How to Raise Your Skeletons

Shin Jongoh slowly opened his eyes. Pain shot through his entire body. Upon a quick inspection, there wasn’t a single spot left unscathed. No wonder, really. He had been beaten senseless with a golf club. He couldn’t understand why anyone would use a tool meant for hitting golf balls to beat someone.

“…Fuck.” A curse escaped his lips.

His hands trembled uncontrollably. He had never been beaten this badly in his life. It was the first time he had taken such a beating and from none other than his grandfather.

“Pfft.” Sudden laughter bubbled up. “Pfft, hahaha!” A raspy chuckle escaped through his clenched lips. Shin Jongoh dropped his head to the ground and shook with laughter.

That damned old man.

Chairman Shin Jooyong had disowned him and stripped away every asset Shin Jongoh had under his name.

He now found himself waking up in some random alleyway littered with cigarette butts and reeking of foul-smelling sewage.

The meaning was clear. He had fallen from a third-generation company heir to a street bum in an instant—an unbelievable outcome.

“This is all because of him.”

—Grit.

Shin Jongoh ground his teeth. “That bastard, Joo Donghoon.”

At first, he had only meant to remind that upstart of his place.

Just because Gi Soyul, a ranker, shows interest in you doesn’t mean you’re something special. In the end, you and your kind are nothing but dogs under people like me, the elite. Trying to defy that destiny will only exhaust you.

The world was like that; he had only tried to make Joo Donghoon understand it.

But Joo Donghoon fought back instead. He ignored Shin Jongoh’s invitation and set up his workshop.

A workshop? What a joke.

At first, Shin Jongoh laughed at the idea. Even big corporations often failed in that business.

But Joo Donghoon was different. He had talent and business sense, climbing up despite repeated obstacles. And then…

He can make an S-rank weapon?!

That was when the real fear set in. The anxiety that Demir’s Workshop might grow into something significant.

So he resorted to ordering an assassination.

Well, putting that aside…

“Actually.” Shin Jongoh bit his lip. “That bastard is only good at making weapons. That’s it, right?”

In his mind, Joo Donghoon was just a lucky fool. Everything had been resolved thanks to the rankers around him. Even his grandfather’s problem had been because of the Berserker. The failure of the assassination was due to Gi Soyul. Through it all, Joo Donghoon himself had done nothing.

“Why the fuck is everyone so desperate to be on that bastard’s side?!” His rage exploded as he stood up.

There was no way he was giving up like this. One of them had to die for this to end. And Joo Donghoon was just a B-rank production type. If he could separate him from Gi Soyul, he could handle him.

I’ll show him how terrifying a man who’s lost everything can be.

At the moment that Shin Jongoh’s eyes were filled with murderous intent, a voice called out behind him.

“There you are, Shin Jongoh!”

“Hm?”

When he turned around, Shin Jongoh saw a young man, probably in his late teens.

He squinted. “…Who’s this?”

The face looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. Whoever it was, they weren’t important.

“You piece of trash! You ruined my life, and you don’t even remember?!”

“What now…?”

“Look at you! You’ve fallen just like me! Now do you finally understand how I felt?!”

“What did you just say…?”

Shin Jongoh’s irritation spiked. He was already fuming over Joo Donghoon, and now some nobody was bothering him.

But at that moment, more voices chimed in.

“There he is, Shin Jongoh.”

“Perfect timing, you bastard. Been living well?”

“Heard you got beaten up and kicked out of your family. Not a rich kid anymore, huh?”

“You look just like a stray dog now. You used to drink and party like a beast, and now you’ve actually become one. How does it feel now that you have no money or friends?”

People started appearing from the shadows of the alley, one by one. Among them were civilians and low-ranked hunters. However, the common factor was that they were all people Shin Jongoh had wronged in the past.

“What the hell is wrong with you bastards…” Shin Jongoh instinctively backed away.

He could understand them showing up, but how did they find out so fast? The beating had happened just yesterday. Could rumors have spread that quickly?

Their eyes burned with anger, and one young man stepped forward.

“Remember? You and your hunter buddies locked up my brother and said he was in a ‘human monster dungeon’? You said if he didn’t beat all of you, he’d die. He’s been in a vegetative state ever since. Let me ask you one thing—why did you even do it?”

“What? That happened to your brother too? It happened to my friend as well.”

“Me too! Me too!”

Shin Jongoh clenched his fists.

He knew exactly what they were talking about. It was just a game, a role-playing scenario. He and his hunter buddies had played the role of monsters, while the victim was an unlucky hunter who had stumbled into their “dungeon.” There was a prize if the victim could use their wits to escape.

It started as a joke.

But it escalated over time. Initially, Joo Donghoon had been invited to join the game too. But then…

“…So what?” Shin Jongoh muttered under his breath.

These people were nobodies. Worthless creatures who groveled at the money he threw their way. Low-class scum who sold their pride for money.

“So what? You bastards.” He stood tall, defiantly. “You’re all the same, you hypocritical bastards! The world’s always been like this, so why am I the only one taking the fall? The Berserker can break the law and destroy a building, but it’s not okay for me to break the law and mess with you?”

“This crazy bastard.”

“…What kind of twisted logic is that?”

As Shin Jongoh yelled in defiance, the victims could only stare in disbelief.

“Swearing at me now?” Shin Jongoh picked up a metal pipe from the ground, gripping it tightly. “Ever since hunters appeared, the strong have ruled the world. If you don’t like it, you should’ve just gotten stronger!”

—Buzz.

He channeled his ki into the pipe. He was a C-rank hunter. None of the people he had wronged were above B-rank, which meant there was no one stronger than him here.

“Yeah, I’ve hit rock bottom. But what are you going to do about it? You think you’re going to fight me? Pfft! Pathetic. A bunch of insects gathering together to do what exactly?”

—Thud! Thud!

He slammed the pipe on the ground.

“Come on, who’s first?” His eyes locked onto a young man standing in front. “Alright, let’s start with you.”

Shin Jongoh lunged forward, swinging the pipe.

“Tsk.” A sharp sound came from behind him. “So humans in this world are no different from mine. It’s been a while since I’ve encountered someone this vile.”

—Clang!

A bone spear suddenly appeared, knocking the metal pipe away with a heavy blow.

“Ugh!” The force caused Shin Jongoh to drop the pipe, his hands numb with pain. “Wh-What the hell? Who are you?”

He looked around, eyes wide, and saw a skeleton wielding a spear. The only person who came to mind was Joo Donghoon.

Damn it!

He tried to retrieve the pipe, but…

—Shwing! Clang!

An arrow shot from a distance, sending the pipe flying.

“Hmm, this one reeks of filth. It feels as if I couldn’t cleanse him even with a purification ritual. So vile.”

“…What the hell is that?” Shin Jongoh couldn’t believe his eyes. “A skeleton with a bow?”

And the skeleton’s archery skills were so precise that even he, a C-rank hunter, couldn’t track its movements.

And standing in front of that skeleton was the man he hated most—the one responsible for everything.

“Ha… This is our first time seeing each other in person, isn’t it?”

It was Joo Donghoon.

“…Joo Donghoon.” Grinding his teeth, Shin Jongoh spat out my name.

He looked furious, but honestly, it was unfair. He was the one who had constantly been tormenting me, so I couldn’t understand why he was mad at me.

“So… you gathered all these pesky things together?” He pointed at the victims.

“These things, huh? What, are they just objects to you?”

“Whatever, fuck it! I asked you! Are you the one who brought them all together?!”

“Well, you already know the answer, don’t you?” I grinned, sliding my hands into my pockets.

I wasn’t planning to move an inch from this spot. There was no need.

“I did some digging, and you’ve done some truly awful things. It’s a wonder you haven’t been arrested yet. When I posted about you online, people swarmed in like bees.”

“…You bastard. So you crawled out here just to die to me, huh?”

He threw aside the pipe and charged at me, swinging a punch at my face.

But…

Too slow.

After all the training with the old man, Shin Jongoh’s attack felt like it was in slow motion.

—Smack!

I didn’t even need to try. I sidestepped easily and slapped him across the face with my right hand.

“Urgh!”

—Thud! Thud!

He rolled across the ground a few times from that single slap.

Oh.

Turns out I didn’t even need to use the skeletons. I’d become pretty strong on my own. Compared to when I was an E-rank hunter, I had come a long way.

“Wow, your face is even puffier now.”

“You… You son of a bitch!”

“How dare you address my lord with such disrespect.”

—Thud!

This time, it was Sunny’s spear. He didn’t stab him with the blade—he just whacked him with the shaft. And it wasn’t any weaker than my slap, either.

“Urgh! F-Fuck…!”

After rolling on the ground again, Shin Jongoh writhed in pain for a moment before suddenly jumping up and turning to run. He knew he was outmatched and was trying to flee.

I chuckled. “You were cursing at me just a few seconds ago, and now you’re running away? That’s embarrassing, man.”

Seeing him sprint down the alley fleeing like a rat was almost pitiful.

All this time… this guy had been wasting my precious time. And even now, he was wasting it.

I had planned just to let him be, but that was no longer an option. Aside from the possibility that he’d hinder me in the future, I realized he clearly couldn’t be left unpunished the more I researched about him.

“Run as far as you can.”

But I didn’t move an inch from my spot. After all, I had 55 skeletons scattered around the area.

“I’ve got a game prepared just for you.”

The real fun was just beginning.