How to Raise Your Skeletons

[E-rank Hunter]

[Necromancer? Or production class?]

[Someone of interest to the Dark Empress, Gi Soyul. ***Important***]

[Likely has ties to the Five Stars of Seoul.]

[Recently established Demir’s Workshop, producing fairly decent weapons.]

[Spent the last two weeks just hammering.]

…

Kim Jinah’s mind quickly organized the information she had gathered. Normally, such details wouldn’t have been worth storing in her memory, but…

This man is definitely something.

Joo Donghoon was different. She instinctively felt that she needed to remember him. There were too many strange things about him.

It had been a long time since he had obtained the ultra-rare necromancer class, yet he was still only using skeletons. Then he suddenly appeared at an auction and sold a dozen B-rank weapons. That could be attributed to having earned a fortuitous opportunity, but…

The fact that the Dark Empress is interested in him…

Unbelievable. That was the strangest part. The Gi Soyul she had investigated wasn’t the type to easily take an interest in anyone. She had interacted with countless people, but the only ones who remained close to her were blood relatives like her brother, the Fine Bow, and the Five Stars of Seoul.

Kim Jinah’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “Yes, dear customer. You’re inquiring about loans, right?”

Her voice was full of energy. She couldn’t hide her excitement over finally meeting someone she had been curious about.

“Yes, what’s the maximum amount I can borrow?” he replied.

“Hmm, for an E-rank hunter, the maximum would normally be 20 million won. But if there are any special circumstances, such as unique authorities or assets for collateral, I could raise that a bit at my discretion.”

“E-rank, 20 million…”

“…”

The man thought for a moment before speaking again. “So if my rank were higher, I could borrow more?”

At that moment, Kim Jinah’s eyes gleamed.

This guy is…

He was hiding his actual abilities. He was a rank concealer who deliberately chose not to update his rank.

It made sense. The Dark Empress wouldn’t take an interest in just anyone.

—Gulp!

Kim Jinah swallowed in excitement.

This man was like an onion—new layers were revealed the more she peeled back. And now, she had the chance to find out for herself beyond what the media knew.

“Dear customer.”

“Yes?”

“Regarding that rank… just how high could you raise it?”

She went for it. It was a question hunters might find intrusive, but nothing could stop her curiosity at this moment.

* * *

“Hm?” I glanced at the woman in front of me. Her sleek black nameplate was visible.

{Team Leader, Kim Jinah}

Unlike any of the other bank employees I had dealt with, she was intriguing.

Most dismiss me or half-heartedly offer advice when I show them my E-rank badge.

Kim Jinah, however, seemed even more interested. She even suggested that she could personally increase the loan amount. And then she asked how far I could raise my rank, as if she knew I was hiding my real strength. Could someone with ordinary insight say something like that?

So I became curious.

“If I’m honest with you, will you increase the loan amount?”

“Hmm, Mr. Joo Donghoon?”

“Yes?”

“If you don’t mind… would you like to discuss this further in a VIP room?”

“Huh? Is it really necessary to go that far?”

“Let me be straightforward. I think I know why you need the funds. Would you like to hear my guess?”

Wow. What a bold woman. She even claimed to know why I needed the money.

When I gave her a suspicious look, Kim Jinah spoke again. “I promise you will be more satisfied with the results here than at any other bank. Trust me.”

“Hmm, okay.”

Why not? I had nothing to lose, and I needed the money anyway.

I nodded, and we moved to a VIP room.

Some of the other staff seemed confused, but Kim Jinah walked confidently, as befitting the role of a team leader with a strong presence in the company.

“Dear customer.” After guiding me to a luxurious sofa, Kim Jinah handed me a cup of coffee and said, “You’re planning to take on the Ohsung Workshop, correct?”

“Wow.”

How does she know that? The only people aware of this were me, my skeletons, and Gi Soyul… Wait, did she hear it from Shin Jongoh?

“How did you figure that out?”

“I knew it.”

—Whew.

Kim Jinah let out a deep breath, as if she had just taken a lucky guess and it happened to be right.

“Well, I’ve always been interested in hunters, so I can easily deduce these kinds of conflicts. The Ohsung Workshop’s Director, Shin Jongoh, has been pestering people around the Dark Empress, and it just so happens that the Dark Empress is quite fond of you.”

“…”

“On top of that, the Ohsung Workshop recently bought out the sector around Demir’s Workshop, right? So the answer is obvious.”

I stared at her in disbelief. At this point, I’d believe she was an intelligence agent from the NIS rather than a bank employee.

“You’re right.”

I nodded since there was no point in hiding it now that she knew. The bank was the only place I could borrow money from right now. And to get a large loan, I’d have to disclose the reason anyway.

“I plan to fight the Ohsung Workshop head-on using Demir’s Workshop. And for that, I need money.”

“If you’re planning to fight them head-on… are you thinking of setting up a store next to the Ohsung Workshop?”

“Wow, you should really set up a fortune-telling booth.”

“With the performance of the weapons you recently put up for auction, you’ve got enough competitiveness.”

“Ha.”

It was a short conversation, but I couldn’t help but be impressed. It felt like she could see right through me.

Kim Jinah continued calmly, as if it were no big deal, “There are five Ohsung Workshop stores currently. So you’ll need enough money to set up five of your own stores. That’ll be your collateral. Hm… Considering Ohsung might give you trouble, purchasing the locations instead of renting would be safer, which means you’ll need about 7 to 10 billion won. Plus, you’ll need funds for interior store renovations.”

“…”

I was astonished. This is what the old man always mumbled about—the level of a genius. How could her brain process all those complicated calculations in less than 10 seconds?!

“Oh, by the way, about your rank we discussed earlier. How high could you go?”

“…At least B-rank,” I answered honestly, no more secrets.

Go ahead and figure it all out. And once you do, give me a solid estimate.

“B-rank…? Impressive. Not only do you have considerable skill, but you also have the self-control to hide it…”

“…Pardon?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

“…?”

I tilted my head at Kim Jinah’s mumbling, but she quickly moved on.

“Ahem. Normally, a B-rank can only get a loan of up to 1 billion won.”

“1 billion?”

That seemed a bit low.

“But with my proposal, I think we can increase that to 10 billion.*”

≈ $7.7 million USD

“…What?”

Even if she was a team leader, could she really pull off 10 billion with just one word? Just how influential was she in this company?

“Loan proposals depend on how the applicant presents themselves. From what I can see, you’ve got more than enough value for a 10 billion won loan. You’ve got the collateral too. But the interest rate might be a bit high.”

“I don’t care about the interest rate.”

Because this business was guaranteed to succeed, I’d just pay it all back in one go after its success.

“Fufu, good. I’ll organize the paperwork and get approval. How does that sound?”

“As long as you’re giving me the money, I’m grateful.”

“Right. You get the foundation for your business, and the bank makes a profit. This is a win-win situation.”

Kim Jinah wrapped things up neatly.

“…”

Honestly, I was amazed. She made it sound easy, but where did all that confidence come from?

And the way she was looking at me wasn’t normal. She said the bank would make a profit, but that wasn’t the look of someone who was only interested in the bank’s earnings.

It felt more like…

She looked at me the same way the Sun Spear looked at me under the Ancient Desert sun—she was evaluating me. It didn’t seem like she cared about the bank’s profit or her own performance. There had to be some other purpose.

Whatever it is…

It was of no loss to me, so it was a big win.

In the branch manager’s office, the manager rubbed his chin. “Team Leader Kim Jinah?”

“Yes.”

“You’re here.”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean, ‘yes’? You suddenly propose a 10 billion won loan out of the blue for this random guy named Joo Donghoon? Who even is this guy?”

“He’s a newly updated B-rank hunter.”

Kim Jinah mechanically handed over the documents, containing a copy of Joo Donghoon’s newly issued B-rank hunter certificate from the Hunter Association.

After all, the ranking system was automated, and all he had to do was register his rank with the Association. It only took a day.

“That’s not the point! And if I’m not mistaken… The Ohsung Group? He’s planning to go up against the Ohsung Group?”

“That’s correct.”

“No, it’s not ‘correct.’ Ugh, what are you thinking? Ohsung is one of the top 10 companies in the country!”

“Yes, the Ohsung Group, the company founded by Chairman Shin Jooyong, a leader among Korean elites. I believe they have five international rankers on staff. But Mr. Joo Donghoon isn’t fighting Chairman Shin Jooyong. He’s only going up against his reckless grandson’s Ohsung Workshop.”

“What’s the difference?!”

“Chairman Shin is a shrewd businessman. He doesn’t interfere much with his children’s ventures. He wouldn’t turn his back on Hunter Bank over a mere department’s skirmish.”

“And how can you be so sure of that? You’re not a psychic!”

“Come now. Have I ever been wrong before?”

“Ahem,” the branch manager cleared his throat awkwardly.

In fact, her incredible foresight had enabled her to become a team leader in her twenties. Her natural insight allowed her to grasp entire situations with minimal information. She had brought in profits worth hundreds of billions to the company in a short time.

“Even so, going up against Ohsung is crossing the line.”

“It could go the other way.”

“The other way?”

“Who knows? The Ohsung Group might collapse under Demir’s Workshop.”

“Come on, that’s ridiculous.”

“I admit, even I can’t be certain of that.”

“…”

“But there’s a small chance, considering everything—his connections and ambition.”

“Hmm. Are you serious?”

“Yes. And him being a B-rank production class is more than enough to justify a 10 billion won loan.”

“Hmph.”

As the manager continued to deliberate, Kim Jinah dealt the final blow.

“It’s only 10 billion. Compared to the profits I’ve brought to this bank, that’s nothing. If you reject this, I might have to consider looking for another job.”

“Huh, you’re that serious?”

The manager panicked. Technically, though he held the title of branch manager, the real power was with Kim Jinah. Many banks and corporations were pursuing her, wanting to hire her for astronomical sums.

“If you still don’t trust me after all I’ve shown you so far… I’ll be really disappointed.”

“Fine. You win. Do what you want.”

“Teehee, thank you.”

In truth, this wasn’t a proposal. It was more like a threat at this point.