Necromancer Survival

Chapter 440

Dawon finally stopped talking, but he didn't return the chocolate. Despite that, Sangyoon hunched his broad shoulders and stepped closer, steadfastly checking on me. "Are you doing alright? You don't seem to be doing well…"

"I've gotten better. It's true I wasn't in the best of states before, but… Well, you can see how I am now."

"…You're all skin and bones." Sangyoon-ssi's face shadowed over.

He glanced back and forth between his arm and mine, as if comparing our build. That look made me feel a bit flustered. There had always been a sky-and-earth difference between our builds.

And now, I had lost even more weight and my arms were half the thickness of his. I felt a bit humiliated, but I tried not to let it show. Sangyoon probably didn't mean it badly either.

He looked at me for a long while, pure concern in his eyes, and then spoke to me with a voice mixed with sighs, "From now on, you really can't get hurt any more…"

Even the other Servants, who usually couldn't resist nitpicking every word that came out of Kim Sangyoon's mouth, had nothing to say this time. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I smiled and nodded.

‘But, things don't go the way I want it to…'

I grumbled internally, but I couldn't really complain. After all, Kim Sangyoon didn't run away when Bae Jaemin confronted me.

I lingered on that memory for a moment, when suddenly, the topic we’d been discussing earlier—[Successors]—popped back into my head.

"Kim Sangyoon, I wanted to ask you something." At that moment, Kim Olim opened her mouth.

"What?"

"Did you know that you're the inheritor of a succession weapon?"

I was a little shocked by the straightforward and blunt question. Though we were discussing this topic not too long ago, I didn't think she would ask the Warrior this suddenly.

"……"

But what shocked me even more was Sangyoon's reaction. His eyes widened, but, instead of pretending ignorance or looking flustered, he simply adopted a serious expression and fell silent. Then, he nodded.

"To be exact… I've only become certain of that fact just recently." He scratched the back of his head; he made the appeal that he hadn't intended to deceive us.

‘She's right?' Honestly, I was more shocked than him.

When he saw my expression, he asked awkwardly, "Did you all already know about it?"

"Ah, no. I… I didn't even know that was a thing. To be honest, we were talking about successor weapons right before Sangyoon-ssi arrived."

Sangyoon blinked, lost for words, at my frank answer.

Olim-ie didn’t miss this chance and jumped straight into a full-fledged interrogation. "What are the success conditions for your succession?"

‘Succession conditions?'

Was this related to what Olim had said earlier? A worthy person?

Sangyoon-ssi seemed a little hesitant to speak, but he answered her docilely, "To not run away or back down no matter what enemy I face… In short, to have ‘fighting spirit.'"

Then Dawon, as if he could read the confusion on my face, explained, "We said before that the successor weapon chooses its own succession conditions, right?"

"Uh? Mmm…"

"Inherited Weapons are each tied to a ‘partially lost scenario.’ In other words, because the weapon holds its own history, certain conditions must be met for it to unleash its power. In Kim Sangyoon’s case, like he just said, he must never back down from any enemy. No matter who stands before him, he has to fight."

"Ahh…" When I heard that explanation, I was reminded of our fight with Bae Jaemin. Despite the overwhelming difference in strength–despite the inevitability of his death–Kim Sangyoon didn't leave me behind and raised his sword bravely. And, Sangyoon's appearance definitely changed after that moment.

‘So, that's why the weapon reacted…' I looked at Olim almost instinctively.

When her gaze met mine, she smiled, "You must be curious about my condition."

"Huh? Ah…" I blushed a little–I didn't realize I was so obvious. I felt Dawon's stinging gaze from above.

Fortunately(?) Olim-ie didn't tease him and instead answered calmly, "The condition for Rho-Aias' succession depends on its User following noble codes. It's a bit difficult to explain what that exactly means, but I interpret it as the User acting according to noblesse oblige. One should act kindly and conscientiously on their own accord—even when no one is watching and without expecting anything in return."

"…I see."

"It's a bit embarrassing to put this to words. I don't mean to say that I live up to that ideal perfectly, but I aim to conduct myself in such a manner." Olim pressed her lips together. Despite her awkwardness, Olim still *looked* noble; Rho-Aias had truly chosen well with Olim-ie.

I admired her for a moment, then glanced up at Dawon, a spark of hope flickering inside me. At first, Dawon seemed a bit sulky, but when our eyes met, his gaze softened.

I mustered the courage to ask, "By any chance… Could I obtain a succession weapon?"

Of course, I wasn’t underestimating these weapons. If the weapons had imposed conditions like Olim’s or Sang-yoon-ssi’s, even if I got my hands on one, that weapon wouldn’t choose me as its inheritor. But… if there was an succession weapon whose conditions matched my characteristics…

‘And Dawon-ie has so many various items…'

I thought back to when Kim Sangyoon had overwhelmed Bae Jaemin for a few minutes using the power of his weapon; the memory stirred my greed.

‘Maybe even I could…'

However, Dawon just shook his head quietly; he didn't laugh nor make a mockery of my question. His calm gaze just lingered on my disappointed expression.

Dawon seemed to sense exactly where my disappointment originated, and, for a moment, I felt like I might tear up.

But then, Sangyoon-ssi spoke cautiously in a quiet voice, "Lee-kyung-nim… Succession weapons come with risks."

"Risks?"

"In Berserker's case, it takes my blood to activate the succession skills… And part of my life force is drained."

"What?" Surprised by the comment, I scanned Sangyoon-ssi. When he saw my scrutinizing gaze, he realized he had slipped up, smiled awkwardly, and scratched his red hair.

With a clumsy smile, as if trying to assuage my worries, he said, "No, I mean…I'm aging a little faster? My hair is graying a little–that's all. You don't need to be startled…"

I recalled the time he had shown me his succession skills. As I looked at his face, I noticed that he was downplaying the risk tremendously.

"Why didn't you tell me…" I trailed off.

"Well, it’s not something worth fussing over. And isn’t the average lifespan of a user pretty short anyway? I’m planning to live large and retire early. Dawon-nim promised to give me a nice cut too. Hahahah!"

"……"

He laughed heartily–he was clearly trying to lighten the mood. I almost wanted to die from how guilty I felt.

Olim continued when I remained silent, "And once you become a successor, you can’t break the succession rules. Since becoming a wielder, I’ve had to consistently live a life striving for ‘nobility,’ and Kim Sangyoon can no longer back down in the face of an enemy. The moment we abandon these principles, the succession contract becomes void.”

"……"

"So, even if you find a succession weapon, I don't recommend you became its wielder. When I was alive, I chose to follow this life willingly after seeing the vision the succession weapon showed me. But you… it doesn’t seem like you’d be able to make that choice with that same freedom.”

I took a sharp breath at her piercing insight; Dawon gently patted me.

Moreover, through clumsy stammers, Sangyoon-ssi continued to try and dissuade me, "Th-That's right, Lee-kyung-nim. I mean, honestly, I was just living a mediocre life before skyrocketing through while wielding Berserker. So I think becoming a successor was good for me… But, perhaps you think you have to get stronger–like it’s some kind of compulsion… I think you’re already strong enough–and have strong enough people–as it is… Not that I’m saying I’m enough or anything, but…”

I couldn't help but tear up at his heartfelt advice and consolation.

At that moment, Bang Eun-ji, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward. She suddenly handed me Jo Chan-young, who she had been holding in her arms, and said, "You know, Choi Lee-kyung-ssi has no time to turn your attention to other things. The most efficient way forward, now, is to focus on your servants."

I obediently received Jo Chan-young. As soon as he was secure in my arms, she put her hands on her waist and pouted, "You're a talented Necromancer… No, you're a *genius* Necromancer. After all, you've gathered us together. You've even seduced Eunji's guildmaster, no? That cold, arrogant, self-absorbed person is now all soft and drooling over you. Wouldn't that make you a top-tier talent in this field?”

"That's right. You're practically a cheat-code." Garam, for once, agreed with her.

My cheeks flushed red, and Dawon gave me a small smile.

Eunji continued, "So, don't spoil the talent you have. Please study how best to use Eunji and the others. Also, please do something about Jo Chan-young. Eunji finds it bothersome to change his puppy pee pads."

"S-sorry…" I replied reflexively and tightened my hold on Jo Chan-young. She was right–when I thought about it, this wasn't the time to be distracted by succession weapons.

‘What should I do about *this*(?)' 1 I turned Jo Chan-young around and lifted him up. I wanted to observe his face a little closer.

When Jo Chan-young's eyes met mine, his tail began to wag. To be honest, he wagged his tail like that no matter who he looked at in this group—just like an overly-friendly, human-loving puppy. It was hard to believe that the cool-headed, sharp man I had seen in the [Vengeful Ghost Memories] was somewhere inside *this*.

"Are you sure nothing's wrong with… Mmmph!"

As I murmured anxiously, Jo Chan-young suddenly rushed at me. He panted and licked at my lips.

Thud–!

I laid back in the bed, pinned down by his enormous weight.

"Crazy…"

"Oh my!"

"What!?"

"Jo Chan-young?"

"Bark bark!"

"……"

And, when I came to my senses, towering over me was… a very well-built man, gazing down at me with half-lidded eyes. He had white hair and irezumi tattoos lining his arms… And, above all, he was completely naked.

In that state, he said, "… It's been a long while, Choi Lee-kyung-ssi."

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TL: Hot dang. Forget Dawon, give me Chan-young. (Although I find it hilarious that Bang Eunji is the one to take care of him, feed him, and change his puppy pads).

I honestly find Kim Sangyoon such an interesting character–the way he's changed. What having ‘berserker' and its conditions mean for him…

1. The importance here is that Choi Lee-kyung is using the referential pronoun for ‘animals' or ‘objects' rather than humans