Power-Restricted Undead Bones?
Can I reinforce an undead’s skeleton with mana occlusion?
It had been an idea that popped into my head out of nowhere while I was heading home.
[I’m afraid I don’t know.]
[You’re the tough-guy type, so try pretending to think about it a little harder.]
[Why don’t you ask that overpowered mage for the answer?]
[Blacksmithing or summoning stuff like that—I have no clue.]
Woo. Woo.
Don’t fight over it.
“I won’t know until I try it myself.”
That was just an assumption, of course.
Mana occlusion effects vary wildly depending on the style of application.
To apply it to summon reinforcement, I’d need to raise my understanding first.
No, wait.
“Armored Zombie Warrior would work perfectly for that.”
I’d already added extra devices on all the Number 1 models so the armor could detach easily.
The armor itself would need to be remade, but still.
There had to be some way to boost combat power without creating a new Zombie Warrior.
More and more chores kept piling up on me.
The pile never shrank.
[The young lady is also waiting for the day when the blessing of reinforcement will touch her.]
Yeah.
Yeah.
Was I the master being served by the lords, or the one commanding my summons? I was getting confused.
After I got home, showered, and dried my hair, I felt totally wiped out.
“Ugh… I’m so tired.”
I forced myself not to head straight for the bed.
I went into the Hunter Market online mall and placed orders for the supplies I needed.
[Six hundred kilos of Aulbeast bones… That’s a lot.]
[Where do you plan to use the Lunik Bear pieces?]
“I want to try them as substitutes for the Aulbeast bones.”
I didn’t need the armor on the Armored Zombie Warriors to be made entirely of Aulbeast bones.
Even the large varieties had subtly different properties from each batch.
“So I have to experiment.”
[Won’t you use the Spirit Eye to check?]
“I can’t buy everything one by one every time.”
And speaking of which.
The Spirit Eye skill wasn’t omnipotent.
It could see the options embedded in the materials, but it couldn’t pierce through the effects that would arise when combining the different parts.
To find the optimal combination, I had no choice but to do it myself.
[You’re creating more work for me, my lord.]
“Hey. Want me to revert you to your old body?”
[My appearance as “one master, one servant” is truly splendid.]
Looking at the remodeling angles was also thanks to the five years of grinding I’d gone through.
Never belittle my hard work again!
[Wilted Garden]
[Entry Restriction: C to D Rank (max 10 people)]
A gate that spawns plant-type monsters.
The plant-type monster resembling a boa constrictor was a hulking Sundu Salma the size of a bull.
“Fireball.”
Kwaang!
Flames exploded around Sundu Salma as it charged forward in a furious rush.
The neck was spread wide.
No.
Similar-looking tissue had split into dozens of branches.
Long, sticky tentacles tipped with viscous liquid.
Sundu—its name fit perfectly.
[Huuuuh… A knight who doesn’t want to clash blades.]
[You’re the tough guy, right? You don’t hate the dirty stuff, do you?]
[N-no way!]
That was right.
That was exactly right.
Even when I’d first seen her, I’d felt it.
Knight Sir Isra was surprisingly squeamish about showing her bare self.
[Unique Skill – Eclipse]
[Flame Bit × 10]
[Wind Cutter × 5]
[Transformation – Slash]
A crimson blade compressed with flame split Sundu Salma right in half.
“Unique Skill. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”
Using E-rank magic chains to kill a C-rank monster in one hit.
It was completely overturning the hunter industry’s common sense.
[Thanks to you, Master, for eating my Fireball in one go.]
[You know me well. Mage.]
[A knight who flinched from tentacles should stay quiet.]
[Hmph! You’re insulting my chivalry!]
[Body Reinforcement → Mana Release]
Swish!
Seremis magic swords danced elegantly.
Thud, thud—every single tentacle of Sundu Salma was sliced clean.
[You’re weeding the garden. If you manage it, you’ll be fine.]
[A knight swings her sword only for her master.]
Both summons ganged up on Sundu Salma as if in competition.
“Krrroar.”
Draco opened his mouth with a bored yawn.
You’re not needed here anymore.
“Ogu ogu ogu. Come on, eat this.”
I held out the wriggling bundle of tentacles that had fallen to the ground.
Watch them squirm.
Draco opened his jaws wide.
Slaaap.
He slurped the tentacles down like nothing happened.
[Devour Stack — 23]
The devouring ability I’d granted to Draco.
Because he was modeled after a ghoul that possessed the [Cannibalism] skill.
It matched perfectly with devouring.
[The nature of the target individual and special ability matches well.]
[Synergy effect raises the increase from the devouring stack by 50%.]
Whoa.
I should have granted the devouring ability sooner.
All ghoul-line undead should always be given devouring.
I wanted to tell Knight Isra, but.
Telling the squeamish lady to eat corpses would be a disaster.
[Still, it’s a shame to miss out on a combat-power boost.]
“There could be other special abilities too.”
Only one special ability could be granted per individual.
I might even acquire a special ability that would pair perfectly with Knight Isra.
If I couldn’t master it because of the devouring power at the time, that would be a waste.
[To gaze farther ahead, as befits my master!]
No.
I was just rationalizing that Knight Isra would never eat it anyway.
“Krrroar?”
Draco tilted his head.
You’re the only one who truly understands my heart.
“No matter how many times I see it, fighting is an art.”
“Ugh… my arms are still tingling.”
The support team harvested mana stones from Sundu Salma’s corpse while keeping an eye on the battle.
I could relate.
The training had been tough.
“But if you close your eyes and suffer, you’ll get stronger.”
“Should I teach you that sword technique too?”
That sounded a little too much to ask.
Even Isra with her Heavenly Martial Body and me, who had inherited it, couldn’t understand her Imperial Sword Style.
Learning the Empire Sword Style would be an incredible miracle.
“Krrroar!”
[Fire Breath]
Whoosh!
The dense Sundu Salma was wiped out in a single breath.
Kr.
Refreshingly cool. Refreshingly cool.
This was exactly what it meant to clear a gate.
[Wilted Garden has been cleared.]
[Grade — SSS]
“As expected, SSS.”
“It’s starting to feel normal.”
“Minho hyung, right?”
“You didn’t even give us time to breathe after preparing the briefing.”
After the clearance, a familiar coffee truck was waiting for us outside.
“Thank you for your hard work, Hunter Park.”
“The hard work is all on your shoulders, President Baek.”
“How much harder can waiting be?”
President Baek had not been told to do so, yet he naturally ground the coffee beans.
“This time, shall we enjoy the original taste?”
“Next time.”
President Baek clicked his tongue.
When we met for the meeting, I never imagined he was this sincere.
Sip.
“It’s delicious.”
But once you tried it, it was worth getting excited about.
He could open a cafe and become a big success.
“President. Want me to make you a grapefruit iced tea?”
“No, I’ll have lemonade!”
President Baek had already prepared the drinks for the support-team hunters.
The agency welfare is amazing.
“It’s not welfare.”
“Huh?”
“Five thousand won per cup is deducted from the settlement.”
Whoa.
So it really wasn’t welfare.
Capitalism is cold.
Sniff.
“I’ll go check the monster corpses now.”
“Thanks.”
While I watched the support team enter the gate, I slowly sipped my coffee.
“Hunter Park, I have something to report.”
President Baek set down his cup when only the two of us were left.
His expression looked a bit serious.
“What happened?”
“A non-client has inserted itself into the gate contract.”
A non-client?
Three question marks popped above my head.
“The gate we applied for was also applied for by Mir Guild as a duplicate.”
“Deliberately?”
“Yes. It’s fairly common in the industry.”
It was a method guilds used when fighting with each other.
“I’m not part of any guild.”
It had to be coincidence.
Mir Guild was one of Korea’s top five.
In the meeting the last time, I had made a few moves, but there was no reason for them to come at me with everything just to counter one D-rank hunter.
President Baek shook his head when he heard my thoughts.
“You’re underestimating Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo.”
I wasn’t really underestimating him.
I wasn’t so big-hearted that I could look down on Korea’s strongest S-rank hunter.
“Guildmaster Yong Cheonwoo is guarding against your growth potential.”
“Hey, that sounds like a long shot.”
He was taking it too lightly.
Jokes aside.
“Really?”
Domestic top five using an apprentice hunter to suppress each other was absurd.
“Hunter, you’re far too modest.”
“I don’t think it’s that extreme objectively.”
“A solo clear on overpay, and even receiving SSS evaluations in a row—that has never happened before.”
Spiritho, who had been the promising hunter of Cheonseong Guild, couldn’t pull off a stunt like that.
Spiritho… crazy.
Ah.
Ahh.
If I kept thinking like this, I’d go crazy.
“Wait. You declared it was a free run, right?”
“Whether you’ll still be free in five years or join a guild—it’s uncertain.”
There was no guarantee that Mir Guild wouldn’t do the same.
My goodness.
It was ridiculous.
“What should we do?”
President Baek spread his index and middle fingers.
“The first method is to request mediation from the Gate Affairs Bureau.”
Gate monopolization or order interference is considered a violation, they say.
It was a common tactic when guilds fought each other.
If they just looked, Mir Guild would have to pay a fine.
“It’ll take a month.”
“What about the second method?”
After hearing President Baek’s explanation, I didn’t even hesitate.
“Let’s go with this one.”
***
Yong Cheonwoo checked the report from Hong Yuri, the personnel director.
“You almost stopped it.”
Click.
He had ordered me to interfere so that Minho wouldn’t receive the gate seal.
One-third of the gate had still been taken by Mir Guild.
“The gate we snatched was cleared anyway.”
“…Yes.”
“What an interesting guy. If I’d taken him, it would have been even more fun.”
“I’m sorry.”
Personnel Director Hong Yuri bit her lip and lowered her head.
“What do you think we should do?”
“We’ll file an objection with the Gate Affairs Bureau.”
“When will the objection be decided?”
“Usually it takes a month.”
“Stretch it to two months.”
That would have been easy if the target had been an ordinary hunter.
The problem was that the target was someone who was causing a stir in Korea’s hunter world.
Yong Cheonwoo knew that fact as well.
“Understood.”
But Hong Yuri did not add any further comment.
She had shouldered the responsibility for failing in the recruitment war.
Buzz—
A phone that rang at an awkward timing.
“Sounds urgent. Go ahead.”
“I’m sorry.”
After Hong Yuri answered the call, her expression froze instantly.
“Guildmaster. Hunter Park Minho is offering an invitation back.”
Hong Yuri explained the call.
Yong Cheonwoo listened, then laughed with a hearty “Ha!”
“That’s a crazy guy.”
“What should we do?”
“Do whatever he wants.”
Yong Cheonwoo smiled.
“This is the chance to show who the senior is.”