Chapter 80 …
Jihad, his nerves burning, loosened his fists and drew up his mana.
A black aura slithered through his body.
Mana that began in his heart circulated through his entire body, passed over his shoulders, ran down his arms, and burst out through his fingertips—
[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ summons the undead.]
Jihad’s one and only skill activated.
[2 Forest Red Goblin Undead have been summoned.]
[1 Forest Blue Goblin Undead has been summoned.]
Grrr— Grrraaa—
Three undead goblins pierced through the ground amid a sinister black aura.
At the bizarre sight that appeared so suddenly, Do-hyeon and Eliza stopped talking and could only stare.
“What’s with that all of a sudden?”
—Hmm, nothing much. Felt like my mana increased a bit, so I tried a light summon.
“…Fine, but what’s with that look in your eyes?”
—Me? What about me?
Jihad tilted his head with an innocent expression.
But in his eyes lingered an expectation he couldn’t hide.
Like a child who had finished homework assigned by his parents and was hoping for praise.
—I just summoned them to warm up my hands a little. Even summoning all three now doesn’t even make my heart flutter. Wish I could have a few more.
When Do-hyeon showed no reaction even to that look, Jihad kept glancing at him, subtly trying to appeal.
Anyone could see what he was aiming for, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to reach Do-hyeon.
‘What’s gotten into him all of a sudden?’
Whether Jihad summoned three or not, it didn’t impress Do-hyeon much.
As he shook his head in confusion, his gaze stopped midair.
[When summoning undead using monsters from a previous city as materials, mana consumption is reduced by 50%.]
‘So it wasn’t just bluster when he said it doesn’t strain him.’
Jihad might exaggerate by nature, but compared to Raven—where they had been forcibly unsummoned within seconds—the change was enormous.
His increased level and expanded mana pool likely helped, but the biggest factor was clearly that 50% reduction.
‘So the mana cost was crazy high because of a system like this?’
It seemed the proper route was to turn monsters from previous cities into undead and hunt with them.
After all, leading an orc legion to hunt orcs would practically be effortless.
He hadn’t realized before because necromancers who controlled skeleton soldiers and Jihad’s corpse arts were slightly different, but now the direction was roughly clear.
‘Mostly goblins, mix in a few orcs. That’s probably optimal.’
Having finished his assessment, Do-hyeon spoke.
“Jihad, can you turn those into undead too?”
—Ah, of course, Master! It’s as easy as eating cold porridge.
Was he excited at finally having a chance to prove himself?
Jihad’s complexion noticeably brightened. In contrast, Do-hyeon remained indifferent. He already knew the undead count had reached its limit.
‘Still, just in case.’
Maybe one would succeed.
He wasn’t expecting much, so he wouldn’t be disappointed if it failed either.
That was about the extent of Do-hyeon’s expectations.
Sss—
Grrrrr…
But the surge of black mana was anything but ordinary.
When Jihad stretched out his hand toward the cold orc corpses, a sinister black energy writhed—and then the dead eyes of the orc snapped open.
[Guardian ‘Jihad Black’ turns an Orc into undead.]
[Undead conversion successful.]
[Undead List]
Forest Red Goblin Undead × 2
Forest Blue Goblin Undead × 1
Orc Undead × 3
Grrr—
Ignoring its twisted, creaking body, the risen orc shifted its unsettling eyes toward Jihad and knelt on one knee.
A beat later, the other two undead followed suit.
Thud, thump.
Grrr— Grr—
With their large builds and menacing looks, cloaked in black aura, they had quite the presence.
Perhaps sensing superiority instinctively—
Grr…
The previously summoned goblin undead hesitated and stepped back.
Naturally, the orcs took the vanguard while the goblins lined up in the rear.
Now resembling something of a proper legion, Jihad raised both arms and let out a vile laugh.
—Keheheh. Yes, yes. I am your lord.
“…Huh?”
And watching that scene, Do-hyeon stood there dumbfounded.
He couldn’t help it.
‘That actually worked?’
He hadn’t truly expected the undead conversion to succeed.
And not just one—but three.
A Guardian not even level 10 commanding six undead? That was unheard of.
‘…Does a Divine Beast operate on different standards?’
Maybe the number increased each time he leveled up.
Or perhaps each monster type had its own separate cap.
Whatever the case, it was undeniably broken. Naturally, a question arose.
“No, why did you do that?”
—Keheheh… Hm? What?
“You’ve got an ability like this, so why did you go down the Bomb-Orc tree? That’s a trash build, isn’t it?”
As is known, necromancers had two paths.
Commander Necromancer and Explosion Necromancer.
Zeke boasted an overwhelming pick rate, partly because of safety—but there was an even bigger reason.
‘Because Bomb-Orc sucks.’
A one-trick centered on Massive Explosion.
Insanely strong only with Massive Explosion. Without it? A corpse of a class.
Its only merits were the thrill of a single huge hit and not needing high-tier undead since they were just explosion material.
Compared to Zeke, it required less money, which was why it was called the commoner class.
“At level 8, you can already walk around with six. Doesn’t that mean you’d have way more in the late game?”
—…Right?
“Are you an idiot? Is this what ‘that money, that choice’ looks like? Why didn’t you take the Zeke tree?”
It was incomprehensible.
As a former ruler of the forest, he’d have had undead materials in abundance. With that ability, he’d dominate even among the aristocratic Zekes.
He had the makings of a one-man army!
And he threw it all away for a so-called commoner Bomb-Orc build?
Why? How?
—Men are all about explosions.
“What?”
Seeing Do-hyeon genuinely outraged in confusion, Jihad replied excitedly.
—When you hear that popcorn sound from Corpse Explosion, it’s exhilarating.
“…What?”
“And every undead explodes with a different feel in your hand! It really sticks in your ears…”
“Wait. You’re saying that’s seriously the reason?”
—Of course! Master, you’ve never used Massive Explosion. Corpse Explosion is fun, but Massive Explosion is just—wow… That thrill clears out all your pent-up stress. It was the joy of my life.
“Good grief…”
Do-hyeon covered his face with both hands.
He hadn’t expected his Guardian to be such a romantic fool.
He appreciated romance too—but not to the point of dedicating one’s life to it.
Someone might say, “It’s just a game, why bring life into it?” But that perspective came from users. Jihad was an actual resident of God of the Other World.
This place was his reality. His life.
‘It’s like someone destined to become a ballad legend insisting on becoming a rapper instead.’
He was certain.
If Jihad had taken the Zeke tree instead of Bomb-Orc during the secret dungeon, it wouldn’t have been that easy.
Perhaps that bloodline trait or whatever would’ve triggered, and they might have failed the clear.
He was throwing away his talent for the sake of romance.
What an idiot…
‘…Wait.’
A sudden sense of foreboding crossed his mind, and Do-hyeon looked up.
“You’re not still thinking about going Bomb-Orc now, are you?”
—Of course explo—
“No. Not allowed. You’ve been reborn in this life. Your path is Zeke. You were born to be Zeke.”
—B-But explosions are art…
“Stop. Right there. One more word and it’s dangerous.”
Do-hyeon quickly pressed a finger to Jihad’s lips and let out a relieved sigh.
That had almost gone somewhere risky.
“You’ve never tried Zeke before, right?”
—Of course not. Men are about explosions!
“Just try Zeke this once. If you don’t like it after trying, I won’t stop you from switching.”
—Hmm… If that’s the case… Fine, Master.
Perhaps because Do-hyeon proposed a compromise instead of forcing him.
Though slightly displeased, Jihad didn’t insist further.
He was a little curious what Zeke would feel like anyway—and thought he’d humor his Master this once.
Grr— Grrr—
Looking at the loyal undead awaiting orders, Jihad flicked his hand.
—Bring me an orc.
Grr!
The undead, led by the orc undead, rushed into the fog.
Not long after, a perfectly healthy orc was thrown before them.
Crash— Squeeeak!?
The orc, abruptly hurled down while resting, wore a face full of confusion.
Undead had suddenly rushed in and thrown him—then he landed before a human and goblin.
How could he not panic?
Grrr! Grr!
Before that confusion could even fade, the undead swarmed him again.
Squeal!
The startled orc sprang up.
But it changed nothing.
Boom!
The three orc undead charged in simultaneously.
Individually weaker than a living orc—but three at once was too much. The orc toppled backward.
Then the goblin undead following behind began beating the fallen orc.
…Literally beating him.
Thwack! Bam! Thud—
Squeal, squeeeal!
Like a child dragged into a back alley, the orc curled up like a pill bug while six undead enthusiastically pummeled him.
If that wasn’t a beating, what was?
[You have defeated an Orc.]
[Guardian Jihad Black has leveled up.]
Grrr—!
—Keheheh!
The undead roared after finishing the orc in an instant, and Jihad laughed along with them.
—This isn’t bad either, Master. I’ve only used undead for chores or blowing them up before. Watching them fight like this is more fun than I thought.
“…I see.”
Do-hyeon suddenly understood how parents might feel seeing their child stray—but in this case, it wasn’t a bad direction.
Thanks to this, Jihad seemed to be viewing Zeke more positively.
After all, he’d only been picking up trash items until now—this was his first real hunt again.
Anything would be fun.
—Now then, my children. Bring me two this time!
He didn’t even have to go himself.
The undead would catch monsters and bring them over.
How convenient.
Grrr—!
Though Jihad’s tone was arrogant, the loyal undead moved to obey.
But unfortunately, the wall of reality stood in their way.
Grr…?
—…Huh?
The undead bodies began to fade.
Soon, they crumbled into dust and vanished.
A message appeared.
[Jihad Black’s mana has been fully depleted.]
[Undead Summon has been canceled.]
…
[Undead Summon has been canceled.]
—…Ah.
“Hmm.”
No matter how much he’d grown, that chronic mana shortage remained.
He’d probably need to stick to monsters from previous cities for the mana reduction effect—or include only one orc at a time.
Still, compared to before, hadn’t this been solid progress?
Judging by Jihad’s expression—like he’d lost his country—maybe not.
After hesitating briefly, Do-hyeon spoke.
“Hmm.”
—Don’t say anything, Master. I want to be alone.
“…Alright.”
And he closed his mouth again.
