Ch.159Closed-Door Training Is Dangerous (2)

I thought it was somewhat embarrassing to say with my own mouth, but my skills have already reached their peak.

Physical training is also meaningless in my current situation.

Therefore, to find potential for growth, I needed to explore other areas.

‘Is there room for improvement in my necromancy?’

To be honest, I’m not sure. After all, I’ve already stepped onto a path no one has walked before, and even I don’t know what lies ahead.

‘……’

Now I could understand how Gildeon felt when I met him not long ago.

He too had repeatedly contemplated the existence of the next level and dedicated the rest of his life to confirming it.

‘What’s certain is that this isn’t a problem that will be solved just by thinking about it.’

And I too came here not for armchair theories but to produce definite results.

Rather than such vague concerns, it would be better to approach this from a more practical perspective.

“…Should I try creating a new undead?”

“Could you make something stronger than what you have now?”

“I won’t know until I try.”

However, it doesn’t seem like a particularly promising approach. Not only would I need to find suitable materials, but it would still be inferior to me fighting directly.

Of course, there is one method worth testing.

Using a being who has achieved divine status as material.

“…Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?”

“Never mind. It might work with Shin Doyun, but it wouldn’t with someone like you.”

In the end, that’s far from a fundamental solution.

To achieve satisfactory results, I felt I needed to attempt something I hadn’t even considered before.

I wasn’t the only one who had reached this conclusion. Serejia also began to speak to me with a somewhat hesitant attitude.

“…Actually, if you think about it, doesn’t one possibility exist?”

“A possibility?”

“Honestly, it’s a bit abstract, but the simplest precedent is right in front of us.”

When she said that much, I could easily understand what Serejia was trying to mention.

“You’re talking about what we discussed before?”

“Yes.”

The conversation about my condition, preparation, and changes in body and soul.

And what that implied was quite simple.

“If you achieve divine status, something might change.”

At that time, it didn’t really resonate with me, but now it’s the only thing I have to cling to.

I somewhat agreed with that opinion.

“But how do you do that?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Ah, I’m a fool for expecting an answer.”

It’s not that I didn’t bring it up because I didn’t know. Achieving divine status is too abstract in meaning, and the method is ambiguous.

“Even Shin Doyun said there’s no established theory.”

At first glance, his plan also seemed to be a case of utilizing divine status in a different way, but when I asked him directly, he said that using someone else’s divine status as material to grant power and achieving divine status oneself were completely different branches.

In other words, I don’t have a clear method right now.

“But you’ve already set the restriction. Wouldn’t it be better to try something?”

“…Why are you so fixated on that approach?”

“Just think about the content of the game you’re so immersed in.”

Tilting my head at the unexpected comment, Serejia continued with a confident attitude.

“When your level reaches a certain point, you change class, and when that process reaches its limit, you gain power through some kind of liberation or whatever.”

“That’s true.”

“Like that, this feels like a natural progression to me. There’s not much else left for you, who has essentially filled every vessel.”

When she puts it that way, it does make sense. Certainly, from that perspective, it’s the process that fits most neatly.

Some might ask why we’re talking about games in this situation, but games also originate from primal human desires.

In some ways, games and reality aren’t that different.

“Decisively, divine status is definitely an existing concept. I think the probability is higher than reaching for possibilities you haven’t even seen.”

“……”

She’s absolutely right.

Then, finding that clue will be our task from now on.

“In a game, there would be a class change quest, but…”

Unfortunately, reality isn’t that kind. It’s unclear whether there are established conditions for it, or if different methods must be attempted for each individual.

‘…Do I really need to gain enlightenment and ascend like in a martial arts novel?’

Just as I was about to sit down and start serious contemplation, suddenly a strange resonance spread from within my soul.

The source was inside the Book of Death.

‘This is…?’

Having realized the cause, I summoned the Book of Death and called forth the beautiful girl with her eyes covered by cloth.

She was Gildeon’s master and the final undead he had entrusted to me.

‘Strictly speaking, she’s not an undead, but…’

That’s not important right now. The girl who had been in a long sleep had coincidentally awakened at this timing.

“Who…?”

The girl who woke from her sleep tilted her head and examined me and Serejia.

Then she began looking around as if something should be there.

“Your disciple has already left. He left only you with me.”

“…Is that so? What an impolite disciple.”

As if understanding the situation with just one sentence, the girl greeted me formally with a somewhat bitter smile.

“My name is Rama. I am the attendant of death who has wandered the world for a very long time. Did that child find the answer he was seeking?”

“…Well, he left nodding with some satisfaction.”

“Then I too will gladly honor his final moments.”

After paying her respects to Gildeon in a peculiar manner, Rama faced me and stared fixedly for a long time without moving.

As if she were gazing not at my exterior but deep into my inner self, I waved my hand to break her concentration.

“That kind of stare is a bit burdensome when we’ve just met.”

“I apologize. I was quite surprised. I think I understand why that child entrusted me to you.”

“……”

Gildeon had clearly said.

He couldn’t keep his promise to her, and naturally, I would be able to fulfill it.

It had been completely incomprehensible until now, but seeing Rama’s reaction, it seemed the master and disciple understood each other.

“I’m curious.”

“About what?”

“How did that child’s necromancy appear to you? Was it terribly insufficient? Or was it unsatisfactory?”

“…No. It was quite good.”

At that answer, Rama trembled as if moved and smiled broadly.

“I express my gratitude. There could be no happier words for that child and me.”

“…Well, flattering me won’t get you anything.”

Despite having just met, she seems to hold me in very high regard.

While that was actually true, her reaction was still somewhat bewildering.

When I asked for the reason, Rama turned her head again and answered me.

“I can’t help but be happy. I can finally achieve the long-sought aspiration.”

“Aspiration? What aspiration?”

“Finding the king.”

Then she began to tell us the detailed content.

“My clan could be described as close attendants who served the king of the netherworld in ancient times.”

“……”

“But in truth, it’s a story that has lost its meaning now. I, the last generation, don’t even have memories of directly seeing the king.”

I hadn’t heard anything about her clan either. In other words, she was speaking of a very ancient era.

“It is said that the king chose death himself and vacated the throne long ago. And we wandered the world looking for a new king, continuously passing that mission down to later generations.”

“…I roughly understand what you’re saying.”

Gildeon had said that when he reached the netherworld, the king from the old stories did not exist.

That meant the king’s seat was still vacant.

“Yes. We couldn’t find one. There was no such person no matter how thoroughly we searched the world.”

Even as generations continued to change, the result remained the same, and eventually, the clan to which Rama belonged became completely exhausted and gave up everything.

“They all left, saying it was nonsensical from the beginning for a mere human to ascend to the throne of the netherworld and rule the afterlife. By my generation, so much time had passed that we couldn’t even judge what was true and what was false in the words of our ancestors.”

Thus the clan lost its lineage, and in the end, only Rama remained.

Her eyes, clearing away bitterness hidden in the old cloth, were gazing at me very clearly.