Chapter 5
Status window?
Looks like it shows the skeletons’ stats, just like mine.
Seeing is believing.
I looked at Bonie and said, “Status window.”
[Name: Bones1]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]
[Class: Swordsman]
[Rank: D]
[Strength: 23] [Agility: 19] [Stamina: 20] [Magic: 10] [Skill: 21]
[Skills Owned]
* ‘Basic Slash’ (Lv. 2)
“Whoa…”
A sound of amazement slipped out.
Honestly, I was moved.
It was the first time I’d ever seen their stats in three years.
They looked like hunters in their own right.
They had energy, a rank, and a unique ability.
The only difference from a hunter was—
They had stats like ‘Strength,’ ‘Agility,’ and ‘Stamina.’
Plus, a ‘Class’ had been added, and skills had levels.
I checked the other four one after the other.
[Name: Bones2]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]
[Class: Spearman]
[Rank: D]
[Strength: 22] [Agility: 20] [Stamina: 19] [Magic: 11] [Skill: 20]
[Skills Owned]
* ‘Basic Thrust’ (Lv. 2)
[Name: Bones3]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]
[Class: Archer]
[Rank: D]
[Strength: 17] [Agility: 23] [Stamina: 17] [Magic: 10] [Skill: 24]
[Skills Owned]
* ‘Basic Volley’ (Lv. 2)
* ‘Enhanced Vision’ (Lv. 2)
[Name: Bones4]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]
[Class: Shielder]
[Rank: D]
[Strength: 10] [Agility: 10] [Stamina: 11] [Magic: 10] [Skill: 10]
[Skills Owned]
* ‘Basic Block’ (Lv. 1)
* ‘Basic Taunt’ (Lv. 1)
[Name: Bones5]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]
[Class: Magician]
[Rank: D]
[Strength: 10] [Agility: 10] [Stamina: 10] [Magic: 11] [Skill: 10]
[Skills Owned]
* ‘Fireball’ (Lv. 1)
* ‘Air Shield’ (Lv. 1)
“Wow…”
Bones1–3 seemed to have higher stats, probably because of all their past training.
Bones4–5, who’d only just gotten weapons, still had their base stats.
‘At least those three years weren’t for nothing.’
Seeing all that effort turn into results—just that fact was enough to move me.
‘So now I just need to develop all of them together, right?’
My heart was pounding.
Like any Necromancer, I dreamed of leading my own little army.
I wanted to keep growing them, turning them from A-rank to S-rank and beyond.
That dream was one step closer to reality.
“All right, guys.”
Creak?
The skeletons, taking a short break, all turned their heads my way.
Their slack jaws somehow looked cuter than usual today.
“I have a favor to ask.”
I grinned shamelessly.
“Now that you’re my skeletons, you might as well—”
Six days left until the dungeon.
“Become the strongest skeletons in the world for me, okay?”
Clack!
They clicked their teeth cutely.
Was that their way of saying yes?
Training began right away.
—
Time flew by.
I spent those days testing out all their new skills.
Whenever my energy was depleted, theirs was, too—either at zero or ten.
I didn’t slack off on my own training, either—running, push-ups, pull-ups, you name it.
There’s nothing better than exercise to steel your mind.
And then, on the seventh morning,
I made my way to Paju Station on the Gyeongui–Jungang Line, just as Kim Junseo had instructed.
My backpack was loaded with a sleeping bag and plenty of emergency rations.
‘My role here is a porter.’
Honestly, there’s no job better suited to a Necromancer than porter.
It might make all my training look pointless, but I had five skeletons I could put to work.
“Over here! All mercenaries who signed up! Please gather here for instructions!”
“Yes, please wait by the dungeon entrance! We’ll all go in at once soon!”
When I arrived, guild members from Parang were managing the hunters.
Dozens of mercenaries were already waiting in formation.
The dungeon was pretty close to Paju Station.
About 200 meters ahead, I could see a gloomy aura.
A dark hole—the typical look of a naturally formed dungeon.
“This is making me nervous…”
“Yeah, this really does seem like a high-difficulty dungeon.”
The mercenaries muttered among themselves.
“They say, the darker the area around the entrance, the harder or more complicated the dungeon.”
“But come on, it’s Parang. What could go wrong?”
“Whatever. I just want this over with so I can grab a hot stew and some soju…”
“Hell yeah, sounds good!”
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
Most of the mercenaries were like Kim Junseo—assuming it’d be safe with a major guild involved.
‘Yeah right, safe.’
My thoughts were different.
There are tons of dungeons in the world, and countless missing hunters.
How many deaths and sacrifices are hidden beneath the glamorous spotlight on ‘rankers’?
Especially in mysterious dungeons like this, even a major guild isn’t guaranteed safety.
So why go in?
I wasn’t here to play it safe.
I was here to bet everything on danger, hoping for a lucky break.
Even if I was just a porter, my mindset was different from the other mercenaries.
“……”
How long had I been standing there gripping my staff?
Suddenly, I felt a faint breath near my ear.
“Excuse me, staff user?”
Gasp!
I shuddered.
Goosebumps broke out all over my body.
There was no sign of anyone in the direction the voice came from.
Not just no presence—
No form, either. Only a voice.
A woman’s voice, sounding young, but icy cold.
“Hm, interesting. I sense D-rank energy… maybe higher. But you’ve got an E-rank badge and you’re a porter? Who are you?”
“……”
I glanced at the white E-rank badge on my waist.
I’d awakened to D-rank, but hadn’t updated it, so I was officially still E-rank.
Anyway—
“…Excuse me, but who are you?”
I asked nervously.
I knew by instinct.
She was a monster—at least A-rank or higher.
In this upside-down world, the ones you have to watch out for are hunters like this.
People who can completely hide their presence.
If someone like that wanted to kill you, you’d never be found, even with modern science.
So I tried to be as polite as possible.
But for some reason,
Her voice got even colder.
“Well. Didn’t I ask first? What’s a guy hiding his strength doing applying as a porter for our Parang Guild?”
“…?”
Wait, this person—
Was she misunderstanding something?
I’d only awakened a week ago.
I’d been busy training ever since.
‘And…’
How could she even spot something like that?
No wonder Parang was a major guild.
Honestly, I didn’t get it. It felt unfair.
If it’s Parang, full of A-rank hunters, what’s the big difference between D and E?
When I made a troubled face, her voice grew even icier.
“Hm? That suspicious look makes you seem even guiltier. Did you take acting lessons for this? Are you a spy?”
“Huh…?”
What?
Spy?
“You’re underestimating Parang’s intelligence network. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice a spy from a rival guild?”
Swish!
That was when the owner of the voice finally appeared, moving with a faint rush of wind.
She looked simple.
Efficient leather outfit, a light assassin’s dagger, neatly tied black hair.
But never mind all that.
‘No way?’
I gaped in shock.
Tied to her waist was something so bright it almost blinded me.
A gold badge.
The kind that only S-rank hunters and above ever get to wear—a symbol of every hunter’s dreams.
‘That means—’
Now I knew who she was.
Shadow Empress, Ki Soyul.
One of Korea’s 37 rankers.
Also the only younger sister of Parang Guild Master Ki Parang.
On top of that, with her unique assassination ability, she’s one of the most dangerous people alive.
I was shaking.
I was scared—
But at the same time, I was talking to an actual ‘ranker’ I’d only ever dreamed about!
“Um, excuse me, Ranker… I think there’s a misunderstanding…”
I responded quickly.
No matter how much I admired her, I had to clear this up.
Seeing the mercenaries around me looking confused, I realized only I could see and hear her.
But it didn’t matter.
This was about my life.
“I’m definitely not a spy for a rival guild. I’m just D-rank… If Parang has rivals, they’re probably big guilds, right? Would they really use someone like me?”
“Pfft!”
Ki Soyul snorted.
Then she spoke.
“To be honest, I was just messing with you. Your reaction was pretty funny.”
“…Huh?”
What?
I didn’t get it at all.
Why would someone that important mess with a nobody like me?
Or did she—
‘Did she check up on me?’
If she’d seen me training skeletons like a madman all night, maybe that caught her attention.
Thump, thump.
My heart was pounding out of control.
No matter what,
A ranker taking an interest in me was a blessing.
A heaven-sent opportunity.
I couldn’t care less about her little prank.
That’s how serious I was about becoming a ‘ranker.’
And just look at her smile.
There wasn’t a trace of malice—just curiosity.
“If I was rude, I apologize.”
She bowed her head politely.
“I just got a little nosy. You seemed pretty interesting.”
“…Excuse me?”
“An E-rank porter with the energy of at least five high-grade D-rankers.”
She scratched her cheek.
Then said,
“Honestly, you look suspicious, right? Not that Parang cares about your strength, but still.”
“Ah…”
I had nothing to say.
She had a point.
I probably should have updated my badge with the guild.
‘Or maybe…’
She’d figured out my power just by sensing my energy?
A chill ran down my spine.
The wall between me and a ranker felt impossibly thick—almost awe-inspiring.
Maybe she sensed my feelings, because Ki Soyul grinned.
“Actually, my brother asked me to help out with the second team’s advance party, and I needed a porter. Then I saw one who looked pretty suspicious.”
“Advance party…?”
I asked, blank-faced.
The advance party—
That’s the group that checks the dungeon’s interior before the main force goes in.
No wonder Parang sent only the second team. They actually brought a ranker.
Makes sense.
“Well?”
Ki Soyul stared me straight in the eyes.
Her intense aura almost made me faint.
“To keep an eye out for spies and such, will you join the advance party? It might be a little dangerous, but you seem like the most capable porter here. And you don’t look like the type to run away in a pinch.”
“R-really?”
“Of course. I have a pretty good eye for people. Mmm, and I’ll double your pay as well.”
Wait, what?
A dungeon run with a ranker?
And double pay on top of the tenfold rate?
That’s twenty times the normal rate.
Why would I refuse?
Honestly, for me,
Even without extra pay, I’d want to join the advance party.
Worried I might miss my chance, I nodded quickly.
Looks like opportunity showed up sooner than I thought.