Chapter 141

Chapter 141

[Translator – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]

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.’

“......”

“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 – Prøks]

[Proofreader – Prøks]