Chapter 4
Is this what you’d expect from a prestigious guild like Parang?
The scale of the dungeon was bigger than I imagined.
“Take a look at this.”
Kim Junseo laid out the documents he’d pulled and started chattering.
“This is a newly discovered dungeon near Paju, and it’s pretty tough. Five teams have already failed to clear it.”
“Wait, five teams?”
I clicked my tongue.
A failed clear meant they were either all dead or still lost inside.
In other words, it was seriously difficult.
“Yeah, the rank is still undecided.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
Of course. If no one’s ever made it out alive, there’s no way to assign a rank yet.
“Don’t worry too much. All the teams that went in before were just nobodies. This time, you’re going in with the famous Parang, right? Besides, you’re a porter. You don’t even have to fight directly. Just do your part and get paid—easy, right?”
He waved the contract from Parang Guild in front of me.
It was an agreement to join the dungeon expedition.
“Hmm.”
I closed my eyes and wiggled my fingers.
I was hesitating.
Was there any point in risking it when I hadn’t even tested out my new D-rank skeletons?
The tenfold pay was just hazard pay for an unranked dungeon.
Honestly, after what happened with the orc yesterday, my mental exhaustion was through the roof.
‘Still…’
The opportunity was tempting.
First, chances like this didn’t come often.
Second, high-difficulty dungeon experience is a huge boost for any hunter.
‘Didn’t Dark Lord do the same?’
The guy who awakened at the same time as me also hit every dungeon he could early on.
* How did you level up so fast?
* What do you mean, how? You have to go to dungeons.
* Any dungeon? No way. You always go for dungeons above your level.
* You know, my nickname early on was Dungeon Maniac.
* Who would even take you along? You have to hustle! Do I really have to explain everything?
* Anyway, remember this. Higher-ranked dungeons are dangerous, but that’s where the best opportunities and rewards are.
That’s what he said on that interview.
He got some flak for bragging about how easy Necromancers have it, and telling everyone to hustle, but still—if the shortest-track ranker says it, you should at least take note.
As annoying as he is, a ranker is still a ranker.
“Hey, Donghoon, what are you still thinking about? This job is a jackpot!”
Kim Junseo pressed, grinning.
He looked excited.
If I signed the contract, his commission would be ten times bigger too.
“Hmm, they say overreaching greed leads to ruin…”
As I trailed off, he came over, slapped my shoulder, and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Wow, I thought you were an ambitious guy, but I guess you’re just a coward?”
“Uh… Isn’t this your greed, team leader?”
“Oh please! Listen to this guy! What, didn’t you dream of being a ranker? Name one ranker who avoids dungeons. Even porters grow stronger in dungeons!”
“…?”
Ranker.
That word snapped me awake.
My eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
That’s right.
Even when the orc almost killed me,
I still dreamed of becoming a ranker.
I wanted to get stronger.
‘What am I hesitating for?’
How could I ever become a ranker if I’m scared of dungeons?
If anyone knew what I was really thinking, even a passing kid would laugh at me.
Yeah, let’s do it.
Let’s go.
Sometimes you just have to take a gamble.
I grabbed the pen from Kim Junseo’s hand on impulse.
“When do we leave?”
“Ha, now that’s what I like to see! I almost misunderstood you for a second.”
“Before I change my mind, hurry up.”
“Right, right. One week from now, in front of Paju Station. All the info you need is in these materials.”
“Whew, a week….”
It was tight, but at least I’d have some time to prepare.
I grinned at Kim Junseo.
“I’m taking a week off, then. That’s okay, right?”
Even as a freelancer,
Kim Junseo usually hated people taking time off without notice.
But this time was an exception.
“Go ahead. Thanks, man. Let’s grab a meal sometime soon.”
“You should be the one buying, not me.”
“Huh, what?”
“You owe me two.”
“Oh—ha, yeah, of course!”
He laughed heartily.
Nice, I just saved myself a meal.
—
[Major Guild Parang’s 2nd Team, Try the New Paju Dungeon! D-6 Days!]
[Paju Citizens, Once Anxious, Now Relieved?]
[Ranker and Famed Archer Ki Parang: ‘The Second Team Is Enough! No Need to Worry.’]
[Minister of Dungeon Exploration: ‘Praying for the safe return of the previous teams.’ Moment of silence.]
“Sigh.”
Not much time left.
Even if I’m just going as a porter, I need to be ready.
Back at the clearing, I set out the camping gear I’d brought.
For the next few days, I planned to train here all day.
But first,
I had to check the skeletons’ abilities.
Whoosh!
I swung the cheap staff I’d bought from the neighborhood hunter shop.
[Skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-rank) is used.]
[10 Energy is consumed.]
[‘Bones1’ has appeared.]
[Skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-rank) is used.]
[10 Energy is consumed.]
[‘Bones2’ has appeared.]
…
[Skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-rank) is used.]
[10 Energy is consumed.]
[‘Bones5’ has appeared.]
Thud!
Bonie through Bonefive.
I spent 50 energy and summoned all five skeletons.
Creak, squeak!
They formed up naturally, just as I pictured in my mind.
Especially Bonie, Bontwo, and Bonthree—there was something different about them.
Their rank was D, but their presence was well beyond that.
This was the result of all that training.
‘I didn’t realize it before, but…’
Now I understood.
The skeletons had borne the fruit of my efforts, and the rank-up made it even clearer.
They just kept evolving.
Even though they were made of bone,
They had stamina, skills, and battle sense.
I wanted to make them even stronger.
“Okay, Bonie through Bonthree—move out!”
Creak!
At my command, they moved in perfect unison.
Back to training against the scarecrows.
Except now, things were different—
Whoosh! Slash!
The tough wooden scarecrow was sliced in a single swing by Bonie’s greatsword.
Whish! Pfff!
Same for Bontwo.
With a smooth twirl of his spear, his target looked like a sponge full of holes.
‘Holy crap.’
They were at least ten times stronger than before.
‘It’s not just the power, though.’
The speed was insane.
Even for just a moment, my eyes struggled to keep up.
Damn.
My heart swelled with pride.
Could these really be the same pathetic skeletons as before?
But, it was too soon to be moved.
Twang!
A single arrow from Bonthree pierced through not one, not two, but three thick tree trunks.
“Whoa.”
I couldn’t help but gape.
Honestly, I’d believe it if someone said that was a bullet.
“They’re D-rank? I’d believe it if you said C-rank…”
I thought back to yesterday’s fight.
The way they instantly took down that top-tier D-rank orc as soon as they awakened.
That was the moment I truly felt how strong they’d become.
‘But…’
With strength came new worries.
‘First, training equipment.’
Wooden scarecrows wouldn’t cut it anymore.
If they were slicing through wood like tofu, training like this wouldn’t do anything.
That meant I’d be spending a lot more money from now on.
‘Second…’
D- and C-ranks were even tougher than I thought.
Ordinary humans couldn’t even hope to keep up.
Why was that a problem?
Not for the skeletons.
The problem was me.
If a powerful enemy targeted me instead of my skeletons,
If my heart was pierced or my throat cut—
No matter how strong my summons were, that’d be the end of it. The End.
Creak!
I was still lost in thought when—
Clack clack!
Bonefive, who’d been standing quietly, clattered over.
“Huh? What is it?”
Clack!
He raised his staff and pointed it at me.
“W-what are you doing all of a sudden?”
[‘Bones5’ uses skill: Air Shield (Lv. 1).]
A soft energy wrapped around my body.
I could feel the air tighten around me.
What the…?
Could he read my mind?
Clack!
He clicked his teeth in confirmation.
“Huh.”
This was an even bigger deal than the skeletons getting stronger.
They used to only follow orders, but now they could express themselves.
‘And Air Shield? Was there something other than Fireball?’
Could I check what other skills they had?
If only there was a way to see that.
Clack! Thud!
Just then, Bonefour slammed his heavy shield on the ground and looked at me.
“…And what do you want?”
Clack!
He pointed at the shredded scarecrow.
Which meant—
“Wait… Are you saying you’ll be the new training dummy?”
Clack!
He nodded in confirmation.
Bonie, Bontwo, and Bonthree also stepped up, eyes shining.
“All right, fine. Do whatever you want.”
Honestly, I was happy.
Bonefour and Bonefive solved all my problems.
If Bonefour took the hits instead of a scarecrow, he’d get training, too.
Bonefive could keep practicing by protecting me.
Clang!
Bonie’s greatsword slammed into Bonefour’s shield, but it bounced right off.
Bonefour staggered back, feeling the impact.
Twang!
Then Bonthree fired a volley of arrows at the shield.
Ratatatat!
Even the arrows that had pierced trees couldn’t get through Bonefour’s shield.
“That’s tough.”
Next was Bontwo with his spear.
“Bontwo, don’t attack him—try me this time.”
I gave Bontwo the order.
I needed to test not just the shield, but also Bonefive’s Air Shield (D-rank) on myself.
It was a little scary to be the test subject, but it had to be done if I was going to try tougher dungeons.
“It’s fine, don’t hesitate. Go all out.”
Bontwo flinched cutely, but after another order, he lunged and stabbed at me.
Thunk! Wham!
With a dull sound, I was knocked back.
A sharp pain shot through my ribs, and I fell to my knees.
But it wasn’t so bad.
Just enough to handle.
This should be enough to block most D-rank attacks.
Clack!
Bontwo cocked his head, concerned. Cute.
“I’m fine. Keep going.”
You can’t be satisfied with just one try.
You never know where or when the next attack might come from.
I need to sharpen my defensive senses and combat instincts.
The pain and sweat I shed now might save my life someday.
About an hour passed.
[‘Bones1’s Strength has increased by 1!]
[‘Bones2’s Strength has increased by 1!]
[‘Bones3’s Strength has increased by 1!]
[‘Bones4’s Stamina has increased by 1!]
[‘Bones5’s Magic Power has increased by 1!]
“Huh?”
[Bam!]
[Congratulations!]
[With your first growth since awakening, the status window has been unlocked!]
[Tip: If you want to check a skeleton’s status, look at your summon and say ‘status window.’]
“What the heck?”
A message popped up—one I’d never seen before.