Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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Phew!

【Defeat!】

“…The difference in team members.”

Ever since Kim Seung-min disappeared, my rank game performance hasn’t been great.

I’ve been working hard, and my score has been slowly improving, but when I think back to when I duo’d with Kim Seung-min, it was like heaven and earth.

Maybe being a Challenger really means something. Today, I missed him even more.

“Should I just stop playing?”

As I was uncharacteristically about to close the game, a message from Song Ha-yeon arrived.

Ding!

[Um, Master? The Association is asking you to take a call….]

“Huh?”

【7 missed calls】

The call I received from the Association had somewhat shocking content.

“So…everyone is trapped in a dungeon…?”

[That’s correct. The Association believes that unless additional measures are taken, there’s a high chance they will all die from food shortages.]

“Wait, there were definitely….”

[Initially, there were 2 missing persons, and with 8 members of the Rescue Team combined, that’s a total of ten. Losing them would be a significant national detriment.]

Listening to Seo In-jae, I fell into a dilemma, hesitating a moment.

Ten people is way too many.

[I understand it’s a difficult request, but considering the gravity of the situation, I ask that you please consider cooperating.]

It wasn’t a problem to go help. Even if it was a special dungeon, it was at best C Rank. It wouldn’t pose a serious threat for me at this moment.

However, joining with ten personnel and trying to shoot a survival video until the Break was an overwhelmingly tough challenge for me.

“It might be a bit difficult…”

Upon hearing my refusal, Seo In-jae fell silent for a moment before continuing.

“…Kim Seung-min, who was close to Baek Eun-ha, and Seo Yoon-ah are also part of that rescue team.”

No wonder I hadn’t heard from them in a while; it seems Kim Seung-min was also among those stranded. I quickly wracked my brain to grasp the situation.

‘Kim Seung-min can’t be left behind….’

Honestly, I didn’t care about the others, but if Kim Seung-min was included, the matter changed entirely.

‘I need to raise my score….’

A Challenger with a two-digit ranking. It’d be impossible to find a duo with skills comparable to Kim Seung-min’s anywhere else.

Even if I tried to find a new partner, my lacking communication skills would make it an uphill battle.

‘Rank 87….’

In terms of ranking, he was one of fewer than a hundred talented individuals in the world.

In reality, his importance was on the same level as an S Rank Hunter.

If I lost such talent due to something like this, it would indeed be a colossal loss for humanity.

“F-fine, I’ll do it.”

My score is important.

A Challenger. For the life goal I must achieve someday, I accepted the Association’s emergency request.

#

In the deep depths of the C3 Rank special dungeon with level restrictions.

“Damn it!”

Among the 8-member rescue team, Lee Yoon-jae, who was supposed to play the dealer role, lamented.

“What kind of rescue looks like this?”

As Lee Yoon-jae said, this dungeon was dreadful in many ways. We barely managed to find and reunite with the two missing individuals, but the situation was still grim.

“…Still no progress.”

“I’ve never heard of a dungeon like this. This is beyond frustrating.”

Indeed, living up to its name as a special dungeon, there were unexpected obstacles galore. Because of that, even on the fourth day, our team still hadn’t even reached the entrance of the boss room.

Amidst the team’s complaints, the healer Choi Ha-yun, who managed the team’s supplies, spoke up.

“This is a pretty risky situation. Everyone is exhausted, and the remaining food will only last for about 4 days. Even if we aim for a Break, we can’t tell if it will be enough.”

That was the cold hard truth facing the team right now.

Four days. If we didn’t find a way out by then, a terrible future awaited us.

“Is there any point in overthinking this? If we can’t get through this maze, nothing we do will matter.”

It was literally a maze here.

We couldn’t make sense of the structure at all, and for some unknown reason, new monsters kept emerging and attacking us constantly.

Even with skills to detect the terrain, and leaving markings while moving, we only end up going in circles. With battles constantly breaking out, our stamina and resources were diminishing rapidly.

“…I wonder if there’s any plant somewhere.”

That was Kim Seung-min’s thought after deep contemplation. It was a plant not discovered in any dungeon below B Rank, but given this place’s peculiarities, it couldn’t be entirely ruled out.

The expressions of the team darkened.

“I suppose reinforcements are difficult too?”

To the assassin Seo Yoon-ah, who had once formed a temporary party with Kim Seung-min and Baek Eun-ha, a curt answer came back.

“Even with our kind of strength isolated, do you think anyone would come hearing this news? The C Ranks are all cowards.”

“I don’t mean to be harsh, but I agree it’ll be tough to get reinforcements. The Association has likely already prepared for the worst and is gearing up for a Break.”

The more we organized, the bleaker the situation became.

Ultimately, the only way out was to break through the labyrinth ourselves and clear the dungeon.

Silence fell among the group, and at that point, a young man who had been silent until now finally spoke up.

“I’m sorry. Because of us, you all…”

“…Don’t say that. Who would have thought it would turn out like this?”

Baek Seung-ho, one of the two hunters who originally got isolated in the dungeon, bit his lip and uttered those words in a barely audible voice.

He couldn’t participate properly in battles as he was busy tending to his companion Yoo Ha-eun’s wounds. Naturally, he felt uneasy about that.

Baek Seung-ho looked up at the dim dungeon ceiling and prayed desperately.

‘Please, anyone…’

Someone come and save us from this predicament.

#

“…I’m against it after all.”

As expected, after hearing the whole story, Seo Ha opposed the Association’s plan.

“It’s easy to say, but it’s a high-risk plan. Even if they provide support, the burden on you will be too great.”

That was indeed a valid point. Judging strictly by the mission’s difficulty, it was not something a mere C Rank Hunter should be entrusted with.

“…And attaching personnel seems to be a downside for you.”

I couldn’t deny that. Due to my characteristics, I wasn’t suited for such group actions. Although my reluctance wasn’t as strong as I thought it would be, Seo Ha seemed troubled by that aspect.

But I had to go.

I couldn’t afford to lose Kim Seung-min here. Accordingly, I decided to change tactics.

“…I heard two of my friends are trapped.”

“What?”

“Well, that guy Kim Seung-min I saw last time….”

At those words, Seo Ha’s face turned pale with shock.

She fidgeted for some time, then sighed heavily, clearly frustrated by the situation.

“I can’t exactly go myself…”

The worry didn’t last long. Although her expression was still filled with concern, Seo Ha ultimately had no choice but to give the go-ahead.

“Be really careful? If it seems dangerous, just grab supplies and hide until the Break? I’ll be waiting outside the dungeon too.”

“Don’t worry. It seems everyone inside is alive, and there shouldn’t be any powerful monsters.”

Seo Ha nodded, albeit with a glum face.

Then, she told me to wait for a moment before hurriedly leaving home.

Ding-ding!

Click.

Seo Ha returned almost an hour later.

“Your level was 19, right? Then take this and this…”

“…What’s all this?”

“I got it from the guild storage. And here, take this too. It’s a bracelet with enhancement spells on it.”

I didn’t know much, but each seemed like very expensive artifacts. In fact, I remembered seeing that bracelet worn by one of Seo Ha’s former companions.

“…You didn’t steal this, right?”

“I-I borrowed it. Of my own accord.”

Something seemed off, but I accepted the items that looked useful among them. Now it was truly time to take action.

“Thank you for making this difficult decision. You should head this way.”

In this way, I wrapped up the plans with the Association’s help.

Supplies to deliver to the stranded people, advanced equipment supported by the Association, and companions specialized in monster containment and search.

“I’m Jeon In-taek. I can dig traps or create obstacles with my skills to prevent monsters from approaching.”

“I’m Yoon Sol-ah. I can enhance mobility with wind magic and hinder enemies.”

Among the two unsuspecting figures I had never seen before, one face looked oddly familiar. A curt voice immediately shot out.

“Tch. This’ll only happen once.”

It was none other than Choi Sung-cheol.

His tanking ability was impressive enough, and it seemed they’d brought him in to serve as the team’s vanguard.

Before the Association could say anything, I quickly spoke up.

“…Um, we’ll go with three.”

“Eh? But…”

“Three is just right.”

“However, to join back with the main force smoothly…”

“…If that thing isn’t removed, I won’t go.”

In the end, the Association had no choice but to coax and comfort Choi Sung-cheol until they sent him back home.

Watching him leave with a look of disbelief, I couldn’t help but twist my mouth in a smirk.

‘…What an amateur.’

The price of offending the great Lord of Death was heavy. Very heavy indeed.