How to Raise Your Skeletons

[You have acquired the item ‘Green Lizard Tail’ (C-rank).]

[You have acquired the item ‘Deviant Wolf Fang’ (D-rank).]

[You have acquired the item ‘Deviant Wolf Claw’ (D-rank).]

[You have acquired the item ‘Cursed Quiver’ (D-rank).]

…

All the miscellaneous materials obtained in the dungeon went into the alchemy stand. I stored materials for future item crafting, including iron ingots, silver ingots, threads, cloth, and leather. Then I used them to increase Boney 6’s proficiency. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Let’s take it slow.

The old man had sulked for a while, but after I received two consecutive massages from him, he was miraculously appeased.

“You.”

“Y-Yes, elder?”

“Don’t get distracted. How many times have I told you that immersion is the most important thing in any training?”

The old man was indeed a transcendent being, one who even mastered mind-reading.

—Whoosh!

I swung my sword. It was time to build up proficiency for my Slash skill again today. Raising a skill’s rank wasn’t an easy task.

[Rend (C-rank)]

My level of slashing was still very low.

“Huff, huff!”

While sweating and swinging my arm like crazy…

“Disciple,” the old man stopped me.

“Huff, what is it now? I was just getting into it.”

“There are only five minutes left. So let me ask you something.” The old man furrowed his eyebrows.

Judging by his expression, he had something to say.

—Clang!

I also set down the bone sword I’d borrowed from Boney 1 on the ground. I had plenty of time to train, but conversations with the old man, whom I could only summon for an hour a day, were more precious to me.

“Yes, I’m listening, elder.”

“I’ve been wanting to say this for a while. That woman back there, the one who challenged me.”

“Are you talking about Ms. Soyul?”

“Yes, how long do you plan on keeping her by your side?”

“…”

The old man continued calmly, “You need to become stronger. You might think you’ve gotten strong, but you haven’t even reached the lowest caliber of All Techniques. Yet you have a strong presence protecting you that doesn’t match your level.”

“Are you saying I need more crises?”

A weed grown in harsh conditions is tougher than a flower in a greenhouse. I wondered if that was what he wanted to convey.

However.

“Hmm. Not only did Ms. Soyul make a promise to me, but she’s also staying of her own will…”

To be precise, it’s because of you, elder.

But I held back that thought.

—Swoosh!

I sensed Gi Soyul’s presence nearby. She must have been concerned when her name came up, but she wouldn’t have heard the old man’s voice anyway.

“You have to send her away somehow. I assume you won’t be easily defeated as someone who has taken the resentment of both me and the Sun Spear.”

“Well, that’s true…”

Indeed, it was. I didn’t even care about the ones targeting me lately. I had enough on my mind with my training and Boney 6’s proficiency.

“There’s a saying, ‘A pointed needle will always be recognized.’ No matter how much you crouch in fear, the world will notice you and become envious. Will you always hide behind someone’s back then?”

I opened my mouth. “Elder, do you… want me to reveal myself to the world?”

I was currently hiding my rank. Not only that, I wasn’t involved in any activities, only focusing on training and continuously clearing dungeons. In dungeons especially, I moved as discreetly as possible not to reveal myself to the world.

But the old man didn’t seem to like that.

“Yes, that’s exactly right. You will have something to protect once you reveal yourself to the world. Then you won’t say nonsense about learning some puny techniques like blacksmithing.”

“Pardon?”

Could it be that this old man was still upset about that? If that was the case, then that just made him petty.

“But it’s fine,” he said.

“What is?”

“I’ve also learned a lot from that.”

“You’re saying that out of nowhere.” I tilted my head in question.

“In fact, I overlooked that the world I lived in and your world are fundamentally different.”

“…”

“If I knew that this world allowed an item to be created in an instant with a single skill, I wouldn’t have stopped you back then.”

Ah, right. I showed the old man Boney 6’s smelting and alchemy process. I still remember his astonished expression.

“This world is more mysterious and harsher than the one I lived in.”

“Why?”

At my question, the old man stroked his chin. “Both Sun Spear and I were absolute beings in our worlds. We had no rivals, and no entity interfered in our world.”

“But this world…”

“Yes, it’s a place intertwined with countless other worlds. Moreover, it’s a world where a transcendent being intervenes in the name of ‘skills.’”

A transcendent—the old man called the system by that name.

He’s right.

We didn’t know the existence of that transcendent being like how ants in a lab wouldn’t know the existence of scientists. We could only speculate that it was a being from another dimension or a ‘deity.’

From the old man’s perspective, it must have been ridiculous to see hunters who didn’t even know ki using the essence of enlightenment, which took decades to achieve, with a single ‘skill.’

“Therefore, you must become stronger than me. You must become even greater. To prove that my All Techniques is the strongest, you must exist not only above my world but above all worlds.”

“I understand.”

I nodded because I understood why the old man said that.

He’s anxious.

I don’t know why the old man was so obsessed with strength. There might have been some reason, or it might have been his infinite pride in his All Techniques.

But one thing is certain.

The old man’s intentions aligned with mine. Additionally, the old man was much more experienced and stronger than me. That alone made him worth following.

“Alright.”

The decision was quick. The old man wanted only one thing: to be free from Gi Soyul’s protection.

“However.”

“However?” The old man turned his head.

“Remember the medium dungeon I mentioned back then?”

“You mean the Roots of Racial Conflict or something?”

“Yes, elder.”

[Item: Roots of Racial Conflict]

[Rank: A]

[Type: Medium]

[Description: Roots that can uncover secrets of hidden ruins.]

[Effect 1: Can unlock the dungeon ‘Forest and Stone.’]

[Effect 2: Bound to the hunter ‘Joo Donghoon.’]

[Effect 3: This item can only be activated for hunters C-rank and above.]

It was an A-rank medium, but now that I was a C-rank hunter, I could challenge it.

“I’ll challenge it right away. If it seems like there’s no crisis, I’ll just have to create one. The difficulty seems quite tough, wouldn’t you agree?”

The previous dungeon was B-rank, yet it had the Sun Spear in it, which presented me with an ‘Immeasurable’ difficulty. Honestly, I was nervous just thinking about how difficult this dungeon would be and how much it would help me grow.

“Haha, you little one. Now you’re finally understanding.” The old man nodded in satisfaction. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that. With pleasure, you may leave.”

Gi Soyul accepted it surprisingly easily.

“Hellhound is a despicable yet cowardly ranker.”

“…”

“Therefore he is cautious. As long as the Five Stars of Seoul stand firm, he will never appear before you.”

In reality, without the threat of Hellhound appearing before me, Gi Soyul’s protection was somewhat excessive.

“Thank you for protecting me until now.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’ve gained just as much from it. It was a promise too.”

“Still, gratitude is gratitude.” I bowed my head sincerely.

Even though we’d grown closer lately, the fact that she was a ranker hadn’t changed. And it was difficult to acquire a ranker’s protection even with billions of money.

“However,” Gi Soyul spoke.

“Yes.”

“Allow me to observe your training whenever I want.”

“Huh? You can already observe anytime you want, can’t you?”

She was a ranker. With my current ability, she could observe me without me noticing.

“Watching in secret isn’t a polite thing to do.”

But of course, the Gi Soyul beside me was very strict with herself.

Well, I nodded. “Yes, please let me know whenever you come by. I don’t mind since you’ve been watching up until now anyway.”

“And one more thing.”

“What is it?”

“In case of any crisis, you must seek help from Parang.”

“…”

“I’m saying this out of concern, but sometimes you are recklessly impulsive.”

“…I can be a bit reckless sometimes.” I scratched the back of my head.

There had indeed been many moments that things would have turned dangerous without Gi Soyul, such as the incidents that happened in dungeons and at Seonyudo.

“Remember. Your fortuitous opportunity isn’t just your own. My share must definitely be included.”

“…Alright. I got it.”

Having allies was a great advantage, especially a trustworthy ally. For her too. If I died, she’d lose the clue to break her growth wall, so I was sure she really meant it when she said that.

“Be careful then.”

With those words, her figure disappeared like melting snow. It was a mysterious skill, no matter how many times I had seen it.

“Hmm.”

After she disappeared, I took a short break. Then I took out the roots from my pocket.

“The instructions say to plant this in the ground, right?”

The Roots of Racial Conflict. When I planted the medium in the clearing with my energy, the space started to shake and a tree started to grow rapidly.

—Rumble!

The roots were anchored to the ground and the trunk grew to form a door.

[Would you like to activate the ‘Roots of Racial Conflict’?]

[You can unlock the dungeon ‘Forest and Stone.]

[Warning!]

[This is a solo dungeon.]

—Thump, thump.

My heart raced at the thought of what trials awaited beyond that door. No one could say for sure, and no one could provide any advice. It felt like peering into the abyss.

A regular hunter would be very afraid, however…

I never back down.

Hesitation led to shrinking. There was only one answer, anyway. It was better to dive in without hesitation and face it.

Whatever trials come, I’ll endure and become stronger.

—Flash!

A blinding light filled my vision.

* * *

“Hm.”

Inside a luxurious building office, a man in a black suit sat, resting his chin on his hand.

[Director Shin Jongoh]

The man’s name was Shin Jongoh. He was a C-rank hunter and the grandson of the chairman of the Ohsung Group, one of the top 10 corporations in South Korea.

He was gnashing his teeth upon hearing that his favorite ranker, Gi Soyul, was interested in someone.

“Did you investigate that guy, Joo Donghoon?”

“Yes.”

Opposite him, a woman who looked like a secretary adjusted her glasses.

“There were some difficulties due to the Dark Empress’s interference, but…”

“Don’t worry. Gi Soyul can’t harm me.”

No matter how powerful Parang was, the Ohsung Group was also a big whale. They wouldn’t start a war to harm each other because their risk of loss was too high.

The secretary cleared her throat. “Hmm, the investigation revealed that his daily routine was simple.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, he went back and forth between a clearing at the back of a mountain and the underground shopping mall, Gotomall, every day. But during other times, the Dark Empress’s surveillance intensified…”

“Wait a minute.” Shin Jongoh raised his eyebrows. “Gotomall? Did he get his hands on some fortune or something?”

“I don’t think so. He goes to a workshop called the Smith’s Forge, where beginner production workers rent expensive equipment.”

“Production, you say…” Shin Jongoh frowned.

What could it be? Does he possess some sort of special production class?

Could it be that was why Gi Soyul was so interested in him?

“Haah,” he let out a short sigh.

In any case, he felt relieved. No matter his unique ability, Shin Jongoh was still a C-rank hunter. Even if they fought, he wouldn’t lose to a production worker.

His wariness eased slightly. But at the same time, anger welled up.

Does this mean I lost to a mere production worker?

—Clench!

Shin Jongoh clenched his fist.

Hehe, it’s time to teach him a lesson.

A sinister smile spread across his lips.