From her appearance alone, the girl was unquestionably human—but those ears made Sung Jinwoo hesitate, forcing him to consider whether she might be some mutated form of a Ice Elves.
After all, the leader of any race was bound to differ from the rest, at least a little.
His expression grew increasingly grim. The system wasn't even prompting him to flee anymore.
Did that mean that, according to its calculations, he didn't even have a sliver of hope left for escape?
'Maybe… I should've retreated earlier.'
"Sir… are you the one disturbing the rest of the dead?"
The moment Castorice laid eyes on the vast Shadow Army, she understood.
These weren't summoned beings with physical forms. They were souls and consciousnesses bound by a special power, their soul remnants shackled in place, their wills twisted from what they once were in life.
That realization made her frown deeply.
"You can talk…?"
Jinwoo froze for a split second, then quickly recovered, mulling over what she had just said.
Disturbing the dead's rest?
Was she talking about the Shadow Monarch's skills? But from what standpoint was she saying this? And how—why—had she even found this place?
By now, he was certain of one thing. Castorice wasn't from this dungeon, nor was she its boss.
Which meant two pieces of good news for him. First, leaving this red gate might not require fighting this system-labeled high-risk target that had even the system panicking.
Second, his earlier judgment hadn't been wrong—running was pointless. Even if he avoided fighting her now, once he clashed with the dungeon's lord, she would inevitably be drawn in.
At that point, he'd likely be facing two enemies at once.
Two bits of good news… yet the bad news still far outweighed them, and was far more lethal.
"You mean my soldiers?"
Unable to gauge her identity or attitude, Jinwoo decided to play dumb and draw her into talking more.
"I'm a necromancer. This is just my ability."
"Still pretending?"
Castorice's expression didn't change. Seeing no sincerity in his reply, a massive scythe materialized in her previously empty hand.
"Jinwoo-hyung…?"
Yoo Jinho had no idea what was going on. He didn't know why another hunter had appeared inside this red gate. But he did know one thing—this was the most tense he had ever seen Jinwoo.
Still… she didn't look like one of those hunters who slaughtered others for profit.
"W-wait! Hey, hunter over there!"
Yoo Jinho hurried forward a few steps and stood beside Jinwoo.
"Y-you—hello! We're all just here to make money, right? There's no need to fight to the death! How about this—this dungeon's entire reward goes to you! Why don't we team up and clear it together?"
"I did not come for rewards, sir."
When Castorice faced Yoo Jinho, much of the cold hardness faded from her face.
"Please distance yourself from the man beside you. He is one who toys with the souls of the dead. If you do not wish to be harmed one day, it would be best to keep your distance from him."
Though that was what she said, she vaguely sensed something else beneath the surface. These words were more of a test than an accusation.
"Jinwoo-hyung isn't like that! He—he—"
"What do you mean by 'toying with the dead'?"
Jinwoo stepped in front of Yoo Jinho, frowning at the purple-clad figure ahead.
"Necromancers aren't exactly rare. Are you planning to hunt down every single one of them?"
"Still pretending?"
At his challenge, the chill in Castorice's eyes deepened.
"A necromancer merely borrows souls from the underworld. You, however, forcibly drag the residents of the underworld into the realm of the living, while leaving them in the form of souls."
"Denied rest and peace forever after death, their thoughts—both at the moment of death and in life—are altered, turned into puppets that exist only to serve you. Your actions are, without question, a desecration of the dead, and a trampling upon the sanctity of death itself."
Shock flashed through Jinwoo's eyes.
He used this power, yes—but he had never known this. And it wasn't just him. Most people couldn't possibly know such things. After all… they weren't dead.
How could they know anything about the underworld?
"You've got it wrong. Igris is—"
"Are all of your soldiers following you of their own will, both in life and in death?"
Castorice cut him off.
"…"
That was something Jinwoo couldn't answer. Truthfully, he had never cared whether his soldiers wanted to follow him or not. Only Igris had clearly expressed his will to serve.
"Then… what do you plan to do?"
Jinwoo knew he wasn't her match. All he could do was stall with words. "If I release these soldiers' souls, would that satisfy you?"
"…"
Castorice didn't answer right away.
From the conversation so far, his actions had indeed desecrated death—but there had been no intent to do so.
Thinking carefully, given this world's understanding of mana and magic, it was unreasonable to expect too much self-awareness from its people.
Ignorance is no excuse was an unfair saying—but before anything irreversible had happened, Castorice was willing to let it go this once.
With that thought, she dismissed the scythe in her hand and slowly walked toward the wary Shadow Army.
"Stand down."
Jinwoo knew the tension had eased, at least for now. There was no point in posturing anymore.
Even if he tried, it would be useless. If a fight broke out, both the system and his own instincts told him the same thing—certain death.
At his command, the Shadow Army parted, opening a path that allowed Castorice to walk straight up to the two of them without obstruction.
Still not answering Jinwoo's question, Castorice first turned to Yoo Jinho, who was still struggling to grasp the situation.
She bowed her head slightly. "My apologies, sir. I had no intention of sowing discord between you. My choice of words was inappropriate—please do not take them entirely to heart."
"Huh…? Oh… it's fine! I've always trusted Jinwoo-hyung!"
Yoo Jinho hadn't expected such a formal apology from the girl who had put Jinwoo on edge. He was completely at a loss.
Jinwoo glanced at him from the side.
Honestly, he hadn't expected this timid young man to step up and share the pressure at such a critical moment.
Thinking back on it, if Yoo Jinho hadn't been there, the situation might have escalated into a fight right from the start…
At Yoo Jinho's response, Castorice gave him a small smile before turning back to Jinwoo.
Her face returned to its nearly expressionless state as she spoke.
"Regarding you, sir—I misunderstood you earlier. The souls of the dead should not linger in the world of the living. Since your actions were not born of intent to overstep, I will not pursue this matter further. However… when you wield this power, you must think carefully."
Jinwoo had no objections. The Shadow Army was undeniably powerful, but he trusted his own strength even more.
He still didn't know why this girl had come all the way here just to warn him. But since it had happened, going along with her for now was the best option.
Besides, there might still be room for future negotiation. From both her words and her current attitude, she didn't seem like the type to blindly cling to rigid rules.
With that in mind, Jinwoo spoke up in a friendly tone.
"Want to grab some barbecue together?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.