Necromancer Survival

fully understand his instructions and felt a bit uncomfortable with the idea of ‘punishment,’ I did as he asked.

     As soon as I finished flicking my fingers,  Kim Sangyoon’s body suddenly startled to tremble all over.
He twisted his body, and choked sounds spilled out of his gagged throat.
Something supernatural–invisible–seemed to be strangling him.

     W-What if he dies?

     My hands nervously rubbed each other; the shock made my fingers tremble, a mirror image to Kim Sangyoon’s own struggles.

    “If you want to stop the ‘punishment,’ just flick your finger again.” Seo Dawon calmly explained, as if he were reading a manual for a new home appliance.
I hastily flicked my finger.

    With a loud clap, Kim Sangyoon’s twisting and squirming also ceased…Kim Sangyoon cried, but still couldn’t move from his kneeling position; unable to change his position, he bent over and tucked his head between his thighs.

    “Hmmm…..” I stared at his weeping back with mixed feelings.
This is torture……

    “There’s ‘rewards’ too.
Try patting Kim Sangyoon’s head, gently.”

    I looked back at Seo Dawon, suspiciously, but Seo Dawon urged me, “Are you going to just drag him along like that?” With no other choice, I raised my hands over his bright red hair.

     After stroking his hair twice, I quickly pulled my hand back and observed him.
And…I made eye contact with Kim Sangyoon’s bloodshot eyes.

     His gaze looked strangely hazy.
His was not an expression of someone who had just endured painful torture but looked, instead, like he had taken recreational drugs.
I retreated a few steps, disgusted.

     Seo Dawon continued, voice laden with an unusual steadiness, “A ‘submission contract’ literally compels the subject to obey…They will fear disobeying commands and experience the joy of obedience.
After using the ‘punishment’ and ‘reward’ commands a few times, the subjects will get used to the contract.”

     “…..”

     “What do you think? Effective, isn’t it?”

     Of course, it was impressively effective.

     It was horrifically impressive.

     Seo Dawon didn’t seem to notice my haggard expression and encouraged me to train Kim Sangyoon using the ‘reward’ and ‘punishment’ commands.
“Why don’t you try it two more times?”

     Ha……

     I refused to follow his suggestions and closed the bedroom door with trembling hands.
Seo Dawon and I were left alone in my room; he stared at me, mysteriously.

     “How did you know Kim Sangyoon betrayed us?” I asked.

     “….Well, I downloaded a program I had since long ago onto Kim Sangyoon’s phone.
I could keep an eye on him and his activity through his phone.”

     Had he messed with the phone while Kim Sangyoon took his shower….?

     I nodded at Seo Dawon in lieu of an answer.
Seo Dawon continued, “Then, I sent Bae Jaemin and Lim Jisoo a message from an unknown sender.
About sighting Lim Jisoo’s brother outside the Hub…Ah! I managed to contact my former client and received his help.
I didn’t reveal that I’m Seo Dawon, but the client had sent me a number to call–for any favor–after I fulfilled their request.”

     That’s why Bae Jaemin had left the Hub in such a hurry this morning.
I tried to suppress my complicated feelings and looked up at him.
“But…Why didn’t you say something to me….”

     “Ah, of course I would normally let you know all this….but your acting was so bad.”

     “…..”

     “Kim Sangyoon needed to be fooled by you as well.
He needed to feel as if you 100% believed in him…That’s why I didn’t inform you of my plans.”

     I couldn’t really deny his words, so I eventually decided that I couldn’t really blame Seo Dawon for our current crisis.

     Soon, I began to grow angry at Kim Sangyoon’s deception.
Sangyoon, you punk…Were all those tears yesterday nothing but smokes and illusions? We even gave you a skill!

     I truly believed the sincerity of his desire to kill Ahn Joosung…I guess he was method acting.
He should have been an actor instead of a User…Damn it.

     “I was tricked when I asked him if he wanted to kill Ahn Joosung…Ah, so annoying.”

      “He might have changed his mind after he returned home.” Seo Dawon said–a paltry effort to appease me with his soothing smile.

TL: Remember when Dawon said that rankers are a bit…questionable? In ammoral fights like this, MC really does feel like the shrimp in a whale’s fight.
Thanks for reading! I’ll have a bonus chapter (so two chapters?) tomorrow (hopefully)!