Necromancer Survival

Chapter 426

At that moment, anger surged within me. ‘What does he know…!'

I couldn't afford to wait–no room to relax and be leisurely. I knew exactly how Dawon must be feeling while waiting for me outside. And each time this situation repeated itself…

‘The one holding him back…'

I had been furious with myself countless times for being Dawon's greatest weakness.

[Looks like I hit a nerve.]

Jo Chan-young remained calm even when he saw my distorted expression. He stared at me with that detached, observant attitude before speaking again.

[I understand why you're having such a hard time. I also deal with summons, so I've experienced the things you've experienced when I first started out.]

"……"

"……!"

[Is that so?]

After he spoke, he waved slowly. The monkey that had been clinging to his head and the Imugi coiled at his feet twitched and began to move.

As Jo Chanyoung slowly curled his fingers one by one into a fist, the monkey suddenly stiffened its once-swaying tail, and the serpent, too, began flicking its tongue warily, surveying its surroundings.

Jo Chan-young slowly began to speak after his demonstration–

[The summoner are directly affected by the summons actions. Conversely, the summons are similarly affected by the summoner's thoughts.]

"…What about it?"

[Your excessive concern for Seo Dawon and your willingness to sacrifice your own life to achieve your goals will likely affect your Servants as well.]

"……!" I was momentarily struck speechless.

Jo Chan-young noticed my face turn pale and, this time, snapped his fingers with his thumb and middle finger. The sound was sharp and crisp. Once again, both the monkey and the serpent responded immediately.

[OoKkeeKkee!]

[SSsssss….]

The two, after briefly making noise as if they were answering their summoner, immediately closed their eyes and relaxed; their bodies drooped languidly. After showing me this well-trained response, Jo Chan-young continued his explanation.

[So, summoners train the summons to respond only to predetermined commands. This is the basics of taming.]

"But…!" I was about to argue that this method was only applicable to beasts or monsters. Summoners and necromancers were different, after all. Controlling a Servant with just a finger snap seemed impossible.

However, Jo Chan-young cut in and continued as if he had read my thoughts.

[I think you're misunderstanding something… The one who needs training is you, Choi Lee-kyung.]

"What?"

[You need to learn how to maintain your composure. Even when your emotions waver, you should be able to snap your fingers and immediately shake off any anxiety.]

"……"

[I haven't signed a contract with you yet, but I can read into your head now. You're too unstable for me to serve; too destructive for me to protect. In this state, it’s impossible for the Servants, who are supposed to ensure your safety, not to go insane.]

Unfortunately, I couldn't refute his statements. The sacrifices I thought I was making for the sake of my Servants… In the end, it only served to diffuse anxiety to everyone.

‘Did I…make Dawon go crazy?' At this moment of awareness, an overwhelming sense of helplessness began to wash over me.

In truth, I hadn’t shown it, but I had been struggling so much all along. So many things happened that were beyond my control. On top of that, compared to the exceptional party members, my abilities were so inadequate that I felt like I was only holding everyone back.

‘Even Kim Sangyoon…'

Meanwhile, when I witnessed Kim Sangyoon's enlightenment, I felt even more ashamed. To be honest, I felt quite jealous as I watched him grow.

The reason I hid those feelings was because I desperately wished for the [Red Lotus] to be revived. And the biggest reason I wished for the [Red Lotus]'s revival was that I believed Dawon’s happiness depended on it.

‘That was what I thought… but my efforts were all for naught?'

If my efforts to hide my pain and persevere had only caused the Servants… especially Dawon… to be mired in anxiety, then what was the point of all the suffering we endured? What had we been fighting for?

"……" I felt emotional, so I bowed my head and tried not to cry. However, Jo Chan-young stopped me from trying to hide my emotions. He gently held my chin, his calm, lake-like eyes observing my trembling lips. In the end, I was the one who lost–the one who let their expression break.

[I see you're being cruel to yourself once again.]

"……"

Jo Chan-young spoke coldly, even as he looked at my tear-streaked face. But despite his words, his hand carefully and gently wiped the tears running down my cheeks.

I closed my eyes as I tried to respond. However, Jo Chan-young spoke before me, still calmly wiping away the never-ending tears.

[Choi Lee-kyung. After I’m revived, and we complete our revenge, I’ll return to my homeland, where I was born. It’s always been my dream to care for the stray animals there. So this contract with you is important to me as well. I have no intention of giving up.]

"……."

[But I can't enter into a contract knowing that you will die as a result. You understand now, don't you? What you thought of as endurance and perseverance–all those actions–were nothing more than self-destruction.]

"I…"

[I'm not blaming you. You're a newcomer to contracts. But, what I want is a contract where you don't need to sacrifice yourself.]

"……"

I wasn't exactly sure what he was proposing. But, when I lifted my tearful eyes, Jo Chan-young had disappeared and a giant wolf had taken his place.

I instinctively knew it was Jo Chan-young. As a wolf, he gave me a slight nod, as if to greet me, and gently bit my knee. It didn’t hurt, but the bite mark felt oddly tingly. A burning warmth spread through me.

Jo Chan-young suddenly disappeared. The monkey and Imugi, next to him, disappeared as well.

[For the time being, I won’t be able to appear in my complete form when you summon me.]

His voice echoed in my head.

"……"

[But don't worry–our contract has been signed, and you'll be able to properly summon me.]

By the time the calm voice faded away, the space we were in began to melt away as well.

[You have successfully completed the Vengeful Ghost Contract. Your level has increased.]

[Servant Jo Chan-young's memory playback has ended.]

[Some conditions of the Vengeful Ghost Contract have been altered.]

[The summoning conditions for ‘Jo Chan-young’ have been altered.]

Simultaneously, system messages sprung forth.

After reading the last message, I lost my consciousness; a bright light flashed over me.

* * *

Pant…Pant–!

Lick–! Lick–!

My head throbbed with something that resembled a hangover. I felt a painful pulse–as if my heart and its heartbeats were somehow connected to my brain. But, even as I lay there in pain, I felt something bustling around me. I barely managed to lift my heavy eyelids and sat up.

"Argh!" I instinctively screamed as I locked eyes with something pitch black. The moment I yelled, the creature that had been frantically licking my face fell backward but quickly regained its balance, turning its head back toward me.

*Whine….*

A black dog whined at me. The dog seemed to be around three months old; it blinked its blue eyes before eagerly bouncing on its front paws and leaping toward me again.

I reflexively caught the puppy in my arms, and a [system message] popped into view.

[‘Jo Chan-young'–Currently sealed.]

"…What?" My eyes open wide.

Become a member!

TL: What is this? A green flag? In my red flag novel…??