ocean-life Chapter 6: This is Why I'm a Necromancer (3)
Chapter 6: This is Why I'm a Necromancer (3)
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
Chapter 6: This is Why I'm a Necromancer (3)
Crunch!
A zombie bit into a goblin's flesh.
A goblin warrior, bitten in the thigh, screamed but still managed to swing his sword, severing the zombie's wrist.
A chaotic battle of blood and flesh.
Yoojin, eyes darting left and right, read the flow of the battlefield.
"Answer my call."
Whenever a zombie was destroyed, he immediately raised a nearby corpse.
The maximum number he could maintain at once was 20.
Despite being outnumbered, he kept the frontline steady by creating new zombies as soon as one fell.
"Kmm Mauso-ra Cala!"
A stake topped with a skull plunged into the midst of the goblin army.
[The Totem of Valor boosts the goblins' morale.]
An eerie light emanated from the empty eye sockets.
The goblins' eyes turned crimson red.
"Behold. Our valiant goblin warri—"
Crack
"Warri-what? What was that?"
"You insolent human who doesn't know honor!"
The bone projectile launched by Yoojin accurately struck the top of the totem, shattering the skull.
The totem was instantly neutralized.
"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. You must be so proud to be an honorable goblin."
"Kill that human! No matter the cost!"
The Goblin Shaman's face was flushed with rage.
〔I'm worried that his blood pressure might rise and he'll collapse on his own.〕
'Please take care of your contractor first, Constellation.'
The most important thing to watch out for when fighting the Goblin Shaman was its totems.
They provided various buffs to its escort and inflicted debuffs and hallucinations on intruders.
"You think I'll give you the chance to set up those totems?"
Crack! Crack!
Every totem the shaman erected was destroyed by the bone projectiles controlled by Yoojin.
While the shaman's magic was rendered useless, the number of goblins rapidly dwindled.
The Goblin Shaman's face contorted in fury.
"Kireuk, Kirruk!"
"What? Something not going your way?"
"Avatar of Madness, come forth!"
Whirl—
The staff in the Goblin Shaman's hand suddenly slipped free and plunged into the ground.
A gloomy magical wave began to spread from the staff.
"Not a chance."
A bone projectile flew through the air. Imbued with the essence of death, it was several times stronger than the original spell.
It had the destructive power to pierce even a house-sized boulder.
Just as the long bone approached—
Clang!
—a purple aura erupted, deflecting the projectile.
[Curse of Madness applied.]
[Goblin strength and agility increased by 50%.]
"So that staff is your trump card?"
"My staff isn't weak enough to be broken by such a pathetic attack."
"I guess so."
"Hmph. This is a bone staff crafted by grinding the souls of goblins. It's not something a mere human can handle."
The Goblin Shaman said proudly.
"You ground souls into the bone?"
"Indeed. This staff, imbued with hundreds of souls, craves yours."
Kieeee—
A ghostly wail emanated from the bone staff, disrupting the hunters' minds.
"Are you so scared that you're speechless?"
"No. I'm just wondering if it's okay for me to have it this easy."
Yoojin channeled his mana.
Bone Control.
Any bone from a corpse, as long as there was enough mana, could be manipulated at will.
'Even if it's the enemy's weapon or totem!'
Dropping the bone staff from your hand...
You'll regret it.
Creak!
The staff, embedded in the ground, soared into the air.
Driving out the shamanic power imbued by the Goblin Shaman with spiritual energy and seizing control...
It was as easy as pie.
[The Curse of Madness loses its focal point.]
[The goblins regain their senses. As an aftereffect, their strength and agility are reduced by 30%.]
"Y-you, human!"
"Thanks to you, things have become easier. Thank you."
The Goblin Shaman's hidden pattern.
It would have been difficult for an ordinary hunter party or raid to deal with, but...
Not for Yoojin.
"Oh? This isn't an ordinary bone."
Perhaps due to the souls dwelling within, the response speed and power of [Bone Control] were far superior to ordinary bones.
There was a reason why the shaman had saved it as a last resort.
"In that sense, I'll return it to you."
Yoojin aimed the end of the bone staff at the Goblin Shaman.
Whoosh!
The staff flew through the air.
Not a bad income for the first hunt after awakening.
The money Yoojin had saved up by working his bones off for three years was 30 million won.
He had earned twice that amount in a single day.
It was an amount that made him feel the passage of time, wasn't it?
'Well, this is nothing.'
He had stood at the top of the world's hunters as a necromancer.
Considering what he would accomplish in the future, this was nothing.
Moreover...
There were also enemies he had to defeat.
"The poison sword is quite a popular weapon, so you can get at least 20 million for it. But..."
The merchant glanced at the Staff of Resentment.
The ill-fated weapon used by the Goblin Shaman, the one that had ended its master's life.
"That staff won't fetch much."
"Why?"
"You'll know once you check the options yourself."
Kang Inho had a strange expression on his face.
Yoojin checked the properties of the bone staff.
[Staff of Resentment]
Rank: Rare [R]
Type: Staff
Restriction: Priest
Durability: 67/200
A cursed staff forged from the souls of hundreds of goblins.
While it increases mana, it also eats away at the user's mind.
* Mana + 30
* Mana Consumption Reduced by 12%
* Low chance of being afflicted with the Curse of Confusion
"The restriction is for the priest class, but it increases mana. What use is this?"
"If you were to sell it, how much do you think it would go for?"
"It would probably fetch 7 million won."
At the merchant's words, Kang Minho let out a sigh and a chuckle, seemingly disappointed.
The value of the highest-ranked item from the boss raid wasn't as high as he had expected.
In fact, the poison sword used by the Goblin Warrior had more commercial value.
"Heh."
Yoojin also smiled.
However, the meaning behind his smile was completely different.
'This is a good find.'
A strange option that increased mana despite being exclusive to the priest class.
It wasn't a big problem for Yoojin.
Spirit Power was also an ability used by magic-type hunters. The mana increase option was directly applied when he converted his abilities using [Midnight Sun].
He instinctively tightened his grip on the staff.
"Are you going to sell this too?"
"Just deduct it from my payment and I'll take it."
A puzzled look appeared in Kang Minho's eyes.
"You want to keep the Staff of Resentment?"
"I'd rather use it myself than sell it for 7 million won."
"We wouldn't have earned anything if it weren't for you, Hunter-nim, so just exclude it from the calculation altogether."
Kang Minho looked at his party members.
"What do you guys think?"
"Whatever Seonbae-nim wants. Since he said he'll pay for it, I don't see any reason to refuse."
"All we did today was gather mana stones. Do as you please."
Those guys...
They were quite perceptive, though not as much as Kang Minho.
〔Is this why you took them in?〕
'Well, something like that.'
Even though there was someone he didn't recognize among them... they were worth keeping around.
A blue-chip stock that was guaranteed to multiply in value had walked in on its own two feet.
It would be foolish to miss this opportunity.
Among the hunters he had faced in his past life, they were a formidable force that he remembered well.
Bringing the Mirror Hunters to his side would be a great asset to his future plans.
'No, they'll be quite helpful even now.'
As assistants and laborers.
He needed hunters to support him if he wanted to hunt in gates.
The Little Runts team wasn't exactly a proper support team, but...
They could be his hands and feet, doing the tedious work... no, they could be the team members he needed.
"You're called Little Runts, right?"
"Yes, Yoojin-nim."
"If you work with me, your pockets will become quite full."
Out of 53 million won, Yoojin's share was 37 million.
Even if the remaining 16 million won was divided among the three of them, their daily wage would exceed 5 million.
An incredible income that the 1 Star hunters of the Little Runts team could only dream of.
'Seonbae, what should we do?'
'Oppa, make the decision. We don't know.'
At the whispers of the two, Kang Minho sighed.
So dishonest.
No one could deny that an opportunity like this was rare.
"You all feel the same way, right?"
The two remained silent.
But...
As if they had made a promise, the Little Runts team members exchanged glances and then...
"Leave it to us!"
They shouted in unison.
[Translator - Hestia
[Proofreader - Kaya]