The Saint Who Levels Up Through Necromancy

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 73: Knowing it's a trap means it's no longer a trap (3)

The first battle ended in a landslide victory.

They had slaughtered 40 monsters without a single casualty among their party.

Despite their lower ranks compared to Yoojin and Jang Miseon, they capitalized on their individual specialties and maintained control throughout the fight.

"Werewolves are certainly strong."

"My attacks barely even fazed them."

"It's alright for you, senior, since you have silver arrows. But not for me."

The three reviewed their recent fight.

Jang Miseon watched them with a dazed expression before turning to Yoojin.

"Those orders you gave earlier... what were they?"

"What do you mean? I was just instructing you on how to fight efficiently."

"Yoojin-nim's leadership wasn't just promising, it was superior to even the veterans in the Phoenix's first unit."

"I do have a decent sense of comparison."

There are a few key qualities that are important for a Necromancer.

Yoojin considered the 'eye' for battle to be the most crucial.

The undead's judgment was inferior to when they were alive.

Unless they were undead strengthened by [Unification] or high-ranking undead...

Lower or mid-ranking undead were prone to making foolish mistakes if not properly commanded.

'Commanding a mere five people is child's play.'

In his past life, he had commanded an army of ten thousand alone, without even a single adjutant.

This experience gave him invaluable insight into the strengths and weaknesses of individuals and how to best utilize them within a group.

He had already grasped the unique characteristics of each member of his current team.

Furthermore, the intense battle at the Paju Workshop, while a difficult experience, allowed him to observe Jang Miseon in action, giving him a good understanding of her combat abilities and skills.

'Factoring in the stat increase from reaching 3 Stars, this should be a piece of cake.'

A double dungeon?

A trap laid with the help of the Romanov clan?

The Arhan attack squad?

'This force is more than enough to break through.'

A smile spread across Yoojin's face as he finished his calculations.

"So, what do you think? Can you trust me?"

"I trusted you from the beginning, that's why I entrusted you with command. Now I'm certain."

"Let's go without delay."

"Um, hyung-nim. Are we just going to leave the corpses behind?"

"You don't reveal your hand right away."

The Arhan attack squad was unaware of Yoojin's true specialty.

This was because most of them had been dealt with by Fafnir during the attack on the three gates.

Only Jang Miseon, unaware of the reason, had a question mark floating above her head.

＊ ＊ ＊

A Stately Mansion

Song Myeongseok looked down from the rooftop of the three-story building.

"They're certainly struggling, aren't they?"

He saw Yoojin and his party below, having just finished their battle.

Although the crimson fog obstructed his vision, it had no effect on Song Myeongseok.

In his right hand, he held a spiral-shaped red crystal.

The Gate Core, which had been fused with the boss monster, was clutched in his grasp.

"Send in 40 more werewolves and 30 vampires."

"Yes, My Lord."

"Grrrr."

A monster a head taller than an ordinary werewolf.

The man with sharp fangs standing next to him acknowledged Song Myeongseok's order.

The boss monsters of the double dungeon.

The [Mad Werewolf] and the [Starving Vampire].

"The Co-leader is truly remarkable. To have prepared even this..."

A control device created by linking the cores of the two gates.

It was equipped with various functions, such as giving instructions to the boss monsters and altering the structure of the gate.

As soon as Song Myeongseok entered the double dungeon, he changed its structure to a serial configuration.

He gathered the monsters that had been split into two paths and had them confront Yoojin's group.

"Team Leader, are you sure this is alright?"

"Then are you suggesting we let them go?"

The team member who had asked the question turned pale at Song Myeongseok's cold retort.

His right hand constantly fiddled with the red crystal.

Overwhelmed by the feeling that he might die if he gave the wrong answer, the team member could only stammer, unable to utter another word.

"We have all taken the oath of silence."

An oath not to divulge anything that happened within the gate.

A contract made in the presence of a mage from the Romanov clan, renowned as a magic family.

The ability to manipulate a gate at will.

It was certain to cause tremendous repercussions if it became public knowledge.

Furthermore, the 'accident' that was about to unfold within must not be revealed to the outside world.

"Those people haven't taken the oath, have they?"

"That's correct."

"Wouldn't it be problematic if this secret got out?"

Song Myeongseok conveniently omitted the fact that the double dungeon itself was a trap.

Nevertheless...

The team member couldn't bring himself to point that out.

"Um, Team Leader Song Myeongseok, but is it necessary to send the monsters in separate waves?"

"There's no need to rush the hunt."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

There was no space behind the gate entrance.

Even with the numerical advantage gained by controlling the monsters, it was difficult to take advantage of it in a confined space.

"If we place the golem we saw earlier at the front, it would be quite troublesome."

Song Myeongseok was not blinded by rage.

To bury the two people who had fueled his inferiority complex, he had to give it his all.

There was a reason for sending the monsters in separate waves.

"To investigate the mutated gate, we have to move slowly."

"Ah, so you're trying to wear down their stamina..."

"It's a relief that you understand, even now. There's no need for me to say it twice."

The gate regenerated monsters at regular intervals.

Even if they were deployed sequentially to deplete the monsters, reinforcements would soon arrive.

On the other hand, Yoojin's party had limited strength.

"As they repeatedly engage in battles, their stamina and mana will dwindle."

"We can attack when they're exhausted."

Song Myeongseok's judgment was rational.

The information from the preceding attack team had become useless.

In this situation, it was clear they would follow the standard strategy for attacking the gate.

Enveloping the mansion in crimson fog also served to restrict Yoojin's group from making any bold moves.

"They won't be able to recklessly charge in since they can't see what's inside."

A murderous glint flickered in Song Myeongseok's eyes.

The Arhan attackers cautiously observed his expression and remained silent.

Fear gnawed at their hearts, worried that they might become dog food like Yoojin's group if they inadvertently provoked him.

'Jang Miseon, and Cheon Yoojin. I will make your deaths especially agonizing.'

Squeeze—

He clenched the red crystal in his hand with all his might.

＊ ＊ ＊

[Verdian Basic Spear Technique]

[Sixth Stance]

[Full Power Thrust.]

A single ray of light cut through the air.

The bone spear plunged into the werewolf's gaping maw, tearing through its soft flesh and scrambling its brain.

"Kugh, grrr."

The werewolf, its head pierced, twitched a few times before collapsing.

"Damn, this thing is heavy."

Yoojin grumbled as he retrieved his bone spear.

Just as one hand can't block ten, their two vanguards couldn't mark all the werewolves rushing at them.

That's when Yoojin stepped in.

[Using Bone Wall.]

[Using Unholy Shock Shield.]

He used the catalysts he had carefully collected to block the werewolves' path.

And those that broke through the bone wall were warmly greeted with the [Verdian Basic Spear Technique].

His stats, boosted by Life Drain, were comparable to a martial arts Hunter.

The [Unholy Blessing], which acted as a debuff on living beings, didn't harm him, so he had tripled his buffs.

As long as they didn't swarm him, there was no danger.

"Yoojin-nim, what exactly is your class?"

"You know I'm a Priest, why are you asking?"

"What kind of Priest uses bones and spears so well, and even commands so effectively?"

Jang Miseon grumbled with a pout.

"Hyung-nim, that's the seventh one already."

"They're not giving us any breathing room."

Yoojin replied calmly and used [Life Drain] on the corpses of the werewolf and vampire.

Although the efficiency of extracting life force from the dead was lower, thanks to the five consecutive attacks, there were plenty of corpses, and he absorbed enough life force.

[You can no longer increase your stats with the life force of this species.]

[Stats Acquired]

[Strength: 25.5]

[Agility: 16.6]

[Stamina: 22.3]

[Toughness: 27.9]

[Spirit: 42.1]

A total of 134.4.

Since the level-up bonus increased to 20 upon reaching 3 Stars, he gained the equivalent of 6 levels worth of stats just from absorbing life force.

'The stronger the monster, the more stats it provides.'

One of the reasons Hunters were crazy about elixirs was that they could increase their stats outside of leveling up.

Life Drain was a skill that allowed him to continuously raise his stats without elixirs.

Come to think of it, it truly was an exceptional divine spell.

Even after raising all his stats, the absorbed life force was put to good use.

"Whew, thanks to you, I feel energized."

Kang Minho said with a relieved expression.

Life Drain was a divine spell that could convert accumulated life force into any stat, such as stamina, health recovery, or mana.

He used the life force drawn from the corpses to relieve the fatigue from the battle.

"I can't do anything about mental fatigue. Manage your condition well."

"Yes, sir."

Yoojin meticulously managed the physical and mental condition of his team.

The most crucial aspect of a war of attrition is maintaining focus.

On the battlefield, a single small mistake can lead to fatal consequences.

He didn't have to worry about the undead losing their concentration, but he had to constantly be mindful of the humans.

'This should be enough to last until we complete the attack.'

The gate was small-scale.

The number of monsters inside was limited.

Even though they were being produced within the gate, they weren't regenerating by the hundreds at a time.

'Their forces are also finite.'

Once the number of monsters fell below a certain threshold, they would be forced into a full-frontal assault.

Yoojin waited for that moment, steadily taking down the monsters one by one.

"They should be tired by now. Why do they seem so fine?"

"Cheon Yoojin, is he really a Priest? His spear skills are like a martial artist's."

"What about the rest of the team? I thought we only had to be wary of that summon, Fafnir, but they're fighting much better than the last attack."

"Team Leader, there are only about 100 monsters left."

Song Myeongseok frowned.

Despite relentlessly sending monsters at Yoojin's group without any respite, he only felt their teamwork improving with each battle.

They showed no signs of fatigue despite the continuous fighting.

"What should we do?"

At his team member's question, Song Myeongseok impulsively placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

An urge to vent his boiling frustration in some way.

Song Myeongseok gritted his teeth to calm his anger.

"In any case, they must have consumed a considerable amount of stamina and mana. Let's confront them head-on."

"Wouldn't it be better to defend using the mansion as our stronghold?"

"Are you suggesting that we, bearing the name of Arhan, hide like cowards?"

His team member shut his mouth at the sharp voice.

'You're the one who sent the monsters in waves, why are you taking it out on me!'

He was unfairly venting his anger on someone who had nothing to do with it.

Just as he was about to retort in frustration, he saw the hand resting on the sword hilt and clamped his mouth shut.

"Everyone, get ready."

The Arhan attack team reluctantly checked their equipment at the chilling order.

Although he sensed their displeasure, Song Myeongseok pretended not to notice and fiddled with the red crystal.

"Gather the remaining monsters."

51 vampires.

53 werewolves.

Two boss monsters.

And five members of the Arhan attack team.

Song Myeongseok, having rallied all his remaining forces, stepped forward confidently.

Creak—

The tightly shut doors of the mansion swung open.

The crimson fog that had been obscuring their vision dispersed.

A horde of monsters poured out through the wide-open doors.

Jang Miseon let out a short sigh as she saw the Arhan attack team mixed in with the monsters.

"What you said earlier... I didn't want to believe it, but it was true."

"It was a matter of probability."

Song Myeongseok, overhearing their conversation, let out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha. Did you suspect?"

"That Arhan was behind this, yes. I just didn't know how."

"You have good instincts, Hunter Cheon Yoojin."

"Asking where Fafnir was... it was too obvious."

Heh heh.

Yoojin gave a sly grin.

Really, even if he wanted to pretend he didn't know... they were practically broadcasting their suspicious intentions. How could he ignore it?

"If you knew, you should have retreated then. It's foolish to walk right into a trap."

"Knowing it's a trap means it's no longer a trap."

"Do you think you can handle 100 monsters, two bosses, and us with just five people?"

An overwhelming difference in numbers.

Although the scale had been reduced by sending monsters in sequentially...

The disparity in strength was still evident.

"...That's what you think."

Yoojin chuckled and raised his [Oak Staff Imbued with Lightning] high.

Ssst—

An immense amount of spirit power converged on the Fragment of the Void.

"Answer my call."

A gloomy light erupted from the gray ore, sweeping across the battlefield.

-Groooan!

Agonized groans, as if the air was being squeezed from their lungs, erupted from all directions.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]