Chapter 3: Fate Just Doesn’t Give Up on You
“…Ugh.”
I had no more strength in my body. It felt like I’d just had an intense sweating session in a sauna, my body growing languid.
[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]
[Energy: 0/100]
This is what happens when your energy hits zero.
But while my body was limp, my mind was boiling like a kettle.
“No way…”
The desire to live, the instinct to survive, was bubbling within . Even though part of felt I had done enough, there was still a sting of regret in my heart. I hadn’t suffered for three years just to die a aningless death. I hadn’t wanted to live such a wretched life.
But the reality was a shit pit. Now, all that was left were three skeletons swaying like flickering embers in the wind.
Becoming a ranker, my ass. It seems I was destined to be orc food.
My strength was failing.
I felt both unjustly treated and frustrated. Was I just a chicken dreaming of flying high one day? Was my dream too grand for my own good? Was it such a great cri for a chicken to aspire to be like a nacing bird of prey soaring through the sky?
“Roar!”
The orc let out a foul laugh and a victorious roar as if sensing my psychological resignation.
[Check the condition achievent ssage!]
“Huh?”
I frowned.
The ssage had been there for a while, but I’d been too enraged to pay it any attention.
“…?”
But then I snapped back to reality because this ssage was different—it was completely golden.
I quickly clicked it.
[Hidden condition achieved!]
[This is the hidden condition for ‘Unique Authority: Cursed Necromancer’!]
[Condition: The 10,000 Uses Rule!]
– To upgrade your unique authority, significant effort is required!
– Use the skill ‘Summon Ordinary Skeleton’ (E-rank) 10,000 tis!
“Wha…?”
My eyes widened. A dumbfounded sound escaped my mouth.
Golden dust sparkled around the ssage.
—Creak, clatter?
Even the skeletons facing off against the orc stood in a daze.
The 10,000 Uses Rule?
It was a condition I had never heard of. But then again if I had known, the “hidden” label would be aningless.
So does that an…
I’ve used my skill 10,000 tis?
It makes sense, considering I’ve been doing this for about three years and about ten tis daily.
It was at that mont…
[Congratulations!]
[Your rank has upgraded to D-rank!]
Oh heavens, gods.
D-rank…?
Three years with no response, and now?
Well, better late than never, I suppose. Thanks.
[A reward for the rank change has arrived!]
Yeah, hurry! Give sothing good!
I urged the unknown entity inwardly.
“Huff!”
The orc started moving again, so I had to hurry.
[Energy restored!]
[Energy: 100/100]
“Yes!” I shouted involuntarily.
For , energy was like extra lives.
—Clang! Clang!
The orc’s axe clashed a few tis with Boney 1’s greatsword.
But the sound was different from before. Instead of a brittle snap, there was a mighty clang.
“Ooh.”
The skeletons’ strength had changed!
[Skill: ‘Summon Ordinary Skeleton’ (E-rank) has been upgraded!]
[Skill: ‘Summon Awakened Skeleton’ (D-rank) acquired!]
In line with the ssage:
[Skill: Summon Awakened Skeleton]
[Rank: D]
[Effect 1: Consus 10 energy to summon a mid-grade skeleton. A maximum of 10 can be summoned.]
[Effect 2: You can na each skeleton.]
The change was simple: my “low-grade” skeletons had evolved into “mid-grade” ones.
And one more thing.
[New primary weapons have been assigned to skeletons!]
[Assigned skeletons: ‘Bonehead 4’, ‘Bonehead 5’]
[These skeletons will now respond to your command!]
“Huh…?”
I was dumbfounded.
I reread the ssage several tis and over.
Assigned primary weapons? Does that an…?
mories of past hardships flashed before my eyes.
Had I been trying to train unawakened skeletons all this ti? Had their abilities just been sealed?
Those bastards should have told sooner!
I turned my attention back in front of .
“Hruff! Huff!”
The seemingly infuriated orc was growling with rage. It seed furious about the skeletons’ sudden power increase.
—Clang! Thud!
The orc struggled to fend off Boney 1’s greatsword, Boney 2’s spear, and Boney 3’s arrows.
That’s right. Now those are my skeletons.
They might have been weaklings at E-rank. But now that they’d grown to D-rank, they could handle another D-rank monster.
I had trained them with utmost dedication and sincerity. If the orc wasn’t ranked on the higher end of D-rank, it would have been sliced in half by Boney 1’s greatsword by now.
I nodded and imdiately used my energy.
A hunter’s duty is to test new skills as soon as they’re acquired.
[Skill: ‘Summon Awakened Skeleton’ (D-rank) activated.]
[10 energy consud.]
[‘Bonehead 4’ summoned.]
[Skill: ‘Summon Awakened Skeleton’ (D-rank) activated.]
[10 energy consud.]
[‘Bonehead 5’ summoned.]
With a surge of black energy from the ground.
—Rumble…
Two skeletons erged—Boney 4 and Boney 5.
“Wow.”
I looked at them in awe.
Gone were the days of weaponless, blankly staring skeletons.
Boney 4 held a massive shield as big as itself. Boney 5 held a staff, looking like a mage.
A tank and a mage? Wow, now I could form a proper party with these skeletons.
—Creak!
Boney 4 stepped forward, raising its shield and crouching slightly .
Then it charged at the orc.
“Huff?”
The orc, in the middle of the fight, retreated in confusion.
As if offended at Boney 4 for using a puny shield, the orc swung its axe fiercely.
—Thud!
But the axe bounced off effortlessly.
And behind the orc…
[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Fireball’ (Lv.1).]
—Whoosh!
A fireball conjured by Boney 5 fell upon the orc.
—Snuffle! Snort!
The orc scread in agony as its skin was seared.
—Thud! Thud!
Boney 2’s spear pierced the orc’s throat.
It was an astonishingly fearso combo attack.
“Wow.”
I had done nothing. I just watched.
[Strong Orc defeated.]
“…”
My heart pounded. I felt relief at surviving a near-death situation and excitent for my new abilities.
I thought…
I thought my life was dood.
But it seems fate doesn’t just give up on you.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator – Dawn
Proofreader – BringTheRayn
Join our discord for updates on releases! sdiscord.gg/reapercomics
* * *
I can’t believe it.
I tried calming myself with deep breaths, but it was useless. I was human after all.
Just a few minutes ago, I thought I was on my way to the afterlife. It still didn’t feel real that I was breathing.
Besides.
How could I be calm when the fruits of three years of effort had just been realized?
I returned to my tiny basent room, finishing my training early, and stared at my status window the entire day.
“Hehehe.”
A smile crept onto my lips.
[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]
[Alias: X]
[Energy: 100/100]
[Unique Authority: Cursed Necromancer]
[Rank: D]
[Effect]
– You possess the profession of a necromancer, capable of handling dead souls. You can use fearso spirits and toxic substances to subdue opponents. However, you are cursed.
– You can only summon skeletons.
[Skills]
‘Summon Awakened Skeleton’ (D-rank)
Nice.
I clenched my fist.
I had thought my life was going downhill, but now hope had returned. I had misunderstood this beautiful world, cursing it as a failure. Yes, efforts should be rewarded, no doubt about it.
“…”
Of course, it was still a long way to reach the ranker level, where A and S-ranks dominated.
A thorny path stretched before . Who knew what antics I would have to pull to reach C-rank next?
But I was happy. I had thought it was an unattainable dream.
I must return to the basics.
Anyway, the path I designed wasn’t wrong. Only endless effort and training made one strong. That’s all there was to it.
And the skeletons.
Honestly, I was surprised. The power of the mid-grade skeletons, now at D-rank, was beyond imagination.
They were different from the undead I had studied and organized. Ordinarily, skeletons were just skeletons. I had never heard of powerful skeletons. There was no concept of “mid-grade” skeletons. Not to ntion that my skeletons could grow. Furthermore, there’s one that uses magic.
Unbelievable.
When it cos to magic-using undead, only the highest-ranking lich among the A-ranks could do that.
“…”
For a mont, I imagined the image of Boney 5, spamming top-tier spells like Blink, Hellfire, and Blizzard Storm.
And Boney 1 and Boney 2, who would beco Sword Master and Spear Master.
Then Boney 3 and Boney 4 would beco Bow Master and Defense Master, respectively?
I chuckled as I heated a cup of ran.
—Slurp!
Despite eating it all year long, it tasted especially good after surviving a life-threatening situation.
Anyway.
There hadn’t been much change in my life yet. Even tomorrow, I still had to go to the rcenary guild and earn money. I had to make a living, and I had to keep training.
I hope the other five skeletons awaken soon too.
This might be a premature hope. But if I keep training the first five, I believe the rest will gradually awaken, too.
—Plop!
I lay down on my bed after finishing my al.
I might stay up all night staring at the status window, but… I had to sleep.
It was a good night, in any case.
* * *
The next day.
There was a bustling atmosphere at the Problem Solver, the rcenary guild I was affiliated to.
Usually, it was a place for E-rank and D-rank rcenaries, with a few flies buzzing around. But today, I saw so upper-tier rcenaries whose faces I had only heard about.
What’s going on?
As I set my bag on the table, the team leader, Kim Joonseo, approached. We’d known each other for so long that we were more like brothers.
“Hey, Donghoon! You’re here! Take a look at this. This is huge!”
“Sothing huge?”
“Yeah, you know the Parang Guild? The one established by Giparang?”
“Yes, I know it.”
Who wouldn’t? Giparang, the “Fine Bow.” Of the 37 rankers within Korea, including the recent addition of Dark Lord, Giparang was one of them.
Giparang once shot an arrow that accidentally destroyed the top of a mountain. Parang was a prestigious guild that he founded.
“Parang has commissioned our rcenary group. They’re exploring a newly opened dungeon and need porters. The pay is ten tis the usual rate!”
“…Ten tis?”
Typical of a large guild, they were big spenders.
Ah, so that’s why even the upper-tier rcenaries were here.
For now, I was intrigued because a low-rank hunter rarely got a chance to enter a high-rank dungeon.
“Yeah, they’re even accepting E-ranks. Are you in? Honestly, today’s requests are all trash otherwise.”
When he said trash, he ant there were no other significant requests.
I smacked my lips.
Maybe because of yesterday, I couldn’t just blindly accept. I learned how precious life is.
After a mont of contemplation, I nodded.
“Let’s see what kind of dungeon it is first.”
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