Skeleton Master Chapter 019

I knocked on the door of the house where Old Man Balshian was staying.

"Coming."

Unlike before, the door opened immediately.

"You're here already?"

Already?

That word made me feel upset for a moment, but I endured it.

"Heheh, come on in."

"Yes."

I went inside and took a seat. The old man looked at Moo-hyeok and asked straightforwardly.

"So, you defeated the orc using only summons, right?"

"Yes."

"Did you really just command them?"

"Of course..."

Suddenly, a doubt arose.

Come to think of it, how could he know whether I only commanded or not?

Is it just automatically processed by the system?

"Look at me."

At that moment, Moo-hyeok's and Balshian's eyes met.

There was a sensation of something slipping away.

"Oh ho, you really succeeded?"

At that point, Old Man Balshian nodded as if he had seen something.

At the same time, a message appeared.

[Quest 'Path of the Gangster Necromancer' has been cleared.]

Then Old Man Balshian took out a document.

"Before I give you this."

"Yes?"

"How was it facing the Orc Great Warrior?"

Why is he asking such a question?

Moo-hyeok answered nonchalantly.

"It was just difficult."

"Heh, the path you're about to walk from now on will be even tougher than this. You'll have to face monsters stronger than the Orc Great Warrior. Moreover, while commanding a few summons is already overwhelming, you'll be directing multiple summons? Perhaps even hundreds of summons? Are you confident you can handle it?"

At those words, I fell silent.

Hundreds, he said.

It was a number I already knew, but hearing it from Old Man Balshian gave it a completely different weight.

But I had already made my choice. And I didn't want to regret it.

Only then did I realize why Old Man Balshian had told me to hunt the Orc Great Warrior.

He wanted to give me a taste of what it's like to command many from a leader's perspective.

"I'm confident."

Old Man Balshian laughed.

"Heheh, good. Today's experience will be of great help."

Only then did he hand over the document.

"Take it."

The moment I received it, a strange energy exploded from the document.

That power swirled in the air before slowly being absorbed into Moo-hyeok's body.

['Gangster Necromancer' job change complete.]

[Existing skills will disappear.]

[New skills will be created.]

[The levels of the new skills will be adjusted based on the levels of your previous skills.]

['Strength (1)', 'Agility (1)', 'Vitality(1)' have increased.]

['Intelligence (3)', 'Wisdom (3)' have increased.]

A gasp escaped Moo-hyeok's lips.

"Ah..."

What I had been longing for had finally come to pass.

It was hard to contain.

This excitement.

This joy.

"It's not over yet."

But before I could fully savor the pleasure, Old Man Balshian's action chilled my heart.

His hand touched my right chest.

"What...?"

I was met with a rush of energy different from the document.

It was even more brilliant and intense than what had been emitted before.

It was the moment that power settled in my body.

['Gangster Necromancer Lord' power is bestowed upon you.]

['Intelligence (2)' has increased.]

['Wisdom (2)' has increased.]

[Title 'Gangster Necro's Top Disciple' acquired.]

Before I could even check the messages, I had to listen to Old Man Balshian's words.

"I've been waiting. For someone to succeed me. You must now make yourself known to the world in your own way."

What is this?

No, rather than that, what exactly?

"That darkness exists."

And then a quest emerges.

[A job quest is created.]

[Encroaching Darkness.]

Since ancient times, necromancers have operated in the shadows, enduring the contempt and ridicule of white mages. Unable to tolerate this, the founder of the Gangster Necromancers accidentally discovered that darkness had infiltrated the ranks of white mages. Believing that if he could only unveil this darkness, he could drive out white magic and step into the light, he immediately began delving into the darkness. However, he has yet to accurately grasp its true nature. As the top disciple of the Gangster Necromancers, you have a duty to uncover this darkness and strive to bring necromancers into the light.

[If successful: ?]

[If failed: Loss of profession]

[Success or failure will be determined in the future]

My brow furrowed involuntarily.

It was because the quest seemed difficult at a glance, with unfamiliar content.

As if Moo-hyeok's feelings didn't matter at all, or rather, as if he had just shed a heavy burden, Old Man Balshian asked with a relaxed expression.

"Do you understand?"

"Pardon?"

"I said, do you understand, you fool!"

"Understand what?"

"Your duty!"

"Ah, yes..."

"Good, now take this and get out."

The old man tossed a box from behind.

Moo-hyeok caught it and asked.

"This is..."

"A gift. Now get out, it's bothersome. If you grow well, we'll see each other again soon."

He waved his hand dismissively.

Moo-hyeok found himself unceremoniously kicked out of the house.

*

Top Disciple of the Gangster Necromancers.

It was a title he had never heard before.

Moreover, upon becoming the top disciple, his intelligence and Intelligence increased by 2 points each, in addition to the title's effects.

The addition of new information, rather than what he already knew, caused some confusion.

Because of this, he was initially flustered, but now he was accepting it rather positively.

In truth, playing the game while knowing everything had become a bit boring.

Back then, when he lived a different life, completely paralyzed, he had only watched Illusion.

From beginning to end.

He had directly witnessed an incredible development that was difficult to explain in words.

It was amazing.

Various magics painted the sky, and users with movements even faster than those spells ravaged their enemies.

A single sword strike would destroy dozens of users, a single gesture would send hundreds of secret techniques flying, and there were monsters that could calmly withstand all of it.

How about now?

There were hardly any who could properly use a sword, and mages were still only capable of basic spells.

Everything was still rudimentary as it was just the beginning.

Though he knew this, it was frustrating.

Can you imagine the inconvenience of someone who has experienced modern civilization suddenly living in the Joseon era?

A world without mobile phones, cars, or any convenient tools.

That was how Moo-hyeok felt right now.

That's why he had been feeling bored.

In this situation, he received the title of top disciple and a quest that seemed to herald a grand flow of events.

It couldn't help but be intriguing.

Very good.

After organizing my thoughts, I checked my changed status.

First, the title.

[Top Disciple of the Gangster Necromancer]

- HP, MP increase (200)

- HP recovery rate (5), MP recovery rate (5) increase

Absolute amount and recovery rate increased!

Ooh!

I was extremely satisfied.

Alright, let's look at the character information.

The status window appeared.

[Basic Information]

Name: Kang Moo-hyeok

Level: 20

Job: Gangster Necromancer

Fame: 600

[Titles]

1. Beginning of Adventure

- All stats +12.

2. Top Disciple of the Gangster Necromancer

- HP, MP increase (200)

- Recovery rate increase (5)

[Basic Stats]

Strength: 27

Agility: 12

Vitality: 16

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 16

Bonus Points: 0

Many aspects had grown.

Of course, it's still lacking, but that's the truth.

Let's look at the skills too.

[Exclusive Skills]

[Skeleton Mastery Lv. 2(0%)]

Skeletons' attack power and defense increase by 2 percent.

[Skeleton Warrior Summon Lv. 2(0%)]

Can summon 4 skeletons with sword aptitude. As the skill level increases, the number of summonable skeletons and MP consumed per 10 seconds increase.

- MP consumed every 10 seconds: 2 per unit.

[Skeleton Archer Summon Lv. 2(0%)]

Can summon 2 skeletons with bow aptitude. As the skill level increases, the number of summonable skeletons and MP consumed per 10 seconds increase.

- MP consumed every 10 seconds: 2 per unit.

[Mental Resonance Lv. 1(0%)]

Issue commands through thought alone. As the skill level increases, more complex commands become possible.

[Vision Control Lv. 1(0%)]

Can grasp the location and situation of summons at a glance. As the skill level increases, the number and range of units that can be monitored expand.

Mental Resonance and Vision Control.

These were the skills I'd been waiting for. Now I can give commands without speaking and know the status of my summons without effort.

Is that all? If I summon all the Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Archers, it'll be 6 units.

Since it's easy to grow up to level 5, with a bit more time, the number of summonable units will increase exponentially.

That's when the true beginning of the Gangster Necromancer starts, I'd say.

Of course, there's a problem.

As expected, it's the MP consumption.

Currently, Moo-hyeok's MP is 1,170.

Recovery rate per minute is 37.

MP consumed for summoning 6 units is 12 per 10 seconds.

Even considering the recovery rate per minute, mana will still decrease by 35 every minute.

So in 10 minutes, 350 MP will be consumed, and in 30 minutes, 1,050 will disappear.

In the end, if all six units are summoned, they can be maintained for just over 30 minutes at most.

But hey, this is something.

If I alternate with rest or forcibly unsummon a few units, MP won't be a big issue.

"Summon Skeleton Warrior. Summon Skeleton Archer."

Six skeletons appeared.

The atmosphere was different from the previous Boney One and Boney Two.

They were completely different entities.

That's why I had been saving on bone assembly.

I checked their status.

The stats were very satisfactory.

Upon becoming a Gangster Necromancer, 30 percent of the main character's stats are added to the summons' stats, not just 20 percent.

That's why such stats were possible.

Moreover, in the case of Skeleton Warriors, their HP increases by 5 with each level up, and for every point increase in vitality, their HP rises by 35.

For Archers, their HP increases by 5 with each level up, and for every point increase in vitality, their HP rises by 30.

What if we add weapons and armor to this?

Swish.

Moo-hyeok distributed the swords and shields that the existing skeletons had been using. He handed over the bows he had prepared in advance to the archers.

Now, let's raise those stats.

I checked one last time.

(Skeleton Warrior 1)

Level: 15

HP: 490

MP: 315

Strength: 11

Agility: 10

Vitality: 12

Intelligence: 7

Wisdom: 7

Bonus Stats: 0

Considering just the strength, agility, and vitality stats of the Skeleton Warrior, it would take a level 23 character to create such figures.

However, since their HP is lower than a user's and there are limitations on the items they can equip, they could be considered on par with an average user in their late teens.

And I have six such summons.

It's by no means a small number. No, it might be even excessive for Moo-hyeok at this point.

It was no different from a level 20 user freely commanding six users in their late teens.

An unbearable joy swept over me.