Chapter 08
The Ancient Proving Grounds (2)
Fwoosh!
Magic flames flickered from the walls, brightly illuminating the interior.
Yujin’s eyes moved left and right a few times.
‘Just like I heard.’
A faint curve formed on his lips, like a crescent moon.
A cavern about 50 meters wide. In the center, a circular magic formation was carved into the ground.
‘A hidden trial inside specific Gates.’
It was an extremely rare place, found only in a handful of Gates across the world.
“Grrr…”
The zombies that had been swept up in the teleportation light looked around, drooling from their half-open mouths.
[Welcome to Ancient Proving Grounds I.]
[This trial can only be challenged alone.]
[Prove your courage and potential inside the trial grounds.]
‘Summons are considered my ability, so they don’t count toward the limit.’
Heh.
The information matched what he remembered from his past life.
‘By the time the secret of this Gate was revealed, I had already surpassed 2-star.’
He had regretted it deeply when he first learned about the hidden secret of the Ancient Garden.
It was a Gate restricted to 1-star hunters.
With Yujin’s strength, he could have obtained a huge opportunity there—but entry itself had been impossible.
‘There is another Ancient Proving Grounds in France.’
But that one was already disputed by major guilds over ownership, and it was in another country, so it had been out of reach.
So this was his first attempt at it, both before and after regression.
[In 60 seconds, a Draconian will descend.]
[Survive for 10 minutes.]
[If you choose not to attempt the trial, you may return through the passage at the end of the Proving Grounds.]
Draconian.
A half-dragon monster with dragon blood in its veins.
A powerful creature classified as at least 6-star level.
It could freely release aura from any part of its body and was also skilled in magic.
〔A Draconian… With your level, you won’t last 10 seconds.〕
‘I heard it gets adjusted to 1-star Gate level, even if it’s dragonkin.’
This was a 1-star restricted Gate.
If a 6-star monster suddenly appeared, the balance would be broken.
The summoned Draconian was weakened according to the Gate’s rules.
‘Even so, I can’t underestimate it.’
According to his past life knowledge, the Draconian’s combat power was equivalent to the peak of 2-star level.
With his current strength, it was still a dangerous opponent.
‘Then let’s prepare.’
He rubbed his hands and called over a nearby zombie.
“Grrr?”
“Stay still.”
He placed his right hand on the zombie’s forehead and examined its body using the Essence of Death.
[Zombie]
Race: Undead
Grade: ★
Enhancement: 100%
A zombie strengthened through Death Essence, reinforcing bones and muscles to gain double power.
‘Let’s use that enhancement.’
Yujin was deeply familiar with undead structures.
If he redirected the energy that had reinforced the body, he could modify even a fully completed undead.
‘Let’s start with strength.’
He converted the doubled strength into toxic corpse energy.
Crack— crack—
The zombie’s body twitched violently.
“I told you to stay still. I need to concentrate.”
He lightly scolded it, then poured the increased agility stat into the toxin as well.
Bubbling growths formed across its skin, and its appearance became even more grotesque.
[Poison → Plague Blood]
[Undead modification successful.]
[The target has become a Plague Zombie.]
[When Raise Undead is used, qualifying bodies will be created as Plague Zombies.]
Strength and agility decreased, but the toxicity became far stronger.
This was his trump card against the Draconian.
The pocket watch buzzed loudly.
〔Transforming the dead on the spot…〕
‘Don’t be surprised by things like this. I was a 9-star necromancer.’
The amount of Death Essence required for modification was not large.
However, it required deep knowledge of undead structure, precise control, and extreme concentration to avoid losing power during the process.
For an ordinary necromancer, modifying one undead would take at least 10 minutes.
‘Extreme focus? This is nothing.’
Yujin finished the modification in 25 seconds.
He modified one more, leaving only 10 seconds.
He arranged the zombies in formation, and light leaked from the central magic circle.
Flash!
A radiant glow burst out, and a 3-meter-tall Draconian stepped through the light.
[The Draconian has descended.]
[Survive for 10 minutes.]
“KRARARAR!”
The Draconian roared.
Ancient Proving Grounds
This was a space created by the Pantheon Constellations, who commissioned the Dragon Legion to select outstanding hunters.
The trial overseers were members of the Dragon Legion under the Dragon Lords.
A dragonkin named Zercaden had just descended and immediately frowned.
“Such a foul-smelling race.”
This was the second Ancient Proving Grounds I, after the one in France.
He had faced dozens of hunters so far, but this was the first time he had encountered a necromancer.
“I don’t want to hear about smell from someone who probably never bathed in their life.”
Yujin replied with a grin.
A faint sneer slipped through his lips.
Truthfully, it was just knowledge gained from hunting dragonkin in high-level Gates.
See? The dragonkin couldn’t even refute it.
“Not only do you control the dead, you are also insolent.”
Zercaden ground his teeth.
He was furious, but as a dragonkin bound to truth, he could not deny Yujin’s words.
“You are the most vulgar one I have seen in this trial.”
This Proving Grounds was a shared space connected to any Gate that entered it.
Zercaden had tested dozens of hunters here—many were promising talents from major guilds, including Germany’s ranker Michael Dreist and France’s prodigy Guillaume Schneider.
“I will see whether you can last 10 minutes like them.”
He stepped forward.
Thud. Thud.
Each step echoed heavily.
Yujin calmly arranged the zombies in a U-shape around himself.
A formation like open wings.
Zercaden narrowed his eyes.
‘Trying to trick me?’
If he walked straight in, the zombies would swarm him from both sides.
It was an obvious ambush.
But Zercaden did not retreat.
Even if they were numerous, they were still 1-star zombies.
His dragon-scale body was harder than refined steel armor.
“Your pain will not last long, mortal.”
“Your pain will last a bit longer. Sorry about that.”
Zercaden stepped into the center of the U-shaped formation.
Snap!
At the sound of fingers snapping, the zombies rushed in.
He clenched his fist.
Muscles swelled, and his arm expanded.
With a powerful swing, a zombie’s upper body exploded.
“…Just zombies?”
Strange.
The impact felt too light.
Then a bad feeling flashed through his mind.
“You’re already too late.”
Splat!
The Plague Zombies exploded.
Toxic fluid splashed across his arm, shoulder, and body.
[Acidic Poison Lv. 12]
“Ha.”
His right arm trembled.
‘My strength isn’t working properly.’
If this were his true body, such an attack would mean nothing.
But inside the Proving Grounds, his power was restricted to trial level.
Smoke rose from where the acid touched.
Sizzle.
Scales began to melt.
“Grrrraaah!”
“You little trickster!”
Zercaden swung his other arm and crushed a zombie.
But his movement had already become sluggish.
Snap!
Yujin advanced the zombies again, closing the distance.
“What will you do when you run out of zombies?”
“I never said I planned to survive.”
Yujin dashed forward.
“Impossible…!”
Zercaden slammed his foot into the ground.
[Ground Smash]
A shockwave spread out, shaking the zombies.
“I, Zercaden, will not fall to such weak undead.”
“Yeah. You won’t.”
But it was already too late.
BOOM!
A second Plague Zombie exploded at close range.
More toxin washed over his body, further weakening his scales.
“Why. What’s wrong?”
[Bone Control activated.]
A pale aura wrapped around the cursed staff.
CRACK!
Yujin drove the sharp tip into the weakened scales, tearing through them.
‘Even with restrictions, overpowering a dragonkin…’
Chronos held his breath in awe.
A former king among the Titans.
Even without explanation, he could see how absurd the battle was.
Yujin had no advantage in mana or physical ability.
And yet he was overwhelming the opponent.
‘Ordinary undead shouldn’t be able to damage dragonkin.’
Chronos had warned him seriously.
But now he realized it had been unnecessary.
The battle continued.
Zercaden struggled violently, but his body was already half-paralyzed.
“Khk…!”
Yujin pulled back the staff.
Then extended his hand.
[Mana → Sacred Power conversion]
[Life Drain activated.]
The Draconian’s life force was drained away.
Zercaden’s movements slowed further, until finally his head drooped.
[Ancient Proving Grounds I cleared.]
[The Mark of Endurance has been engraved.]
◎ Mark of Endurance
Classification: Sigil
Reduces stiffness from pain and improves focus.
-40% stiffness effect
+20% mana reallocation speed
A permanent buff far beyond normal blessings.
One of the highest-tier rewards among all sigils.
‘The real reward is something else.’
The Draconian corpse.
A necromancer would never ignore such a material.
‘A near-perfect dragonkin corpse…’
His eyes gleamed with greed.
