I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 32

“What on earth are you doing!”

“It would be best if you don’t open your mouth from now on. If you do it wrong, your heart might burst.”

“…!”

Forcibly opening another person’s mana circle is undoubtedly a dangerous act.

Se-woon’s warnings to the man were all true. However, there was a bit of exaggeration.

He never intended to push the man to the point where his heart would burst; he would stop at the first sign of resistance.

Nevertheless, Se-woon said this to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances — not negative ones, but positive possibilities.

Whum!

First, the black mana that filled Se-woon’s second circle began to move.

The black mana traveled through Se-woon’s arm and hand before penetrating the man’s back.

“Ugh!”

The man groaned in pain.

But watching this, Se-woon actually wore a faint smile.

‘As expected, he has talent.’

Without talent, most people show no reaction even when mana enters their body. Such individuals only feel the shock when mana reaches their hearts.

On the other hand, the man groaned the moment the black mana infiltrated his body. It was proof that he could distinctly sense the mana’s presence.

“The beginning is the hardest part. Just hang in there a bit longer.”

Whum!

Se-woon guided the black mana within the man’s body, leading it toward his heart.

Ordinarily, it would be impossible for a 2nd Circle mage to interfere with someone else’s body, but Se-woon’s control over mana far exceeded that of a typical 2nd Circle mage.

Though he wasn’t a mage by profession, he had extensive experience with mana before the regression.

Now that he had fully embraced the knowledge of the Black Tower, there was no hesitation.

As Se-woon’s black mana reached the man’s heart…

“Guh!”

Dark red blood spurted from the man’s mouth.

At this moment, the man was likely experiencing excruciating pain, as if someone were squeezing his heart.

Someone with weaker willpower might have lost consciousness here, but the man gritted his teeth and stayed conscious as Se-woon had instructed.

Thanks to this, Se-woon could proceed with the task more comfortably.

Whum!

The black mana drew a circle around the man’s heart, creating a pathway for the circle to form.

The shock of this forced the man to continue spitting out dark blood for a while.

Perhaps due to the man’s unexpected endurance, Se-woon could create a broader and more intricate path for the circle than initially anticipated.

Now, the real part began.

“You’ve endured well.”

Whum!

Se-woon forcibly rotated the man’s circle.

The black mana that had been filling the surroundings through the Black Magic Stone and the magic circle was quickly absorbed into the man’s body.

With the arrival of the new mana, Se-woon’s black mana, having completed its task, returned to its master.

“This, this is…”

As Se-woon’s mana withdrew, the man’s words of exclamation replaced the stream of blood.

With the formation of the circle centered around his heart, the black mana filled it, providing an overwhelming sense of fullness.

The overwhelming sense of fulfillment was like enjoying a hearty meal of delicious food, a satisfaction the man had never experienced in his life.

With closed eyes, he silently savored this overwhelming sense of satisfaction.

During this time, Se-woon also experienced a small change.

– You have used the Black Tower’s training to open another person’s mana circle.

– The returning mana, having experienced a new path, refines the circle based on its experience.

– The mana capacity of the circle increases slightly.

– The rotation speed of the circle increases slightly.

The mana that had entered and exited the man’s body seemed to have returned with newfound knowledge, refining Se-woon’s circle.

This was an unexpected development for Se-woon.

The mana that returned spun around the circle, as if shouting, “Didn’t I do well?”

“My part ends here. What happens next will depend on individual ability.”

The black mana rising above the magic circle quickly dissipated.

The Black Magic Stone used by Se-woon was from Mammon’s treasury.

Although it was one of the lowest-rank treasures stored at the entrance, its performance was among the best even for a Black Magic Stone.

But now, the color of the top-tier Black Magic Stone was fading rapidly.

In a short span of time, it had already turned from dark gray to light gray and was becoming almost transparent, as though it was empty.

‘As expected.’

The man’s talent exceeded Se-woon’s expectations.

The speed at which he absorbed mana increased, and the Black Magic Stone became so transparent that it appeared to be hollow

Sssrrr—

The Black Magic Stone emptied, and the magic circle on the ground dispersed and disappeared.

The man had completely absorbed the mana from the top-tier Black Magic Stone.

According to the knowledge of the ‘Black Tower’s training method’ that Se-woon possessed, the amount of mana an average talent could absorb would be roughly equivalent to a low-rank Black Magic Stone.

This alone indicated how remarkable the man’s talent was.

“You’ve done well.”

“Phew…”

The man opened his eyes with a peculiar expression.

He seemed unaccustomed to the presence of mana seeping into his body.

In response, Se-woon dismissed the skeleton that had been quietly observing from behind.

Clatter—

As the mana holding the skeleton’s bones together disappeared, the boar’s bones scattered into pieces.

Without needing words, the man understood what Se-woon was expecting from him.

Whum!

Black mana began to form at the man’s fingertips.

The mana then dripped between the boar’s bones like water drops seeping through.

The only difference was the pace.

While Se-woon had technically used purely ‘magical’ means to animate the skeleton, the man meticulously reconnected each boar bone from an ‘anatomical’ perspective.

As a result, the speed at which the skeleton was reassembled was extremely slow, but Se-woon could tell.

‘That’s precisely one of the reasons why Black Tower mages study corpses.’

Rather than just connecting bones, he was merging mana between the joints to create structures similar to cartilage that smoothed out movements.

Following the curves of the bones, he replicated the original tendons and muscles as closely as possible with mana.

It took more than five minutes to animate just one skeleton.

And finally…

“Rise.”

Crack, crack—

The skeleton rose.

Its movements were much smoother than the boar skeleton Se-woon had summoned, and its strength and speed in extending its legs were superior.

And then.

– The Constellation, ‘Steed That Tramples Death,’ kicked up dust as it gazed at the player‘Baek Hyun.’

The first mage of Se-woon’s camp. No, the first necromancer was born.

* * *

After opening the man’s—no, Baek Hyun’s—circle, Se-woon immediately taught him the Black Tower’s training technique.

For someone who knew nothing about mana, this would be challenging, but Baek Hyun had already opened a circle made of black mana, making it easy for him to master the technique.

‘With Gamigin, I don’t need to assist him much further.’

Steed That Tramples Death.

The 4th ranked Demon Lord and Grand Duke of Hell renowned for commanding 30 demon legions.

Gamigin’s abilities lay in necromancy and spirit summoning.

He was the perfect Constellation for Baek Hyun, who had awakened his talent in necromancy.

In fact, Se-woon had anticipated Gamigin’s appearance ever since Baek Hyun opened his circle.

With Beelzebub and Mammon, the attention of the 72 Demon Lords was also on Se-woon and his camp.

Since remarkable Demon Lords like Baal, Agares, and Marbas were already seeking contractors, Se-woon anticipated that Gamigin wouldn’t simply leave a talented necromancer alone.

Now that Gamigin was attached to Baek Hyun, he would grow well even without additional black magic teachings from Se-woon.

‘Good.’

In fact, Se-woon had encountered a problem while summoning skeletons to pull the wagons.

It was about his future plan.

To execute his plan, Se-woon had to leave the people midway through the second chapter of the tutorial.

However, skeletons required their master’s mana to maintain their form. If Se-woon left and the mana supply dwindled, they would collapse.

But with Baek Hyun?

‘The wagon problem is solved, and our overall strength increases.’

He could leave freely to search for hidden pieces without any concerns.

Just before leaving the camp, in the middle of the busy preparations, Se-woon hurriedly opened Baek Hyun’s circle for this very reason.

“…Thank you.”

While Se-woon, pleased with the successful nurturing of a necromancer, contemplated his plans, Baek Hyun spoke up with a peculiar look in his eyes as he gazed at the skeleton he had animated.

“I was actually worried that I wasn’t being helpful to the camp because I didn’t have much talent for combat.”

“You should have confidence. If you’ve caught Gamigin’s interest, your potential must be among the highest in the Tower.”

“Potential, huh… It seems I’ve found a talent here that I couldn’t even discover back on Earth.”

Baek Hyun looked somewhat sorrowful. But he quickly shook his head, pulled himself together, and patted the skeleton firmly.

“To live up to expectations, I will diligently train this power.”

“Then, I have an assignment for you.”

“What sort of assignment?”

The practice of mana for black mages differs from that of the typical magic towers.

While Se-woon was able to quickly gain a mana circle by absorbing the vast amounts of mana found in the hidden space.

Typically, black mana involves handling corpses, converting their vital essence into black mana for absorption.

That was the most efficient way to accumulate black mana.

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

[Manticore’s Corpse]

– A monster formed by combining the head and body of a tiger with a mane, the tusks of a boar, the horns of a bull, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion.

“This is?”

What Se-woon retrieved from Mammon’s treasury was the corpse of a monster.

It seems Mammon coveted the Manticore’s venomous stinger, hence it was preserved in its entirety.

With a talented necromancer at hand, Se-woon had no intention of using it merely as a one-off venomous projectile.

“You need to animate this creature before the tutorial ends.”

“This monster is entirely different from the ones I’ve seen before. It’s like a Chimera…”

As Baek Hyun said, the Manticore was no ordinary monster.

At least, they could only be found above the 40th floor of the tower, an exotic monster that a 1st Circle Necromancer could not possibly manage.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ furrows its brow, worried that its treasure will be destroyed.

Naturally, Mammon displayed clear signs of discomfort.

No matter how skilled a 1st Circle Necromancer might be, animating or even properly handling the Manticore’s corpse seemed beyond their capabilities.

However, Se-woon had retrieved the Manticore’s corpse because Baek Hyun was not an ordinary 1st Circle Necromancer.

– The Constellation, ‘Steed That Tramples Death,’ bows deeply to the Demon God, promising not to disappoint.

– The Constellation, ‘Bowed Raven,’ calms down, recalling ‘Steed That Tramples Death’s’ prowess.

Gamigin. Not only one of the 72 Demon Lords but also a Grand Duke of Hell renowned as the best necromancer even compared to the 72 Demon Lords and the Seven Demon Gods.

Given his reputation, Gamigin would undoubtedly take responsibility for teaching Baek Hyun thoroughly to avoid falling out of favor with Mammon.

The moment Baek Hyun successfully animates the Manticore’s corpse, he will surpass even Yoo Seo-ah and Kang Han-cheol, becoming the strongest force in the camp.