The First Elite Skeleton

“Ugh…… ha…… revenge…….”

“Hmm.”

After finishing the hunt, Fafnir let out a genuine sigh of admiration.

“You’re getting the hang of this.”

Three days had passed since he taught Hilde a new hunting method.

Now she no longer needed directions. She dispatched zombies on her own with clean efficiency.

Their hunting speed had risen dramatically.

In that short time, Fafnir’s level had climbed a full eleven points to reach level 31.

Hilde had reached level 39. They had both experienced explosive growth.

Thanks to that, they could now take on stronger monsters they had previously avoided.

“About the distribution……”

“You should take it all, Fafnir. I’m satisfied just completing the quest.”

Hilde smiled brightly.

Fafnir shook ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his head.

“I’ll take seven. You take three.”

Distribution had to be clear and fair.

Otherwise resentment would inevitably form later.

‘We’ll be working together for a while. I can’t let that happen.’

He handed over the gold and leather boots without hesitation.

‘Now then……’

He examined the item in his inventory.

‘We obtained it four days earlier than expected.’

These bones were the final ingredient needed to create an elite skeleton soldier.

Now that every material was ready, there was no time to waste.

Fafnir turned to Hilde.

“You should head to Byron City first.”

“What about you?”

“I have something to take care of. I’ll follow right after.”

Once Hilde left, Fafnir took the materials out of his inventory.

One piece of bone to serve as the vessel.

One piece of vengeful bone.

Three dark mana stones.

One bottle of ectoplasm solution.

One bottle of pure goat’s blood.

Twenty black magic herbs.

‘Everything’s here.’

He already had the vessel prepared.

Fafnir retrieved the human bones he had obtained from the goblin den.

‘Those goblins were definitely worshipping these bones.’

Whatever they had been, they were no ordinary specimen.

‘Let’s begin.’

He immediately activated the skill.

A black mist swirled around the materials, seeping into the bones and shaping them into a human form.

Moments later, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠an elite skeleton soldier radiating powerful aura stood where the materials had been.

‘Done.’

Fafnir answered at once.

“Number One.”

‘So there was a hidden achievement like this.’

It was a title that had never been discovered because most players summoned ordinary skeletons first.

A smile naturally formed on his lips.

“Number One, status window.”

‘So those bones belonged to a warrior after all.’

The initial stats were determined by the vessel used.

“Unsummon.”

At his command, the skeleton soldier crumbled into dust.

It had not disappeared. It was now bound to Fafnir’s character and could be summoned or dismissed at will.

‘Time to head to town.’

He would meet Hilde later.

There was somewhere he needed to stop first.

Byron City Necromancer Guild.

The moment Fafnir returned, he headed straight there.

“How is it? Growing without a skeleton soldier isn’t easy, is it?”

The middle-aged necromancer behind the counter rested his chin on his hand and let out a squeaky laugh.

“Why not switch skills while you still can? I’ll give you a discount since you’re my junior.”

The middle-aged necromancer was already counting his money in his head.

Instead of answering, Fafnir summoned the elite skeleton soldier.

“Hrk…… An elite skeleton soldier!”

“I managed somehow once I tried fighting directly.”

Most necromancers could never have imagined such a thing.

Those capable of fighting without skeletons usually chose different classes, and everyone else relied on skeleton soldiers.

“I believe this fulfills the condition you set, senior.”

“……I thought you’d give up right away. Turns out you had a plan all along.”

He had completed the quest he received on his first visit in just four days.

Even with optimized efficiency, the speed was beyond imagination.

“Now then……”

“I know. I promised you a good skill.”

The middle-aged necromancer nodded, then asked,

“Have you decided on a school yet?”

“A school?”

“Yes. I need to know which one so I can give you the appropriate skill.”

“Hmm…… What schools are there?”

“The Legion School, which commands undead and golems. The Conjuring School, which borrows power through contracts with demons. And the Demons School, which uses curses, poison, chimeras, and monsters.”

In simpler terms: bone necromancers, possession necromancers, and monster necromancers.

‘Legion and Demons are the classic necromancer paths. Conjuring is the combat-oriented one.’

He had to admit the idea of possession necromancy was tempting.

However……

‘Being controlled by someone else doesn’t suit me.’

Whether it was a game NPC or some other existence.

To surpass Flush’s absurd luck cheat, he would need to squeeze every ounce of power and future knowledge he possessed.

If something held him back in the process?

‘I can’t accept that.’

Fafnir answered immediately.

“I’m interested in the Legion School.”

“Legion!”

The middle-aged necromancer grinned widely.

“As expected of a necromancer. You know what’s good.”

“No, I simply chose what I thought was best.”

“Right, right. I understand how you feel.”

He had earned ten favorability points from Guld, a man famous for being petty and irritable.

Whether Guld cared or not, Fafnir was already searching for skill books.

‘Now it’s time to learn golem skills.’

Golems.

With their immense defense, vitality, and raw attack power derived from sheer size, they were one of a necromancer’s main forces.

If skeleton soldiers were a necromancer’s staple rice, golems were the meat side dish.

‘I’ll focus on raising the elite skeleton soldier and cover quantity with these.’

Just then, as Fafnir was about to select Mud Golem Summon——

“Mud Golem, huh…… Isn’t that a bit weak?”

“Pardon?”

“Made of mud, it can’t withstand strong attacks…… It’s a useless thing, isn’t it?”

“Well…… I suppose so?”

“I knew you’d say that. As expected, I like you.”

Guld grinned and held out a badge engraved with a hammer and skull.

“It’s the mark of a Legion School trainee. Since you’re essentially joining our school, you’ll need this.”

‘This is……’

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

‘My luck is good.’

Becoming a school trainee was not easy.

It required completing multiple quests and learning unique spells.

He had essentially skipped the entire process.

He had saved weeks of time for his future journey.

“From now on, you can call me senior brother. If you have any difficulties, feel free to speak up anytime.”

“Thank you.”

“In that spirit, I have a proposal for you.”

Guld snapped his fingers.

“It’s normally not allowed…… but I’ll give you a chance to learn one of our school’s secret techniques. How about it? Will you accept?”

City streets.

After finishing his business, Fafnir visited the merchants’ association.

“I’d like to sell zombie fangs, weapons, and other loot.”

“We welcome it. Zombie byproducts are quite valuable. Though the quantity is rather large…… Good heavens.”

He sold his loot to the astonished merchants and obtained a hefty sum of gold.

Successfully negotiating the price upward twice left Fafnir quite satisfied with the deal.

‘Twelve gold in total……’

More precisely, four gold from miscellaneous items and roughly eight gold from the rare-grade byproducts.

At fifty thousand won per gold, he had earned six hundred thousand won in just three days.

‘Even with cheat-level hunting, earning this much below level 40 is impressive.’

It was slightly higher than what real-world dark gamers could manage.

Considering his current level of 31, this was an exceptionally efficient income.

‘As expected of a world inside a game novel. The earning potential is absurd.’

Of course, that was why game rankers in the later stages wielded more power than chaebol chairmen.

The more he thought about it, the more incomprehensible this game-novel world seemed.

‘Hilde was supposed to meet me here.’

While thinking, Fafnir arrived at the plaza and looked around.

‘She’s not here yet.’

She seemed to be taking her time completing various quests.

‘In the meantime, I should review the quest. Quest window!’

Reading the details, Fafnir clicked his tongue.

‘As expected, a hidden quest.’

Obtaining hidden quests was never easy.

One usually had to question NPCs, flatter them, and practically lick their boots just to obtain a single clue.

Even then, most of that information was controlled by large guilds.

Getting one was certainly a jackpot.

‘But I can’t summon normal golems until I master the unique golem skill……’

Fafnir’s expression hardened.

In the long run, the condition was acceptable.

Once the skill was mastered, he could summon normal golems again.

The problem was the effort required until then.

‘Even if I complete the quest, I’ll be stuck without golems for at least six months.’

Six months was the minimum estimate.

It might even take over a year before he could use golem summoning skills again.

Necromancer growth was already difficult enough.

Now another shackle had been added.

‘It can’t be helped. Reaching the peak requires taking risks like this.’

At least obtaining the other materials wouldn’t be a major problem.

Fafnir checked the material list again.

‘If I tried to gather them myself, I’d be busy for months.’

In times like this, money was the best solution.

He had six hundred thousand won worth of gold. There was no need to be stingy.

‘When it’s time to spend, I should spend boldly.’

What mattered most right now was rapid growth.

‘For that, I absolutely need her.’

Fafnir watched Hilde approaching from a distance and thought to himself.

‘Now then, shall we move on to the next stage?’