magic-user or priest-class hunter wielding Aura without a hybrid class like magic swordsman or holy knight?

He had already accomplished something unprecedented.

It wasn’t impossible for the [Millennium Snow Ginseng] to fill in the missing pieces.

"More than anything, I trust your instincts."

【Uh... Huh?】

"Why do you look so shocked all of a sudden?"

【I appreciate the trust, but... you’re accepting this theory way too easily.】

"I don’t exactly have a better explanation."

Complete mastery of Aura.

‘Now that [Incomplete Sentinel]’s penalty was gone, manifesting Aura felt far more natural. I really gained an unexpected fortune this time.'

Had Fafnir not guided him toward manifesting Aura...

Had he not obtained [Millennium Snow Ginseng], one of the few elixirs compatible with a Necromancer...

If either one of those things had been even slightly off, he would never have grasped the true power of the martial world—Aura.

〔When coincidences align, they become fate.〕

'This isn’t one of your heroic epics... right?'

〔Kuhahahaha! Heroes are destined to face unavoidable fate. Your heroic power has awakened amidst a series of coincidences!〕

‘...Sigh. Of course.’

Tuning out Kronos’ boisterous laughter, Yoojin calmly sorted through what he had gained from this encounter.

'First, my close-combat abilities have improved significantly.'

To use Aura in real battle, one had to push their concentration to the absolute limit.

If not for being beaten like a dog by Jang Miseon, he wouldn’t have even been able to use it at all.

Now, as long as he willed it, he could freely manifest Aura.

'Second, I can now acquire some martial skills.'

He had chosen Verdian Spearmanship as a way to utilize the physical enhancements granted by [Life Drain].

It was a core skill for learning its advanced form, [Death Spiral], and, crucially, had no prerequisites.

Most martial skills required either a martial-class profession or a certain level of proficiency in related techniques before they could be learned.

'If I can master skills that require Aura as a prerequisite, my close-combat ability will improve even further. What a ridiculous stroke of luck.’

A magic-user hunter excelling in close combat as well?

Compared to his past life, there was no telling how far he could grow.

"This is getting ridiculous."

【If you need tips on Aura release, I can teach you.】

"I meant it’s going to be hard to lose during group training. My abilities are just too exceptional."

【...】

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]