Necromancer Survival

Chapter 427

‘This is…Jo Chan-young…?'

The puppy in my arms…no, the baby wolf in my arms suddenly started running around me, leaping and jumping.

"Woof! Woof!" He barked, baring his still-rounded puppy teeth, and then stumbled, crashing into me with his whole body.

I was confused by ‘Jo Chan-young's' appearance. The stark contrast between his current gentle appearance and the cold summoner who advised me bluntly shocked me.

"Jo Chan-young…ssi. Please get a hold of yourself."

"Woof!"

I cautiously lifted him up and looked him in the eye, but ‘Jo Chan-young' couldn't give me a proper answer. He merely wagged his tail furiously. Though I tried to talk to him a few more times, I immediately shut my mouth; I was hit by the reality that he was a puppy and sighed. "Haah…"

"*Whine*…."

To be honest, the events before I was sucked into the [Spirit Memory] felt distant, as if they had happened ages ago. I couldn’t even tell where I was now. All I could see were black and white walls and a sandy floor.

After I lost consciousness, someone might have moved my body, so that made it all the more difficult to properly judge what was going on. I fumbled back through my memories, one by one–trying to remember what happened before meeting ‘Jo Chan-young.'

‘I vaguely remember Dawon going berserk after drinking Moon Isaak's blood, threatening me…’

I dreamed a false dream.

"……"

Recalling the content of that sweet, fleeting dream left me speechless for a moment. I wasn’t sure if it was something Dawon had conjured or if it had come from my own subconscious, but looking back, the fantasy was almost laughably embarrassing. As the memory resurfaced, I couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle.

Bite–!

"Huh?"

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At that moment, the once calm Jo Chan-young suddenly bit my hand quite firmly. I stared at him vacantly, a bit flustered by the sudden attack. It didn't hurt, but the persistent nibbling of its small, hard, rounded teeth made my thoughts flee my mind.

‘He's not even a real puppy…!'

How could he act so brazenly and shamelessly?

"Look here, Jo Chan-young-ssi… Why are you doing this to me?"

"Hiing! *whimper*… Woof! Woof!"

I narrowed my eyes and glared at him, but he just continued to behave like a puppy. When I carefully pulled my hand away, he thankfully stopped biting, but the whining didn’t cease.

"*Whine*…. *whimper whimper*…!"

Even though I placed him back on the floor, he started whining and whimpering until I held him in my arms again.

Knowing Jo Chan-young's personality, all I could think was: ‘absolutely absurd!' It was a bit ridiculous, but I couldn’t bring myself to be harsh toward a puppy no bigger than my hand that was clinging to me like this. In the end, I hugged Jo Chan-young tightly in my arms and, gazing into his blue eyes, muttered in a resigned tone. "You're not doing this on purpose, right? It's weird if a person pretends to be a dog."

"Woof!"

"…Haah. Fine. I'll believe that you're acting this way against your will." Even though my gaze was a bit chilly, Jo Chan-young huffed as if he were pleased. I had no choice but to stand up like this and walk out slowly, stepping barefoot on the sand. First things first, I thought I should leave this ruin.

[Status ailment ‘Lethargy’ has been lifted.]

* * *

Fortunately, the place I was in wasn't too large. Judging by the ruins, it had likely once been a grand temple or altar in the distant past. Now weathered by time, it was left a ruinous relic of its former self.

I was soon able to leave the hole I was in and found my way to a road without much difficulty.

‘Is the place I can see in the far distance the Hub?'

From this high vantage point, I caught a glimpse of a luxurious city below–faint but visible–connected by a long road. I recognized it immediately. The Hub had a famous monument: a landmark that emitted a soft purple glow. The stele was visible even from this distance.

However, as I approached the boundary between the ruins and the mountain path, an issue arose.

Thump–!

"What's this…?" I walked forth slowly, wondering whether or not I should travel down the road; suddenly, I hit a transparent wall. It didn't hurt because I wasn't moving quickly, but, as I reached out, I could tell that something was in the way.

At first, I was surprised. But, as I slowly moved towards the barrier and felt around with my fingertips, I found that it was a dome-like shield that encompassed a certain diameter. After walking along the edge, I realized that there was no gap for me to escape.

‘Dawon-ie probably made this barrier.'

Just in case, I scratched the force field with my fingertips. Golden dust shimmered for a moment, briefly scattering from the scratch site before dissolving back into thin air as if it had never existed.

I sighed and sank to my feet as I pulled my hand off the barrier. "…Should I summon him?"

To be honest, I wanted to see Dawon as soon as I opened my eyes, but I couldn't go through with it. I hesitated because of what I had seen last time–what he had shown me last time.

Furthermore, Jo Chan-young's words–right before he left me in the [Vengeful Ghost Memory] still weighed heavily on me.

[You must understand by now. The actions you convinced yourself were acts of perseverance… were simply self-harm.]

I hadn't known and ended up hurting Dawon. So, in the end, the last thing I saw was Dawon's broken self–and it was all my fault…

Fear and Melancholy filled me.

‘…Dawon must be disappointed in me too.'

Just picturing his longer hair and those piercing golden eyes made it easy for me to imagine how he’d lost control and gone berserk. Yet, even as I felt a pang of guilt, a part of me was angry with him as well, and I was unsure if I could stay calm and collected when we finally faced each other again.

‘…I don't know what I should say.'

"Woof!"

But, once again, Jo Chan-young struggled and began to bark. His insistence jarred me out of my muddled thoughts and brought a resolution to my thoughts.

‘There's nothing that can be done.'

I had to meet Dawon again anyway. I don't know what kind of face he'll adopt, and honestly my thoughts ran more pessimistically…but it was a wall I had to break through eventually.

I took a deep breath and smacked my dry lips.

"…[Seo Dawon]."

The moment I spoke his name, a thick scent of blood filled the air.

I automatically crinkled my nose at the disgusting smell–it felt as if I had drunk buckets of blood. But, when I saw the shadow outside the barrier and a long-cherished silhouette slowly appear, I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

"Lee-kyung-ah."

Dawon looked at me with a slight smile on his lips, but he didn't step inside the dome. I couldn’t bring myself to respond, still taken aback by the unfamiliar sight of Dawon with his now long hair.

I stood there, facing him, for a long while. Then, Dawon's expression shuttered a little. "Do you hate me now?"

"…What?"

"You keep rejecting me." Dawon, speaking words I didn’t quite understand, raised his pale hand and swiped through the air. Immediately, something dark, slick, and reeking of rotting blood began to creep over the dome, inching toward me.

In that moment, I instinctively realized Dawon wasn’t fully himself. Then it struck me–the barrier that kept me here… wasn’t created by him.

Because, Dawon was trying to break this golden forcefield with all his might. When I realized this barrier was not intended to lock me up but to protect me, I looked down at the dog in my arms and asked, "No way. Jo Chan-young-ssi, did you make this shield?"

"*Whimper*?"

In response, Chan-young tilted his head in confusion and simply licked my hand with his tiny tongue. I frowned slightly.

Furthermore…

Pulsate–!

As the standoff with Dawon dragged on, the scent of wet lotus blossoms began to intensify from some unknown location; the scent filled the air. At the same time, the golden barrier surrounding me grew stronger, and I could see a faint but growing bloodthirst in Dawon’s once-pale face.

Only then I realized….

This protective power…

"Lee-kyung-ah."

…was the protective magic that Dawon had placed on me in the past.

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TL: The dog/wolf (wolfdog? That's a thing right?) is so cute I want one. But, ethically, that's a human being (dead being?) so I don't know how I feel about that.