The Saint's Summoning Magic 2
"Hit the tree."
Wham! The skeleton swings its fist the instant the words leave my mouth. —Chik, chik.
"Phew—" The tree is deeply gouged. Unlike the stage-1 skeleton whose arm bones shattered, this one only has long cracks running through the trunk. Still, the power is more than enough. What’s even scarier than the strength, though, is that these things don’t care in the slightest whether their own arm bones break. Emotions humans are supposed to have are completely absent. Without fear or hesitation, they simply act. It was only a short test, but the lack of emotion is both their greatest flaw and their greatest advantage. If these things became enemies and charged forward without a second thought, it would be horrifying.
Ding!
Remaining Funds: 6,179,830,000 won
Roughly six billion left. If I can only synthesize at the same grade I’ve been testing, the cost is going to become astronomical as the ranks climb. Basic synthesis skeletons cost a million won apiece. I used two stage-1s to make the stage-2 in front of me, so that’s four million spent already.
Qua-deuk! Four basic skeletons burst from the ground.
Remaining Funds: 6,175,830,000 won
At least there’s no cooldown as long as I have money.
"Synthesize."
Qua-deuk! Qua-deuk! With a series of loud cracks, another stage-2 skeleton forms, and the black light immediately wraps around it again.
Ding!
Possibility Granted
Black light floats in the air instead of merging right away. It looks like I have to pick one of the options that just appeared.
Sword Spear Hammer Bow Staff Shield Dagger Ghost Blood Bandage Wings Mud
⋯ ⋯ ⋯
Weapon types make sense, but there are also things that have nothing to do with skeletons at all. The list stretches on forever. I figure the basic skeleton is just a starting point in the shape of a skull. The end result is unknown, but starting with the most basic option—a sword—feels right.
Qua-deuk! The floating black light merges and a new skeleton appears.
Bone Weapon Stage: 3
Tap. Tap. The once-white bones have turned a dull gray, but otherwise the appearance hasn’t changed much. When I point at the tree, the skeleton that had been standing still dashes forward.
Wham!! It smashes the tree without the slightest hesitation. Leaves rain down from the large trunk. Even the deer that had been grazing nearby lift their heads to stare.
"Show me the weapon."
Crack. The skeleton pulls out one of its own ribs and instantly reshapes it into a sword. It looks like it can hold its own in a fight. Hard to believe this is the same awkward creature from a moment ago.
The real question is how far I’m willing to spend. Knowing the end of the road versus not knowing it makes all the difference.
—Chik, chik.
"Phew—" My head is getting cluttered, so the cigarette feels even shorter. Baek Seol, who had been fidgeting in my pocket, hops out and chases after a butterfly again.
Even this dungeon alone is a vast grassland with monsters scattered everywhere. If I try to hunt normally here, I’ll just end up chasing monsters until time runs out. Having subordinates that move like my own limbs would make everything easier.
"Even if I can’t eat it, I’ll still have it."
Ding!
Qua-deuk! Qua-deuk! Qua-deuk! Endless skulls erupt from the ground. I won’t know until I try, but the next major breakpoint should be level 10. That means I’ll need a total of 1,024 basic skeletons for synthesis.
Ding!
Powerful Gray Skeleton
Ding!
Metal Skeleton
Ding!
Madness-Infused Metal Skeleton
Ding!
Red Skeleton
Ding!
Bone Weapon Stage: 8
Clack-clack-clack. The skeleton with bright-red steel bones grinds its teeth together. These kids are getting more and more vicious.
Qua-deuk!
Ding!
Bone Weapon Regeneration Minion Summon Stage: 9
A pitch-black skeleton’s eyes flicker with crimson flames. I’ve already used 512 basic skeletons. The terrifying figure standing before me was born from compressing 512 bones. I don’t know how far the new Regeneration ability will go, but it looks like I’ve finally escaped the expensive single-use trap that’s been bothering me.
"Want to hit the tree?"
BOOM! The black skeleton stomps the ground with its heavy body and shoots toward the tree in an instant. It smashes the trunk without the slightest hesitation, and with a loud crack the thick old-growth tree splits in half and collapses. For something made of heavy bones, it’s disgustingly fast.
"Minion Summon."
The black skeleton rips out a rib and drives it into the ground.
Qua-deuk!
Bone Weapon Cannot Be Synthesized Stage: 8
One of the red skeletons I used earlier for synthesis pops out and stares at me blankly. The moment it was summoned, I felt energy drain from my body. It seems the minion uses the skill, but the energy comes from me.
"Can’t summon more?"
Clack! Clack! Looks like one at a time is the limit. As I suspected, anything with the “Minion” title can’t be used as synthesis material. The silver lining is that I don’t need the Dark Skeleton itself to use the Minion Summon skill. Even without it, the skill can be activated on its own. That should come in handy later.
Now for the last one.
"Summon."
Qua-deuk! Qua-deuk! Basic skeletons pour out once more.
"Synthesize."
Ding! As the black light envelops the Dark Skeleton, the minion Red Skeleton vanishes.
Ku-duk! The sound is louder than ever. The merged black light writhes wildly before something enormous bursts forth.
Ding!
"Oh my god, why do all my kids have such terrifying faces?" I thought I’d gotten used to Man-wook’s family after seeing their doodle-covered faces, but these just keep getting worse. It’s easily three meters tall—twice my height.
"Can you summon minions too?"
The Death Knight lets out a low, monstrous growl, raises its massive greatsword, and drives it into the ground.
BOOM—! Qua-deuk! The earth flips over and ten Black Metal Skeletons leap out. The difference this time is the murky aura surrounding each of them—probably the Death Knight’s own aura. Their movements are on a completely different level from before.
Remaining Funds: 5,162,830,000 won
From here on, the synthesis cost will rise exponentially. Just making one stage-10 cost over a billion won.
***
Qua-deuk!
Three undead stand before me. The one that started with a sword became a Death Knight, the staff became a Lich, and the dagger became a Reaper. Every single one of them looks terrifying. I crammed 3,072 basic skeletons into just three of them. To evolve them one more time, I’ll need another 3,072. Thinking about spending another three billion makes my head spin. Even so, the synthesis is so fun I can’t stop.
"Even if I can’t eat it—"
"Got it!"
I pet Baek Seol, who’s curled up in my arms, and she flips over to show her belly. Qua-deuk! Qua-deuk! Qua-deuk! Money drains away like crazy. The deer that had been grazing on the grassland fled long ago from the tide of skeletons.
"Synthesize!"
Qua-deuk!
Ding! When the combination finishes, three undead emerge from the light. All three radiate both black and red light at once. Just looking at their crimson eyes sends chills down my spine.
Thud! All three undead kneel and bow their heads at the same time. Until now they had no ego and simply followed orders, but this is the first time they’ve done something like this.
Ding!
"Uh… yeah. Take care of me."
Ding!
"Yeah, take care of me."
Ding!
"Yeah, yeah."
They look like they could give enemies heart attacks just by standing still. The feeling is both burdensome and reassuring in a strange way.
Remaining Funds: 42,830,000 won
Skills never betray you. The three stage-11 leaders each summon ten stage-10 minions, who in turn summon ten stage-9 undead each, and the stage-9s summon one stage-8 each. What looks like three individuals is actually an army of over two hundred.
—Chik, chik.
"Phew—" I’ve spent every last won I had, so from now on it’s automatic hunting.
***
Bang! I throw the door open so hard it slams against the wall. Yoo Bit-na greets me with a sour expression.
"Han Ga-eul, don’t tell me you think that counts as knocking?"
Yoo Bit-na lets out a long sigh.
"I’m broke. Lend me a profitable dungeon."
"⋯⋯."
"Hand it over before I screw you over like a dog."
"Hik!"
Yoo Bit-na backs away and hurriedly clutches her collar.
"And tell me about that tower thing too."
"You’re already trying to climb the tower?"