The Saint Who Levels Up Through Necromancy-Chapter 132

[Translator - Hestia]

[Proofreader - Kaya]

Chapter 132: Joint Training (1)

The first day of joint training was dedicated to a briefing on the training schedule.

“Tomorrow will be battlefield reconnaissance and free time. The day after, a mock battle will be conducted among Hunters ranked 4 Star and below.”

“When is the all-out battle?”

“In six days. Only Phoenix Guild and Dawn Guild will participate in the all-out battle.”

Since the terrain would need to be repaired from the damage caused during the mock battle and participants would also need time to recover their stamina, there would be a two-day break.

Yoojin nodded at Kim Youngsoo’s explanation.

Truthfully, he would have liked to participate in the all-out battle as well.

'The Bloody Valentine incident is coming soon. It’d be best to avoid unnecessary exhaustion.'

Since this was a joint training exercise, killing each other was prohibited.

The problem was that this rule didn’t apply to summoned creatures.

Mid-tier undead were on par with 4 Star Hunters capable of using Aura.

Although they had simpler attack patterns and lacked strategic thinking compared to actual 4 Star Hunters, they were still formidable opponents.

Even so—

'I wonder if they’ll be kind enough to systematically neutralize my Aura-wielding summons one by one.'

〔Shouldn’t you also show some restraint in your own strikes?〕

'Ugh. That’s exactly what’s bothering me.'

To prevent accidental fatalities during training, special equipment was issued—a teleportation pendant that would instantly transport the wearer to a designated area upon receiving a fatal injury.

Even so, things could get messy if someone got killed before they had a chance to react.

“Yoojin, don’t stress too much. Accidents, big and small, always happen during joint training.”

“You say that so casually.”

“I had my shoulder blown off by Shin Yoosung once. Took a while to heal.”

Don’t talk about getting your shoulder blown off like you just lost a few strands of hair.

Their worries were different, but Jang Miseon’s nonchalant attitude made Yoojin feel a little more at ease.

“Representative Cheon Yoojin, may I make a suggestion?”

“Go ahead.”

“I noticed you brought quite a number of summons.”

“Well, it’s only about 350 of them.”

“The total number of participants in the 4 Star-and-below mock battle is 150.”

More than twice the combined total of both guilds.

Kim Youngsoo let out a short cough.

“Are you asking me to limit the number of undead participating in the mock battle?”

“Yes. If all 350 of them were to take part, it would defeat the purpose of the exercise.”

Dawn Guild members didn’t react much to Kim Youngsoo’s statement.

A tacit agreement.

Both guilds were wary of the undead army that had been transported here in multiple large trailers.

“Ah, I see. I misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood?”

“I brought these guys along thinking they’d be joining the all-out battle as well.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“For the 4 Star-and-below mock battle, I’ll only be sending in seven, including summons.”

The room fell into stunned silence.

The hulking, muscle-bound man shot to his feet, his face contorted with anger as he opened and closed his mouth in frustration.

'Ah, so it’s Shin Yoosung.'

The man responsible for cementing Dawn Guild as Korea’s top guild after Arhan’s fall.

For now, he was still considered a rising star.

Seated beside him, Shin Hyungsik, the Guildmaster of Dawn Guild, raised a hand to stop him.

'Why’s he so mad?'

〔Didn’t you provoke that pitiful little human?〕

'All I said was that controlling my killing intent would be harder with too many undead. I was just giving them a reasonable excuse.'

〔Can you say with absolute certainty that your words weren’t meant as provocation?〕

'Ah… well, no.'

Yoojin replied.

‘Damn it. I got caught. This is exactly why I can’t like this overly perceptive Constellation. He wasn’t always like this. But over time, he’d gotten better at reading the room and picking up on people’s thoughts.’

Yoojin thought.

〔I may not understand the other little humans, but when it comes to you, I have a decent grasp.〕

'How fucking lovely. Thanks so much.'

〔You are my one and only follower. Of course, I must pay close attention.〕

‘Yeah, yeah. I’m so touched I could cry.’

⋯⋯⋯

After the briefing, Phoenix Guild, as the hosts, arranged a banquet.

“I’ll pass. You guys go enjoy yourselves.”

“Hyung, you sure?”

“I want to fully digest the insights I gained recently.”

“You’re planning to get even stronger? At this rate, I don’t think I can keep up.”

“If you want to surpass me, you’d better train for at least ten years.”

“If ten years is all it takes, I might as well give it a shot.”

“Whatever. Just go enjoy the party. This is part of the business, too.”

The three of them, also officers in the Little Runts Mercenary Corps, were more than qualified to represent Black Company in Yoojin’s place.

⋯⋯⋯

【Why not take a break?】

“One night’s enough.”

【I may be undead, but you’re still human.】

“I’ll just replenish my energy with Life Drain.”

With a sharp whoosh, Yoojin spun his spear once before pointing it toward Fafnir.

The night was long.

And there was more than enough time to train.

＊ ＊ ＊

The next day's schedule involved scouting the battlefield where the mock battle would take place.

Phoenix Guild, playing on their home turf, barely spared the field a glance before heading off to coordinate their tactics.

Meanwhile, Dawn Guild’s hunters, already familiar with the terrain from multiple past battles, checked for any changes that had occurred over the last two years before leaving.

“The battlefield has a mountain ridge on one side, the sea on the other, and flat land in the center.”

“How do you think the fight will play out?”

“There are three main options—either a direct head-on clash, an ambush using the mountain ridge, or sending stealth-capable hunters around to target the enemy base camp.”

“That’s right. That’s the standard approach.”

To win the mock battle, a team had to capture the opposing faction’s base camp.

With a third faction joining the exercise, the dynamics had become more complicated, but the fundamental rules remained the same.

“Our base camp is positioned near the mountain ridge, correct?”

“They’re throwing us a bone since we’re outnumbered.”

“Hmm… I can’t tell if that position is an advantage or a disadvantage.”

Two powerhouses, one underdog.

Normally, the two stronger factions would eliminate the weaker one first before settling the final fight among themselves.

But the mountain ridge changed things.

Its rugged terrain made it difficult for either of the two larger guilds to deploy their full strength in a short time.

“They might either try to suppress us with minimal forces or attempt to win us over.”

“That’s the most logical move.”

Yoojin’s tone carried a hint of approval.

Just from analyzing the battlefield alone, Kang Minho had deduced this much. The guy had a sharp mind.

Picking him as the leader of the mercenary corps had been the right decision.

“Does that mean you have a different opinion, hyung?”

“You catch on fast.”

“If you’re saying it like that, it’d be weird if I didn’t.”

“Phoenix and Dawn—they’ll both come straight for us at the mountain ridge.”

After all, Yoojin had declared that he wouldn’t use a single one of his mid-tier undead.

From the perspective of the two guilds, Yoojin's decision must have seemed like he had something up his sleeve.

One powerhouse, two underdogs.

Phoenix and Dawn Guilds would now be recalculating their strategy, adjusting their expectations to fit this new equation.

“I-I see…”

“You guys okay with this?”

“As long as we follow your orders, we’ll manage somehow.”

“Hahaha. This is the part where you’re supposed to complain, you know.”

"If you say so, hyung, I'd believe you even if you told me the sky was green."

Absolute trust.

Kang Minho had been by Yoojin’s side long enough to witness everything he had done since his regression.

The two others observing the terrain from behind him felt the same way.

A faint smile appeared on Yoojin’s lips.

‘Back when I first took these guys in, I never thought I’d grow this attached to them.’

〔Did you not originally see them as nothing more than useful subordinates?〕

‘Yeah… but even before my regression, there weren’t many people I could trust to watch my back like this.’

The Necromancer was known as a one-man army.

Yoojin had stood at the pinnacle of that title—a pioneer.

He had always entered Gates alone.

Before he developed [Unification], there hadn’t even been anyone to talk to during his hunts.

‘Guess I was a self-imposed loner.’

〔Do you truly believe it was self-imposed?〕

‘Ugh. Stop ruining the moment.’

〔I merely seek to determine the truth.〕

‘Yeah, right.’

Brushing off Kronos, Yoojin glanced over at Little Runts team.

In the previous timeline, they had made a name for themselves in the mercenary world as the "Mirror Hunters."

He had originally picked them up by chance, intending to turn them into useful subordinates.

But after months of fighting together, that initial intent had evolved into an unshakable bond of trust.

“Alright. This terrain… we can work with this.”

“Give us your orders, hyung.”

“For this mock battle—your role is going to be crucial.”

Cracking his neck from side to side, Yoojin began laying out the strategy.

＊ ＊ ＊

The day of the mock battle for Hunters ranked 4 Star and below had arrived.

“You’ve got a long way to go, so you should head out early.”

“Best of luck to everyone.”

With Yoojin and Kang Minho at the lead, the Black Company team made their way toward the mountain ridge. Given their numerical disadvantage, they had at least been given priority in deployment order.

As the Black Company members disappeared from sight, Shin Yoosung quietly approached the Phoenix Guild’s side.

“Hunter Jang Miseon. Got a moment to talk?”

“Are you already trying to wear me out? Not interested.”

“Come on. It won’t do you any harm.”

“You’re not seriously suggesting that we toss aside the dignity of the ‘Three Strong’ and gang up to eliminate Cheon Yoojin, are you?”

A vein throbbed on Shin Yoosung’s forehead.

Seeing that, Jang Miseon let out a short chuckle and extended her hand first.

“What a coincidence. I was thinking the same thing.”

“…Are you trying to humiliate me?”

“Oh, come on. I’m being serious. You’re overreacting.”

Shin Yoosung’s eyes burned as he carefully examined Jang Miseon’s face.

A brief silence.

“…You really mean it?”

“I’ve crossed swords with Cheon Yoojin before. I probably know better than you just how terrifying he is.”

“But you beat Song Myeongseok too, didn’t you?”

“Do you not know that I consider one of Cheon Yoojin’s summons as my master?”

“I thought you were just cozying up to him.”

“Wow. You really underestimate me.”

Jang Miseon’s gaze darkened.

Though a smile lingered on her lips, the icy glint in her eyes made it seem like she was ready to carve Shin Yoosung to pieces at any moment.

He instinctively took half a step back but quickly steadied himself, swallowing hard.

“I wouldn’t acknowledge someone as my master over something so trivial.”

“…That was a poor choice of words on my part.”

“Anyway, I’ll accept your proposal.”

Negotiations were settled.

Even so, Shin Yoosung couldn’t shake off the lingering unease.

“When’s the attack?”

“It’ll take about ten minutes for us to finish setting up at the base camp.”

“Then we move out in fifteen.”

“How many Hunters is Dawn deploying?”

“Sixty.”

“Phoenix will match that with sixty as well.”

Neither of them worried about betrayal.

Shin Yoosung and Jang Miseon—both were known for their strong sense of pride.

They would hate to be compared, but at least they shared the trait of not stabbing people in the back.

'If it were Song Myeongseok, I’d be wary. But Shin Yoosung? He’s too dense to be sneaky. That makes him reliable.'

'Jang Miseon. Let’s wipe out Black Company first—then settle things one-on-one.'

Five minutes after Black Company entered the battlefield, the Phoenix Guild also began moving toward their distant base camp.

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Shin Yoosung stood ready, just waiting for the signal.

“Team Leader.”

“Let’s go.”

Dawn Guild left only a minimal defense at their base camp and immediately advanced toward the mountain ridge.

Step—Step—

Shin Yoosung led the vanguard, moving swiftly across the ridgeline with a group of Hunters specializing in pursuit.

Dense thickets grew in every direction.

Though their vision was limited, the vanguard Hunters—including Shin Yoosung—infused their eyes with mana or used their unique abilities to detect any hidden enemies.

“No signs of an ambush.”

“Don’t let your guard down. He’s not someone to take lightly.”

Unlike his usual arrogant demeanor, Shin Yoosung remained cautious.

The Hunters accompanying him exchanged surprised glances.

'Is this really the same reckless guy?'

'Did the Guild Master warn him or something?'

'Either way, it works out better for us.'

They silently mused over their thoughts as they continued their ascent up the mountainside.

Then, one of the Hunters leading the group raised his hand.

“It’s Cheon Yoojin.”

“How many with him?”

“Two. Cheon Yoojin and an undead wielding twin swords.”

'Lucky.'

Shin Yoosung muttered under his breath.

The so-called 'Master' that Jang Miseon was wary of must have gone to keep the Phoenix Guild in check.

There wasn’t much intel on the undead with dual swords, but that didn’t matter.

'I’ll end this before that 'Master' shows up.'

[Swift Gale]

A movement skill that whipped up a violent gust.

Shin Yoosung’s figure, clad in a flowing martial robe, cut through the foliage, leaving a white streak in the air.

'Priests tend to be slow at detecting ambushes.'

If the Dual-Sword Wielding skeleton lunged at him, he’d knock it away with [Piercing Fist]—a technique that spread mana outward to disrupt the opponent’s stance rather than dealing direct damage.

He just needed to create a small opening. That brief window would be enough to take out Yoojin, the summoner, first.

“You got here faster than I expected.”

In that instant—

Shin Yoosung’s eyes twitched.

Yoojin’s gaze was locked onto him, tracking his high-speed approach with perfect clarity.

With a smirk, Yoojin raised a finger.

[Releasing corpses stored in the Ring of Darkness.]

A massive shadow surged forward, swallowing Shin Yoosung whole.

[Translator - Hestia

[Proofreader - Kaya]