The Necromancer Who Was Despised

It’s not something that’s used temporarily, but a type of undead creation that can be maintained indefinitely, as long as it’s properly supplied with magic power.

For a necromancer who’s using undead summoning for the first time, this could be considered too high of a difficulty level.

I, too, had a high probability of failing. No, to be honest, the probability of success was extremely low.

In that sense, a corpse that fails summoning can’t be reused, so it could be seen as a loss… .

‘But it’s a benefit to me.’

It doesn’t matter if I fail. No, I’m trying it on the premise of failure in the first place.

Its a method that the Demon King and my teacher used in the past to help me grow.

Even if I fail while trying magic that’s a little bit higher level than my limit, I’ll still grow.

My body becomes more accustomed to magic, and the vessel that holds the magic itself grows, so there’s no better way to grow the vessel if that’s the goal.

In a way, it’s similar to muscle growth. However, it’s not without its drawbacks.

‘It’s good for growing the vessel as a magician, but it’s not so good for improving skill.’

A magician isn’t strong just because their vessel is large.

Just as a warrior isn’t good just because they’re strong, a magician isn’t all that great just because their mana pool is large.

There’s also a limit to that. When your mana pool gets larger and you can’t grow any further with the previous method, trying higher level magic will result in a huge backlash.

When your skill is severely lacking compared to your body, you could even die from the side effects of a failed spell.

There are cases where a high-ranking magician tries to use high-level magic while they’re seriously injured, and their body can’t withstand it and they die. This could be seen as the opposite of that.

However, I don’t have to worry about that. I’ve already accumulated enough skill in my previous playthrough, and this is the magic I’ve chosen after considering my current physical condition.

In other words, from my current standpoint, this method is the best way to grow without any drawbacks and only benefits.

Creak, clank.

“Hmm?”

The magic activates, and soon the sound of bones clanking can be heard.

I look down in surprise, and a skeleton is struggling to raise its body.

‘Nenson’s corpse.’

“… “I thought it would succeed.”

I mutter to myself without realizing it.

To be honest, I thought I would fail completely.

No matter how many times I’ve played or how good my skill is, my body’s vessel is incredibly small.

I did use a sacrifice, but it was such a low level that I never imagined I’d be able to get my hands on an undead already.

I calm my surprised heart. This is a benefit to me, not a loss.

Instead, a faint smile appears on my face.

An unexpected turn of events occurred right after that.

“Ugh!”

I hear a sound like someone swallowing a surprised gasp from somewhere, and I quickly draw my weapon and run towards the direction of the sound.

It could be seen as a blunder.

There was no reason for people to be wandering around at this hour.

There wasn’t a Hwajeonmin village nearby, and the wanderers wouldn’t be moving at this hour.

I had let my guard down a little.

‘Surely there wouldn’t be anyone… surely it’s not someone sent by Kuman?’

That was unlikely.

I’m not an idiot.

I checked earlier.

Kuman didn’t put anyone on me.

‘Then who?’

Even though my current body is lacking, or rather, because my body is lacking, I checked carefully, so I don’t think I was being followed.

But in reality, there was someone who saw me using dark magic.

So I was surprised and took action right away.

‘I need to kill them.’

I have to get rid of the witness.

I can’t be caught using dark magic yet.

‘At least Class 4.’

That’s what I need to become a full-fledged mercenary and receive protection from the mercenary guild.

If it’s revealed that I’m using dark magic now, I could be thrown out into the world without any protection.

If that happens, it’s over.

Other dark magicians might have a way, but not me.

‘I can’t end up like my previous life.’

I’ll end up as the incarnation of the Demon King or an artifact of the dark magicians.

That’s why I couldn’t let the witness live.

The opponent seemed surprised that I responded so quickly.

As I charged, the opponent got up and blocked my sword.

Clang!

“Ugh….”

Something feels a little strange.

‘Weaker than I thought?’

It’s not the weakness in a head-on confrontation typical of assassins.

The more times our swords clashed, the more I could tell. It just seemed like they didn’t have much combat experience.

Or maybe they’re not used to fighting in the dark, but it’s nonsense that an assassin, of all people, wouldn’t be used to fighting in the dark.

And the condition of their sword is also strange.

Every time they clashed, I could feel that the quality of their sword wasn’t very good.

The moment I first noticed the opponent, I thought they were an assassin.

I even expected them to be quite skilled, because if they weren’t, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed them following me.

This wasn’t arrogance.

Mana, in my case, magic power, but those who realize and use it have senses that are on a different level than ordinary humans.

No matter how lacking my physical abilities may be, I wouldn’t allow myself to be followed by someone of such low skill.

Besides, I’m a second-timer. I may not know about physical abilities, but my experience and skill aren’t lacking.

Even I checked with caution.

Even so, I didn’t notice my opponent at all, so the idea that my opponent would be a high-level assassin could be called a reasonable inference, not arrogance.

However, the skill of the opponent I actually ran into and the state of their weapon are strange.

Clang, clang!

“Ugh, cough…!”

It’s not just combat experience.

‘If I think about it… There’s no reason for a high-level assassin to be surprised just because they saw an undead monster.’

Their physical abilities are also inferior to mine.

To say it bluntly, they’re at the level of a low-ranking mercenary.

Despite that, they blocked several of my attacks and quickly looked around their surroundings.

‘Are they thinking of running away?’

Of course, I had no intention of letting them go.

Just in case, I secretly made a corner for them to escape to.

Then, my opponent’s eyes lit up.

“Hah!”

They immediately took advantage of the opening I gave them and launched a strong attack.

I lightly dodged the attack and at the same time stretched out my leg in the direction my opponent was trying to escape.

“Ack!”

My opponent moved according to my intentions with ridiculous ease.

Instinctively, they tried to roll over and get up, but my sword was already at their neck.

‘Originally, I was going to kill them right away, but…’

Since my opponent’s condition was strange, I thought I’d look into it further.

“Who are you? Who sent you?”

At that moment, the moon, which had been hiding behind the clouds, revealed itself and illuminated the surroundings.

‘A woman…’

I wasn’t particularly surprised.

This world is not Earth.

Even if you were born female, there were plenty of ways to become stronger than men.

From the voice I had heard intermittently, I could guess that they were female.

However, their appearance was strange.

Black hair and red eyes. Black hair isn’t that common in this world, but it’s not unheard of either.

Red eyes were certainly unusual, but that wasn’t what caught my attention.

‘…Just by looking at their appearance, they’re nothing more than a tramp…’

Old clothes, dirty demeanor.

As expected, the quality of their weapon also seemed to be quite poor.

I wondered how they maintained it, as there was even rust in some places.

Furthermore, they didn’t seem to eat well, as their limbs were quite thin.

‘With this body, they managed to withstand my attacks…’

A mana user.

“This one is a talent, isn’t she?”

She might even be a genius.

Using mana was something that was only possible by combining talent and effort.

In particular, sensing mana without the mana breathing technique was something that was impossible unless one had immense talent.

‘Judging from her appearance, it’s unlikely that she has the mana breathing technique.’

Unless her ancestors were knights and the mana breathing technique had been inherited through the generations, she didn’t look like she had the financial resources to acquire the mana breathing technique.

I quickly made a judgment about my opponent.

However, I continued to question her separately.

“Why were you following me?”

“Do you not intend to answer?”

A talent, possibly even a genius.

If she was an enemy, I absolutely could not let her live.

I was contemplating whether to torture her to extract information or simply kill her when she finally spoke.

“So the slave trader’s new dog is a black magician…”

She definitely wasn’t someone sent by Kuman.

When she said that she was a slave trader, the anger and hatred in her voice didn’t sound like an act.

‘Is she someone who holds a grudge against Kuman?’

Given her profession, it wouldn’t be strange at all if she had a grudge.

But then, I suddenly had the strange feeling that her face looked familiar.

‘Where have I seen her?’

I could have just ignored it. But I had the feeling that I absolutely couldn’t let it go.

I used my sword to lift her chin.

Her lips were pursed.

Her red eyes glared at me with intense hatred and a hint of fear.

“…Ah.”

I remembered.

‘Why is she here?’

I hid my surprise.

Yes, she was definitely a genius. I even knew her name.

‘Atina.’

Kuman’s direct slave and bodyguard.

At the same time…

‘The one who slit Kuman’s throat.’

When the territory collapsed, Kuman tried to escape through a secret passage that he had prepared in advance.

He took only a few useful, expensive slaves and those who followed him through the secret passage, and among them were me and Atina.

I was a servant who would be sold for a high price to the upper class and a candidate for sexual slavery, and Atina was Kuman’s personal bodyguard and, like me, a slave candidate who would be sold for a high price.

Overflowing talent, beautiful appearance.

Along with me, she was Kuman’s greatest asset to help him rise again.

However, Atina rebelled alone, killed all of Kuman’s other bodyguards, and even slit Kuman’s throat.

‘After that… she committed suicide.’

Now I get it.

‘I can use this.’

I knew the reason why she had a grudge against Kuman.

At the same time, I realized that she had no backing whatsoever.

The future changed because I acted differently from the first time around.

‘If I hadn’t been here, she would have moved alone to harm Nenson or Kuman.’