Skeleton Master 032
An arrow whistled through the air, but in that instant, Mu-hyuk sensed a scorching heat surging from the side.
He whipped his head around.
Fire Ball...!
Mu-hyuk hurriedly pulled out his shield.
-256 HP
The explosion dealt heavy damage, but it wasn't critical.
Too many users... what a hassle.
Mu-hyuk sorted his thoughts amid the rising dust.
Tie down the priest and the shield guy with Bone Archer 1. Bone Archer 2 pins the mage, and Bone Archer 3 harasses the archer. The six Bone Swords go for the guy up front...
And finally, Mu-hyuk himself.
He'd roam freely, dismantling their hostile party piece by piece.
The dust finally settled.
As he rose, he issued commands.
Things unfolded exactly as planned.
The one struggling most was the man who'd picked a fight with Mu-hyuk first.
He looked utterly bewildered under the coordinated assault of six Bone Swords.
"F-Fucking insane!"
He must have dismissed the skeletons as worthless trash.
But their damage was no joke, so his shock was understandable.
"Damn it! Why isn't anyone coming? Min-seo! Heal me, damn it!"
Mu-hyuk smirked at the sight.
Nine skeletons.
With 30% of Mu-hyuk's fraudulent stats inherited, they were far from weak.
For Bone Sword 1, he hadn't invested heavily in strength or agility.
Most points went into vitality for higher HP. Even so, both strength and agility exceeded 15.
HP easily topped 700, with pure damage nearing 50.
Paired with the new sword bought today, damage hit 100.
Bone Sword 3, 4, 5, and 6 were a bit weaker, but still over 85 damage each.
Six of them attacking from all sides? No level 40 user could ignore that.
Even factoring in defense, each hit shaved off at least 60 HP.
And that wasn't all.
Swish.
If Mu-hyuk's cautious approach allowed a strike...
Critical hits poured in.
In an instant, over 250 HP vanished.
"Heal! Heal!"
The man yelled desperately.
Bone Archers 1, 2, 3. Rapid fire.
Mu-hyuk eyed the priest and commanded.
The three bone archers unleashed a barrage at the priest.
The frontliner blocked with his shield, but he couldn't stop every arrow.
Bone arrows pierced the priest's body, canceling her healing spell.
"Give me heals, you bitch!"
Mu-hyuk slipped behind the cursing man with a grin.
He thrust out his skull staff.
Stab.
The blade sank in, triggering another critical.
"Y-You psycho...!"
That was the end.
The man turned gray and vanished.
In his place.
Swish.
Mu-hyuk picked up the dropped item, a faint smile crossing his lips.
An item drop.
Lucky break.
When the PK instigator dies first, there's a 50% chance of dropping one inventory or equipped item.
Usually junk, but this necklace looked valuable at a glance.
Check later.
He pocketed it and turned.
Whoosh.
The mage's fire arrow—cast in the brief lull—hurtled toward him.
Shit...
No time to dodge.
HP (-120)
Weaker than a fire ball, so no real threat.
The bone archers' constant pressure must have forced shorter casts, lowering power.
Not a huge worry, but not ignorable.
With one down, the bone swords had breathing room. He split them up.
Bone Archer 1, rapid fire.
Bone Sword 1, 2 forward.
Bone Sword 3, 4 right.
Bone Sword 5, 6 left.
Now: Bone Archer 1 and Bone Swords 1, 2 on archer; Bone Archer 2 and Bone Swords 3, 4 on mage; Bone Archer 3 and Bone Swords 5, 6 on priest.
Mu-hyuk darted between, inflicting heavy casualties.
The enemy party grew desperate, falling one by one.
"Urgh, damn...!"
"Next time...!"
Mu-hyuk ignored their parting words and scooped up the drops.
Three items total.
He checked them on the spot.
◈ Movement Speed +2%
◈ Attack Speed +2%
◈ Req: Agility 15
◈ Durability 70/85
◈ Magic Attack +15
◈ Casting Speed +1%
◈ Req: Knowledge 15
◈ Durability 62/75
◈ Maintains balance in any situation
◈ Defense +2
◈ Agility +1
◈ Req: Agility 15
◈ Durability 73/75
Mu-hyuk's eyes widened.
"Whoa..."
Every piece was top-tier.
These are for me.
The Flow Bracelet was useless, though.
That one for auction.
The Swift Necklace was fine, but...
Boots required agility he lacked. His was 14.
Name: Mu-hyuk | Level: 31
Class: Gangster Necromancer | Fame: 1,150
1. Start of Adventure - All Stats +1
2. Direct Disciple of Gangster Necromancer - HP/MP +200, Recovery +5
3. Untainted by Darkness - +5% Damage/Defense vs. Darkness monsters
Bonus Points: 0
HP: 1,480 (Recovery 60/min) | MP: 1,880 (Recovery 87/min)
Physical Atk: 102 +65 | Magic Atk: 95 +75
Defense: 20 +11 | Magic Def: 38
Atk Speed: 134% | Mov Speed: 117% | React Speed: 101.4 +0.5%
One short on agility.
Mu-hyuk scanned his gear.
Boots aside—strength +1, irrelevant.
No slot for it anyway, so he hit the auction house for an agility accessory bracelet.
Equipped, agility hit 15. Now he could use the new necklace and boots.
Movement and attack speeds surged nicely.
Very satisfying.
Back to hunting.
Flow Bracelet: 72-hour auction, starting 30 gold.
Dead users couldn't log in for 24 hours. Plenty of time to grind in peace.
*
A video popped up in Illusion.
PK always sparked curiosity.
More viewers than expected. Tension built between the helmeted user and the five.
Comments flooded in real-time.
Immersion peaked.
Battle erupted, tension maxed.
But reality defied expectations.
Skeletons overwhelmed the users.
Necromancer hit real-time search #7.
New videos buried it fast, but views topped hundreds of thousands, still climbing.
That peculiar skeleton-only necromancer etched into minds.
*
Up early for the gym.
30 minutes treadmill, then weights.
Defined muscles emerging under strain drew eyes from women nearby.
Average looks.
Decent height, build, deep gaze—subtle charm.
Never off-putting.
But unfamiliar to Mu-hyuk.
Hmm...
Not used to such stares. Seven years bedridden—natural.
Not unwelcome, just awkward.
"Ahem..."
He ignored, focusing.
Bzzz.
Phone by machine rang. Glancing, eyes widened.
"Min-woo?"
His one true friend.
Sung Min-woo.
Answered.
"Hello...?"
Come to think, no meets since "new life." No calls.
He was curt, rare contact anyway—but self-neglect left no excuses.
"Whatcha doin'?"
Straight to it.
A smile crept up.
"Working out."
"Huh?! Since when?!"
"Playing Illusion lately. Don't wanna atrophy."
"Ooh! You too?!"
Bored Sung Min-woo's voice lit up. Illusion sparked instant excitement.
Obvious from reaction.
"You too?"
"Duh! Let's meet up—been ages! Everyone's on Illusion. Be hilarious!"
Mu-hyuk's face stiffened briefly.
Once-friends.
Paralyzed in hospital, Sung Min-woo dragged them once.
Never again. No calls.
Only Sung Min-woo checked in occasionally, worried.
"Eh..."
Didn't appeal.
"C'mon, talk Illusion."
"Umm..."
"Long time! No buts—I'll text the crew. Get ready. Time/place via message. Bye!"
Call ended.
Mu-hyuk sighed deeply.
"Haa."
Missed Sung Min-woo, not others.
Dodging preemptively silly.
Forgiving tough, but Illusion chat with him? Fun.
Decided to go, resumed workout.
Text soon after—tight schedule. Headed to locker room.