Chapter 83
“Mm.”
When I opened my eyes, we were already outside the dungeon.
From the middle ridge of Todang Mountain, I could see Incheon’s Geomdan district at a glance.
The familiar sky filled my vision.
“Ugh…”
“Groan…”
Around me, I could hear the faint groans of the Black Sword team members.
Kim Junsu, Kang Yujeong, and Kang Jihoo—
All of them had survived.
They had lived through the nightmare of the Undead Legion’s army.
“Haha.”
The vice-captain, Kang Jihoo, laughed.
“Hahaha, did we really make it out alive? For real?”
“Hic, what a relief. Really.”
Tears welled up in Kang Yujeong’s eyes.
“I thought everyone would die because of me…”
The pain was one thing, but the guilt of almost killing her entire team must have weighed heavily on her.
“Skeleton King.”
A weary voice came from beside me.
It was the Black Sword, Lee Seonah.
Yes.
She truly was a Ranker.
If it weren’t for her, I would’ve died.
And if it weren’t for me, she wouldn’t have cleared the dungeon.
We owed each other our lives.
That said—
“Hmm, Black Sword?”
“…?”
“To be honest, I could handle being called Lord…”
“Huh?”
She tilted her head.
“But King? That’s too much. Just hearing it makes my skin crawl.”
King!
The ruler of a nation, the one seated on a throne.
It sounded like a title reserved for someone at least ranked number one in the world.
“I only call people by their title, King.”
“…Really?”
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
She had never called anyone by name.
Even the Five Stars of Seoul were always addressed by their titles.
And she had never once called me ‘Joo Donghoon.’
“Why?”
“Habit, I suppose. The details are a secret.”
“…?”
What the heck.
Wasn’t she the same person who hated being called ‘Great Captain’?
“Anyway, Skeleton King, I owe you my life. That was the greatest battle I’ve ever experienced.”
“Haha, agreed! It was incredible—the might of an army of Skeletons blanketing the world…”
The vice-captain raised his thumb.
“Thank you.”
“I won’t forget this debt.”
The Black Sword members bowed their heads one by one.
Even Kang Yujeong, despite losing an arm, stood straight and saluted with dignity.
“Well, I should thank you all too.”
I bowed to them in return.
“Thank you.”
Whatever their intent had been, the dungeon had ultimately been for me.
It was meant to evaluate me—and in the end, I was the one who awakened.
Meanwhile, Seonah had used her innate energy, and Yujeong had lost an arm.
“…”
I couldn’t begin to imagine what it must feel like for a swordswoman to lose her arm.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, the air around us grew heavy.
[Clear rewards have arrived!]
[Please check your rewards!]
‘Right, the rewards!’
I raised my gaze.
Most of them were boosts to my [Bones]’ stats.
Their overall abilities had increased, and a few skills had leveled up.
But above all—
‘The seal on Bone Seven is finally broken.’
I instinctively opened Bone Seven’s status window.
[Name: Bone Seven]
[Energy: 200/200]
[Unique Ability: Skeleton Knight]
[Class: Healer] (T/N: DANNNNNNGG!)
[Rank: A]
[Strength: 40] [Agility: 40] [Stamina: 40] [Magic: 40] [Technique: 40]
[Skills]
– Intermediate Healing (Lv.1)
– Recovery (Lv.Max)
– Skeleton Summon (Lv.Max)
“…?!”
My eyes darted rapidly across the information.
‘Healing? Recovery? A Healer class?’
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
Healer-type abilities were rarer than Necromancers.
I’d never even seen a single Healer in all my dungeon runs.
‘An undead that’s a healer…?’
Normally, healing magic harmed the undead.
‘Healing’ carried a sacred, holy energy—the polar opposite of undeath.
‘And besides,’ I thought, ‘I don’t even need a healer.’
My Skeletons could recover as long as I had enough energy.
‘But right now… maybe I do.’
[Skill: Intermediate Healing]
[Level: 1]
[Description: Rapidly restores physical condition.]
[Effect 1: Closes wounds, stops bleeding, and relieves inflammation.]
[Effect 2: For Skeletons, reconnects and repairs bones.]
[Effect 3: Consumes 10 Energy.]
‘Huh.’
Reading Effects 1 and 2, it seemed to work not only on Hunters but on Skeletons as well.
‘Next, Recovery.’
[Skill: Recovery]
[Level: Max]
[Description: Restores the body to its previous state.]
[Effect 1: Returns the body to its condition from 24 hours prior. Cannot be used on the dead.]
[Effect 2: Cooldown – 30 days.]
[Effect 3: Consumes 50 Energy.]
“Whoa!”
The word burst out of me before I realized it.
‘This is broken!’
When I heard “healer,” I expected some weak recovery spell.
‘Damn.’
But this wasn’t that.
It was insane.
‘Restores the body to its previous state…’
Meaning, depending on the timing, you could heal someone even on the brink of death.
Sure, it couldn’t fix someone who’d been injured for more than a day,
But in combat? This was god-tier.
Just this one skill alone could get him scouted by every guild in the country.
He could follow Rankers around and serve as their personal life battery.
Even with a month-long cooldown, the power was absurd.
“…?”
The silence around me continued.
Everyone was staring curiously after my sudden outburst.
“What’s wrong, King?”
“Did you think of something?”
Of course they were curious.
But no need to rush.
I grinned and looked at her—the one still clutching her arm.
“Kang Yujeong?”
“Yes?”
She looked confused.
“Could I see your arm for a moment?”
If my memory was right, it hadn’t been 24 hours since she was injured.
—
‘My arm…’
Kang Yujeong stared blankly at the ground.
What emotion was this?
Honestly, even she didn’t know.
Sadness, disbelief, resignation—all tangled together like a broken circuit.
‘I never thought I’d be the one in those dungeon accident headlines.’
A chill ran down her spine.
She could still feel the cold, slicing sensation from when the Death Knight’s blade grazed her shoulder.
A memory and pain she never wanted to recall again.
Her missing arm still throbbed.
‘Life with one arm…’
No matter how she tried to stay positive, it felt suffocating.
Beyond daily inconveniences, balance was an issue.
Her stance, footwork, swordsmanship—all felt wrong.
Unnatural.
Even with both arms, she had only been A-rank.
How much harder would it be to reach S-rank—or Ranker—now?
Or was it even possible?
“…”
She felt crushed.
She’d likely have to retire from hunting.
Leave the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect.
Maybe become an instructor instead.
She could still make a living as a former A-rank, couldn’t she?
As she drifted through those thoughts—
“Kang Yujeong?”
Joo Donghoon called her name.
‘Joo Donghoon.’
At first, she thought he was just some B-rank gimmick player.
But he wasn’t just any B-rank.
‘B-rank, my ass.’
No matter how she looked at it, he had to be at least S-rank.
Honestly, even Ranker sounded plausible.
His composure, his quick decision-making—
And the sight of him commanding that ocean of Skeletons that had swept across the battlefield.
‘How could that possibly be a B-rank? Impossible.’
She shook her head.
“Yes.”
“Could I see your arm for a moment?”
“My arm?”
Which one—her left or right?
Her left arm was already gone.
But somehow, seeing his confident smile stirred something inside her.
‘A miracle.’
He was the kind of person who made miracles happen.
“Why my arm?”
She approached him slowly, uncertain, her eyes silently asking what to do.
Then—
Whoosh!
He swung his staff.
Rumble!
A white Skeleton rose from the ground.
That Skeleton also carried a staff.
Joo Donghoon looked down at it and said,
“Bone Seven, Healing.”
Creak!
The Skeleton raised its staff and gently placed it on Kang Yujeong’s shoulder.
“Healing?”
The vice-captain gasped.
“Did you just say Healing, King?”
Even the Ranker herself stood frozen in disbelief.
Kang Yujeong stared at her missing arm in shock.
‘A Skeleton that can heal…?’
If there were a TV show called “Hunters You Won’t Believe Exist,” he’d top the guest list.
Wooooong!
A soft white glow spread from the Skeleton’s staff, wrapping gently around her shoulder.
The throbbing pain vanished.
The bleeding stopped.
And as time passed, new flesh began to form over the red wound.
‘But…’
That was it.
An arm couldn’t possibly regrow.
That would be an absurd miracle.
“Hmm. Healing isn’t enough.”
Joo Donghoon sighed lightly.
Was he disappointed?
‘Of course.’
Still, this much was already a blessing.
She had survived—and the pain was gone.
“I…”
Kang Yujeong bit her lip.
“I’m alright. Really.”
Then she bowed her head.
“Losing an arm… it’s one of the risks every Hunter faces. Just being alive, returning with my team—that’s enough for me. Truly.”
Her voice was calm and steady.
“Just the fact that you even cared enough to try…”
“Hold on. I’m not done yet.”
He smiled faintly.
Then shouted—
“Recovery!”
And at that moment—
From the Skeleton’s staff, the light turned pure white—
Almost divine.
Swoosh!
A mystical aura surged toward her shoulder.
A message appeared before her eyes.
[Skill ‘Recovery’ touches your body.]
[Your body returns to its state from 24 hours ago.]
“Huh?”
The flood of energy began transforming her body.
Time rewound.
Blood returned to the arm that had been healed over.
Bones began to grow, muscle knitting over them, veins spreading, nerves reconnecting—
As if—
They had been there all along.
“Ah…”
Her arm.
Her living, breathing arm was back.
She could feel her left hand again.
She clenched and unclenched her fist.
It was real.
It was hers.
“What… what is this…”
In shock, she gaped at Joo Donghoon.
All around, the Black Sword members were equally speechless.
A god couldn’t have done better.
How could someone restore a severed arm?
“This is my new skill—Recovery. Looks like it worked.”
“…”
Kang Yujeong couldn’t speak.
Her eyes welled up as tears streamed down her cheeks.
‘Is this real?’
‘Did my arm really come back?’
‘Can I fight again?’
If that was true—
Then he wasn’t just her savior.
He was something greater—
The one who had restored her dream.
“Truly… thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”
That day, Kang Yujeong—
Experienced two miracles.