Chapter 115 - The Money-Blowing Necromancer

Was a Boom Coming?

SS-grade achievements had arrived.

The world was in an uproar.

Like water spilling over a dam, awakeners with SS-grade achievements began appearing one after another among the world's awakener powerhouses.

[An SS-grade achievement emerges in America!]

[Germany and France follow suit!]

[Japanese government makes official announcement!]

There weren't many of them, but the fact that their numbers were growing was tremendously encouraging.

[World Awakener Association agrees to use the title “Super Rookie” for those who earn SS-grade achievements...]

[A new standard after fifty years? Creation of an “SS-rank” classification highly likely.]

[Leading proposal would classify awakeners at level 1,000 and above as SS-rank...]

Until now, all awakeners at level 500 and above had been lumped together as S-rank. But now that Achievement grades reached as high as SS, the level criteria needed another tier to match.

Level 1,000.

A realm only a tiny fraction of awakeners had reached.

At that point, it didn't matter whether their Achievement grade was SS. The levels they had accumulated alone were enough to command respect.

Reaching such a level naturally implied a host of other qualities, starting with potential.

Meanwhile, serious discussions about the necromancer's potential were taking place around the world.

Kkammuk, a Korean NewTuber with six million—no, now seven million—subscribers, was riding that wave with a livestream of his own.

[Kkammuk Live] —Is the Age of Necromancers Really Coming?

“Hello, viewers. I'm Kkammuk, your host for Today's Awakener. We have a very, very special guest joining us today. At this point, anyone in Korea who doesn't know him must be a spy, right? The man with a hundred million NewTube subscribers! The man hailed as the world's greatest Super Rookie! Please welcome Kim Minwoo!”

“Hello. I'm Kim Minwoo.”

At once, viewers began flooding into the livestream.

One million.

Two million.

In an instant, the viewer count reached five million.

—Holy crap, I'm shaking.

—He's here. Holy shit.

—Wow, this channel's really made it lol. He actually booked Kim Minwoo lol.

“I sent you an invitation, but I never imagined you'd actually join us. Especially with the selection tournament coming up...”

“Well, I've got my preparations under control. Besides, I've always enjoyed your show.”

“Haha, what an honor! Thank you so much for making time in your busy schedule. Shall we get to the main topic?”

Kkammuk looked at Minwoo and continued.

“The world's been buzzing lately. People are saying the SS-grade era has arrived. And you're that grade yourself, aren't you?”

“That's right.”

“As an awakener, what do you think about this trend?”

“There's a saying: there's no such thing as a free lunch.”

“Are you saying that the emergence of higher-ranked awakeners could also mean greater dangers ahead?”

“If we're getting SS-rank awakeners, there's no reason we couldn't get SS-rank gates too.”

“That's certainly a fair point. It's a topic being debated around the world as well. And it's brought necromancers into the spotlight.”

Minwoo nodded.

Higher-ranked awakeners had emerged. There was no reason stronger gates couldn't appear too. Naturally, the class choices of those with SS-grade achievements were bound to become a hot topic.

The future could change depending on what classes they chose. Glancing at Minwoo, Kkammuk broached the subject.

“Necromancers. Just four months ago, if a newbie awakener asked whether they should choose that class, the first thing people did was ask if their parents were doing all right, wasn't it? That's how notorious the class was for costing a fortune.”

“That's right.”

“It was practically the most niche class of all, but lately, necromancers have been getting a lot of attention. You go without saying, of course, but a certain Mr. Liang from the country next door also delivered better results than expected. People call him Knockoff Minwoo and all, but a time in the forty-seven-hour range is certainly...”

“A respectable time, yes.”

—True lol.

—Knockoff Minwoo really made some waves lol.

—Even a knockoff can beat the baguette martial artist, okay? lol.

“There's a lot of debate about that. Was it possible because of his SS-grade achievement, or because he was a necromancer? As the necromancer world's number-one instructor, what's your take?”

“That Liang Xiaojun guy probably isn't very good with a sword.”

“Because he'd have become a swordsman if he were?”

“That too. But you can tell an amateur just by the way he walks.”

“Ah, like how just watching a fool walk is good for a laugh?”

“Couldn't have put it better myself. But are you sure about this, Kkammuk? You might have a hard time attracting Chinese viewers after this.”

“Haha, I've got my hands full loving the viewers here on this livestream. Besides, I like kimchi.”

After that cheerful comeback, Kkammuk looked at Minwoo.

“So, in your opinion, Knockoff Minwoo is an amateur swordsman. Is that about right?”

“Well, yes.”

“Ah, I have to ask this now. How would he compare to Seo Yerim?”

“Are you underestimating the Divine Bow? I did downplay her a little back then, but with Yerim's swordsmanship, she'd finish Knockoff Minwoo within seventy exchanges.”

“Assuming their physical abilities were equal, you mean?”

“Right.”

—Still, lasting seventy exchanges against our Divine Bow queen means he's pretty good with a sword, doesn't it?

—Probably? Back when she was the Sword Phoenix, hardly anyone in Korea could last fifty exchanges, never mind seventy lol.

—They didn't call her the Sword Phoenix for nothing lol.

“A forty-seven-hour clear with swordsmanship at that level? Hmm... It probably would've taken him longer if he'd chosen swordsman.”

“So you're saying he could clear it that quickly because he was a necromancer?”

“Exactly.”

There was a caveat, of course.

Mr. Liang had probably invested quite a bit of money at level one. If he'd been a swordsman, he would have needed only an eighth of that investment.

That forty-seven-hour record had been achieved through a combination of necromancy and blowing money.

But there was no reason to stress that here.

'Countries are only going to look at the clear times anyway.'

Money?

Before level 100, the investment would barely reach a trillion won at most. None of the awakener powerhouses would have trouble affording that.

They might start breaking into a light sweat after level 200, when the investment really hit the tens of trillions.

But whether it was level 100 or 200...

'It'll take months to get there anyway.'

That was fairly far in the future.

By contrast, attempting a new record or delivering an impressive performance was something they could do right now.

Politicians needed achievements now. Rather than having an SS-grade awakener choose a safe class like swordsman or mage and deliver mediocre results, they'd rather make them a necromancer, pour in three hundred billion won...

'And beat Isabella to whip up some national pride, wouldn't they?'

China had just come back with the results to prove it.

Huh?

Even without beating Kim Minwoo, the response was...

Better than expected?

In fact, China was celebrating, declaring this was only the beginning.

And why wouldn't they? They had beaten France's Isabella, after all.

Moreover, the gap between them and the leader was less than eight hours.

That was a substantial difference, certainly, but not some insurmountable barrier separating dimensions.

The higher an awakener's level rose, the more variables came into play.

Other countries had already seen China's example. They had confirmed that merely targeting Isabella was enough.

He was simply fanning the flames of that desire a little.

“What would you say is the necromancer's strength, Mr. Kim?”

“It has the highest potential.”

“High potential.”

“At the same level, with comparable talent, there's probably no class that can beat a well-funded necromancer.”

“That's true. Conversely, if you don't have money...”

“Then obviously, you should choose something else.”

“Is there a benchmark? A minimum amount of wealth you'd need, for instance...?”

“For starters, you'll have an easier time with a few trillion won in hand. To give you an example, getting a D-rank skill book to +9 cost me a trillion won.”

“J-just for that one curse?”

“It blew up at +8.”

—Fucking hell lol. D-rank is level 101, and he's investing trillions?

—(Fact) Kim Minwoo has already poured three hundred billion won into level one.

—Wow... Didn't Isabella spend trillions on elixirs?

—All the way through high-grade should come to just under a trillion. She got the top-grade ones through a secret deal, so who knows what those cost lol.

—Kim Minwoo must've taken up to high-grade elixirs too, so he probably spent about the same.

—How much has this guy spent so far?

—Spending usually triples at each tier.

—Three hundred billion at F-rank. Under a trillion at E-rank. Under three trillion at D-rank. Eight or nine trillion at C-rank?

—Yeah. Around that much, unless his skill books blew up like crazy. As for B... The dullahan books alone must've cost about ten trillion lol.

—Yep lol. And that doesn't even include the bones lol. Ilseong's buying bones all the time lol.

—So that's why he keeps getting investments from the chairman lol. No way he could keep up with that spending lol.

—(Bizarre) He's spent nearly twenty trillion already?

—(Horror) And he hasn't even bought top-grade elixirs yet. Holy shit.

—(Nightmare) But even after spending all that, he's still got forty-five trillion left...

—Oh, right, he got sixty-five trillion in investments? Fucking hell lol.

—Still, just bring home one decent gate and he can easily break even, right? lol.

Kkammuk blinked at the chat, then looked at Minwoo.

'... Forty-five trillion?'

It was a fresh reminder of just how wealthy the man was.

Meanwhile, Minwoo was still talking.

“Then you've got to equip your skeletons, buy elixirs, buy bones if you get a bound skill like mine, and so on. There really are a lot of things to spend money on.”

“Is there anywhere you can cut corners?”

“If you're going to cut corners at low levels, don't even try it. If you really must, you can ease off a bit starting around B-rank.”

“Ah, because there's Summon Dullahan?”

“Yes. From that point on, you can pull your weight without spending much.”

In other words, if it really wasn't working out, they could stop funding the necromancer at level 251.

Learning Summon Dullahan would guarantee they could pull their weight from then on. And with an SS-grade skill on top of that?

At the very least, they wouldn't end up crying, “I'm screwed because I chose necromancer!”

He had practically handed those countries an irresistible option.

Just give it a taste.

Even if you don't like it, there's a way out.

That was more or less the message.

Just then, breaking news appeared.

[America makes the first move!]

[American SS-grade achievement awakener John Harrison becomes a swordsman!]

[To attempt a new gate record, following Liang Xiaojun...]

“Wow. While we've been talking, a second awakener after Liang Xiaojun has chosen his class! Swordsman. The safest choice.”

Most of the SS-grade achievement awakeners who had appeared around the world had yet to choose a class.

“It seems everyone had been waiting to see what the others would do, doesn't it?”

“Looks that way. They couldn't be sure necromancers really were good.”

“America has literally drawn its sword first. Challenging it as a swordsman suggests they want to compare clear times.”

Minwoo nodded.

Someone had to try it sooner or later.

They needed another sample to determine whether necromancers really were good, or whether the strength came from being SS-grade.

America was the leading power among awakener nations, and with two SS-grade awakeners of its own, it seemed to have stepped forward to set an example.

Kkammuk played a video on the TV. Surrounded by reporters, John Harrison was answering questions.

“John Harrison also seems to be targeting a gate rated in the nineties. What's your take, Mr. Kim?”

“In my opinion...”

* * *

[(Breaking) Kim Minwoo says Harrison is hopeless just from the way he walks? Predicts over sixty hours to clear American gate...]

[John Harrison enters gate after sharply worded rebuttal...]

[60 hours, 2 minutes, 3 seconds! Harrison emerges from gate battered and bloodied!]

[France holds on to its last shred of pride!]

Just as expected.

Minwoo chuckled as he read the articles.

John Harrison.

An awakener slightly better with a sword than Liang Xiaojun.

'But they're pretty much birds of a feather.'

He thought he could set a record with that level of skill?

Against a necromancer who'd gone all in on spending from the start, no less?

“Yep. Couldn't even get past the baguette.”

Never mind the made-in-China necromancer—he'd been thoroughly taught his place by the baguette martial artist. A heartwarming ending.

Even Isabella had beaten him by twelve hours.

America's pride as the strongest awakener nation had taken a nosedive, of course, but the fallout didn't end there.

Those precious SS-grade awakeners.

The countries that had yet to choose classes for them began making their moves, one after another.

[(Breaking) Is a “necro boom” coming? Most SS-grade awakeners choose necromancer!]

[Japan, India, Russia, even Canada—necromancers emerge in droves!]

The Achievement Points starting to multiply were just a bonus.