Chapter 113 - The Money-Blowing Necromancer

Necromancer (1)

China’s Politburo Standing Committee.

It was the country’s highest organ of power and decision-making body. All seven standing committee members had gathered to discuss the world’s first awakener with an SS-grade achievement.

“What’s his background?”

“There should be no issue with welcoming him into our Communist Party family.”

President Li Zemin nodded in satisfaction.

“That’s a relief. We can put him in the Nine Dragons Guild.”

In the age of awakeners, superhumans were beings who shook the foundations of established power. They were a dangerous poison, particularly to a one-party dictatorship like China.

Yet the country could hardly move in direct opposition to the rest of the world.

That was why, alongside fostering private guilds, the Chinese government was cultivating guilds of its own—guilds that were essentially covert state-owned enterprises.

As a bonus, it enthusiastically promoted them as patriotic guilds and showered them with benefits. China’s number-one guild, the Nine Dragons Guild, was a prime example.

Its members were all children of high-ranking Communist Party officials, and it accepted only those whose loyalty and ideology had been thoroughly vetted.

An SS-grade awakener was qualified to join.

“So, has this Liang Xiaojun fellow chosen a class?”

“Of course not. He is waiting solely for your orders, Mr. President.”

“Hmm.”

Li Zemin nodded approvingly. Despite being an SS-grade awakener, the young man knew how to bow low.

He would need further observation, of course, but he seemed worth investing in.

He looked over Liang Xiaojun’s information in the document. One noteworthy detail stated that he was skilled with a sword.

‘But not exceptionally so.’

—His skills should prove effective among the upper ranks, but will likely reach their limits at the very top.

That was the collective assessment of China’s awakener combat analysts, so it had to be accurate.

‘Then making him a swordsman is a questionable choice.’

His achievement could compensate for his skill to some degree. But even an SS-grade achievement hardly seemed enough to defeat a monster like Korea’s Sword Immortal.

“A class, a class...”

The president pondered the matter seriously before speaking in a grave voice.

“Korea has been weighing on my mind lately. Kim Minwoo, Ilseong... Their growth is far from ordinary. Wouldn’t you all agree?”

“... Yes. Indeed.”

“A thought just occurred to me. What if that bastard Kim Minwoo actually had an SS-grade achievement all along?”

The standing committee members nodded. They had previously assumed he was merely an unusually outstanding S-grade awakener. But that alone could not explain his string of accomplishments.

“As you say, Mr. President, there is certainly reason for suspicion.”

“An SS-grade achievement would explain everything he has done so far.”

Even the difference between A- and S-grade skills was enormous. The gap between S and SS would be greater still—enough to explain both his two terrifyingly powerful summons and his overwhelming numbers.

“What if we made this Liang Xiaojun fellow a necromancer?”

“A necromancer, sir?”

The committee members considered the president’s suggestion carefully.

Cultivating necromancers was something many nations had attempted in the past. A one-person army that summoned and commanded countless undead—developed properly, it would become a powerful weapon for clearing gates.

Naturally, China had tried it too. And it had discovered a host of problems.

Where another awakener needed ten billion won to grow stronger, a necromancer needed a hundred billion. Even then, that strength did not necessarily surpass what the ten-billion-won investment produced.

The summons? A single attack from the ten-billion-won awakener wiped them all out.

The problem persisted even with liches and death knights. After pouring money into the right setup, summoning one or two was already a good result. Ultimately, a high-level ten-billion-won awakener would still break through.

Was the necromancer personally powerful, then? Without summons, they were relegated to a supporting role.

Investing trillions to compensate for that was a heavy burden even for a nation. Why bother when the same money could cultivate a hundred talented awakeners?

Besides, would investing trillions really produce a corresponding increase in strength? There were plenty of doubts about that as well. Growth did not scale in neat proportion to the money poured into it.

That was why so many nations had tried the idea, only to spit it back out. China was no exception.

Normally, this should not even have warranted consideration. But Kim Minwoo’s performances had been so shocking that they wondered whether necromancers possessed some potential they had yet to discover.

Seeing the silent committee members, the president spoke.

“Think about it. Didn’t our own think tanks analyze this? The higher the achievement, the greater the advantage for a necromancer.”

The committee members nodded.

After Kim Minwoo and Seo Yerim cleared an A+-rank gate, China had not merely sat and watched. The finest think tanks of the day had assembled to scrutinize necromancers down to the smallest detail.

Their key points were simple.

—A class that grows stronger through financial investment.

—Kim Minwoo is estimated to have invested tens of trillions of won to date. Other necromancers, by contrast, have invested at most several hundred billion...

—The higher the Achievement grade, the more unimaginable the synergy may become, since a skill affecting all summons could emerge.

—However, it remains questionable whether this performance is truly possible at S-grade... The possibility of an even higher achievement cannot be ruled out...

Why was Kim Minwoo so strong?

Because, despite being a mere individual, he had crazily invested sums that even nations would balk at spending. And on top of that, could the bastard actually be above S-grade?

That was the think tanks’ analysis.

At the time, even the president and the committee members had been unsure whether it was true. An achievement above S-grade? They had wondered whether such a thing even existed.

The odds might not have been zero, but they had hardly considered them high.

Now, however, things were different. SS-grade truly existed.

What if Kim Minwoo had achieved SS-grade before anyone else? Then there would be nothing strange about his accomplishments.

The president’s gaze grew serious.

“An SS-grade achievement is precious, yes. But we have to try the experiment at least once anyway. Don’t we?”

“Hmm... You’re right, Mr. President. We cannot dismiss the potential of necromancers.”

Besides, Kim Minwoo was only an individual. They, on the other hand, were China itself.

If they committed to the investment, they could easily spend tens of trillions. And if the Liang Xiaojun they cultivated then crushed Kim Minwoo?

‘Korea in despair.’

‘What a beautiful sight that would be.’

‘And this fellow uses a sword too, doesn’t he?’

Their concepts were very similar. Their Achievement grades were the same, too.

With an even larger investment behind him, there was no reason Liang Xiaojun, China’s hope, should fall behind. Swordsmanship was the one potential variable, but even that would only go so far.

‘It’s not as though that bastard Kim Minwoo is the Sword Immortal.’

He might have run wild at low levels, but at high levels, survival ultimately required staying true to one’s main class. As time passed, he would surely fade like a snuffed candle before Liang Xiaojun’s surging pursuit.

Besides, this was China, with its vast population. Their conviction that this would not be its only SS-grade achievement also eased their concerns.

“Necromancer. An excellent choice. Making him a swordsman or mage would hardly have the same impact. Once again, I am awed by your insight, Mr. President.”

“Ha ha. Oh, you flatter me. Then necromancer it is for Liang Xiaojun. Let’s take this opportunity to set some new records for China.”

It would be a beautiful sight, breaking Kim Minwoo’s records one by one.

The eyes of the president and his committee members gleamed.

* * *

Training the Ilseong Guild.

Seo Yerim and Park Siwoo readily agreed to help as well, bringing a relieved smile to Nam Cheolmin’s face.

“Thank you so much.”

“We should help each other out. If the time comes when we need the Ilseong Guild’s help...”

“Then of course, we’ll do everything we can.”

Once their warm exchange ended, Nam Cheolmin checked his persistently vibrating phone and tilted his head.

“Have you seen this news? Apparently, an SS-grade awakener has emerged in China...”

“I saw it just now. Interesting. Of all things, he’s planning to choose necromancer.”

“... Are you all right with that? The Chinese government officially announced it, so it does seem to be real...”

Concern filled Nam Cheolmin’s face.

China’s first SS-grade awakener, choosing an unpopular class like necromancer of all things? This was obviously aimed at Kim Minwoo. And given the fanfare surrounding his debut, the Chinese government would very likely give him substantial support.

“I’d be grateful if he became a necromancer.”

Kim Minwoo grinned.

The emergence of SS-grade was something he had half expected anyway. If humanity’s potential had increased, higher-grade Awakening Achievements could emerge too.

‘Now that it’s come to this, I hope they invest a fortune.’

Korea, China, and Japan were fierce rivals. When one fell flat, another grinned.

The stronger he became, the more other nations would start making their moves. All manner of plots and schemes would run rampant.

And in that situation, China—one of the most troublesome nations—was doing something this stupid?

‘Well, thank you very much.’

They would waste money and squander a promising awakener. It would chip away at China’s strength. He had nothing to lose.

‘Since things have turned out this way, I hope their necromancer does pretty well.’

China had eagerly volunteered to take the lead. If its homegrown necromancer performed well, would the other awakener nations sit still?

Neighboring Japan, for one, would immediately start itching to act. With Korean and Chinese necromancers both proving successful, could Japan resist?

‘Not a chance.’

Necromancers were Pandora’s box.

China had been the first to give in and open it. Now nations all over the world would begin fingering the handle themselves.

‘And the more they do, the more valuable I’ll become.’

That was when it happened.

● You are humanity’s ‘One Who Opened New Horizons’!

● Recognizing changes in the world!

● You have made a major power choose an option it would not normally have chosen!

● Parts of the story are beginning to change!

● You have been awarded 50 Achievement Points!

● You possess the Achievement Vending Machine! Points are doubled...

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Something good just happened.”

“Uh... Congratulations?”

“Thank you.”

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

After offering his awkward congratulations, Nam Cheolmin left the room.

The moment he did, an uncontrollable smile spread across Kim Minwoo’s face. He had never imagined earning points this way. What an unexpected windfall!

Before long, breaking headlines began flooding the news feed.

[(Breaking) China Officially Unveils the World’s First SS-Grade Achievement Awakener! Class Confirmed as Necromancer!]

[Copying Kim Minwoo? SS-Grade Necromancer Liang Xiaojun Announces Attempt on F-Rank Gate ‘Ratman’s Sewers’ in Three Days!]

[Ratman’s Sewers Has a Clear Score of 93...]

‘They really did pick necromancer.’

They had chosen an option they would not normally choose. He understood immediately what that meant.

China had changed classes to shit sommelier. Thanks to that, free Achievement Points had fallen into his lap.

Kim Minwoo studied the article with a serious expression.

‘He’s not going to die in there, is he?’

He had been rooting for the fellow already, but now he was even more earnest. What if the good ship Liang Xiaojun capsized before it could properly set sail?

‘No. All the other countries would run away.’

China would become the fool of the century, and its neighbors, who had been considering opening Pandora’s box, would flee far away.

That wouldn’t do. He needed all the major powers to choose necromancers if he wanted to keep multiplying his Achievement Points.

‘If he takes elixirs, gets his skills to +9, and equips himself properly... he might have a chance.’

Minwoo had cleared it in two hours and spent the remaining thirty-eight searching for clues to a hidden piece. But expecting Liang Xiaojun, an SS-grade newcomer, to clear it in two hours would be far too cruel.

‘Isabella took two days.’

The best outcome would be for him to clear it faster than Isabella. That would get other countries interested in necromancers as well.

‘Well, that might be a bit tough...’

In Korea, she had become a meme, mocked with labels like baguette martial artist, GOAT, and overrated. But that certainly did not mean Isabella was an easy opponent.

‘She’s the real deal.’

She fought like a beast. Even Kim Minwoo had been left astonished after fighting her several times.

She had been a monster even back when achievements were capped at S-grade. The only reason she was mocked was that he was an even greater monster.

Liang Xiaojun, on the other hand...

‘I have heard the name.’

He had been one of China’s S-grade swordsmen, probably? His swordsmanship was a little below Seo Yerim’s. That alone had made him known as one of China’s top forty swordsmen.

Yet in this Stage Six, he had suddenly been made to change classes to necromancer.

From using a sword to having an SS-grade achievement, it seemed they had forced the class change on him to copy Minwoo.

‘He’ll have trouble even beating Isabella, won’t he?’

The level-49 record of a current world-ranking awakener versus a level-one Chinese small-fry swordsman plus an SS-grade necromancer skill.

What a matchup to stir the heart.

Even with the power of an SS-grade skill, he would probably finish either slightly faster or a little slower than Isabella at best. That was roughly how Minwoo saw it.

“You can do it, Liang Xiaojun.”

He offered the fellow some encouragement. He hoped he could at least beat Isabella.

‘If this guy can just make a great leap forward...’

And if Minwoo then took first place in the Super Rookie Selection Tournament, a massive necromancer craze might sweep the world. After all, didn’t trends spread like wildfire in an instant?

‘I’ll have to really hype this up.’

It seemed it was time to get moving in earnest, so the entire world could get high on necromancer hype.