How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 14: Hunter X Hunter

“Hey, Mr. Necro! Over here, over here!”

The day after Boney 1’s intense training, I met up with Kang Jaeho and his party at the place where we had promised to meet.

“You showed up as promised. I sent the dungeon details via text. I’m sure you checked them on the way, correct?”

“Yes, of course.”

The details were simple. It was a new dungeon that the association rated C-rank about a week ago. The main mission was to eliminate monsters and defeat the boss. The field type was desert.

“As you mentioned, I’ve slathered on sunscreen and packed emergency ice water.”

“Good.”

Kang Jaeho nodded. Beside him were a total of seven people.

Seven?

Weren’t there supposed to be five?

Noticing my puzzled expression, Kang Jaeho explained, “You’re now an official exploration member. These five are the original team, and we hired two F-rank porters. Oh, don’t worry. We’ve already paid them, so you won’t be charged separately.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you.”

Of course, what’s the main purpose of entering a dungeon? To make money. Inside dungeons were pure magic stones and sometimes high-rank ores like night pearls or mithril, so porters were essential. While the main income was the dungeon rewards, the materials gathered by the porters were a secondary reward.

“…”

I glanced at the two porters. They looked like young adults, a boy and a girl who had just reached adulthood, resembling siblings since they looked alike.

I gave them a slight nod in greeting. Having been a porter just a few days ago, I felt a sense of camaraderie.

“Okay, if the introductions are over, let’s head in! Haha, I’m already itching for a fight.”

“Yeah, I’m curious to see what our new member, Mr. Necro, can do.”

As the hunters laughed and relaxed, there was a click.

Kang Jaeho loaded his revolver and said sharply, “Alright, we’ve reported to the association, so let’s go. Donghoon, you and the porters follow closely.”

They seemed relaxed rather than tense.

Indeed, they live up to their reputation as daring hunters.

I found it a bit strange. Even if I were with them, C-rank dungeons would be a life-threatening challenge for them. Where did they get such confidence?

Well, it doesn’t matter.

The reason I’m joining this C-rank dungeon isn’t because they’re safe. It’s because I believe in my skeletons and myself.

It’s not just blind confidence.

My skeletons took down an upper D-rank Orc in no time.

Moreover, with advice from a transcendent old man, there was no reason for me not to be able to clear a C-rank dungeon.

I gripped my staff.

[Using skill ‘Summon Awakened Skeleton’ (D-rank).]

—Creak! Creak!

First, Boney 1 with a sword and Boney 2 with a spear appeared at our flanks.

[Using skill ‘Summon Awakened Skeleton’ (D-rank).]

Boney 3 with a bow and Boney 5 with a staff appeared at the rear.

And finally…

[10 energy consumed.]

[‘Bonehead 4’ summoned.]

—Thud!

Boney 4 appeared in the front, holding a massive shield on the ground.

I smiled with satisfaction at the sturdy formation of my skeletons.

“Ooooh.”

“Mr. Necro! They seem stronger than last time.”

“Yeah, they look the same, but they feel different. The skeletons’ eyes have become sharper.”

Receiving compliments from the hunters made me feel even better. I shrugged my shoulders.

“Let’s head in.”

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[Entering the dungeon.]

—Fwoosh!

As soon as we entered, a scorching heat enveloped my body.

[You are exposed to a harsh environment.]

[All of your stats have decreased by 10%!]

Hmm.

The sunlight was so intense it was hard to keep my eyes open. The desert sand was dry and cracked. The withered trees scattered around were leaning over, about to collapse.

“Wow, it’s hotter than I expected.”

“We have to endure it. Think of it as enjoying a sauna.”

“That’s easier said than done. Is that even possible?”

The hunters grumbled as they rolled up their sleeves. The two F-rank porters were already struggling, their mouths shut tight.

Is it that hard?

I tilted my head.

It was hot, but it was bearable. This was child’s play, especially compared to the hellish massage I received from the old man.

Maybe it’s my pain resistance skill?

—Creak!

My dry and devoid-of-moisture skeletons were also strong against the heat.

“Everyone, gather ’round,” Kang Jaeho sharply called the members together, showing no change in expression despite the heat.

As expected, he was a veteran who knew how to act in a dungeon.

“Focus. The types of monsters here are scorpions and snakes.”

“S-Snakes?”

“Don’t act scared. We already went over this, remember?”

“Hehe.”

Ignoring the joking members, Kang Jaeho continued his explanation. The gist of it was the layout of the dungeon terrain and the location of the final boss room.

“C-rank desert dungeons are all similar. We push through the monsters and move to the boss room. Then we open the door and take down the boss. That’s it.”

“What’s the boss type?”

“It’s always random. We’ll see when we get there.”

Hearing the hunters’ conversation, the two porters swallowed dry gulps nervously.

Seeing this, Kang Jaeho smiled gently. “You just need to follow us closely. Pick up what you’re told and pass what you’re told. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Y-Yes!”

The porters answered with discipline.

Thus, we began moving.

The path was straightforward. Assuming we spawned on the west side, we had to move east toward where the sun was blazing.

According to Kang Jaeho, the monsters would get stronger the further we went.

“Kieek! Kyak!”

As we moved, desert scorpions and snakes appeared one by one. They were all strong enough to be rated C-rank monsters.

“They finally showed up.”

“Everyone, get ready!”

—Click! Clack!

The hunters each prepared their weapons.

Should I try fighting with them?

I started to control my skeletons.

I didn’t know why Kang Jaeho was so nice to me, but he had given me the autonomy to act on my own.

“Kyeegh!”

Three scorpions charged in my direction. They seemed as strong as the orc I had faced in the training grounds from their ferocity.

In the past, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything, but…

“Boney 5!” I shouted confidently.

Compared to the old man’s fierce presence, this was nothing.

—Vwoom!

At my command, Boney 5 swung its staff and chanted a spell.

[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Air Shield’ (Lv.1).]

First, I had to secure my safety.

And next…

“Boney 4, draw their aggro.”

[‘Bonehead 4’ used the skill ‘Low-level Taunt’ (Lv.1).]

—Boom!

Boney 4 slammed its shield into the ground with such force that it shook.

Dust rose into the air.

“Kieek! Kieeek!”

[Desert Scorpion is focused on Bonehead 4!]

[Desert Scorpion is focused on Bonehead 4!]

[Desert Scorpion is focused on Bonehead 4!]

Initially their aggression was aimed everywhere, and now the scorpions focused solely on Boney 4.

Good.

I felt relieved.

The fact that even a level 1 skill worked well against them meant that my skeletons were strong.

—Whoosh!

Boney 1 dashed forward and swung its sword. It used the ‘Slash’ it learned from the old man.

—Crack!

But the scorpion’s tough hide didn’t yield to the blade.

“Kieeek!”

Judging by their screams, they were in pain.

“Keep striking!”

—Creak!

Boney 2 and Boney 3 also moved. Boney 2 thrust its spear into the gaps in one scorpion’s hide.

—Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!

Boney 3 alternated shooting arrows at each scorpion.

“Kieeek! Kieeek!”

Yet despite the attacks, the seemingly mesmerized scorpions only pounded on Boney 4’s shield.

The skeletons moved without hesitation. Repeated thrusts from Boney 2 widened the gaps in the scorpion’s hide.

—Whoosh!

Boney 1 swung its greatsword at those gaps.

—Slash!

With a brutal slash, the scorpion’s leg was severed.

Dark red blood splattered.

[Desert Scorpion has been defeated.]

That was surprisingly easy.

The rest were the same. Boney 1’s sword slashed through the air, severing scorpion parts, and Boney 3’s arrows found their marks in the open wounds.

They’re weak, not like C-ranks at all.

Were they misclassified? Or had I gotten stronger?

Of course, desert scorpions are among the lower tier of C-rank. Their individual strengths were about D-rank, but they were classified as C-rank because they swarmed.

“Wow, Mr. Necro, you already took down three?”

“He must’ve really gained some great opportunity.”

I glanced over.

Kang Jaeho’s group had also finished their scorpions and cleaned the blood off their weapons.

I was surprised at how composed they were.

Were they always this skilled?

Then again, there was no way to gauge their strength in the old man’s dungeon. In that dungeon, both they and I were weak survivors.

Anyway.

One member kept mentioning ‘opportunity.’ It was bugging me.

They said my appearance had changed despite little time passing; I looked more muscular and better looking, and they were eager to test my abilities.

Their sudden friendliness, too.

They’re being too nice to me.

Looking at them now, their skills seemed good enough that they didn’t need me. If Kang Jaeho truly wanted me on the team, he should have tested our synergy and not given me autonomy.

Am I being paranoid?

Basically, I had a gut feeling of something being off without concrete proof.

Who knew? What if they approached me intending to take advantage of my opportunity? And what if they were far more skilled than the rank indicated by their nameplates?

Let’s think for a second. Why did they choose me among so many other hunters? Me, who was publicly known as an E-rank.

Wait a minute.

I frowned because it felt like the puzzle pieces were coming together.

They knew that I obtained the reward from the high-difficulty dungeon.

However, because of the confidentiality agreement with Parang, they couldn’t speak or ask freely about it. No matter their skill, they wouldn’t want to break their promise with ranker Gi Soyul.

If so.

There was only one way to satisfy their desires while adhering to all the previous restrictions. Dungeon exploration was a space without surveillance cameras and where no evidence remained. Dungeon accidents happened more frequently than traffic accidents.

I’d better be cautious. It’s still just a suspicion.

Someone once said, “The only thing scarier than dungeon monsters are people.” It’s a truth you learn as a hunter.

We moved forward, dealing with monsters, for about two hours.

Finally, the boss room came into view. An enormous door stood in the middle of the desert flanked by altars with various inscriptions.

—Ring!

[Stage: Ancient Desert Scorpion King]

[To break the seal of the Ancient Desert Scorpion King, a sacrifice is needed.]

[Place a sacrifice on the two magic circles.]

[The sacrifices must be living F-rank hunters or higher.]

“Sacrifice F-ranks…” I muttered under my breath.

Information I hadn’t heard from them.

And it must be a living being…

I instinctively looked back.

I saw the wide-eyed, shocked faces of the porter siblings reading the message.

At the same time…

“Hmm, a sacrifice. A tough boss type.”

“Yeah, why this one? Tsk.”

The hunters laughed, not showing any pity.

This was the cause of my unease.

Damn these guys.

I clicked my tongue.

That’s right. They weren’t monster-hunting hunters but hunter-hunting hunters.

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