How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 27: With a Beating Heart

Meanwhile, in the heart of Seoul, a luxurious building hosted a lavish banquet on its top floor. The event was extraordinarily fancy, with sophisticated marble interiors, red carpets, and glittering golden decorations.

The grandeur of the place wasn’t limited to the setting alone. The attendees were equally impressive, comprising heirs of Korea’s top ten conglomerates and young rankers.

Gi Soyul let out a deep sigh in one corner of this grandeur.

Boring.

She had attended the event at her older brother Giparang’s request, but she was never one for parties.

It’s even more tedious than before.

She could at least tolerate it in the past, believing merely conversing with rankers could help improve her skills.

But now, it felt futile. Honestly, it felt childish.

Because none of the rankers enjoying themselves here could defeat the ‘old man’ she had faced. She was sure of it. Compared to that old man, everyone here was a mere infant.

She sighed internally, I hoped to finish quickly and leave.

She felt restless.

She wanted to meet Joo Donghoon quickly and watch him train. And during his intense training, she wanted to steal the old man’s teachings.

Realistically, it was the most helpful way.

But she couldn’t skip this banquet. She was hanging around in the guild doing nothing, so she had to at least show her face at such events. Networking was essential for a large guild like Parang to operate smoothly without conflicts.

Of course, she had no intention of actively engaging. Just showing her face was enough.

Because my brother does the real networking.

Honestly, she thought that even showing up was a significant compromise and favor from her.

“…Remember that ranker we befriended in America? He’s been dying to see you again, Ms. Soyul. Ahaha. By the way, are you listening to me?”

“Yes, I am.”

A yawn escaped her lips as the man beside her, Shin Jongoh, a C-rank hunter, was prattling on.

That didn’t mean he could be ignored. He was the grandson of the chairman of the Ohseong Group, one of the top ten conglomerates in Korea.

No matter how powerful rankers were, money held significant sway in a capitalist society. With countless rankers moved by money, it was an unavoidable reality.

“So how about it? Shall I arrange a meeting? Haha, I have some rare, limited-edition whiskey…”

“…”

She was briefly tempted to use her powers to assassinate this annoying lot, but she merely nodded absentmindedly, occasionally glancing at the wall clock.

And finally…

[07:00 PM]

At exactly seven o’clock, she sprang to her feet.

“Ms. Soyul?” Shin Jongoh’s eyes widened in surprise.

In response to his call, she replied curtly, “That’s it for me today. I have another appointment.”

Six hours had passed. It was time to return to Joo Donghoon.

She had already informed her brother and received his permission.

“W-Wait, already? The party is just getting started…”

“Thank you for today.”

She gave a brief nod and left the hall without hesitation.

“…”

—Grit.

Shin Jongoh watched her leave, grinding his teeth.

Arrogant bitch. You act like this just because you’re a ranker…?

He clenched his fists, hands trembling with anger.

How did it come to this?

They hadn’t always been like this.

“…”

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He recalled his first meeting with her about a year ago. Her serene beauty captivated him at this very same banquet, and he decided to make her his woman. Others called her cold and distant, but she seemed like pure ice, beautiful and untouchable to him.

And their societal positions weren’t bad either. He was an heir to a conglomerate, and she was a ranker. They seemed like a well-matched pair.

That was until just a month ago…

But one day, she changed completely. She used to at least respond politely, but now she seemed lost in her thoughts.

Why had she changed so much?

Is the recent rumor about her true?

There were whispers that she was constantly by someone’s side, following him around. Did she have a hidden boyfriend?

I should check it out.

Shin Jongoh’s eyes turned cold.

* * *

Reaper Scans

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* * *

“Huff, huff.”

The scenery shifted to the familiar open space.

—Thunk!

I dropped the staff I was holding and collapsed on the ground.

“Whew, I really thought I was going to die.”

Every bone in my body ached. I felt so worn out that if I closed my eyes, I’d instantly fall into a deep sleep. I was both physically and mentally exhausted.

“The sun hasn’t set yet.”

Lying on my back, I looked up. The evening sky was tinged with shades of yellow and orange.

Gi Soyul said she’d be gone for about six hours…

She wasn’t around, so it hadn’t been six hours yet.

It felt like I’d been up for two days straight.

Since it’s evening, she’ll be back soon.

A brief rest was fine. I didn’t expect the Shadow Lurkers to show up at this exact moment.

“Phew.”

I stared blankly at the sky.

Status windows filled my view. They were the dungeon rewards, waiting to be checked.

Let’s check them slowly.

First, I checked the stat increases.

[‘Bonehead 5’ is being adjusted.]

[Bonehead 5’s technique has increased by 2!]

[Bonehead 5’s strength has increased by 1!]

[The skill level of ‘Fireball’ (Lv.8) has increased by 1.]

[The skill level of ‘Air Shield’ (Lv.8) has increased by 1.]

[‘Bonehead 4’ is being adjusted.]

[Bonehead 4’s strength has increased by 2!]

[Bonehead 4’s dexterity has increased by 1!]

[Bonehead 4’s constitution has increased by 1!]

[The skill level of ‘Low-Level Block’ (Lv.8) has increased by 1.]

[The skill level of ‘Low-Level Taunt’ (Lv.6) has increased by 2.]

…

…

…

The status adjustment messages for all the skeletons filled the screen, making it hard to read.

Their stats increased evenly, and their skill levels are around 8-9 now.

I summarized quickly and moved on because more exciting rewards awaited.

Especially Boney 2.

Boney 2 had become special, unlike the other skeletons.

[Hidden quest cleared!]

[The tyrant of the ancient desert kingdom, the ‘Sun Spear,’ has acknowledged you as its true master!]

[The Sun Spear’s memories and will have been transferred to ‘Bonehead 2.’]

[The name of ‘Bonehead 2’ has changed to ‘Sun Spear.’]

[All stats increased by 10.]

“You are now Sun Spear.”

[Name: Sun Spear]

[Energy: 100/100]

[Unique Ability: Awakened Skeleton]

[Class: Spearman]

[Rank: D]

[Strength: 35] [Dexterity: 35] [Constitution: 32] [Magic Power: 26] [Technique: 33]

[Skills]

– Low-Level Stab (Lv.9)

– Solar Strike (Lv.1)

– Raging Desert (Lv.1)

– Soulflare (Lv.1)

Wow.

I was amazed.

Three new skills had been added. These were the attacks used on me in my mental world.

The attack with blinding light and successive attacks must be this one.

Solar Strike!

The sandstorm-like field-wide attack must’ve been…

Raging Desert!

And the temporary boost in movement and attack speed should be…

Soulflare!

It was sure that all three were incredible skills. I was confident because I had faced them during the trial.

“By the way.”

Was it still appropriate to call it Boney 2? I didn’t know names would change upon awakening…

Boney 2, huh…

I had given it a random name but had grown attached to it. So I felt a bit sad.

The name, Sun Spear, seemed less intimate. And calling it Boney 2 felt weird when its status window showed “Sun Spear.”

“Hm…” I pondered briefly.

Yes, only briefly. Because I’ve never spent much time naming things.

“Alright, let’s call you Sunny instead of Sun Spear.”

From now on, you’re Sunny.

This name felt more intimate.

[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]

[Alias: X]

[Energy: 0/120]

I couldn’t check now due to lack of energy, but I believed Sunny would perform incredibly, given that it had inherited the Sun Spear’s memories.

“Next.”

The rewards weren’t over yet.

[You have cleared the stage with an ‘immeasurable’ rating.]

[You have achieved a remarkable feat.]

Next was the achievement reward.

Honestly, I didn’t know there was an achievement system until now. Considering it wasn’t known to the public, it seemed like something only a few rankers knew about.

[Receiving rewards!]

[Congratulations!]

[You have acquired the item ‘Golden Random Box’ (S-rank).]

“A random box?” My eyes widened.

Not only that a random box was an unfamiliar item, but…

Is it S-rank?

An S-rank item had appeared.

These rare items had meager drop rates, making it difficult to acquire even for rankers.

“This is insane.”

Regardless of its functionality, its rank alone made it incredibly valuable. It was of celestial worth.

“Ahhh…”

I was overwhelmed with emotion. I had barely scraped by for three years as a mercenary E-rank hunter. I had never acquired a decent item. I used to drool over C-rank items in shops or auctions just a few days ago.

“Yet I just got an S-rank item.”

Tears welled up.

[Item: Golden Random Box]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Box]

[Description: Contains a precious treasure.]

[Effect 1: Obtain an S-rank item upon opening.]

—Thump, thump, thump.

My heart raced.

I could confidently say my heart hadn’t raced this much even when receiving Sunny’s spear attacks.

Should I open it now?

My hands trembled.

I considered myself fortunate that Gi Soyul wasn’t around. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust her, but… when it came to an S-rank item, I would agree with her decision to assassinate me. Frankly, such an item could spark guild-level conflicts.

—Tunk!

When I tapped the floating box, a message appeared.

[Do you want to open the ‘Golden Random Box’ (S-rank)?]

“…O-Open,” I murmured with a trembling voice.

I prayed to the heavens.

Please.

Please, give me something valuable. Or something useful to me.

Honestly, I’m okay with anything.

Selling it would be great, but using it for myself would also be great. If I sold it, I’d no longer need to worry about money. And if I used it, I’d have a usable item until I became a ranker.

—Vwoom!

The box’s wrappings started automatically unfolding as golden light seeped through the cracks.

—Thump! Thump! Thump!

[Opening the ‘Golden Random Box’ (S-rank)!]

[Wishing you luck!]

Finally, the box was fully opened, and golden light shot into the sky.

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