How to Raise Your Skeletons

As I opened my eyes, I found myself outside the dungeon, on the central ridge of Todang Mountain, overlooking Geomdan, Incheon. The familiar sky loomed over me.

“Ugh…”

“Guh…”

Around me, I could hear the groans of the Black Sword Squad members.

Kim Jinsoo, Kang Yoojung, and Kang Jihoo—they had all survived. They’d made it through the terrifying forces of the Immortal Legion.

“Haha,” Vice Team Leader Kang Jihoo laughed. “Haha, did we actually survive that? For real?”

Kang Yoojung sniffed. “Thank goodness. Truly.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “I thought we were all going to die because of me…”

Her physical pain aside, the mental burden of her mistake nearly leading to everyone’s deaths must have been overwhelming.

“Skeleton King,” a tired voice called from beside me. It was the Black Sword, Lee Sunah.

Right. She was indeed a ranker. Without her, I would have died, and without me, she wouldn’t have cleared the dungeon either. We owed each other a debt.

But then…

“Um, Ms. Black Sword…?”

“…?”

“To be honest, I could kind of handle the title ‘Lord’…”

“Yes?” Lee Sunah tilted her head, puzzled.

I continued speaking, “But the title ‘King’ makes my skin crawl. Ugh, it’s so cringe.”

King! The title of a nation’s ruler. It felt like something you’d only hear if you were ranked number one or something.

“I usually refer to people by their alias alone if they have one, Skeleton King.”

“…Seriously?”

Come to think of it, she had never called anyone by their real name. She even called the members of the Five Stars of Seoul by their aliases and had never once addressed me as “Joo Donghoon.”

“Why?”

“It’s a habit, I suppose? The details are a secret.”

“…?”

What was with this person? Didn’t she absolutely hate being called “Captain”?

“Anyway, we owe our lives to the Skeleton King. It was a truly incredible battle, one of the best I’ve experienced.”

“Haha, yes! That spectacle of the skeleton army covering the world was… truly remarkable.” The vice team leader gave a thumbs up. “Thank you.”

“We won’t forget this debt.”

The Black Sword Squad members also approached, bowing their heads. Even Kang Yoojung, despite having lost an arm, maintained her dignity.

“…I, too,” I bowed my head to them, “thank you.”

No matter the intentions, the dungeon ultimately served me. It was a trial that assessed me, and in the end, I was the one who awakened.

In comparison, Lee Sunah used her innate energy, and Kang Yoojung lost her arm.

“…”

As a swordsman, I couldn’t dare imagine what it would feel like to lose an arm. Sensing my thoughts, the mood of the group became somber.

[Receiving clear rewards!]

[Please check your reward!]

Right, the reward!

I looked up. Most of the rewards were increases in my skeletons’ stats. Overall, their stats improved, and some of their skill levels increased. But the best reward by far was…

Finally, Boney 7’s seal has been lifted.

I instinctively opened Boney 7’s status screen.

[Name: Bonehead 7]

[Energy: 200/200]

[Unique Ability: Skeleton Knight]

[Class: Healer]

[Rank: A]

[Strength: 40] [Dexterity: 40[Constitution: 40] [Magic Power: 40] [Technique: 40]

[Skills]

– Intermediate Healing (Lv.1)

– Recovery (Lv. Max)

– Summon Skeleton (Lv. Max)

“…?!”

My eyes darted over the information.

Healing and recovery skills? A healer class?

My eyes widened.

A unique ability like a healer was even rarer than a necromancer. The fact that I hadn’t encountered a healer in all my dungeon runs proved it.

An undead healer…?

Typically, healing affected the undead negatively, didn’t it? Healing generally gave off a holy aura, the opposite of the undead…

Besides…

I didn’t really need a healer because my skeletons could always recover as long as I had energy.

But at this moment…

Maybe a healer was what we needed right now.

[Skill: Intermediate Healing]

[Level: 1]

[Description: Rapidly restores the target’s condition.]

[Effect 1: Seals wounds, stops bleeding, and soothes inflammation.]

[Effect 2: For skeletons, reassembles and heals bones.]

[Effect 3: Consumes 10 energy.]

Wow.

Reading through effect 1 and 2, it seemed like a special skill that worked not only on hunters but also on skeletons.

Next, what about Recovery?

[Skill: Recovery]

[Level: Max]

[Description: Returns the body to its previous state.]

[Effect 1: Restores the body to its condition 24 hours prior. Cannot be used on the dead.]

[Effect 2: Cooldown – 30 days.]

[Effect 3: Consumes 50 energy.]

“Woah!”

For the first time, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I couldn’t help but let an exclamation slip.

This is insanely overpowered!

When I saw the word “healer,” I expected only minor healing abilities.

This is unbelievable.

But this was on a completely different level. It was insane.

Restoring the body to its past state, huh…

In other words, I could heal someone who was severely injured as long as they hadn’t died. However, it wouldn’t cure long-standing illnesses or heal someone who was injured over a day ago.

But in battle, this is ridiculously overpowered.

If it became known that I had this skill, every guild in the country would likely try to scout me. I could act as a life battery just by following after a ranker. Despite the one-month cooldown, the power of this skill outweighed that penalty.

“…?”

A hush had fallen around me. Everyone looked at me with curious eyes after my sudden exclamation.

“What’s the matter, Skeleton King?”

“Did you think of something?”

Well, of course, they’d be curious. But there was no need to rush. I’d tell them soon enough.

I smiled slyly and looked at Kang Yoojung, still clutching her arm. “Ms. Kang Yoojung?”

“Yes?” she replied, looking puzzled.

“Could I take a look at your arm for a moment?”

If I recalled correctly, it hadn’t been 24 hours since her injury.

My arm…

Kang Yoojung stared blankly at the ground.

What was this feeling? To be honest, she didn’t know either. She felt sad, disbelieving, and surprisingly calm. Her emotions were all tangled up, making her wonder if she was being dysfunctional.

I never thought I’d be the victim of a dungeon accident like the ones in the news.

She felt chills. LThe cold, sharp sensation of the death knight’s sword passing through her upper arm—she remembered the pain, a sensation she never wanted to feel again.

Her arm still throbbed.

A life with only one arm.

She tried to think positively, but it was still suffocating. Aside from the daily inconveniences, she couldn’t maintain her balance as well without an arm. Her gait, footwork, and swordsmanship were all unnatural. It all felt unfamiliar.

Even with two arms, she was just an A-rank. She couldn’t imagine how much more effort it would take to reach S-rank or become a ranker, let alone if it was even possible now.

“…”

She was discouraged. She’d probably have to quit being a hunter. She might have to leave the Cult of the Heavenly Demon too. Perhaps she’d have to move on to a life as a teacher, training others. She was still an A-rank Hunter, so maybe she could still make a living.

As she was lost in such thoughts…

“Ms. Kang Yoojung?” Joo Donghoon called out to her.

Joo Donghoon.

At first, when she heard he was a B-rank, she thought he was just there to help with the gimmick. But he was no ordinary B-rank.

B-rank, my foot…

No matter how she thought about it, at the very least, he had to be S-rank. Honestly, she’d believe it if he said he was a ranker. From his calm judgment and quick reflexes to the way he commanded the skeleton army like a tidal wave…

How can that be B-rank… That’s just absurd.

She shook her head and responded, “Yes.”

“Could I take a look at your arm for a moment?”

“My arm?”

Is he referring to my left arm or my right…? But my left arm is already gone…

She didn’t know why, but seeing his smile and the certainty in his expression, she felt a strange emotion rising.

A miracle.

He was someone who could make miracles happen.

“Why do you need my arm?”

With a face that said she didn’t dare hope, she approached him slowly. She looked at him as if asking what he intended to do next.

Then…

—Whoosh!

He swung his staff.

—Rattle!

A white skeleton emerged from the ground. That skeleton also held a staff.

Looking at the skeleton, Joo Donghoon spoke. “Boney 7, use Healing.”

—Creak!

The skeleton slowly raised its staff and gently touched Kang Yoojung’s shoulder.

“Healing?” The vice team leader was stunned.

“Did you really just say ‘healing,’ Skeleton King?” The team leader who was a ranker also had her mouth wide open.

Kang Yoojung looked at her severed arm in disbelief.

I can’t believe it. A skeleton that heals…?

If there was a TV program called ”Is This Hunter Real?,” he’d be the top candidate.

—Whoooom!

A pure white light emerged from the skeleton’s staff, gently enveloping Kang Yoojung’s left shoulder. The throbbing pain faded, and the wound closed completely. As time passed, new flesh began to form over the red wound.

But…

That was it. It couldn’t bring back a lost arm. Right, that would be an impossible miracle.

“Hmm, Healing won’t do the trick, huh.” A faint sigh escaped Joo Donghoon’s lips.

Was he disappointed as well?

As expected.

But it was okay. She had already received a great blessing. Her life was spared, and her pain was gone.

“I…” Kang Yoojung bit her lip and spoke. “I’m alright. Truly.” She bowed her head again. “My arm may be gone, but dungeon accidents like this happen to many hunters… I’m grateful just to have survived, and I’m genuinely glad my team made it back alive. I mean it.” Her tone was calm yet sincere. “And just knowing that you care…”

“Hold on. I have one more trick up my sleeve.” He grinned. Then he said, “Recovery!”

And then…

At Joo Donghoon’s command, the light from the skeleton’s staff grew even whiter. It became more sacred.

—Swoosh!

A mysterious energy gathered around her arm. And a message appeared.

[You body has been touched by the skill ‘Recovery.’]

[Your physical state has reverted to 24 hours ago.]

“What…?”

The energy surrounding Kang Yoojung began to transform her body. Time seemed to flow backward as blood began to flow again through the partially healed arm. And soon, bones started to form. Above that, flesh began to grow, blood vessels spread, nerves connected… as if they had always been there.

“Ah…”

Her arm had regrown. The nerves in her left arm, which she couldn’t feel before, now returned. When she clenched and unclenched her fist, she finally realized it was unmistakably her arm.

“What… is this…?”

Stunned, Kang Yoojung looked up at Joo Donghoon with trembling eyes.

The Black Sword Squad members around her were all in shock. How did he restore her severed arm? It was like a divine spectacle.

“This is my newly acquired skill, Recovery. Luckily, it worked.”

“…”

Kang Yoojung was speechless. Emotions overwhelmed her, and instead of words, tears streamed down her face.

Is this real? Did my arm actually regenerate? Can I fight again?

If that was the case, Joo Donghoon was more than a benefactor. Not just someone who saved her life but someone who gave her a far greater gift. He preserved her dream.

“Thank you… Truly, thank you.”

On this day, Kang Yoojung experienced a miracle not once but twice.