ASIN 03

Chapter 3

One of my new hobbies after becoming an unemployed shut-in was watching streams by Awakened Hunters.

Since they possessed physical abilities and techniques far beyond those of ordinary people, their bizarre broadcasts were entertaining enough just to watch.

“Pfft. They actually failed that.”

As I chuckled to myself, a newly started stream with an intriguing title appeared on the list.

[Beginner Necromancer: Raising an Army of One Million – Day 3]

“…”

Although all kinds of Hunters existed in today’s world, necromancers were still a rare breed.

Naturally…

I couldn’t help but be interested.

Click.

“Can you all see this? This is the Skeleton Archer I stayed up all night making yesterday. Doesn’t it look super strong?”

The moment I entered the stream, a cheerful young woman came into view.

She looked to be in her early twenties and gave off an energetic first impression.

Perhaps because she only had twenty-seven viewers, she noticed me immediately and greeted me.

“Oh! Welcome, LordOfHell12! Since you’re here, would you like to see a little trick?”

Before I even had a chance to respond, she handed a rubber bow to the skeleton, balanced an apple on top of her own head, and ran several meters away.

About five meters.

The skeleton obediently drew the bow.

Thwip!

Thunk!

“Ow!”

The arrow struck her square in the forehead.

It was truly awful marksmanship.

“Aw, come on! Hey! You did fine yesterday! Is it because I didn’t feed you?”

The chat exploded with laughter.

• LMAOOOO.

• If it can’t even hit that, how’s it supposed to fight?

• Our Skeleton’s low on mana, okay? LOL.

• Goo goo. I’m baby Skeleton Archer. Gib mana.

Some viewers jokingly played along.

Others weren’t nearly as kind.

• Wow, that’s seriously terrible. I came because I heard you were a beginner necromancer.

• If that’s your skill level, don’t even think about becoming a Hunter lol. Summoners have to identify friend from foe better than anyone.

“I’m still practicing! I’ll get better soon! Hehe.”

Even while reading those comments, she responded with an easy smile.

She seemed mentally tougher than she looked.

Watching her somehow warmed my heart.

…Beginners really are adorable.

Gathering materials little by little.

Making skeletons.

Adjusting the balance.

Improving her control step by step.

She looked exactly like someone just starting out.

And besides…

Most people who knew nothing were busy calling her hopeless.

I could tell otherwise.

She had genuine talent as a necromancer.

That skeleton was obviously cobbled together by a complete novice, yet it’s remarkably sturdy.

I’d only entered the stream out of boredom.

Now…

I was genuinely interested.

I clicked the Follow button before sending her a private whisper.

That’s not how you do it.

When you see a beginner…

It’s impossible to resist backseat coaching.

* * *

Who exactly is this person?

Song Ha-yeon had awakened only two months ago.

She was still a brand-new Hunter.

At the same time, she was also a rookie streamer.

Her Title was Corpse Enthusiast of the Graveyard.

She was one of Korea’s few necromancer-type Awakened.

That rarity was exactly why she’d decided to become a streamer.

She wasn’t confident she could ever become a high-ranking Hunter anyway.

Her goal was much simpler.

Earn enough money to live comfortably.

Today marked only the third day of her broadcasts.

She’d been steadily gathering viewers when someone rather unusual appeared.

That’s not how you do it.

Someone was giving advice to a beginner painstakingly learning how to create Skeleton-type undead.

Naturally, her first thought was that it was a troll.

Self-proclaimed internet experts were never worth trusting.

The reason she began to hesitate came after she finished reading the rest of the viewer’s advice.

Bury the materials in damp ground where sunlight never reaches? And soak them in animal blood?

The viewer continued.

Expose them to death energy whenever possible.

For three days.

…I do have the Death Energy Condensation skill, so I could try it…

It sounded incredibly troublesome.

If it was a prank, she’d be wasting both time and effort.

But…

The advice was far too detailed to dismiss as nonsense.

Out of curiosity, she asked about a few problems she’d encountered while making skeletons herself.

The viewer answered every question without hesitation.

Is this person actually another necromancer?

Someone with this much knowledge couldn’t be some random amateur.

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Ha-yeon followed every instruction given by the viewer named LordOfHell12.

The result shocked her.

“H-Huh?”

Clack.

Clack.

The skeleton she created possessed strength that was clearly different from before.

“This wasn’t a joke? It actually worked?”

At that point, she simply thought she’d been incredibly lucky.

She figured some veteran Hunter had stumbled upon her stream and decided to share a few useful tricks.

But then…

Do you have any mana stones? I’ll teach you a magic circle. Engrave it, bring it to a graveyard, and slowly gather death energy into it. It’ll become useful whenever you make other undead.

Then another message arrived.

Don’t waste time trying to train unintelligent undead that way. There’s a proper mechanism behind it. Just do exactly what I tell you.

The advice didn’t stop.

It became even more detailed.

Only then did Ha-yeon realize something was very wrong.

Who… is this person?

This wasn’t normal.

After all, even Korea’s greatest necromancer Hunter was only a high B-Rank.

And none of his combat footage showed techniques like these.

Which meant…

The viewer called LordOfHell12 wasn’t merely an experienced Hunter.

W-Why would someone like this help me…?

In modern society…

Power meant authority.

Knowledge like this was priceless.

Yet he was simply handing it out as though it meant nothing.

She couldn’t understand it.

Is this some sort of conspiracy? Am I going to get kidnapped or something?

Feeling increasingly anxious, she cautiously asked him about his intentions.

His reply was simple.

I’m just bored and felt like telling you. If you don’t want it, forget it.

It still didn’t make complete sense.

But somehow…

It didn’t feel like a lie.

Perhaps…

This was the greatest opportunity of her life.

No, Teacher! Please guide me! I’ll follow you forever! Is there anything you want in return?

Silence followed.

Just as she was about to send another message, a reply arrived.

Then do me one favor.

* * *

“…How ironic.”

I had never accepted a disciple in the other world.

Yet after losing all my power…

I unexpectedly ended up taking one.

From Song Ha-yeon, my temporary apprentice, I requested a particular item.

Three mana stones.

Each one had been personally infused with death energy by her.

Technically it’s illegal…

Still, they were only low-grade mana stones.

As long as nobody found out, it wasn’t a problem.

…Just as I thought.

Even here…

I still couldn’t sense it.

Death energy.

The essential source of power for every necromancer.

For some unknown reason, my current body was incapable of perceiving it.

But… if someone else has already gathered and refined it…

Could I still perform necromancy?

That was why I was currently standing on the neighborhood mountain in the freezing cold with my hoodie pulled over my head.

In theory… it should work.

I’d actually thought of this method quite some time ago.

But necromancer-type Awakened were practically nonexistent in Korea.

Finding someone to help had been impossible.

Even if I had…

There would’ve been no point, since I couldn’t accomplish anything by myself.

Now…

I’d changed my mind.

There was that sudden Gate Break in the neighboring district last week…

Fortunately, it had only been a Goblin Dungeon.

The casualties were limited to serious injuries.

But it could easily have become a major disaster.

Who knew?

Maybe I’d simply have terrible luck and die one day because of some random accident.

…I’d rather avoid that.

Looking at my current situation…

Luck clearly wasn’t on my side.

Preparing at least a little insurance couldn’t hurt.

Just in case.

Perfect timing.

There was a sparrow lying nearby.

It looked like it had only just died.

More than suitable for an experiment.

Thud.

I crouched before the tiny corpse and took out one of the mana stones filled with death energy.

Whoooom.

I still couldn’t sense death energy.

So I had no idea whether everything was proceeding correctly.

Fortunately…

I’d performed this ritual so many times in the other world that making mistakes was impossible.

Rustle.

As the spell was completed…

The remaining flesh and feathers rapidly crumbled into dust.

Success.

“Rise.”

The sparrow stood up.

Only its bones remained.

“Right wing.”

Click.

“Left wing.”

Clack.

Perfect.

It obeyed every command exactly.

For a long moment…

I stood there in silence.

Then an overwhelming surge of exhilaration washed through my body.

It actually worked.

Honestly…

I’d thought the odds were fifty-fifty.

Theoretically, it should have been possible.

Yet every previous failure had made it seem as though this world itself rejected the possibility.

But in the end…

I’d succeeded.

Perhaps it wasn’t much.

But it was the first real victory I’d achieved since returning to Earth.

How could I not be happy?

“Heh…”

A broad smile spread across my face.

No matter what happened…

I was still the Lord of Death.

The ruler of the Underworld.

In the end…

Even the laws of an entire dimension couldn’t completely suppress me.

I’m a real necromancer!

I can command the dead!

Sensing my excitement, the skeletal sparrow enthusiastically flapped its tiny wing bones.

Clack! Clack!

“That’s right.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

“Today calls for a celebration.”

I ran home as fast as I could…

And ordered fried chicken.

* * *

…He’s really enjoying himself.

After another exhausting day at work, Baek Seo-ha returned home.

Watching her brother happily eating the fried chicken he’d ordered…

She found herself smiling.

“Hehe. Here, you take the drumstick.”

“Ah… thanks.”

Whatever had happened today…

It had clearly made Baek Eun-ha genuinely happy.

He couldn’t stop smiling.

Does he even realize…

…how adorable he looks right now?

Even now, despite everything, he quietly placed the chicken drumstick onto her plate, acting every bit the caring older brother.

Watching him, Seo-ha couldn’t help thinking—

Maybe…

This kind of life wasn’t so bad after all.