Chapter 43
When I opened my eyes, I saw ninety skeletons. Ninety. Not eight, not ten, but ninety of them, standing at perfect attention in the living room like a disciplined army that had been waiting for me.
“Kruuu...” Lee Doosik, the Hunter, right? Back in my early twenties, I got an A-rank and ran wild like a thunderclap. We hunted together in the same party back then.”
“Really?” I asked, voice tight.
Hearing my father’s name from someone else’s lips felt strangely warm. Choi Hyeondo pressed right up against Taesu, eyes shining.
“I’m an electric magic user. You heard me, right? My ultimate skill is Invincible. I sync my body to the electromagnetic field and turn every particle into electrical energy.”
“Whoa… Invincible?” Taesu repeated, stunned. I’d never heard of it before.
Taesu kept talking. “It’s a scam, though. I only ever believed in that and kept leaving the formation just to show off. Others praised me for it.”
A magic user with Invincible? They’d probably let you miss formation sometimes.
“But one time I got wrecked. Sunchon Swamp Gate. The Lich Wizard’s sealing skill ‘Cursed Chain of the Dead’ caught me mid-Invincible. Still fresh in my mind.”
“What happened?” Hyeondo prompted, leaning in.
“My mana was sealed. The Lich was about to finish me off with his ultimate. I was crushed by fear, crawling on the floor like a worm, crying and begging to escape.”
Taesu, crying and begging? I couldn’t picture it.
“But that’s when Lee Doosik showed up.”
“What happened?” Hyeondo asked, voice cracking.
“He stepped right between me and the Lich. Sword held straight and ready. The Lich was already casting, mana swirling around him like a tornado. Doosik didn’t move an inch. Then he looked at me and said…”
Taesu took another long swig of beer.
“Kid, listen up. The real strong ones don’t draw their swords for themselves.”
I already knew the rest. I’d heard it from my father.
“They don’t draw their swords for themselves.”
Taesu and I clinked bottles.
“That’s exactly what my dad told me too.”
“I watched my father’s ultimate right in front of me. ‘Storm Blade.’ It slammed straight into the Lich’s ‘Death Tornado.’ Insane.”
The clash was still vivid in my mind.
“A massive storm raged in front of me. Once my mana seal broke, I snapped back. Doosik shouted, ‘Go! Little one!’”
That “little one” was me back then.
“That line made me throw myself into the twin ultimate collision. I punched straight through the tornado and drove ‘Thunder Judgment’ straight into the Lich’s forehead.”
“Whoa…” I breathed.
“The magic-sword Hunter Doosik was a hell of a guy. If it hadn’t been my father, I probably wouldn’t be here right now.”
Hyeondo trembled. Pride shone in his eyes.
“I’ll become a Hunter just like my father too.”
He sounded like a classic web-novel protagonist. The title would’ve been “The Diligent Son of a Fallen Hunter.”
“Absolutely.”
We clinked again for his dream.
* * *
After a couple more beers, Hyeondo showed us our rooms.
“Whoa, living room in the bedroom? No way…”
Each room had its own dressing room and bathroom attached.
“How do you even fit another room inside a room? Taesu!” I checked Taesu’s room just in case he’d given me the royal suite.
“Yo, stop acting like this is normal.” Taesu looked deadpan.
“Whoa! This is the life of the rich…” I muttered. To me it felt like another world.
Hyeondo answered. “Not rich. Mom said the house is listed for sale but it’s too far out and no one maintains it. My family can’t even afford it. Just the three of us.”
Honestly, that was accurate. We hadn’t even seen the third floor yet.
“How much?” I asked.
“Around one hundred twenty billion?” Hyeondo shrugged. “The lot’s huge…”
“Whoa…” I whistled.
“This house needs to sell so my family can live like real rich people. But I don’t want to sell. Too many memories with Dad.”
A ten-thousand-pyeong lot with a three-hundred-pyeong three-story house and another two-story building out back. One hundred twenty billion didn’t register as a number; it felt like one mythical item. I was getting whiplash. Taesu had two mythical items and still looked normal.
If I had to choose between a mythical item and this house, I’d take the house.
“Yo, why are you all in my room? Get out, go sleep.” Taesu grumbled. We bolted in panic.
“Sleep well, hyung.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow. Man, that food was too good.”
I collapsed onto the king-size bed. It was huge. I could stretch out and still not reach the end.
“One hundred twenty billion…” The number still echoed. Selling all the mana stones from my belly would do it? Doubtful. One hundred twenty billion was insane.
In the Hunter world, one hundred twenty billion felt like pocket change. The capital flow was ridiculous. Outside, it was hard to earn one hundred million in a lifetime.
I was breathing the same air as people who’d spent their whole lives yearning for this world. Here, people lived too.
* * *
Zzzip. The moment dawn broke, I opened my eyes.
“What? Why is the Skeleton Soldier skill at level eleven?”
The results from sending Changsik and the others to Upo Swamp. They’d leveled up hard while I slept.
“Whoa… pure honey.” I grinned. Thirty-four skeletons in one room. The Fibonacci growth was getting out of hand.
“I slept like a baby…” I tidied my bed, showered, wiped everything down, changed clothes, and finally opened the door. It felt like leaving home.
In the hallway, Taesu leaned against the terrace railing from last night, sipping coffee. He looked completely at home. Churong pants, Naningu.
“Taesu, good morning. Slept well?” I asked.
“Yeah, did you wake up?” he replied.
“What about Hyeondo?” I asked.
“Still sleeping, I think.” Taesu took another swig.
“I have to restore that phone for Park Wonchang. It’s doable, right?” I asked.
“Hmm, I can’t promise, but if my skeletons can’t do it, no one can.” I shrugged.
“You’re full of yourself.” I took out my phone and scrolled news. Taesu, who didn’t have a phone anymore, peeked over my shoulder.
“Top Star Idol ‘A’ Arrested on Drug Charges Last Night.”
“Who is the actress ‘B’ arrested with him?”
“Eh?” The Taesu story was gone? In just one day?
“What? Your news story got buried under celebrity drug coverage?” I asked.
“I expected that.” Taesu shrugged.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“If my case explodes, who’s gonna take the heat?” Taesu asked.
“You would.” I said.
“Exactly. What am I? I’m Hunterpol.” Taesu smirked.
“Right?” I blinked.
“This case becomes news, Hunterpol gets dragged in and it’ll just be us eating our own tail.” Taesu explained.
“So?” I asked.
“The dead Park Wonchang is a rapist criminal nobody mourns, so they’ll cover it easy.” Taesu shrugged.
Public opinion wouldn’t mourn a rapist. That was the weight of Park Wonchang’s entire life.
“So Hunterpol turned the celebrity drug case into news to bury the real Park Wonchang incident?” I asked.
“That’s how I see it.” Taesu nodded.
“Whoa… so that actually happens.” I muttered.
“Good for us, right?” Taesu grinned.
Just a conspiracy theory until I saw it happen. I got chills. The world was shockingly fragile.
At that moment Hyeondo appeared, looking dazed like he’d taken a head bomb.
“Good morning, hyungs.” Hyeondo greeted.
“Thanks to you, I don’t even know what kind of blessing this is.” Taesu laughed.
“I slept like a baby for the first time in forever. Then we should eat.” Hyeondo said.
* * *
We’d eaten enough to burst our stomachs. Time to get to work.
Before that, I gave Hyeondo and his mom and sister Hyeona a heads-up.
“Mom, and um, Hyeona… Miss?” Hyeona frowned.
“Whoa, you call me Hyeona-ssi? This is the first time I’ve heard ‘ssi’ in my life.” Hyeona pouted.
“Then Hyeona-nim?” I offered.
“No, just call me casually. Oppa.” Hyeona smiled.
“Whoa, I don’t hear ‘oppa’ from you every day.” Hyeona laughed.
“Mom, Hyeona, I’m about to summon my summons. Don’t be scared. They look a bit scary.” I warned.
“Oh my.” Hyeona’s mom blinked.
“You’re an oparator? Awesome.” Hyeona’s eyes sparkled.
“Then I’ll summon.” I said.
“Two hundred!” Two hundred, no skipping a single one.
“Whoa!” Hyeona’s mom screamed.
“Kyah.” Hyeona gasped.
They lined up in perfect formation the moment they appeared, left and right, six named skeletons—Hansik, Changsik, Hodu, Geunsik, Minsik, and Cheolsik—in front.
Changsik had just stepped out of the formation.
“Whoa, a puppy! Rangi, the bone-chomping dog, summoned a bone-chomping dog?” Hyeona squealed.
“Hekhek.” Hodu panted happily.
“Oh man, the warning worked this time.” Hyeona crouched and reached out. Hodu trotted over and sniffed her.
Hodu rested his head on her hand, tail wagging. No fur to pet, but his reaction was adorable.
I sent Hyeondo and his mom away.
“Mom, Hyeona, we have things to do.” I said.
“Okay, be safe.” Mom waved.
“Wait, Mom, you look short-handed…” I hesitated.
“Just do it.” Mom nodded. I picked five skeletons and sent them over.
“Oh, no need…” Mom smiled.
“They’re kind. They’ll do anything you ask.” I said.
“Really? Thank you.” Mom beamed.
Five left.
“Uncle, can I play with the puppy? I want to try something.” Hyeona asked.
“Not uncle, silly…” I laughed.
“Then oppa?” I nodded instantly.
“Hodu, go play.” Hodu barked once.
“You’re named Hodu?” Hyeona tilted her head.
“Hekhek.” He wagged his tail.
One more left. Six.
“Geunsik, Minsik, Cheolsik, go to the forge. Hodu is the loyal assistant. Seven, eight, nine. Clock in.” Six more vanished. Twelve left.
Still seventy-seven left. Insane.
Taesu opened his mouth. “Whoa, they’re bustling. So what are you gonna do with all these skeletons?” Taesu asked.
“Taesu, give me that phone.” I said. Time to work.
“Hansik.” I called.
“Hut!” Hansik dropped to one knee. Every skeleton followed, kneeling in perfect order.
Nothing special, but my shoulders felt tense. Why?
“From now on, we’re restoring this phone. What we need is the data inside. Especially messages. Can you do it?” I asked.
Hansik took the broken phone and examined it carefully. It was soaked, rusted, and half-destroyed.
Normally he’d fix it in seconds, but this time it took longer.
“- Digital forensics possible. However, severe memory damage means only about 32.352% of the data can be restored.”
“Taesu, we can’t restore it perfectly. Only thirty-two percent.” I reported.
“Still… we have no other leads.” Taesu sighed.
“Hansik, proceed.” I ordered.
“- However, we need equipment. A chip-off reader for direct data extraction from NAND flash, JTAG tools, and…” Hansik listed everything.
Fine soldering equipment, heating tools, BGA rework station. Hansik told me exactly where to get them all.
“I’ll be back in a flash. Taesu and Hyeondo, rest here. Probably four hours.” I said.
“Hansik, while you’re gone, stay here, take the subordinates, mow the lawn, and do the landscaping neatly.” I added.
“Hooray.” I cheered.
Hansik’s Butler Trait Activated
What? It triggered even outside our house?
“- Leave it to me!” Hansik replied with enthusiasm.
“Yeah. I ate too much, so you guys eat for me.” Hansik grinned.
Hansik barked orders in sign language to the skeletons. By the time I turned on the Bentley, they were already moving like clockwork.
“I’ll be back soon.” I said, stepping out.
In the Bentley’s rear-view mirror, Changsik was chopping down bushes with his spear.
“Boo-woong!” The blade swung.