Chapter 84
“Hoo.”
The evening sun was setting.
I looked up at the sky and exhaled a long breath.
At last, I had cleared the dungeon.
Once again, I had survived—and returned stronger.
Kang Yujeong had bowed deeply, promising to repay this debt someday, and then left with Lee Seonah.
A small, satisfying feeling welled up inside me.
‘That was lucky.’
Who would’ve thought Bone Seven would turn out to be a healer?
And on top of that, to have such a ridiculously broken skill!
I felt like I was getting closer to becoming a Ranker with every step.
Each day, I could feel myself growing stronger.
‘Still, I can’t get complacent.’
The world was vast, and there were countless Rankers out there.
And the number of skills in existence was infinite.
Even if I believed my skills were the most overpowered—
There would always be others out there with even more absurd abilities hidden away.
Arrogance breeds carelessness.
And in this brutal world, carelessness meant death.
‘Still.’
At least for today—
Wouldn’t it be alright to enjoy this feeling of hope and anticipation?
“I can be a Ranker now~ I’ll proudly show my dreams~ My long-hidden wings are finally free~”
I hummed the tune as I walked down the streets of Apgujeong.
My destination—Dmir Workshop.
In other words, home.
That’s what’s great about this new house.
Before, whenever I finished a mercenary job or cleared a dungeon—
I hated going back to that filthy semi-basement room.
Now, my home was a high-class residence in Apgujeong. The walk itself made me happy.
I was humming without realizing it.
Swoosh.
As I entered the house, someone greeted me from the second floor.
“Master, you’ve returned?”
It was Dmir, the true owner of the second floor.
“You look pleased. I take it you gained much from this dungeon?”
“Of course, of course.”
Dmir—
My sixth [Bone].
He guarded the house while I was away.
He crafted standard weapons and kept the business running.
‘One of the best things about my skill is that—’
Even if I summon someone and go into a dungeon, they don’t get dismissed.
There’s no distance limit between summoner and summon.
“Actually, I already knew, Master.”
Dmir spoke calmly.
“While I was forging weapons as usual, my stats suddenly surged. My knowledge flowed into the work more smoothly. That could only mean one thing—you’ve grown stronger again, haven’t you?”
“Ah.”
Right, that made sense.
Since I had advanced to A-rank, Dmir must’ve also risen to Skeleton Knight (A-rank).
“Master.”
“Yeah?”
“Take a look at this.”
Suddenly, Dmir handed me something.
It was a beautifully crafted spear.
“What’s this?”
“While you were in the dungeon, I began crafting a spear in memory of Sun Spear.”
“…For Sunny?”
That made sense.
He deserved a proper weapon.
If I listed my [Bones] currently equipped with S-rank weapons—
Eldrin – Eldrin’s Bow
Bone Five – Flame Dragon’s Staff
Dmir – Dmir’s Hammer
That was it.
The rest were still using bone weapons.
“Hmm… I was planning to forge an S-rank weapon for Sunny later.”
If I were to make an S-rank weapon, Sunny was my top priority.
Honestly, [Bones] like Bone One, Bone Four, or Bone Seven were still in the middle of their awakenings, so it didn’t feel right yet.
Dmir once told me—
A true craftsman considers the user’s nature and personality when forging a weapon.
“Originally, I only intended to sketch the shape lightly. But when you advanced another rank, inspiration struck—hah hah hah.”
“Inspiration?”
Dmir chuckled softly and gestured toward the spear.
His expression was full of confidence in his creation.
“Take a look, Master. It should be the grade you wanted.”
“This is S-rank…?”
I stared blankly at the weapon’s information.
[Item: Spear Crafted in Honor of the Sun Spear]
[Rank: S]
[Type: Spear]
[Description: A spear forged by the legendary blacksmith ‘Dmir’ as a gift for his comrade, ‘Sunny.’]
[Effect 1: Increases Energy by 100.]
[Effect 2: Reduces skill cooldown by 20%.]
[Effect 3: Increases skill power by 200%.]
[Effect 4: Can only be used by ‘Sunny.’]
Whoa, seriously?
“You made this by yourself?”
I was stunned.
I knew Dmir was skilled, but to reach the level of crafting S-rank weapons alone already?
“When we craft together, the stats turn out even better, but this will do for now, don’t you think?”
Thud!
Dmir lowered his hammer and smiled.
“…”
It felt strange—
A summon acting on his own to strengthen my forces.
“Thanks, Dmir.”
I smiled at him.
“Sunny’s going to love this.”
Alright then—
Let’s give it to him.
[‘Sun Spear’ appears.]
I used 10 Energy to summon Sunny.
Then I handed him the spear and explained.
He carefully received the weapon.
“My lord, this… was made for me?”
Turns out no living being dislikes surprise gifts.
In short, Sunny was thrilled.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
He swung it around, admiring it in awe.
“Yeah, Sunny. Dmir made it while thinking about you during our last battle.”
“Thank you, Dmir.”
“It was nothing.”
Dmir smiled faintly at the gratitude.
“It fits perfectly in my hand. It’s light too. I like the design. But most of all…”
Whirl!
The spear spun elegantly around Sunny’s waist.
“I’ve never been given a gift before. All my life, people only feared or hated me.”
He was born blind—
A lonely sovereign of the ancient desert.
“That’s why I mean it. Thank you.”
Sunny quietly felt the weapon’s aura.
“Beyond its power, what I value most is the heart behind it. I promise—I’ll use it well.”
“…”
He was a pure being, shaped by pain.
I gazed at Sunny, who was genuinely grateful.
‘I’ll make him an even better one someday.’
For now, though, I’d just let him enjoy it.
—
The next day, on the rooftop.
After finishing training with the old man as usual, I was resting when Sunny approached.
“My lord.”
“Yeah?”
“I have a request.”
“What is it?”
“Now that I have a new weapon, I’d like to spar with someone.”
My eyes widened.
“Huh? With who?”
That was unexpected.
Sunny, who usually focused only on training, was asking for the first time.
“I want to fight Eldrin.”
“Eldrin?”
I looked at him closely.
There was a spark of rivalry in his eyes.
Was it because he had advanced to A-rank?
I could sense his growing pride—and his hunger to face the strong and improve.
“Oh?”
Eldrin raised an eyebrow.
“Overconfident, aren’t we? No matter how sharp your spear is, it’s useless if you can’t close the distance. Are you sure about this?”
“How are you so sure I can’t close the distance, Eldrin?”
“Well. If I go all out, you’ll collapse before you even get near me.”
Their gazes clashed, sparks flying.
“Nice!”
I cheered excitedly.
It was like watching a fighting show—complete with verbal taunts. Even better.
‘A duel between them?’
Honestly, I was curious.
Who would win between two of the strongest from different worlds?
In one corner—the ruler of the ancient desert.
In the other—the queen of the forest tribe, the proud High Elf.
It was only a spar, but they could kill each other freely.
After all, with just 10 Energy, they could be revived again.
“What’s this? An early-morning showdown?”
Kim Jina, who had come up to water the rooftop plants, perked up.
“Wait right there!”
She ran to the storage room and came back with popcorn and soda.
Seriously.
When did she even buy those things?
“You can’t watch a fight without popcorn! Hehe.”
“…”
Kim Jina sat beside me and handed me a soda.
It felt so natural that I took it without thinking.
Well, she was family now.
“Ahem, anyway.”
I turned back to the two sparking rivals.
“You can spar all you want, but no hard feelings about the result, alright?”
“Of course, my lord.”
“Naturally.”
Both answered firmly.
Good.
This was still part of training.
Although—
If they fought here, my beloved house would end up destroyed.
“The clearing.”
I smiled.
“Let’s take this to the clearing.”
—
Whooosh!
A cool breeze lifted the dust.
In a quiet clearing, the two stood face to face.
“Hmm.”
Sunny spoke first.
“How about a wager, Eldrin?”
The slayer and ruler who once dominated the humans of the ancient desert—
Now a being healing from his scars.
“Fufu, what kind of wager?”
Eldrin lowered her bow slightly.
She was no ordinary opponent either.
Having lived far longer than most, her experience was unmatched—
And she had once sealed away a colossal dragon.
“Rank order.”
“Oh? Rank order?”
Eldrin let out a curious laugh.
“Until the next of our siblings awakens, the loser drops in rank.”
“And this ranking means?”
“Nothing serious. Just an unspoken hierarchy.”
A spark of rivalry gleamed in Sunny’s eyes.
Eldrin met his gaze evenly.
“Sounds fun. And what about Dmir?”
“Dmir’s excluded. He’s not a combat type.”
“Alright then, I accept.”
Eldrin nodded.
“Okay.”
Now it was my turn.
For the record, I was the referee—and Kim Jina, the sole spectator.
“The rules are simple. Stay within the clearing. The one who makes the other disappear first wins.”
“Understood.”
“Got it.”
Their faces lost all traces of amusement.
As I stepped back, Bone Five cast Air Shield around me—
And around Kim Jina as well.
“Then I’ll start first.”
Whoosh!
Eldrin leapt lightly, landing atop a nearby tree.
“Unlucky for you, Sun Spear. Forest-dwellers are far deadlier when surrounded by nature.”
Swish! Swoosh!
A flurry of sharp arrows rained down in succession—
Her rapid-fire skill, now upgraded to ‘Advanced.’
Bang! Clang! Clatter!
But Sunny’s reflexes were razor-sharp.
He swung his new spear with dazzling precision, deflecting and shattering every arrow.
It was pure, masterful spearwork.
“Wowww!”
Kim Jina’s cheer rang out beside me.
“…”
I watched quietly.
A battle between two absolute beings—there was much I could learn.
Sun Spear Sunny and Moonlight Eldrin.
Their duel had begun.