Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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After becoming a jobless recluse, one of my newly formed hobbies was watching broadcasts of the Awakened Ones.

With bodies and skills that were different from ordinary humans, their outrageous broadcasts were entertaining just to watch.

“Hahaha. Look at that fail.”

As I laughed aimlessly, an enticing title popped up in the new streaming list.

[Necromancer Newbie Cultivating a Million Skeletons, Day 3]

“…….”

In this world, there were indeed various types of Hunters, but Awakened Ones in the summoning category were quite rare.

So, to be honest, my interest was piqued.

Click.

“Can you see this? This is the skeleton archer I made last night! Looks awesome, right?”

The moment I entered the stream, a lively woman caught my eye.

Judging by her appearance, she seemed to be in her early twenties and had a very energetic first impression.

Perhaps because the viewer count was only twenty-seven, the streamer noticed me and greeted.

“Ah, Hello Hell Lord 12! Want to see a trick while you’re here?”

Before I could respond, the woman handed a bow to the skeleton and dashed off somewhere with an apple balanced on her head.

Was it about five meters away?

Obeying the command, the skeleton drew the bow and shot fiercely.

Pew!

Thud!

“Ouch!”

And it hit her right in the forehead.

That was abysmal control.

“Come on, you did well yesterday! Is it because I didn’t give you food?”

Amidst the trick that wasn’t even a trick, the chat exploded with laughter.

– No way, lol

– How can you fight if you can’t even hit that?

– Our skeleton is out of mana, lol

– Waaaah! I’m a baby skeleton archer. Need mana!

While there were playful and mocking responses, there were also some downright nasty comments.

– Wow, you really suck. I came to watch because you’re a newbie necromancer.

– If you try to be a Hunter with those skills, you’ll be a nuisance, lol

In the summon category, distinguishing friend from foe was crucial, regardless of rank.

“I’m still in practice! I’ll improve soon, hehe.”

She smoothly handled those harsh comments, seemingly with a top-notch mentality.

Watching that scene, I felt oddly pleased.

‘…This newbie is indeed cute.’

She was diligently gathering materials to make skeletons, working on balancing things out, and improving control.

It felt just like the beginner she was, and I liked it.

‘And……’

While clueless people were busy bashing her, I could tell she had quite the talent for necromancy.

‘This must be a makeshift skeleton made by a total newbie, yet it looks surprisingly sturdy.’

I had come in out of boredom, but now I was genuinely intrigued.

I clicked the follow button and immediately sent a message through the whisper system.

– That’s not how you do it.

When I see a newbie, I can’t resist giving pointers.

#

‘What is this?’

Song Ha Yeon had just awakened as a fresh Hunter two months ago.

At the same time, she was an amateur streamer too.

Her title was Graveyard’s Corpse Enthusiast.

She was a rare summoner-class Awakened One in Korea.

Because of that uniqueness, she decided to use it to stand out in her broadcasts. After all, she lacked confidence in becoming a high-rank Hunter and her goal was to gain sufficient wealth for a comfortable life.

Three days into her streaming career, a peculiar person appeared in front of her.

– That’s not how you do it.

She was gradually making undead skeletons when this advice came in.

At first, she thought it was just some troll comment and intended to brush it off. After all, the tips from self-proclaimed internet experts were never trustworthy.

However, a hint of curiosity piqued in Ha Yeon after reading all the subsequent viewer comments.

‘Bury the material in damp lands where sunlight doesn’t reach? Soak it with animal blood?’

And then they advised to expose it to Death Energy whenever possible. For three days total.

‘I have the Death Energy condensation skill, so it’s not impossible…’

It sounded like a massive hassle just to hear. If it ended up being a prank, it’d be a waste of my time and effort.

But merely dismissing it as some thoughtlessly made-up nonsense seemed tough given how detailed the advice was.

When she asked for help on troublesome aspects during her skeleton crafting, they had responded without hesitation.

‘Is this person really an Awakened from the same category?’

With that level of knowledge, this person couldn’t just be some random amateur.

In the end, despite her curiosity, Ha Yeon decided to follow the advice from the viewer nicknamed Hell Lord 12.

And she was shocked.

“Whoa?”

Creak. Creak.

The skeleton she created had a noticeably different power within it.

“Wait, was this not just a joke?”

Until that point, Ha Yeon was just feeling lucky. It was merely the feeling that a seasoned Hunter happened to share some tips with a fresh newbie.

But then…

– Don’t you have any spirit stones? If I give you the magic circle, you can engrave it and take that to the grave to gather Death Energy little by little, and you could use it when making skeletons later.

– Those dumb categories won’t amount to anything if trained those ways. There’s a mechanism at play here, just follow my instructions.

As those tips became increasingly detailed and continued, Ha Yeon finally realized that something was off.

‘Who is this person?’

This was not normal.

Currently, even the top necromancer in South Korea was only B-rank, and none of the battle videos showed any such methods being used.

In other words, the viewer named Hell Lord 12 could not be merely an average seasoned Hunter.

‘What does this person want from me?’

In modern society, power equated to law and authority. Therefore, such information held immense value that couldn’t be easily measured by money.

Yet, they were sharing it so freely under the guise of advice—it made no sense to Ha Yeon.

‘Is there some sort of conspiracy? Am I being dragged into something?’

Feeling a sudden wave of anxiety, she subtly threw out questions, and Hell Lord 12’s answer was simple.

– I’m just bored and sharing, you know. If you don’t want it, ignore it.

It didn’t add up, but somehow it didn’t feel like a lie either.

In other words, Ha Yeon might just have stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

– No, please! I humbly ask for your guidance! I’ll follow you for life! Is there anything you want in return?

A brief silence filled the chat.

Before she could send another message, Hell Lord 12 finally replied.

– Then let me ask you one favor.

#

“Well, isn’t that ironic.”

Despite not taking her as a disciple, unexpectedly, he had gained a disciple due to his lost strength.

I received an item from the now temporally connected apprentice, Song Ha Yeon.

It was three spirit stones that she had gathered herself.

‘Technically illegal, but…’

It was just low-grade spirit stones with loose management, and as long as I didn’t get caught, it would be fine.

‘Still, I can’t feel it here.’

The energy crucial for a necromancer to operate, Death Energy.

For some reason, I was unable to feel it at all right now.

‘But, if I utilize the Death Energy that someone else has already gathered…’

Could it be that I might be able to use necromancy in my current state?

That was the reason I was currently climbing the back mountain of the neighborhood, wearing a hoodie on this cold day.

‘Theoretically, it seems possible.’

To be honest, this method had been in my mind for quite some time.

But given that finding helpers in Korea, where necromancers were virtually nonexistent, seemed impossible, and even if I did find someone, I couldn’t do anything on my own anyway, I deemed it unnecessary.

However, my perspective has slightly shifted now.

‘Wasn’t there a sudden Gate Break in the neighboring town last week where several injuries occurred…’

It was just a goblin dungeon, so it ended at that, but it could’ve easily escalated into a massive incident.

So who knows?

I might end up being in some wild, ill-fated situation where I suddenly drop dead one day.

‘…Well, even so, that’s a bit much.’

Looking at my current situation, it was clear I was out of luck, so it wouldn’t hurt to prepare for the worst.

A precaution for emergencies. That was the sole reason.

‘Seems like there’s the right thing here.’

There was a sparrow carcass that seemed to have just met its end. It was enough material for testing.

Thud.

Kneeling in front of the corpse, I took out the spirit stones filled with Death Energy and began my actions.

Whooooosh.

I couldn’t feel the Death Energy right now. Thus, I wasn’t sure if things were going smoothly as I thought, but since I had tried this repeatedly before, I wouldn’t mess it up.

Dusty.

As I finished the spell, the remaining flesh and feathers on the corpse scattered like dust. It was a success.

“Rise.”

In an instant, the sparrow resurrected, leaving only its bones, standing in its place.

“Right hand.”

Creak.

“Left hand.”

Creak.

Perfect. It’s following my commands perfectly.

After a moment of silence, I soon felt a surge of exhilaration flowing through me.

‘I really succeeded.’

Honestly, I thought the odds were fifty-fifty. It seemed feasible in theory, but based on past failures, it felt like this world was determined to reject that possibility thoroughly.

But in the end, I succeeded.

Even if the achievement seemed trivial, it was the first victory I had earned since falling into this world.

So how could I not be delighted?

“Whew.”

Feeling good, I wore a beaming smile and chuckled foolishly.

Yeah. Whatever happens, I am the Lord of Death. The master of the Underworld.

In the end, I was a being that couldn’t be held back by the laws of a single dimension.

I am a true Necromancer!

I can control corpses!

With my emotional fluctuations, the sparrow flapped its wing bones in excitement.

Creak. Creak!

“Yeah. You’re right. Today’s a festival.”

I scrambled home and ordered some chicken.

#

‘…You’re really enjoying that.’

Returning home after a long day’s work, Baek Eun Ha thought while eating the chicken her older brother ordered.

“Haha. Here, you eat the drumstick.”

“Ah, okay. I’ll enjoy it.”

Was it that something good had happened? Baek Eun Ha couldn’t hide the smile bubbling up from deep within as she grinned widely.

I wonder if my older brother knows just how cute I look right now?

In between this, Baek Seon, watching Eun Ha transfer the chicken thigh to her plate like a considerate older sibling, thought to himself.

It seems like no matter what, this way of living isn’t all that bad after all.