Damn Necromancer-Chapter 314
Chapter 314: Heavenly City (4)
To go to District 8, he had to pass one gateway.
It was precisely the Trainee Test.
‘I only proceeded up to the Initiate Test until now.’
The reason was simple.
It was because of what he had heard from the guide here in the past.
―To give you one piece of advice, do not take the Trainee Test too early. Because you will immediately move on to the next district. To put it in terms of the game you mentioned, it is like moving on to the next chapter leaving hidden pieces behind. And with the difficulty having jumped considerably at that.
So he hadn't taken it.
‘But I think I ate almost everything there is to eat.’
Statue of the Vagabond Phase 3.
The development of District 9.
Even the reinforcement of defense facilities.
Honestly, he had already done everything there was to do here.
There might be hidden pieces he hadn't found remaining, but.......
‘Dragging out time to get that is a loss now.’
No matter how much of a hidden piece it is, the area itself is District 9.
There must be an upper limit to the items that can come out of here.
That was why.
Why he was going to take the Trainee Test.
‘The reward for the Initiate Test was.......’
It was the Achievement Vending Machine.
A crazy item that doubled all acquired Achievement Points.
Then naturally, there must be some reward from the Trainee Test as well.
It was when he entered the Trainee testing ground like that.
[Checking qualifications.......]
[You are a ‘Murderous’ difficulty possessor.]
[Trainee, the test of Murderous difficulty begins!]
[We wish you luck!]
Soon after, the scenery before his eyes flipped.
＊ ＊ ＊
[You have entered the Heavenly City, District 8!]
“......Huh?”
Kim Minwoo tilted his head.
One must pass the Trainee Test to be able to enter District 8.
That was what he knew.
But.......
‘Why District 8 all of a sudden?’
The test hasn't even ended, and it is just beginning?
His tilting his head was only for a moment.
He looked around.
His first impression of District 8 was ‘order’.
The things he had seen to the point of being sick of them in District 9 at first were gone.
The vagabonds crouching in every alley, the street vendors lined up emitting the smell of rotten food, the starving eyes aiming for each other's throats for survival.
They had all disappeared.
‘The Trainee Test.’
That single gateway had filtered everything out.
The streets were neat.
Floating stone floors were laid out at regular intervals, and between them, blue mana lines flowed as if pulsating.
It was on a different level from the cracked stone floors of District 9.
The buildings were different too.
If District 9 was a collection of rag-like structures piled up haphazardly for survival, this place had a design.
Structures combining metal and magic stretched toward the sky, and an affiliation emblem was clearly engraved on each building.
‘Guild marks.’
Red Flag.
The Demonic Cult.
And even emblems Kim Minwoo was seeing for the first time.
Every building here had an owner.
It meant there was no unowned land.
The eyes of those coming and going on the streets were also different.
They lacked the desperation the residents of District 9 harbored.
Instead, filling that space was wariness and pride.
It was a kind of composure that only those who had proven their minimum qualifications could possess.
However, that composure did not mean peace.
Shwik―.
A black emblem was briefly seen on the wrist of someone who brushed past Kim Minwoo.
Affiliated with the Demonic Cult.
The gazes following behind him.
They were ones wearing the Red Flag emblem.
‘They did say they were in the middle of a war.’
The air itself was different.
If District 9 was disorderly chaos, District 8 was ordered tension.
Atop a powder keg that could explode at any moment, everyone was glaring at each other while holding embers.
‘Interesting.’
[The Trainee Test begins.]
[‘Scales of the City’]
[Condition: Amidst the balance of power in the Heavenly City, choose your route.]
[All actions during the test period will be subject to evaluation.]
[Depending on the chosen route, the reward for the Trainee Test varies.]
‘Route?’
It was when Kim Minwoo was chewing over the message.
“......Kim Minwoo. I was quite surprised when I received the message.”
A red cloak blocked his vision.
A red spear cast behind his back.
A massive werewolf was staring intently at him.
The wolf's golden pupils pierced him.
The mark depicting a red flag could be seen engraved on its armor.
“What message?”
“That you were coming up.”
“Hah, it even does the billboard function properly.”
A test of Murderous difficulty.
Perhaps that was why it seemed to have gathered plenty of enemies spread throughout the city right from the start.
The pop-up function was killer.
The wolf's eyes turned cold.
“Ermian. Although a half-breed, he is Lord Lupus's blood kin. The sin of tearing him to shreds is deep and heavy.”
Slowly.
A pack of werewolves surrounded the area.
Menacing killing intent rose up.
“Even so.......”
The werewolf bared its teeth.
It was a smile.
“I must acknowledge it. The crazy Necromancer of District 9. To think you would dare visit our territory alone.......”
It was then.
Seuk―.
From the alley opposite, a group wearing black robes revealed their form.
A black emblem.
It was the mark of the Demonic Cult.
The man standing at the front slightly pulled up the hem of his robe.
Beneath the neat durumagi, a martial arts style sash, and long tied hair.
He laughed lowly.
“Necromancer Kim Minwoo. You turned the city upside down from the bottom of District 9, and played emperor with the dead, you say?”
The two factions knew him simultaneously.
Kim Minwoo chuckled.
“I have a lot of fans.”
The werewolf, looking at the martial artists warily, raised its spear tip.
“Lee Seokjun, this is our territory. So, get lost.”
“And if I refuse?”
“.......”
Their momentum toward each other became increasingly fierce.
At that moment.
The werewolf, lowering its spear tip as if withdrawing its momentum, spoke first.
“......Kim Minwoo, it's not that I don't hold a grudge against you. Since Lord Blood Wolf lost his real younger brother by your hands. However, wolves do not cling only to the past.”
His mouth curved upwards.
“If you join our guild, that grudge will be put aside. Lord Lupus has assured this. Moreover, it is a statement guaranteed by me, Irokes, the head of District 4.”
The surrounding Red Flag members stirred.
“You will be given a heavy responsibility. The position of Red Flag's domestic administrator will be given to you. Lord Blood Wolf himself will look after you.”
“To the enemy who killed his younger brother?”
“I consider it a sacrifice for the greater cause.”
Irokes answered with a shrug.
Kim Minwoo's eyes narrowed.
At that moment.
The man called Lee Seokjun intervened in the conversation.
“Beasts must live tied to a pack, as befits beasts. But the Demonic Cult is different. Our rule is only one. Power!”
He spread his hands out.
“The strong take what they want, and the weak naturally kneel. Anything else is just chains binding you. Isn't that right, Necromancer?”
Lee Seokjun, speaking as if tempting him, said while glaring at Irokes.
“What we want is one thing. To pledge loyalty to Lord Yoo Honbi. Other than that, there are no rules, no oppression. If you agree...... from that moment on, we will protect you from the grudge and politics of those lowly wolves.”
Irokes's eyebrows twitched.
“Lowly?”
“I was merely stating a fact. A beast is a beast no matter how much you dress it up, isn't it.”
Lee Seokjun laughed coldly.
Kim Minwoo looked at the two alternately.
One side was bloodline and pack.
One side was power and madness.
“I hate both.”
“You hate them, you say. Is there a reason? With your disposition, you seem like a good fit for our Demonic Cult.”
“Because wherever I go, I'm the kind of guy who has to be at the top. Otherwise, it doesn't satisfy me.”
At the words answered while pointing his finger upward, Lee Seokjun laughed coldly.
“By any chance, you don't mean Lord Yoo Honbi is included in that target, do you?”
“And if I do?”
“Arrogant.”
“Wasn't that what you guys liked?”
“Arrogance is established when one has the status matching it. Necromancer.”
Kung―.
Irokes stomped one foot on the ground.
A massive crater cracked open in all directions.
“Stop the idle chatter, Lee Seokjun. This is my final warning. If you're going to get lost, get lost...... or else, bring it on.”
Udeudeuk―!
Ttuduk―!
The physiques of the werewolves swelled up.
Muscles surged from the gaps in their armor.
Their shoulders broadened, their forearms thickened, and their backs arched like bows.
“Awooooo―!”
One at the front howled toward the sky.
That cry spread out as if contagious.
“Awooo―!”
“Awooooo―!”
The entire alley vibrated with the howling.
The beasts, having shed their human forms, surrounded Kim Minwoo while bearing their teeth.
Lee Seokjun took a step back while shaking his head.
“Well, if you survive...... I shall try to respect your choice.”
‘They're backing out.’
Kim Minwoo chuckled inwardly.
‘As expected, guys who roll their eyes instead of their swords.’
Saying they revere power, yet aiming for the fisherman's profit from behind is exactly.......
It was a behavior no different from a rat.
Of course, it was true that it was beneficial, though.
Irokes waved his hand.
“Do not kill him.”
He said to his subordinates standing behind him.
“Just cut off his limbs. It is a body that must be taken to Lord Blood Wolf.”
The red cloaks moved in unison.
Spears, axes, hacksaws.
The rough killing intent unique to werewolves covered the street.
Kim Minwoo let out a sigh.
“Haa.......”
It's tough being popular.
Just look at this already.
Everyone was itching to devour him.
He was just a newbie who had barely entered District 8, yet a guy calling himself the head of District 4 was lunging at him.
‘Did they say this was Red Flag's territory?’
Then, he just had to kill them all.
He raised his hand.
In an instant.
[Land of Death (SSS) is activated!]
The entirety of Red Flag's territory was dyed pitch-black.
“Keuaaak―!”
The first to scream was the werewolf at the front.
Rotten hands popped out from beneath the blackened earth.
They grasped ankles, grabbed calves, and pulled at thighs.
“Wh-what is this―!”
Putting his bulging muscles to shame, one werewolf was dragged halfway into the ground.
The more he struggled, the more the hands multiplied.
Ten, twenty, thirty.
Hands covering his entire body pulled his limbs in all directions.
Rip―!
The sound of a shoulder dislocating.
The scream turned into a howl.
At that moment.
Paang―!
The air tore.
It was Irokes.
The massive body of the District 4 head shot forward in a straight line.
The red spear tip thrust toward the center of Kim Minwoo's forehead.
Chaeng―!
A black scythe deflected the spear blade.
Hell Rhapsody.
The Reaper's weapon held in Kim Minwoo's hand collided with the red light.
Kwakwakwang―!
Time split seconds into instants.
The spear and scythe clashed dozens of times in the empty air.
Thrusting, slashing, striking.
Sparks flew, and shockwaves spread in all directions.
‘What is this?’
Irokes's brow furrowed.
‘A guy who just came up from District 9 is at this level?’
He had heard the rumors.
The crazy Necromancer of District 9.
That he commands incredible summons and uses a sword well.
However, the rumors were actually understated.
‘It wasn't just at the level of using a sword well.......’
The power loaded into the spear tip was deflected intact.
There wasn't even a tremor in the opponent's wrist.
‘This is unusual.’
At that time.
The pack of werewolves that had broken out of the black earth charged toward Kim Minwoo.
Baring their teeth, from all directions simultaneously.
Kim Minwoo chuckled.
“I'm calling my friends too, you know?”
He snapped his fingers.
Ureurureu―!
From the end of the alley.
From the shadows of the buildings.
From underground.
Undead hordes poured out from all directions.
The army of the dead charged toward the pack of werewolves.
