How to Raise Your Skeletons

She glanced back. There, the dragon was sealed, raging and roaring in its imprisonment.

Next to her, Demir nodded. “That’s right. As you know, the dragon is terrifyingly strong. The moment the prohibition is lifted, it will all be over.”

“G-Great ancestor…” It was then that Dagnar timidly raised his hand.

Demir tilted his skeletal head.

“Does that mean the world will end in a week?”

“Hmm? If that were the case, why would I break the seal and show up here?”

His expression seemed to say, Were my people always this stupid? but his face soon went blank. Since Eldrin was right beside him, saying anything like that could be considered as mocking himself.

“So, it’s not…?”

“Well… It could be, or maybe not. The point is, we must ensure that doesn’t happen.” Demir turned to me. “You.”

“Yes?”

“We don’t have much time. You understand that our awakening is temporary.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Because the system had informed me.

“We have exactly one week. After that, our powers will dissipate again, and we’ll return to our state as souls. And along with that, the prohibition on the dragon will also be lifted.”

“Then what should we do now?”

“Before that happens, we must kill the dragon.” Demir gripped his hammer tightly. “The Giant Magic Dragon is a being that rules over this world, but the world, in its own way, can also rule over itself.”

“What does that mean?” I tilted my head, puzzled by the cryptic statement.

“The Forest Tribe and the Rock Tribe form this world. The strength of our world matches the dragon’s strength.”

“Oh.” I nodded, understanding immediately. “Harmony. You’re planning to unite the power of all the races. Only when the Forest and Rock Tribes are united can they be considered a complete world.”

“Exactly.”

That’s right. The purpose of this intermediary dungeon, Forest and Stone, was to resolve the conflict between the races.

“We need all the races to combine their strength and attack before the dragon’s prohibition is lifted. But… in such a short time, our strength alone won’t suffice. As you can see.” Demir looked down at his skeletal form as if marveling at how he was made entirely of bones. “Our bodies are in this state.”

True. Who would believe them, that an ancestor had come back to life as a skeleton? Certainly, not me.

“If you help us eliminate the dragon…”

—Boom!

Demir slammed his hammer on the ground.

—Swoosh.

“As a reward for avenging our races’ grievances, I shall follow you until my soul finds rest.”

Watching him, Eldrin also stepped forward and bowed her head slightly. “The same goes for me. I swear on the name of Forest and Moonlight.”

The two skeletons looked at me with sincere expressions.

At the same time, a new message appeared.

—Ring!

[Stage: Forest and Stone]

[Difficulty: Immeasurable]

[The mission has reached its finale.]

[Achieve harmony between the races and defeat the eternal enemy of the tribes, the ‘Giant Magic Dragon.’]

[Resolve the resentment of the two souls and achieve the true awakening of ‘Bonehead 3’ and ‘Bonehead 6.’]

True awakening! Just as I thought, it was similar to the process of obtaining Sunny.

The deadline was a week.

Yes, I’d been waiting for this.

A voice escaped my lips. “Understood.”

Harmony between the races. To achieve that, I needed to persuade both tribes.

It certainly wasn’t going to be easy. How could the deep-seated resentment of 500 years be resolved in just one week?

“I can handle the elves.”

As the true high elf queen, Eldrin knew the nature of the Forest Tribe well.

“The elves cannot disobey their queen. No matter how I look, my children will recognize my presence immediately. I’ll be getting started first.” Eldrin nodded confidently and headed toward the forest.

There was a proud demeanor in her steps, one full of pride in her people.

Next to her, Demir muttered grumpily. “Hmph, a race that only follows their queen’s word. I believe an intelligent race should have individual freedom. Like our Rock Tribe.”

Before we could achieve harmony, it seemed my opinion that the dwarves would be an obstacle had hurt his pride.

“They’re like ants following their queen, after all.”

“Haha, the Rock Tribe won’t be much of a problem.” I smiled broadly. “With Demir’s skills, that is.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, shall we head out?”

Excluding Eldrin, we all headed back to Titan. Entering would have been challenging because of Chief Vulcanus’s orders, but it no longer mattered. Because that Chief was now sealed beneath the altar, going through the main gate of Titan wasn’t difficult.

“Haha, you’ve forgotten already? This here, Joo Donghoon, is our benefactor. Ah, we can let him in! The Chief has permitted it, I say! Here, take this. A token of my appreciation. Hey now! Don’t be such an inflexible dwarf!”

Dagnar handled it effortlessly. Through his smooth talk, we managed to enter and headed straight for the mine.

The ore in the mine was still there.

I inhaled deeply, feeling content. “Ah, I just love this scent.” I gazed lovingly at the piles of ore.

I thought I’d never see you again, but here we are!

“Sunny.”

Now it was time to craft weapons.

“Yes, my lord. Did you call for me?” The summoned Sunny bowed.

“Take the skeletons and spread the word everywhere that Joo Donghoon has returned. Just like I promised, I’ll make their weapons.”

“As you command.”

From my experience, dwarves were a straightforward and bold race. And if they came across anyone who knew how to make things, they would show them affection without hesitation.

[Rock Tribe: 75]

[Forest Tribe: 25]

First, I’ll raise their affection to 100.

Initially choosing the dwarves turned out to be a good move. Since the entire elven race could be controlled by Eldrin alone, all I had to do now was take care of the dwarves.

Alright, then.

I looked at Demir.

It was time to get hammering.

“Oh, wait. Before that.” A thought suddenly crossed my mind. “Demir.”

“What is it?”

“Could you, by any chance, make me a bag?”

“A bag?”

“Yes, do you remember the supply bag you distributed before?”

“Hmm.” Demir shook his head regretfully. “I have the materials and could make one…”

“…?”

“But I can’t use too much energy. Maintaining this awakened state relies on the power in the orb… One wrong move and the restrictions could break sooner than expected.”

“Ah.”

That was a shame. Using Demir, I thought I could equip my skeletons and myself with complete sets. Then again, that would be overpowered.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t make anything. I can create as many items as possible within reasonable limits. It’s just that artifacts with alchemy like the bags would be difficult.”

In simple terms, he couldn’t make S-rank items.

“I see.” I nodded, feeling slightly down.

“Hey.” Dagnar approached from the side.

—Thud.

He handed me a bag.

“Dagnar?”

“You really do have a thing for this bag, huh?”

Oh.

For real? Are you giving it to me?

My eyes widened, and Dagnar smiled warmly.

“What reason is there to keep this for myself? You’ve saved my life more than thrice already. And you’re a hero trying to save our entire race!”

“Wow, thank you.” I accepted without hesitation.

Dagnar’s words were all true. Yeah, I was the benefactor of the dwarven race. A big one, at that.

“Hehe.” I lifted the bag, my eyes sparkling.

[Item: Demir-Distributed Backpack]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Bag]

[Description: A backpack distributed by the legendary blacksmith ‘Demir’ for the tribe’s convenience. It boasts incredible performance for a supply item.]

[Effect 1: Provides an S-rank subspace, allowing the user to store many items.]

[Effect 2: Maintains freshness within the subspace.]

It was an artifact that could never be found on Earth. Well, if I awakened Boney 6 as Demir, I’d be able to make more after some time.

Before I clear this dungeon, I’ll pack all the materials in this.

I needed the bag mainly to store the abundant smelting and weaving materials from here.

“Alright then!” I clapped my hands.

—Creak!

Demir looked at me with his creaking bones.

“Let’s get down to hammering, shall we?”

“What should I start with?”

“Make everything you know how to. As long as it’s not overdoing it.”

“Just crafting? And that’ll bring about harmony?” Demir asked in disbelief.

“Watch and see.”

“Alright… I’ll trust you.”

—Clang! Clang!

And so, the hammering began.

* * *

Word traveled without feet. The rumor spread by Sunny quickly echoed throughout the Rock Tribe.

“Joo Donghoon! Did you say Joo Donghoon is back?”

“The Chief threw him out, didn’t he? And now he’s returned?”

“They say the Chief allowed it! It’s not an official statement… but if no one’s saying anything, it must be true, right?”

“Oh, is that so?”

The dwarves quickly gathered at the mine.

That was the power of the favorability system. On top of that, the dwarves already wanted me because there weren’t any proper blacksmiths in the villages.

“Haha! Hey! I’ve been waiting for you! You said you’d make mine last time and disappeared. Do you know how worried I was?”

“Mine too! Mine too!”

“Move aside! I was next in line last time! My tools urgently need repairs!”

At first, they came singularly or in pairs. But soon, they were coming in droves.

Thanks to Sunny’s sensible use of “The Chief approved it!” the dwarves no longer hesitated.

“Haha, everyone, please stand in a straight line.” I greeted them with a smile. “I’ll make something even better than what you had in the blueprints you gave me.”

“Oh, really?”

The dwarves buzzed with excitement at my words.

Honestly, there was no need to say anything. Just looking at this sight was enough to make anyone stare in awe.

—Clang! Clang!

The clear sound of metal rang throughout the entire mine. The precise and steadfast hammering was different from Boney 6’s work. It felt like watching a tutorial. No, it was more than that.

—Clang! Clang!

[Completion rate 100%]

[Acquired ‘Special Steel Hammer’ (B-rank).]

—Thud!

[Completion rate 100%]

[Acquired ‘Soul-Filled Supply Hammer’ (A-rank).]

—Thud! Thud!

[Completion rate 100%]

[Acquired ‘Special Steel Hammer’ (B-rank).]

With just a few strikes of the hammer, items fell like rain. It was practically factory-level production.

“A-Amazing! He is… a god! The god of blacksmithing!”

“Is this some kind of sorcery? How can such movements be possible?”

“It’s a legend! A legend!”

[Favorability increased by 5.]

[The Rock Tribe feels gratitude toward you.]

Good!

As expected, dwarves were simple. Their affection increased just by making things for them.

—Clang! Clang!

Time continued to pass.

“Thank you, truly.”

“With this, we can win the war against the elves!”

Half of those who came on the second day had received new hammers.

Time passed again.

[Favorability increased by 5.]

[The Rock Tribe respects you.]

By the third day, everyone who had come had received a hammer. However, Demir didn’t stop. He started making various everyday tools, not just hammers.

[Favorability increased by 5.]

[The Rock Tribe trusts you.]

And on the fourth day, one of the dwarves spoke.

“You… Why do you look so handsome?”

“…Pardon?”

“Hey, what do you think of my daughter? I’d permit a love that transcends race if it’s you! Hahaha!”

Hey, Mr. Dwarf, that’s a bit much…

[Favorability increased by 5.]

[The Rock Tribe loves you.]

“Yes, you’re absolutely right!”

“If you told me elves were part of the Rock Tribe, I’d believe you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

[Favorability increased by 5.]

[Favorability reached 100.]

[The Rock Tribe fully trusts and relies on you.]

And so, by the fifth day, I achieved 100 favorability with the Rock Tribe.