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Chapter 181: Symposium (3)

Mikhail was sweating profusely.

His body wouldn’t move an inch.

He could see the necromancers staring at him and Kim Minwoo with their mouths agape. His pride was crushed, and he bit his lip hard.

Kim Minwoo’s smug smile made Mikhail explode in a scream.

“You son of a bitch! What kind of sorcery did you cast on me! Release me now!”

“What if I don’t want to?”

Mikhail’s eyes blazed with fury.

This was Korea. In other words, it was Kim Minwoo’s home turf. He knew it wouldn’t be wise to fight here. But at this moment, all rational thoughts had vanished from his mind.

[Elmonte summoned….]

[Cicaron summoned….]

The Follower skill had ‘powerful summons’ that could be summoned at each level range. Elmonte and Cicaron were two such summons.

The appearance of the two summons was unique.

One was a skeleton.

But it resembled a mantis.

It looked exactly like a giant mantis made of bones.

The other was a specter.

However, it was much darker than other specters.

These were undoubtedly high-level summons, even among Mikhail’s summons.

“Oh.”

Kim Minwoo let out an exclamation.

He had seen such summons before.

The Varian summoned by Liang Xiaojun.

‘He was the Dragon Knight’s subordinate, if I remember correctly.’

Judging by their unique appearance, they seemed to be entities that followers could control, just like that one.

Nevertheless, his demeanor remained calm.

He could easily defeat those summons with just a sword, and besides…

“Greetings.”

The two summons bowed politely to Kim Minwoo.

“Can’t you speak?”

They nodded.

“No, no! What are you doing! Attack! Attack him!”

Mikhail shouted in panic.

He had already given the order long ago.

To attack that bastard.

But instead of obeying, they bowed politely at the word “greetings” and even seemed to be communicating with Kim Minwoo.

He was going crazy.

Then, Kim Minwoo calmly asked the two summons,

“Who is your master?”

The two summons pointed at Kim Minwoo and bowed respectfully.

The clear gesture left everyone in silence.

“This, this can’t be! Why aren’t you listening to me!”

Mikhail cried out in shock.

Those were his summons.

Those were summons that had faithfully followed his orders until reaching level 200!

Their loyalty was also extremely high at 80. There was no reason for them to refuse his commands.

‘But why!’

At that moment, Kim Minwoo slowly turned his head towards Mikhail.

The moment he pointed a finger at Mikhail, the two summons began to approach him slowly.

“St, stop!”

Not only did they not stop, but they soon reached Mikhail and held their weapons to his neck.

Goosebumps rose on Mikhail’s skin.

This was a clear betrayal!

Yet, there was nothing he could do.

“What do you want? Do you want to die here? Or shall we continue our pleasant conversation?”

“…I, I’ll talk, so please just…”

“Good thinking. Isn’t it nice to take the easy way out?”

The summons stepped back.

Mikhail staggered to his feet.

“Sit down. In your place.”

“…Yes.”

Mikhail, with a dejected look, sat down in his place. The other necromancers did the same.

“Shall we get down to business then?”

Kim Minwoo said with a grin.

***

‘Tsk.’

Liang Xiaojun clicked his tongue.

Stupid fool.

A fiery temper and mediocre skills.

That’s how he saw it.

At least he could have been cautious like the other necromancers and not recklessly attacked. Now he had nothing to show for it. The sight of him being threatened by his own summons was not only pathetic but also pitiful.

‘No, wait. Perhaps this is a good thing?’

This was a kind of example.

A warning to the other necromancers. A warning that if they acted thoughtlessly, they would get nothing.

Following Mikhail, the other necromancers also went through a verification process.

The verification process was simple.

Kim Minwoo would give an order, and they would show that they couldn’t refuse it. At first, they were all terrified, but soon, as if they fully understood the situation, they became even calmer.

‘If they had any brains, they would have grasped the situation.’

Seeing the necromancers sitting with their backs straight like new recruits, it seemed they indeed had.

“So… we are followers, and we can’t refuse your orders. Sigh…”

“That’s right. You saw it earlier, didn’t you? That’s roughly how it works.”

Mikhail immediately knelt at the word “kneel.” And then there were the summons, pledging their loyalty in reverse.

If it were just Mikhail, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but after checking, it turned out that this applied to all of them.

So their hearts couldn’t help but feel heavy.

When they came to the conference, they had a lighthearted attitude, hoping to pick up some know-how.

But in reality, they were slaves.

The atmosphere couldn’t help but become somber. The necromancers’ minds began to race.

They wondered about the extent of the commands they had to obey.

Whether there was truly no way to escape this shackle. Whether they had to follow Kim Minwoo’s orders unconditionally, and so on.

Amidst their complex calculations, Kim Minwoo continued to speak.

“Why do you think I held this conference?”

“…To gain control over us?”

Sakura asked cautiously.

Kim Minwoo shook his head at her words.

“No. We live in a world of coexistence. I want us to move forward together. In a friendly way.”

“…Move forward together? In this situation?”

Don’t you want to run away from this place right now?

At that moment, Kim Minwoo spoke with a serious expression.

“If you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. There’s a saying like that. I don’t intend to treat you as slaves. For us to last long, we need to coexist.”

“Coexist… how?”

“Liang Xiaojun here was also very confused at first. Isn’t that right?”

“Haha, of course. Anyone would be confused. Naturally, I wasn’t happy at first either.”

Liang Xiaojun replied calmly and looked around at everyone.

“But now it’s different. Think about it. We have to follow orders anyway. In other words, we are useful cards for Kim Minwoo.”

“…So?”

“Everyone here knows that Kim Minwoo has numerous connections.”

Seeing the group nod in agreement, Liang Xiaojun continued with enthusiasm.

“Overwhelming information. And financial support would be possible too. Kim Minwoo is synonymous with the Ilsung Group.”

“Money… Can you provide that as well?”

At that moment, Kim Minwoo grinned and said.

“What if I could offer you something much more attractive than money? Take a look at this.”

Kim Minwoo drew the Shadow Sword.

Everyone’s eyes fixed on the sword placed on the table. Their eyes soon widened in astonishment.

An ancient-rank item, not just of high rank.

Most importantly…

“Is that… a rune?”

“What is this?”

“What options does it have…?”

The Necromancers were stunned as they examined the three rune options: the Rune of Severance, the Rune of Absorption, and the Rune of Execution.

They had never even heard of the existence of runes.

But here they were, embedded in the equipment, and the options were exceptionally good, far too good to ignore.

“If you hunt with something like this equipped, wouldn’t your hunting speed change dramatically?”

“Well, that’s true, but… there’s a problem. These are embedded in a sword. You might be an exceptional individual skilled with a sword, but we…”

“There are other options as well. For example, increasing mana recovery speed or boosting magical power.”

“…!”

The group’s eyes widened.

Are there useful options related to Necromancers as well? This changes things. After all, Awakened beings are obsessed with getting stronger.

Especially those at the top.

Moreover, the people gathered here were SS-rank awakeners.

Their throats couldn’t help but feel parched.

“How many of these runes can be embedded, Mr. Kim?”

“A maximum of three per piece of equipment.”

“Then, Mr. Kim…”

“He’s currently wearing them all over his body.”

“Huh…”

The group’s eyes filled with complex emotions. Until now, they had been afraid of becoming slaves, but now it was different. They began to see the potential benefits. Then, Sakura raised her hand and asked,

“I have a question. About these runes. Can they be supplied continuously?”

“Yes, they can.”

“How? If they are obtained from Gates, the quantity would be limited…”

“We obtained the knowledge to produce them. We were lucky.”

“Obtained the knowledge?”

Sakura gulped as he nodded.

The overall level of Korean Awakeners was rising due to the Ilsung Group’s supply of Plus equipment and potions.

With better equipment and potions, the mortality rate decreased. As the sample size increased, it was natural for more Awakeners to rise to the top.

Not only that, but recently, relations between major powers and Korea had become strained. Especially with the United States, they were cooperating closely as if they were inseparable.

Because they were sharing slime batteries.

Only those two countries, in fact.

The gap between Japan and Korea was already widening, and if this rune was added, the outcome was obvious.

‘The gap will become even more extreme…’

The future of their home country looked bleak.

“…Then, do you perhaps have any plans to sell these runes…?”

“That’s the plan. Of course, we intend to provide the best runes to those present here first.”

So, it was a benefit after all.

It meant giving away high-quality runes that couldn’t be bought even with money.

‘If we pledge our loyalty…’

‘He’ll give us these runes and high-quality information…’

It was definitely attractive.

Then, what Liang Xiaojun had said earlier came to mind.

— Do you think you have a choice whether to pledge your loyalty or not? The moment you came here, it was already decided. To pledge loyalty to him.

He must have had a reason for reacting that way.

It meant that he had a way to control them not only here but even after they left.

He wouldn’t have reacted that way unless he had a firm grip on their necks.

‘Once he gives an order, it must continue.’

To the extent that betrayal was impossible to even dream of.

The most crucial point was that even if they betrayed Kim Minwoo, it would be a loss for them.

At best, they could spread the information from the conference and emphasize Kim Minwoo’s danger.

Would it be advantageous for them to reveal that high-ranking necromancers were essentially Kim Minwoo’s slaves?

Absolutely not.

First of all, national support would be cut off.

Why would they support someone who would end up as someone else’s slave?

Revealing this information wouldn’t benefit them at all.

‘It’s rather fortunate that we’re all followers…’

If even one of them wasn’t a follower, it could have become a problem.

In the end, Liang Xiaojun was right.

The moment they entered this place, their choices were already made.

At that moment, Liang Xiaojun raised his hand and spoke.

“It seems like everyone has made up their minds. Haven’t they?”

The necromancers nodded.

Seeing this, Liang Xiaojun spoke confidently.

“Then let’s form a group.”

“A group…?”

“You all saw memories related to your past lives, right? Wouldn’t it be good to create a group like that and cooperate closely? Support each other, help each other grow. That’s the idea. Mr. Kim, what do you think?”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

The format wasn’t important.

What mattered was creating a group that included all the members.

A sense of belonging would develop over time, and it would also serve as a common ground to unite the necromancers.

Encouraged by Kim Minwoo’s agreement, Liang Xiaojun continued.

“From now on, we’re all in the same boat. Helping each other and growing together will ultimately benefit everyone. The Death Cult. How about this as the name of the group? I think it’s good.”

“The Death Cult. That’s not bad.”

Kim Minwoo nodded in agreement.