Chapter 51
How much time had passed?
“You, are you coming to your senses?”
When I opened my eyes, the stocky dwarf’s beard filled my vision.
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped my lips.
My body shivered with chills like I had caught a cold.
My bones ached, and every muscle was weighed down with fatigue.
‘Insane.’
The old man’s intermediate stage was incredible.
It surpassed all the pain I had ever felt before.
Even this ache was probably just the recovery phase my body was going through.
“Are you all right? I thought you had a bad reaction from eating the chicken dish I made. Do you know how much I panicked?”
Ah.
Right, Dagnard couldn’t even see the old man.
To his eyes, I must’ve looked like I was writhing with some deadly illness alone.
“It was nothing.”
“Nothing? Your bones twisted and your skin burned and healed over and over! Come to think of it, you’ve been overdoing it lately. Forging all night wasn’t enough, you’ve been training every day too… if you were one of our kind, you’d already be bedridden.”
“Haha, really, I’m fine.”
“Really?”
“Yes, just think of what happened as a kind of molting process unique to my race.”
“Molting?”
Like a snake or insect shedding its skin to grow.
It was just a joke, but Dagnard seemed to take it seriously.
“M-Molting? S-So it’s true!”
“…?”
“You’re a dragonkin! That’s it! I’ve seen it before! Dragons command Dragonfang Soldiers as their summons, don’t they? Could it be… our benefactor from afar is actually a dragon hiding his power? Are you the descendant of some sealed ancient wyrm?”
“…”
“W-What is your purpose in infiltrating our dwarf village? Don’t tell me you came here for—”
“Sigh.”
I shook my head.
I had no idea how else to explain this, and frankly, I couldn’t be bothered to clear up the misunderstanding.
‘Besides.’
[The reward for your rank advancement has arrived!]
There was something I needed to check.
Finally, a reward for reaching B-rank!
I slowly read the messages floating before me.
[Skill ‘Summon Balanced Skeletons’ (C-rank) has been upgraded!]
[Skill evolves into ‘Summon Great Skeletons’ (B-rank)!]
‘Great…!’
Ah.
It was moving.
Back when it was still E-rank, my skeleton had carried the title of “ordinary.”
And now, they had become great?
My chest swelled with pride.
I examined the message in detail.
[Skill: Summon Great Skeletons]
[Rank: B]
[Effect 1: Consume 10 energy to summon an intermediate skeleton. Up to 10 can be summoned.]
[Effect 2: Each skeleton can be given a name.]
[Effect 3: Each skeleton’s energy increases by 100.]
[Effect 4: Each skeleton can summon up to 10 ‘Skeletons’ one rank lower.]
“What?”
I blinked.
The newly added third and fourth effects.
Just the basic +100 energy for every skeleton was incredible.
‘And now the skeletons can summon skeletons themselves?’
One rank lower skeletons meant the C-rank “Balanced Skeletons.”
If all six used it, that would be sixty more.
Goosebumps broke out across my skin.
From the soles of my feet to the top of my head, a thrill surged through me.
‘This is absurdly good…’
In a single leap, I had become a hunter who could command six B-ranks and sixty C-ranks.
Theoretically, Bone One through Bone Six meant 110 in total, but still.
It was an explosive growth.
[Congratulations.]
[All impurities in your body are burned away.]
[Energy increases by 100.]
[The performance of the Supreme Azure Mind Method improves.]
“…!”
The benefits weren’t just for the skeletons.
My own base energy increased by 100 as well.
Truly, following the old man’s massages had paid off.
That was the end of the messages.
“Whew.”
I stretched and loosened my muscles.
The stiffness faded as time passed.
At the same time, I closed my eyes and carefully sensed the surrounding aura.
‘Only a little left now.’
The presence of the Thorn Drakes at the bottom of the underground.
But thanks to what we had already hunted, only a small number remained.
“No need to waste fire anymore.”
Whoosh!
I swung my staff, summoning my skeletons.
“Master.”
Sunny was the first to greet me.
“How’s the new body?”
“Not bad. It always felt like my body lagged behind what my mind knew, but that wall has crumbled in an instant.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course, I still have far to go before regaining my full strength.”
“Well, that’s obvious.”
I checked Sunny’s information.
[Name: Sun Spear]
[Energy: 200/200]
[Unique Ability: Great Skeleton]
[Class: Spearman]
[Rank: B]
[Strength: 42] [Agility: 42] [Stamina: 40] [Magic: 38] [Skill: 41]
[Skills]
– Intermediate Thrust (Lv.4)
– Sunburst Combo (Lv.4)
– Raging Desert (Lv.4)
– Soulflare (Lv.4)
– Skeleton Summon (Lv.MaX)
Compared to just a few months ago, the growth was unbelievable.
His energy was now 200, and his rank had risen to B.
On top of that—
“Well, how about calling out your lackeys?”
“…By your command.”
Sunny accepted the new skill without hesitation.
His energy dropped by 100.
Crack-crack-crash!
Ten spear-wielding skeletons appeared behind him, solid and strong.
“Wow.”
Weaker than Sunny, of course, but still C-rank skeletons.
Creak, rattle.
They didn’t seem to have wills of their own like Sunny, but…
“Let’s see the others too.”
I urged the rest to use their skill as well.
Creak!
They each nodded and spent their energy.
[‘Bone 1’ uses Skeleton Summon (Lv.MaX).]
[‘Bone 3’ uses Skeleton Summon (Lv.MaX).]
[‘Bone 4’ uses Skeleton Summon (Lv.MaX).]
[‘Bone 5’ uses Skeleton Summon (Lv.MaX).]
[‘Bone 6’ uses Skeleton Summon (Lv.MaX).]
Clatter! Crack-crash!
On the dark, worn staircase.
The sight of countless skeletons rising was eerie.
To any outsider, it would look like the birth of a Dark Lord.
Well, this was the true nature of a necromancer anyway.
For the first time, it really felt like I was living my class.
A total of 66 skeletons.
Shiver.
Dagnard trembled behind me at the sight.
“Master.”
Thump!
Sunny struck his spear against the floor.
Thump! Clang!
The others raised their weapons in unison.
All skeletons united under Sunny’s will.
It was a moving sight.
Apparently, someone unseen was also moved.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations!]
[An alias has been granted.]
‘An alias…’
The other name every ranked hunter bore.
Born from how one wielded their unique ability.
At last, I had gained one too.
[You command all skeletons.]
[You reign above all skeletons.]
[No skeleton can attack you.]
[You are the Skeleton Lord.]
Skeleton Lord.
Not as grand as my rival’s “Dark Lord,” perhaps.
But it perfectly described me.
The one above all skeletons.
Good.
Not bad at all.
Just look at Sunny.
My bones were no ordinary minions.
“Master.”
Thud!
Sunny struck the ground again.
“We are ready. Shall we eliminate the remaining monsters? Victory is certain.”
It was as though failing to finish them off as a C-rank had left him with a grudge.
His gaze was murderous.
He looked ready to shower in drake blood the moment I gave the order.
‘Good.’
After all, my energy was full.
The truly broken part of my ability was this:
No matter how many times they were torn apart, as long as I had energy, I could revive them.
I nodded.
“Wipe them out.”
It was my first command as the Skeleton Lord.
—
Rumble!
The ground quaked.
Footsteps echoed in unison.
The skeletons descended in formation at my order.
“All units, positions.”
At Sunny’s command, they arranged themselves.
Bone Two and the tank skeletons at the front.
Bone Three and Bone Five’s skeletons in the rear.
The rest on the flanks.
A basic formation.
—Screech!
The drakes, sensing us, shrieked and charged.
They lowered their horns and rammed.
But.
Thud!
Bone Two raised his shield to block.
The other tank skeletons braced theirs as well.
They were pushed back slightly but held firm.
Dust billowed from the clash of massive strength.
‘They held it back?’
As expected of Bone Two, now a B-rank.
Ping! Thwick-thwick-thwick!
Bone Three’s archers let loose a volley.
Knowing the beasts had high physical resistance, they aimed for weak spots.
The eyes, the belly’s soft underside.
The arrows struck true.
—Shriek! Screech!
The drakes went berserk in fury.
[‘Bone 5’ uses Fire Field (Lv.2).]
Whoosh!
Then came the firestorm.
Bone Five and his ten skeletons cast flame spells together—a sight to behold.
Boom-boom-boom!
Fireballs rained like a storm.
The ground turned into a sea of fire.
—Screeeech!
The drakes almost looked pitiful now.
Those that tried to escape were forced back by Bone One’s greatsword, with Sunny’s squad assisting.
“You…”
Dagnard’s face was one of disbelief.
“You keep… growing stronger.”
“Still think I’m a dragon?”
“W-Well, you’re not denying it!”
“Does it matter what I am? What’s important is that we’re uncovering this dungeon’s ruins together, isn’t it?”
“W-Well, yes, but…”
I looked back down.
I really had grown stronger as a B-rank.
The “unmeasurable” dungeon rating was meaningless as we cut through them easily.
[Thorn Drake defeated.]
[Thorn Drake defeated.]
[Thorn Drake defeated.]
…
‘But.’
I didn’t let my guard down.
There was no way drakes alone warranted this dungeon’s grade.
“…”
How long passed like that?
Fwoosh!
The flames died out.
All the drakes lay charred and blackened.
“Hm?”
At the lowest floor.
Bzzzt!
Something gleamed.
“L-Look there!”
Dagnard shouted, eyes wide with excitement.
“Yes?”
“Do you see them? The glowing bow and hammer!”
“Ah, yes, I see them.”
Sure enough, they were there.
Two items lying side by side.
“Those are the relics of Dmir and Eldrin!”
“Oh?”
The very relics of the two who had sealed the ancient wyrm 500 years ago at the cost of their lives.
They had finally appeared before my eyes.