Chapter 53: Dragon-Phoenix Assembly (1)
[Man-Faced Treant has been defeated!]
[Level increased by 4!]
The moment the Man-Faced Treant collapsed, I clenched my fist tight.
Honestly, it had been half a gamble.
No matter how much of a genius someone is, they can't generate skills every single time.
But I'd pulled it off.
I glanced at the Man-Faced Treant.
As expected of a mid-boss monster, it spewed out generous rewards, from experience points to byproducts.
Among them was a bound skillbook.
I snuck a peek at Seo Yerim.
She still seemed lost in the afterglow, staring blankly at her bow.
“Seo Yerim?”
“Yes?”
“What should we do with this?”
I pointed at the skillbook.
Strictly speaking in terms of contributions, it was close to an even split.
Cedric and Haya had allowed me to pile on a solid amount of damage.
‘Normally, in cases like this…’
Byproducts can be acquired by all party members.
If no one in the party has standout contributions, the usual procedure is to hold an instant auction. The winner then splits the proceeds equally among the party, one-nth shares.
If it went to auction, that was perfect for me. No matter the price, I planned to snag it.
She alternated her gaze between the bow and me before speaking.
“Just take it.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, I discovered a talent I never knew I had…”
Jackpot.
There was no reason to refuse.
For Kim Minwoo, who couldn't create skills through actions like other geniuses, this was especially true.
I approached the bound skillbook right away.
The moment I picked it up.
[Acquired Bound Skillbook.]
[Acquired Necromancer Skillbook: Bone Golem Summon (A)!]
‘Nice.’
A happy smile spread across my face as I checked the skill.
Bone Golem Summon.
I could guess what it did without even looking.
[Bone Golem Summon (A)]
[Level Restriction: 120+]
[Consumes 200 mana to summon a massive golem made entirely of bone. The golem's level matches its master's.]
A simple, straightforward description.
Seo Yerim sidled over curiously.
“What'd you get?”
“This.”
[Bone Golem Summon!]
A hulking figure nearly 4 meters tall.
A golem made entirely of bone materialized.
[Bone Golem]
[Class: Warrior]
[Level: 120]
[Held Skills: Taunt (A), Defensive Stance (B)]
[Strength: 240(+120)] [Agility: 120(+60)] [Vitality: 240(+120)] [Magic Power: 60(+30)]
“Whoa, looks like a perfect fit.”
“Yeah. It's a tank.”
Its stats screamed “built to soak damage.”
Heavy emphasis on strength and vitality. Add in the Death Lord's 50% buff, and it started off with insane numbers.
The skills were no different.
Taunt drew enemy aggro, while Defensive Stance reduced all incoming damage by 30%.
‘A real tank at last.’
Until now, I'd stacked skeletons as meat shields whenever attacks came my way.
Was it effective? Honestly, not really. Skeletons aren't specialized for defense.
It was just brute-forcing it with numbers.
‘Such tactics get awkward the higher you go.’
When attacking from behind, having a tank hold the enemy's attention could decide the entire battle. A golem should fill that role perfectly.
It was exactly the skill I needed.
‘And plenty of room to strengthen it.’
Bone swapping.
As a bone-based summon, the Bone Golem had capacity too.
A sturdy 120 worth.
If I picked a few tough monsters and swapped in their bones…
‘It'll get way tankier.’
And that's not all.
The golem wasn't wearing any gear yet. I'd need custom gear due to its size, but…
‘Worth investing in. Definitely doing it.’
Normally, I'd hire a crafting artisan for a full set.
But no need now.
I already had thousands of artisans on hand.
The skeletons' crafting skills were still E-grade.
They handled gear from level 51 to 100 restrictions just fine.
‘Beyond that, they explode.’
Success rates dropped, and even if something came out, it was junk.
‘For now…’
I decided to outfit the golem with basic gear as a stopgap.
I summoned the skeletons and tossed them materials.
“Make something fitted for that.”
The skeletons eyed the golem.
Soon, they started clambering all over its body.
Seo Yerim tilted her head at the measuring motions.
“What are they doing?”
“Trying to make gear for the golem.”
“… They make gear?”
“My skeletons do stuff like this.”
No fancy facilities needed—crafting skills worked on bare ground.
Over a thousand skeletons reached for the materials. Soon, gear far larger than standard began taking shape.
She gawked.
“No way, everything's got plus options? You're the one supplying Ilsung with gear?”
“Yep.”
“… If this gets out, it'll be chaos.”
“Well, as long as you don't blab.”
“I'm not that loose-lipped.”
I nodded.
That was why I'd revealed the crafting too.
‘Well, the real reason's different.’
I'd given her the bow, but no change in achievement score.
Why?
Probably not planning to main it right away.
‘The sword's still her priority.’
Not an incomprehensible reaction.
She'd wielded swords her whole life, most skills sword-related.
The bow was likely just an occasional sub-weapon at best.
That wouldn't do.
‘I need her maining the bow.’
Only then would the protagonist's fate shift, achievement score or no.
To weigh in on that, we needed to get closer.
Sharing secrets is one of the best ways to build inner rapport.
Why reveal a secret otherwise? You did it because you trusted them—a tacit gesture that said, ‘I trust you.’
Layer those up, and some random punk becomes a reliable comrade.
‘My words will carry more weight then.’
For low-cap Kim Minwoo, achievement points were an irreplaceable asset.
This risk was worth it for those.
Plus one minor reason.
“Seo Yerim. Since you're giving, mind giving generously?”
“…?”
“I'd like the Man-Faced Treant corpse too. Seems useful for crafting. If you need cash, I'll bid.”
“Forget it, just take it.”
Sweet.
Bound skillbook and mid-boss corpse, all mine.
‘Gotta grind those bones for the golem.’
Cedric lacked capacity, so the golem gets them. Whether it works remains to be seen.
* * *
Inside the carriage.
Seo Yerim glanced at Kim Minwoo. Right before entering the gate, her impression of him had leaned negative.
—That guy's swordplay sucks?
—Hmm… about that level?
How embarrassing that overhead strike comment had been.
Sure, he'd said they might not clear it, but it wasn't malicious.
Just his honest take that it seemed impossible.
Back then.
Just some personality-wrecked guy who'd suddenly gotten good with swords overnight.
Something like that.
‘But… maybe not quite that bad…’
Two weeks in the gate.
She'd learned more about him than expected.
She'd felt it when he spared Jang Sam.
More decent personality than thought.
‘And… meticulous.’
What was it?
Like he set the board and moved pieces?
That vibe.
Every action had purpose.
‘More diligent than expected too.’
Never zoned out idly in the carriage.
Swapping skeleton bones, endless crafting attempts, chatting combat with summoned Cedric, joint maneuver drills.
Slept and that was it—no rest.
He was dead serious about clearing.
Of course, the biggest shock was Kim Minwoo's strength itself.
Against the Man-Faced Treant, she'd been floored. Sword aura barely penetrating? No pushover.
Yet Kim Minwoo shattered its shell and crammed in damage.
Did he use skills?
‘… No.’
Skills leave traces.
Zero unnaturalness in his moves.
Pure swordplay for that damage output.
His technique was beyond imagining.
If the Treant hadn't fled…
‘He could've soloed it.’
Chills.
Now she fully got why he'd paced outside the gate. All calculated.
‘Potential defies imagination too…’
Skeletons learning new tricks.
Handling insane summons like Cedric.
The public knew just the tip.
S-rank?
No way.
Undead couldn't perform like that at S.
‘Wondered why Necromancer…’
Made sense now.
Two weeks together showed it.
Kim Minwoo's Necromancer ceiling was sky-high.
‘This is just a fraction.’
Guy Grandpa secretly saw as a master.
Bet he had no shortage of self-made skills.
Sword skills probably crammed his skill window.
Swing a sword, poof—new skill.
And scarier still.
His talents didn't seem sword-limited.
Even Grandpa hadn't known about her bow aptitude.
But Kim Minwoo?
Nailed it instantly.
How?
That saying.
Extremes meet.
Maybe he had bow talent too.
‘Really an onion of a guy.’
Peel and peel, no end.
Revealing crafting? Probably no biggie to him.
Made her wonder how many more secrets he hid.
“… Something on my face?”
Oops, stared too long.
Seo Yerim shook her head hastily.
“No, just curious.”
“About what?”
She rolled her eyes.
Blurted it out on impulse.
Asking about secrets now would be weird.
“Uh, well… Ah! Martial arts! Don't your skeletons learn martial arts? You said they could learn all sorts.”
“Cedric's teaching them. Not martial arts per se, but combat principles translate.”
“Right, got it.”
Kim Minwoo chuckled.
“Arriving soon. Mentally prepared?”
“For what?”
“Scoreboard'll make you a star. Bet plenty'll pick fights with Yerim.”
“Ah…”
Plausible.
Servant gone, duo clear. Climb high, wolves nip at heels.
Young Master and maid.
Who'd they target?
Maid her, obviously.
“… You gonna let them touch a big-shot like me?”
“I figure the Alliance Leader'll vouch for me. You? Came as plus-one.”
“Damn. Whatever. Anyone who touches me gets wrecked. Got it?”
“Do what you want.”
Kim Minwoo shrugged.
The carriage reached the Demonic Alliance quarters.
“No friggin' way!”
“They really did it? Just the two of them?”
[Score Tally]
[1st: Baek So-cheon - 15,000 points]
[2nd: Choi Aeng-aeng - 15,000 points]
[3rd: Baek Mu-han - 11,300 points]
[4th: Baek Cheol-yong - 9,700 points]
Two days before the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly.
They'd snatched 1st and 2nd in one go.
No wonder the entire Demonic Alliance was in uproar.