#026.
"You don't seem very surprised."
I knew it already, but to maintain such a calm face after experiencing such a bizarre phenomenon...
He isn't a regressor who experienced the apocalypse like me; is this really someone who just awakened?
He's an amazing person in many ways.
Then again, that must be how he was able to grow into one of the strongest of humanity, the Ten Venerables.
"Should I be surprised?"
"Because you just witnessed a shocking sight."
"As one lives in this world, one occasionally witnesses sights that common sense cannot comprehend. This is one of those times."
Pausing his words briefly, he said.
"And my purpose is also outside the bounds of common sense."
Then again, his goal isn't exactly ordinary either.
"Which brings me to the point."
"Yes."
"The words you just spoke. Are they true?"
I thought he lacked emotion.
He was like that before the regression, and up until just a moment ago.
But now, it was slightly different.
Anticipation, and a hint of excitement.
Emotion laced his voice, which normally seemed indifferent to any kind of change.
"Of course. I am an entirely different person from those frauds who spout nothing but empty boasts."
"Then prove it to me."
He wanted proof right away.
"...But aren't you frightened?"
To my question,
"Of what?"
"People died right before your eyes."
"You seem to have forgotten who I am. I am the man closest to death."
An undertaker.
The one closest to death.
Indeed, to him, death might not be something to fear, but rather something intimately familiar.
"And..."
As he opened his lips once more, from his body—
Ssssss—
An energy resembling black fog began to seep out.
And the moment it touched the ground—
Thud-d-d!
A vibration struck the ground.
It wasn't as intense as an earthquake, of course, but the vibration was distinctly felt through the soles of my feet planted on the ground.
Crack!
Something pierced through the dirt-covered ground.
"Grrrrr...."
Fleshy bits that looked ready to fall off at any moment, and white pupils.
With sluggish movements, it was—
'A zombie!'
A corpse whose life had already expired, granted specific magical power and used as a soldier.
Although it was nothing more than a lowest-rank undead with low combat power, still...
'He's controlling a zombie already?'
Since the Awakening Ritual had begun, I expected him to manifest some degree of ability.
But to be at the level of commanding the undead already...
'His starting point was different from the very beginning.'
There are numerous Traits similar to his that command the undead.
However, the Trait Jeong Dohwan possessed was the very pinnacle of necromancy.
『Guide of Death』
It was his true Trait, the one that earned him the title of the Venerable of Death.
A cheat Trait that allowed him to wield all death-related abilities beyond their limits.
As one of the Top 100 Traits, it was at a level where he could command the undead shortly after the Awakening Ritual had begun.
"Is this... a threat?"
I asked lightly, looking at the seven zombies surrounding me.
"A demonstration of force, so to speak. To let you know I won't sit idly by if you've been feeding me lies."
"It might work on someone else, but hmm. I don't think it'll work on me."
"...You certainly don't seem to be bluffing."
"Of course it's not a bluff. I might not know if it were another type of undead, but mere zombies?"
They had numbers, but zombies were merely the lowest-rank undead.
Naturally, one would struggle if they didn't know how to deal with the undead, but I was an exception.
Knowing their weaknesses, a mere seven of them posed no threat.
"Just think of it as insurance. An assurance that while they can't threaten you, they can certainly be a nuisance."
"A nuisance, huh. I can admit that much."
He could use other abilities besides zombies, so if he set his mind to it, he could probably be a nuisance to me.
"But such a thing won't happen. Sir—no, I am the only one who can fulfill your daughter's dying wish."
"...That confidence. I'll trust you, just this once."
I had finally succeeded in winning Jeong Dohwan's favor.
"Follow me."
Along with the only opportunity to recruit him as an ally.
*
The place I arrived at after following Jeong Dohwan.
Prepared right next to the house, that place was a workshop; for an undertaker, a workshop meant the place where one prepared the corpse.
Since corpses had to be treated, a low temperature was constantly maintained, and various chemicals were lined up on display.
And in the center of it all.
"This child is the granddaughter I love most in this world, Yoon Seoyoung."
Laid out perfectly straight was a corpse in such pristine condition that it was impossible to tell how she had been processed.
At a glance, one could mistake her for simply sleeping.
However, looking closely, stitch marks were visible everywhere.
The flesh had been sewn and connected with astonishingly exquisite skill.
Just like Frankenstein's monster.
"Have you gathered the soul?"
Soul.
Put simply, it was the most fundamental energy that constituted life.
Originally, it was impossible for humans to obtain or manipulate this, but there was exactly one exception: the Guide of Death.
The Guide of Death, who governed the domain of death, was the sole existence capable of manipulating the domain of the soul.
Ah, but that didn't mean he could perform miracles like resurrecting the dead.
Only an incomplete, slightly twisted 'curse' was possible, not a perfect miracle.
"...You know about souls?"
"How about it? Are you starting to get a feel for it now? That I'm different from those frauds from earlier."
"Trust is certainly starting to build, little by little."
"So. What's the answer to my question?"
"It's not quite enough, but it should be enough to make her move for now."
"Already?"
"I was that desperate."
Honestly, I was quite surprised.
To think he had already gathered a soul large enough to make her move.
'Then again. He must have lived solely for that purpose.'
He was in a state where it wouldn't be strange if he went to be by his daughter and granddaughter's side right away.
The reason he continued to live despite that was to fulfill his daughter's final request.
And through the Awakening Ritual, and through the Trait bestowed upon him, he was finally in a situation where he could fulfill that wish.
All that remained was to complete a vessel for the soul to inhabit.
"Then, before we begin, let's get one thing straight."
He would probably want to start right this second, but there was something that had to be addressed.
"Completing the vessel to house the soul. That is an incredibly difficult task. You understand that, right?"
"I am fully aware."
"Yes. This is a tremendously difficult task. I must receive adequate compensation for it."
"You want to make a deal?"
"Yes. A deal where we can both reap mutual benefits."
"Speak. If it's a way to save my granddaughter, I'll agree to anything."
I'm certainly grateful that he's being so accommodating.
"It's simple."
That was why I spoke directly, too.
"Lend me your strength."
"Are you asking me to be your subordinate...?"
"No. Not a superior-subordinate relationship. What I want is an ally."
"An ally?"
"You probably heard the general gist of the situation from those guys earlier."
"...That the apocalypse is coming. That a massive change will occur in the world."
"Yes. Just as they said, the apocalypse is coming. A truly tremendous change that words cannot describe."
To be honest, I thought there would be a bit more time before this change, but...
'Considering that the Awakening Ritual started early, the starting time of the apocalypse might have been moved up as well.'
The apocalypse wasn't the only problem.
There were various precursor phenomena that would begin before the apocalypse, and I had to prepare for them as well.
On top of that, there were those suspicious factions.
To deal with these headache-inducing bastards in various ways, my power alone wouldn't be enough.
An ally to overcome all these trials together with me.
"If you can complete Seoyoung's vessel, I'll do whatever it takes."
"Perfect!"
Having heard his sincere words, there was no reason to hesitate.
I stepped forward.
I stared directly at Yoon Seoyoung's corpse, lying perfectly straight.
What I had to do from here on was simple.
To enhance Yoon Seoyoung's corpse, which Jeong Dohwan had restored.
'It would be impossible if she were alive, but...'
...because she was a corpse, it was possible.
My Enhancement Trait had a 100% success rate when applied to inanimate objects rather than living creatures.
I brought my hand to her flesh, which had long lost its warmth.
Flinch.
Jeong Dohwan flinched briefly, showing his agitation.
I could easily guess the feelings he harbored for his granddaughter.
Keeping those feelings in mind,
『Enhancement』
I manifested my Trait.
The target was Yoon Seoyoung's corpse.
Hwaaah—
A golden radiance burst forth brightly.
At first, it was nothing more than a faint light, but soon...
Hwaaaaaak!
...it transformed into a brilliant glow.
Naturally, that was proof of success.
"What is this?!"
He widened his eyes in astonishment.
"Can you feel the change?"
"Y-yes."
"It's too early to celebrate just yet."
"...What do you mean?"
"Because it isn't over yet."
With that,
Flash!
I continued attempting to enhance.
As long as it wasn't the flesh of a living creature, enhancing a corpse was as easy as pie.
*
『+99 Yoon Seoyoung's Corpse
Classification: Unknown
Durability: None
Unique Effect: None
Enhancement Effect (9/99): None
Enhancement Effect (15/99): None
Enhancement Effect (20/99): None
……
Enhancement Effect (99/99): None
Full Enhancement Effect (Max): None
Transcendence Effect: Partial completion as a vessel to house a soul
Description: The corpse of Jeong Dohwan's granddaughter, Yoon Seoyoung.
Through Transcendence Enhancement, the vessel to house a soul has been partially completed.』
'It worked!'
The corpse, which had been classified as a junk item until just a moment ago, had changed to Unknown.
Although it lacked any enhancement effects, a singular effect had been born through Transcendence Enhancement.
And that was precisely a vessel to house a soul.
"It's done."
Finishing the final enhancement, I took a slight step back.
"Ohhhh!"
Jeong Dohwan let out an exclamation of admiration.
He stared at the corpse, which had completely transformed after the Transcendence Enhancement.
The corpse, once covered in stitch marks like Frankenstein's monster, had become seamless.
Her pale complexion had regained some color as well.
Of course, one couldn't mistake her for being alive, but she could pass for a corpse that had just died moments ago.
"With a vessel like this, it should be more than enough to house the soul."
He turned back and looked at me.
The one thing his tearful eyes desperately wanted.
"I'll keep watch for you."
"Thank you."
The process of inserting the soul was a task that required immense concentration.
If someone were to disrupt it, everything could go down the drain, so security had to be guaranteed.
Sssss—
Black fog gathered around his hand.
One might think it was the same as before, but the fog soon cleared, revealing what looked like a blue flame.
That was the soul.
A power that only the Guide of Death, who had one foot in the domain of death, could manifest.
Without hesitation, he infused the soul—which he must have gathered over a very long time—into the corpse.
"…."
At first, there was no change at all.
But the next moment—
Flash!
Yoon Seoyoung opened her closed eyes.
Although they weren't like a normal person's, only the whites of her eyes showing.
In a way, it could be considered similar to the zombies we had seen earlier.
"Seoyoung!"
He embraced the awakened Seoyoung in a tight hug.
"…Urrrrr…."
But conversation was impossible.
'The size of the soul granted was too small.'
If the soul were larger, he would have created an undead closer to a human rather than a zombie-like state, but that was impossible for now.
It was because the power of his Trait needed to grow further.
"Seoyoung!"
However, just making the dead move seemed to be immensely satisfying for Jeong Dohwan.
"Sir."
I spoke to him as he rejoiced.
He couldn't be satisfied just yet.
"This is the limit for now, but if you just give me a little more time…."
"Of course. I will actively cooperate with you from now on. Even if I have to devote the rest of my life to it!"
Jeong Dohwan reaffirmed his resolve, still holding his granddaughter in his arms.
Seeing that, I could be certain.
The Venerable of Death, Jeong Dohwan.
The fact that I had pulled him to my side.
But I couldn't be satisfied yet.
'Those bastards.'
The suspicious organization that foresaw the apocalypse.
I had to drag those veiled bastards out into the open.
'The Contract Trait, huh.'
The clue was the Contract Trait.
And inside my head, there was a certain individual who possessed the Contract Trait.