The hillside slum where twenty-year-old Dojin had settled was poor and shabby.
The mountain behind the neighborhood was especially notorious as a den of crows, and their cries often made passersby frown.
The crows seemed to be divided into different flocks as well, because whenever they fought among themselves, the noise became even worse.
So it did not take Dojin long to find what he wanted.
“……Found one.”
Dojin approached a motionless crow.
It was unusually large, perhaps the leader of its flock, and had died covered in wounds as though it had been subjected to a concentrated attack.
“……!”
Dojin focused his mana toward the crow’s corpse.
At that moment, a notification window appeared before him.
This corpse can be turned into a Minion.
Bind it?
Yes / No
“Of course I’m binding it.”
The moment Dojin indicated his choice, the notification window moved on to the next stage.
Currently Available Minions
Crow Skeleton (Bone Attribute): Available
Crow Zombie (Poison Attribute): Unavailable (Required Level - 5)
Bloodsucking Crow (Blood Attribute): Unavailable (Required Level - 7)
Crow Ghost (Soul Attribute): Unavailable (Required Level - 10)
“With so many Attributes, there are plenty of types of undead I can summon too. Looks like I’ll need to level up first, though.”
The moment he selected the Skeleton, another window appeared as if it had been waiting.
You must speak an activation phrase to bind the Minion.
‘An activation phrase?’
Dojin thought for a moment.
“……Awaken.”
Death was eternal sleep.
Then what words could suit an undead better than awakening from that sleep?
At that moment, a change came over the dead crow.
Pale green flames suddenly sprang up and enveloped the corpse like ghost fire.
Starting with its feathers, its hide burned away as though being erased.
CLATTER-
The bare bones connected one by one under the power of Dojin’s mana.
Before long, he could feel a thread of mana linking himself to the Crow Skeleton.
<Minion List (1/5)>
Crow Skeleton (LV.1 / Soldier)
It was the moment Dojin’s first Minion was born.
“Good. The basic preparations are done.”
The Crow Skeleton landed on Dojin’s shoulder, death qi invisible to ordinary eyes radiating from its bare bones.
It rubbed its beak against him affectionately like a pet bird, and Dojin gave the skeleton a name.
“Crows in mythology were closely associated with the sun and death. They were also divine messengers that delivered oracles.”
Dojin gently stroked the little skull of the skeletal crow.
“So your name will be ‘Apostle.’”
Then Dojin’s gaze shifted.
First toward the stadium in the distance.
Then toward another crow corpse lying near his feet.
The other crows scattered dead around the area were smaller than Apostle, but something like that was trivial to Dojin.
“I should get used to the Necromancer’s combat style first, shouldn’t I?”
Dojin’s green mana shimmered like a heat haze.
“Awaken.”
A short while later, five Crow Skeletons spread their wings and took to the sky at once, their wings glowing with a dark bluish light like ghost fire.
Returned from death, they circled their master as they flew, resembling retainers rejoicing at the arrival of their king.
“That makes five Minions.”
Dojin slowly searched his memories for what he needed to do next as a Player.
“There was definitely a decent Arena somewhere around here, wasn’t there? One that would be perfect for some preliminary practice controlling my Minions…….”
***
“An applicant?”
In the twenty-first century, humanity prospered by obtaining Mana Stones and Gold from various Arenas following the Great Upheaval.
The first things to appear when the Great Upheaval began had been the Arenas.
The countless stadiums that had suddenly risen all across the world had initially been met with suspicion and vigilance, but by now they had become key government-managed facilities in their respective countries.
Because it was from these Arenas that Players brought back Mana Stones and Gold.
Although only Players could enter Arenas, their efforts allowed governments around the world to acquire the new-generation resources known as Mana Stones and Gold without much difficulty.
Furthermore, with the exception of certain special Arenas, they did not threaten human lives.
The world therefore chose coexistence with the Arenas without hesitation.
And now, two years after the Great Upheaval, there were naturally government departments and civil servants dedicated to handling matters related to Arenas and Players.
The civil servant sitting across from Dojin looked thoroughly uninterested.
“Name, Lee Dojin…… Age, twenty…….”
Without even taking his eyes off the computer monitor, he halfheartedly processed Dojin’s application to participate in the Arena.
Just as he always did.
‘Seriously, guys with nothing to their name swarm in like moths to a flame.’
In a sense, even the civil servant’s rude thoughts were understandable.
Dojin looked that shabby.
His T-shirt and jeans were so old and faded that their original colors were difficult to make out.
His sneakers were practically falling apart.
Nothing about him looked remotely like a Player.
“So, have you Awakened?”
The Arena he was currently assigned to was the lowest-grade, F-Grade.
In most Arenas, participants fought elaborate illusions or replicas of monsters, so there was little danger of death or injury.
But even those did not appear in an F-Grade Arena like this one.
As a result, it was also the type of Arena that ordinary people most frequently applied to enter, hoping they might somehow Awaken.
At the same time, newly Awakened rookie Players lacking experience often visited such Arenas for practice.
‘So many ordinary people really believe entering a mana-filled Arena might make them Awaken. How many of these people have I seen by now?’
That was why he had no expectations even as he asked the question.
The question he directed at Dojin was nothing more than part of the procedure.
Even if an ordinary person pretended to be a Player and applied, they would not be able to enter the Arena anyway.
That should have been the case…….
“Yes.”
The man before him was a little different.
More precisely, something sitting on his shoulder stood out far too much.
The civil servant would have noticed it long ago if he had not been staring solely at his monitor.
“W-Wait. That’s……?”
“I’ve Awakened.”
The civil servant’s eyes widened.
Awakened?
There were Awakened people like that?
A skeleton?!
At the same time, the other applicants standing behind Dojin and even those who had already finished applying and were walking away all turned to look at him.
Surprise, envy, and disbelieving jealousy mingled in every one of their gazes.
But not a single person thought Dojin was lying.
The being perched on his shoulder—
Apostle was blatant proof that Dojin was a Player.
“Th-Then what’s your Class?”
Dojin gave a simple answer, wearing a faint sneer at the reactions around him.
“Necromancer.”
***
“What are you all doing? Move it, move it!”
“…….”
Inside the bus, a rough, booming voice battered Dojin’s ears.
As soon as his application was processed, Dojin had boarded a bus bound for the Arena with the other participants.
And now, at last, they had reached their destination.
Dojin opened his eyes groggily and saw the supervisor shouting at the participants to wake them up.
They must all have fallen sound asleep after spending so long on the bus.
Listening to the noisy calls telling everyone to get up, Dojin turned his head.
A scene immediately came clearly into view.
An enormous circular stadium where a weighty, old-fashioned grandeur blended harmoniously with modern neatness.
“……An Arena.”
There was no mistake.
It might have looked like an ordinary stadium, but Dojin could clearly feel mana emanating from the place.
‘The places where Players were active during the five years of the Tutorial. But the moment the Tutorial ended, every Arena turned into a Dungeon.’
Of course, the world was still firmly in the Tutorial period right now.
That was why the areas around Arenas were lively and prosperous places where people walked around without fear.
Large and small shops, restaurants, theaters, and even parks filled the surroundings.
‘But once the Main Scenario begins, all of this will be abandoned.’
After all, no one wanted to continue living somewhere dangerous.
“…….”
After stepping off the bus, Dojin raised a hand to his shoulder.
Something rubbed itself affectionately against his hand in response.
The other participants, however, stared at the creature fawning over Dojin with disgust.
“……What the hell is that?”
“They said he’s a Necromancer…….”
“Hey, don’t worry about it. What can he possibly do with a pile of bones like that?!”
Perhaps they sensed some inexplicable pressure coming from Dojin, because none of them openly picked a fight with him.
They merely gathered among themselves and whispered behind his back.
Dojin paid them no attention whatsoever.
He simply gave Apostle’s head a light stroke as it perched on his shoulder.
Then he entered the Arena stadium.
He walked in confidently and familiarly, as though he did not even need the supervisor’s guidance.
“…….”
“……H-Hey, let’s get going too.”
“Y-Yeah!”
Perhaps it was because of the effortless familiarity ingrained in Dojin’s movements.
The other participants ended up watching his reactions and following behind him.
“H-Hey!”
Even the supervisor, despite being a government civil servant, did the same.
Meanwhile, Dojin continued forward without hesitation, indifferent to whatever the people behind him were doing.
<Quest – Disc Breaking>
Grade: F-Grade
Login Limit: 100 People / Lv.5 or Below
Clear Condition: Break at least 100 discs within one hour
Reward: 3 Low-Grade Mana Stones, 50 Gold
“……Now that’s a nostalgic Arena Quest.”
Inside the Arena he had entered—
WHIR- WHIR-
BUZZZZ-
Countless discs floated unpredictably through the air, making only a faint noise that was not quite irritating to the ears.
These were the targets of this Arena.
“Damn it…… Why did it have to be Disc Breaking?”
“Does anyone have a ranged attack Skill?”
The other Players who had logged into the Arena looked troubled as they stared at the discs drifting through the air.
Dojin, on the other hand…….
“…….”
Merely wore his habitual sneer.
‘There’s no penalty.’
A Quest window without any penalty for failing to clear it felt almost unnatural to Dojin.
“Let’s go!”
“If I put up a good score here, maybe I can get into a Guild too……!”
The people filling the area shouted to psych themselves up before scattering in every direction.
Their reactions were only natural.
Awakening as a Player was considered a blessing.
During the Tutorial period, regardless of education, connections, or race, simply Awakening as a Player was enough to enter Arenas, obtain Mana Stones and Gold, and make a perfectly good living.
If fortune smiled upon them, they might even become stars.
That was why countless people entered Arena after Arena while dreaming of becoming star Players.
And this place, Seoul’s Gangnam Arena, was closely watched by scouts from famous Guilds, making it one of the best places for Players to showcase themselves to the media and Guilds.
“If I’m doing this anyway, I might as well go for an Overflow.”
With those words, Dojin opened his backpack—
And Apostle took off from his shoulder.
As if following Apostle’s lead, the other Crow Skeletons emerged one after another from Dojin’s backpack and flew into the air.
“Guys.”
A smile appeared on the lips of Dojin, who had remained cold and indifferent from beginning to end.
“It’s hunting time.”
Five Crow Skeletons shot chaotically into the air toward their airborne prey.