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Chapter 328: The Egyptian Gods

Even without Sebek, the Egyptian gods seldom reveal themselves, mostly because their faith has dwindled, but fundamentally, most of them are dead.

[Who would have thought I’d see you again? That Nephren-Ka must be boiling with anger by now.]

Sebek muttered as he looked at the item Yeon-woo had brought over. There was a hint of sadness in his expression. Well, considering it was just leisurely swimming on a plate of water, he didn’t look too serious.

“So, what’s this? Why does that guy carry around someone else’s skull?”

[Was it called Usir’s skull? You know the name but seem clueless about the origin?]

“Sebek, if it’s Usir…”

[That’s right. Usir, aka Osiris’s skull. It must be really bothering Nephren-Ka, who uses necromancy. It’s absurd that the king of Duat and lord of the underworld bit the dust first.]

Yeon-woo, who was eavesdropping on Amir and Sebek’s conversation, gasped in realization. Usir was Osiris? It felt familiar from some old game, but he hadn’t known that.

“So it’s such a big deal?”

[Well, stealing the skull from him would count as a significant achievement. It might seem irrelevant for now, but after sufficient morale is injected, it would definitely pose a big problem.]

Yeon-woo was well aware of that. I mean, having experienced the graveyard wars firsthand, how could he not?

[Just by having this skull, one can claim to be the lord of the underworld. Infuse enough morale and mana, open the underworld, and in that instant, the monsters would come rushing out and become his subordinates.]

“Underworld monsters….”

Amir turned pale at those words. Given his ties to the Egyptian gods, he couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrifying that was.

Those creatures were indeed as frightening as the fear they instilled. Monsters shrouded in black rags charged at the hunters.

No matter how much you stabbed them with a sword or burned them with magic, they charged at the hunters without hesitation, embodying the very definition of a crazy ragged monster.

[They were originally cute little things, but once in Nephren-Ka’s hands, they’d turn grotesque. I’m grateful I won’t have to see that.]

“What are you saying? …But Osiris is the king of the underworld and a resurrected god, right?”

[Hmm, yeah?]

“So does that mean he could resurrect even in this state?”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Sebek blinked in disbelief. Could it be the thought never crossed his mind since only the skull remained?

[…It might be possible? Right? Why didn’t I think of that?]

“I-Is it possible?”

Sebek’s muttering made Amir jump in surprise. Wait, isn’t he a priest and doesn’t know this? Well, okay, it’s not normal that he’s the only one who has experience resurrecting a god.

“Well, considering he has resurrected before, this shouldn’t be too much trouble, right? Or not.”

[It is technically true that only the skull is left, but you just have to do it the same way you did when you resurrected that interdimensional deity. Just stick clay onto the skull to create a body. That’s how he resurrected back then.]

“Providing enough faith for resurrection is the hardest part, though.”

[I’ll make it happen somehow. But can I leave the body creation and storage up to you and Amir? The current Egypt’s safety isn’t great, so who knows when the Cult of Oblivion might show up.]

“Oh, if that’s the case, leave it to us. Amir can be hired as an external researcher.”

“W-Would it be okay for me to take on such a position…?”

Looks like he doesn’t think being a researcher is such a big deal. With a reassuring wave to a worried Amir, I subtly informed Riley ahead of time.

“Sounds good, sounds good. Ah, just to be clear… you won’t get attacked and die again after being resurrected, right?”

[At that time, I had to take down the actual body of Osiris, so I couldn’t do anything. But things are different now. Since Nephren-Ka can no longer step into the divine realm from the moment he earned the title of Demon King.]

“Oh ho! Then we should be safe, as long as the body we make doesn’t break.”

[Right. I trust you’ll protect it well.]

“That’s our specialty.”

With that meaningless conversation wrapped up, Yeon-woo wrapped Usir’s skull back in cloth and tucked it away. Sebek, who had been leisurely swimming on the plate, slowly began to pull himself out, his eyes full of resolve.

People say, “You reap what you sow.” If you come empty-handed, you should at least take the trash you created with you.

Even if that trash came from your own home, you should pick it up as a matter of neighborly courtesy. What? That doesn’t mean what I said? Or not.

The Demon King of Toyo, Nephren-Ka, remains an irredeemable blot on the Egyptian gods. Therefore, they will step forward. Their size may be small, but they aren’t going to run away. They’ve been this way since the return.

‘They all died once.’

This time, they won’t let that happen.

*

“Alright, shall we have a duel, junior?”

“Out of the blue?”

“Fighting is always sudden.”

Several days later, just before the end of vacation. As Yeon-woo left the dormitory, Lucrecia followed behind, looking like she had a itch to scratch.

With her fists tightly clenched and a bright smile, Lucrecia said those words, making Yeon-woo look at her with a puzzled expression.

“Are you really thinking you’re done just because your mana control is adjusted and you’ve gotten used to your body?”

“…No?”

“Ha, you don’t know anything about being a master. Do you really think it’s that simple?”

“I wouldn’t know. This isn’t my second time being a master, after all… Ah, you have done it twice, then?”

“Yeah, you little brat. Enough chatter, just follow me.”

Hmm, with that, I had nothing to say.

Having been revived by the royal orb and weakened, Lucrecia had only recently reached the Expert rank. But after organizing the cult in the northern seas, she absorbed a tremendous amount of morale.

It seems she reached the mastery level during the process of purifying that morale into mana.

It was quite natural, in fact. Since she had already been a master before dying, she couldn’t have possibly forgotten the enlightenment she achieved then.

It was only the total amount of mana that was lacking, and the moment she reclaimed that mana, she could immediately be called a master.

“Perhaps the rarest being in this world isn’t me, but rather you, senior.”

“Looks like you’ve finally realized my nobility.”

Once a Dragon Knight and now a person who died and was revived, adding the contracts with the dragon and the traits of a returner together gives her a unique status just barely recognizable.

As Lucrecia began to stride ahead without hesitation, Yeon-woo followed closely. With astonishing naturalness, they headed toward the Academy’s main building, the Department Head’s Office.

If people thought that the Department Head’s Office was just any room, Yuri would be lamenting it.

“Isn’t this the Department Head’s Office? Can we just barge in like this?”

“You’re the one who barges in the most.”

“Hmm….”

Thinking about it, it might be my fault. In the future, I’ll have a proper talk with the involved parties.

“Hey, long time no see, old man!”

“…I hear two noisy brats have come….”

As Lucrecia flung the door open with a bang, Yuri rubbed her nose. Huh, two? There’s only one noisy person in here.

With a perplexed face, Yuri shook her head as she looked at the entering Yeon-woo and Lucrecia. As if she couldn’t be bothered to say anything more, she pointed her chin towards the Gate.

“Did you come to use the gate anyway? Get in quickly. I’m busy, you know.”

“Tch, what are you busy with all the time? Come on, Yeon-woo.”

Mumbling while looking at Yuri, Lucrecia dragged Yeon-woo toward the gate.

It seemed Lucrecia had never fought Yuri before. While Lucrecia seemed eager to take her on, Yuri appeared disinterested.

Well, perhaps Yuri didn’t purposely avoid it. Holding a position like the Department Head must not be easy. After all, she had lived her life wielding a sword, so it’s no wonder she’s not adept at paperwork.

Glancing one last sorrowful look at Yuri, buried under a mountain of paperwork, Yeon-woo and Lucrecia vanished through the gate. …Actually, to be fair, isn’t it me who’d be the unfortunate one?

*

“The provision of divine power is stable.”

“Wow, where did you gather such faith?”

The divine power readings on the gauge, undulating and steadily surpassing the average level, made Yeon-woo click his tongue.

He himself had struggled a lot just to barely lift it from the bottom of the gauge, but at this rate, Osiris could be resurrected in a matter of months.

“At this rate, making the body might take longer, huh?”

“With so many parts needing attention, it’s unavoidable… but maybe if you hadn’t added unnecessary complications, it would’ve been faster?”

“This is way cooler, isn’t it?”

At Yeon-woo’s confidently stated remark, the male researchers sitting around nodded.

Riley gazed at the scene disapprovingly but also nodded as if resigned. Oh ho, giant robots and stuff. Can’t let that slide.

“I suppose so.”

Riley sighed deeply, wondering how to address this. There, a sort of clay golem stood, made from clay adhered around the skull.

Standing three meters tall, with a robust body showcasing bulging muscles, it looked undeniably battle-ready.

While I briefly considered making the skin green to adhere to the depiction, I decided not to bother with it. Once Osiris himself revives in that body, he could dye himself however he pleases.

‘Getting that Nile mud was a bit of a hassle….’

I tried hard to use materials related to Egypt. The clay replacing the flesh came from the Nile, while materials like lapis lazuli and faience were crafted for the bones.

“Well, I can leave the rest to you, right? You’ll handle it well?”

“I think you should fix the part where you carelessly toss these troublesome tasks onto others.”

“Hahaha, I’m so busy.”

I wonder whether it would be self-deprecating to call myself busy, but the truth is, I was swamped. More things were happening simultaneously than I had expected.

Fortunately, it’s still just the prelude, and I should be able to deal with the serious incidents after graduation…

“Until then, I need to stretch out my hands as much as possible.”

Going head-to-head with the Demon King of Toyo won’t just be limited to one region. The graveyard wars were merely referred to as the frontline battles against their main troops, but there was no place in the world not suffering from the undead.

For that time, Yeon-woo needed to expand the market for purification potions.

Europe was gradually spreading its distribution network through the fortress of Transylvania, while in China, they were relying on the powers of Namgung and Jeagal. It was necessary to slowly stretch into other regions as well.

“I can’t tell whether I’m a hunter or a CEO.”

“Both.”

“My body is one, though.”

“But it’s something only you can do.”

…Well, that’s true. Ultimately, it’s through connections and reputation that one can break into the market, and it’s impossible without Yeon-woo’s movements. Only Yeon-woo can make the effort to venture abroad.

I might just be the busiest CEO in the world.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

 

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