Chapter 29
Skeleton.
Also known as a skull-head.
More precisely, it refers to an undead with nothing left but bones.
That’s why it has no eyeballs for vision, no cochlea for hearing.
And that’s not all.
It also lacks vocal cords to produce sound.
“Master…”
Yet, the bones—
No, Sunny spoke clearly.
“M-Master…!”
Sunny had a look of awe on his face.
‘What in the world.’
A Skeleton could show facial expressions?
“I can really… I can really see!”
And he could even see now?
‘Well.’
If you think about it that way—
A skeleton without nerves or muscles being able to walk and fight makes no sense in the first place.
In truth, this damned ‘Hunter’ profession is just one big fantasy anyway.
“Hm.”
I looked at Sunny, who was curiously glancing around, with a proud expression.
A child who had lost his sight the moment he was born.
A child abandoned by humanity, who then wiped out the humans of an entire world.
“Do you like it?”
I asked.
“Yes… I love it. It’s wonderful. Ah, so this is what dirt looks like. And weeds growing between the rocks… this is what they look like…”
Sunny brushed the ground with his trembling hands.
Slowly caressing the soil, savoring the sensation.
In a way, it looked like a noble scene.
‘I wonder what that must feel like?’
One thing’s for sure.
It must be a feeling I could never begin to imagine.
‘Anyway.’
The fact that my summoned creature could speak was a huge breakthrough.
That meant I could communicate more precisely in future battles.
“This is really fascinating.”
Beside me, Ki Soyul was also watching the scene.
“For a Skeleton to talk… It’s a rare sight that would leave other necromancers speechless.”
“A Skeleton, you say.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Huh?”
Ki Soyul tilted her head.
“Please call him Sunny. He’s my kid.”
“R-Right.”
She looked at me as if thinking, ‘What’s with this guy?’, but—
Still, she seemed to respect it in her own way.
She nodded without saying much.
But I was being sincere.
I didn’t see them as expendable tools, but as family.
Three years was enough time to grow attached.
“By the way, Shadow Empress.”
“Yes?”
“Are you sure you’re okay staying here?”
Honestly, I was surprised.
She really came back after exactly six hours—
And resumed her escort mission.
Sure, I asked her, but still. It’d be a lie to say it wasn’t a burden.
At the time, I thought the Shadow Severance would pick a fight right away.
Was it because they were afraid of Ki Soyul?
Not a single trace of them, like rats scurrying away.
‘She says she’s just watching my training, but…’
It didn’t seem like it had much purpose.
They say that when any skill reaches its peak, it all becomes one?
Ki Soyul carefully observed the skeletons’ every movement during each training session.
It was like she was trying to catch the scent of the old man through them.
“Don’t worry.”
Ki Soyul shrugged her shoulders.
“I’ll leave when the time comes.”
“Whoa, that’s kind of sad.”
I guess I’ve gotten comfortable with her.
Saying something like that to a ranker?
“Hm, wasn’t the condition you gave me to protect you only until you’ve grown?”
“That’s true.”
Now that I think about it—
I never specified the exact level of growth.
“To clarify, just up to A-rank.”
“What?”
“If you reach A-rank, you should be able to protect yourself. Getting into one of the major guilds should be easy too. At your current growth rate, it won’t take long.”
“Huh?”
No way.
[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]
[Title: X]
[Unique Ability: Cursed Necromancer]
[Rank: D]
I’m still D-rank.
And I don’t even have an title yet.
She thinks I’ll be A-rank soon?
“I still can’t believe it. When I first met you as a porter, you were about mid-D-rank… but look at that Skelet—”
Ki Soyul quickly corrected herself.
“I mean, just looking at Sunny, he’s almost B-rank. And you seem to be improving day by day too.”
“I see.”
I’ll admit it.
Even I thought my growth rate was absurd.
But—
There’s something she doesn’t know.
“Sunny.”
Sun Spear.
This guy was once a ruler of an entire world.
The top predator of the ancient desert empire with no equal.
Once he regains his full strength—
She’s in for a real shock.
“Sunny?”
“Yes, Master. You called for me?”
At my call, Sunny, who had been absentmindedly feeling the dirt, shot up to his feet.
Then, with a resolute expression, he knelt down.
“You are the one who gave me a new life. I will repay you with loyalty.”
“Yeah, yeah. More importantly.”
His pure declaration made me smile.
“You don’t need any special training, right?”
[Name: Sunny Spear]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]
[Class: Spearman]
[Rank: D]
[Strength: 35] [Agility: 35] [Stamina: 32] [Magic: 26] [Skill: 33]
[Skills]
– ‘Basic Thrust’ (Lv.9)
– ‘Sun Combo’ (Lv.1)
– ‘Raging Desert’ (Lv.1)
– ‘Soulflare’ (Lv.1)
His rank was still D.
The so-called awakening simply meant that the soul of Sunny Spear had fused with the skeleton body.
It didn’t mean an upgrade in rank.
Which means he still needed training to level up.
“Yes, Master. I can hone my spear technique on my own.”
Of course.
Even the old man acknowledged his spear skills.
“Though I haven’t adjusted to this frail body yet, I will train hard and soon regain my original strength to aid you.”
“Good, then go train on your own.”
“I shall obey.”
He moved to the corner and began swinging his bone spear.
Training with the old man had already finished that morning.
‘Anyway, when is my rank going to go up?’
I was certain there was a way to go from D to C-rank.
How do I know?
‘The root told me.’
The medium I obtained—‘Root of Racial Conflict’—said in Effect 3:
[Effect 3: This item becomes active starting from Hunter rank C.]
It asked me to come back after reaching C-rank.
A bound item that enables you to clear even S-rank quests.
The fact that such a condition existed for an item bound to me—
Meant my growth didn’t end at D-rank.
‘Alright, next goal: C-rank.’
Motivation flared up in my chest.
—
Creak!
After finishing light training, I returned home.
The room was decently clean.
Why?
As of yesterday—
I let Ki Soyul inside.
No matter how shameless I am, I couldn’t justify making the person guarding me sleep outside on the rooftop under the excuse of a “promise.”
‘Come on, there’s such a thing as Korean hospitality.’
But just in case she misunderstood—
Childish as it was, I even put up a partition.
“You understand, right? I’ll never cross this line, so don’t worry.”
At first, Ki Soyul refused adamantly, saying this wasn’t necessary.
But when I insisted, she had no choice but to come in.
“Just like yesterday, you can lay out your sleeping bag over there.”
I pointed to the narrow space opposite my mattress, where the desk was.
Obviously, the only mattress was mine.
I wasn’t giving up my sleep comfort.
“Really, this is a bit much.”
Ki Soyul sighed lightly, looking at me like I was odd.
“What do you mean, a bit much? This needs to be clear.”
Sorry, but I’m still a weakling in this Hunter society.
If it ever got out that I mistreated the person protecting me—
Especially if her brother, Ki Parang, found out?
I might get buried before I even become a ranker.
And I mean literally buried.
“No, I meant this partition.”
Ki Soyul pointed to the string held up by styrofoam boxes.
“Huh?”
“If I wanted to, your head would roll in an instant, partition or not. I’m saying this is pointless.”
“…?”
What the hell?
How does her brain work?
It’s like her default thinking is how to kill people.
Actually, it’s not ‘like’—she really does.
She’s an assassin.
“Anyway, here’s a cup of ramen. Not sure if it’s to your taste.”
I poured hot water into the cheap ramen and handed it to her.
She accepted it without a word.
Two minutes passed—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“E-Excuse me!”
That’s when someone started banging on the door frantically, her voice high and urgent.
It was a young girl’s voice.
What the?
I don’t have any visitors.
I instinctively turned to Ki Soyul.
“…”
She shook her head.
She didn’t know either.
Judging by her lack of reaction, it probably wasn’t the Shadow Severance.
If it were a high-level Hunter, she would’ve noticed right away.
“Sigh.”
My noodles are going to get soggy.
With a sigh, I opened the door.
Click!
“Who is it?”
A girl I’d never seen before stood at the door.
A youthful face wearing a school uniform.
‘A local?’
She was a stranger to me.
‘Wait, before that—’
I quickly glanced back.
Ki Soyul is a ranker.
And with her striking beauty, she’s even more famous than a celebrity.
‘Damn. If anyone sees her with me, it’s over.’
If rumors spread, I’m done for.
[Breaking News! Shadow Empress Ki Soyul’s One-Room Scandal! Secret Night with a Man?]
[Ki Soyul Dating Rumors Go Global! Who’s the Mystery Guy?]
If that kind of article drops—
‘Ugh.’
Just imagining it gave me chills.
I might get killed by Ki Soyul before Ki Parang even shows up.
“…”
Thankfully.
Ki Soyul had already vanished.
Disappeared from this tiny one-room apartment in an instant.
A true master of assassination.
“Um! I’m sorry, but are you Joo Donghoon?”
“Huh? You know me?”
I asked, confused.
How does she know me?
“You’re Joo Donghoon, right? You really are! Oh no, this is bad!”
“Bad?”
“Please, please save my brother! Please! ‘sob sob’ ”
The high school girl, already frantic, burst into tears.
As if everything she’d been holding back just exploded.
“…?”
I instinctively stepped back.
Behind me, I could feel a faint murderous aura from Ki Soyul, who was hiding her presence.
She seemed to be wildly misunderstanding the situation.
This woman… what does she think I am?
“You want me to save your brother?”
For now, I calmed the crying girl.
“Hey, why don’t you start by explaining what’s going on? I can’t help anyone unless I understand the situation.”
“Ah…”
Finally regaining her senses, the girl handed me a note.
“Sob, this was left in our house.”
“What is it?”
I took it quickly.
Then examined it closely.
“What the…?”
My eyes widened.
A familiar face.
Mercenary guild ‘Fixer’ team leader Kim Junsu, bound and bleeding in the photo.
And scribbled over it—
[Hello?]
[Do you want to save your brother, Kim Junsu?]
[Then send Joo Donghoon to ‘Seonyudo over Han River’ by 8 PM tonight.]
[If you report this to the Association, your brother dies.]
[If any Hunter other than Joo Donghoon shows up, your brother dies.]
[Joo Donghoon’s address: ■■■ District, ■■■-dong, 421.]
“…”
These bastards.
I knew instinctively.
‘Shadow Severance.’
Those guys were finally making their move.