Chapter 1

Before Awakening, Necromancer

Chapter 1: Great Cataclysm (1)

"Hey, body cleaner!"

Kangsahu stopped embalming the body at the familiar voice and turned around.

Choi Kyungdo, an employee of the funeral service company often seen due to his connection with the funeral home where Kangsahu worked, was frowning outside the mortuary.

"Still not done? You're falling behind! Hurry up."

"...Yes, I understand."

Kangsahu replied indifferently.

Seeing his expression, Choi Kyungdo's face twisted in annoyance.

"Hey, what's that look? Got a problem?"

As Choi Kyungdo, wearing dirty shoes, tried to enter the mortuary without properly cleaning them, Kangsahu's expression changed, and his eyes glinted eerily.

"Have you not finished the embalming yet, and you're trying to enter the embalming room?"

In an instant, the atmosphere turned deadly, and a faint green light flickered in Kangsahu's eyes.

The moment their eyes met, the man's steps froze, feeling a chill.

"W-What, what, you body cleaner. A-As an employee... "

"I asked if you were trying to enter."

When Kangsahu pressed again without backing down, Choi Kyungdo's face contorted.

However, like a mouse in front of a cat, he couldn't speak, only standing stiff and sweating profusely.

Kangsahu, who had been staring at him intently, turned his gaze away.

"I'll be done soon. Don't worry, I'll finish on time."

"…Huh."

Only after Kangsahu's gaze fell did Choi Kyungdo seem to relax, taking a deep breath.

"Shit! If you're late, I'll fire you! You disgusting brat!"

Bang!

The sound of the embalming room door slamming shut made Kangsahu, who was about to resume embalming, stop.

His expression hardened, and the faint green light in his eyes intensified, becoming a deep, long-lasting glow.

"...I'm really sorry."

Kangsahu muttered to himself in the empty embalming room.

Surprisingly, a response came to his muttering.

"I showed you an embarrassing sight. I apologize again."

The entity that responded to Kangsahu's apology laughed.

When he looked up at the body, a pale but powerful spirit hovered above it, looking down at him.

"Thank you."

Kangsahu, smiling slightly, continued the embalming.

His quick but meticulous movements revealed his long experience.

"Perhaps it's because I've inherited this work for three generations."

The spirit's sharp question made Kangsahu fall silent.

However, his body moved independently, continuing the embalming without slowing down.

"..."

The spirit's earnest request made Kangsahu's eyes waver.

The spirit, sensing his hesitation, did not push.

After a moment of contemplation, Kangsahu opened his mouth.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else."

"I haven't forgotten. Just like I haven't forgotten who you are."

The spirit's voice faltered at his response.

Surprised, the spirit flickered and wavered.

After a moment, the spirit's voice became solemn and low.

"Understood. Then I'll tell you."

Pausing to take a breath, the spirit continued.

"I am a necromancer."

Kangsahu's response made the spirit's voice rise in surprise.

The spirit, which had been flickering slightly, now emitted a powerful aura.

"It might be similar, but not exactly the same."

The spirit flickered, seemingly regretful.

While they conversed, Kangsahu continued to meticulously clean the body. Soon, he began the process of dressing the body in a shroud.

Though the body was lifeless, the thorough cleaning and dressing made it look as if it were merely sleeping.

"Thank you. I'm glad you're satisfied."

Kangsahu, who usually didn't react to light comments, smiled slightly at the spirit's gratitude, showing his sincerity.

"Yes, I'll help you on your journey."

The spirit's voice sounded weaker.

When Kangsahu looked at the spirit, it had weakened, like a flame about to go out.

Kangsahu, sensing its struggle, recited an incantation in an unknown language with a calm expression.

After finishing the incantation, he gently touched the spirit, and it regained its strength and form.

"You shouldn't weaken yet. Wouldn't it be better to see your family before you leave?"

The spirit's playful words made Kangsahu smile again.

Carefully moving the shrouded body to the back of the funeral home, Kangsahu saw Choi Kyungdo, who was guiding the family, shooing him away with a wave of his hand.

"Then I hope you have a good farewell."

The spirit wanted to continue the conversation, but as the family members entered, Kangsahu bowed to them and left.

Kangsahu, who had a break before embalming the next body, took out his phone, which he hadn't seen during work.

He received messages from family and friends but didn't feel like responding immediately, so he turned on the internet.

The recent internet news was mostly about Choi.

When he opened NewTube, a short video automatically played, providing information about the mysterious portal, 'Gate,' which was currently heating up the world.

However, since he had heard this content several times, Kangsahu didn't find it particularly interesting and moved on to the next video.

Initially, when the Gate appeared, doomsday theorists were rampant, and crime rates skyrocketed, leading to many speculations about the end of the world.

However, several months had passed without any changes from the Gate.

People who had taken advantage of the chaos were appropriately punished, so life continued amidst the uncertainty.

Some even claimed that the Gate was just a conspiracy theorist's delusion.

While scrolling through videos, Kangsahu paused at a new piece of information.

"People who claim to have awakened a few days ago."

They claimed that they chose a card during their awakening, which determined their profession, and they gained special powers afterward.

Many videos on NewTube showed people demonstrating their abilities, but these videos were quickly taken down.

Though it was an intriguing news story, most people, pointing to the chaos caused by the Gate, believed that the existence of these awakened individuals was a lie.

The video, uploaded a minute ago, had already surpassed 300,000 views and was a top trending issue.

While it seemed like a surreal story, the existence of the Gate was undeniable.

Moreover, the continuous upload of related videos made it hard to dismiss as mere manipulation.

Most importantly, Kangsahu himself was a necromancer with a secret power, living a hidden life among ordinary people, so he couldn't easily dismiss it as unrealistic.

"...Awakened individuals."

Deciding to investigate further, he was about to search for more information when he suddenly sensed something strange.

Boom!

A deafening explosion came from the hospital across from the funeral home.

"What?"

Kangsahu, startled, turned his head and saw a 20-story apartment building collapse like in a movie.

"Ah-!!"

"What, what! What's happening!"

"The world is ending! It's an alien invasion!"

People who rushed outside screamed and panicked.

The explosions didn't stop.

In fact, a more terrifying and bizarre phenomenon was unfolding.

Crack!

The sound of glass shattering echoed like thunder from the sky.

People's gazes were drawn to the sky above the collapsing apartment, where black lines spread like a spider web, breaking the sky.

Aaah!

Soon, a deafening siren began to wail.

His phone also emitted a loud alarm with a familiar emergency message.

"Ah-! The sky is breaking!"

"Mom, where are you?! The building is collapsing! Be careful!"

The surreal sight of the sky breaking caused people to fall into chaos, screaming in despair.

Kangsahu, about to call his family, suddenly felt a terrible pain, as if lightning had struck his head.

"Ugh-?!"

Kangsahu clutched his temples in shock.

It felt like all the pain he had ever experienced in his life was hitting him at once.

Tears welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision.

Overwhelmed by the pain, his thoughts stopped, and his vision blurred with tears.

Kangsahu saw a message floating before his eyes:

You have been chosen as an Awakened.

He couldn't tell if it was real or an illusion.