Skeleton Master Chapter 018
After returning to the Vebra Empire, Moo-hyeok first stopped by the general store.
"Welcome."
"I'd like to buy some items."
"What do you need?"
"Three shovels, and 100 each of Slow Potions and Tears of Confusion, please."
"Certainly. Each shovel is 1 silver, Slow Potions are 2 silver each, and Tears of Confusion are 3 silver each. That comes to a total of 5 gold and 30 silver."
"Here you go."
After paying, he put the items in his inventory.
Leaving the general store, he headed to the herb shop.
"Give me ten bundles each of Molly, Creas, and Bir, please."
"Certainly."
But that wasn't the end of it.
He went to the document store and purchased a Summon Buff Document as well.
It cost a whopping 10 gold.
So this is how 100,000 won flies away.
Finally, he went to the Alchemist Guild and rented a room suitable for research.
In the magic cauldron at the center of the room, he mixed Molly and Creas in a 4.2 to 6.8 ratio and added a Slow Potion.
[Molly, Creas, and Slow Potion are mixed.]
[The magic cauldron reacts.]
['Slowing Poison' is created.]
Next, he mixed Molly at 1.3, Creas at 2.7, and Bir at 6 ratio, then dropped in Tears of Confusion.
[Molly, Creas, Bir, and Tears of Confusion are mixed.]
[The magic cauldron reacts.]
['Hallucination Poison' is created.]
Thus, 100 Slowing Poisons and 100 Hallucination Poisons were made.
Along with the Summon Buff Document.
Alright, preparations are complete.
He headed back to the Orc Village.
While walking, he listed 10 each of the Slowing Poison and Hallucination Poison from his inventory on the auction house.
[Slowing Poison (x10)]
A newly created poison from the mixture of Molly and Creas with special additives. When it comes in contact with the body, it slows movement and deals continuous damage.
[Auction]
[Starting price: 20 silver (x10)]
[Current bid: None]
[Time remaining: 11 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
In fact, the Slowing Poison and Hallucination Poison were just one of many pieces of information Moo-hyeok knew.
He thought they wouldn't sell now since they were items only used by players over level 100.
But as he was about to make them, he became confident that people with money would pay and use them if they proved helpful.
About 30 minutes passed.
As he approached the Orc Village.
As expected......
It was just as he predicted.
[Slowing Poison (x10)]
[Slowing Poison (x10)]
A newly created poison from the mixture of Molly and Creas with special additives. When it comes in contact with the body, it slows movement.
[Auction]
[Starting price: 20 silver (x10)]
[Current bid: 40 silver (x10)]
[Time remaining: 11 hours 28 minutes 12 seconds]
[Hallucination Poison (x10)]
A newly created poison from the mixture of Molly, Creas, and Bir with special additives. When it comes in contact with the body, it causes hallucinations and deals continuous damage. However, it doesn't apply if HP drops below a certain threshold.
[Auction]
[Starting price: 20 silver (x10)]
[Current bid: 30 silver (x10)]
[Time remaining: 11 hours 28 minutes 12 seconds]
The pure material cost was barely 5 silver per unit.
Even including the cost of renting a room at the Alchemist Guild, it was around 10 silver.
Yet now those items had soared to 30 and 40 silver each.
It seemed like they could fetch over 1 gold as time passed.
Was this turning 1,000 won into 10,000 won?
Of course, it would last two weeks at most.
Thousands of alchemists worldwide would use their skills to find the mixing ratio of Molly and Creas, and even uncover the special additives.
He had to maximize his profits within the limited time.
First, let's change jobs.
Then he could manufacture and sell Slowing Poison and Hallucination Poison.
Grrrr......
At that moment.
An Orc respawned, blocking the path.
Moo-hyeok was a bit startled, but he quickly composed himself and drew his sword.
Swish.
After closing the distance, he unleashed his attacks.
It was indiscriminate.
Grrrk......
A mere level 23 Orc couldn't withstand Moo-hyeok's damage.
It died pathetically after a few sword strikes.
Without even dismantling the corpse, he moved forward.
Only then did he see the Orc Warrior in the distance.
He had arrived.
Moo-hyeok took out a shovel from his inventory.
"Hnngh...!"
Then he started digging.
Thud, thud.
Perhaps due to his high strength, the ground was dug quickly.
10 minutes, and then another 10 minutes.
Thanks to digging non-stop, he created a hole about 1 meter deep.
"What are you doing?"
"Making a trap or something? Heheh."
Nearby users looked on laughing, but he ignored them.
He continued digging, more digging.
Only after 40 more minutes did he stop digging.
"Phew......"
Two holes 1 meter deep.
One hole 1.3 meters deep.
A total of three were completed.
He looked around.
An idle Orc Warrior was visible.
"Summon Skeleton, Summon Zombie."
After summoning, he coated the weapons they were holding with Slowing Poison and Hallucination Poison.
Then he positioned himself, avoiding the holes.
"Zombie forward. Stand by."
He sent Boney One towards the Orc Warrior.
As the distance closed, the creature glared and charged.
"Boney One retreat."
The first hole was not far.
Just as the Orc Warrior reached striking distance and swung its greatsword.
"Boney One lie down. Roll."
The Orc Warrior's greatsword sliced through the air.
Kwaaaargh!
Enraged, it followed the rolling skeleton.
Thud.
Thanks to that, its leg fell into the first hole.
Kwaaa?
Looking at the bewildered creature, he made Boney One stand up.
Then he ordered the zombie to attack.
As the zombie's knuckles sank into the Orc Warrior's side, the Slowing Poison took effect.
The Orc Warrior's movements became noticeably slower. He then directed the skeleton to attack as well.
Was it the Hallucination Poison on the sword taking effect?
The Orc Warrior, with its leg trapped, stared blankly into space.
"Everyone attack!"
A proper barrage of hits followed.
Kuuh, kwaaaargh......!
When about 10% of its HP had been depleted, it came to its senses and swung its greatsword in all directions.
"Retreat."
He ordered everyone to fall back.
"Zombie 1 to the left. Zombie 2 to the right. Boney One, Boney Two, Boney Three jump."
Issuing commands rapidly, he lured the Orc Warrior towards the second hole.
Thud.
Once again, its leg fell in.
Ziiip.
This time, he used the Summon Buff document as well.
[The summons' 'Attack Power' is increased by 'Additional Damage (10)'.]
[The summons' 'Defense (5)' is increased.]
[The summons' 'Health (100)' is increased.]
It would only last for 5 minutes.
He had to finish within that time.
"Everyone attack!"
The summoned creatures rushed at the Orc Warrior as it was trying to pull its leg out.
The skeleton's sword.
The zombie's knuckles.
Attacks landed in succession.
Though the hallucination effect was no longer working, its movements were still slow due to the Slowing Poison.
Thanks to this, it could reduce taking five hits to four.
With the document's power increasing defense and health, it could withstand one more attack than before, and additionally, it was in a state where 10 extra damage was being dealt.
On top of that, it was also inflicting minor but continuous poison damage.
Nevertheless, the Orc Warrior was still strong.
The greatsword it swung remained destructive.
Crumble.
Boney One, who had been barely holding on, was unsummoned.
Zombie 2 as well.
Kwaaaargh!
The Orc Warrior roared.
Had it gained some leeway?
It pulled out its leg, regained proper balance, and continued its attacks.
Moo-hyeok wasn't one to just stand by and watch.
"Retreat."
The remaining buff time was about 30 seconds.
One trap left.
Currently, poison damage is being applied.
No choice. I'll give up on the buff.
He decided to drag out time as much as possible to allow more poison damage to be dealt.
"The Boney approach. Stand by. Retreat."
So he instructed it to linger around the Orc Warrior.
A precarious situation unfolded.
Even one hit would be a loss.
"Duck! Zombie 1, bite!"
Meanwhile, The Boney's sword occasionally stabbed at the Orc Warrior's body.
Thanks to this, the Slowing Poison continued to torment it.
If not for the Slowing Poison, all the summons might have been unsummoned already.
"Everyone back."
It was time for the final showdown.
Kwaaaargh!
The Orc Warrior, charging with a roar, fell into the last trap.
Its thighs were completely submerged.
"Concentrated attack!"
There was nothing more Moo-hyeok could do.
Just watch.
Time passed in tension.
Crumble.
The Boney 1 shattered.
Zombie 1 was forcibly unsummoned as well.
Only Boney Three remained.
Crunch, grrrr...
At that moment, the Orc Warrior's eyes glazed over.
It even dropped its greatsword.
"Boney Three, aim for the neck!"
The sword sliced through the air.
Thud.
The moment it pierced the Orc Warrior's neck.
[The summon's attack is applied as a critical hit.]
[Double damage is dealt.]
[20 additional damage is applied.]
It began to turn gray.
Ah...!
He had won.
Defeating an Orc Warrior with just summons!
"Hey, did you see that?"
"Yeah. That's amazing..."
"Wow, he took down an Orc Warrior with just five summons?"
"His level must be quite high."
"I bet. At least mid-30s, I'd say."
The sound of users chatting.
"But didn't the Orc Warrior seem a bit slow?"
"Right. I felt that too..."
"Plus, there were traps."
"Whew, he's playing the game in an interesting way."
"Isn't he making it hard on himself?"
"I don't get why he'd go to such lengths to level up Necromancy."
"Heh, there is a charm to summoning a large army later on."
"An army of weak skeletons?"
Of course, none of this reached his ears.
He was overwhelmed with excitement.
Elation coursing through his entire body.
"Phew..."
He barely managed to contain his excitement and took off his helmet.
He felt the breeze cooling his sweat.
This is fake...
It was truly amazing.
That all of this he was feeling right now was merely 'virtual'.
Should I stay like this for a bit longer?
He wanted to savor this refreshing feeling a little more.
Alright.
After putting the helmet in his inventory, he turned to complete the quest.
"Oh, oh oh!"
"Wow!"
"Hey, look over there!"
Suddenly, the surroundings became chaotic.
It was because of the people who appeared in the distance.
"Isn't that Yura?"
"Wow, seeing her in person, she's incredibly beautiful."
Yura.
She was a former idol who now hosted a program called "The World of Illusion".
Even Moo-hyeok's eyes widened a bit, as it was his first time seeing her in person.
She is pretty indeed.
He could understand why people were cheering like this.
A slender figure with curves in all the right places.
An innocent face with alluring eyes.
"Hello everyone!"
And a lovely voice to top it all off.
"Nice to meet you. I'd like to ask just one question, if that's okay?"
"Of course!"
"Ask us anything!"
"Thank you. Has anyone seen a user wandering alone? They're likely to be carrying a shield and sword..."
She was probably looking for the Paladin, that is, the number one ranked player.
But just from the description, how should I put it...
"Hmm...?"
It's as if a certain user right next to him came to mind.
Perhaps it was because his hunting method was so unique that it had stuck in his head.
Anyway, as the users who heard the story turned their gazes in one direction, Moo-hyeok was standing there alone.
Despite being a Necromancer, he was carrying a sword and shield.
What's with this atmosphere?
Moo-hyeok frowned.
"Excuse me."
Yura approached him.
As the distance closed, Yura's features became even more distinct.
Umm...
It was as if his breath was caught in his throat.
That's how beautiful she was.
"May I ask your name?"
Yura looked Moo-hyeok up and down.
His items didn't look particularly good.
But she didn't judge hastily.
There were many unique individuals in Illusion, after all.
In fact, there were many skilled users with poor items.
"I don't think I'm the person you're looking for."
"Pardon?"
"I've seen the program, you see."
"Ah, I see. But could you still tell me?"
Unnecessary attention was unwelcome.
Well, in his current state, there wasn't much to draw attention to anyway.
"I'll pass."
"What?"
"I'm busy. So, if you'll excuse me."
Moo-hyeok walked away, ignoring her.
"Um, excuse me!"
"..."
"Just a moment, please!"
He could sense her running after him.
Moo-hyeok slightly changed his direction.
"Please, just a quick word..."
At that moment, Yura fell into a trap.
"Kyaaah!"
He turned his head to look at her.
It was pitiful.
Such a beautiful woman flailing about.
He felt the urge to run over and help her immediately, but he deliberately turned his head back.
"Are you okay?"
"Miss Yura!"
"What are you doing? Help her quickly!"
"Ah, yes!"
Ignoring the commotion behind him, he took a step forward.
