Chapter 17
“……”
Kang Jaeho stared blankly ahead.
He couldn’t believe it.
Two mighty seniors from Shadow Severance had turned tail at the mere mention of “Ki Soyul.”
“Ugh…”
His abdomen throbbed.
His skin was swollen.
A skeleton wielding a sword stood before him.
Was it called Bone One?
The area where that damned bag of bones had kicked him—he was sure the bone was fractured.
“Fuck.”
Ptui.
He spat out blood along with his curse.
And he thought to himself:
‘How the hell did it end up like this?’
It had been a foolproof plan.
Sure, that guy had cleared some bizarre dungeon, but he was still just an E-rank mercenary.
Meanwhile, they had two A-ranks and at least five D-rank or higher Hunters on their side.
But now…
‘This is insane.’
That guy had taken on all five of them alone.
That’s when everything had gone off the rails.
“Heheheh…”
Laughter escaped him.
He didn’t want to admit it—but he had to.
His judgment had been wrong.
He’d underestimated the Hunter named Joo Donghoon.
And overestimated the criminal group called Shadow Severance.
What made it even more humiliating…
Was that even five minutes after his seniors had run off, Ki Soyul still hadn’t shown up.
‘Got played.’
He admitted it cleanly.
His mistake. His shortcomings.
That’s why he assessed the situation with a colder head.
As long as he was still breathing, the fight wasn’t over.
‘If I go head-to-head with him now, I’ll definitely lose.’
Joo Donghoon was undeniably strong.
It seemed he had absorbed the power of that mysterious “opportunity” faster than expected.
‘But… he’s got a dumb sense of justice.’
He’d definitely reacted to the F-rank porters.
When Kang Jaeho had tried to threaten them, Joo Donghoon had stepped up without a word.
Still pure—untouched by the rot of this society.
With a glint in his eyes, Kang Jaeho shouted:
“What the hell are you all doing?! Move! Send those damn skeletons back to their graves!”
“B-but! The skeletons are too powerful!”
Someone dared to talk back.
Kang Jaeho was dumbfounded.
“Shut up! So you’re just gonna stand there and die?! If you wanna live, MOVE! Or I’ll kill you myself!”
“A-alright!”
“We’ve got no choice! Keep fighting!”
The Hunters, drained from the overwhelming power difference, hadn’t given up yet.
They realized something.
That giving up here meant death.
‘And while they’re distracted…’
Kang Jaeho’s lips curled slightly.
In his sight were the two porter siblings, standing awkwardly off to the side.
‘I’ll take them as hostages.’
A terrorist’s last resort when all else fails.
He was ready to pull a hostage stunt.
—
“Desperate, aren’t you?”
I said, controlling the skeletons and watching the front.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kang Jaeho’s party launched strikes at the five skeletons.
Their attacks were desperate.
They were going all in. Each blow was laced with killing intent.
A frantic scramble for survival.
“……”
It left a bitter taste.
Why were humans so eager to devour each other?
Was this the natural state of a world where Hunters emerged?
Where people now wielded primitive, raw power—was this the reality we had to accept?
It was depressing.
It felt like just ten years ago, things were more peaceful…
Or maybe not?
Maybe the world had always been rotten.
Even back then…
There were people profiting off the lives of others…
Anyway.
“Bone One.”
I called out.
Creak.
He nodded in response.
Truth is, I’d noticed it already.
Kang Jaeho’s gaze.
Where he was looking.
What he was planning.
Pathetic.
With only five skeletons on my side, he thought a hostage stunt would work?
“Take care of it.”
Ta-da-da!
Bone One dashed forward, cutting off Kang Jaeho’s route.
Whoooosh!
He swung his blade mercilessly.
“Wh-what?”
Kang Jaeho flinched and instinctively raised his arm.
A reflexive defense.
Splat!
His arm was severed.
Blood poured out onto the sand.
“Gyaaaaah!”
He screamed, his body trembling.
I stared at him with a blank expression.
Sympathy?
There was none.
He’d tried to take my life.
He had to pay the price.
If I had been weaker?
If I hadn’t met the old man or awakened?
Would they have spared me?
‘No chance.’
This was nothing more than self-defense.
In this brutal world, to reach the rank of a top Hunter, one needed resolve.
‘And the others are no different.’
I signaled the skeletons.
[‘Bone Five’ uses skill, Fireball (Lv.1).]
Fwoooosh!
Bone Five summoned another ball of flame.
He still had plenty of stamina left.
“D-dodge it!”
“Don’t let it hit! Get as far back as you can!”
“W-what about the party leader?!”
“Is that really what matters now?! Just save yourselves!”
The enemies who had been charging in backed away.
‘Man…’
I felt a strange mix of emotion.
Veteran Hunters—brought to their knees by my skeletons.
I’d come a long way in a short time.
“Let’s wrap this up.”
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The other skeletons moved in.
Bone Two lunged with a spear, Bone Three fired arrows.
Bone Four used his shield to bash into their torsos.
“Gyaaah!”
“Urgh!”
The Hunters, scattered and separated, couldn’t handle the focused barrage.
Bone Two’s spear was vicious, and Bone Three’s arrows were precise.
“It hurts! Damn it, it hurts!”
“Shit!”
One by one, they took fatal blows, clutching their wounds and collapsing.
The end of the fight.
Shiiing!
Bone One shook off the blood and walked toward the Hunters.
His cold stare made them tremble.
“D-don’t come any closer!”
“Please! We’re sorry! Kang Jaeho made us do it!”
“L-listen! Aren’t we all dungeon survivors? Don’t we share that bond?”
They tried to talk their way out.
But my eyes didn’t waver.
‘If they were decent people, they wouldn’t have joined Shadow Severance in the first place.’
Whoooosh!
Bone One swung his blade.
Splat! Slash!
Two of the Hunters collapsed instantly, decapitated.
Dead on the spot.
“H-huh?!”
The remaining Hunters staggered back, bleeding.
But Bone One showed no mercy.
Squelch!
“Gahhh!”
His sword slid cleanly into a Hunter’s chest.
Straight through the heart like a skewer.
The man trembled as he felt the cold steel inside him.
“Urgh… Ahhh…”
His face contorted in agony.
Slash!
Bone One yanked the blade out, granting him the mercy of death.
“Two left?”
I murmured slowly.
There were five. Three were dead. Two remained.
“You bastard!”
That’s when Kang Jaeho stood up, gripping a sword with his remaining arm.
“You think I’ll just lie down and take it?!”
And with that, he charged toward the porters.
But—
Splat!
Bone One’s greatsword swept across his legs as if expecting it.
“Gyaaaaah!”
Thud.
Now, both arms and legs were gone.
Kang Jaeho rolled across the ground.
Twitching and moaning, he writhed in pain.
Tears were now streaming from both his eyes.
“You bastard… Why?! Why did it have to be you?!”
Step. Step.
I slowly walked toward him.
Then grabbed his remaining arm.
“What do you mean? You’re the one who came to me.”
“Guh…!”
Kang Jaeho groaned at my simple reply, unable to respond.
He had no excuse.
He made the first move—and got wrecked.
“Damn you! Quit playing around and just… kill me!”
“Kill you?”
I shook my head.
“Sorry, but you’re not dying that easily.”
“What?”
“You’ll die eventually. But first, don’t you think you should pay for what you’ve done?”
Drrrag.
I dragged him by the arm.
“Y-you bastard?!”
Kang Jaeho’s eyes widened.
He understood my intention.
[To break the seal of the Ancient Desert Scorpion King, a sacrifice is required.]
[Place the sacrifice on the two magic circles.]
[The sacrifice must be a living F-rank or higher Hunter.]
Exactly.
I planned to use him as a dungeon offering.
Just like they had planned to do with the porters.
“Heheheh, you understand the value of dual gains. No need for a separate ethics lesson, I see.”
The old man watching with his hands behind his back laughed heartily.
Pleased by my decision.
‘I’ll make sure it’s done right, Elder.’
“Yes, yes! Outstanding!”
Leaving behind the old man’s praise, I kept dragging him forward.
“You crazy bastard! Just kill me! I said kill me!”
“Shut up. Who’s that gonna help?”
Thunk!
As I placed Kang Jaeho on the altar, the engraved symbols began to glow.
“Huff… guh…”
Bone One brought the last remaining Hunter and placed him on the altar as well.
[You have placed the sacrifices.]
[Assessing conditions.]
My heart felt heavy.
Normally, I would’ve skipped a dungeon like this.
Ones where rewards required someone else’s life—I never liked that idea.
‘But…’
To become a Ranker, you need to draw a clear line.
And the line I’d drawn was simple and clear.
‘Return what you’re given.’
If someone does you a favor—repay it.
If someone holds a grudge—take revenge.
If someone tries to take your life—take theirs instead.
It may be harsh, but it’s the weight you must carry to become a Ranker.
[Conditions met.]
[The long-standing seal is released!]
Flash!
Two white pillars of light burst from the altars.
And with them, the sacrifices vanished without a trace.
“Farewell. If you get a next life, try to live it better.”
A fitting end for those who tried to sacrifice others.
I brushed off the blood on my hands.
‘Come to think of it…’
A question popped up.
Why hadn’t Ki Soyul shown up?
The Shadow Severance guys clearly shouted “Ki Soyul’s here!” before running off.
I felt like I owed her another debt.
If not for her, I would’ve had to fight two A-ranks.
And I might’ve ended up on that altar myself.
“Phew.”
My head was a mess.
I still had to explain the “opportunity,” but hadn’t decided how.
And the Shadow Severance escapees were another headache.
I’d probably need protection.
But I didn’t want to belong to any group either.
‘Gaining power sure brings a lot of new problems.’
I stretched my neck as I slipped a hand into my pocket—
RUMBLE!
The ground shook.
“Kyaaah!”
“N-Necromancer! Look—up ahead!”
The porter siblings shouted, jaws dropped.
At the same time, a message appeared.
[Ding!]
[Stage: Ancient Desert Scorpion King]
[The Ancient Desert Scorpion King has been released from its seal.]
[Its rage pierces the sky after being forced to slumber for ages.]
[Eliminate the target.]
“Oh, right… That guy.”
Thoughts could wait.
First, I had to deal with the boss in front of me.