The Saint Who Levels Up Through Necromancy

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 98: Welcoming the Guest (1)

〔Khahaha! Talent has walked in on its own feet.〕

‘Quiet down, I need to think.’

The situation with Kang Minho and Minyeong was different. Yoojin found them when they were just starting out, before they became famous.

Even then, it took a while for Yoojin to fully trust them as colleagues.

‘But this Snake Eye guy... he's another story.’

Mirror Hunters are known for being incredibly reliable mercenaries. They always complete their contracts.

‘Based on what I remember from my past life, they can be trusted, but only after you've built a strong relationship with them. Now, if I were to consider Snake Eye as a potential ally like the Mirror Hunters... Well, that's just not going to happen.’

‘I killed this guy.’

〔Was he hired to kill you like the Mirror Hunters?〕

‘No. He targeted me right after I hunted a Drake. He's the type who does anything for money, even betrays his clients.’

He scoffed.

‘He actually tried to justify it by saying the contract ended when the Drake died. What a load of—’

〔Bullshit! Is that how these things work now?〕

Yoojin glared at Snake Eye, his expression hardening.

“I refuse.”

“I know this is rude of me, but please reconsider!”

“No. I'm satisfied with the money I earned.”

“I need more money. And I need your help for that.”

“Not my problem.”

He'd only helped Snake Eye out of amusement, a way to pass the time in the arena. Besides, who knew when he'd be back in this place?

Money-making opportunities like this weren't exactly common. He'd used his future knowledge to give Snake Eye a chance, and lined his own pockets in the process. But that didn't mean he trusted the guy.

Yoojin wasn't about to befriend someone who'd tried to kill him in his past life. That was a line he wouldn't cross, no matter how useful Snake Eye might be.

“But why do you need money?”@@novelbin@@

“My daughter is very sick.”

Snake Eye pleaded, a flicker of desperation in his eyes.

Yoojin paused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.

‘Daughter?’

This was news to him. Snake Eye had always been tight-lipped about his personal life, preferring to keep his sins hidden in the shadows.

He stroked his chin, considering the new information.

‘Interesting... perhaps this could be useful.’

A slight smile spread across Yoojin's face.

“Here's my business card.”

“Mr. Cheon, Korea?”

“I have a job as a Saint. If you want to treat your daughter, come to Korea.”

Yoojin left the arena, leaving behind the dazed Snake Eye holding the business card.

〔That's unusual mercy for you.〕

‘What mercy?’

〔Even though he was your enemy in your previous life, you heard his story and decided to help him?〕

‘If he brings his daughter to Korea, she becomes an excellent hostage.’

Yoojin mused, a calculating glint in his eyes.

‘If I were truly going to heal her, I would've told him to come see me immediately. Why bother with the business card and the invitation to Korea?’

〔So you had such a sinister intention in mind all along!〕

‘I don't even know if she can be healed in the first place.’

Future knowledge wasn't a guarantee of anything, and Snake Eye's relentless pursuit of wealth even in the future suggested his daughter's condition might be chronic. Perhaps a complete cure was impossible.

But then again, maybe not.

With the Saint's divine power, Shin Joonseok's alchemy skills, and his own knowledge from the past, they might just find a way.

‘Either way, I have nothing to lose.’

Snake Eye might be a treacherous mercenary, but his abilities were undeniable. Having him in his debt could prove invaluable.

Even Yoojin, aware of the possibility of betrayal, used him to hunt a Drake.

Imagine exploiting the weakness of such a person.

‘Sweet. So sweet.’

It's like he gained something bigger than 4 billion won.

〔You're heartless!〕

‘I'm just recycling incinerator waste. How kind of me.’

〔This is the end of the world.〕

Kronos clicked his tongue in disapproval.

＊ ＊ ＊

“What kind of overseas trip was this?”

“We got tricked, didn't we?”

“But we got what we wanted. Thanks to you, hyung-nim.”

Yoojin could hear the disappointment in Minho's voice, despite his attempt to be supportive.

Before they left for Korea, Alice Kim saw Yoojin's group off.

“Mr. Cheon, if you ever need anything in America, please don't hesitate to contact me."

“I won't.”

He hadn't heard of Little Angels before.

America was a vast place, and although they were apparently a powerful guild in California, they hadn't crossed his radar.

Still, Yoojin thought—

'There's no reason to refuse a potentially useful ally.'

He had no connections in America.

Gaining a collaborator to help him seize future opportunities was a huge gain in itself.

As soon as he returned to Korea, he called Madam.

-You know you're the only man I contact this often, right?

“I don't want to know that.”

-Hmph. You're no fun.

“It's a bit strange to hear that from someone who pursues a professional relationship more than anyone else, don't you think?”

He could hear her scoffing through the receiver.

-The Rakshasa Guild has been gradually withdrawing hunters from the areas it manages.

“It's obvious where they're aiming.”

-They've also been buying up anti-monster weapons and supplies. The atmosphere in Busan's underworld is a mess because it feels like they're about to start a war.

“You've gathered quite detailed information despite the short time frame.”

-Who do you think I am? I'm the madam of the Milky Way Pub.

‘I know you're very capable.’

Even before regressing, Yoojin had found Madam's information network incredibly useful.

His unique ability to build the Necropolis as part of his personality meant that interacting with the organizations in Ground Zero was unavoidable. He'd always been drawn into their world.

'But, this time around, Madam and I are much closer than in my past life.'

He briefly reflected on the memories of their previous relationship, now buried in the altered timeline, before speaking again.

“How long do you think it will take the Rakshasa Guild to finish their preparations?”

-About five days.

“That's quite fast.”

-There's been unusual activity within the Rakshasa Guild's territory.

“Thank you for looking into it.”

-Don't mention it. I'll give you your change next time.

The information that the Arhan Guild had established the Rakshasa Guild as a satellite organization and to handle dirty work.

This meant that the information he had requested about the Rakshasa Guild wasn't enough to cover the value of the information she had provided.

“I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it.”

-As if you would.

Madam ended the conversation with a chuckle.

Five days.

It was quite a tight timeframe to prepare to receive guests.

〔Do you intend to have your subordinates participate as well?〕

‘It’s time to make a decision.’

He glanced at his companions, and Kang Minho stepped forward.

“Hyung-nim, please give us your orders.”

“What orders?”

“Don’t you have something to say to us?”

“Have you learned mind-reading or something?”

“I can more or less tell by your expression.”

‘Oh? So now you can tell what I'm thinking just by looking at my face?’

The corners of Yoojin's lips curled up slightly at Kang Minho's answer.

‘Not bad.’

A subordinate who can read his thoughts just from his small actions and changes in expression.

In his previous life, he had no one to trust except the undead he had subjugated with mental restraints.

His heart warmed with a sense of reassurance he hadn't felt before his return.

Yoojin briefly summarized the situation he had heard from Madam and told the Little Runts team.

“A W-War on crime? What kind of thing is that?”

‘War… I like the sound of that.’

A grim smile appeared on his face and he turned his gaze to the three of them.

"I won't blame any of you if you don't want to participate, but if you're not prepared to kill, it's better to stay out of it."

“Oppa, that's hurtful.”

“Hurtful?”

Yoojin raised an eyebrow.

“It's like we're just sticking with you to reap the benefits and then backing out.”

Kang Minyeong's usual playful demeanor was gone. She spoke with a quiet determination that surprised Yoojin.

“No, that's not what I meant. I'm saying you shouldn't get involved with that kind of half-baked sense of responsibility.”

“Honestly, I thought about it a lot, but I decided that if something like this ever happened, I wouldn't back down.”

Yoojin turned his attention to the other two.

"Do you both agree with Minyeong?”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

“It's scary, but I want to be with you.”

Yoojin then let out a groan, and Kronos noticed.

〔Now that those small humans have made up their minds, shouldn't you respond accordingly?〕

‘It's a battle with many variables. I honestly don't want to involve them.’

〔Your subordinates are not toddlers. They are capable individuals who have chosen to follow you.〕

‘That's true, but…’

〔Can you ignore the hearts of those who trust and follow you?〕

His head nodded unconsciously.

Kronos's advice, sharply piercing his vulnerable points.

‘Constellation… Thank you for your advice.’

He muttered briefly and met the eyes of each member of the Little Runts team.

“You must follow my instructions carefully.”

“Okay.”

“I'll follow them as long as you don't tell me to charge in blindly.”

“Hyung-nim, just give me any orders.”

‘Alright then, you've made your decision. And I won't go easy on you. Be prepared to push yourselves harder than you ever have before.’

＊ ＊ ＊

The war with the Rakshasa Guild was a bit different from hunting the Red Spiders.

'My enemies are fully prepared this time.'

He remembered how he'd exploited the information imbalance during the Red Spider hunt.

Back then, he had deliberately wandered around the Blackherb Farm, drawing attention to himself.

By imitating the behavior of Manhunters, he'd lured the Red Spider's forces into a trap, manipulating their movements to his advantage.

It had been easy to set up ambushes by burying corpses beforehand, knowing the enemy wouldn't suspect a thing.

〔Isn't it the same that you are on the defending side this time as well?〕

‘It's a little different.’

The Arhan Guild had thoroughly investigated Yoojin's movements.

By now, they would have figured out that he handles the undead.

The reason he could have fun during the Red Spiders hunt was because the enemy was unaware of the corpses, the medium of the explosion.

‘If Rakshasa goes on the offensive, they will meticulously check if there are any corpses on the battlefield.’

〔Then you have no choice but to fight head-on.〕

Something he couldn't avoid from the moment he decided to expand his power.

Fortunately, he had made large undead in advance, conscious of the Manhunter.

The group immediately crossed over to the border area.

They arrived at the site where the first black spire was built.

【Master, no gifts for your loyal servant?】

"No gifts this time, but I do have some good news."

He quickly explained the situation with the Rakshasa Guild and the impending conflict.

【What's so good about that?】

Fafnir rumbled, perplexed.

"You'll have the chance to crush Arhan's minions with your own hands."

【Ah, now that is good news indeed!】

Yoojin chuckled at Fafnir's eagerness.

The massive dragon was already excitedly puffing out gusts of air, whistling with anticipation.

'To think he can control his spirit power so precisely even in that form.'

Yoojin marveled.

"How many Brutals have you managed to create?"

He asked, turning to the task at hand.

【I've managed to create five Brutals so far.】

"Five? That's more than I expected."

【However, there's a slight problem.】

"I figured as much. Their performance isn't quite up to par, is it?"

He'd anticipated this issue.

Jo Seungchul’s necromancy skills were simply not advanced enough to create large undead with optimal efficiency.

While the [Giant's Tomb] handled the core aspects of the creation process, it was ultimately the necromancer who controlled the finer details of the structure.

With his limited proficiency, the Brutals' overall completeness and combat capabilities were inevitably compromised.

【How did you know?】

“I entrusted it to you with that in mind.”

He gathered the Brutals, despite their incomplete state.

Some had mismatched arm lengths.

Others had their magic circuits incorrectly inscribed, resulting in reduced specs.

【I apologize, Master.】

"One mistake is fine. If you do the same thing next time, it's no longer a mistake."

【I will keep that in mind.】

"Watch carefully how I fix this."

Spirit Power gathered at the end of the staff embedded with the [Fragment of the Void].

Yoojin skillfully handled the whitish energy and quickly repaired the Brutals with broken balances.

The twisted arm positions were aligned.

As some of the magic circuits were fixed, the spirit power that had been leaking out meaninglessly circulated throughout the Brutal's entire body.

【As expected of Master, you’re amazing!】

"Don't say obvious things."

Fixing the Brutals was just the beginning.

Yoojin checked the number of undead stationed at each spire.

⋯⋯⋯

-Skeleton Warrior (3 Stars): 75 units.

-Armored Skeleton (2 Stars): 193 units.

-Skeleton Mage (2 Stars): 20 units.

⋯⋯⋯

Currently, the main force of the Necropolis was the Armored Skeletons.

Yoojin stroked his chin.

"This won't do. I need to replace them all."

【With Skeleton Warriors instead of Armored Skeletons?】

"Yup."

To bolster the Necropolis's defenses, Yoojin needed to replace the weaker Armored Skeletons with more powerful Skeleton Warriors.

However, creating Skeleton Warriors required the corpses of monsters that were 3 Stars or higher when alive.

This meant Yoojin had his work cut out for him. He would need to venture out and hunt down suitable corpses to strengthen his undead army.

But that wasn't all.

[Using Bone Wall.]

He traversed the mist-shrouded border region, erecting bone barriers in strategic locations.

The area, where monsters constantly spawned, provided an abundance of bones—a ready supply of material to fuel his Bone Wall creation.

Constructing a defensive line here was surprisingly efficient.

〔That defense line seems a bit excessive, doesn't it?〕

‘"I'm not trying to protect the entire territory.’

Yoojin had strategically erected Bone Walls throughout the territory for two main reasons.

Firstly, they acted as an early warning system, allowing him to detect the Rakshasa Guild's movements and anticipate their attacks.

More importantly, these barriers would channel the enemy forces, restricting their movements and forcing them to advance according to Yoojin's design.

'Whether I deploy my forces there or not, these walls create chokepoints where I can intercept the enemy at an advantageous location.'

The thick fog already limited visibility, and with the Bone Walls obstructing their path, the Rakshasa Guild hunters would find it difficult to advance quickly or effectively.

〔Are your preparations complete?〕

'Not even close.'

Yoojin replied, shaking his head.

'Welcoming guests requires meticulous preparation, especially when those guests are bringing war to my doorstep.'

There was still so much to do. He needed to refine his strategies, strengthen his forces, and ensure that Necropolis was fully prepared for the coming conflict.

Exhaustion gnawed at him, but Yoojin couldn't afford to rest just yet.

He activated the health recovery spell embedded within the [Pheidippides' Necklace], a surge of revitalizing energy coursing through his weary body.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]