Damn Necromancer-Chapter 286
Chapter 286: Ranking Battle (6)
The Milky Way flowed beyond the glass window.
In the middle of space where dozens of star clusters were studded like dots. Against that spectacle as a background, a massive conference room unfolded. A blue hologram floated above the oval table. A-4’s combat record was playing.
The video stopped at the scene where the Machine Human was shattered into pieces.
“A-4 loss. 1 Treasure Map, Kim Minwoo possession.”
A dry voice filled the conference room. The figures sitting in the twelve chairs did not move a muscle. Only the tablets held in their hands shone faintly.
“The price of a small country has flown away.”
A white-haired old man muttered. It was neither admiration nor anger. It was simply a voice reading numbers.
“The problem is not money.”
A middle-aged woman opened her mouth from the opposite side. Her sharp eyes scanned Kim Minwoo’s face inside the hologram.
“It is a variable. Named Kim Minwoo.”
The hologram switched. Kim Minwoo’s profile floated up. Name, affiliation, estimated combat power. And ‘Danger Level: Immeasurable’ stamped in red letters.
“Solo victory in the Lower Ranking Battle. He disposed of all the Demon Lords’ proxies.”
A young man read down the data.
“As a result of analyzing the combat data collected by A-4, if we deploy our core talent in the Middle Ranking Battle, the loss probability exceeds 47%.”
Silence settled.
“Why not just kill him now?”
The giant body of a skinhead growled low.
“Let’s end the treasure map business here too. If we pour all our power into the Middle Ranking Battle―.”
“And what will we lose then?”
The middle-aged woman cut him off coldly.
“The talents entering the Middle Ranking Battle are of a different class from A-4. If our proxies get hurt trying to catch one variable like that, that is a bigger loss.”
“But the treasure map―.”
“It can only be used when three pieces are gathered anyway.”
The white-haired old man raised his hand. The argument stopped.
“It is meaningless for him to hold one piece right now. The remaining two will appear in the Middle and Upper Ranking Battles.”
The old man’s eyes narrowed.
“It means there is no need to rush.”
The hologram switched again. The crests of the 72 Demon Lords were listed. More than half of them were marked in red.
“Because of the treasure map, half of the Demon Lords are targeting Kim Minwoo.”
The young man continued.
“Concentrated attacks will begin starting from the Middle Ranking Battle. Even if we don’t step forward, there is a high possibility they will take care of him on their own.”
“Then what do we do?”
The skinhead asked.
“We use him as a shield.”
The middle-aged woman answered.
“While driving the Demon Lords’ arrows toward Kim Minwoo, we preserve our talent. We do not antagonize him; rather, we act as if we are on the same side.”
“Pretend to cooperate?”
“Temporary cooperation. Only until the Middle Ranking Battle.”
The white-haired old man nodded slowly.
“And in the Upper Ranking Battle?”
“The moment three treasure maps are gathered…….”
The corners of the middle-aged woman’s mouth went up.
“We execute the retrieval operation.”
Silence.
The old man tapped on the table.
“Let’s reach a conclusion.”
He stood up. Eleven gazes focused on him.
“In the Middle Ranking Battle, we classify Kim Minwoo as a temporary collaborator. Issue a directive to Galaxy-affiliated proxies: ‘Direct conflict with Kim Minwoo is prohibited’.”
A decision text appeared on the hologram.
“Upper Ranking Battle or thereafter: Initiate retrieval operation at the point when 3 treasure maps are gathered.”
The old man’s eyes turned to Kim Minwoo’s face.
“If we eliminate him now, we bleed too. Using him as a shield now and sticking a knife in later is efficient.”
Twelve people bowed their heads simultaneously.
“Approved.”
The hologram turned off.
Only the Milky Way was still flowing beyond the window.
＊ ＊ ＊
Jijijik―.
The communicator lit up again.
Kim Minwoo looked down at the lump of metal he thought was turned off. Blue light was blinking regularly.
―I will make the proposal again.
It was the same voice as before. Low and dry, a tone stripped of emotion.
―Let’s cooperate until the Middle Ranking Battle. We will also hand over our map fragment to you.
Kim Minwoo’s eyes narrowed.
‘Handing over the map?’
It didn't make sense. They were trying to take it until just now, and now they want to give it for free?
―There is one condition. Do not conflict with our proxies in the Middle Ranking Battle. That is all.
The corners of Kim Minwoo’s mouth twisted.
‘Ah, so this is the calculation.’
The puzzle pieces fit together.
Galaxy isn't a charity. The reason they are handing over the map is because they calculated that fighting now would be a loss.
If they take the treasure map? The target becomes them.
The 72 Demon Lords will grind their knives towards Galaxy.
It is efficient to rather push the map to Kim Minwoo and use him as a shield.
‘And they intend to take it all in the Upper Ranking Battle.’
It was a rational judgment. Kim Minwoo would have done the same.
“Good.”
Kim Minwoo lifted the communicator.
“I accept.”
―……Unexpectedly compliant.
“There’s no reason to refuse. We don't touch each other until the Middle Ranking Battle. It’s not a bad deal.”
Silence flowed for a moment.
―Wise judgment.
The communication cut off.
Kim Minwoo smirked.
‘Betrayal can be done at the very end or whatever.’
Knowing they couldn't yield to each other, it was just a relationship of using one another.
It was just a matter of who stabs first.
Kim Minwoo wasn't the type to get stabbed first.
It was then.
Kugugugu―!
The earth rumbled. The sky split open, and a massive voice shook the world.
〈The waiting time has ended.〉
It was the Demon God's voice. Majestic and overwhelming.
〈I shall begin the Middle Ranking Battle.〉
System windows floated up.
[Middle Ranking Battle Start]
[Participation Qualification: Lower Ranking Battle Winner and designated proxies.]
[Theme: ???]
Kim Minwoo’s eyes flashed.
‘The theme hasn’t appeared yet.’
The Lower Ranking Battle was simple combat. But as Andromalius said, the Middle one could be different.
〈The theme of this Ranking Battle is―.〉
The Demon God’s voice rang out slowly.
〈It is a Defense Battle.〉
〈Those who survived the first Ranking Battle have equipped minimal ‘claws’.〉
〈Now, in the second Ranking Battle, I will see how you protect.〉
〈A Lord is not one who fights, but one who endures to the end.〉
〈Each proxy shall be given their own area and troops.〉
〈Block the swarming hounds.〉
〈What to discard, and what to keep.〉
〈Where to set up blades, and where to build walls.〉
〈That choice will soon determine your rankings.〉
〈The one who endured the longest in the second Ranking Battle.〉
〈The one who protected the most things.〉
〈To that person, I grant the second fragment.〉
Demon Lords from 24th to 48th.
Each sent out a proxy.
The ones participating this time were Kim Minwoo and Andromalius, a total of two.
〈Then, I shall start the Middle Ranking Battle……〉
Along with the Demon God’s words, the scenery before their eyes changed.
Kim Minwoo and Andromalius.
The two stood on a desolate plain.
[Entered Wasteland Zone A, District 1.]
[Rules ― Siege Defense]
[1. Each proxy is given territory from A to Z to reclaim.]
[2. Initial settlement funds, resources, and manpower are given.]
[3. Waves swarm in at regular intervals. If you fail to block a wave, the zone collapses and falls into a permanent unrecoverable state.]
[4. You will be eliminated if all zones are occupied.]
[5. Taxes and resources are provided at regular intervals. This scale may vary depending on the size of the reclaimed land.]
[6. From A to Z. Each zone cannot be passed through by other proxies unless it is a special case.]
[7. The one who reclaims the most land and develops the zone wins.]
Shrugging his shoulders, Mr. An narrowed his eyes.
“The rules aren’t complicated, but it seems unlikely that the Middle Ranking Battle would be this simple…….”
[Additional rules are distributed.]
[Each proxy can utilize ‘Insurance’.]
[Insurance: A product where you bet on whether another proxy’s zone will fall or survive.]
[1. If you guess the result correctly, you can receive dividends fitting for it.]
[2. If there is a zone insured, you can visit it directly even if it is another zone.]
[3. If you bet on ‘collapse’ in insurance, attacking is possible.]
[4. If you bet on ‘survive’ in insurance, you can help with defense.]
“Ha, as expected!”
Andromalius’s eyes twinkled.
He seemed to have understood the structure at once.
Kim Minwoo was the same.
‘To summarize…….’
Defend well while keeping their own zone safe.
Work hard to expand land and increase taxes.
While rolling a positive snowball like this…….
‘It means I have to block all the other guys attacking by betting insurance too.’
Or there was another method.
Betting insurance himself.
Since there is no rule saying only enemies must attempt attacks.
A translucent window appeared before Kim Minwoo’s eyes.
[Zone A District 1 Status]
[Resources: 200.]
[Manpower: 10 (Lower Architect Level).]
“……Is this it?”
Standing on the desolate plain, Kim Minwoo snorted.
Resources 200.
Wondering what to build with this.
Kim Minwoo snapped his fingers, and the translucent window unfolded.
[Constructible List]
[Defense Facilities]
―Wooden Fence (30) ― Basic Defense.
―Watchtower (50) ― Secure Vision.
―Barrier (80) ― Intermediate Defense.
―Trap (20) ― Hinder Movement.
―?
―??
[Internal Facilities]
―Mine (60) ― Resources +150 per wave.
―Barracks (100) ― Production of various manpower possible.
―Lord’s Castle Stage 1 (200) ― Tech Tree Expansion, Unlock Higher Buildings.
―?
―??
[Special Facilities]
―Mana Tower (120) ― Skill Cooldown Reduction.
―Horn (80) ― Ally Morale Increase.
―Obelisk of Curse (90) ― Enemy Movement Speed Decrease.
―Blood Oath Stone (110) ― Ally HP Recovery Increase.
―War Drum (70) ― Slight Attack Power Increase.
―Fog Generator (60) ― Enemy Accuracy Decrease.
―?
―??
“If it’s 100, just building a single mine would be the end of it?”
Kim Minwoo’s eyes narrowed.
Without a mine, resources would run out. But if a wave came, without defense facilities, he would be pushed back.
“It’s a typical dilemma.”
Andromalius shrugged.
“If I set up one barrier, resources hit rock bottom.”
Andromalius shrugged again.
“Everyone is likely in the same boat with meager initial resources. Ultimately, the key will be how we survive the first wave.”
[Time remaining until 1st Wave: 29 minutes 47 seconds]
The numbers were ticking down.
It was then.
Jijijik―.
The communicator in his bosom vibrated. A new frequency. A new caller.
Kim Minwoo answered the call.
“Who is this?”
A strange voice flowed out. Young, and slow.
Somewhat relaxed…… no, bearing an arrogant air.
―Affiliated with Galaxy. In charge of Zone Z, Leon Kaiser.
“So?”
―I heard the story from above. That we are cooperating until the Middle Ranking Battle.
The corners of Kim Minwoo’s mouth twisted.
“Fast. You already circulated the contact network?”
―Because we value efficiency.
A sneer was mixed in Leon’s voice.
―You understand the structure by looking at it, right? The Insurance System. If we bet on ‘collapse’ against each other, attacks become possible. Conversely, if we bet on ‘survive’, support is possible too.
“So?” 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
―During the Middle Ranking Battle, let’s not bet on ‘collapse’ against each other. It’s a minimal non-aggression pact. Isn't it a loss if we fight amongst ourselves anyway?
It was a rational proposal.
But Kim Minwoo read the intention beyond it.
‘Using me as a shield while they grow safely?’
The attacks of other Demon Lords would focus on Kim Minwoo. Since he was holding the treasure map.
Galaxy would leisurely expand their forces in that gap.
―Well, if I get some breathing room…….
Leon’s voice became much more relaxed.
―I might be able to help you.
Kim Minwoo smirked.
“How kind.”
―Since we are collaborators.
“Well, I’ll think about it.”
―Then think about it well.
The communication cut off.
Andromalius approached.
“Do you trust him?”
“Of course not.”
Kim Minwoo put the communicator into his bosom.
“But there is a use for it right now.”
[Time remaining until 1st Wave: 27 minutes 12 seconds]
First, it was time to build buildings.
Kim Minwoo looked at the given manpower.
He saw some strangely shaped demons standing with bewildered faces holding shovels and hammers.
‘Said they were Lower Architect level?’
To summarize, it meant very shoddy manpower.
Since it was the initial manpower pool, it was probably natural.
But…….
‘Do I really need to utilize that?’
When there were ten reliable Dragon Tooth Soldiers who even learned dragon techniques.
Even if they built the same wooden fence, the fence built by a Dragon Tooth Soldier and one built by a Lower Architect wouldn't be the same.
‘I should test it.’
Whether it works or not.
He called the Dragon Tooth Soldiers.
Before he knew it, Dragon Tooth Soldiers holding reliable dragon tools lined up in front of Kim Minwoo.
It was at that moment.
[You possess numerous High-ranking Architects!]
[When constructing using them, you can receive additional effects on the completed building!]
“Oh, Lucky.”
He wondered if he had to use only novices.
Fortunately, the Demon God seemed to be a flexible gentleman.
