Chapter 11
Skill.
It’s a word that refers to the talent or method needed to do something.
But I just couldn’t understand it.
No matter how skilled the old man was in the Ten Thousand Arts, how could he possibly turn an ordinary guy like me into a genius?
“Hehehe, this is perfect. I never got to use this technique after creating it.”
The old man wore a sly grin as he inspected every part of my body.
“Hardened meridians can be cleared with energy, hmm… Your bones are also very weak. Tsk, it’ll take about 300 days of massage to fix that… But it’ll be pretty painful. Still, you seemed pretty stubborn last time, so you should be fine, right…?”
“Excuse me…?”
I was dumbfounded.
It’s my body, so why is the old man so excitedly giving an estimate?
It felt like a plastic surgery consultant shaking their head at my face and drawing lines all over it.
And the bigger problem was…
‘Did he say it’ll hurt?’
In a world where necromancers are praised because people hate pain—
Suddenly, what’s with this out-of-nowhere suffering?
“Sir? I don’t think I’m ready for this yet.”
“Quiet, you brat! Do you know how many people in my world wanted to receive this Grand Art? The Grand Art of Supreme Craftsmanship, created after much effort in my later years.”
Supreme what now?
Not interested at all.
“Oh?”
But now that I think about it, I am curious.
If he has such an art, why didn’t he use it earlier?
It’s a secret art that can turn trash into a genius!
“Tsk tsk, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Kid, this technique comes at the cost of my own life force. What’s the point of raising my disciple’s talent if I melt away into nothing the moment I use it?”
“Ah.”
Yeah, if he dies after raising their abilities, he can’t pass anything on, so it’s a useless technique.
“What about now?”
“Well, now that I’m already dead, it doesn’t matter.”
“…Wow, that’s a very comfortable way of thinking.”
I let out a sigh.
“Then let me ask one more thing. The people who challenged you before me—what about them?”
“Oh, you mean that fierce girl and the shabby ones who came before?”
“Yes, we call them hunters in our world. Couldn’t you have used your technique on them? You were already dead then.”
“Listen to this cheeky brat.”
Thwack!
“Ow!”
Tears welled up from the sharp flick to my forehead.
“Why’d you hit me?”
“Calling me ‘dead’ like that. Have some respect for the departed.”
“Damn it.”
What else am I supposed to call someone who’s dead?
As I grumbled, the old man shook his head.
“And you really are the slowest kid alive, aren’t you?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t I just say it? This Grand Art only works on trash. If you’re not absolute garbage, it’s meaningless. You have to be rotten food-waste level for it to work.”
“…Huh?”
I stared in disbelief.
Is this old guy… seriously trash-talking me to my face right now?
“It won’t work on them. Their bodies are already ruined by other energies.”
The old man’s expression turned serious.
“Compared to them, you’re clean. Weak, but clean. Even though you can summon the dead, that power hasn’t changed your body yet.”
“Huh?”
“And besides, this is only the second-best method. Those born as geniuses are always better than those made. I was actually hoping to find a more promising candidate, but you convinced me. Now you have to take responsibility.”
“…I see.”
I nodded with my mouth hanging open.
The words stung a little, but it was still a good thing.
It meant I had a chance to get stronger, which is what I wanted all along.
If I could make my skeletons stronger—and myself, too—
‘That’s a win-win!’
I decided not to overthink it.
There’s a famous quote from a world-class figure skater.
– Don’t think. Just do it.
Just like how I kept training for three years.
All I have to do is push forward, steadily.
“Alright, are you ready?”
Whoosh.
The old man’s form moved in front of me.
“If I do exactly as you say, will I really get stronger?”
He grinned.
“Of course. You’ll be stronger than you can even imagine.”
—
Crack crack crack!
“Aaaaargh!”
My scream echoed across the clearing.
Damn it, I should’ve known.
I should’ve taken it seriously when he said it’d hurt.
“Hey, why are you whining so much? We haven’t even started yet.”
“Ow, it hurts! It hurts! Ugh, I’m drooling.”
The old man’s massage was pure torture.
He hammered and pressed every inch of my body so fast I could barely see.
I had no way to escape.
It wasn’t just a thump-thump—it was more like bang bang bang!
“Grrrgh.”
The pain shook my entire body, and I rolled my eyes back.
Crunch.
At the same time, I clenched my teeth.
I have to endure. I must.
If I want to be a Ranker, I have to put up with it.
‘Of course, the fact that he says this hasn’t even started is a bit scary.’
If the pain now can make my future self shine brighter, maybe it’s worth it?
Seeing this, the old man snickered.
“You really do have some guts. Good.”
The beatdown continued.
Every time his explosive fists landed, my heart pounded and my blood boiled.
The pain was so intense I didn’t even want to imagine it.
How long did it go on? About thirty minutes?
[Skill ‘Pain Resistance’ (Rank C) acquired.]
[This skill can still grow further.]
“That’s the end of the Grand Art. Well done.”
“……”
Thud.
I collapsed to the ground.
Tears streamed down my face, and snot and drool dripped everywhere.
It hurt. It hurt too much.
“You’re trash, but at least you have a bit of talent. If you want to be strong and can endure the pain, then there’s always hope.”
The old man kept rambling, but—
I didn’t have the energy to respond.
Whatever.
Right now, I just wanted to pass out and rest.
I wanted to sleep.
“Hey, we still have thirty minutes left. Get up. You’re not the only one who needs a massage. Those skeletons are waiting too.”
“Huh?”
The training was one hour in total.
The old man’s time wasn’t over yet.
—
The old man was just as passionate about teaching the skeletons.
“The foundation of every job is physical fitness. Strangely, these dead ones seem able to grow stronger without muscles. First, get them into position.”
“This was my go-to horseback stance back when I was alive.”
“Most of the body’s muscle is in the lower body. If you want to build a high tower, you have to make the base strong first.”
He taught with the kind of professionalism that made even training seem like a skill.
The only problem was—
“Ugh.”
I had to join in the training, too.
Basic fitness with five skeletons.
Dragging my aching body along made it nearly impossible to hold out.
“Huff, huff…!”
Damn it, this is tough. Really tough.
I glanced to the side.
Creak!
From Skeleton One to Skeleton Five.
They all looked completely at ease.
They followed the old man’s instructions without the slightest misstep!
‘How am I supposed to compete with them?’
They’re D-rank monsters, after all.
And they have lots of training under their belts, too.
Maybe sensing my frustration, the old man approached me with a stern look.
“Let me say it again. You have no talent. If you have anything, it’s grit.”
His words only strengthened my weakened spirit.
“And you’re a master, someone who commands others. Even if they’re the dead, you’re still their master. A master can’t be weaker than their summons.”
“Huff, huff…! That’s why I’m enduring this, sir.”
“You have to build a solid vessel. The dead know. You’re not ready to control all of them yet.”
He must mean Skeletons Six through Ten.
When I ranked up from E to D, Skeletons Four and Five awakened.
The rest will probably unlock one by one as I get stronger.
“Ugh.”
The lower body training went on.
Whenever I collapsed, the old man would immediately snap at me.
There was no break, not even for a second—he kept pushing and pushing.
‘This is abuse, pure and simple.’
My muscles were all torn and not recovering, so what’s the point of more training?
I think I fell about ten times.
“Alright, let’s wrap up for today.”
“Haa, haa! Really?”
Finally, the hellish session was over.
“Yes, brat. From now on, you need to train your body like this every morning. If not, don’t even think about calling me.”
He spoke curtly.
[Skill ‘Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts’ (Rank S) duration has ended.]
[‘Master of Ten Thousand Arts’ summon released.]
[This skill can be used again in 24 hours.]
And just like that, he vanished like smoke.
“…Haa, haa.”
I lay flat on the floor.
Sweat poured off me, and I had no strength left to get up.
Click! Clack!
The five skeletons watched and comforted me.
Yeah, I’m sorry.
While I was pushing you to train, I was going all out, too.
“BonesOne.”
I called my first summoned skeleton.
Creak?
It tilted its head.
“Sorry, but I can’t get home by myself. Can you give me a piggyback?”
People might stare, but there’s no helping it.
I just didn’t have the energy to walk home.
And I can’t sleep on the floor, can I?
Recovery is as important as training.
I need to eat well and get a good night’s sleep.
I released the rest of the skeletons except for Skeleton One and headed home.
Flop!
As soon as I lay down on my mattress, I grabbed my phone.
[Account Details]
[Account Holder: Joo Donghoon]
[Hunter Special Account D-Rank]
[Deposit: 3,600,000 won (Problem Solver)]
“Oh.”
Parang really kept their promise.
The original porter fee was 200,000 won, multiplied by the promised 20 times for a total of 4,000,000 won.
After a 10% fee from the mercenary guild ‘Problem Solver,’ I received the rest.
As a freelancer with a registered business, I’ll pay the 3.3% tax later myself.
Still, it was unexpected.
Honestly, after taking the opportunity, I wouldn’t have blamed them if they didn’t pay me.
‘Either way, it’s good.’
Now I have enough to pay rent and buy food.
But it also got me thinking.
‘Should I keep working as a mercenary?’
Physically, I’m at my limit.
The old man’s training was so intense that it was hard to manage anything else.
‘I do need to earn more money, though.’
But I can’t quit—I just don’t have enough saved up.
The best thing would be to get sponsored by a big or promising guild.
But there’s no way with D-Rank skills.
And sponsorship comes with strings attached.
You might be forced into missions you don’t want or have to deal with weird superiors all day.
‘Guess I’ll just keep working as a mercenary.’
The old man’s training is only one hour a day, anyway.
Nobody can train all the time.
Balancing work and training is the best choice.
And who knows?
Maybe I’ll stumble onto another lucky break like last time.
After rewarding myself with a hamburger instead of my usual ramen, I passed out.
The next morning, after finishing my training as instructed, I went to work.
“Hey, Donghoon! You’re finally here? Come here!”
Team leader Kim Junsu greeted me warmly.
Next to him stood five hunters.
“Do you know these people? They’re one of the teams that survived the last dungeon.”
“Huh?”
They looked familiar.
They were definitely part of the group that survived the last dungeon with me.
But why are they here?