How to Raise Your Skeletons

My breathing was ragged. Even though I had persevered through numerous strange events, at this moment, I just wanted to put everything down and rest. I wanted to collapse.

[Completion Rate 100%]

My whole body trembled; every muscle ached and throbbed.

How long had I been hammering, feeling ki with Boney 6? Even by rough estimation, it must have been over seven days.

“They didn’t even sleep…!”

“To think one could hammer away for a whole week without sleeping…”

The surrounding dwarves stared at me with wide eyes, their expressions mixed with disbelief and admiration.

“We have to give credit where it’s due! Yes, this is what the spirit of a blacksmith looks like!”

“No matter how common it was in the days of our ancestors… This is incredible passion, nonetheless.”

They were exclaiming in awe, looking at me as if I were some kind of mythical creature.

—Thud!

Boney 6 finally laid down its hammer. It was as if all the energy had been drained from it, and it slumped against the wall in exhaustion.

“You did well, my friend.” Even my voice trembled.

It couldn’t be helped. After all, the ‘creation’ we had poured our heart and spirit into for the past week shone brightly before me.

This is… Titan’s Thunder Hammer.

I gently grasped its handle.

As I did, a message appeared in front of me.

[Congratulations!]

[The weapon you created has been imbued with ‘spirit.’]

[The weapon’s rank has been upgraded!]

[You have acquired ‘Titan’s Thunder Hammer’ (S-rank).]

“…?”

What? Did I read that wrong?

I stood there, frozen, with my hand on the hammer. I rubbed my eyes with my other hand.

S-rank?

I checked again. It was the same. The weapon I had crafted using an A-rank blueprint was undeniably S-rank.

[Item: Special Titan’s Thunder Hammer]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Hammer]

[Description: A hammer forged with steel and mithril, infused with the power of thunder. Though crafted with lesser caliber, it radiates a brilliance imbued with pure passion.]

[Effect 1: Strength +50.]

[Effect 2: Attack speed +200%.]

[Effect 3: Damage against the Elven race increased by 100%.]

[Effect 4: Usable only by the Dwarven race.]

[Effect 5: Emits a thunderous sound upon impact.]

“Ahh…!” I couldn’t close my gaping mouth.

First of all, the item’s performance was insane. It was almost on par with the Staff of the Fire Dragon that Boney 5 wielded!

The restriction that only dwarves could use the item felt a bit limiting, but it didn’t matter since I intended to give it to a dwarf anyway.

Did I just really… create something like this with my own hands?

A surge of something deep inside me washed away the exhaustion that had built up in my body.

[‘Boney 6’ is being adjusted.]

[Proficiency increased by 5.]

[Proficiency increased by 4.]

[The skill level of ‘Intermediate Item Crafting’ (Lv.2) has increased by 1.]

[Proficiency increased by 11.]

…

[Proficiency increased by 8.]

[The skill level of ‘Intermediate Item Crafting’ (Lv.3) has increased by 1.]

[Proficiency increased by 7.]

[All stats increased by 2.]

The rewards for crafting this one weapon were incredible. The ‘Intermediate Item Crafting’ skill had gone up to level 4, and other stats had also grown.

“…”

This was a considerable achievement. It wasn’t just about leveling up.

Boney 6 created an S-rank item with just an intermediate skill.

So what would happen if its proficiency continued to rise? What if the skill level increased and reached advanced and beyond? God forbid if it maxed out its skill level.

“…”

I became speechless.

There was a real chance of creating items even superior to S-rank, perhaps even SS-rank or higher, something that hadn’t appeared in the ten-year history of this world.

I probably wouldn’t be able to recreate this if I tried again right now.

That was the nature of immersion. It wasn’t something you could consciously decide to enter; it just happened naturally when you were in the zone. There could be no greed or distractions—only pure, unadulterated focus on the ‘spirit’ of the work.

I poured my everything into this work in the past week.

Still.

I resolved to participate in the crafting process from now on, because I had to at least try.

“…Hey.” Tonir approached and grabbed my hand. “I cannot express my gratitude enough. I never thought I’d see my family’s heirloom hammer brought back to life in my lifetime. A strong dwarf will wield this Thunder Hammer that you’ve created. It will roar like thunder on the battlefield, making its presence known. And every time it does, we’ll think of you. You truly are… the savior of our tribe.”

[The Rock Tribe feels deep gratitude toward you.]

[Favorability level has changed.]

[Rock Tribe: 75]

[Forest Tribe: 25]

Hm.

The favorability level had changed again. The Rock Tribe’s favorability had increased by 5, while the elves’ had decreased by 5.

Why was the favorability of the elves, of all people, dropping?

Wait, this must mean…

I had a bad feeling.

It seemed that some kind of balancing mechanism was affecting the favorability levels of the two tribes. It was highly likely that the sum couldn’t exceed 100. That meant it was impossible to max out the favorability of both tribes.

Ugh.

This was problematic. The final quest of this dungeon was to resolve the conflict between the two tribes. To do that, it made sense that I would need to raise the favorability levels of both tribes simultaneously.

It’s about time to make a move.

As much as I enjoyed being a craftsman, I couldn’t stay here forever. This place was inside a dungeon—I had to clear it and leave.

As my excitement began to settle down, I heard someone’s voice.

“There’s an order to assemble! An order to assemble has been issued!” A new dwarf, who had come up from the village, called out, “The chief, Vulcanus, has issued an order to assemble the representatives of each village, along with you and Dagnar!” The dwarf pointed at me.

“Me?”

“Yes, you! The deadline is by midday tomorrow! At Titan’s central council hall!”

“…”

The chief, Vulcanus, wanted to see me.

I could sense that I was finally getting to the heart of the matter.

“Understood. I’ll be there.” I nodded slowly.

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator – Dawn

Proofreader – BringTheRayn

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* * *

“You.” Dagnar blinked in shock beside me. “Do you know how incredible it is to be summoned by the chief?”

He launched into an explanation about the assembly order, speaking passionately.

“No matter your race, I thought you’d know about this. If you don’t know, you should! You need to understand who the chief is and what it means for him to summon you!”

“Yes, yes. So you’re saying the chief is incredibly powerful and doesn’t issue orders to assemble lightly, right?”

“It’s more than that! It’s been a whopping 50 years! 50 years! He hasn’t even shown himself in those years! That means he’s paying special attention to you!”

“…”

Indeed, it was impressive.

Of course, it was impressive in a bad way. The head of a tribe never showing his face despite being at war with another race for centuries. What kind of messed-up tribe was this?

Perhaps because my expression showed my concern, Dagnar sighed heavily.

“I can see what you’re thinking.”

“Honestly, yeah. If Chief Vulcanus is that strong, why doesn’t he join the fight and end the war?”

“He can’t.” Dagnar shook his head.

“Why not?”

“It’s because of an agreement with the high elf queen.”

“What?”

What kind of nonsense was this? I couldn’t understand why he’d form an agreement with their enemy, the elves.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Haah. What do you think war is about?”

“War? It’s just a fight. A life-or-death struggle.”

“Exactly. And in that fight, you’re trying to gain something. But if Vulcanus and the high elf queen were to join the fight… neither side would gain anything.”

“…”

“Their mere participation would lead to the extinction of not just the two tribes but possibly all the races in the world. The world itself might collapse. That’s how powerful they are.”

“Really?”

“Vulcanus alone could defeat every elf and dwarf combined, and the high elf queen is no different.”

“…Yikes.”

“So they agreed not to use their power.”

This world was even more unbalanced than I had thought.

Then again, Earth wasn’t much different. The situation was similar to the Cold War, where the U.S. and the Soviet Union had agreed not to use nuclear weapons despite being at odds.

Chief Vulcanus was like the nuclear bomb of the Rock Tribe.

In that case…

He was practically an absolute being in this world.

Images of the old man and the Sun Spear suddenly overlapped in my mind. I wondered who would win if they were to fight.

There’s only one way to find out.

The solution to this question was quite simple. I just had to summon the old man when I met the chief.

* * *

The central council hall in Titan was incredibly grand. Just by looking at the architecture, it was clear how advanced the ancestors of the dwarves were.

“My, I never thought I’d set foot in this place. It’s all thanks to you.” Dagnar seemed more excited than usual. “No one below the rank of a village councilman can even come here. Life sure is full of surprises.”

“…”

He was chattering beside me, but I couldn’t focus. Rather, to be precise, my whole body was tense.

This is insane.

The dwarves I had met in the village were nothing compared to this.

One by one, the council members gathered, and even at a glance, I could tell they were all above the power of a ranker. My recent improvements in the Great Blue Heart Technique allowed me to feel their strength even more vividly.

Their strength is no joke…

Yet the dwarves said that they couldn’t stand up to the chief even with all their strength combined. I was becoming more and more curious about Vulcanus.

“Hey, is something wrong?” Dagnar tilted his head, looking concerned. “You look awfully pale.”

“Oh, no, you needn’t worry. Do we just follow them inside?”

“Yes. But don’t assume I know more than you. As I said, this is my first time here too.”

Oh, right.

I shook off my thoughts and moved forward.

At the same time, I summoned the old man.

[Using skill ‘Teaching of All Techniques’ (S-rank).]

[Consuming 20 energy.]

[Summoning ‘Master of All Techniques.’]

“Hm, brat. Have you finally finished hammering?”

Elder.

“Hm?” Suddenly, the Master of All Techniques furrowed his brow.

What’s wrong? I asked him internally.

“Where is this place?”

They say it’s where the most influential figure in this world resides. He summoned me.

“Disciple.”

Yes, elder?

“Be careful.”

Huh?

I was shocked. The old man was always arrogant and full of himself. He believed he was the strongest, and even when he met the Sun Spear, his confidence didn’t waver. He even claimed he would win without a doubt.

But now…

He was telling me to be careful.

“I sense an overwhelmingly powerful energy here. Hmm, with this much aura, I reckon he could rival me at my prime…”

“…”

Could Vulcanus really be that powerful? Given his strength and preference for training over blacksmithing, he couldn’t be Boney 6 in its previous life.

In any case.

There was no need for me to worry because my favorability level with the Rock Tribe was high enough.

[Rock Tribe: 75]

And the dwarves were a race that valued gratitude. They wouldn’t harm someone who had helped them.

Step by step, I walked toward the grand door.

After what felt like an eternity, a massive hall appeared before me.

—Thud!

A low, wide table filled the center of the room.

This was the sacred council hall of the Rock Tribe, where only dwarves with a certain level of achievement could enter. The most sacred of sacred places—it was the Rock Tribe’s upper council chamber.