Chapter 3
After becoming an unemployed shut-in who spent all his time in a corner of the house, one of my newly acquired hobbies was watching streams by Awakened individuals.
Since they had bodies and abilities different from those of ordinary humans, whether they were strong or weak, their bizarre and extraordinary streams were entertaining enough just to watch.
“Pfft. He actually failed that.”
As I was laughing stupidly to myself like that, a stream with an intriguing title appeared on the list of new streams.
[Raising a Million-Strong Army of the Undead as a Necromancer Newbie — Day 3]
“…….”
There were all kinds of Hunters in the world nowadays, but Awakened individuals specializing in necromancy were among the rarer types.
Naturally, I couldn’t help being interested.
Click.
“Okay, can you see this? This is the Skeleton Archer I made by staying up all night yesterday. Doesn’t it look super strong?”
As soon as I entered the stream, I immediately saw a woman with a bright and cheerful atmosphere.
Judging by appearances, she was in her early twenties, and her first impression was that of someone incredibly energetic.
Perhaps because there were only twenty-seven viewers, the streamer noticed me and greeted me.
“Oh! Hello, Hell Lord12! Since you’re here, would you like to see a little trick?”
Without even giving me time to answer, the woman handed a rubber bow to the skeleton, placed an apple on her own head, and ran off somewhere.
The distance was about five meters.
The skeleton, having received its command, fired the bow with all its strength.
Whiz!
Thud!
“Ouch!”
The arrow struck the woman directly in the forehead.
It was truly abysmal control.
“Damn it. Hey! You did fine yesterday, didn’t you? Is it because I didn’t feed you?”
The chat erupted in laughter at this so-called trick.
— LMAOOOO
— How are you gonna fight if you can’t even hit that?
— Guys, our skeleton literally said it doesn’t have enough mana LMAO
— Waaah. I’m a baby skeleton archer. Need mana.
Some viewers responded playfully like that, while others maliciously belittled her skills.
— She’s seriously freaking terrible. I came because it said newbie necro.
— If you’re going to be a Hunter with skills like that, you’re just a burden LOL. For summoner types, regardless of rank, distinguishing friend from foe is the most important thing.
“I’ve only just started practicing! I’m sure I’ll get better soon, right? Hehe.”
She smoothly brushed off even those comments, so apparently her mental fortitude was top-notch.
Watching the scene, I somehow felt pleased.
……Newbies really are cute.
She diligently gathered materials to make skeletons, adjusted their balance, and gradually improved her control.
There was something appealing about watching someone who was clearly a beginner.
And…….
While the people who knew nothing were busy calling her terrible, I could tell.
She had quite a talent for necromancy.
That skeleton was obviously something a complete novice had cobbled together through trial and error, yet it looks surprisingly sturdy.
I’d initially entered the stream simply because I was bored, but now I had become quite interested.
I clicked the follow button and immediately sent her a message through the whisper system.
— That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.
When you see a newbie, you just can’t resist giving unsolicited advice.
What the hell?
Song Ha-yeon was a fresh new Hunter who had awakened only two months ago.
At the same time, she was also a beginner streamer.
Her title was Corpse Lover of the Graveyard.
She was a necromancy-type Awakened, a rarity in Korea.
Because of that, she had decided to use her uniqueness to make a name for herself through streaming.
She had no confidence that she could become a high-ranking Hunter anyway, and her goal was simply to earn a moderate fortune and live a comfortable life.
It was now the third day since she had started streaming.
She had been steadily gathering a respectable number of viewers when a strange person appeared before her.
— That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.
It was unsolicited advice from someone who had been watching her gradually create skeleton-type undead.
At first, she naturally assumed it was someone trying to cause trouble and intended to brush it off. After all, the advice of self-proclaimed Internet experts was never particularly trustworthy.
What made Ha-yeon reconsider was what happened after she read all of the viewer’s subsequent advice.
Bury the materials in damp soil where no sunlight reaches? And cover them with animal blood?
The viewer had also told her to expose the materials to death energy whenever she had the opportunity.
For a total of three days.
I do have a Death Energy Condensation skill, so I could do it…….
Just hearing the instructions made it sound extremely troublesome.
If this was all a joke, she’d be wasting both time and effort.
However, it was difficult to dismiss the advice as something the person had simply made up on the spot, because the instructions were far too detailed.
As a test, she asked for advice about something she had struggled with while creating a skeleton on her own, and an immediate, flawless answer came back.
Is this person really an Awakened from the same class?
And with this level of knowledge, there was no way they were some random amateur.
Unable to overcome her curiosity, Ha-yeon decided to follow the advice of the viewer named Hell Lord12 exactly.
And then she was shocked.
“Huh?”
Creak. Creak-creak.
The skeleton she had created this time possessed a distinctly different level of strength compared to her previous ones.
“Was it really true?”
Up until then, Ha-yeon had simply been happy about her unexpected stroke of luck.
She had assumed that an experienced Hunter had happened to notice a fresh newbie on her stream and decided to pass along some useful tips.
That was all she had thought.
But—
— Do you have any magic stones? I’ll tell you a magic circle. Inscribe it onto the stone, then take it to a graveyard and let it absorb death energy whenever you have the chance. You can use it for all kinds of things when making other undead.
— There’s no point training low-intelligence types like that. There are mechanisms behind all of this, so just do exactly what I tell you.
When those useful tips continued, becoming more and more detailed rather than ending after one suggestion, Ha-yeon finally realized that something was strange.
Wait, what is this person?
This wasn’t normal.
For one thing, even the strongest necromancy-type Hunter in Korea was only a high B-rank, and there was absolutely no sign of these methods being used in his combat videos.
In other words, the viewer named Hell Lord12 wasn’t simply an experienced Hunter.
W-Why would someone like this even…… help me?
In modern society, power was law and power was authority.
Accordingly, information like this possessed an incredible value that couldn’t even be properly converted into money.
Yet this person was freely handing it out under the guise of giving her advice.
Ha-yeon simply couldn’t understand the situation.
Is there some kind of ulterior motive? Am I about to get dragged somewhere?
Feeling a sudden uneasiness, she cautiously tried to probe the other person with a question.
Hell Lord12’s answer was simple.
— I’m just telling you because I’m bored. If you don’t want it, forget it.
She couldn’t quite accept that explanation, but somehow, it didn’t feel like a lie.
In other words, Ha-yeon might have just encountered the greatest opportunity of her life.
— No, Teacher! Please continue to guide me! I’ll follow you for the rest of my life! Is there anything else you want from me?
A brief silence followed.
Just as she was about to send another message, Hell Lord12’s reply arrived.
— Then do me one favor.
“……How ironic.”
I hadn’t even taken on a disciple over there, yet now that I had lost my powers, I had unexpectedly acquired one.
From Song Ha-yeon, with whom I had temporarily formed a master-disciple relationship, I had asked for and received a certain item.
Three magic stones filled with death energy that Ha-yeon herself had accumulated.
Technically, this is probably illegal, but…….
They were relatively low-grade magic stones that were subject to lax regulations.
As long as I didn’t get caught, it didn’t matter.
As expected, I can’t sense it here either.
Death energy—the energy most essential for a necromancer to wield their powers.
For some reason, my current self was incapable of sensing it.
But if I use death energy that someone else has already gathered and refined like this…….
Could I perhaps use necromancy even in my current state?
That was why I had pulled my hood over my head and come out to the neighborhood’s back mountain on such a cold day.
In theory, it should be possible.
In fact, I’d thought of this method quite some time ago.
However, in Korea, where necromancy-type Awakened were practically nonexistent, finding an assistant had been absurd.
And even if that had been possible, I had thought there was no point because I couldn’t do anything by myself in the end.
But now, my thoughts had changed somewhat.
They said several people were seriously injured last week in a sudden Gate Break in the neighboring district…….
It had only ended at that level because it was a dungeon inhabited by small monsters like goblins, but it could easily have turned into a major disaster.
So who knew?
Maybe one day I’d simply have the worst luck imaginable, encounter some unexpected incident, and die on the spot.
……Even so, that would be a little too much.
Judging from my current state alone, it was obvious that luck and I had no connection whatsoever.
So there was absolutely no harm in making at least some minimal preparations.
Insurance, in case something happened.
That was all there was to it.
As luck would have it, there’s a suitable specimen right here.
There was the corpse of a sparrow that seemed to have died only moments ago.
It was more than sufficient material for a test.
Thump.
I crouched down in front of the corpse, took out one of the magic stones filled with death energy, and began.
Whoooosh.
My current body couldn’t sense death energy.
So I had no way of knowing whether things were proceeding as I intended, but this was something I had done until I was sick of it in the other world.
There was no chance I’d make a mistake.
Rustle.
As soon as I completed the spell, the remaining flesh and feathers on the corpse rapidly scattered like dust.
Success.
“Get up.”
The sparrow, revived with nothing but bones remaining, moved its skeletal body and stood upright.
“Right hand.”
Creak.
“Left hand.”
Creak-creak.
Perfect.
It was following my commands exactly.
I remained silent for a moment before feeling a surge of exhilaration rise through my entire body.
I actually did it.
To be honest, I thought the odds were fifty-fifty.
It seemed theoretically possible, but judging from all my previous failures, I’d gotten the feeling that this world was deliberately preventing that possibility from being realized.
But in the end, I’d succeeded.
It wasn’t a particularly meaningful achievement, but it was the first victory I’d obtained since falling into this world.
How could I not be happy?
“Hehe.”
Feeling good, I grinned from ear to ear and let out a silly laugh.
That’s right.
No matter what happened, I was the Lord of Death.
The master of the Underworld.
In the end, I was an existence that couldn’t be completely restrained by the laws of a single dimension.
I was a real necromancer!
I could control corpses!
As though responding to my emotions, the sparrow also flapped its skeletal wings enthusiastically.
Creak. Creak!
“Yeah. You’re right. Today is a festival.”
I hurriedly ran home and ordered chicken.
……He’s really enjoying his food.
Baek Seo-ha returned home after finishing another exhausting day of work.
As she ate the chicken her older brother had ordered together with him, she couldn’t help but think that.
“Hehe. Here, you take the drumstick.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.”
Whatever pleasant thing had happened, Baek Eun-ha couldn’t hide the smile welling up from deep within her heart.
She kept giggling happily.
Did her brother even realize how adorable he looked right now?
Even while thinking that, Baek Seo-ha watched as Baek Eun-ha, seemingly in an act of consideration toward her younger sister, moved the meaty chicken drumstick onto Seo-ha’s plate.
And Baek Seo-ha thought—
Perhaps, all things considered, this kind of life wasn’t necessarily so bad after all.
