Chapter 2

               

Ranker.

The goal and idol of every hunter.

The ones who hold all the world’s honor, wealth, and power.

How do you become one? It’s simple.

「World Ranking Board」

All you have to do is get your name listed there.

It was about ten years ago, I think, when a mysterious giant board appeared on the east coast of the United States.

Exactly 1,000 hunters can be listed there.

And it’s ranked in strict order.

Some might wonder,

‘Isn’t that strange? So just getting your name up there makes you a ranker? But who decides who gets on the board?’

‘Yeah, there’s no clear criteria for becoming a ranker, right?’

‘True… It’s kind of vague. Honestly, skill can change from day to day, and there are hunters with support or crafting powers, too.’

These were the questions many had when the board first appeared.

But there was no need to worry.

After all, the ranking system wasn’t run by ‘humans.’

[Ranking has been updated.]

[Please refer to the World Ranking Board.]

At the start of every month,

A status message like that appears to every hunter.

That alone settled all debates.

No human could ever do something like this.

‘Okay, as long as the system does it automatically, that’s fair.’

‘Yeah, as long as humans aren’t involved, at least there’s no corruption, right?’

People didn’t have any trouble accepting the ‘ranker’ system.

After all, they’d already fully accepted the ‘hunter’ system.

Step, step.

I kept walking along the trail.

How much time had passed?

I found myself in a clearing.

“Time to get started.”

No one made this place for me.

It was a space that naturally formed, mixed with my sweat and tears.

Whenever I finished work, I always came here.

Crack, creak.

As soon as I arrived, I rolled my neck and started stretching.

At the same time, I opened my skill window with one eye.

[Skill: Ordinary Skeleton Summon]

[Rank: E]

[Effect 1: Consumes 10 Energy to summon a low-level skeleton. Up to 10 can be summoned at once.]

[Effect 2: You can name each skeleton.]

“……”

The familiar information greeted me.

Every time I saw it, it annoyed me and made my blood pressure rise.

“Sigh.”

Of course, I didn’t feel this way when I first got the skill.

‘You can give skeletons names? I’ve never heard of a skill like that. Maybe it’s some kind of special ability?’

Anyone would have thought the same.

Normally, I heard that Necromancers’ undead are single-use.

The summons disappear after you use the skill, and the next summon is always different.

But I was different.

Every time I used energy to summon—

[Skill, ‘Ordinary Skeleton Summon’ (E-rank) is used.]

[10 Energy is consumed.]

[‘Bones1’ has appeared.]

[Skill, ‘Ordinary Skeleton Summon’ (E-rank) is used.]

[10 Energy is consumed.]

[‘Bones2’ has appeared.]

[Skill, ‘Ordinary Skeleton Summon’ (E-rank) is used.]

[10 Energy is consumed.]

[‘Bones3’ has appeared.]

Creak, squeak!

My lazy naming sense gave each skeleton a number, and my familiar companions showed up.

Not disposable skeletons—these were always the same ones.

“Glad to see you again, you little rascals. Warm up. Take care of those fragile joints.”

Of course, I didn’t need the names to tell them apart.

Their weapons were different.

“Number one has the big sword.”

Slash!

He struck the scarecrow I’d set up in the corner.

“Number two has the long spear.”

Whoosh!

Bones2 rushed at the scarecrow on the other side, not wanting to lose.

“Number three has the bow.”

Creak!

The last one drew its bow at the target I’d hung from a tree.

That’s right.

This is the effort I put in to become a ranker.

Training.

For three years, I’d been grinding these guys endlessly by myself.

If the skeletons could keep their memories and skills each time they were summoned, wouldn’t training make them stronger?

At first, it worked.

Back then, they struggled with even a single E-rank goblin, but now they could each take on three by themselves.

‘But.’

E-rank is E-rank.

That’s all.

No matter how hard the training, no matter how much time passed,

There was a limit to how much they could grow.

‘I even tried private lessons.’

I spent a fortune hiring a C-rank hunter to teach them, and got to feel firsthand what it’s like to be an overzealous parent.

Even worse—

‘I completely gave up on the rest, from 4 to 10.’

Unlike Bones1–3,

The others didn’t even have weapons.

Maybe they were brawlers or support types, so I tried all sorts of things.

Creak?

Watching those ones move like glitched robots was enough to give me a fever from frustration.

I got them hundreds of weapons, tried teaching them martial arts myself,

Read them books, showed them videos,

Even tried shock therapy by dragging them along to high-level dungeons as porters.

“……”

But, as expected, nothing.

All I did was waste energy.

One year passed, then two, and now it’s the third.

They were still just ordinary E-rank skeletons.

“Sigh.”

I’m only human—I couldn’t help getting worn down.

Was I really going to live like this for the rest of my life?

“What a sad life.”

But I had no other choice.

Someone once said,

A person with an impossible dream is better off than someone with no dream at all.

My dream was clear: ranker.

So I just kept running forward.

As I was deep in training,

Rustle!

Something stirred in the darkness of the forest.

“Hm?”

I frowned.

It might just be the local mountain, but

For the past three years, no one else had set foot in my private sanctuary.

My guard went up instinctively.

Growl! Hiss!

‘What is that?’

My eyes snapped open.

Sounded like a pig getting its throat cut.

One thing was for sure—it wasn’t human.

Best-case scenario, it was a wild boar; worst-case scenario…

‘A monster?’

Creak, creak!

Bones1, 2, and 3 must have picked up on my mood because they instantly stopped training.

They quickly closed ranks at my side.

“Hiss!”

With a foul-smelling roar, a monster appeared right in front of me.

Green skin, huge tusks, and bulging muscles—

“An orc?”

A D-rank monster, considered pretty tough.

“Damn it, why is there an orc here?”

I stumbled backward in a panic.

A single D-rank orc would be no problem for a ranker.

But to me, it was pure terror.

All I had was three E-rank skeletons.

And those bloodshot eyes—

The thing was clearly starving.

Drool dripped from its mouth. It looked really, really hungry.

[‘Bones1’ (E-rank) is suppressed by the aura of a strong opponent. All stats decreased by 20%!]

[‘Bones2’ (E-rank) is suppressed by the aura of a strong opponent. All stats decreased by 20%!]

[‘Bones3’ (E-rank) is suppressed by the aura of a strong opponent. All stats decreased by 20%!]

“You’ve got to be kidding me…”

As if things weren’t bad enough,

After three years of training, my lovely, worthless skeletons were cowed instantly.

“It really feels like the heavens just want me to die already.”

An orc appearing here meant a Dungeon Break.

‘Dungeon Breaks aren’t exactly rare.’

But what are the odds it would happen right here, right now, when I’m alone?

Hmph, probably about as likely as being struck by lightning in passing.

“Sigh.”

A deep sigh escaped my lips.

How much would it hurt to get crushed by that orc’s teeth?

Would he eat me head first, or feet first?

Or would he snap my neck first, before eating me?

“Ugh.”

Of course, I wasn’t just going to give up.

I didn’t want to die.

“Hiss! Hiss!”

After a moment of hesitation, the orc roared and charged with its axe raised.

“Block it!”

I immediately controlled my skeletons to intercept.

Even though they were intimidated, skeletons don’t feel fear, so they responded instantly.

Clang!

Bones1—let’s call him ‘Bonie’—swung his sword to block the axe.

Spear-wielding ‘Bontwo’ shot out like lightning to help.

But—

“Hiss!”

The orc’s monstrous muscles rippled,

Crunch! Snap!

And my skeletons were smashed to bits in an instant.

I felt dizzy.

[‘Bones1’ summoning is canceled.]

[‘Bones2’ summoning is canceled.]

“You pieces of crap!”

At least the good news was, the bow-wielding Bonthree was at range.

Whoosh!

The skeleton’s arrow flew.

That’s right, Bonthree! You’re all I’ve got.

Please, I want to live—even if my life sucks, I still want to keep going.

[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]

[Energy: 70/100]

Backing away, I checked my energy.

Seventy left.

So, I could still summon seven more skeletons.

[Skill, ‘Ordinary Skeleton Summon’ (E-rank) is used.]

[10 Energy is consumed.]

[‘Bones1’ has appeared.]

[Skill, ‘Ordinary Skeleton Summon’ (E-rank) is used.]

[10 Energy is consumed.]

[‘Bones2’ has appeared.]

“You’re the tanks!”

I ran and quickly summoned my melee fighters again.

With my life on the line, I didn’t bother with useless skeletons 4 through 10.

“Go! Hold him off!”

Creak!

Bonie and Bontwo nodded and charged back in.

The good thing about skeletons is, as long as you have energy, you can bring them back infinitely.

Yeah.

Sorry, guys, but just buy me some time.

“Hiss!”

The orc, enraged by the interruption, roared so loudly the whole forest shook.

It mercilessly swung its axe at the two clinging to it.

Ting! Ting!

Bonthree’s arrows bounced off the orc’s tough hide.

It wasn’t doing nothing, but all it really did was make the orc even angrier.

‘Damn it.’

My head was spinning.

I was running, but I couldn’t let myself get too far from the skeletons.

That thing only cared about my soft flesh and sweet blood.

If it locked onto me and ignored everything else, there’s no way I could outrun it at human speed.

[‘Bones1’ summoning is canceled.]

[‘Bones2’ summoning is canceled.]

“Damn it!”

All I could do was run for my life,

Then resummon whenever one went down.

And, of course, this was a top-class D-rank orc, so my attacks weren’t doing a thing—but this wasn’t the time to complain.

Like a desperate bug fighting for survival, I did my absolute best.

After a few minutes—

[All energy has been consumed.]

[Tip: Want to refill your energy? Try taking a break.]

“Take a break, my ass!”

Now I was out of energy.

I looked up at the sky and cursed whatever god was out there.

I’m doing my best—so why is this happening to me?