How to Raise Your Skeletons

Shin Jongoh could feel his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

This can’t be happening.

He looked down at his trembling hands, disbelief written all over his face.

I’m a C-rank hunter… So why…?

How was Joo Donghoon able to just slap him around? Why couldn’t he handle even one of his skeletons? He wondered if his strength had disappeared with the assets he’d held.

It was absurd. Joo Donghoon was a production-class hunter. Only a few months ago, he had been nothing more than an E-rank hunter. Was this guy secretly a skilled fighter all along?

How is that even possible…?!

Could something so ridiculous even happen? His cheek throbbed, the blood vessels had burst under the slap, and his abdomen ached from where he’d been struck.

This isn’t going to work.

He had no chance. That much had become clear after a single encounter. Joo Donghoon was too fast, too precise—far beyond what Shin Jongoh could handle.

I’ll have to bide my time and regroup.

He quickly organized his thoughts and decided to flee.

I’ve still got money hidden away.

While his grandfather had seized all his official assets, Shin Jongoh had secret accounts and stashes of cash. If he could collect everything, he might be able to gather at least 5 billion won.

I’ll hire mercenaries and come back for revenge.

He would not only deal with Joo Donghoon but also eliminate anyone else who held a grudge against him. After all, Shin Jongoh believed that money solved everything in this world. That was the world he knew.

“Huff, huff!”

He sprinted, swallowing his pride for the time being to flee.

—Thud, thud, thud!

He ran through the narrow alleys, dashing between buildings.

But then…

“What the…?”

He was forced to stop.

At the end of the alley stood three skeletons, two wielding swords and one with a shield, blocking his escape. The ominous aura they radiated made him feel like he couldn’t break through.

“D-Damn it!”

He quickly turned around and bolted in the opposite direction, searching for another escape route. However…

“Wh-What the…?”

Panic set in as more skeletons appeared from every corner and alley, cutting off every possible escape.

“Wh-What the fuck…? How can there be so many skeletons?”

It wasn’t just the alleyways.

—Creak! Creak!

Skeleton archers stood on rooftops, staring down at him with arrows at the ready.

“This is… insane…”

It was as if he had stumbled into the depths of hell or the underworld itself. The sight of skeletons surrounding him from every direction was terrifying.

“N-No… Don’t come any closer! Get away from me, you bastards!”

He screamed, backing away in fear, only to realize that he had returned to his starting point—the alley littered with cigarette butts and foul-smelling sewage.

And there, standing with his hands casually in his pockets, was Joo Donghoon.

“F-Fuck…” A curse slipped from Shin Jongoh’s lips.

* * *

“Hm.”

I looked at Shin Jongoh. Seeing him cowering and retreating in fear was a far cry from the arrogant, third-generation heir I had known. The true face of the hunter who had committed all sorts of wicked deeds as if he were Earth’s protagonist was indeed ugly. There was no trace of manliness or boldness.

“What’s the matter? You ran away and came right back here.”

“D-Damn it!”

“Damn what? What are you cursing about?”

“Wh-What do you want from me?!”

“What do I want from you?” I smiled slightly. “How about we think of it like this? You’re in a dungeon now. Welcome to the Skeleton Dungeon I’ve created.”

“…”

“If you clear it, I’ll give you a prize. Seriously. I could even make you an S-rank weapon if you manage to survive. What do you think? Sounds great, right?”

“S-Screw you! How am I supposed to clear this…?!”

His curses trailed off, his voice weakening with every word. Like prey trembling before a predator, he was completely subdued by my presence.

Honestly, I was disappointed. Where was the confidence of the man who’d terrorized my home, who picked fights at every turn?

—Step, step.

For the first time, I stepped forward, moving closer to him as I looked down.

“Are you feeling wronged?”

“…”

Even with that simple question, he couldn’t bring himself to answer, his eyes dropping to the ground. His confidence was gone entirely. Was being cowardly a trait passed down in his family? They were all strong against the weak but weak against the strong.

“Hmm, no answer?”

“Y-Yes! This feels unfair!”

Wow. He threw all of his pride away and even started using polite speech now.

“Really? But why did you do what you did?”

“Excuse me…?”

“What you did to these people—was that okay? Yet what’s happening to you now is unfair?”

People like him only saw their own pain and never understood the suffering of others. We’d call such people ‘inhuman.’ And based on my experience, such monsters were the bane of society. Better off gone than around.

“People like you…”

Yes, people like him.

“Even if I explained what you did wrong, you wouldn’t understand.”

This was a man who, for no reason other than a whim, had tried to destroy my business, terrorized me at every step, and even hired an assassin to kill me.

I had no intention of letting him live.

Above all else, he had tried to take my life. If Gi Soyul hadn’t intervened, I would’ve been the one dead right now. And I wasn’t stupid or merciful enough to spare someone who had tried to kill me.

“So don’t even try to pretend you’re a human being.”

“S-Sorry?”

“To me, you’re nothing more than an animal… no, you’re worse than that. You’re a demon.”

—Whack!

I kicked him lightly in the chest.

“Urk!”

Even that light kick was enough to send him reeling, clutching his chest in pain.

“Ugh, urgh!”

He began to retch, playing the part of a victim now—a classic act.

I wasn’t falling for it.

“…”

I glanced behind me and gestured with my chin. The victims, who had been watching, slowly stepped forward, their faces filled with rage and hatred.

“You piece of trash. How does it feel? Now you know what it’s like to be on the receiving end…”

“You put my brother in a permanent coma. You’ll pay for that.”

“My parents died because of you. I’ll kill you… I’ll make sure you die the same way!”

I decided to let them take over because their anger was far greater than my own. I didn’t mind, as long as the result was the same.

“Get him!”

“Kill him! Kill that bastard!”

“You worthless scumbag! No, you’re worse than scum!”

Around a dozen victims descended upon Shin Jongoh like a pack of starving wolves.

“Wh-What…?!”

He stumbled backward in panic, but…

“Arrrgh!”

He couldn’t escape the fury of those he had wronged.

—Rip! Rrrip!

Their nails tore through his clothes, and countless fists and feet pummeled his body. Before long, the defiant Shin Jongoh began to lose his strength.

“…”

I watched for a moment before turning away, a bitter taste in my mouth.

What we had dealt with today wasn’t a human being.

“Goodbye, Shin Jongoh. Maybe in your next life, you’ll learn to be kinder.”

He was nothing more than a monster who had treated human lives like bugs.

On the second floor of Demir’s Workshop…

“Haha, Master, is everything settled now?” Demir chuckled as he picked up his hammer, eager to finish what we had started.

It was time to complete the work that had been delayed by all these distractions.

“Yeah, let’s get back to it. I need to hurry too.”

Though I was in a rush to train, I couldn’t forget about the Berserker’s weapon. As courageous as I had become, I wasn’t crazy enough to run off with the weapon of a madman who smashed buildings on a whim.

“At least it’s a relief, Master.”

“Hm?”

“Before, I could only picture that Jang Daewoong fellow in my mind, but after seeing him in person, I can craft something even more detailed.”

“Oh, really?”

“We can’t create just a slightly crazy weapon. We need to make one that’s completely unhinged.”

“…”

Yeah, whatever you have in mind, let’s make something truly powerful.

—Clang! Clang!

[Completion rate: 32%]

The forging resumed once again.

* * *

In South Korea, the second-strongest hunter nation in the world, if asked which one was the strongest guild in the country, everyone would answer the same: “Cult of the Heavenly Demon.”

Founded by Ha Sera, South Korea’s number-one hunter, the guild was home to numerous rankers from both domestic and international circles.

Due to the large number of rankers in the guild, it was divided into several teams. One of those teams was led by Lee Sunah, ranked 509th, captain of the Black Sword Squad.

“Captain!” A male hunter entered the Black Sword Squad’s office.

Lee Sunah frowned from her seat. “Ahem, calling me captain again, Vice Team Leader?” She shuddered as if she was cringing, rubbing her arm. Her skin had goosebumps. “I told you to call me Team Leader!”

“Haha, that’s just a little charm of us wuxia novel fans…”

“Well, I’m not a fan of wuxia novels.”

In fact, she wasn’t too fond of the name “Cult of the Heavenly Demon,” the name of their main organization. Had she not respected Ha Sera so much, she would never have joined an organization with such a name.

“But don’t you think it’s time you got used to it?”

“True, haha! I guess it is something your team leader needs to get used to, isn’t it? Oh dear, it seems I misunderstood completely. Well then, our dear team members will have to get used to a week of night training as well! Are you all ready for that?”

Lee Sunah grinned while speaking, and the vice team leader wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

“Haha, Team Leader, nice joke! I don’t even know what ‘captain’ means!”

“…”

“Does that word even exist in the modern world? I’ve never heard it before.”

She sighed. Lee Sunah shook her head at the vice team leader’s chitchat. “So what brings you here?”

He sat down across from her. “Ah, I’m here to talk about that dungeon request.”

“Yes?”

Requests weren’t only made to mercenaries. Large guilds also received various offers. Those offers would go through internal guild meetings before being assigned to different teams. And because the Black Sword Squad had maintained a 100% clear rate in their dungeons, they often received more challenging assignments.

“I think we should request to withdraw from this one.”

“Is that so?” Lee Sunah tilted her head in curiosity.

It was unusual for the vice team leader to request a withdrawal considering his rather aggressive personality. They had worked together for a long time, but this was the first time she had heard such a request from him.

“It’s an A-rank dungeon, but it seems to have a special gimmick.”

“Gimmick?”

Typically, more complicated dungeon traps were often called ‘gimmicks.’

“Yes, a gimmick. And it seems this dungeon requires a necromancer. We don’t have one on our team, and necromancers aren’t exactly easy to come by, are they? Even if we tried to hire one as a mercenary, it’s unlikely we’d find one.”

“A necromancer, you say?” Lee Sunah smirked and stroked her chin, intrigued.

She only knew two necromancers. The first was Dark Lord Kim Hyukseon, ranked 948, first recommended by the Five Stars of Seoul. The second option wasn’t a ranker but a hunter also recommended by the Five Stars of Seoul—Joo Donghoon, the Skeleton Lord.

“This dungeon is going to be fun!” Lee Sunah shifted in her seat.

For some reason, she felt more drawn to Joo Donghoon than Kim Hyukseon. She was curious about why her friend, Gi Soyul, was so taken by him, and she was intrigued by his rapid growth every time they met.

“Wait, Captain—I mean, Team Leader? I’m telling you we can’t go without a necromancer!”

“It’s fine! I think I might be able to secure a necromancer.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m not completely certain, but we’ll see.”

A grin spread across Lee Sunah’s face.