Chapter 14
“Oh, Necro! Over here!”
The day after Bone1’s intense training, Kang Jaeho’s group greeted me at the appointed place.
“Right on time. I sent you the dungeon info by text, so you checked it, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
The info was simple.
A newly appeared dungeon, classified C-rank by the Association about a week ago.
The main mission was to eliminate monsters and defeat the boss.
Field type: desert.
“As you said, I slathered on sunscreen and brought emergency ice water.”
“Good.”
Kang Jaeho nodded.
There were seven people with him.
‘Seven?’
Wasn’t it five before?
As I gave a puzzled look, Kang Jaeho spoke up.
“You’re officially a party member now. These five are my usual team, and we brought in two F-rank porters. Don’t worry, we’ve already paid them, so there won’t be any extra charge.”
“Oh, I see. Thank you.”
Makes sense.
The main reason anyone goes into dungeons is to make money.
Inside, you sometimes find mana stones filled with pure energy, or rare ores like moonstones or mithril—so porters are essential.
If the main reward is the dungeon loot, then the materials the porters pick up are just minor bonuses.
“….”
I glanced at the two porters.
They looked like they’d just come of age—a young man and woman who looked like siblings.
They shyly nodded at me, and I gave them a slight bow in return.
Not long ago, I’d been a porter myself, so I felt a sense of kinship.
“Alright, if introductions are done, let’s get going! Man, I’m itching for some action!”
“Yeah, I want to see what the new necro can do, too.”
The hunters laughed, loosening up.
Click!
Kang Jaeho loaded his revolver and spoke.
“Okay, I’ve reported to the Association, so we’re heading in. Donghoon, porters—stick close.”
They looked more relaxed than tense.
‘Definitely the adventurous hunter type.’
Honestly, it was strange.
Even with me, a C-rank dungeon is a life-and-death challenge.
Where’s all that confidence coming from?
‘Well, whatever.’
I’m not here because these people are safe.
It’s because I trust my skeletons—and myself.
It’s not blind confidence.
‘My skeletons can take down top-tier D-rank orcs in one blow.’
And if I have advice from a master that even rankers can’t handle?
Clearing a C-rank dungeon is nothing.
I gripped my staff.
[Skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-rank) activated.]
Creak! Creak!
First, Bone1 with a sword and Bone2 with a spear appeared at my sides.
[Skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-rank) activated.]
Bone3 with a bow and Bone5 with a staff appeared in the rear.
And finally—
[Consumes 10 energy.]
[‘Bone4’ appears.]
Boom!
Bone4, holding a shield as big as his body, planted it in the ground up front.
I grinned, satisfied with my sturdy formation.
“Whoa.”
“Necro! They seem even stronger than last time.”
“Yeah, their appearance hasn’t changed much, but something feels different. Their eyes look sharper.”
Their compliments put me in a better mood.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Let’s go right in.”
—
[Entering dungeon.]
Fwoosh!
As soon as we entered, blazing heat enveloped my whole body.
[You are exposed to a harsh environment!]
[All stats decrease by 10%!]
‘Hmm.’
The sunlight was so intense it was hard to keep my eyes open.
The desert sand was dry and cracked.
Withered trees lay toppled here and there.
“Wow, it’s even hotter than I thought.”
“Just pretend it’s a sauna.”
“Easier said than done.”
The hunters rolled up their sleeves, grumbling.
The F-rank porters were already clamping their mouths shut, clearly struggling.
‘Is it really that bad?’
I tilted my head.
It was hot, but bearable.
Compared to the hellish massages from the old man, this was nothing.
‘Maybe it’s Pain Resistance?’
Creak.
My skeletons were dry bones to begin with—no trouble with the heat.
“Everyone gather up.”
Even in the heat, Kang Jaeho called the party together with a steady tone.
He definitely knew what he was doing in a dungeon.
“Focus up. The monsters here are scorpions and snakes.”
“Sn-snakes?”
“Don’t act so scared. I already told you, right?”
“Heh.”
He ignored the joking members and continued explaining.
He detailed the dungeon’s layout and the boss room at the end.
“C-rank desert dungeons are all pretty similar. Cut through the monsters and head to the boss room. Open the door, beat the boss, that’s it.”
“What kind of boss?”
“It’s always random. We’ll see when we get there.”
The porters gulped as they listened.
Kang Jaeho flashed them a smile.
“You two just stick close. Pick up whatever’s dropped and hand over anything we ask for. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Yessir!”
The porters answered briskly.
And with that, we set out.
The path was simple.
Assuming we started in the west, we just had to move toward the blazing sun in the east.
Kang Jaeho explained that monsters would get tougher the farther we went.
-Kiieek! Kyahat!
As we moved, desert scorpions and snakes began to appear one by one.
All of them tough enough to warrant a C-rank rating.
“Here they come.”
“Everyone, get ready!”
Click! Clack!
The hunters readied their weapons.
‘Should I try it, too?’
I began to command my skeletons.
I wasn’t sure why Kang Jaeho was treating me so well.
But he’d given me full freedom.
-Kiieek!
Three scorpions charged my way.
Just from their aura, they seemed as strong as the orcs I’d fought in the clearing.
Back then, I couldn’t have done anything.
“Bone5!”
I called out confidently.
Compared to the terrifying old man, this was nothing.
Voom!
At my shout, Bone5 swung its staff and chanted a spell.
[‘Skeleton 5’ uses skill, Air Shield (Lv.1).]
First, secure my own safety.
Then—
“Bone4, draw aggro.”
[‘Skeleton 4’ uses skill, Low Taunt (Lv.1).]
Boom!
Bone4 slammed its shield into the ground so hard the earth shook.
Dust billowed up.
-Kiieek! Kiiee!
[‘Desert Scorpion’ focuses on ‘Skeleton 4!’]
[‘Desert Scorpion’ focuses on ‘Skeleton 4!’]
[‘Desert Scorpion’ focuses on ‘Skeleton 4!’]
All at once, the monsters focused all their hostility on Bone4.
‘Good.’
I let out a breath of relief.
If a Lv.1 skill worked this well, it meant my skeletons were no joke.
Whoosh!
Bone1 charged and slashed with its sword.
It was the same “slash” I’d learned from the old man.
Clang!
But the scorpion’s tough hide repelled the blade.
-Kiiee!
Still, from the way it shrieked, it must have felt something.
“Keep hitting it!”
Creak!
Bone2 and Bone3 moved in.
Bone2 jabbed its spear into the gaps in the scorpion’s armor.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Bone3 fired arrows at each monster in turn.
-Kiet! Kiiet!
But even then, the scorpions only attacked Bone4’s shield as if entranced.
They couldn’t fight back.
My skeletons moved without hesitation.
As Bone2’s stabs opened up gaps in the armor—
Whoosh!
Bone1 brought its sword down with a brutal chop.
Crack!
The scorpion’s leg was severed.
Dark red blood splattered.
[‘Desert Scorpion’ eliminated.]
‘That was easy.’
Same for the others.
Bone1’s sword came down, and severed body parts flew.
Bone3’s arrows buried into the wounds.
‘Weak. Doesn’t even feel like C-rank.’
Was the rank off? Or am I just stronger?
Well, desert scorpions are considered lower C-rank.
Their strength is about D-rank, but since they hunt in packs, they’re classified as C.
“Wow, Necro, you took out three already?”
“You must’ve really gotten lucky.”
I glanced over.
Kang Jaeho’s party had finished off their scorpions, too, calmly wiping blood from their weapons.
I was surprised at how steady they looked.
‘Were they always that strong?’
Well, back in the old man’s dungeon, I had no way of knowing.
Back then, both they and I were just barely surviving.
‘But…’
One of the members kept mentioning “lucky breaks.”
It bugged me.
Talking about how I seemed different, more muscular, even better-looking.
Eager to see what I could do.
Suddenly acting all friendly.
‘They’re being way too nice to me.’
Now that I see their real strength, they probably didn’t need me at all.
If Kang Jaeho really wanted me on the team, shouldn’t we be practicing our teamwork instead of just giving me free rein?
‘Am I being paranoid?’
Basically, it felt like this—
A nagging sense of discomfort, but no proof.
‘Who knows.’
What if they approached me for my “lucky break?”
What if their true rank is way higher than their badges suggest?
Think about it.
Why pick me out of all the hunters out there?
An E-rank on paper.
‘What the hell is this?’
I frowned.
It was like the pieces were finally falling into place.
‘They know I’m the one who got the reward from that tough dungeon.’
But because of the confidentiality agreement with Parang, they can’t say anything or ask outright.
Even if they’re top hunters, they wouldn’t want to break their promise with ranker Ki Soyul.
‘So, that leaves only one way.’
The only way to get what they want, while following all the rules—
Is dungeon exploration.
No cameras, no evidence.
Dungeon accidents are more common than traffic accidents.
‘For now, I’ll stay on guard. It’s just suspicion at this point.’
Someone once said,
The only thing scarier than dungeon monsters is other people.
It’s a truth every hunter eventually learns.
Step, step.
We made our way through monsters, moving forward.
After about two hours, the boss room finally came into view.
A massive “door” stood in the middle of the desert, flanked by two ornate altars.
[Ding!]
[Stage: Ancient Desert Scorpion King]
[To break the seal on the Ancient Desert Scorpion King, you must offer a sacrifice.]
[Place sacrifices on the two magic circles.]
[The sacrifices must be living hunters of F-rank or higher.]
“A sacrifice, F-rank…”
I muttered under my breath.
This was info the others hadn’t heard.
‘Living… that means…’
I instinctively glanced back.
The porter siblings were reading the message with wide, terrified eyes.
At the same time—
“Hm, a sacrifice, huh? What a pain.”
“Yeah, why’d it have to be this boss?”
The hunters were smirking, totally unbothered.
That was the source of my unease all along.
‘Ha, these bastards.’
I clicked my tongue.
That’s right.
They weren’t Monster X Hunter—they were Hunter X Hunter.
In other words, hunters who hunt other hunters.