Chapter 1

This life is ruined.

“T-The goblins are rushing in!”

“What are you doing! Block them now! Tanks to the front! Maintain formation!”

“Y-Yes, sir! Party leader, I understand!”

“Hey? You’re not supposed to be there! Can’t you focus? Do you want to die by my hand before becoming monster food?”

“N-No, sir!”

Rough shouts and the monsters’ roars echoed in my ears.

In front, hunters in obviously cheap gear were moving clumsily.

A pathetic Dungeon and the typical appearance of low-level hunters.

“Hoo.”

A faint sigh escaped my lips as I watched.

I repeated it in my mind several times.

Boring, so boring I could go crazy.

What the hell am I doing?

“Excuse me, Necromancer?”

“Ah, yes?”

Someone called me.

Turning my head, it was the guy who had been shouting his head off, the so-called party leader.

“As promised, we need you to lend us some strength. Is that possible?”

“Of course. I’m here as a mercenary, after all.”

It was nothing difficult.

This might be a terrifying Dungeon for the rookies struggling in front.

But this was just an E-grade Dungeon.

Before the king, god, general Necromancer, the nobility of nobility, it was just a firefly before the full moon, a flock of sheep before a male lion.

‘Of course, I can’t really call myself a genuine Necromancer…….’

I’ll explain that later.

For now, I raised the staff I had been fiddling with.

‘I have to work as much as I’m paid.’

With a tingling sensation, energy drained away.

[Skill, ‘Summon Ordinary Skeleton’ (E-grade) is used.]

[10 Stamina is consumed.[‘Bone1’ appears.]

[Skill, ‘Summon Ordinary Skeleton’ (E-grade) is used.]

[10 Stamina is consumed.[‘Bone2’ appears.]

[Skill, ‘Summon Ordinary Skeleton’ (E-grade) is used.]

[10 Stamina is consumed.[‘Bone3’ appears.]

Creak, clatter!

A horrifying sound of joints echoed with the black mist.

Three skeletons wielding weapons appeared in the Dungeon.

The goblins rushing in and the trembling hunters paused at the ferocious aura.

Then, their eyes widened.

“O-Oh?”

“Wow, a Necromancer!”Isn’t that the Necromancer, who’s being praised as the best power these days? If you just Awaken, becoming a Ranker is guaranteed, and top guilds line up like sausages……!”

“Wow, as expected of the party leader. I wondered why you were so relaxed……. There was a reason, huh? When did you find such a precious talent?”

The hunters cheered as if they had never been nervous.

This was the status of the Unique Ability – 「Necromancer」.

A diamond spoon-like job that allows you to live stylishly in this damn era.

A rare job that less than 1,000 people out of 7.9 billion have.

‘But.’

I shook my head.

‘I’m just a deformed Necromancer.’

Kereuk, kereureuk!

In front of me, 10 green-skinned monsters were twitching.

Their main weapon was a dagger.

Small height reminiscent of dwarves.

Well, let’s take care of those first.

“Kill them, my lovely bones.””

Clatter!

At my simple command, three sturdy Skeletons charged forward.

Undead.

Those who do not die, those who have no fear of death.

Therefore, they ran forward and swung their weapons without hesitation.

[‘Green Goblin’ is eliminated.]

[‘Green Goblin’ is eliminated.]

[‘Green Goblin’ is eliminated.]

…….

Swish! Swish!

The goblins were instantly slaughtered by the merciless Skeleton attacks.

Splatter!

Crimson blood and green skin mingled and rolled on the floor.

The hunters were impressed.

“Wow, I’m jealous.”

“Is that the Skeleton, the most basic summon of a Necromancer? But why is he only summoning Skeletons?”

“Keuh, why do you think? It means that Skeletons are enough for an E-grade Dungeon.”

“I guess so? Wow……. But I’m really jealous……. So jealous I could throw up. I’m so jealous I could die. That guy just summons Undead and they finish the battle on their own.”

For your information.

The reason they’re jealous is simple.

Unique Abilities are not determined by effort, but are innate.

Since about 10 years ago.

Humans all receive a Unique Ability when they turn twenty, becoming adults.

The content of the Unique Ability is random.

Some received abilities related to blacksmithing or sewing.

Others received auxiliary abilities such as exploration, healers, or buffers.

In addition.

There were also those who received trash abilities that were so pitiful you couldn’t help but cry.

What was the most legendary trash ability I’ve ever seen?

‘Was it Shit Eater?’

I think it was an ability that made you stronger every time you ate shit.

I suddenly got goosebumps all over my body, so let’s stop there.

Anyway.

The fact that one’s ability is determined by luck makes people feel relatively deprived.

‘I don’t know what kind of dog-like existence is doing this.’

Thanks to that Transcender, humanity was able to survive the invasion of ferocious monsters.

They were still surviving.

Or maybe even those monsters were a prank by the Transcender.

Kireuk!

Soon, the 10 goblins turned into a handful of meat.

“Wow.”

“That’s fucking awesome……. It was cleared in less than 2 minutes?”Hya, if I had a ranged ability like a mage or summoner, I wouldn’t be going through this hell right now.”

“Right, do they even know? That terrifying feeling of breathing the same air as monsters right in front of you?”

I let out a hollow laugh.

‘Come on. Don’t be too jealous.’

It might sound like a rich man’s talk to them right now.

But if they knew my situation, they would surely look at me with pity.

Why am I saying this since earlier?

‘Status Window.’

Flash!

As I shouted Status Window in my mind, a hologram appeared in front of me.

Information about my body that only I can see.

[Hunter: Ju Dong-hoon]

[Title: X]

[Stamina: 70/100]

[Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer]

[Grade: E]

[Effect]

-You are a Necromancer, a profession that deals with dead souls. You can subdue your opponents by utilizing terrifying evil spirits and poisons. However, you are cursed.

-You can only summon Skeletons.

[Skills]

-‘Summon Ordinary Skeleton’ (E-grade)

‘What a load of nonsense.’

No matter how I looked at it, it was content that could only make me swear.

Originally, when you think of a Necromancer.

You would think of large and sturdy guys like Liches, Dullahan, Death Knights, and so on, right?

But.

-You can only summon Skeletons.

All I could summon was just Skeletons.

I’m only a Lu Bu in an E-grade Dungeon.

Once you go above a D-grade Dungeon, they’re treated worse than dog bones lying on the floor.

“…….”

In some ways, my life was worse than the rookies in front of me.

At least they have the potential for future development.

But I’ve already had my power for 3 years.

Yet I still can’t escape E-grade Dungeons.

While my peers who received their powers at the same time are rising to D-grade and C-grade.

“…….”

In other words.

To summarize this terrible situation in one sentence?

It seems like this life is ruined.

“Team leader. I’m done with today’s work. I’ll be leaving.”

I said goodbye to Kim Jun-seo, the Dungeon request team leader of the small mercenary guild I belonged to, and came out.

Whoo-oong!

A cool breeze brushed my face.

“Hoo…….”

A sigh came out as bitterly as cigarette smoke.

The wages I earned today will be deposited at the end of each month after deducting commissions and taxes.

The only thing I can do with my power, which has clear limitations, is to take on E-grade Dungeon requests.

But I still have to eat to live.

“Ha, sir…” World.No matter how I think about it, I feel a sense of reality hitting me.

What did I do wrong?

Why did the Transcender curse me?

“Buddha, Jesus, God……. No, God of unknown identity. If you’re going to give me something, just give me a trash ability that I can’t even expect. What is this? What is this.”

Damn it, vaguely giving me false hope.

“Well, I wouldn’t say anything if I was in a production job.”Special abilities like daily life skills are better than ambiguous combat abilities.”

I could support the hunters and save money.

For reference, the wages I received from today’s Dungeon are…….

After deducting everything, it’s only 40,000 won.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t let go of this hunter rice.

‘Because this is the only thing I want to do.’

Hunters.

Those who prove their strength in Dungeons.

No matter how hard it is, even if I face reality.

I didn’t want to give up this job.

You only live once, shouldn’t you live doing what you want to do!

-We have good news today!

-What kind of news is it?

-Dark Load, who succeeded in conquering the ‘Moon Valley’ last time, has entered the Ranker in just 3 years! With this, the number of Rankers in Korea has officially become 37! This is the second-highest record in the world after the United States! Isn’t it amazing?

On the way home.

On the billboard on top of the building.

A hunter-related channel was being broadcast.

-Wow, when you say Ranker. You mean the hunters who are listed in the top 1,000 on the world ranking board in the United States, right? The ones that are automatically updated every month?

-Yes, that’s right. In Dark Load’s case, he ranked 950th this month. But! Dark Load’s entry into the Ranker this time has a different meaning than before.

-Oh, what meaning is that?

-That is, Dark Load is the only hunter who has risen to the Ranker in just 3 years so far! Of course, this excludes the first hunters!

-Wow! The shortest time to achieve Ranker, huh?

-Yes, that’s how ridiculous the Necromancer’s job is!

-Wow! I see! It’s really fortunate that we have a Necromancer in our country!

Yeah.

That’s it.

That’s why my annoyance is amplified, and I feel even more disillusioned.

Dark Load.

That bastard is also a Necromancer like me!

Moreover, we received our authority on the same day!

Someone is already a Ranker.

Someone is still E-grade.

That bastard already has a wonderful title called ‘Dark Load’.

But my Status Window only has my name, Ju Dong-hoon, written on it.

Just because I’m cursed.

Someone might ask.

What do you know?

Don’t speak carelessly without knowing how hard that hunter Dark Load worked.

Instead of complaining, find something constructive to do.

That’s right.

To be honest, my heart is filled with envy and jealousy.

It’s a grudge against the Transcender who added the element of ‘luck’ to the ability.

‘But.’

It’s not like I’m not even trying.

Rather, I can confidently say that I’m doing it as much as anyone else.

Only ‘Ranker’.

If they knew what I was doing to get to that position, they would all be surprised.

“…….I turned my back on the noisy billboard.

And moved to a deserted forest path at the top of a nearby shantytown.

[Hunter: Ju Dong-hoon]

[Stamina: 100/100]

“Good.”

The Stamina I used during the day was already fully charged.

From now on.

The time has come to show.

What kind of efforts I’ve been making so far.