Chapter 141
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 141: Follower
Hong Tao and the other awakened ones looked at Liang Xiaojun with baffled expressions.
‘What’s this?’
‘Why is he suddenly kneeling…?’
He even seemed unable to control his emotions, tears and mucus streaming down his face. Liang Xiaojun gazed at Kim Minwoo as if there could be no greater sorrow in the world, and burst into tears.
Kim Minwoo was just as perplexed. However, he wasn’t entirely clueless about what might be going on.
‘A follower…’
Wait, Liang Xiaojun, an SS-ranked necromancer?
Just looking at this, it seems to be related to the Death Lord in some way…
‘Demen.’
He silently prayed inwardly, looking at the Chinese personnel.
“Well, we can figure it out later. Why don’t you all take a break first?”
“Ah…yes. Thank you for your consideration.”
Hong Tao replied with a dazed expression, still seeming flustered.
The Chinese personnel then supported Liang Xiaojun and moved to the resting area inside the center.
As they distanced themselves from Kim Minwoo, Liang Xiaojun’s mind suddenly cleared.
* * *
‘…Huh?’
What did he just do?
Overwhelmed by the sudden rush of memories, he knelt down.
And then, seeing Kim Minwoo, he couldn’t help but burst into tears again.
What did the members of the Nine Dragons Guild think when they saw that?
Liang Xiaojun’s mind began to race at the speed of light.
It’s fortunate if they only suspect mental illness.
But what if they suspect a connection with Kim Minwoo?
‘It’s over.’
His back became drenched with sweat.
At that moment, Hong Tao, who had sat Liang Xiaojun’s body on the sofa, asked with a concerned expression.
“Are you alright? Why did you suddenly…”
“That, that’s… *sob*!”
The terrifying moment when the memories of some unknown existence were forcefully implanted into him.
And the heart-wrenching sense of duty to pledge loyalty to Kim Minwoo.
Recalling those emotions, hot tears began streaming down uncontrollably.
Tears flowing, Liang Xiaojun said,
“When I saw that bastard Kim Minwoo’s face… I couldn’t help but cry thinking about how lamentable China’s situation is! I can’t imagine how anguished the Chairman must feel! I’m sorry!”
The Nine Dragons Guild members flinched at those words.
They were loyal members who dedicated themselves to China as well.
However, they didn’t seem as passionate as Liang Xiaojun today.
‘…His loyalty to the President ran this deep?’
Enough to crumple to his knees in anguish, sobbing uncontrollably the moment he saw Kim Minwoo?
Hong Tao’s eyes turned serious.
‘There were gaps in our Nine Dragons Guild’s intelligence network.’
As the top guild in China, thorough investigation was mandatory for new members.
It went without saying that an SS-rank achievement holder like him would undergo multiple layers of thorough investigation.
According to that information, there was nothing particularly outstanding about Liang Xiaojun. In other words, his patriotism and loyalty were simply ordinary.
That’s why Chairman Li Zemin entrusted Hong Tao with continuous surveillance.
‘…It was all needless worry.’
The actions he displayed just now.
And those passionate tears.
Over the years as the Nine Dragons Guild Master, Hong Tao had observed countless people.
So he could state with certainty:
That was truly sincere.
Perhaps this young man had lived quietly, hiding his true feelings even from the most thorough information agencies of the Nine Dragon Guild.
But today.
In the end, he laid bare his innermost feelings to the world. Perhaps there was an innocent side to him that even the most comprehensive intelligence couldn’t grasp.
“…I’m sorry. I will be more careful from now on. *sniff”
“…It’s alright. For this moment, don’t hold back and cry as much as you need.”
Hong Tao warmly patted Liang Xiaojun’s shoulder.
‘I can definitely nurture him.’
‘I’m saved.’
The two men’s contrasting thoughts intersected simultaneously.
* * *
A curious smile crept onto Kim Minwoo’s lips as he watched the scene in the lounge. The reaction from Liang Xiaojun just now was undeniably genuine, no matter what anyone said.
It was as if he was pledging allegiance when he knelt down.
‘It seems like I can really make use of this.’
The fact that Liang Xiaojun was not the only SS-rank Necromancer.
They had spread considerably throughout the world.
The number alone was a staggering ten.
‘If even half of them become my followers…’
This was really hitting the jackpot, wasn’t it?
There was even a possibility that all ten could become followers if he was extremely lucky.
Moreover, the Necromancer trend had not completely ended yet.
As time passed, more SS-ranks would continue to emerge, and some would definitely choose to become Necromancers.
His status had risen quite significantly.
Achievement points and securing loyal followers.
‘I’ll have to be more active going forward.’
Of course, Kim Minwoo was not entirely free of complicated thoughts either.
What exactly were the Death Lord’s intentions? Why were connections to the Death Lord continuously arising in the real world? What bigger picture were all these threads weaving together?
Even he could not fully predict the extent of the ripple effects.
Bluntly speaking, in the worst case, could all of this be part of a grand scheme for the Death Lord to steal his body and be reborn? It wouldn’t be strange.
The Death Lord had demonstrated his vile nature during the Merhen incident as well.
‘But, the train has already started moving.’
Necromancers?
They’re already everywhere.
Wouldn’t it be foolish not to act and not to get stronger because of fear of the Death Lord?
No.
Rather than passively responding, it was better to proactively respond while rapidly building up his strength.
That was Kim Minwoo’s way.
And…
‘It’s not like only necromancers fit into this structure.’
There must be other EX-rankers from different occupations as well. Is there any reason for such beings not to exist?
In any case, they all had to go together.
“For now, let’s get on the train and think about it.”
That’s why.
Thinking only about the responses and benefits available right now.
In any case.
Another reason to live diligently had emerged.
‘But that’s beside the point…’
If they kept kneeling and sobbing in front of him like that every time they met, it would inevitably become troublesome for him too.
He could deflect it with excuses once or twice, but that likely wouldn’t fly forever. There was a high chance of being suspected of having some shady relationship.
He didn’t care about that.
The problem was his adorable followers.
From the standpoint of needing to properly utilize them, wasting such a powerful card as his followers so shamelessly…
‘Isn’t very fun.’
In times like this, there was something he had to do.
‘I believe in you, Demen.’
Prayer.
Surely the Death Lord had structured everything properly. He couldn’t have overlooked something like this.
Sure enough.
When the Chinese personnel reappeared,
Liang Xiaojun looked over at him nonchalantly, as if he had never broken down in tears.
When he smiled brightly at Liang Xiaojun, he flinched and averted his gaze.
Well, Kim Minwoo had no intention of putting him in an awkward situation right away.
They had allocated quite a long training period after all. There would be plenty of chances to have a quiet conversation with Liang Xiaojun going forward.
They had allocated quite a long training period after all.
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
There would be plenty of chances to have a quiet conversation with Liang Xiaojun going forward.
“Then let’s start the training. All five of you, come at me together.”
Kim Minwoo drew his sword.
Hong Tao nodded seriously. He had long confirmed Kim Minwoo’s skills during their previous encounter, when he had subdued him in just six moves.
He had the right to be arrogant.
Having been informed in advance, the Nine Dragons Guild members were also aware of this fact.
And so the lesson began.
A few hours later, Kim Minwoo looked around at everyone and said,
“Good. That’s enough for the group instruction. From now on, I’ll coach you all individually. It’s more efficient that way. Mr. Hong Tao?”
“Yes.”
“Follow me. The rest of you can come in one by one as soon as the Guild Master comes out.”
“Understood.”
Seeing Kim Minwoo and Hong Tao enter the private training room, Liang Xiaojun’s face drained of color.
‘What’s this? This wasn’t the original schedule…’
Individual coaching?
He had only been informed they would receive training, not these detailed curriculum specifics.
‘Could it be…?’
Is he doing this to get a private place away from prying eyes?
It can’t be.
Please, no.
And after some other guild members had their turn, it was finally Liang Xiaojun’s turn.
As he entered the training room and closed the door, he heard:
“Hey, Liang Xiaojun.”
“……”
“We have a lot to talk about, don’t you think? Fortunately, this room is well soundproofed, so we can speak freely.”
“W-what are we going to talk about? Let’s just get on with the lesson…”
“You, you’re my follower, aren’t you?”
Thump!
Liang Xiaojun’s heart sank coldly.
“I wonder what kind of situation this is. Ah, could you fetch those dumbbells over there?”
At that moment, an inexplicable pressure to absolutely follow those words caused Liang Xiaojun’s body to move on its own.
He picked up the dumbbell and gently placed it in Kim Minwoo’s hand.
“Wh-What is this…! Why is my body…”
Liang Xiaojun’s pupils trembled violently.
The eerie feeling of someone else controlling his body like a puppet?
“Fascinating. So you’re compelled to follow orders? But your consciousness seems fully intact.”
“W-what do you plan to do with me?”
“I have no intention of harming you, so don’t worry too much. Why would I harm my own follower?”
“……”
“Read out all your skill details. And tell me what you can summon too.”
Determined not to become a slave, Liang Xiaojun clenched his teeth and stayed silent.
But the more he resisted, the more the strange pressure squeezed his heart like it would burst.
Eventually, unable to bear it any longer, Liang Xiaojun opened his mouth.
“I’m…a follower of the Death Lord…”
Kim Minwoo’s reaction was simple.
“So you’re like a perfect subordinate version of me?”
“…What?”
“Varian? Isn’t he the underling of the Dragon Knight?”
“Y-yes, but…”
“Cedric here is a Dragon Knight.”
“…?”
“And you’re my follower. It looks like your summons are subordinates of the commanders. Try summoning him. I’m curious.”
Liang Xiaojun summoned Varian in silence.
Kim Minwoo also summoned Cedric. A sturdy skeleton resembling a burly barbarian stared at Cedric.
Then,
―Commander… I see you… It’s good to see you…
Varian spoke clumsily and bowed his head.
—Varian?
―Yes… I am… your… subordinate… I see… the successor… of the great one…
Varian gave a brief bow to Cedric and a respectful bow to Kim Minwoo. Liang Xiaojun watched in astonishment with his mouth agape.
He had summoned Varian countless times, but this was the first time Varian had spoken so much.
Regardless, Kim Minwoo asked Cedric:
“Are you two close?”
―We were enemies, once.
“Enemies?”
―I was a knight who defended against the barbarians on the border. Varian was their leader. Eventually, he was defeated, and I later petitioned the Lord to resurrect him. His skills were too valuable to leave in a corpse.
—That’s right… It was like that…
“So you no longer have any grudges from your previous lives?”
Cedric shrugged.
–We fought for 10 years. But we’ve been together for hundreds of years after that. I believe that answers your question.
Kim Minwoo nodded.
“Varian.”
―You called… successor of… the great one…
“Just call me successor. It’s shorter.”
―Understood… successor…
“If I and that guy over there give you orders, whose do you follow first?”
―The great one… is above all… The Successor… must also… be obeyed…
Liang Xiaojun watched Varian with a mixture of sadness and betrayal on his face.
“Don’t be too distraught. I plan to preserve your autonomy as much as possible.”
“…Yes.”
“By the way, you were kneeling and crying earlier. Did something come to mind?”
“…I’m not sure. Some inexplicable memories were forcefully implanted, but they’ve become extremely hazy now. Only the sense of having faced some tremendously powerful existence remains.”
Kim Minwoo nodded.
He figured the fading memories were probably why Liang Xiaojun stopped kneeling. It wasn’t a bad thing for him.
“From now on, we’ll conduct some experiments.”
“Experiments…?”
“To see how far my commands extend over you. To what degree you retain autonomy. You should understand these things too, right?”
…He didn’t want to know.
But, honestly, he had no choice.
His status as a follower was already revealed to the world.
If he were in Kim Minwoo’s shoes, he would have thought of using a follower, too.
‘Damn it…’
How did his life get so tangled?
Liang Xiaojun sighed deeply.
During their time in the training center, several experiments were conducted.
With each experiment, Kim Minwoo’s face brightened, while Liang Xiaojun’s grew increasingly somber.
The scope of commands was extraordinarily wide.
His autonomy could be forcibly overridden whenever Kim Minwoo wished.
To be frank, it was no different from being a slave.
No matter how impressive the Death Lord was, who in their right mind would enjoy being a slave?
Liang Xiaojun was no exception.
But what was even more terrifying…
‘Damn it. Damn it…’
Was that every time he carried out Kim Minwoo’s commands, an inexplicable, immense sense of mental satisfaction was implanted within him.
The more complex and detailed the command, the stronger the feeling.
Kim Minwoo had long since noticed this, bombarding him with questions each time he gave an order and it was carried out. After three days of these observations, he finally spoke.
“Liang Xiaojun.”
“…Yes.”
“As you might have guessed, you can’t escape from me.”
“…I suppose not.”
“So let’s work together. I’ll help you grow.”
“What do you mean by helping me grow…?”
“Let’s think big. Don’t you want to become the president of China?”
Kim Minwoo asked with a grin.
[TL/N: Bro is offering the position of president in a way like it seems like he is handing a candy to a child ??]
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
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