Honey Straw and Skeleton Hoard
I poked the straw into the honey jar.
Perilock, the three that had no proper cover in the open field, were nothing more than Kalid's prey.
Cuckoo_ _Gluck_
**[A skeleton soldier has died. Their stats have transferred to the adjacent skeleton soldier.]**
**[A skeleton soldier has died. Their stats have transferred to the adjacent skeleton soldier.]**
“Kabi.”
Of the three skeleton soldiers hidden behind Perilock’s corpse, only one had made it alive into my gut. Probably because Kalid had chewed once.
“Summon.”
The two dead skeleton soldiers summoned themselves and dropped to their knees before me in perfect submission.
Hansik had failed, oddly.
Both bowed their heads low.
“You don’t need to be completely dead. You failed, but the stats transferred to Number Two anyway. You did your part. Good work. You suffered.”
“Yay!”
“Eh?”
[Broken Elven Spear (Normal)] was added to [Tigriel’s Bundle (Legend)].
[Low-grade Mana Crystal (1)] was added to [Tigriel’s Bundle (Legend)].
...
It had begun. Loot, loot, loot.
I stuck the straw back into the honey. Dopamine surged.
As items piled up one by one, the bundle seemed to be chewing something like a living thing.
“We only have one more day. I’ll guide you with Oculus’s Eye. Go hunt Perilock and gather its scales.”
The two skeletons greeted me with the same casual finger salute I’d seen from the quick-service delivery guy.
They really learn everything.
I focused with Oculus’s Eye. At first it was awkward, but now it felt natural, like watching TV while thumbing my phone.
The monsters vanished from my vision, and the skeletons dragged their picks toward Kalid. They avoided people too, so no one would spot them and get hunted.
Left alone, I called someone on my phone.
[Hyung]
*_ _* _ _*
Unlike my worry, Hyung picked up cheerfully.
“Hey, my Bradle.”
He was still sober, but barely.
The alcohol smell hit me.
“Hyung, what the heck! You said you’d call me. I was worried.”
“What’s there to worry about? Kkuk.”
“Where are you?”
“Having a drink. Dda.”
“It’s a weekday. Even a civil servant can do that?”
“What can’t I do? Kkuk, come over.”
“Yeah. Where?”
“Geoje Island. The sea’s amazing. Hoo...”
A faint wave sound mixed with his sigh.
Tomorrow I’d be back in Seoul, so I wanted to spend the last night with him. Ten years older, but our hearts clicked. He felt like a teacher I couldn’t quite admit to.
I called a taxi to the address he texted.
It took an hour and forty-five minutes. The fare was almost 100,000 won, but to me it felt like pocket change. My old economic sense had completely shattered.
The Geoje underwater tunnel was no different from any other—only my ears felt clogged from the pressure change. I dozed off against the window, then arrived.
Swoosh_ _Swoosh_ _Swoosh_ The waves crashed. Oryukdo had a beautiful sea too, but the pebble beach was the only real difference. I walked to the spot he’d pinned. A guy in a beach umbrella chair demanded eight thousand won for the rental. That was Hyung.
“Hyung.”
“Oh, you’re here?”
“What are you doing here?”
“Making back my investment. Do you know how much the umbrella rental is? Eight thousand won. Sun’s blazing, nowhere else to sit, and I’ve been here since yesterday. I charged for overnight.”
Hyung started with his usual crazy talk.
Empty soju bottles lay everywhere, more than ten of them. The umbrella owner fanned himself in displeasure.
“How much did you drink?”
“As you see. Kkuk...”
Regret filled his voice. It should have felt unnatural, but it fit him perfectly.
“I’ll have a drink too.”
No glass. He opened a soju bottle and passed it over.
“And snacks!”
“None?”
“Grab some Perilock scales instead. Shake.”
“Are there Perilock here? Let me check one right now.”
“Kkuk, bullshit. Just order delivery.”
“I already did. Mixed sashimi’s good, right?”
“Spicy soup? It’s too spicy.”
We bantered until silence returned, broken only by the waves.
“Hyung, I’m heading back to Seoul tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Your dad’s alone. Still, you grew up a lot.”
The soju tasted sweeter than usual.
“Hyung, is something wrong?”
He looked like he was hiding something.
The last time I saw him was after he rushed over after I reported Bae Hyeongsin. He’d seemed excited then. Not now.
“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just shit.”
Hyung chugged the soju like he was trying to die.
“They caught the awakening criminal, right? The serial killer who doesn’t ask questions.”
“I caught him. What good is catching someone over and over? Hoo... I can’t even find Bae Hyeongsin, the bastard I need to catch. It’s been five years. Five years. There are plenty of enemies like that. Every time the news comes, I pray. This time, let it be Bae Hyeongsin... that fucking bastard.”
“Korea might already be gone, Hyung. Even if Hunterpol prepares for smuggling, we can’t block the entire coastline. There aren’t enough Hunters. And maybe he’s already dead.”
“If he’s dead... I’ll chase him to hell and tear him apart.”
He downed another soju.
Why go that far? Revenge doesn’t change anything. But I couldn’t say it out loud. It was the same as the mourners at my mom’s funeral who said, “Even if the person is dead, they should live on.”
“Hyung. My mom passed away recently too.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t go.”
He joked again in the middle of it.
“It was just an ordinary day, and one call changed my life. I got a call about the emergency room. I had something to say to my mom. That was the last conversation... that was...”
I didn’t know why I was saying it. I choked up, then gulped more soju.
He was already drunk.
After I drank, Hyung proposed a toast with the empty bottles. I had to chug without snacks.
“I know how you feel. I fought with my wife that morning. Over something stupid like socks. Socks... upside down or not, who cares? Hoo...”
“You regret it now?”
“I’ll never flip socks again. What’s the point? No one to tell it was well done. That’s it, right? This was my wife’s favorite spot. They only charged four thousand won back then. I got screwed. This is my sea? Crazy old man. Just like that.”
The umbrella owner waved his fan from afar, pretending not to hear.
“Hyung, before my mom died, in the ICU I fell asleep holding her hand.”
“Yeah?”
“But in the dream my mom didn’t mention the accident. It was plenty unfair. A Yakult cart broke and hit a truck. No one blamed anyone. Just... my back pain and Dad’s worry. It’s okay, she said. She even found the Constellation herself and awakened me.”
“Dream awakenings happen a lot.”
“My mom wanted me not to grieve too much and not to feel guilty. She wanted me to live well.”
“All moms are like that.”
“Hyung, maybe your sister-in-law feels the same.”
I met Hyung’s eyes and silently proposed a toast.
Ching_ The clear sound of the green bottle hitting vanished into the waves.
“Your sister-in-law wants you to live happily.”
“Then I have to find that dog Bae Hyeongsin and tear him apart.”
Ironclad determination. His obsession with Bae Hyeongsin wasn’t something words could fix. Time wouldn’t solve it either. Five years had passed, yet he was still consumed by revenge. Maybe it had only grown stronger.
“I’ll help too.”
“You? What are you gonna do?”
“I’ll make a hundred million skeleton soldiers and comb the entire country.”
“Whoa, that sounds solid.”
“If a hundred million isn’t enough, I’ll make a billion, a hundred billion, and turn the whole Earth into a sea of skeletons.”
“At this point it’s a little scary. A hundred billion skeletons? The planet would be extinct. Creepy.”
“So tone it down. I’ll help with that revenge and obsession.”
Did I say something weird?
Hyung stared straight into my eyes in silence.
“Are you gay?”
“No, Hyung!”
“Delivery’s here. Go get it. Gay shackle.”
“Ha, seriously. Why do people act like that?”
*_ _* _ _*
We drank, sauna-ed, ate, and finally parted ways.
“Heading to Seoul tomorrow?”
“Yeah. Dad’s alone. Still, I might come back. One skeleton soldier works at Kim Cheolgeun’s shop every day. The commute from Seoul to Busan is brutal.”
“Kkuk, I picked the wrong Hyung. Anyway, when I come to Busan next time, I’ll give you a full Busan tour.”
Hyung headed home. His back looked a little lighter.
“Hyung really has the easiest civil service job.”
Past midnight, Oryukdo Gate’s entry limit reset. I went back in. The goal was clear.
**[Tigriel’s Bundle inventory is full. No more looting possible.]**
**[Tigriel’s Bundle inventory is full. No more looting possible.]**
**[Tigriel’s Bundle inventory is full. No more looting possible.]**
“Whoa... damn.”
Tigriel’s Bundle was about 1.5 meters by 1.5 meters inside. It was packed with junk and mana crystals.
I headed to Kim Cheolgeun’s shop. First I had to dispose of this.
“Ehehe... there’s so much. Maybe a unique or higher one will drop?”
The walk made my stomach flutter with excitement.
The skeleton soldier who had returned with Perilock scales waved from his chair. He’d shown up on time for the command I’d given.
“Hello, sir. What are you doing?”
“Skeleton guys stand out too much, so I’m thinking of giving them uniforms. But I can’t find the right size. They’re all scruffy.”
Kim Cheolgeun showed the skeleton various junk items.
“Sir, I brought work.”
“Oh? Work? Ho, what is it? A bundle?”
Shhhht_ _Rattle_ _Clang_ _Clang_ _Clang_ _Rattle_ _Rattle_ _Rattle_
I flipped Tigriel’s Bundle and emptied it.
[Rusty Iron Shield (Normal)], [Broken Steel Sword (Normal)], [Corroded Silver Gloves (High)], [Curved Magic Bow (High)], [Faded Regeneration Ring (Rare)], [Broken Spear (Normal)]...
“What the hell is all this?”
“Process all of it. Mana crystals are fine.”
“You’re really a grave robber, aren’t you? No wonder it fits with the skeletons.”
**[Broken Knight Armor (High)] was added to [Tigriel’s Bundle (Legend)].**
The skeleton’s loot loop restarted. A moment later another item dropped.
“Um, that’s business secret. And this... can it be repaired?”
**[Rotten Hellhound Jaw (Unique)]**
※ Equipment is damaged and appraisal is impossible.
※ Repair is required. Failure will destroy it.