The Saint Who Levels Up Through Necromancy

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 112: An Impious Attempt (2)

Holy Water.

It's an item so essential to hunters that the existence of a temple is often considered its sole purpose.

'The common effect of holy water is purification.'

Regardless of which Star Cluster it comes from, it has the ability to eliminate impure energy like curses.

The additional options vary depending on each Star Cluster.

〔Star Cluster - Olympus Holy Water〕

Additional Effect: Reduces reaction speed by 10%

〔Star Cluster - Asgard Holy Water〕

Additional Effect: Increases pain tolerance by 10%

〔Star Cluster - Veda Holy Water〕

Additional Effect: Reduces calculation speed by 10%

In addition to this, there are several abilities granted by each Star Cluster.

Furthermore, the buff efficiency greatly increases depending on the grade of the holy water.

〔If you have enough holy water and potions, you can hunt sufficiently even without a priest.〕

'Theoretically, that's correct.'

What if you get injured during a fierce battle?

Or if your combat ability significantly decreases due to being afflicted with a debuff?

Battles are always full of variables.

Relying on potions or holy water makes it difficult to respond immediately when a crisis occurs.

'They're also expensive.'

Low-grade potions cost 1 million won per piece.

Holy water averages 2.5 million won based on the lowest grade.

This is also why hunters with the 'Unique Trait' that allows them to change to the Priest job class are in the spotlight.

〔Consider it an honor. Haven't you also gained the ability of a Priest thanks to the grace I bestowed upon you?〕

'Yes, yes. Thank you. Your Majesty, the Great Constellation.'

〔Kuhaha! You've learned a little humility now. It's good to see.〕

‘This old man doesn't even understand sarcasm.’

Sssssssss—

He guides the energy contained in the temple into the container filled with the mana stone melt solution.

He infuses it with the blessing bearing the properties of [Heaven-Defying Giant].

This is the first time he's trying this, both before and after the regression.

However…

Thanks to the [System] connecting him to the temple, he could bestow the blessing without any major problems.

'I need to remember this. How to apply this power.'

The spirit power acquired while serving [Heaven-Defying Giant] didn't have a significantly different operational feel from the spirit power Yoojin used to handle.

Even so.

When it came to detailed parts like making holy water, the application method was completely different from magic.

'I've more or less understood the activation mechanism of divine magic. But there's a lot to learn.'

Yoojin grinned.

How long had he been imbuing the blessing into the melt solution?

〔You have created the Holy Water of the Constellation - Heaven-Defying Giant.〕

The liquid, which had been bluish, lost its original color and became milky white.

Yoojin carefully lifted the bottle containing the holy water.

⋯⋯⋯

[Holy Water of Reversal]

Grade: Magic

Category: Consumable

Durability: 10/10

Holy water imbued with the blessing of the Heaven-Defying Giant. Its completion is high.

* Upon consumption, cures curses below Lv 15.

* Upon consumption, it prevents preemptive attacks from low-level undead.

⋯⋯⋯

"This is amazing."

Yoojin muttered in a daze, looking at the shimmering liquid.

'Prevents preemptive attacks from low-level undead… Hmm, not many gates have a lot of undead. Still, it could be useful for the Little Runts team.’

When Yoojin worked with the Little Runts team, he always had to consciously control the undead to prevent them from attacking the three people.

Since undead will attack the living with a frenzy.

It was somewhat mentally taxing, but if they drink the holy water, there is no need to restrain the undead.

〔Contractor. Didn't you say that holy water also has grades?〕

'Magic is low-grade. Rare is mid-grade. Unique is classified as high-grade.'

Yoojin immediately began the next task.

The number of holy water bottles increased.

The moment he bestowed the blessing on the 18th bottle, the energy that enveloped the temple was completely exhausted.

'18 bottles a day, huh? Fewer than expected. It's a little disappointing, but I should be satisfied with this much.’

Looking at it from a different perspective, it's a great achievement for a temple that isn't even a basic structure.

"Bring me a corpse."

- Gruuu.

A Revenant brought the corpse of a goblin priest and placed it in front of Yoojin.

‘A goblin, huh? It reminds me of the gate I entered immediately after the regression, [The Ancient Garden].’

〔What are you going to do now?〕

'I'm going to circulate the holy water throughout the body.'

The heart has stopped beating.

The body has long since undergone rigor mortis and is stiff.

Even so, there is a way.

Placing his hand on the goblin priest's corpse, he poured in spirit power.

Refining the corpse with spirit power.

Yoojin's secret art unfolded, transforming it into a body with more powerful stats than when it was alive.

'This time is a little different.'

The spirit power that circulated throughout the body gathered at the stopped heart.

At the same time.

[Using Flesh Control.]

Using a basic level of necromancy to manipulate the dead flesh, he moved the heart.

To be precise, it was an act of mimicking the relaxation and contraction of the 'muscles' that make up the heart.

Drip—Drop—

As he poured the holy water directly into the goblin priest's blood vessels, it circulated throughout the body in sync with the heartbeat.

A body that had already died.

Even if he artificially moved the heart, various parts of the meridians were damaged, so the holy water shouldn't have flowed.

'Do you think I circulated the spirit power for nothing?'

The path cleared by spirit power.

The freshly made, warm holy water spread throughout the goblin priest's body.

'If it's holy water created with the Constellation's blessing, it can expel the power residing in a dead body.'

Whitish smoke rose from the corpse's seven orifices.

This was all according to plan.

‘Good. Let's move on to the next step.’

Yoojin took a deep breath.

"Answer my call."

With a powerful voice, he used [Raise Dead].

The target was the goblin priest's corpse, which had just been thoroughly cleansed with holy water.

As the rearranged spirit power permeated, the goblin's body twitched.

[This corpse belongs to the Constellation [The Adversary of Oblivion].]

[The lingering will left by [The Adversary of Oblivion] hinders the necromancy.]

〔You confidently stepped forward, but in the end, you couldn't overcome the Constellation's will.〕

'I weakened it considerably. That's enough.'

Yoojin thought to himself—

‘Look at this old man. He's talking without knowing anything.’

If he hadn't cleansed the goblin priest's body with holy water, the [Raise Dead] spell would have been broken, and he would have fully borne the backlash.

With this much resistance, it's quite successful.

The trembling corpse's movements also gradually subsided.

〔Oh ho. This is truly a moment of creating new history.〕

'I don't know. It's too early to be optimistic...'

Snap—Crack!!!

Before Yoojin could even send out all his thoughts, the goblin priest's corpse contorted as if it were dancing, then rose.

The eerie sound of bones breaking.

It danced comically like a broken automaton and then collapsed back onto the floor.

[Target cannot be found.]

'It failed spectacularly.'

〔Considering what you say, you seem quite pleased?〕

'I saw a possibility in the first attempt. Do you think creating a new undead is easy?’

The previous necromancers also researched naturally occurring undead or established necromancy theory through countless experiments.

When Yoojin created undead that didn't exist in the existing concepts, such as [Revenant] or the [Armored Series], he made countless attempts.

'This is a quick grasp of the feeling.'

There are 300 containers filled with mana stone melt solution.

He only used one of them.

He'll somehow succeed within the remaining 299 attempts, right?

With a relaxed mind, Yoojin picked up the second bottle of holy water.

＊ ＊ ＊

It's been a week of experimentation.

One-third of the containers he brought are empty, and he's used up half of the corpses.

'Hmm. It's not easy after all.'

Yoojin glared at the corpse that collapsed due to the backlash.

After seeing the possibility in the first attempt, he enthusiastically set about making undead again.

However…

During the second attempt, instead of the corpse's resistance decreasing, it became much stronger than before and exploded as if he had unleashed a [Corpse Explosion].

'Is it a problem with the ratio? Or is it a circulation problem?'

Even though the number of daily production is only 18, he can continue to make holy water.

However, the corpses of priest monsters or hunters are a separate issue.

If he uses up all 27 bodies procured from Mr. Black, he will have to get them again, but there is no guarantee that they will be obtained as quickly as this time.

He gave up on reviving the 3rd corpse immediately.

Yoojin carefully analyzed the composition, ingredients, and ratio of the holy water.

〔Don't you need my assistance?〕

The domain Kronos presides over is defying death.

It's fair to consider him the Constellation of the Undead.

Thanks to the recent activities of Yoojin, his only believer and Kronos's proxy, he has significantly increased his presence.

If he sets his mind to it, he can also grant divine magic to help Yoojin's research.

'Save your strength. Don't forget that you promised to give me a blessing.'

〔You are very confident.〕

'My 9 Star Rank weren't won with poker. How many times do I have to say it?'

The real reason why Yoojin visited Kronos immediately after the regression.

It's because of a powerful ability that only a Constellation can bestow, a blessing.

'In the end, what can reach divinity is the presence or absence of a blessing.'

Even though Yoojin was on par with the Mage King Dmitry.

Even though Death Knight Park Haneul, who reached the 9 Star like him, assisted him.@@novelbin@@

The reason he couldn't surpass Dmitry was because of the [Incarnation].

[Attacks based on mana are not effective against beings of high caliber.]

'Attacks that didn't contain divine power were 90% mitigated.'

The aura surrounding the Incarnation suppresses the power of all attacks to a minimum.

Relying on that effect, that guy, despite being a Mage, tanked at the forefront.

When the aura was placed on the defensive magic, it easily blocked Death Knight's dark energy and even the Breath of the Bone Dragon.

'Until you give me a blessing, please refrain from creating divine magic. Alright?'

〔Understood.〕

'And you know what? I also have pride. I can't always rely on you, Constellation.

Undead with divinity.

Would making it just once be the end of it?

He was thinking of improving it, strengthening it further, and raising it into a usable force.

'I have to do it with my own hands before anything else can happen.'

Yoojin recalled the work he had done last.

‘That's right.’

He analyzed all the composition and operational processes of the holy water.

'Holy water alone is not enough to turn the corpse of a priest hunter or monster into an undead.'

Well, how easy would it be if it could be solved with just holy water?

Yoojin carefully ground the materials, [Feathers of Loaheim] and [White Herb], in a 3.3 to 1 ratio.

Afterward, he measured out 100 grams by feel, put it in the holy water, stirred it, and let it sit until the powder was completely dissolved.

〔Ho ho. Have you prepared the next measure?〕

'If the mixing ratio is properly matched, it will increase the efficiency of the holy water.'

Part of the alchemical knowledge contained in the [Library of Knowledge].

Next, he placed a handful of [Red Obsidian] on the corpse's chest.

He embedded 30 grams of mithril, shaped into a small bar, and 500 grams of spirit iron into various parts of the body.

〔I'm curious about the basis for using these materials.〕

'I told you that I once researched whether to create undead from the corpse of a priest in my previous life, right?'

〔I remember.〕

'Mithril has a good affinity with divine power. Spirit iron is a catalyst that guides energy.'

Red obsidian is the master key to stabilizing divine power.

Originally, [White Stone] should have been in that place, but he put it in as a last resort.

〔Ho ho. I've heard that alchemy doesn't allow even a small error.〕

'I have to make do with tricks. What else can I do?'

The method was the same.

He made the heart of the dead beat with [Flesh Control].

He sent the holy water through the pre-prepared path and circulated it throughout the body.

'If I connect the red obsidian here...!'

Thump—

The stone lump that accepted the divine power shook greatly.

It was only natural to pour holy water on a catalyst that amplifies the mana of the yin dimension.

Yoojin synchronized the holy water's wavelength with the red obsidian as much as possible.

'I can do it.'

Midnight Sun, a unique trait that freely converts divine power and spirit power.

Yoojin, who wields both contrasting powers, should be able to match Kronos's divine power, which is similar in nature to spirit power, with the red obsidian.

Fwoooosh—!

The red obsidian, which was strongly resisting, calmed down.

Whew—

Yoojin exhaled a long sigh.

'How much holy water did I use to get this?'

The red obsidian amplified the holy water and easily pushed out the presence of the [Constellation] remaining in the dead man's body.

Finally…

The moment Yoojin had been waiting for arrived.

"Answer my call."

The priest, raising its body.

The blue flames flickering in its eyes gradually became clearer.

Whooo—!

A milky white aura flickered from the newly risen corpse's two hands.

A current that even felt reverent.

‘Yes. It is the power symbolizing a priest, divine power.’

Yoojin thought.

And then—

"It worked!"

Yoojin murmured as if he couldn't believe it.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]