Skeleton Master Chapter 013

The TNA channel, which focuses on broadcasting Illusion.

It captivated viewers by delivering related news even before Illusion started.

Thanks to this, it now boasts the highest ratings among countless channels.

And today, the newly appearing MC Yura smiled brightly and kicked off the broadcast.

[Nice to meet you! I'm Yura, and I'll be in charge of the world of Illusion from today! Please take care of me!]

Only then did the original MC Uhyeon, who was standing next to her, appear on screen.

[Yes, I'm also glad to be working with Yura. Why, you ask? Because Yura's level is a whopping 46. If you have any questions, you can just ask Yura, right?]

[I'll do my best to answer everything!]

[Haha, it's refreshing. Well then, shall we dive into the game world?]

With Uhyeon's words, the background changed.

The world of Illusion.

A village there appeared, and Yura could be seen slowly strolling.

Her appearance in equipment exuded a completely different atmosphere from when she was wearing casual clothes just moments ago.

You could call it a rough, wild charm.

MC Uhyeon's eyes widened at her slightly more eye-catching figure.

[Wow, MC Yura's items are incredible.]

Before Illusion came out, Yura wasn't very popular.

But when she directly experienced Illusion and raised her level high enough to enter the rankings, she received an offer to host the currently airing 'World of Illusion'.

Of course, she accepted.

She was also enjoying Illusion, and being ahead of others gave her access to more information.

Just unraveling those one by one would make for countless stories.

[Well, MC Yura.]

[Yes!]

[Do you know about the recent issue?]

MC Yura smiled.

[Of course. It's about the ranking system that every Illusion user has checked at least once, right? Many users are very curious about the rankers.]

[That's right. It's also the area we're receiving the most inquiries about. I've heard that there are many requests to focus especially on the top ranker, Dark.]

[They're really amazing. I heard they've already done their second job advancement.]

[The problem is...]

[That no one knows who that person is, right?]

MC Yura's expression darkened.

[But I heard there's one peculiar point.]

[That's right. When you look at the rankings, you can see the job and character name. There was an incident like this before. Dark's level stagnated one day. It was a time when they lost first place and couldn't even make it into the top 10,000 rankings.]

[I see. And then?]

[But not long after, a change occurred. Dark suddenly climbed back to first place.]

[Ah...]

[From level 35 to 39. It was an incredible change that happened in just one week.]

[Whew, that's amazing. Raising the level from 35 to 39 in just one week...]

[I was so surprised that I even made an inquiry.]

[Oh, did you get an answer?]

[Yes, I'll read it to you as is. The current top-ranked character didn't use any bugs and only used their own...]

As the long story ended, MC Uhyeon nodded.

[So in the end, it's about skill.]

[Yes, isn't it amazing?]

[But questions remain. Why were they stuck at level 35? How could they raise 4 levels in just one week...]

[There must be a lot of undiscovered content in Illusion. Maybe they found one of them first and got ahead.]

[I see. Anyway, it's amazing. Not only is this Dark person incredible, but I also want to applaud the numerous rankers below them. The rankings fluctuate by thousands with just a one-level difference, right?]

[That's right!]

[It's blood-curdling. Whew, I don't think I'll be able to challenge for a ranker position. Well, let's end the chit-chat here. Now we should get to the main point, right? We said there's nothing known about that person many are curious about, Dark, right?]

MC Yura made a sad face.

[Yes, that's right. We don't know anything.]

Yura lowered her head.

A moment of silence passed.

The screen captured both MC Uhyeon and Yura simultaneously.

They suddenly smiled brightly and continued the conversation.

[But we can try to find out, right?]

[Of course!]

[Considering their job is a Paladin, there's a high chance they're hunting alone. They can heal themselves and are also good at combat. So...]

[Ah! We should scan the hunting grounds?]

[That's exactly it!]

With that, the two MCs stood side by side.

[So we've prepared...]

['Finding the Rank 1 Player!']

At that moment when they were focusing on the first place.

Moo-hyeok's sword was stuck in the body of a black snake.

"Phew..."

It was the final blow.

He was too exhausted to even decompose the corpse.

At the moment when the dead creature was turning gray.

Whoosh.

Suddenly, a bright white light burst from all directions of the dungeon.

"Ugh..."

He squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds.

Slowly opening his eyes.

['You have cleared the Unique Dungeon (Snake's Lair).']

[You gain a large amount of experience.]

[You gain 'Fame (300)'.]

It was the dungeon clear message.

"Ah..."

It had been a grueling time.

Every time he logged into the game, the space called the dungeon had weighed heavily on his chest.

Even though it was virtual, it was his first experience of being trapped alone in a dark place for what felt like a lifetime.

If it weren't for the message saying his stats increased every time he killed a snake, he might have given up midway.

"Whoa."

The outside air was refreshing and crisp.

"Huff!"

While repeatedly inhaling and exhaling, he made one promise to himself.

That next time, he would prepare more thoroughly.

He must learn cooking no matter what.

It was to eat delicious food in the hunting grounds, along with improving his dexterity.

Well, anyway.

He felt good after clearing it.

Above all, it was encouraging that he had achieved an increase of 10 stats in this dungeon.

Strength, Agility, Vitality, Knowledge, and Wisdom all increased by 2 each.

After increasing by 2, no matter how many monsters he killed, those stats didn't increase anymore.

It was as expected.

You might ask if there's any regret? Of course not.

Knowing that this alone was an incredibly generous reward, Moo-hyeok didn't have excessive greed.

Unique Dungeon.

It really is an amazing place.

What if it had been an Ancient Dungeon?

Perhaps each stat might have increased by 5.

With rewards like this, it's no wonder countless users strive to find dungeons.

No, right now only a very small number of users know about the existence of dungeons, so it could be said to be a future matter.

The idle thoughts stopped there.

Now, shall we go back?

To the Kingdom of Arsen.

*

After passing through the city gates, Moo-hyeok saw numerous users and suddenly remembered.

Ah, the rankings.

He suddenly became curious.

How much had the level of the top-ranked player increased?

Ranking system.

Then a hologram appeared.

1st. Dark (Holy Knight Lv53)

2nd. Ares (Shadow Archer Lv52)

3rd. Gus (Martial Artist Lv52)

......

Moo-hyeok's eyes lit up.

Since Moo-hyeok started Illusion, his level had increased by 2.

Meanwhile, Moo-hyeok had reached level 19.

It was an incredible growth rate.

Even including the time spent making the sword, it was an astonishing speed.

If he had focused solely on leveling up without making the sword, he would be racing towards the mid-20s by now.

If someone were to find out about this, they would surely be flabbergasted.

They might even accuse him of exploiting a bug.

But the distance to the top-ranked players was still far.

He needed to work harder.

However, he couldn't go hunting right away.

Now was the time to take one step back to move two steps forward.

For the growth of his summons, he had to dedicate a certain amount of time to grinding.

He needed to increase his dexterity by leveling up his skills while making swords at the blacksmith, and also learn the new cooking skill to boost his dexterity stat.

The plan was to raise his dexterity to the 30s or even higher, making his skeletons stronger through bone assembly.

After that, he would need to reach level 20 and proceed with the quest for the hidden job of Gangster Necromancer.

The plan was roughly set.

First, cooking.

He changed direction and entered a nearby restaurant.

"Welcome."

A plump woman greeted Moo-hyeok.

Taking a seat, he asked her,

"What's the most delicious dish here?"

"Well, everything's tasty, but the most popular is definitely the grilled wild boar leg."

It was a leg of a wild boar that lived in the mountains, its muscles toughened by the terrain, grilled over fire.

A special seasoning was lightly applied, and its exquisite taste made it the most popular dish here.

"I'll have that, please."

"It might be too much for one person..."

"That's alright."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

After ordering, he surveyed his surroundings.

The atmosphere was bustling.

There were more users than he expected.

While pain sensitivity might be reduced, the sense of taste remained the same. Delicious food is delicious anywhere.

Moreover, food inside Illusion was much cheaper compared to reality.

The dish Moo-hyeok just ordered cost 30 silver. It was enough for two adults and tasted great. In real money, it was just 3,000 won, so naturally, it was popular.

At that moment, the food arrived.

"Enjoy your meal."

"Ah, yes."

Four pieces of boar leg were visible on the plate.

It looked like too much for one person, but he picked up a leg without hesitation.

As he tore into the meat, still warm with a faint heat rising from it, the aroma of pork filled his mouth.

Ooh...!

It wasn't the usual pork smell.

How should he describe it? It was like the sophistication of eating beef.

Similar to that, but with a distinct flavor that was unmistakably pork.

The more he chewed, the more tender it became, with a chewy texture.

And with the added seasoning, an unfamiliar, fantastic taste hit him like a shiver.

In a word, it was the best.

Chomp, chomp.

In an instant, he devoured all four legs.

His stomach felt stuffed to the brim.

"Whew..."

He could barely breathe.

Perhaps noticing his state,

The restaurant owner, the plump woman, approached and handed him some water.

"Did you finish it all?"

"Ah, yes. It was delicious."

"Hoho, thank you."

And now was the perfect opportunity.

The method to acquire the cooking skill.

Go to a restaurant alone, order the owner's recommended dish, and eat it all.

Then, when the owner brings water, tell them the food was so delicious that you want to learn how to make it.

Of course, this is where things can diverge.

If you simply say you want to learn because it's delicious, many places will refuse, finding it unconvincing.

That's why a little seasoning is needed.

It wasn't a difficult method, but it was a keyword that would be hard to implement without knowing it.

Knowing the answer, all that was left was to put it into practice.

Moo-hyeok slowly parted his lips.

"Excuse me..."

"Yes?"

"I've been exploring lately, and when I'm alone, I find myself craving delicious food. Especially when I have to spend nights alone in places crawling with monsters. If I could eat this food then, I think it would give me strength..."

He paused for a moment.

"If it's not too much trouble, could I learn how to cook this?"

"Ah..."

A look of contemplation crossed the restaurant owner's face.

From now on, it was a test of patience.

There was no need for unnecessary words. He just waited, watching quietly.

Perhaps feeling his gaze,

The restaurant owner also glanced at Moo-hyeok’s eyes.

"Sigh."

Then, with a long sigh, she spoke.

"Exploring... It must be tough alone."

"Yes."

"You say eating my food would give you strength..."

Her voice trailed off, but Moo-hyeok could tell.

He had succeeded.

The words that followed confirmed his thoughts.

"Alright. I'll teach you how to cook. But can you help me with my work while you're learning?"

At the same time, a message appeared.

[Acquire Cooking]

Learn cooking from Hannah, the owner of the Rest Stop.

[Reward: Cooking Skill]

[If failed: Cannot be retried]

Without hesitation, Moo-hyeok accepted the quest.

"Of course."

A gentle smile spread across his face.