Ch.141The Legendary Necromancer Is Dangerous (5)

“You keep surprising me. To think there was a necromancer of this caliber even in this place.”

Helena, still standing without a single wound, was desperately blocking Gildeon’s path.

Looking at the two of them, Song Hayeon froze in place, her thoughts coming to a halt.

Everyone else had already reached their limit.

Astride and Henesia, who had confronted Gildeon first, had already lost consciousness, while Xavier and Yesiel were surrounded by Gildeon’s undead, in a state where they could be killed at any moment.

Beatrice had collapsed long ago from overexertion, and Lee Jichul was fighting for his life after receiving a fatal wound while protecting Helena.

In other words, only Helena and Song Hayeon remained.

“…Huff, hah. This is literally cheating. Your undead completely defy common sense.”

“From my perspective, you’re the impressive one. Had we met in Thebes, I might have taken you as my disciple.”

The giant god with a body large enough to fill the enormous dungeon, and Gildeon, who despite his small frame, exuded an even more intense presence.

Standing before these two, Song Hayeon felt so insignificant that she could hardly hold her head up.

‘…And they say this is just one-tenth of his original size?’

If that was true, his actual size must be truly enormous.

The myth of Gildeon that Astride and Henesia had told her about before—the undead larger than the imperial castle mentioned in it.

It was real, and now it stood before Song Hayeon’s eyes.

‘That means, all the other myths too…’

They were likely true or close to it. Realizing this, Song Hayeon let out a hollow laugh and lowered her head even further.

From the beginning, this was a being that humans could never hope to match.

‘This is too much.’

Even Helena, who had been holding out with superhuman strength, finally lost the light in her eyes and fell to her knees.

And Gildeon slowly began to walk toward the kneeling Helena.

“I shall specially make you into an undead with greater power. You will surely reach heights beyond your living state.”

“……”

Gildeon summoned death energy in his palm while Helena silently stared at him.

Song Hayeon stepping between them was purely reflexive.

“Ah, I see one still remains.”

His indifferent attitude suggested Song Hayeon hadn’t even registered in his mind, but that assessment was fair.

Song Hayeon truly was nothing. At least to a necromancer of Gildeon’s caliber.

Acutely feeling this reality, Song Hayeon steadied her trembling body and raised her head. Then she spoke.

“Y-you can’t pass.”

“……”

“Please leave us alone.”

It was truly pathetic, but begging was all Song Hayeon could do.

However, as expected, such hopes were completely shattered.

“Are you related by blood? If so, don’t worry. You can be together forever as my servants.”

“S-stop talking nonsense. Despite appearances, we’re schoolmates. I won’t let you take my sister.”

Hearing this, Gildeon continued with a somewhat puzzled expression.

“Schoolmates? I don’t sense that level of achievement from you.”

“……”

A statement that directly struck at Song Hayeon’s insecurities.

But she had known this all along. Compared to Baek Eunha and Helena, she was nothing but worthless chaff.

Yet even with just that meager talent, Song Hayeon loved the necromancy that Baek Eunha taught her.

Her knowledge was always fresh, and the process of learning and mastering it was always enjoyable.

Had there ever been anything in her life that she had devoted herself to with such passion and dedication?

For Song Hayeon, necromancy had become virtually everything.

And her master, Baek Eunha, had trusted her enough to bring her here.

If she couldn’t even put up a fight and simply handed over her comrades’ lives, Song Hayeon wouldn’t be able to face Baek Eunha again.

“It’s true that I’m just a mediocre necromancer.”

“……”

“But my master isn’t.”

So while she could tolerate insults directed at herself, she couldn’t accept words that disrespected the foundation of her necromancy.

Standing before the necromancer known as a mythical being, Song Hayeon unhesitatingly pulled out a small bone fragment from her pocket.

The first bone that Baek Eunha had given Song Hayeon when she first began teaching her—the one she had buried in the ground every day, stained with her blood, and infused with death energy.

It had become her most precious possession.

‘I can do this.’

Baek Eunha had said that Song Hayeon’s skeleton crafting skills had already reached mastery.

That was the first genuine praise Song Hayeon had ever received from Baek Eunha.

‘I must succeed.’

She had already learned the techniques for creating high-level undead from Baek Eunha, and had completed all the necessary preparations on this bone.

Song Hayeon entered a state of extreme concentration, dropped the bone on the ground, and softly chanted a spell.

“Undead call.”

Whoosh.

Fwaaah!

The process itself wasn’t much different from the necromancy she had performed until now, but the result was quite different.

The bone fragment, which had turned from red to completely black, emitted an eerie death energy and began to form a body as if growing, soon becoming a skeleton clad in simple armor.

The skeleton, opening its eyes with a blue glow, struggled with the unrefined death energy before finally addressing Song Hayeon.

“I… greet my creator.”

“…Protect us.”

A difficult request.

No, it was virtually impossible.

Even a newly born high-level undead would understand this much.

Nevertheless, the skeleton quietly stepped forward, moving in front of Song Hayeon to block Gildeon.

“…I will do so.”

And a moment later.

Before it could even react, Gildeon approached with incredible speed, extended his fingertip, and the skeleton crumbled into a pile of bone dust on the floor.

“…Your necromancy is interesting, but crude.”

In truth, even as she sent the skeleton forward, Song Hayeon had anticipated this outcome.

And as her prediction came true, she silently shed tears.

Apologizing in her heart to the high-level skeleton that had met eternal death without even being given a name, having encountered the wrong master.

Then she closed her eyes in resignation.

It was clear that now, instead of the skeleton, it was her turn.

But strangely, Gildeon was no longer looking at Song Hayeon.

His gaze was now directed beyond her, at someone who had newly appeared.

“…Master.”

Step.

Step.

Baek Eunha approached Song Hayeon, whose face was a mess from crying, and immediately bent down to pick up a handful of the skeleton’s bone dust, speaking casually.

Rustle.

“Well, it is crude as that guy said.”

“……”

“But when someone other than me says it, it naturally pisses me off.”

Baek Eunha smirked and turned her gaze to Gildeon standing before her.

And Gildeon too met her gaze with a solemn look.

They had instantly recognized that neither was ordinary.

Whoosh,

Fsssssh.

Baek Eunha and Gildeon emitted subtle death energy, as if sizing each other up.

After a moment of silence, Gildeon was the first to break it.

“Are you… Baek Eunha?”

“Yes. Seeing how well you speak, you must have read that vermin’s memories?”

“Not all of them. I need to show courtesy to the one who summoned me to this land.”

An attitude that valued dignity and qualification, as if he truly were a king.

Throwing another mocking smile at such behavior, Baek Eunha spoke to Song Hayeon.

“Stop crying and take the others to the back.”

“Sniff. I-I wasn’t crying…”

As Song Hayeon summoned a few skeletons to retrieve her companions and retreat, Baek Eunha quietly added one more thing.

“You did well for your first time. Don’t worry too much. When we get back, I’ll stick by you and teach you properly.”

It was a rather ordinary statement, but it was more reassuring than anything else.

Song Hayeon slowly nodded and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Fervently praying for her master’s victory against that monster.

And Baek Eunha, without showing the slightest tension, muttered with overflowing confidence.

“Looks like it’s about one-third full.”

“…One-third? What does that mean?”

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

After finishing her words, Baek Eunha flicked her finger and summoned a book filled with death energy into the air.

Fwaaah!

Crackle!

“You’ll naturally understand as you get beaten up anyway.”