Chapter 101
‘Huh?’
I tilted my head.
Did they want this [Ritual Dagger]?
Looking through the photos CorpseLover had sent, I saw a variety of undead displayed inside a glass case, many of whose names I didn’t even know.
A huge, fat ghoul.
A skeleton dyed a deep, inky black.
An abnormally tall and extremely thin undead wearing a black suit, with a white face devoid of eyes, a nose, or a mouth.
There were countless other undead as well.
‘Whoa.’
Whatever they were, they looked incredibly strong at a glance.
Moreover, every single item in the photos looked ridiculously expensive.
But the moment I read the message, a barrage of notifications came pouring in.
[CorpseLover: Waaaaaaah! Ohhhhhhh]
[CorpseLover: You finally read it~?]
[CorpseLover: Don’t ever turn chat off~!]
[CorpseLover: Ple
[CorpseLover: ase]
[CorpseLover: give]
[CorpseLover: it]
[CorpseLover: to]
[CorpseLover: me]
[CorpseLover: ~!]
‘Good grief. What a fussy person…!’
I decided to calm them down first.
[True Ancestor: Mortal. This body shall graciously permit you to converse with it, so cease making such a commotion.]
[CorpseLover: Oh, really~?]
[True Ancestor: The True Ancestor does not lie.]
Only then did CorpseLover quiet down a little.
I let out a sigh.
Not only was their way of speaking strange, but they were also ridiculously high-energy.
What on earth was this person?
Judging by their nickname, were they a necromancer-type class, after all?
That must have been why they coveted this dagger.
But then another thought occurred to me.
Even in this Climber Community, where only A- and S-grade climbers gathered, fixed-username users were truly rare.
Someone that influential must have plenty of S-grade items, so even if an A+-grade item was good, would they really want it this badly?
[True Ancestor: Why do you covet this object? Confess the reason.]
[CorpseLover: The Death Knight in the video is incredibly well made~!]
[CorpseLover: Besides, it seems completely different from the necromantic crafting methods I know~!]
[CorpseLover: So I want to take it and study it~!]
‘Aha.’
So that was the reason.
Yair had said they made it themself, after all.
Perhaps it was something special from the perspective of another necromancer.
But I had received this as a gift from Yair, so I felt a little reluctant to sell it to someone else.
[True Ancestor: This object was received as tribute, so I cannot hand it over to a mortal.]
[CorpseLover: Nooooooooooo~!]
[CorpseLover: Is there really no way~?]
CorpseLover looked utterly despairing.
‘Hmm….’
I was also a little tempted by the expensive-looking items they had sent.
And I wondered whether a successful deal with them might count toward my feat as well.
So after thinking it over, I came to a conclusion.
If it was only for research, I didn’t necessarily have to give it to them. I could lend it to them instead.
[True Ancestor: However, I might consider it if I were merely lending it to you for a time.]
So I sent them a message.
[CorpseLover: Oh!! Really~?]
[CorpseLover: It’s a little disappointing that I don’t get to keep it completely… but I’m still happy! Lend it to me~!]
[CorpseLover: Then what do you want~?!]
CorpseLover was visibly excited.
They looked as if they wanted to make the deal immediately.
But I needed to know how much the items in those photos were worth before I could make any demands.
Even when I tried to use [Appraisal Eye] on the photos, every single one returned an appraisal-blocked result.
[True Ancestor: Hmm. It is difficult to decide at once, so let us take our time with the deal.]
[CorpseLover: Got it~! Then we’ve promised to make a deal, right~?]
Ding.
[The Lord’s Great Feat (Unique)]
- Current progress: 25%
‘Oh!’
The feat really did increase when the deal was made!
A tidy five percent, too!
I was beginning to understand the structure.
Apparently, interacting with powerful people in any way was what mattered.
I wasn’t sure whether being doted on or making trades counted as a ‘feat’…
In any case, it went up, so good stuff!
Just as I was about to close the message window, CorpseLover stopped me.
[CorpseLover: But True Ancestor-nim, I have something I’m curious about~!]
[CorpseLover: Are you really a vampire~?]
‘They want to know if I’m a vampire?’
Of course I was.
I hesitated for a moment.
Should I tell them?
Well, in the community, it was practically accepted as fact that I was a vampire anyway.
Besides, wasn’t True Ancestor essentially another persona of mine?
The Association already knew, too.
I didn’t think there was any reason to keep it hidden anymore.
[True Ancestor: That is so.]
[CorpseLover: Ooooooh, I knew it~!]
[CorpseLover: But do you eat too~?]
‘Do I eat too?’
I mean, I did eat, right?
I answered that I did.
[CorpseLover: Oh, then do you have bodily functions too~?]
[CorpseLover: Like, does your heart beat or do you breathe~?]
‘……?’
My brows drew together slightly.
Why were they curious about something like that?
Then I suddenly flinched.
‘Could it be because vampires are classified as undead too…….’
Were they taking an interest in me?
It was a reasonable suspicion.
Their nickname was CorpseLover, for one thing.
And there was that photo of countless undead preserved inside a glass case.
‘Are they some kind of corpse-obsessed old man?!’
Ugh, that was disgusting!
I immediately left the chat window.
***
A grand mansion in Russia.
Yelena Kuznetsova, one of the world’s top ten rankers.
She had awakened as an S-grade class Necromancer King and was known by the alias ‘Necromancer King.’
She also operated under the nickname CorpseLover in the Climber Community.
“Eeeh~ Did they leave~?”
Yelena had been staring at the system window in the darkness for a long while, and now she smacked her lips regretfully.
Click, clack.
Out of habit, she ground her sharp, shark-like teeth together.
“Whaaat~? Still, that’s good~!”
Even so, thinking about how she had successfully arranged a deal put her in a good mood again.
With tousled pale-green hair and violet eyes.
She wore a robe patched together like rags. Unlike her terrifying alias, she had the appearance of a very small, childlike girl.
She had awakened at a young age, and her body had not grown at all since then.
Moreover, her heart did not beat and she did not breathe, leaving even her in a corpse-like state.
That was why Yelena considered herself an undead.
And for that reason, she could not help but instinctively feel drawn to and curious about the True Ancestor.
A vampire. An undead like herself!
How did the True Ancestor live?
What was their bodily structure like?
What abilities did they possess?
There were more things she wanted to know than she could count on one hand.
The incredible performances the True Ancestor showed in the Tower and their unpredictable actions were entertaining as well.
In particular, the way they had silenced the Light’s Apostle had been quite impressive.
She had no idea what the True Ancestor had done to make that boring, overly serious person tuck their tail and go silent.
And this time, they had even brought back a fascinating dagger.
“I’m really, really looking forward to it~!”
Excited, Yelena immediately logged into the community and made a post.
***
[Title: I promised to make a deal with the True Ancestor~!!]
[Author: CorpseLover]
The dagger from the video—the True Ancestor promised to lend it to me~!
And I asked, and it seems they really are a vampire~?
We’re going to exchange it for one of my undead and some items, so I’m looking forward to it~!
- Holy crap, they really are a vampire ㄷㄷ
ㄴ The Light’s Apostle was right ;;
- Wow, you get to make a deal with the True Ancestor? I’m jealous ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
- Solo Warrior and the Light’s Apostle too—do you have to be a fixed-username user at their level to get a fan meeting with the True Ancestor? So jealous….
- If even she’s coveting it, it must be one hell of an item, right? She has a bit of a collecting obsession with rare things.
ㄴ You’re right.
‘Hmm. She got excited and blurted it all out.’
I looked at the newly uploaded popular post on the community.
CorpseLover had posted everything, including the fact that we had agreed to make a deal and that I was a vampire.
‘I knew it.’
Well, I had expected this.
I hadn’t even deliberately told her to keep it confidential.
Originally, I wanted to quietly use the community without attracting attention.
But now, attention was useful to me, so I hadn’t particularly tried to stop her.
And indeed, my feat was gradually increasing.
But a comment from someone familiar appeared on the post.
- 24/7 Inquiries Welcome: Oh my~ What a huge event~! Congratulations~✿
24/7 Inquiries Welcome.
Come to think of it, perhaps this person could help me with this deal.
Although we had agreed to trade, there were actually quite a few complications.
First of all, I didn’t know how much the items in the photos were worth.
There was also the matter of delivery, and CorpseLover might not return the dagger after borrowing it.
I needed a way to deal with that, too.
‘But 24/7 Inquiries Welcome said they had a contract skill with binding force, didn’t they?’
This was the perfect situation to ask for help.
And hadn’t this person given me runes for free last time, too?
Since we had built up a little goodwill, I didn’t hesitate. I immediately sent a chat message to ask.
[True Ancestor: Human. Can you assist this body with its deal?]
[24/7 Inquiries Welcome: Oh! Hello, True Ancestor-nim
~✿
]
[24/7 Inquiries Welcome: Of course~! I’m always happy to help if you give me a small fee~!]
As expected, the reply came in that friendly mom-community tone.
[True Ancestor: I wish to know the value of the items that person showed me.]
[24/7 Inquiries Welcome: Yes~! Just send me the photos, and I’ll assess the value of the items and undead and organize everything into a neat list for you~!]
[True Ancestor: Hmm. You have spared me the trouble.]
Things proceeded smoothly and efficiently.
They said they would send me a contract once we decided on the lending period and which item to exchange.
Just when it seemed the conversation was about to end, 24/7 Inquiries Welcome added one more thing.
[24/7 Inquiries Welcome: By the way, True Ancestor-nim’s domain… Hmm, it has a somewhat unusual nature! So you absolutely have to conduct the deal outside it~]
‘Huh?’
Outside my domain? Why?
They were really emphasizing that point.
Well, it didn’t seem like a major problem, so I said I understood.
***
Several hours later.
24/7 Inquiries Welcome sent me a list of the items and undead.
I checked it over.
‘Wow… Look at this lineup.’
From A-grade to S-grade.
They were incredible items—so incredible that B-grade items weren’t even worth mentioning.
The undead were worth just as much.
They had looked impressive in the photos, but seeing their actual values left me speechless.
‘So what should I ask for?’
I carefully examined the list item by item.
I probably wouldn’t have any use for the undead even if I received them, so I wanted an item.
Then I spotted one that caught my eye.
A staff with a skull ornament attached to it.
[Guide of the Dead (S-Grade)]
- Increases the higher of an undead’s Attack Power and Spell Power by 30%.
- Unlocks Necromancy Mastery.
‘Hmm. I want this one.’
The effect was simple, but it was an extremely good option.
Like the [Book of the Dead], it could strengthen my retainers.
It even allowed me to learn new skills.
It was an item that served as both a staff and a skill book.
However, there was one problem.
‘But I’m not giving them an A+-grade item. I’m only lending it, so is it really all right to ask for an S-grade item?’
I felt a little guilty about it.
So I decided to test the waters first.
[True Ancestor: How about offering the Guide of the Dead as the condition for my lending you this dagger for one month?]
CorpseLover, who had always replied quickly, did not answer this time.
‘Ah. I guess asking for an S-grade item in exchange for a thirty-day loan was too much.’
Just as I was beginning to feel embarrassed at how greedy I had been, a reply arrived.
[CorpseLover: You really have a good eye~? How did you pick out the best one so easily~?]
[CorpseLover: That staff was difficult to acquire, so it’s a little painful to give it up…….]
[CorpseLover: All right~! But there’s one condition~?]
An unexpectedly positive response had come back.
‘But there’s a condition?’
Perhaps she wanted me to extend the lending period.
Or maybe she wanted me to add gold or another item.
I was willing to accept a request of that sort.
After all, a deal was about adjusting the conditions to suit both sides.
[True Ancestor: Hmm. What do you want?]
I sent the reply lightly.
And the response came right away.
[CorpseLover: Send me just one photo of your body~?]
“……This is punishable by death!!!”