You’re Still Wet Behind the Ears.

As emotions welled up at the farewell with Z-Avava, a text from ‘Mortis’ appeared before my eyes.

So, you’re finally ready to speak?

Mortis had sealed his lips and holed up in his room. Now that he finally broke his silence, the only thing he ought to say was to keep his promise.

But after that single text, Mortis went silent again.

* 〈Thrag shudders in disgust.〉

Hey, man.

Why are you always so harsh?

We’re about to be stuck together, so how about yielding a bit?

But what happens when you come to believe in multiple gods?

I did say “just one,” but will two gods be watching over me in the same room?

* 〈Mortis rebuts.〉

While I was lost in thought for a moment, it seemed something had happened.

I didn’t know exactly what was said, but it looked like ‘Mr. Th’ had angered ‘Mr. Mo’ with his words.

* 〈Thrag spits.〉

* 〈Thrag spews curses in disgust.〉

* 〈Thrag brandishes his sword in warning.〉

A barrage of curses from ‘Mr. Th’ whizzed at ‘Mr. Mo’ like a machine gun.

Before long, ‘Mr. Mo’s text grew quiet.

The victor:

Thrag.

Still, isn’t Thrag-big bro being a little too cold? He only just crawled out of hiding, and now if you beat him up like that, he’ll just bury himself in his room again.

I still need to learn necromancy, after all.

Although I killed a bunch of necromancers this time, there was nothing to gain from their corpses.

Seems everything they used was granted by ‘Mortis’, and it all turned to ash.

* 〈Mortis has bestowed a new authority.〉

Just as I was about to sigh at the uncertainty of the future.

Looks like Mortis gave me something?

【 Dullahan Summon 】

– Summons the undead Dullahan through a medium.

– The soul of the summoned Dullahan is bound to the user.

– The core of the Dullahan is its head. If the head is lost, the summoning ends.

At last.

I felt something swell inside my chest.

It’s not like I have a particular love for the ‘necromancer’ class, but still, am I not a ‘necromancer’?

Up until now, the only necromantic art I had was ‘Skeleton Summon.’ Just remembering all the pain that caused made the memories flash before my eyes.

“Uugh.”

Ah.

Turns out what was swelling up wasn’t just some abstract emotion.

Physically, something was rising from inside me.

“Uwooooorgh…!”

That golden honey mead.

The aftereffects are brutal.

* * *

Having gained a new spell, of course I had to try it out.

To test the ‘Dullahan Summon’ I received from Mortis, I slipped out of the Bearded Cat Inn at dawn.

Since I was going to try necromancy—’necromantic magic’—I naturally looked for somewhere with no one around, wandering until I found myself outside Iushil.

It was early morning, just before dawn.

Dew shimmered on the grass in the morning sunlight, and far off, birds chirped.

As I breathed in the refreshing air, I suddenly remembered the farewell with Z-Avava.

Hope you stay healthy, buddy.

“This spot should do.”

After scanning my surroundings, I spotted a hill out of view of prying eyes. Slipping behind it, I got ready for the ‘Dullahan Summon.’

The most important part is the medium needed for ‘Dullahan Summon.’

Unlike with ‘Skeleton Summon,’ which uses bone-mixed blood, this required a pure ‘corpse.’

Of course, I had no intention of killing someone just to summon a Dullahan. I have to raise the average for necromancers.

So, early in the morning, I stopped at a butcher shop and picked up a prepared carcass.

A wolf’s corpse.

“This should be sufficient.”

A wolf about half the size of an adult man.

Ten silver coins.

Among uncut meats, this was the cheapest.

A necromancer stopping by the butcher for a corpse to summon the undead.

It felt a little odd, but whatever. As long as the summoning works, it’s fine.

Alright.

A new summon.

Just thinking about it got my heart pounding.

Even though I thought I’d feel nothing, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

Let’s get started, then.

I pricked my wrist lightly with the Blood-Colored Awl and drew blood.

Intermediate-rank undead like ‘Dullahan’ require a soul bond with the user.

That’s why you need not only a ‘corpse,’ but also the necromancer’s own blood.

“Damn, that hurts.”

Muttering in complaint, I let a handful of my blood spill onto the wolf’s corpse.

* 【Using Dullahan Summon.】

Text I was familiar with appeared as a faint light seeped from the wolf’s body. Simultaneously, my blood soaked deep into the corpse.

Crack.

With the sound of bones warping, the body began to swell.

It’s coming.

Something big is coming!

The wolf twisted with noises straight out of a horror film.

Not long after, the swollen corpse picked up its severed head with one hand and stood on two legs.

“Oooh…”

A sigh escaped my lips without realizing.

Dullahan.

A real Dullahan.

The same undead that the Mortis necromancers tormented us with.

Thinking that such an undead now served under me was nothing short of exhilarating.

“Hm.”

Looking at the newly summoned ‘Dullahan’, I stroked my chin.

Instead of a human head, this Dullahan held a wolf’s head. It felt a bit like a werewolf-type monster—a lycanthrope.

The Dullahan stared at me in silence.

It looked like it was awaiting orders—too silently.

I thought, being an ‘intermediate-rank undead,’ it might be intelligent, unlike ‘Skeleton Summon.’

― Ah… Hello.”

Whoa.

I jumped back at the suddenly timid voice.

“You can talk, can you?”

The Dullahan nodded. Or rather, it shook the hand holding its head up and down.

“Why did you just stand there in silence?”

“There was a survey result that most summoners prefer quiet summons.”

A survey.

What an absurd thing to say.

― Second most preferred was the taciturn but speaks when necessary type. Third was the boisterous type.”

Did I summon a Dullahan,

or am I talking to a matchmaking agency?

― What kind of personality does my master prefer? I can adjust if you wish.”

Watching the businesslike Dullahan, I shook my head.

Just be yourself. After I said that, the Dullahan nodded in agreement.

― Thank you. Faking a personality can be tough.”

Why does a system like this even exist?

Too curious, I asked the Dullahan why it had such a system and why it even conducted surveys.

― Isn’t it just to make a living?”

Make a living?

You’re undead.

― Few necromancers can summon intermediate-rank undead.”

I knew that.

Mortis’ necromancers could only do it if they were Liches or stronger, or if they had divine aid.

― But there are other intermediate-rank undead besides Dullahan, right?”

“I know.”

Like Banshee—the higher version of Specter.

Or the noble undead Wight, who has command abilities.

There’s even the ‘Corpse Golem,’ virtually top-tier in raw physical might.

― There are only so many slots for summoning, and a lot of intermediate undead out there, so we have to evolve to stay competitive.”

Listening to the Dullahan, I could guess why such a system existed.

“It’s about job competition, huh.”

Even Dullahan suffer from a ‘job crisis.’

A laugh slipped out. Undead, experiencing a job crisis?

I guess when there’s intelligence, it’s the same no matter where you live.

― That’s right. To get summoned, we have to differentiate ourselves and keep improving.”

“Heh.”

A chuckle escaped me.

― These days, there are even Corpse Golems that can cook with their own flesh. Gotta work harder.”

“You’ve got it rough.”

― Just trying to make a living.”

You’re already dead, aren’t you? What’s there to live for?

Those words nearly rolled off my tongue, but I barely held back.

* * *

After hearing about the job crisis from my very first summoned Dullahan, I gazed at the ‘wolf head’ it was holding.

Because I summoned it using a wolf corpse, will it always come out with a ‘wolf head’ from now on?

― Master.”

While I was lost in thought, the Dullahan called me in a polite tone.

“What is it?”

― Do you have a name or title you’d like to call me by?”

A name or title?

Ah, sounds like it’s asking for a name.

Well, might as well decide.

A bound soul. Meaning, we’ll be seeing each other for a while.

“From now on, you’ll be Chunsik.”

― Chunsik, sir?”

“That’s right.”

It fits perfectly.

Didn’t you immediately talk about the job hunt as soon as you appeared? The name popped into my head the moment you said it.

I don’t care what kind of life you lived before.

From now on, your name is Chunsik.

― I don’t know what country it’s from, but it has a pleasant ring.”

When I named it ‘Chunsik,’ the Dullahan’s wolf head started chuckling.

It suits him, laughing like that.

― I seem to have found a good master.”

Do you really think so?

― On that note, could I trouble you to answer a survey?”

Carefully, from within its cloak, the Dullahan—no, chunsik—pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it over.

Saying you found a good master, then immediately handing me a survey?

This guy’s no ordinary character.

― Oh, and may I ask one more thing?”

Now what.

Allow one, and it just keeps going.

This is our first meeting, you know. Aren’t you supposed to be shy? Well, I guess undead don’t get shy.

― I sense a strange energy from your hand, master. May I have a look?”

My hand?

At Chunsik’s sudden request, I showed him my right hand.

With a polite excuse, the Dullahan carefully began to inspect my hand.

But the way he touched it, it felt anything but ordinary. The way he checked between my fingers and every nook and cranny—it was almost unsettling.

What’s up with that?

You’re not some kind of hand fetishist, right?

― Strange. It feels very familiar. I think I’ve sensed this exact energy before… but I’m not sure.”

The Dullahan cocked his head in confusion.

To be exact, he rotated the wolf’s head side to side.

But what kind of familiar energy did he sense from my right hand?

The only thing in here is the ‘Rune of the Abyss’.

Wait a minute.

Didn’t you just say you felt the exact same energy before?

—

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