Necromancer Survival

Chapter 26

Jeez…Is he the type of person that’ll persistently hound for an answer until the bitter end?

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Choi Lee-kyung: 2 million.

Seo Dawon: You’re kidding?

Choi Lee-kyung: kek

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“Seriously?”

What would he say if I told him the amount was twice that?

Once again, I was determined to ignore his questions until we escaped the Dungeon. Seo Dawon simply murmured, “That’s cheap,” and grew silent.

That’s cheap….? Um….. Is that so…..

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Choi Lee-kyung: Actually, it was 4 mil~<3 1

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Seo Dawon showed little response to my honest reveal.

Was that really the only question he had? However, within the minute, a new message arrived. [For that price, though, wouldn’t it be better to get carried through a more useful Dungeon, to get power leveled?]

As expected, he must be bored. But I also found the long, silent walk down the hallway uninteresting, and, at a quick glance, no one seemed to have noticed my strange behavior. So, as if my thighs were a keyboard, I began typing.

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Choi Lee-kyung: I needed to strengthen Lackey.

Seo Dawon: Lackey? What’s that?

Choi Lee-kyung: My first servant.

Seo Dawon: First??? You have another servant besides me?

Choi Lee-kyung: Mhmm. You’re the second.

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Before I could explain that Lackey was the default servant provided when Necromancers chose their profession, Seo Dawon said, “What…I wasn’t your first?” in a strange tone.

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Choi Lee-Kyung: What are you talking about ^^;

Seo Dawon: I’m hurt?

Seo Dawon: TT_TT

Choi Lee-kyung: GG. 2

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I was annoyed–he was obviously making fun of me.

However, Seo Dawon quickly changed the topic. [So, the material needed to strengthen your servant only drops from this Dungeon?]

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Choi Lee-kyung: Mhmm. I just needed one ingredient before I could proceed.

Seo Dawon:

Choi Lee-kyung: Nah, from a normal mob… 3

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“You paid 2 million just to reap the rewards from an ordinary monster?”

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Choi Lee-kyung: If you aren’t going to say anything useful, then shhh

Seo Dawon: Okie 4

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In this way, the conversation continued.

While we walked for 30 minutes, we continued to exchange banter. Unexpectedly, Seo Dawon was not a bad person to talk to. Though I had the constant feeling that he was amused with my general situation, he didn’t seem overly patronizing–just teasing? His words were surprisingly funny as well; I was in danger of bursting into laughter twice.

Perhaps Seo Dawon was curious about the man who revived him, he had asked countless questions about my life. I was reluctant to answer many of them…Family ties, where I lived before I entered the Hub…

Whether or not I had a girlfriend…quite personal questions. I lied, [I had one, but got dumped]. Though Seo Dawon had a good sense of humor and was easy to talk to, he was not the type to be considerate of social conventions. He didn’t seem to notice my reluctance to answer some of his questions. If something tickled his curiosity, he dug for answers until the bitter end.

In fact, I’ve never had a girlfriend before. Sure, I wasn’t the most popular person around, but I was also uninterested in women in the first place….But I kept that information hidden. I felt if I had revealed my disinterest in women, Seo Dawon would just dig more into my personal business.

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Seo Dawon: Why were you dumped lololol

Choi Lee-kyung: Because I started living in the Hubs.

Choi Lee-kyung: We couldn’t meet often.

Seo Dawon: (*whistle noise*) She wasn’t a User?

Choi Lee-kyung: Mhmm. We got together before I became a User. When I came here, she left me.

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At this point, I slowly became curious about Seo Dawon’s past.

Now that I think about it, this jerk dug so far into my past without revealing anything about himself! I didn’t ask before since I didn’t want to make him wistful or uncomfortable about his death…but it seems I was considerate for nothing! He just casually asked me whatever suited his fancy, without avoiding any topic.

Seo Dawon’s personality didn’t seem to be one to be stuck on the past….So, during a pause in our conversation, I lobbed a question at him instead.

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Choi Lee-kyung: And you?

Seo Dawon: ?

Choi Lee-kyung: Did you have a girlfriend?

Seo Dawon: keke

Seo Dawon: Look at my face.

Seo Dawon: Do you really think they would have left me alone?

Choi Lee-kyung: lol

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The answer was hard to refute; I turned my head, unwilling to compare myself to Dawon. Instead the ghostly man just met my eyes and smiled. He looked me up and down before saying, in a meaningful tone, “I was popular with men too.”

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Choi Lee-kyung: I doubt that, heh.

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My sarcastic retorts did their best to hide my flushed cheeks and agitation, but I couldn’t help but think that my thoughts were somehow transparent–that made it hard to speak to Dawon afterwards.

Seo Dawon didn’t make efforts to continue heckling at me either, and–thankfully–the conversation soon dissipated.

Kim Sangyoon shouted “Halt!” His large voice drew all attention. The heavy set warrior lowered his greatsword onto the floor with a metallic thud and looked at me. “Choi Lee-kyung. What’s the name of the material you need?”

“Ah, that’s….’Contaminated Dark Liquid.’ It drops when you kill a Mourning Slime….”

“And those appear in the trap rooms, correct?”

His latter question was not directed at me but at the Treasure Hunter leading the party. He replied, “Yes, hyung! We’re entering the room right now!”

A new system message popped up simultaneously with his response.

≿————-　❈　————-≾

You’ve entered a Normal Mode trap room!

≿————-　❈　————-≾

After that message popped up, a transparent yellow liquid flowed out of the cracks in the walls, blocking the passageway.

Though the new monster provoked my sense of danger, I wasn’t nervous at all. Nothing could compare to the horrifying beings I’d encountered in the hard route or in Dawon’s foggy memories…However, the liquid’s stench was a problem.

Though we were 100 meters away, the sour, damp, and nasty smell still poked at our nostrils. As the smell stagnated and concentrated, I felt like vomiting.

≿————-　❈　————-≾

New monster information has been updated!

[Tower of Command – Mourning Slime.]

The Mourning Slime is an acid monster that only appears in the normal route’s trap room. This slime, which used to live in the underground waterways of the tower, usually gorges itself upon the dead bodies clogging the sewers. Upon realizing how delicious living beings are, the slime has left its territory to directly hunt for prey!

It has strong acid and poison attacks and is resistant to physical skills; please be careful!

≿————-　❈　————-≾

After reading the message, all the party members took out and wore the masks that they had prepared in advance. Kim Sangyoon, in the lead, had also followed along, but he hesitated when he noticed my uncovered nose.

“Hey, you don’t have a mask?” He asked.

“Huh? Yeah….”

I was at a loss–this situation was so far out of my wheelhouse. I didn’t know that the Mourning Slime’s stench would taint the air.

Kim Sangyoon looked at me in surprise and cursed, “Are you out of your mind?” Indeed, I felt like I would go crazy if I took my nose out of the crook of my elbow. He threw something, a small black cloth, through the gap between my arm and face. “Quickly use that, you fool.”

[Refresh Air – Mask]

Type: Mask

Durability: 140/140

Level Restriction: N/A

Special Skill: Increased resistance to odors and poisonous vapors while worn.

Description:

Made by Ha Jieun of ‘Jeolla Workshop.’

Odor Resistance +100

Poisonous Vapor Resistance +100

Berserker had unexpectedly given me a new mask, fresh from his inventory; I was so startled by his thoughtfulness, that I stared at the cloth, dumbfounded.

Then, he approached my side, “Why aren’t you putting it on?” He clapped my back with a heavy thud. I quickly scrambled to protect my face from the devastating odor.

Why is he being so nice all of a sudden…?

“Hey, stay back, okay?! Even if the material spawns, don’t approach until I give you the ‘all clear!'” Sangyoon shouted. “If you get poisoned, you’ll die a dog’s death.”

“…Ah! Yes!”

Following his instructions, I ran to the very back of the party. The rest of the members began to fall into formation and deal with the slow but tricky looking ‘Mourning Slime.’

At first, the slime didn’t look like a monster and resembled, instead, yellow and oily wastewater that leaked into a river. But, as it attacked another party member, its mouth became well defined. Frankly, the image of it gaping its maw and trying to swallow a human was shocking.

“That’s going to drop the material you need?” Seo Dawon, who had been standing quietly, suddenly spoke.

“Yeah…” I said, in a quiet voice, staring resolutely ahead.