Level -99 Archmage

Chapter 26. Necromancer

Sniff Sniff!

A white bundle of fur sniffed the air and scurried through the swamp. The Radiant Anubis. It usually hid under Park Chan-woo’s pant leg, but as soon as they stepped into the fog-filled swamp area, it started moving excitedly.

‘It’s reacting to something.’

Park Chan-woo tilted his head. There was nothing here that Anubis should be reacting to, only the overwhelming stench of rot filling the air. All he could see was the murky swamp. Even for him, it wasn’t easy to navigate through.

‘I don’t have clear information about the swamp area.’

The only thing he knew was that a miracle had happened here. However, stepping into the swamp confirmed one thing.

『Poison Immunity: Your body resists the ‘Poison Mist’.』

『The ‘Poison Mist’ induces ‘hallucinations’ and paralyzes muscles.』

The swamp’s poison was quite potent. Now he understood why there was so little information about this place. If the poison caused paralysis and hallucinations, then of course, no one who passed through would have been able to remember it properly.

‘This place was designed to make people witness miracles.’

From the beginning, that bastard had planned to create miracles here, so that terrified people would look upon his grand feats and worship him.

Otherwise, there was no reason to bring people into a swamp filled with poison mist. That meant…

‘…He’s already formed a contract with a Creator and become an Avatar.’

Whether his contracted Creator was one of the Great Nine Lords or not, one thing was clear, he had already entered into an Avatar contract. There was no way he could have set all of this up alone. And considering that the host of “Abyss of the Gods” had given him control over this entire area, it was highly likely that his Creator was a high-ranking, or even a Named Creator. It was also possible that the host of the Abyss of the Gods was his Creator. Either way, he had full backing from a Creator and was preparing to perform miracles.

‘Was he born a villain?’

Park Chan-woo shook his head inwardly. There wasn’t even a tiny possibility that he hadn’t already been an Avatar. Any lingering emotions he had vanished. During the early and mid-stages of the Abyss engulfing humanity, many people had been saved by that bastard. That was why, for a brief moment, Park Chan-woo had held onto a sliver of hope, the hope that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t yet formed an Avatar contract back then. But…

If he had been an Avatar from the very beginning, then there was no need for further thought. Everything he had done was calculated. Setting up miracles, displaying them, gathering followers. And in the end…

‘…He opened the worst Abyss.’

Just remembering it made Park Chan-woo grit his teeth. He pushed aside his thoughts.

“Anubis. Do you know where you’re going?”

He asked as he watched Anubis moving forward without hesitation. The Radiant Anubis wasn’t stopping, not even once, as if it knew exactly where it was heading. But the swamp was a maze. A maze where the paths constantly shifted. Park Chan-woo had marked trees and bushes along the way, yet he occasionally found himself passing by those same marks again. If Anubis truly knew the way, there should be no reason to take overlapping routes.

‘It’s avoiding something.’

…Anubis was avoiding danger.

So far, they hadn’t encountered anything hostile in the swamp, which strongly suggested that Anubis was deliberately leading them through a safe route. That’s why they were looping back sometimes. Even though Park Chan-woo had the trait of Nonexistence, that didn’t mean he was invincible. He could erase his presence, but that didn’t protect him from environmental hazards. For example, he was still vulnerable to the Poison Mist, traps, or barriers that activated automatically. His Nonexistence only prevented people from perceiving him, it didn’t shield him from dangers that didn’t require awareness to function.

Scurry scurry scurry!

Park Chan-woo followed behind Anubis, who was wiggling its fur with excitement. How long had they been walking?

‘……!’

Something in the distance made Park Chan-woo stop in his tracks. Up ahead, there was a shrine. A shrine, a structure used for conducting grand rituals. But the beings standing in front of it were disturbing. A monstrosity, cloaked in black robes, maintaining a barrier with its dark magic. And…

“Gugh! Gugh!”

“Guaaaargh!”

Hundreds of Poison Zombies with green-tinged skin, emitting eerie, guttural cries.

‘A Necromancer.’

A ruler of death.A monster closest to death itself! Judging by the number of Poison Zombies it had summoned, this was no ordinary foe. Even high-level dungeon bosses in the Abyss couldn’t compare. In the Abyss, creatures that directly wielded death were rare, and even those of the same level couldn’t match a Necromancer’s authority. Park Chan-woo shifted his focus to the shrine behind the Necromancer.

‘…There’s a treasure chest on the shrine.’

He could see it clearly. The Necromancer was guarding something, the treasure chest, glowing with a faint blue light. That must have been something the Creator had prepared for that bastard.

‘This setup is on a different level.’

Compared to the other arrangements he had encountered, whether it was hidden loot or guarded treasure, this was on an entirely different scale. It was as if the entire swamp had been created solely to protect that chest. What could be inside? He was curious. But…

‘I can’t get through.’

The Necromancer, the barrier, and the Poison Zombies surrounding the shrine, They were his worst match-up. His Nonexistence wouldn’t work against them. If he recklessly tried to approach, the barrier would instantly crush him.

Scurry scurry scurry!

Despite this, the Radiant Anubis didn’t stop. Park Chan-woo watched Anubis calmly. A Necromancer might rule over death, but Anubis had an even deeper connection to death.

Hop! Hop!

Dodging the Poison Zombies, Anubis swiftly reached the barrier and began hopping in front of the Necromancer. Suddenly, the Necromancer’s lifeless eyes flickered with light.

「…What are you?」

A faint trace of confusion seeped into its voice.

「How did you awaken my sealed soul?」

It was utterly baffled by the situation. The Necromancer had been assigned the task of protecting the shrine and ensuring that no unauthorized being could approach. But that wasn’t its own will. It was merely a soul bound by a contract, forcibly enslaved to guard the shrine. Yet now, a white fluffball had awakened its sealed soul. And then, it understood.

「Ah… You are a harbinger of death. That’s why you could call upon my soul. But why… would a divine being that guides the dead… be here?」

The Necromancer recognized Anubis. Even if it was still young, Anubis was far superior to a mere Necromancer who only manipulated corpses.

Even so, The barrier would not yield. Only someone who was authorized, or a kin of the Necromancer could pass. He is one who has not been granted permission. Moreover, even though he recognized Anubis, he was certain that he could not cross the barrier. That meant it was not just any ordinary barrier. Considering that only a fully matured Anubis could pass through it, this implied that a defense power of 1,000 would not even come close to breaking through.

‘As expected, he wasn’t an ordinary necromancer.’

Who could he be? He had a vague idea. Necromancers were originally the guardians of altars. As he examined the altar, he deduced the origin of the necromancer.

‘…It’s in Orcish.’

The faded hieroglyphs inscribed on the altar, most of them were related to ‘orcs.’ The drawings displayed the orcs’ characteristic crude metaphors.

‘Death, life, reproduction. An altar that embodies these three origins. That necromancer guarding the altar must have been an orc priest.’

Moreover, the priest had personally created the barrier to protect it. This meant that the altar itself was the deity they worshiped. However, atop the altar was not an offering related to their god but a treasure chest. It was an act of mockery and insult to the priest. Park Chan-woo erased his presence as much as possible. Before him stood countless zombies. The moment he was detected, he would be torn apart instantly by their overwhelming numbers. Yet, he walked forward without hesitation. His ‘Non-Existence’ ability was active, making it impossible for the venomous zombies to perceive him. Thus, he confidently walked through the horde of zombies and stood before the barrier. Then, with a solemn expression, he slowly opened his mouth.

“Chwiik!”

「……!」

『The unique option of ‘Chwiik Belt’ has been activated.』

『By making a ‘Chwiik!’ sound, orcs will mistake you for one of their own and lower their guard.』

Now was the time. Park Chan-woo swiftly crossed the barrier. He never expected to use the ‘Chwiik Belt’ in such a way, but for that brief moment, the necromancer’s body and soul both recognized him as an ‘orc,’ allowing him to pass.

「Wh-when did you get here? No, more importantly… I definitely just heard a fellow orc’s cry…」

Park Chan-woo let out a quiet sigh of relief. He only had one chance. Failure would have been extremely dangerous. But without taking risks, nothing would ever change. Even though he had entered the barrier, the necromancer’s body did not react. All its energy was being used to summon the venomous zombies and maintain the barrier. Park Chan-woo turned his attention to the treasure chest atop the altar. A magical field, like an electric current, flowed over the chest. Touching it carelessly would be a grave mistake.

“Do you know how to open this treasure chest?”

When Park Chan-woo asked, the necromancer’s soul answered.

「…Yes, I do.」

“It would be appreciated if you told me. You aren’t guarding it out of your own will, are you?”

「Grant me redemption. Then I will open the chest for you.」

“You mean I need to destroy your body?”

「Find and destroy my ‘Life Vessel.’」

“…Where is it?”

「I do not know. But it must be somewhere. If you destroy it, I will finally find the rest I have longed for.」

Park Chan-woo stroked his chin. No wonder the necromancer possessed such an enormous amount of magic power. His opponent was a lich. And a lich would always hide its ‘Life Vessel’, the artifact that contained its soul and life force, in a secret location. As long as the ‘Life Vessel’ remained intact, the lich could live forever. Though… he had a good idea where it might be.

‘That guy must have it.’

So this was what he meant by creating a miracle. It seemed that person intended to destroy the Life Vessel and kill the lich. If the lich died, the barrier would disappear as well. A truly perfect setup. A miracle designed solely for ‘that guy’ to obtain.

‘…What should I do?’

Should he track that guy down now? But hunting him down was risky. He still wasn’t certain which creator he had made a contract with. If he truly was one of the ‘Great Nine Lords,’ then trying to kill him recklessly would be dangerous. One would need at least hundreds of coins to even consider such an attempt. Unlike ordinary creators, ‘named creators’ did not sit idly by when their chosen champions were killed. They formed contracts with only one human they truly favored. And if their champion died, their pride would be wounded, and they would seek revenge.

Hop! Hop!

At that moment, Anubis began jumping again outside the barrier.

「The divine being is asking for the barrier to be removed.」

“How?”

「Lower the staff in my body’s grip, and it will be undone.」

Park Chan-woo did as the necromancer’s soul instructed and lowered the staff. Instantly, the barrier surrounding the altar vanished without a trace.

Poof!

As soon as the barrier disappeared, the Radiant Anubis leaped onto the necromancer’s head.

“What are you trying to do…?”

Whoooosh!

It happened in an instant. A pure white light radiated from the Radiant Anubis’s entire body. The light transformed into the shape of a flower bud, then slowly unfurled its petals as it bloomed.

『The Radiant Anubis uses ‘Flower of Life (Legendary).’』

『The Radiant Anubis guides the death of ‘Orc Priest Yan.’』

Seeing this, Park Chan-woo’s eyes gleamed.

‘…So this is why it’s called the Radiant Anubis.’

He finally understood the meaning behind the words written in the description. Orc Priest Yan was equally astonished.

「Th-this is the power of a Guide!」

No, Yan’s reaction far surpassed Park Chan-woo’s. He trembled violently, as if suffering a seizure, his eyes filled with disbelief. The brilliant flower of light bloomed above his head. It was calling forth the life force that should have been sealed within his Life Vessel. This was something only a fully matured Anubis could do.

「It calls forth death, guides death…」

After all, Anubis was a divine being that summoned and guided death. It was surprising that a young Anubis had manifested the power of a Guide, but it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary. The real issue was what happened next. Right now, the ‘Radiant Anubis’—

Crunch!

Munch! Munch!

…was eating the fully bloomed ‘Flower of Life’ it had just created.

「A being that eats death…」

This was entirely outside of Anubis’s given role. Anubis could summon and guide death, but it could not consume it. Bound by the ‘Temple of Death,’ it was strictly forbidden from consuming either life or death. Such an act was impossible in the first place, and even attempting it would strip Anubis of its role. Summoning, guiding, and devouring death. There was only one being capable of doing all three.

「C-could it be… you are…!!」