《Necromancer King》


 Prologue

    Real-life sucked to most of the regular folks. Famous writers and singers might say motivational words, but it meant nothing to those who regularly face the harsh reality. Especially for someone who was already 29-years old, still single, and worked at a corner store. This particular someone''s name was Kei, a nobody with no life, no friend, and no future. He might as well be a dead man.


    Every day, Kei would go to the shitty corner store he worked in, go home to his run-down apartment, eat while watching anime, then sleep. Rinse and repeat for some years, and it described his life for the last couple of years. Nothing was fulfilling about his life, and it made him regularly contemplate about just ending it all.


    At least, that was before the game World of Aingarrth was released.


    The game became famous a couple of days after it was released, with people claiming it to be the best game around. Some even went out of their way and claimed it was a life-changer. With such claims backing it, Kei''s interest was piqued. He looked up the game on the internet to see for himself. The graphic was mind-blowing, and the gameplay was tight and looked enjoyable. Kei realized he had to play the game at least once in his life. He just had to experience it for himself, no matter what the cost.


    But his eyes bulged when he saw the price tags.


    The disc and VR device required to play the game was a bit expensive, but Kei managed to save up enough money to buy them with some months of extra shift and fasting. Never before he got so much joy from just clicking the buy button. The next couple of days when he had to wait for the delivery, however, was hell. It got to the point that he even had a nightmare about the game never arriving, as the delivery guy stole it.


    Of course, the nightmare was just a nightmare, and the package eventually arrived. That day was probably the happiest for the last couple of years in his miserable life. Kei wasted no time, immediately plugged in the machine, loaded up the disc, and strapped in.


    After the fancy animation and cinematic opening, he came face to face with the character creation screen. Kei already read about everything he needed to know about the game beforehand, thanks to articles and videos online.


    He chose to become a Zombie Mage¡ªa character that later could evolve into a build many people thought to be one of the strongest. A Skeleton Necromancer. Capable of summoning multiple strong undead monsters and wield spells that hit like a truck. Even with its many drawbacks, people still thought it was a worthy choice.


    Kei then set up the Avatar''s appearance to look as intimidating and handsome as possible. One of his eyes was bloody red while the other was pupilless white. Short messy dark hair. Stitches all over his body and even one that ran across his pupilless eye. Satisfied with the appearance, he had one thing left to do. Kei had to decide on a name for his Avatar.


    Many cool-sounding names crossed his mind, but in the end, he settled on Shio. Kei originally wanted to use only Shi at first, but it was taken, so he ended up with Shio.


    With his Avatar fully prepped up, he finally jumped into the world of Aingarrth. Finding himself waking up in the middle of a forest, he began his journey.


    From the very beginning, he already had trouble. A Zombie avatar was already physically weak, let alone a Mage one. Still, it was a drawback he knew and was willing to face considering its payback down the road.


    Shio mitigated the drawback by relying on parties to protect him since he didn''t have good summon monsters until higher levels. Hiding his real face under a mask, Shio joined parties at random, waiting for the time he got to a level high enough to let him go solo.


    Every time Kei had free time, he would jump into the game without hesitation. He didn''t have any friends, and he hated going outside, so he had a lot of spare time to spend on the game. And he enjoyed every second of it.


    Time passed by, and he became pretty good in the game. Shio became the vice leader of a small guild, which became one of the top guilds in the servers. He met the guild leader''s alternate Avatar, Zillion, in one of the enormous raid quest held on the server. At that point, the Zombie avatar had evolved into a Skeleton and was getting close to reaching end game build.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Zillion, a Demon, was so impressed by Shio''s skills that he added the Skeleton as a friend. Hours upon hours, the two spent time together. It started off as just playing and talking about the game, but as the two got closer, they started talking about their real lives and complained about their problems.


    A true friend. Something Kei lacked in his life for so long.


    Then Zillion dropped the bomb that he was a guild leader and invited him to the guild. It took a moment for Shio to process and accept the offer. Of course, like any others, he started from the bottom. But his passion and hard work convinced the other guild members to promote him as the vice president, which was vacant ever since the guild''s creation.


    The game provided Kei something the real world couldn''t. A place he could call home. People, he could call families.


    While all that happened, Kei had been looking for means to make money through the game. He was already selling rare items and leveling up other people''s character for money. Still, he needed more until he could quit his job. So until then, he just had to endure.


    Months passed by. Kei just got home from doing extra shifts shoved onto him by his shitty manager.


    He could feel his whole body aching with each step he took.


    After unlocking his apartment door, he walked in and closed the door behind him. His room was pitch black, with the only light visible from the red light on his gaming device, indicating it was being charged. He rarely turned the light on to brighten his cheap apartment, mainly for two reasons.


    One, it saved money to not use electricity.


    Two, it looked so cheap and ugly that he would rather risk himself tripping in the dark rather than seeing his apartment.


    But at that point, he was used to navigating through his stuff on the floor. He safely reached his bed without tripping on anything. Without having a shower or dinner first, he immediately laid on the bed, put on the helmet, and immediately jumped into the game.


    As he watched the loading screen, he couldn''t help but yawned. The game booting time somehow felt much longer that night. He decided to rest his eyes a bit during the game load. He closed his eye, and his consciousness slowly drifted away to the land of dreams.


    Then suddenly, he heard a female voice.


    "W-Wake up, Master!" someone yelled while shaking his body.


    His eye jolted open, and he was immediately greeted by a familiar-looking stone ceiling. After a brief moment of thinking, he realized it looked like the ceiling of his tomb-like room at the guild. But there was nothing there¡ªonly a clear empty stone ceiling. There was supposed to be a grand golden chandelier right in the middle to light the whole room.


    "M-Master, are you awake?"


    His head frantically turned to the side. A girl was kneeling beside him. And a beautiful one at that. Her long pink hair looked shined under candle''s light, and her eyes that had the same color stared at him worryingly. While she was quite a sight to see, there was one thing bothering him.


    "Who are you? Why are you inside my sleeping chamber?" he asked as he sat up. He was sure he logged off last time by sleeping in his room at the guild.


    He kept up his stern face and tone, but inside, he was panicking. He wasn''t used to talking with girls, let alone beautiful ones. Even in the game, most of his friends were monsters in one shape or another. If he wasn''t used to acting like a tough guy in-game, he would be stuttering all around the place.


    "I-I''m sorry to have awoken you from your eternal slumber, my lord" she bowed down until her head reached the cold stone floor. He was surprised by her action, as not many people acted like that anymore in the game. Most people usually treated it like it was just a game, which was understandable. Still, he preferred pretending that everything was real.


    Kei looked around once more to make sure of his location. He was in a room with stone walls, similar to his bedroom. There was supposed to be a door in front of his bed connected to the hallway, but none. The only way out he found was a stair at his right side leading up.


    And after looking down, what he thought was his bed turned out to be a marble pedestal, just long enough for his body to lay on. Four candle holders stood on each corner of the pedestal.


    What¡­ Where am I? He thought.


    "What is this place?" he looked around once more. When he wanted to touch one of the candle holders, he froze. His eye fixated on his hand. As a skeleton, his hand was supposed to be only bones. Yet he found his hand was to be grey looking human hand with stitches on numerous places, a characteristic solely owned by Zombies. He changed from Zombies aged ago.


    "This¡­ is The Tomb of Forbidden One, my lord. Y-you have been sealed here for a hundred years."


    ¡­ A hundred years? What the hell is this girl talking about?!

 Chapter 1

    "You better explain what is going on around here," Shio said, his voice deep and threatening. He stomped his feet onto the ground as he stood up from the pedestal he was lying on. The girl immediately backed away from him while holding one of her hands up; her face filled with fear.


    "Y-Your Highness, please¡­ Let me explain," the girl said before once more bowing down to the ground.


    The way the girl act confused Shio at first, but then it hit him. There was supposed to be a new event that would differ between players as it took into account your Karma, Race, etc. And¡­ that''s it. That was the only official information ever given out about the event. The rest of the information he got was mostly speculations and rumors floating around the forums online.


    Maybe this is the prologue of it? Seeing how I started at a tomb and an NPC telling me about being asleep for a hundred years, I think it would make sense for my character.


    "Alright," Shio said as he sat back down. He wondered how the event would be, whether it would be a multiplayer experience or a single-player one. Though he was disappointed to revert back to his Zombie avatar. It looked cool, but the Skeleton was just much better.


    The girl returned to her previous kneeling stance and started telling him the story.


    Inertia, as everyone called it, was mostly populated by humans. Any other race that wasn''t a pure human was looked down on and treated like an inferior being. But it wasn''t always like that. The world used to be more peaceful, with little to no discrimination against other races.


    It was the creation of The Holy Kingdom that started the chaos.


    The Gods and Goddess that guided the Holy Kingdom, beings of unknown origin and possessed tremendous power, believed that creatures other than pure human was an abomination. They decreed for the erasure or domination of race other than pure humans. Hence, The Holy Kingdom started its holy crusade.


    Many joined The Holy Kingdom. They either agreed with the ideology behind it or feared what the Gods and Goddess were capable of. But not all was lost. Some bravely rejected The Holy Kingdom and joined the other side of the war. The Crusaders against the Union.


    For a while, things looked bleak for the Unions. The Holy Kingdom was expanding fast, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop them.


    At least, until a particular Necromancer appeared.


    Necromancy was a forbidden teaching that only a handful of races accepted. Most of its users were either Demon or Undead. With an undead army numbering almost three times the humans and high-tier spells rivaling the Gods and Goddess themselves, the Skeleton Necromancer was a formidable foe. He took control of the Union and turned the tide of war.


    Where did he come from? And how did he learn so much about dark magic? No one knew. It was as if he appeared out of thin air to answer the Union''s prayer for salvation.


    Many of the Necromancer''s followers believed that he was the one ruler of both the living world and the afterlife. Those people decided to stay loyal to him in the hope they would gain immortality themselves. Others supported him at first. But when some of them saw how he treated innocent humans, they started to doubt him. They felt that he was not the savior they wanted. They didn''t want to win the war; they wanted peace between humans and other races.


    A rebellion started to brew among the Necromancer''s followers. They started planning on how to stop the Necromancer from becoming a tyrant. And at the same time, end the war to usher back in a peaceful time between humans and other races and creatures.


    Their plan came to fruition quite soon after.


    At one assault to a human city, the Necromancer King oversee the operation himself. The rebels took this as a golden opportunity and contacted the humans. In return for helping them end the Necromancer King, they would end their crusade. And thus, when the time came, the Necromancer King found himself surrounded from all sides. Both by the rebels and by the Gods and Goddess with their army.


    The battle was later on named The Fall. Not only because the Necromancer King was defeated, but also by how many lives were taken that day. However, even though he was defeated, his energy proved too strong for the humans to destroy. Not even the Gods were capable of erasing him. Holy people from all across the world came to purify him, to weaken him so he could be destroyed. But all they achieved was turning him from a Skeleton into an Undead Zombie.


    His power was much weaker in that form. So while the humans weren''t able to destroy him, they managed to seal them away, to be forgotten by time. The weakened Holy Kingdom became dormant, but there was no telling when they would start another crusade.


    "That is what the story my mother told me¡­ And I believe you''re the Necromancer King, Master," the girl finally finished what he thought was the prologue or the origin story of his.


    That explains my zombie form. It was said that skeleton form allows the user to manipulate dark energy better for some reason. I wonder how my guildmates'' stories would be. They all have different combinations. Would it change depending on what they are?


    He made a mental note to ask his guildmates for their stories. For now, though, he must focus and enjoy his own story.


    "I see. What is your name?" Shio asked.


    "I-It''s Lula, my lord," she answered with her eyes glued to the stone floor. When he looked at her closely, he realized a tail with a heart''s shape flailing around behind her.


    A succubus, huh?


    "I have slept for too long," Shio stood up before continuing, "Lula the Succubus, I thank you for awakening me from my eternal slumber. I must take back my rightful place in the world, and you are going to help me."


    "O-of course, my lord!" Lula kneeled down. "I, Lula the Succubus, pledge my utmost loyalty to you."The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He nodded with satisfaction. However, there was one problem that bothered him ever since Inertia was mentioned. Assuming that since the world had a different name, it was also a different world from the game he played. That meant he knew jack shit of the world.


    "Unfortunately, I am still weak for the time being¡­" Shio said with a weak voice as he sat back down. "I need time to regain my power, but I also don''t want to waste any time."


    "What do you propose, master?"


    "Lula, I want you to get as many books as possible about the world for me. And if you can, bring me some men. That I can experiment on," he added the last part in a hurry as he realized what he just said sounded weird without the explanation.


    She is a succubus, so it wouldn''t be a problem, right?


    Being a succubus, gathering some random men for him would be an easy feat. After all, one of their primary skill was seducing men to do their bidding.


    "As you wish, my lord," Lula stood up, bowed, then rushed up the stair.


    Now, let''s check what I have.


    By saying the word menu in his mind, a screen appeared in front of him. There were stats, inventory, spells, and notes. Of course, he would check spells first as it piqued his interest the most. By pressing the button, the screen changed to show only three spells.


    Raise Undead (Basic), Spell Duplication, Heat of Death.


    The only spell he recognized was the Raise Undead (Basic) one, while the other two sounded new to him. Luckily, he could check the description for each spell.


    Raise Undead (Basic) was, of course, creating an undead zombie, ranging from level 1-10. It took a little bit of mana if a corpse was used and would take a considerable amount of mana if created from nothing.


    Spell Duplication seems to be like the ninja''s class copycat technique, though it worked differently from him. By placing his hand on someone''s head, he could duplicate spells the person know that he hadn''t learned. It has a high possibility of killing or making targets deranged if they resist or had a low mentality, except for the Undead and Demon race.


    Lastly, Heat of Death. It sounded similar to the Wizards'' fireball spell. Only this one was much smaller, weaker, and in the color of black. What made it special was that the flame will keep going until he ordered it to die out. But it would take mana for as long as the fire existed.


    Hm¡­ the three spells seem pretty good. Maybe I can try the duplication spell on Lula since succubus are Demon, and she won''t resist me. Hopefully¡­


    Closing the spells screen, Shio returned to the main menu. He continued by checking inventory. He didn''t have anything, and thus the screen that popped up was entirely blank. It also showed what he wore, which was a simple brown traveler cloak.


    Seems like those bastard humans didn''t make me look good when sealing me. Shio internally cursed.


    Next on the list were stats. Character attributes were divided into core stat and side stat.


    Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Agility (AGI), Perception (PER), Vitality (VIT) fall to the core category.


    Resilience (RES), Aptitude (APT), Wisdom (WIS), Perception (PER), Mentality (MNT), Stamina (STM), and Luck (LUK) fall to the side stats category.


    A glance at his stats was enough to see that most of his points were placed on Intelligence, Wisdom, Mentality, and Perception. The leftover points were divided almost equally among the rest of the stats. A little curse escaped his lips as his carefully placed stats also didn''t carry over.


    The last one was called notes. It seemed to store any information Shio received. It already had a note with the title Origin Story, which was probably Lula''s story earlier. Other than that, there was a bar to search for information based on keywords, which would be very helpful later down the line when he filled it more.


    A couple of hours passed. Shio mostly spent reading his origin story or cast the spell Heat of Death to the wall and watched the flame burn for a second before putting it out. When he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the stair, he immediately assumed an intimidating stance.


    "M-Master! I have brought everything that you asked!" Lula excitedly reported as she rushed down the stair.


    On her back was a brown backpack that seemed to be filled to the brim. And following behind the girl were five ordinary-looking men with a blank stare. They were definitely under Lula''s charm, ready to do anything that she told them to.


    "Good. Place the books on the pedestal; I want to experiment with these people first," Shi stood up and walked to the five men.


    Lula nodded. She put the bag down beside the pedestal and started putting everything inside out on the pedestal.


    CRACK


    Lula almost dropped the book in her hand when she heard the loud cracking sound. She snapped around to find one of the men fell to the ground; his windpipe crushed. Shio stood before the man, looking at his bare palm. Even with his low STR, he still could break a human''s neck if he put all of his strength behind it.


    Focusing on his mind, Shio cast the raise undead spell on the dead body. A dark mist appeared from the ground around the body. It encased the body for a couple of seconds before entering the body through all orifices. The man''s skin slowly turned greyish, and his pupils turned red, just like Shio was. Slowly but surely, the man stood back up, his neck seemingly in good condition.


    Without seeing any screen, he could know all of the zombie stats and abilities. The thought just popped up in his head. The zombie was Lv. 3, which was pretty low, in his opinion.


    Ah well, I can try it again.


    On the next guy, he used his spell duplication first. He didn''t get any new spell, but it instantly killed the man since the guy just fell to the ground after Shio used the magic on him.


    He raised him as a zombie.


    It was Lv.6 this time. He did it once more to the next guy and ended up with an Lv. 4. He was starting to notice a pattern. The zombie level depended on the corpse it was raised from. The first and last zombie was created from the corpse with a normal-sized body, while the middle one was created by a more bulky man. That would be interesting if it was true. The level was randomized in the game, so this spell wasn''t a reliable way to get strong zombies.


    Continuing on the fourth man, he cast Heat of Death. The man doesn''t react since he was still under Lulya''s control. But the fire worked. It made quick work of the man''s clothes before starting to burn the man alive. The flame burned the man into crisp, and not even once the man reacted to it.


    Weirdly enough, he felt a little guilty after doing all that. He knew they were just NPCs, but he still felt guilty.


    I mean, these guys were just minding their business when Lulya kidnap them. Some of them probably have a family waiting for them at home.


    He dismissed that idea immediately. They were NPCs; they don''t have a feeling. He enjoyed the game so much in the first place because he wasn''t bound to society''s morals. He could do anything he desired, as long as he had the skill to back it up.


    Another thought popped up. Zombies were half-human and half-undead, so a higher intelligence zombie could sympathize with humans. He made a mental note about this, as sympathy in humans could cause trouble for him in the future. This also made him more determined to get back to his skeleton form as soon as possible.


    With the last man, he just cracked his neck and turned him into another Lv.4 zombie.


    "Master! The books are ready!" Lula exclaimed as she turned around toward Shio.


    "Is there any book there about the location around here?" Shio asked while walking toward the pedestal where rows of books could be placed on top.


    "I think there is a book filled with a map. I thought it would be useful."


    "Good intuition," he patted her head before sitting back on the pedestal.


    She looked down. Her face was as red as a tomato. She didn''t expect she would be getting praises from the Necromancer King himself.


    "You four. I want you to patrol the area, make sure to let me know if anyone approaches. And drag that filthy charcoal out of my tomb," Shio ordered the zombies. He didn''t know why he called them by words since he was telepathically connected to them. He just did it in reflex.


    Looks more charming that way, I guess.


    The zombies shuffled their way out of the tomb, dragging the burnt corpse along with them.


    "Lula, could you get me more men? But make sure they won''t be missed. We can''t draw attention to ourselves yet."


    "Of course!" Lula bowed energetically. She vowed to herself she would keep making her new Master proud of her. The succubus rushed up the stair.


    With the zombies and Lula away, the tomb felt more spacious and quiet. Kei started reading the stacks of books provided by Lula to learn more about the new game world.

 Chapter 2

    "Master, I have taken everything valuable on them," Lula said as she put down everything she took from the men on the pedestal. There were some knives, coins, jewelry, and other random stuff they had in their pockets.


    Shio nodded before starting his part of the work. He considered killing them as training to get him used. After a long and tiresome repetition of killing and resurrecting, he finally killed and cast Raise Undead on the last man. Lula had brought around 40 men in total, consisted mostly of homeless people and criminals. She could only control 5 people at one time, so she had to drop them at the tomb before searching for more.


    Out of all 40 she brought, only 1 of them was a level 10. Around 4 were level 6-9, and the rest were under level 6. It seemed that the ordinary people were pretty weak in the new game world. Either that or their level decreased.


    He had planned to control them all at the same time. But when he tried it, his brain was became overwhelmed. It was like trying to watch 44 monitors simultaneously, with each monitor showing a different view. Not only he saw what the zombies saw, but he also sensed what the zombie experienced. If he was an e-sport champion capable of micromanaging, he probably could do such an incredible feat.


    Alas, he wasn''t. So, for the time being, he came up with something else.


    The Level 10 zombie was granted high intelligence and posed as the General. Level 6 and above zombies were given somewhat an intelligence and posed as captains to lead a small squad of zombies. The rest stayed the same plain mindless zombies. The captains would have a mental connection with their underlings and had control over them. And captains would take orders from the general, who had the leash on them.


    The General was granted high intelligence to make him capable of deciding on some stuff himself. He still had a mental connection to Shi; it just wasn''t used too much.


    His mind felt much better than before after implementing his system, though his brain still occasionally throbbed.


    This will do for now.


    "General, I want you to takes control of the patrol. Make sure to not be seen, and warn me of anyone approaching the tomb," Shi ordered the general verbally. He was curious whether the General was capable of speech.


    "As you wish, your Highness," the zombie surprisingly responded with a gravelly voice.


    Turns out he does.


    The General bowed before leaving with the other zombies. With that done, Shio sat back down on his pedestal. It was a bit weird to have a zombie talking and reporting to him. In the game, zombies usually only follow his orders while repeating the same annoying growl and grunt. It was impossible to do that kind of stuff in the old game. While he hated the change in avatar and stats, he liked this change. But he had to wonder how they managed to code something this complicated?


    It made him realize whether he missed any update as he didn''t check before logging in.


    "Lula, I want to ask you something" he turned his head to Lula, who was standing beside the pedestal.


    "Yes, master?" she asked with her usual gentle but with a hint of sultry voice.


    "Why has no one awaken me before you? And what is your reason to awaken me?"


    If he genuinely had massive followers, at least some of them would try to resurrect him, and shouldn''t at least one of them succeed?. But in reality, he was imprisoned for a hundred years. And somehow, a mere succubus succeeded in resurrecting him by herself.


    "Many has tried Master, but none of them succeed. It''s because of the secrecy of this location. Only the heroes and the Gods and Goddesses knew its location. I got this location from an old lady I met on my travel."


    An old lady? I might need to find this old lady. Having a piece of information that only a select few were supposed to know meant she wasn''t just an ordinary old lady.


    "And why do you wish to awaken me? As far as I remember, you never said the reason for resurrecting me."


    "U-Uhm¡­ About that¡­"


    "Lula. Know that I don''t like my time wasted. Answer me," Shi said, his voice stricken.


    "Y-y-yes! I¡­ don''t like being a succubus, seducing people, and sucking their life force dry. I-I had hoped that by awaken you, I could ask you to turn me back into¡­ a normal girl."


    Shio stared at her in disbelief.


    Isn''t that... a bit shallow? Not to mention weird as hell. What made her think he - a necromancer - could help with something like that? I probably could resurrect someone who died a thousand years ago, but transforming a succubus into a normal girl seems more like a job for the priest or something.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    "Don''t lie to me!" he stomped the ground with his feet. Lula jolted in surprise but managed to stand her ground. Her hand started shaking.


    "I-its true! I would never lie before you," Lula looked at him; her eyes were starting to get teary


    Oh shit, she is getting teary! Maybe I went a bit rough?


    As much as he wanted to stop the interrogation, he had to fully make sure she could be trusted. He couldn''t risk someone stabbing him from the back, especially someone like her who would be standing right beside him all the time.


    "Alright. Then I need you to kneel before me," Shi ordered.


    Lula nodded before following his order without any hesitation. After placing his hand on her head, he used his duplication spell on her. He managed to get three new spells from the succubus.


    Memory-Read. Illusion (Low). Mind-Control (Low).


    How convenient, a spell to read memories. But no seduction? Weird. Not Like I want it¡­


    He immediately used the Memory-Read spell on her. His palm glowed dimly, and soon after, her memory started to flow into his mind. He could see it all, hear it all, sense it all. It was like he was living her life from the very beginning.


    He saw how she was born into an average family. Her father was a famous baker in a small village on the border, and her mother was a kind lady that taught the local school.


    How when she was a child, she got cursed by a succubus.


    The desperation she and her parents felt when none of the priests could heal her of her curse.


    He felt what she felt when everyone treated her horribly after being cursed. People accused her of trying to steal their husbands, and some people even tried to rape her.


    The pain.


    The suffering.


    The feeling of being forced.


    All of those feelings flowed into him.


    But he wasn''t affected by any of it.


    Or rather, he understood it all. He went through a somewhat similar experience, but not because he was cursed, obviously. He was just trying to be himself; it wasn''t his fault other people don''t like him.


    Shio shook his head slightly, pushing aside all of his bad memory. It wasn''t the time for him to remember such things.


    As he continued going through her memory, a new feeling flowed into him, erasing all the bad ones. It was hope. The hope for the great necromancer would cure her of her curse. To free her from the cruel fate that befell her. It was him who brought hope to her desperate situation.


    He saw that in her travel, she found a mysterious but kind old lady who guided her to the tomb.


    The overwhelming happiness when he praised her. He was the first who did it for quite some time, as most men would stare at her with lust and molest her.


    So she was an average human turned succubus¡­ She should have worded it differently like she is cursed and wants to be cured. If that is the case, I might be able to help her. Emphasis on the might, though. I don''t know what I''m capable of yet.


    He was still clueless about many things in the new world, but he promised himself that he would find a way to help her. The only thing that came into his mind at the time was that he would need cleansing magic, which was like, one of his weaknesses.


    Then he went through a memory he missed. It was Lula listening to stories of the necromancer when she was still little. Many people thought the necromancer was omnipotent, and his power was more significant than the Gods and Goddesses. How it took the combination of the Gods, many humans, and other races just to took him down and sealed him.


    "I have seen everything. So... you were a human."


    She nodded nervously. She was worried that her Master would do something to her if he found out. She wanted to say it the very first moment she awoke him, but she was scared. She decided to just follow along with what he wanted until the time was right.


    "I understand your pain and suffering. I will do all I can to fulfill your wish, but I cannot guarantee you to return normal."


    Lula froze.


    She couldn''t believe it. After everything she went through, after the high hope of finally being cured, to be rejected felt... painful. Like all the light in the world just disappeared, leaving her in an endless void of darkness


    "But-"


    Hearing the word but made the succubus felt a slight tint of hope.


    "-what I can guarantee you is normal life in my new world. I may not be able to fully turn you to be whatever you want, but I can make some¡­ alteration. As long as you pledge your loyalty to me."


    To ensure one''s loyalty, sometimes the promise of a prize would do the trick. By promising that Lula would have a new life in my new world, she would naturally fight for this new world. At least, that is what I remember from my guild master. It is not fool-proof, but it should work on her.


    Her face immediately beamed up with happiness. If she could get herself to look like a normal girl, it would be enough. It was much better than roaming around with a heart tail.


    "O-of course! Thank you, my lord!" she said happily.


    As he thought, it worked like a charm. He couldn''t help but admired Lula''s happy face closely. He was drawn by her plump cheek, her lips...


    No! I must control myself! ¡­ But then, getting to know her more isn''t wrong¡­ right?


    "Then Lulya, I want you to accompany me to town. I want to see myself how the people are"


    "O-of course! I could be your tour guide!"


    "Excellent. Then, as soon as I finish this book, we shall head to the nearest settlement."


    Shio couldn''t help but wonder what kind of NPC he would meet in this new world.

 Chapter 3

    A figure wearing a brown cloak walked down the town road; their head was hidden under the hood.


    Despite Shio''s best attempt to look conspicuous, people still stare in his direction. But it wasn''t him they were looking at, but the girl walking beside him. While he seemed to be laying low, the girl was the exact opposite. The girl''s long silky hair and pure eyes were a sight to be seen by everyone. Every person they passed so far turned their head around just to stare at her beauty longer, both men and women. Though, mostly men.


    Lula can''t help but fidgets her hand. She was not used to this much attention. She usually only roamed around at night, when fewer people were walking around. But since her Master wished to visit the town immediately, she had to accompany him.


    And as if they didn''t have enough trouble, two men wearing red bandanas and leather shoulder pad approached him and the succubus. Shio could already smell trouble the moment he noticed them.


    "Hey, are you new around here? We can show you the best places in town," one of the guys said to Lula. They didn''t even give Shio a second glance. A colossal mistake, but not worth breaking cover for.


    He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn''t have asked Lula to be his guide. He thought Lula was able to control a succubus most significant perk. Being desirable to almost anyone. And now, two thugs were trying to hit on her. If only they know who the figure beside her was, they would be running off like dogs just by a glance from him.


    Noticing Lula unable to get rid of the thugs, it was time for him to take matters into his own hand. The necromancer cast illusion in a hurry to change his face so he looks humane.


    "Here," he took off his cloak and placed it on her. He was wearing a tunic and long pants he took from one of the zombies. His panic casting caused his face to be somewhat bland. Other than his short blonde hair and sky blue eyes, he has nothing that stands out. But it should suffice. He wasn''t planning to show his face for long anyway.


    "Oh, c''mon, dude. Don''t hog her all to yourself," one of the thug''s hands circled Shio''s neck. It seems like a friendly gesture until Shi felt something sharp on his throat. The thug had pulled out a switchblade and pointed it at his throat.


    "You do know what this is, right? Just lend her for a moment. She will-"


    He didn''t wait for the thug to finish his sentences. No, he was way too pissed for that. He was going to go easy since they didn''t know who he was. But after trying to threaten him and treating Lulya like some object to toss around, he changed his mind. The fuckers must pay.


    CRACK


    His punch to the thug''s face sends him flying to a nearby cart. And from the sound of it, he would probably end up with a broken nose and some stitches on his face.


    "O-o-"


    The other thug turned around and was about to run, but Shio grabbed his head before he could even take a step. The thug was lifted off the ground and then smashed into the marble road face first. Shio did it a couple of times, creating a small crater. If the unfortunate guy survived that, he would probably end up with a worse-looking face than the other thug.


    "Fucking bugs," Shio kicked the thug one last time before start walking again, leaving the thug as blood began flowing from his face.


    Holy shit. That''s so cool! Lula must be dumbfounded by what I just did!


    And his guess was right on target. Lula, clutching her Master''s cloak around her, watched in awe when her Master beaten the thugs. Not only has her Master protected her, but he also placed his cover around her. She was so happy that she could explode at any moment.


    There was only one thing repeating in her mind the whole time.


    My Master is so cool!


    "¡­ Lula? Are you alright?" he calmly called the succubus, who seemed to be still dumbfounded by what he did.


    "Y-y-yes! Coming!" she rushes to her Master''s side.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The two continued on their exploration of the town.


    Just like what he read in the books, the world was not as advanced as he thought at first. The town seemed like a typical fantasy town. There was a tavern, equipment shop, blacksmith, and the adventurer''s guild. People roamed around with weapons on their backs, most likely adventurers or maybe mercenaries. From what he read, there was a special license for people to carry weapons in public.


    One of the books said that there was some kind of Dark Age, where technology advancement was prohibited by the Pope, saying it would bring about the world''s destruction. The rule holds up until Pope Albert rose. He immediately revises all decisions made by the previous Popes since he thought it wasn''t what God wished.


    He couldn''t help but felt the similarity with real life. The developers probably took inspiration from history.


    Satisfied with admiring the people and walking around the town, Shio decided to visit one of the shops.


    "Welcome!" the girl standing behind the counter greeted them with a smile. She seemed young and scar-less for an equipment shop owner. Her long brown hair was tied into a braid, and her clothes seemed spotless despite her job. When Shio entered the shop, he thought he would be met by an old man with a white beard hammering a glowing metal rod near a furnace.


    He walked up to the counter and was about to order some essential equipment when it struck him.


    He didn''t have any money on him.


    His body froze as his brain flipped around, trying to find a way out of the mess. He cursed himself for forgetting something so trivial. It would be very embarrassing if he had to ask Lula for money. He pretended to look around while he looked for a solution.


    Lula, noticing her Master''s sudden stop, also stopped. She wanted to question what was bothering her Master but dismissed the idea immediately. The succubus was afraid that asking him would just anger him. She was his servant. It was not her place to doubt her Master.


    ¡­ Oh! It must be because he is waiting for me! she thought.


    He had told her to grab anything valuable from people she had kidnapped before he turned them into zombies. And she conveniently kept it all in her backpack. He must be waiting for her to show her intuition!


    Lula placed her bag on the counter and pulled out everything inside.


    "So much stuff here; I need to check them first so I can tell you their price. Some of these don''t look sellable, though... " the counter girl said while checking a golden ring. She pulled out a magnifying glass from her apron pocket and started by examining the ring.


    Shio nodded. He realized he had ordered her to grab valuables on the zombies so it wouldn''t go to waste. It didn''t cross his mind to sell them. While the shop owner rated all the items, Shi decided to walk around the shop and see what kind of equipment they sold. Lula stayed close behind him.


    "Have you ever hold a weapon, Lula?" Shio asked.


    "N-No, I never used a weapon..."


    "Not even a dagger?" Shio raised an eyebrow while looking at her. Of course, he already knew the answer since he read her memory. There was only one instance where she used a weapon. She used a dagger she stole from the man that tried to rape her and accidentally killed him. It was probably a quite traumatizing experience for someone like her, but he couldn''t help but be impressed with her will.


    What made it worse was that she had nowhere to report to if she didn''t'' kill the man. The soldiers would probably do the same to her, so killing him was actually her best course of action. At least, in his opinion.


    "W-Well... I used a dagger... once..." Lula finally answered honestly.


    "If the situation force you to use a dagger again, would you?" Shio asked as he took one of the daggers being displayed. Lula shivered at the thought but mustered all of her courage to answer.


    "M-Maybe..." she answered hesitantly. He nodded, satisfied with her answer.


    He roamed around the store and noticed that the cheapest stuff he could buy was leather armors and wooden weapons. Wooden staff being the most affordable of them all. He wasn''t hoping to get much money from the stuff they sold, so those things were probably the best ones he could get.


    "I think I''m going to buy a wooden staff and some leather armor. What do you say?" Shio asked.


    "E-Eh?"


    "Is there a problem with asking your opinion?"


    "N-No, of course not! In my opinion, considering our situation, that would be the best choice, Master."


    Before he could continue their conversation, the shopkeeper beckoned them to come back to her, and the two obliged.


    "Alright. That would be 1 gold coin, a couple of silver, and some bronze," the shopkeeper put the coins on the counter and shoved back the unsellable items. Lula grabbed it all and put them in her bag but left a couple of bronze coins behind.


    "U-Uhm, my master would like to buy staff and some leather armor."


    ¡­ Crap. I forgot to tell Lula to not call me that in public.


    But at this point, he could only roll along with what she said. If the shopkeeper had asked, he would pretend Lulya was his student. And since he didn''t care what she called him, she decided to call him Master.


    Surprisingly, the girl didn''t seem bothered by her calling him Master.


    "Sure! I will be right back" the girl checked the racks behind her. She returned with a plain-looking wooden staff and leather armor for one shoulder and two leather armor for the knee.


    "To avoid any trouble, you should test the staff first to see if it fits you," the shopkeeper suggested.


    He grabbed the staff first. It felt light, maybe a bit too much, but beggar can''t be a chooser. He swung it around quickly, and it seemed to be able to receive his mana flow pretty well. With his nod of approval, the shopkeeper took the coins. Lula took the change, and the two walked out of the store.


    "You have done well," he praised her with a calm face. But internally, he was screaming.


    GAHHH! I WILL LOSE MY FACE IF I KEEP MAKING MISTAKES!


    "Thank you, Master!" she blushes as she gripped the cloak around her even tighter.


    "So, what do you think we should do next?"

 Chapter 4

    With Lula giving no suggestion, Shio decided it was time to return to the Tomb and try out his new staff.


    They walked down the town''s main road, which was robust with activity. There was a guy juggling balls of fire while at the same time standing on a rolling barrel. Another man with much formal attire was shouting at people passing by. He kept pointing at the bottles filled carriage behind him. Then, there was a young guy yelling about words from the Gods and how non-humans were evil. Shio couldn''t decide whether he was a firm believer or a lunatic. At least considering how many non-humans were walking around, it was clearly not working.


    Shio let out a sigh. He was hoping something interesting would happen. But then, he heard the sound of people cheering and screaming from a weird-looking building in the distance. A couple of children ran past them toward the building. Shio was about to ask Lula about it but stopped when he noticed her face''s sad expression.


    "You seemed disturbed by something," Shi commented as he stopped walking.


    "Sorry, my lord. I was just... reminded of my childhood," Lula said with a sad voice.


    "I see¡­ That reminds me of something. Where are your parents now?" Shio suddenly asked as he didn''t see much of her parents after her transformation. She might have repressed the memory of her parents to ease the pain of living away from them.


    Without realizing it, his words had opened an old wound in the young girl''s heart.


    "T-They are dead..." she said, her voice started shaking.


    "¡­ Ah. My condolences¡­" was all Shio said. He didn''t expect a mere question would be that impactful for her.


    "It''s alright. I¡­ don''t know what exactly happened to my parents. All I could remember was my neighbors storming my house. Even the people I thought to be nice... When I realized it, I was already out of the village, running away as fast as I could and never looking back."


    So her parents were murdered by an angry mob¡­


    "Do you want to revenge your parent''s death?" Shio asked. Anyone in the same situation would at least consider it once. To inflict as much pain as they inflicted on you.


    "I-I do! But, I know it''s wrong... My parents told me that before they..."


    Shio cut her short before she burst out in tears.


    "I see nothing wrong with having revenge on people that did something wrong to you. As long as you have the power for it," Shio said.


    If he had the same power back in his world as in the game, he would enact revenge on so many people¡ªthose that shamed him, those that treated him like trash. But in the end, he was just a nobody there. All he could do was look down and convince himself that he was better than them by forgiving them. A load of bullshit only to comfort himself of his powerlessness.


    "B-But, revenge would only cause more revenge..." Lula said.


    "Then leave no loose ends," Shio said, "No one could have their revenge on you if they are all dead."


    "I-I see... If you say so, my lord," Lula said while nodding.


    "And Lula, I was wondering. What is that building?" Shio asked as he pointed at the building where all of the shouting and cheering came from. From how loud the noises were, there must be a lot of people there.


    "Ah! I completely forgot about it. That''s the arena, my lord. There is the tournament being held there right now," Lulya answered.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    "I see¡­ We should see it then."


    The sound of cheering got louder and louder as the two walked up to the coliseum entrance. A guard in full armor stood in the middle of the gate, raising his hand toward Shi when he was close enough.


    "Two silver," the guard said.


    Right. Like I would pay.


    He cast mind control on the unfortunate guard. The guard''s focus was lacking. His willpower was also basically non-existent, making it a cakewalk for Shio to enter his mind. He wasn''t interested in looking at the man''s memory, so he just rewired his brain into thinking Shi was part of the nobility. When he finished messing around with his brain, the guard''s eyes were wide open while staring at him.


    "M-my lord! I-I am sorry! Please! Do come in!" the guard stood aside and bowed down.


    "Let''s go, Lula," Shi said. He couldn''t help but smirked as he and Lula walked past the guard and through the gate.


    Inside, they were greeted by the sight of hundreds of people sitting around the arena. It was clearly packed. People were cheering left and right as a lizard-men and a normal-looking man fought in down at the pit. The only empty seats were relatively high up from the arena. It was still possible to see the fight from there, but it lacked the detail Shio wished. He wanted to see everything more closely.


    With simple mind control, he easily tricked two men into standing from their seats and walked away.


    "What perfect timing. Those two gentlemen left when we just arrived," Shio said as he sat down on one of the newly empty chairs.


    Lula nodded in agreement, and she sat down beside him.


    The man jumped back, narrowly avoiding the red lizardmen''s attack. The lizardmen''s attacks were fierce and precise. He would have been chopped into pieces by the jagged sword made out of bone the lizardmen wielded if he wasn''t using speed boost. It was kind of his own fault for relying on his martial skills rather than using a weapon.


    "I must say, you''re a quite good fighter," he praised the lizardmen.


    "You too. What is your name?" the lizardmen asked while keep swinging his sword.


    "I''m Will. You?" he jumped back once more to avoid the attacks.


    "I will give you my name if you can beat me."


    "That''s cheating! I already told you my name!"


    "No one forced you," he shrugged dismissively.


    With their little chat finished, The lizardmen suddenly increased his attack in both speed and intensity. He targeted all parts of will''s body, swinging up and down, left and right. Even with his boosted speed, the lizardmen still managed to slash his arm and leg a bit. He needed to turn this around before he made a mistake and lose the whole battle.


    Before he could come up with a plan to distract his emissary, the lizardmen suddenly stopped dead in his track and turned his head to the crowd. It was all the opening he needed to end the match


    "Whirlwind kick!"


    The sun was setting when the whole tournament finished. Shio was walking back to the Tomb, still in shock about what he had heard. The word the man shouted from before ringing inside his head.


    That was the name of a martial art skill from the game. Not to mention, no other contestant he had watched randomly screamed out their technique. It might be a coincidence, but he couldn''t take a risk. He made a note of the person''s appearances in case he meet him again.


    And he was worried too about the lizardmen. He had stopped moving in the middle of the match just to stare at the crowd, or more specifically, at him and Lula. He was getting worried his disguise had been blown, but it shouldn''t be possible. The only being that knew of his return was Lula.


    "Sir! Please wait!" someone shouted out. Shio turned around to find the lizard-men from the arena was running toward him. His jagged bone sword was safely in a holster around his waist.


    "My lord! It is you!" the lizardmen said as he immediately kneeled before him. The shouting and the sudden kneeling were enough to pull the attention of the people around them. Even the guards were starting to stare at them. He had a somewhat ominous feeling about the lizardmen.


    "N-now, let''s talk in private. You are being too... public," Shio said as he looked around. A lot of people turned their heads thanks to the commotion the lizardmen made.


    "Ah, of course! I''m sorry, my lord" the lizardmen immediately stood back up. "There is a tavern nearby where I usually have a drink. It would be a good spot for us to talk."


    "¡­ Very well, lead the way then."

 Chapter 5

    The three walked into a tavern the lizardmen mentioned. It was still pretty empty, but the sun was slowly setting on the horizon. No doubt the bar would soon be crowded with people drinking their fatigue away after a long day of work. It would be hard to have a private conversation then.


    Shio and Lula, along with the lizardmen, sat down at the empty table in the corner. Far from ears that could accidentally hear their conversation.


    "So¡­ you know who I am?" Shio was the one who started the conversation.


    "Of course, Lord Shi! Your face might be hidden under your hood, but I still can sense your dark aura," the lizardmen said proudly.


    That statement caused Lula to turn her head around toward Shio. He somehow felt her stare was piercing into his nonexistent soul. It felt like she was questioning her master''s wisdom.


    Outside, he maintained his calm posture. But inside, he was screaming so hard that people from miles away would have heard it if he did it for real.


    ALRIGHT, THIS TIME IT''S NOT MY FAULT. HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?! THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE!


    Then it hit him. There was nothing named aura in the game, but there was karma. In the game, people could see each other''s karma to determine whether they were Good or Evil. Evil characters didn''t need to have minus karma and the Good characters to have tons, but it gave buff to those who did. He had around -100, which was the maximum amount for Evil characters.


    Lord Shi, huh... so my name is the same as in the usual game... Wait. Why Lula never called me by name? Now that I think about it, I didn''t find my name in her memory either. Probably because the old lady only called me a Necromancer or something?


    "As I thought. I didn''t think anyone would be able to detect my dark aura. It has been a hundred years; how could you detect my aura?"


    The lizardmen leaned closer toward him. He spoke with a calm voice, afraid that someone would hear what he was about to say. He could be thrown into the deepest dungeon if the guards got wind of it.


    "My family has always been sensitive to the aura of the Darkness, my Lord. But there is only a small amount of us. The Holy Kingdom forbade anything related even remotely to you. Not name, not story. Even history was changed to make your appearance brief. Anyone that released a dark aura, or acted similar to you, got executed immediately. They may be dormant, but they are still a power to be reckoned."


    That far, huh? They really want to kill out everything that is involved with me.


    "Who is your parent? Do I know them?"


    "They didn''t participate in the fight themselves. But my ancestor long ago did. Do you remember General Rubio?" the lizardmen''s eyes shone a bit when he said the name. Shio obviously had no idea who Rubio was.


    "I''m sorry, but many of my memory is gone when they purified me. I don''t remember such name."


    "N-No need to apologize, my Lord! Those bastard humans always do what they wished! To even touch your wisdom and memory!" the lizardmen clench his fist in anger.


    "They will pay when the time comes. Now, what is with this General?"


    "From stories I heard from my parents, he was your trusted right hand. Not only was he a tactician with good fighting skills, but he was fearless. He stood alongside your army into battles, leading the charges himself. Many feared him, and few dared to challenge him. When the rebellion started, you saved him by teleporting him far away. My ancestor tried to run back to help, but he found the battle had already finished."


    Rubio briefly stopped to take a breath.


    "After you were sealed, he tried to lead the remnant of your army to free you but ultimately failed. They were simply not strong enough and lacked the manpower. So my ancestor decided to bid his time, spending the remaining of his time gathering information for when you return. And when he died, my family continued it like it was a tradition."


    "I see¡­ And what is your name?"


    "My name is Rubio Argas, sir. My ancestor believed that one day you would return, so they always name one of their children Rubio, in the hope that we will serve you once more when you finally return."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The loyalty of his family is impressive, which could be said at the very least. But I still need to read his memory and his family, just to be safe. It would be tiring, but I think they would serve as better guards than the Zombies, except for the General, back at my tomb.


    "Rubio, I''m pleased to see your family is still loyal to me even after so long. But there is a test you must pass first to prove it."


    "Whatever it is, I''m ready to do it," Rubio said with full confidence.


    "Good," Shi nodded, "Then let me place my palm on your head to begin your test."


    The lizardmen leaned in toward him. Shio placed his hand on the lizardmen''s scaly shoulder, and cast mind read. The vision flowed smoothly into his mind, as the lizard-men was fully aware of the process and consciously allowed him access to all of his memory.


    Rubio''s whole life flashed in the blink of an eye inside Shio''s head. He brushed aside most memory and focused more on anything that involved him. None indicated Rubio or any of his family would betray him. On the contrary, they would do anything to protect him. But of course, like any family, there would be exceptions. In the lizardmen''s case, it was his own sister¡ªa problem for later.


    Shio pulled his hand away. Rubio''s body tensed up as he awaited the Necromancer King''s judgment.


    "You passed the test. Now, we must stop chatting here. It is unsafe. Follow me, and we will talk more along the way."


    "A you wish, Lord Shi," Rubio said, excited of finally being the one to fulfill the tradition of his family.


    With Rubio''s loyalty ensured, Shio and Lulya guided him back to the tomb. He still had a lot to learn about this world. He asked Lulya about it, but she didn''t know much since she was a human. But with Rubio, he might learn something from the information gathered by his ancestors. First thing first, he needed to know how the world changed with his absence.


    "Tell me, what happened after they sealed me?"


    "It is¡­ complicated, my Lord."


    "Complicated?"


    "After the war ended, everyone was left weakened. The Holy Kingdom stopped its crusade and became dormant. The Union was disbanded. Some nations had a civil war and split up; other nations merged into one. Even a nation that died long ago emerged once more. I''m afraid my words alone could not describe the insanity of what happened following your death. At the very least, I can say for certain that everyone is living in relative peace, thanks to your sacrifice."


    Well, I definitely didn''t expect that.


    "So the Holy Kingdom is dormant now? Do you have any way of knowing what happens inside their gate?" Shio asked. He doubted these so-called Gods and Goddess would suddenly just change their mind. He was confident that they were just waiting, biding their time for the right moment to start another crusade.


    "Well, the Holy Kingdom doesn''t accept non-human races in their territory, but fear not! My family managed to have an informant working inside of the Holy Kingdom''s monarchy!" Rubio said with both of his hands on his hip.


    "Ho? And how did you achieve that?" Shio said, impressed.


    "Well, I''m not the one responsible for it," he chuckled nervously." It was my father and mother. They caught a pilgrim that turned out to be the son of the King''s advisor."


    "Quite a catch. What''s the pilgrim''s condition now?"


    "Every week, we would let him tell us what he wants to tell his father. Then we would write the letter and give it to an adventurer. He would pass the guards and deliver the letter to the King''s advisor. Just yesterday, the pilgrim wants us to tell his father about his healthy son."


    "¡­ Healthy son?" Shio asked as he thought he misheard the lizardmen.


    "That is correct. The pilgrim fell in love with another human girl that lived in the village, and we let the two marry."


    Shio set aside many questions about Rubio''s village and his way of thinking and focused more on this sudden marriage. He could already guess why they did it since it, in a way, benefited them. Still, he wanted to see whether the lizardmen had the same opinion as him.


    "It''s because of the woman, my Lord. She kept sneaking into his house to meet him. She said she wanted to be with him even if she had to be confined too. So¡­ we just let her since her parents gave consent. Is there something wrong with that, my Lord? I will separate the two if you wish," Rubio said, worried that the decision his family made disappoint the Necromancer King.


    If it was Shio''s decision, he would let it happen because the marriage would tie down the pilgrim even further. Running away alone would be easy. But leaving behind your family? Not many people would be willing to abandon their family in harm''s way, at least real actual people who care about others.


    "No, No. It''s alright¡­" Shio said, waving his hand dismissively. He shouldn''t be hoping too much from NPCs. Their reasoning was weird, but Shio couldn''t deny the result.


    "Rather than that, can you tell me all of the information left by your ancestors? Lula told me everything she knew. But she was a human, so her knowledge is limited," Shi patted the pink-haired succubus, who immediately lit up. Her master had been kept talking to the lizardmen to the point that it made her feel ignored. She stayed silent the whole time since she didn''t want to disturb her master. But that simple pat was enough to convince her that her master still cared about her.


    "Of course! It is my honor to help! Well, where shall I begin?"

 Chapter 6

    The talk with Rubio was long and tedious. So much information was crammed into Shio''s rotting brain. If not for the fact his neurons were already dead, his head would have already exploded. Thankfully, he didn''t have to remember what Rubio said since the system automatically made notes of them all.


    Unsurprisingly, Lula fell asleep not long after they started their long conversation. She forced herself to stay awake, but noticing her constant yawn and head bobbing, Shio ordered the clearly tired girl to take a rest. The girl nodded reluctantly.


    Lula used her backpack as a pillow and slept beside the stone pedestal. Not long after, when Shio noticed the succubus shivering from the cold, he used his cloak to cover her. He would use his black flame to help warm Lula but decided not to because of how close the fire had to be. And she kept rolling around in her sleep.


    Meanwhile, Rubio sat in seiza posture on the stone floor in front of Shio. He watched in silence as his Master gently laid his cloak on the girl. And he couldn''t help but wonder.


    "My Lord, is it okay if I ask you something?" the lizardmen asked when Shio reassumed his position sitting on the stone pedestal.


    "Go ahead."


    "I apologize if this sounds rude, but you seem really fond of the girl. What is the story with her? Why is she with you?" Rubio asked. His eyes glanced at Lula for a moment.


    "Does her charm bother you?" Shio asked, raising his voice a bit.


    "Do not worry, my family and I are not easily affected by such thing, my Lord. It''s just my curiosity speaking. I apologize if it came across as rude to you."


    "I see. Well, Lula was the one who freed me from my prison," Shio said casually, while the revelation was like a bomb to the lizardmen.


    "R-Really? I¡­ I feel ashamed¡­ It should have been my family that freed you," Rubio said, planting his forehead to the cold stone floor out of embarrassment.


    "Now, Rubio, lift your head up," Shio said calmly. He didn''t blame the lizardmen for failing to fight against the Holy Kingdom. "I know your family tried to but ultimately failed. It is not anybody''s."


    Rubio lifted his head back up, "That may be true... but we are beaten by a lone succubus. How did she achieve such feat?"


    Shio genuinely had no clue. Rubio and his family, with all their information and skills, failed to free him. While Lula, with only the words from an older woman, managed to do it alone. He had to find out himself.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The Necromancer stood from his seat, walked to the sleeping Lula, and placed his palm on her forehead. Her mind resisted at first but eventually allowed him full access. Shio went through all her recent memories until he found the moment Lula found the Tomb.


    Initially, the Tomb was hidden and protected by spells. But by lifting an amulet she got from the same old woman, the Tomb appeared right before her.


    She walked in and found Shio''s body lying motionless on top of the marble pedestal, surrounded by translucent barriers. The amulet let out a dim glow, and the magic walls disappeared. Then, the charm dissipated into nothingness.


    With nothing in the way, Lula walked up to him and shook him, calling him Master.


    This old woman¡­ I have to find her as soon as possible.


    Finished, Shio lifted his palm and sat back on his pedestal.


    "Lula told me she found out about this place from an old lady she met in her journey. And the same old lady gave her an amulet that broke the protection spells surrounding this place. What do you think of it?" Shio asked the lizardmen.


    "An old lady possessing top secret information? And have that strong of a spell breaker item? Hm¡­ I will have to talk about this with the others first."


    "I assume I can leave the search for this old lady to you and your family?"


    "Of course! I will make sure no stone is left unturned until we find her!" Rubio promised.


    Shio nodded, satisfied with the lizardmen''s devotion.


    "Good to hear. For now, though, we must rest. You can return to your village and tell your family tomorrow. I have seen you fight, and I know you are a capable fighter. But it''s not safe to travel at night. Besides, you must be tired after our conversation."


    Rubio bowed, "You are praising me too much, my Lord. I''m nothing compared to what my ancestor could do. And I''m humbled to be allowed to rest in the same room as you do. You truly are as great as they said."


    The red lizardmen curled up and slept, and Shio decided it was time for him to log out.


    .


    .


    .


    He couldn''t.


    Scrolling through the menu, mentally wanting to log out. There was no button to exit the game. He started to feel like something was off. And he wasn''t sure whether it was a good sign or a bad sign yet.


    A bug? he thought to himself. It was improbable, considering the game rarely had bugs, but it was still a possibility. He tried to contact Customer Service, but of course, no answer.


    Could¡­ it be?


    Shio placed his finger near Lula''s nose holes. Then near Rubio''s nose holes. Their breath hitting against his skin sent a chill down Shio''s non-existent spine. NPCs were not supposed to breathe. He read enough Isekai manga to know where it was going.


    Have I... been reborn?