The Necromancer in The Novel Picks up Bones - Chapter 96
Only Noblemtl
Episode 96
Woo Seok-kyung continued to cry for a long time after that.
It seemed as if he was having a hard time bearing the thought of his family’s lives being in danger. On the outside, it seemed that way.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t control my emotions.”
“It’s okay. That can happen.”
“Whenever I think of my brother, it’s always like this. It’s hard to hold back tears. I feel so sorry for him… … .”
Even JiX is sick at this level.
Baek Sa-jun swallowed the disgust rising in his heart and smiled faintly.
“I cannot allow the World Tree, which the Emperor gave his life to leave behind, to collapse. Just tell me the location of the dungeon and I will get it.”
“Oh, really… would you do that?”
“Of course.”
As Baek Sa-jun nodded, Woo Seok-kyung suddenly leaned forward from across from him.
Then he grabbed Baek Sa-jun’s hand.
“Thank you, really. I’m sure Mr. Baek Sa-jun can do it. If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll prepare anything for you.”
“Well then, I have a favor to ask… … .”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Woo Seok-kyung said with shining eyes.
It seems like he’ll listen to anything. We’ll soon find out if that’s really true.
“Would it be possible for me to see the Emperor?”
“My brother, you mean? Why all of a sudden… … .”
“He is someone I personally respect. I want to check on his current situation. If there is anything I can do to help, I would like to help.”
“Oh, I see.”
Woo Seok-kyung was lost in thought for a moment.
But that was only for a moment, as he quickly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but it seems difficult. My brother is currently receiving special treatment. I’m cautious because I might interfere with the treatment.”
“Is that so? Then there’s nothing I can do.”
Woo Seok-kyung cautiously declined. Then Baek Sa-jun sighed as if he was truly sorry.
“I really wanted to meet you… … .”
“I’ll make room for you once this treatment is over. Right now, it seems like it might be difficult.”
“Okay, I get it. I can’t help it.”
I made the excuse that I was receiving treatment, but it was something I couldn’t force through.
Baek Sa-jun got up from his seat.
“The dungeon will depart in two days. Oh, and… I’m talking about the person I tried to call here but couldn’t because there was no answer.”
“Yes. I’m really sorry I couldn’t call you.”
“By any chance, is your name Lee Hyuk-un?”
Woo Seok-kyung’s eyes widened when he heard that name.
“That’s right. How about that… … .”
“Oh, we have a bit of a personal relationship. Then, should I make a separate seat for you?”
“Is that possible?”
“That guy has a difficult personality, so he ignores suggestions from people he doesn’t know. But since we’re friends, he’ll probably listen if I ask him to.”
Baek Sa-jun said confidently.
Woo Seok-kyung smiled brightly when he heard that.
“Please do so. I also wanted to express my gratitude to Mr. Lee Hyuk-woon.”
“Okay, but I guess you probably won’t come here… Would outside be okay?”
“It’s okay. A restaurant or anywhere.”
I have been wondering how I could meet Lee Hyuk-woon, so I have no reason to refuse.
Woo Seok-kyung readily accepted.
“That’s great. I’ll let you know when the location is decided. Well then, I’ll be going now.”
“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Baek Sa-jun.”
Baek Sa-jun left the room after saying those words.
The only one left in the office was Woo Seok-kyung. He took a sip of tea, still smiling.
The teacup obscured his face.
– Okay.
And when he put down the teacup, Woo Seok-kyung’s face, which had been smiling gently, suddenly changed.
With a face full of irritation and anger.
“I don’t know why they’re looking for these dead bodies, whether this one or that one. They’re all the same… … .”
Tsk, Woo Seok-kyung clicked his tongue loudly.
The Emperor is dying. He has held out bravely until now, but his life is running out.
What are you going to do if you meet a guy like that?
“I’ll do as you say. Stop talking nonsense.”
The hand that was holding the teacup gained strength.
Kwajik! The teacup, unable to withstand the force, was crushed with a loud noise. Woo Seok-kyung looked at the broken teacup with annoyed eyes and shook his hand.
“Now… there isn’t much left… … .”
Woo Seok-kyung got up from his seat, gritting his teeth.
And then I went outside and headed to the top floor. There was a heavily guarded room on the top floor, where no one was allowed to enter unless they were authorized to do so.
“What about that monster? Is it inside?”
“Yes, Vice-Guildmaster. He is undergoing ‘treatment.’ And please be careful what you say. You are a monster.”
“Are you warning me now?”
“I’m giving you some advice.”
The attitude of the guild members standing guard was too rude to be treating a vice guild leader.
It was understandable. They were members of the guild, but they did not follow Woo Seok-kyung.
It’s not like I’m following the Emperor.
‘Those who serve the monster inside me… … .’
That was unpleasant.
Woo Seok-kyung clicked his tongue and opened the door. A large room was revealed along with a strong stench.
“… … .”
A room that is spacious and doesn’t have much of anything.
All there was was a bed and a table in the center, a magic circle drawn underneath, and a lot of potions.
A skinny man was lying on the bed. A man who was emitting black energy from his entire body.
“What a joke. The one who was once praised as the Sword Emperor is now like this withered tree.”
A middle-aged man with a very thin body and no good looks.
He was the man called . He was now a dead man, unconscious.
“You started spewing bad words at your own blood relatives as soon as you got here? Why are you so angry today?”
A woman was standing next to the bed.
He was the most famous priest in the city. He was also a doctor.
Her name is Kim Eun-joo.
“Shut up, monster.”
“Monster? It’s a shame between us. Huh? We’re comrades with the same purpose. Should I call you that?”
“Huh, comrade?”
Woo Seok-kyung laughed at Kim Eun-joo’s words.
“I don’t want to share the same ambitions as you guys who want the end of the world. Especially you guys who go around taking other people’s bodies.”
Woo Seok-kyung drank the cold tea and coldly glared at the woman standing in front of him.
At those words, Kim Eun-joo, no, the ‘soul thief’ who had taken her body, burst into laughter.
“Aha! You hit the nail on the head. Well, that’s right. Our organization is a bit unusual. We want the end! But.”
But that was only for a moment.
The soul reaver’s laughter twisted grotesquely, as if he was mocking his opponent.
“Don’t you want to hear that from someone who is willing to sacrifice your brother for his own greed?”
Kwaaang!
Woo Seok-kyung’s fist hit the table hard. The table shattered into pieces with a loud noise.
Angry eyes glared at the soul reaper.
“Be careful with your words and actions.”
“Why me? Why did you break that poor table? Does that give you the courage to kill me? You don’t have the power to kill me anyway.”
The soul stealer sneered.
“So you’re cooperating with us? Because you want to receive the .”
“… … .”
Woo Seok-kyung gritted his teeth.
He is working with the Apocalypse faction, especially the Soul Reavers. A few months ago, the Sword Emperor who raised the World Tree fell and he took over the leadership of this city.
But his abilities were sorely lacking.
Whether it was his personal power or his ability to lead an organization, he was nowhere near his brother’s.
– If only the Emperor was here!
– Woo Seok-kyung? That human won’t do. He doesn’t have the ability. He doesn’t have the guts to fight monsters, and he doesn’t have the strength. But he can’t even lead the city well.
– It seems like you’re trying, but… … .
– Huh, a guy who’s too scared to even go on an expedition?
Public opinion in the city grew worse by the day.
The public opinion within the Manwol Guild was the same. No matter how hard Woo Seok-kyung tried, nothing changed.
‘Brother… Damn it, I became a hunter and still doing this!’
It was like that even before the world was destroyed.
A brother with outstanding abilities, and a younger brother who is the complete opposite. They have lived their entire lives being compared to each other.
‘I want to gain power. The power to silence all those who make fun of me!’
At that moment, the soul flayer approached him.
That being accurately understood Woo Seok-kyung’s inner self and suggested what he wanted most.
[The Emperor’s body is handed over to the Soul Reaver.]
[In return, Woo Seok-kyung obtains an item called that allows him to become a special being.]
In Busan, there is a force called vampires.
Those bitten by them become bloodthirsty, but also gain greater strength than before.
The most special one among them is .
– If you use that item, you will be able to become a member of Jinjo’s clan. Then, you will have the power to achieve whatever you want.
Woo Seok-kyung accepted the offer.
Comparisons with his more accomplished brother, resentment toward his own incompetence, and even resentment toward those who looked down on him.
Everything was pushing me to accept the offer.
“There’s not much left, Woo Seok-kyung. My penalty will be over in just a little while. The Emperor’s body will be ready to accept the plunder.”
“It’s taking too long for nothing.”
“Haha, your brother has such strong willpower. It wasn’t easy for him to empty his body.”
The soul reaver previously attempted to plunder Yoo Seong-ah’s body, but failed due to Baek Sa-jun’s intervention.
That penalty prevented me from using Soul Steal for a while, but it has finally been lifted.
If it weren’t for that, I would have used more coercive means to shorten the time or something…
“It’s a shame, but this isn’t so bad.”
“So, is your brother going to die?”
“The body will live, but the soul will die. Why, you don’t like it?”
“No way.”
Woo Seok-kyung chuckled.
It was an ugly and mean smile.
“I’m so happy I could cry.”
“Aha, good.”
Even the soul reaper laughed.
It was quite a pleasure to watch someone twisted by all sorts of ugly emotions run wild.
And one more thing.
“Haha, I never thought I’d see Baek Sa-jun again.”
That also pleased the soul-flayer.
I never thought the opportunity for revenge would come so quickly.
“Do you know him?”
“Yes. You interrupted my work last time. It’s a good thing. I really wanted that body too.”
The soul reaper laughed as he touched the sword emperor’s body.
“This too, that too… will all be mine.”
It was a smile filled with greed.
* * *
Baek Sa-jun took a look around the inside of Manwol’s guild house and then returned to his quarters.
And I thought of the original story’s development.
“Well, I don’t think anything has changed much.”
In the original, Woo Seok-kyung sells the Sword Emperor to the soul raider in order to become special.
Since only the top floor of the guild house is under tight security, I guess the Sword Emperor’s room is there like in the original.
‘Sword Emperor. He was a very annoying enemy in the original.’
It was like that from Lee Hyuk-woon’s point of view.
In the original, the Soul Reaver plunders the Sword Emperor’s body without any interference and destroys the World Tree.
And until the mid-to-late stages, you can use that body.
‘Lee Hyuk-woon tried to kill the Emperor before he woke up, but ultimately failed.’
Lee Hyuk-woon, unaware of the existence of the soul reaper, judges that the Emperor of Swords has become corrupted for some reason.
I was going to kill him before he woke up.
It’s a problem because it failed.
‘Was it a twist of sorts?’
The Sword Emperor, as everyone knows, is already dead, and his body has been stolen and used by the Soul Reaver.
This fact is revealed in the middle of the work.
I remember it being a shocking twist.
‘We can’t let this turn around again.’
Baek Sa-jun, who returned to his lodgings, headed to Han Mi-na’s room. He saw Magnus standing guard and Yoo Seong-ah still sleeping.
Hanmi Na’s sullen face too.
“Han Mina. Let’s do something together.”
“Where are you going to send me as an undercover agent?”
“No, an errand.”
Baek Sa-jun handed a letter to Han Mi-na.
“If you go west from here, there’s the Eunseong Motel. There’ll be a guy named Lee Hyuk-woon there. Just give him a letter. He’ll be happy to see you.”
“Wow, you’re even asking me to run errands now? What’s in the letter? I shouldn’t be looking at it, right?”
“It’s nothing.”
Baek Sa-jun smiled.
Han Mina flinched when she saw that smile.
“Should I call it a fisherman’s paradise… … .”
“Don’t laugh like that… … .”
It had to be that way.
Because it was a very, very ominous smile.