/
I didn’t want to be hated. However, recently, I was gripped by anxiety over the current trajectory of our relationship; I was certain things shouldn’t continue as they had been. Even though, through the corners of my eyes, I could see Seo Dawon’s contorted expression–even though he felt alienated because I was pushing him away… In the end, I couldn’t apologize.
Seo Dawon stood up quietly from his seat; his fingers brushed against my face as if he were stroking it. Despite his cold expression, his fingertips were affectionate. “I understand. I understand, so…don’t look so tearful, Lee-kyung-ah.”
“……”
“How could I ever defy you…”
My breath caught in my throat–his words didn’t sound like sarcastic grumblings. Rather, the Mage seemed to be muttering to himself, ignorant of the fact that he had said that out loud.
Seo Dawon calmly stared down at me before turning his back to leave the room. Until the door closed, my hand that held the glass of water felt so heavy.
With a melancholic heart, I lowered my head. As soon as I did so, I noticed a new system message notification blinking just below my normal range of vision.
I hadn’t opened it yet, but that message was probably going to notify me of my growth and level-ups that occurred after Ryu Hyerin’s death. I recalled that I had pushed the window to the corner of my view as I dozed off on the way home after the operation.
However, strangely, I had no desire to check the message anytime soon. I raised my hand to touch the floating notification, but in the end, I couldn’t do anything and lowered my finger helplessly.
‘…This all started when I wanted to level up so badly, I even paid Kim Sang-yoon to help me…’
My past of running around so hard for level-ups felt so far away. Now, I had no deep desire to grow; anxiety and uncanny fear rushed deep into my heart rather than hopeful expectations.
To be frank, at some point I became afraid of level-ups rather than looking forward to them. That was because when I grew significantly, I had to summon a new guild member. And, when I entered and exited these [Vengeful Ghost Memories], I felt like I was losing humanity…my ego…
I kept feeling the guild members’ intense emotions–their resentment–as if they were my own. That wouldn’t be so bad by itself, but when their emotions rushed into me, it felt like my own emotions were pushed away to be destroyed somewhere… Like my judgements, my will, and my thoughts were serving my Servants rather than myself. So, I was often confused as to whether my thoughts or my desires were truly my own.
‘However, I can’t…say anything about this to the Servants.’ I released a depressed sigh. “Haah…”
I looked at the blinking status window once more. It felt as if I were glancing at some homework I had procrastinated; my body felt leaden.
The notification made me feel uncomfortable, and I didn’t want to touch it. Even without checking the status window, I could already predict that this most recent showdown with Ryu Hyerin resulted in extraordinary rewards. In other words, I should have gained the ability to summon another guild member. In addition, my friendship levels with Kim Olim, the one to actually defeat Ryu Hyerin, had increased significantly as well. My friendship levels with my Servants also greatly affected my stats.
‘I’m sure it’ll be better than before.’
That’s what I told myself…However, I couldn’t stop the flow of cold sweat running down my back.
‘I should summon them quickly and improve my class skills…’
Bae Jaemin was sure to be more aggressive than before since Ryu Hyerin had disappeared on him.
Actually, I’ve been pretty lucky until now. My enemies were careless because my class was so unrecognized. My actions went unnoticed as well when I dealt with them, one by one.
‘However, it’ll be different from now on.’
Our enemies will probably move in at least groups of two; things we don’t anticipate may occur during our operations. If I’m unlucky, Bae Jaemin will realize everything that had happened and may try to kill me straight away.
‘…And, if that were to really happen…’
I would have no way to avoid death except by using my hidden abilities–I would offer my vitality in exchange for summoning all the Servants simultaneously.
So, before then, I had planned to sign the contract with all the [Red Lotus] members as soon as possible and increase our friendship levels intensively. Drawing blood and utilizing it was all part of that plan. I wanted to experiment with taming the Servants. What would happen if I fed them my blood, especially with their varying levels of wariness and vigilance against me (Woo Ragi, Choi Kyung-sik, and Jung Garam in the order of most to least wariness)?
Actually, Jung Garam was open-minded and friendly enough that I felt sorry to lump the young Assassin in with the other two, but due to Garam-ie’s independent and free-spirited character, he seemed resistant to the idea of our dependent ‘Servant-Master’ relationship. Garam-ie enjoyed it when I stroked his head, but there was a wild possibility that the very same hand may be bitten at any time. Undoubtedly, Kim Olim and Seo Dawon were concerned over that aspect of Garam-ie’s character and wanted to pay close attention.
Only now have I begun to dimly understand these complex interworkings. And as I leveled up, this understanding–rather, insight–only deepens.
That is to say, back then I considered the Servants as completely separate entities; nowadays, the Servants felt like an unruly extension of my own body.
The other day, Seo Dawon had told me he was wary of opening his heart to me because he feared that a Servant would lose his own ego if he became subordinate to the Master. However, upon closer examination, it’s not just a unilateral disadvantage for the Servant…
‘I’ve also been constantly drawn towards the Servants…’
It’s a two-way phenomenon.
‘Well, come to think of it, I was also quite taken with Lackey when I first summoned it.’
Actually, I only ever had a Maltese as a pet before I met Lackey. And Lackey was a special being that was wholly different from a regular animal. No matter how small and cute the skeleton may be, it still looked like an undead creature.
However, I’ve always felt great affection for Lackey from the very beginning. I hardly felt any repulsion from its appearance. And, as my levels grew, that pattern repeated itself with my other Servants.
No matter how much Woo Ragi picks fights with me, that doesn’t bother me all that much anymore.
It was the same for Choi Kyung-sik. His mysterious, ambiguous smile made me wonder what he was thinking rather than immediately feeling social discomfort.
When Garam-ie whined and clung to me, I wanted to embrace him at his level.
When Kim Olim stood behind me, I felt comfortable. I was certain the mere sight of the Paladin made me uncomfortable at first.
‘And, Seo Dawon…’
With Seo Dawon, I wanted to do anything for him. Whatever he wanted…
“What strange emotions.” I knew that my heart leaned towards them even as I whispered to myself. I also knew that the Mage never wanted me to think this way–to be influenced by his presence in this manner. Furthermore, his deepest wishes couldn’t be resolved single-handedly with my lacking ability.
More and more frequently, my rational thought processes were becoming paralyzed. Especially when Seo Dawon looked at me…When he called my name, looking down at me with those crimson eyes…
‘Who knows what would happen if my level rises even higher?’
Will Servants and Master eventually amalgamate into one codependent lump? Will I think of them as siblings? Family? Or as part of my body? Will I become obsessed?
‘Right now, I still find the warping of my thoughts strange, but, if I succeed in summoning another member and continue to boost my Necromancer abilities…’
I felt as if I had fallen into a swamp. Could I continue like this? Anxiety washed over me.
Did Seo Dawon feel the same way in the beginning? Did he also feel like he had to walk straight into a clearly visible trap? However, Seo Dawon eventually opened up to me. Then, and only then, did I finally fully grasp his conflict.
I returned from my contemplations, smiled bitterly, and pressed the system message notification that had been blinking for a long while.
‘Anyways, now I…’
There was nothing I could do. The only road to survival was to kill the enemy.
And, in front of my eyes, a flamboyant congratulatory message flashed before me–almost as if the system was congratulating me for my realization.
[Your level has risen significantly after soothing a Servant’s grudge.]
[A new class skill has been unlocked.]
[For succeeding at a revenge far beyond one’s ability, the Necromancer’s abilities have greatly increased.]
[ Name: Choi Lee Kyung – Lv 225
Class: Intermediate Necromancer
HP-771,200
MP-101,000
Title:
Sweeter than Candy – Revenge truly is sweet.
< The title, ‘Sweeter than Candy’ can only be obtained by users who, in the pursuit of revenge, inflict irreparable damage on their target without suffering retaliation or damage in return. While using this title, the title’s special skill, ‘Counter Attack’ may activate– doubling the damage from an enemy’s physical or magic attack and returning it back at the opponent.>
Those Who Cross the Line – Not all are fortunate enough to come back from the brink of death.
<The title ‘Those Who Cross the Line’ increases luck by +10% while the title is being used. There is a 0.1% chance you can avoid instant death.>
Greenhorn Adventurer – You’ve tasted the bitterness of life!
<While using the title ‘Greenhorn Adventurer’, movement speed will increase by 5%>
Main Stats (The three highest stats will be preferentially shown here):
Magic : 888
Magic control : 10.4%
Movement Speed : 29.7% (+7.23%)
>Skill
– Summon Evil Spirits
[Summon Vengeful Ghosts: Proficiency 100%, Rank: Highest Rank]
[Summon Sacrificial Sffering: Proficiency 0.7%, Rank: Lowest Rank]
.
.
-Possession
When certain conditions are met, the Servant can use the Summoner’s body.
– Death Mark
""
After special conditions are met, you can attach a death mark to the enemy. A living enemy marked by death will suffer a significant loss in defense; furthermore, you can gain additional experience from the marked enemy.
– Shinigami’s Book
You can summon a soul within one hour after their death and look into the soul’s memories.
– Seal Spirit
You can seal a soul into a weapon in order to enchant it.
– Eternal Night (Field Type) <new!>
The Necromancer can create the best possible environment for themselves within a set range. Up to 12 hours. The field increases all the Servant’s skill attack power by 20%.]
TL: You know, I thought the author had completely forgotten about the previous Necromancer Class skill gained…but it’s right there: “seal spirit”
That sounds…really OP and evil. I’m sure the sealing process isn’t pleasant.
Also, damn, that’s some deep introspection Lee-kyung-ah. You’re really thinking things through… You’re really the Necromancer pioneer.
ALSO CHAPTER 300! Woot! I can’t belive we’ve gone this far!!