Necromancer Of The Black Bible (14)

With the help of Equinox as my guardian spirit, I had purified about half of my second Mana Ring.

The true transmission of necromancy began.

[The two main pillars of necromancy are necroturgy and necromancy proper.]

[Necroturgy and necromancy differ. The former manipulates the remnants within corpses, while the latter summons whole spirits.]

It was familiar, yet oddly different.

My master in my past life never taught me to distinguish them.

So I thought there was only one way to raise corpses.

[Then what my master taught me was necroturgy.]

[Correct, Honored Master.]

Equinox’s formality grated on me.

Lately he used honorifics instead of casual speech.

He even changed “Master” to “Honored Master.”

‘Why?’

At first, he’d spoken rudely to me.

Gradually, his tone rose in respect.

It matched the stages of his teaching me techniques.

The more he passed on, the more respectful he became.

I still didn’t know what it meant.

‘It can’t be meaningless. He said he wants me.’

He plans to take my body and soul once I master necromancy — so until then, he’ll keep me calm.

‘I must stay sharp.’

Many enemies circle me.

Not only Equinox, who calls himself my guardian, but also Demon King Illinas, who bound my soul.

And more still.

The priests of the Kallios Theocracy, who slew me in my past life.

‘Do I have even one true ally?’

I thought of Nocturne but shook my head.

There are no eternal allies in this world.

Nocturne only stays close to survive. Nothing more.

Then Equinox’s voice came.

[Do not dwell on the distant future. That is poison. Focus on the present moment — only then will you survive.]

He was right.

I can only change the reality before me.

Even if an enemy later, anyone who helps me now is an ally.

‘Now I have two capable allies. That alone is a huge advantage over my past life.’

That thought eased me.

I considered necroturgy and necromancy as Equinox described, standing before bones I had prepared.

These were collected earlier from the orphanage.

Remnants left after sacrifices to the Demon King.

Looking down, I asked Equinox,

[What’s different between a corpse raised by necromancy and one by necroturgy?]

[A astute question.]

Equinox chuckled, then continued.

[Those raised by necromancy have intact selves.]

[Intact selves? What does that mean?]

[As it sounds — they retain reason and intellect.]

A corpse with reason?

I’d never imagined it.

Corpses I raised before never had that.

They only obeyed commands, never thought or spoke.

I mulled it over and asked again.

[If they can think, then they might disobey their summoner?]

[It rarely happens, but in theory, yes.]

[Then isn’t that worse than necroturgy?]

It seemed obvious.

Raising corpses requires a caster, usually to create warriors to fight.

And if they ignore commands?

‘Why bother raising them?’

Reading my thought, Equinox laughed.

[Keheh. I see your concern. But which is superior depends on the situation. For conversation, gathering knowledge, or wielding powers they had in life — necromancy is best. For pure combat, necroturgy prevails.]

[So necroturgy will suffice for now.]

[Not so simple.]

[Why?]

[Because those raised by necromancy can grow.]

At that, I felt struck by lightning.

‘Grow?!’

In my past life, I saw with my own eyes the countless corpses my master raised.

Most were human, but there were also demons and monsters.

Among them were beings like nine-headed hydras or dragons — creatures strong enough to annihilate an entire nation.

If such beings could grow on their own?

‘They would become an overwhelming force.’

But an important condition was required for that.

[The corpses raised by necroturgy require constant mana to be maintained. Does necromancy also require the same level of mana supply?]

This was a crucial point.

If it required as much mana as necroturgy, then necromancy was pointless.

Even if they could grow, it would all be meaningless if they couldn’t be sustained.

Equinox, reading all my doubts again, gave a faint laugh before answering.

[The workings of necroturgy and necromancy are fundamentally different. Necroturgy, as you know, requires the caster to supply their own mana continuously. But necromancy does not operate in that way.]

[Then how does it work?]

[It will be easier to show than to explain. Allow me to move your body for a moment.]

As Equinox said, I closed my eyes and focused my mind.

Then Equinox began moving my body.

This was the so-called “Manifestation of the Guardian Spirit.”

It was a new technique he had taught me after becoming my guardian spirit.

Spirits like the White Serpent, which lack reason and intellect, cannot use this technique — but when a self-aware entity becomes a guardian, it can manifest like this and directly move my body.

[Focus your mind and observe carefully what I do.]

Equinox guided my body into a corner of the cave.

There lay the corpse of a large rat, its flesh already rotted away, leaving only bones.

Equinox stretched my hand out toward the corpse and cast a spell.

At once, the Mana Ring in my heart began to stir — but its movement was completely unlike anything I had known.

‘What’s this?’

Normally, when a mage uses magic, the Mana Rings spin violently. Resonating mana from nature is then focused at a medium — a staff, or a fingertip — and shaped into magic by mental force.

So usually, Mana Rings whirl furiously during spellcasting.

But now, my Mana Rings had stopped.

Then, something thick and viscous began to be drawn out from within.

‘Could it be… the mana core that makes up the Ring is flowing out?’

Equinox said nothing, which meant my guess was correct.

The amount of core drawn from the Mana Ring wasn’t much — about one-sixth of the entire Ring by sight.

The core gathered in my palm, then seeped into the rat’s corpse beneath it.

And then.

“Squeak!”

The rat rose.

It looked around as if alive, then fixed its gaze on me.

[You… woke me?]

Was that the voice of a soul?

No, it felt different.

‘Could this be… its thoughts?’

[Correct, Honored Master.]

Equinox had once told me I could read the thoughts of any being I locked eyes with.

That must be why I could hear this rat’s thoughts now.

[With those raised by necromancy, you can converse through soul-voice. Ask it anything you wish.]

Before that, I examined the rat’s condition.

The green mana I had released permeated all its bones, steadily supplying it with life force.

‘Is it because of the core? It’s absorbing ambient mana by itself.’

Since the core absorbed mana on its own, the caster had nothing more to supply.

My heart’s Ring had only shrunk a little — it did not interfere with the core that had flowed out.

Confirming this, I asked the rat,

[Do you feel any discomfort moving?]

[Discomfort…? Not really.]

The rat moved its body slightly, then tilted its head.

[Not at all. If anything, I feel better. My body feels lighter. But…]

[Is something wrong?]

When I asked, it sniffed the air and replied,

[I feel hunger. I want to eat… something.]

After saying that, it crouched, then pounced on a live rat emerging from a small hole, biting down on its neck.

Squeak—!

The rat struggled no more, and the skeletal rat began tearing into its dying body.

The blood seeped into the skeletal rat’s bones, and the core’s green glow grew brighter.

From this, I understood much.

‘The core doesn’t just absorb ambient mana. It absorbs life force directly through blood.’

It was similar to when I absorbed life force from hunted animals.

[Those raised through necromancy can sustain themselves this way.]

[Now I understand. In that case…]

Based on everything I had confirmed, I asked Equinox a new question.

[What happens if I retrieve its core? More importantly — can I take it back at will?]

Instead of answering, Equinox showed me.

He opened my hand, and the core infused in the skeletal rat returned. The rat collapsed mid-bite.

Equinox stood over the skeletal rat and spoke.

[The core is yours, Master. You can reclaim it anytime.]

[I see.]

All my doubts were resolved.

A being raised through necromancy acts independently and can think for itself.

It might disobey me — but if so, I could simply take back the core.

And since it has reason, such facts could be used to persuade or threaten it into obedience.

[I must learn necromancy. Teach me now.]

Equinox laughed and replied,

[Keheheh. Necromancy is high magic. First, you must master necroturgy. Forget everything you learned before. To master it, you must rebuild from the very foundation.]

And so, Equinox’s true transmission of necromancy began.