Skeleton Master Chapter 022

He dropped from the tree branch onto the steel ant passing below, seizing the opportunity.

Thud.

The moment he plunged the skull staff's blade into the weak spot.

[A critical hit occurs.]

[You deal 242 damage.]

[You deal minimal damage.]

[You deal 9 damage.]

[You deal 16 damage.]

[You deal 12 damage.]

A critical hit of over 240 damage occurred.

Moreover, the weak spot damage, which used to be minimum 5 and maximum 11, had increased significantly.

Now it was minimum 9 and went up to maximum 17.

He could now kill steel ants much faster than before.

Kiriri......

In an instant, the creature lost its strength and staggered.

He pulled out the blade and thrust it in again.

Another critical hit triggered.

He dealt with it far too easily.

"Well, this is..."

Of course, the experience gained has also noticeably decreased compared to the beginning.

His current level is 27.

It was the result of focusing solely on hunting for a week.

Should he leave this place soon?

He shook his head.

Still, this place would be best until level 30.

At level 30, he could enter the normal and special dungeons whose locations he knew.

Before entering, he'd replace all his items, maintain experience below 90% while clearing the normal dungeon, then immediately enter the special dungeon to reach level 32.

After that, he could hunt field monsters.

Just three more level-ups to go.

Of course, the process would be very tedious, but it couldn't be helped.

Kiiiii.

Moo-hyeok's gaze turned.

Three steel ants appeared.

Moo-hyeok immediately rushed towards them.

He changed direction sideways right in front of them, then jumped from a spot where their jaw attacks couldn't reach.

As he mounted one of them, he simultaneously plunged the skull staff's blade into its weak spot.

He lured the remaining two by controlling the sword skeleton and bow skeleton.

Kirik, kiririk!

The skeletons don't go down easily either.

Moo-hyeok calmly issued commands while observing the situation.

[You deal 16 damage.]

[You deal 15 damage.]

Meanwhile, one steel ant was flailing about due to its weak spot being hit.

It even attacked its own kind at times. This was beneficial for Moo-hyeok.

How many minutes did it hold out?

The steel ant collapsed weakly.

To ensure its death, he attacked the same spot again.

A critical hit triggered, increasing his experience points.

Moo-hyeok dismounted and rushed towards another steel ant.

Similarly, he mounted its back, thrust the blade into its weak spot, and held on.

This one didn't last long either before dying.

Dealing with the last one was truly an easy task.

There wasn't even any tension.

Leveling up is certainly easy.

While that part was good, he couldn't deny that it lacked the tension compared to hunting wolves.

Wolves or bears were rather more fun.

While lost in thought, his MP had fully recovered.

He set out to hunt again.

Repetitive battles continued.

*

After another week had passed.

[Your level increases.]

He finally reached his target of level 30.

"Haa."

The tedious hunting was over.

He took off his helmet and looked up. The sky visible through the leaves was truly blue.

Should he avoid hunting creatures whose weak spots he knows from now on?

That's how much he was thinking.

The bloody battles with wolves and bears he hunted in the beginning were more memorable.

When facing them, there was an abundance of thrill.

Extreme tension and the elation of catching them too.

Let's start with maintenance for now.

It was time to return to the kingdom.

He put on his helmet and turned his body.

Hmm...?

At that moment, a strange sense of unease swept over his entire body.

He quietly scanned his surroundings.

Come to think of it......

At some point, not a single user was in sight.

At first, he had deliberately hunted in places where there were no users.

He had been cautious, needing to avoid the gaze of guild members.

But now, he couldn't find any users secretly hunting.

Was something going on?

After pondering for a moment, he shook his head.

Well, it's not something I need to worry about.

He had achieved his goal of reaching level 30.

He was so tired of even hearing the name "steel ant".

He hurriedly moved on.

Thud.

Although he had to walk for over an hour, it wasn't boring.

Because from the moment he reached the Lizardman habitat, users hunting were swarming everywhere.

"Unseong, block it!"

"Okay!"

"I need a heal!"

"Got it!"

"Hey, attack!"

"I'm doing it!"

He passed through the Lizardman hunting grounds.

Went beyond the Orc village.

And reached the bear habitat.

There were far more users here. The lower the level of the hunting ground, the fewer monsters there were and the more users overflowed.

The Wolf's Forest was in a state where fights were breaking out over spots.

Passing through there and crossing the prairie where rabbits appeared, he finally arrived at the kingdom.

Moo-hyeok visited the blacksmith shop after a long time.

Entering the workshop, he could see Luke moving around the workspace.

Luke, too, seemed to have noticed Moo-hyeok and approached with a welcoming expression.

"It's been a while."

"Yes."

"Finished all your tasks?"

"For now, yes."

"Good. Follow me."

Luke took a position in front of the workbench.

"I'll be busy starting tomorrow, so today I'm going to teach you about armor crafting that I mentioned before. Watch carefully."

"Ah, yes!"

Skill transfer right after arriving.

This must be his own way of showing affection.

Thunk.

Luke placed an iron ore on the iron plate.

"Are you watching?"

"Of course."

"Don't take your eyes off."

"Yes."

Only then did he lift the hammer.

Whoosh.

With the sound of wind being cut, the hammer fell and struck the ore.

The iron ore began to spread thinly.

Normally, it would need to be heated in a furnace, but being a game, that process was skipped.

After thinning several pieces of ore like that, he placed iron ore on their left and right sides.

He placed the thinly spread iron ore on top of the intact iron ore.

"Hup!"

He swung the hammer mainly on the left and right sides.

Clang! Bang!

A shape for the shoulders and waist emerged, and soon a fine chest piece of armor was created.

"I've just made a simple chest piece. What do you think?"

Being a game, it was simpler than expected.

"I think I can do it."

"Give it a try."

"Okay."

Moo-hyeok took the hammer and created a chest piece in exactly the same way he had just seen Luke do it.

Thanks to this, his stagnant crafting skill level increased by one.

[Crafting skill level has increased.]

[Dexterity (1) has increased.]

With this, his crafting level became 4.

It's a bit disappointing, but......

Still, it's a time when stats increase by 2 each.

Usage restrictions would be a bonus.

Luke approached and examined the armor.

"Not bad. I've taught you everything now, so the rest depends on how hard you work. No matter where you go, don't forget that fact."

Honestly, there aren't many suitable hunting grounds here.

It was time to head to another kingdom and settle there to grow.

Luke seemed to sense this fact as well.

"Thank you."

"I'm busy, so get to work."

"Yes."

Luke, who had started to walk away, suddenly stopped.

"You'll be focusing on traveling now, right?"

"I suppose so......"

"Still, drop by from time to time when you have a chance."

Leaving those words behind, Luke left the workshop.

Feeling a strange emotion, Moo-hyeok soon shook his head.

He'd be visiting often anyway.

As he thought this, he looked around the workshop.

Armor crafting, huh.

Maybe he should make a few more.

It was quite enjoyable, after all.

Swish.

The deliberation was brief. Before he knew it, Moo-hyeok had taken his position, hammer in hand, striking the iron ore.

Clang!

The sound rang out loudly.

[You've matched the grain.]

[Progress (3.7 percent) has increased.]

Perhaps it was thanks to his increased strength.

The rate of progress increase had become higher.

In an instant, one piece of iron ore was spread thin.

He placed another iron ore and created thin iron in the same way.

Before long, a chest piece of armor was created. Moo-hyeok smiled contentedly as he checked the options.

[Sturdy Armor (Chest)]

Defense 11

Health +1

Durability 90/90

The defense was quite decent.

It even had health attached.

Luckily, one option was added.

It seemed that thanks to the increased skill level and strength, the chance of adding options had increased slightly.

"Ooh."

Moo-hyeok began making another piece of armor with admiration.

Clang, clang!

This time too, it took less than 10 minutes for a piece of armor to be created.

However, the defense was only 9 and no options were added.

Feeling unnecessarily greedy, Moo-hyeok crafted another piece of armor.

Failure, failure, and another failure.

He finally stopped after making five pieces of armor.

Except for the first piece, none of them had any options attached.

"Tsk......"

Just one more sword to finish.

With that thought in mind, he placed a piece of iron ore.

"Phew."

He struck the grain with a deep breath.

[You've matched the grain perfectly.]

[Progress is applied twofold.]

[Progress (7.2 percent) has increased.]

Moo-hyeok's eyes widened for a moment.

The progress increase had doubled.

He stopped his hands at this phenomenon he was experiencing for the first time.

So this is how it works.

He knew that when the skill level reaches 4, stats increase by 2 each.

It probably had something to do with the doubled progress that just appeared.

He checked the message again.

The word "perfectly" caught his eye.

A kind of critical hit.

One more time......

He focused his mind and struck again.

[You've matched the grain.]

[Progress (3.4 percent) has increased.]

[Bonus progress (0.1 percent) has increased.]

This time, the word "perfectly" was missing.

"Huff......"

After taking a deep breath, he struck again.

Twice, thrice, ten times.

But the same phenomenon did not occur again.

Finally, a sword was completed, and Moo-hyeok checked its performance with an expression of disappointment he couldn't hide.

Item information.

Then a hologram appeared.

[Twilight Longsword]

Attack Power 33

Strength +1

Agility +1

Durability 110/110

Usage Restriction: Strength 22, Agility 13

The attack power was 33 with two stat bonuses attached.

Great!

It was a decent sword that he hadn't seen in a very long time.

This level would be sufficient to use comfortably up to the mid to late 30s in level.

Although the usage restriction was a bit bothersome, it could still be considered quite good.

Thanks to this, his motivation surged.

Let's make a few more.

And so, Moo-hyeok focused on weapon crafting, losing track of time.