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Chapter 333

“Ugh, Aaaah!!”

The scream of a man pierced the hollow night. It was like a scene from a cheap horror movie.

The ground trembled. Dirt erupted and then sank down. In that moment, a decaying arm shot up.

Zombies. The most basic form of undead in necromancy. Undead were rising from the village cemetery, a land that had seen war in the past. White bones rattled, and rotting flesh plopped to the ground.

It wasn’t just happening in this place. Similar events were occurring all over the world.

Zombies and skeletons were no trivial monsters. Perhaps if there were just one or two, a village could fend them off, but when an entire cemetery arose, there was no way a single village could hold its ground.

Despite this, the world was not engulfed in chaos. It was different from before the regression. And it was only natural.

“This is life.”

The reason was simple. Thanks to the purification potions that Yeon-woo had indiscriminately distributed.

Yeon-woo remembered the locations and names of several villages that were particularly hard-hit by the Demon King’s handiwork, commonly referred to as “The Night of Walking Death.” Even selling them at half price—or even a quarter of that—was worth it just to force the potions into their hands.

“Global casualties are said to be under ten. Reports indicate only one fatality.”

“An old man died of a heart attack, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Yeon-woo nodded at Riley’s report. After all, it would be impossible to prevent the death of an elderly man.

It was the Night of Walking Death, an unpredictable calamity; it wasn’t plausible to warn an old man never to step outside.

“Before the regression, the casualties were in the thousands.”

“Was it that severe?”

Listening to Yeon-woo, Riley couldn’t help but realize he had been desperately trying to ensure supplies were available. The master really couldn’t stand when people died.

“Anyway, seeing you in a good mood makes me feel good too.”

“Haha, yeah, it’s nice to feel this way again. How about a company dinner?”

“I’ll let the researchers know.”

Anyway, that was impressively prompt. Watching Riley head out immediately after Yeon-woo spoke, they thought about the significance of drastically reducing the casualties in the Night of Walking Death.

The power of Toyo’s Demon King came from death. The Cult of Oblivion was no different. Places cluttered with corpses were their home field. Without a single body, they were simply powerless sorcerers.

The Night of Walking Death was just a precursor for them. Before the real fight commenced, it was their intention to establish favorable ground all around. Coincidentally, that intent had landed accurately.

Necromancers, who were anything but suited for raids, were enabled to carry out guerrilla warfare. Because of that, before the regression, they had to succumb to the necromancers, but this time it was different. They lost the very foundation needed to attempt guerrilla tactics.

“Please check the stock of purification potions and how many each village possesses. If it drops below ten, I’ll resupply it from my own pocket.”

“Understood.”

If it were Toyo, he would certainly not stop at just this. He would try until it worked. It was not the time to rejoice at having fended off the danger; rather, it was crucial to avoid messing things up after this success.

*

“Hmm…”

Christopher stroked his chin. Something felt off. The atmosphere around the cult had soured. Though he had been lingering for various reasons, this situation was…

“Hey, how about escaping?”

“…What’s with you all of a sudden?”

The necromancer, freshly out of the shower, muttered unhappily. Christopher stared at her intensely.

“I don’t get why you’re pretending to be a guy.”

“It’s my business.”

Her body was exquisitely beautiful. The pale skin, as white as porcelain, and the gray hair clinging to her wet skin made it undeniable that she was a stunning woman. But that didn’t evoke any particular feelings in him.

“So what are you saying about escaping, idiot?”

“I mean it literally. The mood is really bad. It always leads to a loss.”

“Those are words from someone who has betrayed the cult before.”

The necromancer scoffed, showing no sign of embarrassment as she crossed in front of Christopher, putting on a loose garment. It looked like tattered clothing, yet strangely enough, she preferred that style.

“Given your statements, it seems you’re not fully devoted to the Demon King.”

“Of course not.”

The necromancer responded bluntly. Sure, she played along because it suited her agenda, but she was not a being meant to serve someone. Unless, of course, she aimed for the Demon King’s throne.

“Still, if it’s you saying it, I might trust you. However, not right now. I’ll wait a bit longer to observe.”

“Well, that’s fine with me.”

Christopher shrugged. Just then, the necromancer, dressed fully with her face and hair covered by a mask, suddenly tilted her head.

“…But what’s up with you bringing this up out of nowhere? Are you hoping I don’t die or something?”

“Hm, maybe I’ve subconsciously grown fond of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

There’s no way the strongest monster of the Cult of Oblivion could feel such emotions. The necromancer smirked and stepped outside, thinking he’d see it that way. Christopher shrugged again.

*

“Hmm…”

It seemed the only one who could have helped him become the master was Namgung Seong. It didn’t seem to be about Yeon-woo’s issues, but there were still disqualifications for ascending to master.

Kim Yoo-min appeared to lack practical experience. Namgung Seong was fortunate to have fulfilled all the necessary experiences.

Well, that didn’t mean that Kim Yoo-min or the others could not ascend to master.

After all, the reason why their generation was praised as legendary was not just because they had many scions from prestigious families but also because most of them had reached master level.

Of course, Namgung Seong achieved that in a significantly shorter timeframe, being praised even more than before the regression. Probably, the rest, including Kim Yoo-min, would also shorten their periods, so he had no worries.

‘Still, I hope they reach master status before the cemetery war breaks out.’

The information regarding the cemetery war had already slipped through Yeon-woo’s fingers. If the Night of Walking Death had occurred several years earlier, how could he predict when the cemetery war would take place?

If he hadn’t prepared in advance, there was no way he could have hoped for a situation like the current one.

Among others, why did it specifically call for Namgung Seong and Kim Yoo-min? It was, after all, compatibility. Namgung Seong’s pure lineage was unique to the Heavenly Thunder King’s secret technique, while Kim Yoo-min possessed enough talent that a powerful noble would take notice.

If they needed raw power, it would be Kim Yoo-min’s older brother, Kim Hyun-soo, who would be better. However, it would be better for Kim Hyun-soo to operate separately.

Expecting him to smash through the bones and corpses blocking their way with his fists might have something to do with the memories from before the regression…

“I just have to hope for their efforts.”

“…What about me? Don’t you expect anything from me?”

“Of course I do!!”

As Yeon-woo mumbled while sitting in the living room, Nea and Shar suddenly lunged at him. What’s going on with them all of a sudden?

“Why do you expect from other women and not from your wife? Why am I always sidelined? Are you cheating? Cheating? Cheating? Cheating?”

“W-whoa, Mama’s scary…!!”

“You used to be just like this, Shar…!!”

“Don’t lie!!”

With the sparkle in Nea’s eyes completely gone, she kept repeating the same phrases.

When the truth was shared with Shar, Nea went quiet and whacked Yeon-woo’s head. Did my skull just turn into a heart shape??

But can blood really be denied? The triggers and actions were surprisingly similar. Watching Nea inch closer to him while sitting beside him, Yeon-woo chuckled.

“Feeling pretty relaxed, huh? Really? Are you really going to betray your sister? Am I gonna cry? Gonna cry?”

Coincidentally, Nea wasn’t the type to maintain that expression for long.

A bit… How should he put it? Perhaps since she was thirsty for love, now that she had tasted pure love, she couldn’t withstand the absence of it any longer?

If he thought about how she had starved for love back before the regression, it left a bitter taste in Yeon-woo’s mouth.

“There’s no way I would do that, Nea. Don’t you trust me?”

“Oh, no, I trust you…♥”

Curious about what reaction would come next, he looked up with a boyish voice, and Nea’s eyes seemed to transform into heart shapes… or so he imagined, as her expression shifted in an instant.

This is getting dangerous. I feel like I’m turning into absolute garbage.

“Joking aside, it’s not a relation worth getting envious about. It’s just friendship.”

“That’s what the other side thinks too, right?”

“If you ask me like that, I can’t give you a definitive answer, but it’s probably admiration. They respect strong individuals…”

While Baek In-hwa had made her feelings for him abundantly clear, Kim Yoo-min was treating him as usual.

She wasn’t someone capable of lying to herself or acting. Given how she treated him like a friend, it was clear she still thought of him as just that.

“…Hmm, okay. I can let one slide, but two is pushing it.”

How should he handle the fact that Dang Sa-ryeon was clearly aiming for him? Well, it’s probably more a matter of recognizing the value he held than actual affection, so maybe it wasn’t worth worrying too much about.

Guess it’s up to Nea to decide on that. For now, Yeon-woo needed to focus on the Demon King of Toyo.

[Big brother.]

In a rare moment, Dawn addressed him as “Big brother.” Dawn, who used a variety of terms like uncle and big brother, but for some reason, Yeon-woo preferred “big brother.” Lately, even his junior friends had started calling him that, which made him feel good.

[Osiris has awakened.]

“…Oh.”

That was a piece of welcomed news. With this, the moment he treated his body with care, Usir’s skull would no longer be up for grabs by Toyo.

‘I’ll head over right away.’

Standing up from the sofa, Yeon-woo noticed the kids staring at him as if to ask what was wrong. He turned to them and declared, “Hey kids, you’ve got a new friend!”

But this one stood 4 meters tall.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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