Level 100 and Still No Reality Check
I was sitting at level 100.
No matter how many times I checked, it still didn’t feel real.
“Heh heh, hehehehe~”
【You’re at it again, my lord.】
【Just enjoy it.】
You wouldn’t understand.
After years of being stuck below level 50, this surge felt like pure bliss!
Kraaaa.
The promotion exam was getting closer.
“For now, gate hunting will be easy.”
“Should I start preparing for the promotion exam?”
“Yes. I just want to taste the top rank first.”
“You’re aiming for S-rank again this time.”
Ah.
I wasn’t that optimistic, though.
I didn’t even know the D-rank exam content, so how could I possibly get the highest rank?
“Park Hunter-nim will definitely pull it off.”
“Whoa. No flying, please.”
“If you get C or below, you’ll have to retake the exam anyway. Don’t stress yourself—get ready.”
Eh?
I hadn’t even considered retakes.
“Don’t you need to get at least B-rank to unlock the additional skill?”
“Ah.”
Major guilds absolutely refused to promote anyone with C-rank or lower records.
Apparently the skills you get during promotion exams all boost the user’s abilities.
That’s the truth of the matter.
President Baek still had plenty more to say.
“The ore sales settlement has arrived.”
“You finally sold them?”
“I only sold about half. The rest I’m holding on to.”
Should I invest in ore too?
That thought crossed my mind, but it wasn’t the most important part.
The real question was how much money I’d made.
“Thirty-seven billion won.”
If I’d sold everything, I’d have cleared over seven billion.
The voice that should have been booming was gone.
“After cutting out the support team’s commission, you’ll have about three billion left.”
“H-heh heh~”
“I sold early just to be safe for your promotion prep.”
“Thank you.”
Thirty billion won.
It was an amount that made my head spin—where on earth was I supposed to put it?
Hold on.
I’d probably just spend it on monster by-products before I knew it.
Or maybe the old saying about letting your salary sit in the bank until it’s time to spend on a card was true.
“Is there nothing I can help you with for the promotion exam?”
“If you need anything, let me know.”
“Yes. Call me anytime.”
Even though I was “preparing,” I was still doing exactly what I always did.
The D-rank exam was brand new—I had no idea what items they’d test.
After all, necromancer-class jobs were rare.
Even searching online turned up almost nothing.
【Perhaps it would be better to leave the information gathering to my loyal servant?】
When did President Baek become my loyal servant?
“Doing it myself is more straightforward.”
【You will pass the highest rank in one go, my lord. I swear it!】
After four straight years stuck at D-rank, looking at President Baek and his retainers who just assumed I’d pass the exam gave me a weird feeling.
【How will you prepare for the exam?】
“Just keep doing what I’ve always done.”
Training.
Making undead.
Sharpening my hammer.
Did I seriously think there was some secret technique out there?
Ah.
Still, there was one big change.
Bullets.
More bullets!
“Let’s go look for more.”
Who knew?
The monster by-products I got this time might just give me inspiration for new undead creations.
---
While I waited for the promotion exam, I filled every single day without wasting a second.
Clang!
Clang!
[I have created Draco.]
Using the new dragon-kin essence I’d just picked up, I combined the materials and made one more.
“Krrl!”
“Krrling!”
Draco No. 1 growled at No. 2.
Already trying to intimidate the new one?
[I have created five Armed Zombie Warriors.]
I filled up every last bit of the leftover death space.
Only making Armed Zombie Warriors was the retainers’ idea.
“Skeleton Mages seem better to me.”
【Hah! Protecting the lord is far more important than raw firepower.】
【Miss. I can no longer watch my lord in danger.】
These two.
I couldn’t push back against the firm attitudes of my two retainers.
While I was at it, I tested Lunatic Bear bones too.
―Lunatic Bear Bone: Increases agility. Decreases durability.
The result was exactly what I expected.
【Lunatic Bear Bone will raise your mobility.】
“It’s lighter for the same volume, so that makes sense.”
【Considering the main goal is to protect the lord, Aulbeast bones would be better.】
No.
I was done with the “one bone only” mindset.
After all, steel mixes different materials to boost strength, right?
There was no precedent for using bones that way.
Still.
What kind of job did I have?
“Bone alloying might work.”
So I gave it a try.
Clang!
Result?
―Agility +41
―Durability -22
―Added Light Weight property
Whoa.
Looking at the total stats, that was a 22-point gain.
With Lunatic Bear and Aulbeast bones only, the weight would have been zero, but mixing them in the furnace actually raised the numbers.
And not only that.
New options appeared that weren’t there with Lunatic Bear Bone alone.
[Bone Alloying – Sub-Skill: Bone Alloying is added.]
[Bone Alloy]
Grade: D
Category: Passive
Mix bones and smelt them. Additional options or option loss occurs depending on the ratio.
It wasn’t even an advanced skill.
So that was the limit of the technique?
【You have awakened a new technique!】
【As I expected from my lord!】
I was starting to worry that if I went to the bathroom, they’d call it an art masterpiece.
Thinking about it, it was only natural.
Metals changed completely based on the ratio, after all.
【The blacksmith didn’t tell you that.】
“I set it up as the default.”
I gave him the iron ingots to keep on hand so I could smelt right away.
He really was giving me a lot of convenience.
While I made extra Armed Zombie Warriors and Draco.
[I am conducting Magic Research.]
[Haste is added.]
[Magic Boost is added.]
[Wind Wall is added.]
Ingrid was throwing herself into magic research.
Even though she burned through dozens of D-rank ores, she didn’t feel sorry.
【Please research spell formulas too!】
“The knight order has good techniques.”
The Armed Zombie Warriors in the Tempest Knight Order used the Imperial Technique.
It was exactly the skill that modified the A-rank Imperial Sword Style.
【Only knight order undead can benefit from it.】
“The extra ones I made are for tanks, so it’s fine.”
Ingrid’s signature skill, Solar Eclipse, got stronger the more spells she mastered.
Meanwhile, Isra could use her ultimate skill without limits.
So for the time being I was going to pour all my effort into magic research.
【I will work even harder to live up to your expectations!】
At the forge I practiced power forging.
Clang!
“You can’t just hammer without power.”
“Yes.”
“Imagine you’re drawing a picture with mana.”
Eh.
That was even harder to say.
Oddly enough, even though my head didn’t understand, my hands and mana moved exactly as the words suggested.
“The effect changes depending on how much power you add and the mana traces left behind.”
“Yes.”
Power forging didn’t seem like something you could master in a day or two.
I wanted to use it for undead crafting and equipment strengthening, but first I had to learn the knack while handling metal.
Spell and magic training didn’t stop either.
【I know your schedule is busy, my lord.】
“Why are you digging up the past like that?”
【I want you to spend more time on spell training.】
Whoosh!
The bone sword sliced through the air.
[Imperial Sword Style understanding has increased.]
【See? If you concentrate, you’ll get it.】
Anyone watching would think I was slacking all day!
【You two keep training too.】
“Heh, heh.”
“No. Bro, why are you so good at magic even though you’re a knight?”
Thanks to Heavenly Martial Body, I didn’t need to invest mana at all.
I just smiled instead of explaining every detail.
[Imperial Sword Style mastery has increased.]
[3rd Form – Slash added to Imperial Sword Style.]
[4th Form – Pierce added to Imperial Sword Style.]
In that time, I had mastered four movements.
The third form was swinging the sword diagonally to deflect.
The fourth was thrusting in to cut off the opponent’s attack flow.
“If I actually fought, I’d learn it faster.”
【Gyaaaaaargh!】
“Ugh. You startled me.”
【My lord, stay still. I will slaughter them all!】
I wanted to say that sparring with a couple of monsters was fine, but the blazing blue light stopped me.
Sigh.
Thank goodness Ingrid was at another place training Miss Min-ho.
If both of them had been here, the nagging would have doubled.
【The purpose of your sword training, my lord, is to strengthen your subordinates. Remember that.】
Tch.
Imperial Technique was only shared among knight order Armed Zombie Warriors.
The extras I made were influenced by my battle instincts.
That was why I needed to practice Imperial Sword Style more diligently.
“If there’s no effect, I won’t say it.”
With Imperial Sword Style understanding higher, the Armed Zombie Warriors in my death space also gained power.
Their specs stayed the same, but their movements felt smoother.
And there was one more thing to console myself with.
【Rest time ended. Perform 20 downward strikes.】
It proved that suffering wasn’t just for me.
“Eek!”
“I-I can’t move my arm!”
“Can’t I rest just a little longer?”
【Suffer now. If you die, you’ll never rest again.】
“Even undead find that hard to believe!”
【Hoh. You have some fight left. I could raise the training intensity.】
“Hiiieeeek!”
Even the support team friends were sweating together.
When I was drenched in sweat with no time to drink water.
【My lord! I’m upset.】
Ingrid, who was training Miss Min-ho, came over and grumbled.
“What’s wrong?”
【You haven’t done any magic training lately!】
Ah.
“You got Fireball understanding to 100, remember?”
Every time I gate-hunted, I just threw Fireball while supporting from the back.
So it reached 100 in no time.
Thanks to Origin of Magic and Ingrid’s guidance.
Other skills would require buying new ones to train.
“It’s not urgent right now. I’ll do it later.”
【I can’t let my lord monopolize you!】
【Hahaha. Magic user, don’t be jealous.】
【Youuuuu!】
There was a tiny trouble, but I still got steady training.
Research. Forge practice. And training.
After finishing a schedule harder than entering a gate, my fingers had no strength left to lift.
“Uuuu.”
I dragged my legs that felt like lead weights, barely washed up, then collapsed onto the bed.
Before I knew it, I had passed out.
That night.
“What kind of dream is this?”
A kid who barely reached my waist appeared in front of me.