Feeling like I could communicate more freely with the system after entering Irmana’s water, it seemed like there was an actual effect to it.
‘Guess I should come in more often.’
– ‘Small Skeleton’ wishes to acquire a name to finalize its job change!
– As the master of traces, please name ‘Small Skeleton’!
‘… Do I need a name to change jobs? Suddenly talking about names… I wasn’t just watching, was I?’
Bestowing a name carries great significance.
It shows that, despite being an independent entity, it’s strongly connected to me.
– ‘Small Skeleton’ looks up and stares at the sky.
Looking at the sky means it’s sending a silent message to me.
‘Come to think of it, the Living Statue was staring blankly at the sky too. Were they also sending a message to someone out there?’
Lost in those thoughts for a moment, I began to contemplate what name to give.
Of course, it didn’t take long. Nothing grand came to mind.
‘It should be something easy to call. Let’s go with Skull.’
The instant I decided on the name, I felt a sensation of bones becoming squishy, accompanied by magic power surging out.
The magic power was so depleted that it activated the options of a top-tier magic circuit.
‘Yikes… Headache. It was the same when I named Rainy, but giving a name is really not an easy task.’
– The name ‘Skull’ has been bestowed upon ‘Small Skeleton’!
– The named ‘Skull’ bows its head to the creator in reverence.
– All stats of ‘Skull’ increase by 10!
‘Huh- Just giving a name grants such an increase. I really feel like a god now.’
– ‘Skull’, having risen, nods its head towards the sky several times before embarking again on its journey.
– ‘Skull’ is eager to quickly test its newfound strength.
– After being defeated by ‘Frizkana’ and only hunting ‘Blood Mosquitoes’, ‘Skull’ has set its next target as ‘Minescarabe’.
‘Right. It’s best to steadily climb up.’
I watched ‘Skull’ with satisfaction as it grew, taking in more of Irmana’s water.
* * *
In an office of the White Knight Guild’s headquarters.
Jo Gi-man’s clone and Jo Gi-man’s right-hand, Jung Joo-in, were both present.
“Jung Joo-in.”
“… Yes?”
“How far have you progressed in your level?”
“When you speak of my level…”
“······.”
“If you’re referring to hunter rank, I’m classified as top-tier A rank.”
“Hooh… Already that far? Seems like this one is quick indeed.”
“…?”
Jo Gi-man’s clone nodded and resumed reviewing the documents on the desk.
“Lee Yeon-hee… currently C rank but she’s already evaluated as B rank.”
“Yes, the association is considering skipping her rank assessment.”
“What about the others in the same party?”
“Not as much as Lee Yeon-hee, but all four are exceptional talents ranked in the top 0.1%. Particularly, Ham Eun-young the hunter requires more attention due to the transcendent bloodline of ‘Reversal’.”
“I see… Recap the main summoned creatures.”
“B rank Werewolf, Orc, Lizardman. The Drake that brushes against A rank, the giant golem which Lee Yeon-hee declared as A rank, and finally… the skeleton soldier known as ‘Grim Reaper’.”
“The weakest summoned creature is the strongest… This is intriguing.”
The Orcs and Lizardmen were summoned creatures Lee Yeon-hee had cultivated each time.
As noted in the documents, it’s not unusual for them to grow into mutants of 4-5 meters in size.
However, most of the others were unfamiliar, and their ranks and abilities were anything but ordinary. Given that the summoned creature configurations had subtly shifted each time, this was excessive change.
Jung Joo-in watched the pensive clone with confusion. It was strange to see it act more cautiously than before.
“Considering the hastening world, this seems a bit excessive. Hm…”
Since a few days ago, the link with the main body had been severed, indicating the main body had moved to a realm governed by a powerful god.
Thus, the clone was delving into thoughts with more caution.
“I’d prefer to just dispose of it. But it’s a bit vague for me to decide alone. Attach someone to Lee Yeon-hee.”
Jo Gi-man’s clone began to feel irked by Lee Yeon-hee’s steady growth.
While the Orc Legion Commander was indeed a valuable time-buyer, there was no need to cling to past scenarios in this dramatically unstable world.
“If you tell me who to attach, I’ll proceed right away. However, most of my troops have been sent to eradicate the [Red-haired Elf]…”
“Ah- That’s right. ‘Mariela’… It’s important to deal with that cocky red-haired brat too.”
Mariela, who had appeared alongside the Blue-eyed Deities in the Lizardman swamp, was causing chaos throughout the world by instigating dungeon breaks.
Come to think of it, Lee Yeon-hee was said to be present when the red-haired elf appeared too.
‘Lee Yeon-hee was also there during the Great Beast Debsorpia incident. Although she’s an important figure, she hasn’t been involved in such major threads before.’
Nodding, the clone spoke again.
“Isn’t there one with excellent [Stealth]? Put Lee Yeon-hee in charge of the mission concerning the ‘Celestial Hammer’ for the time being and instruct her to observe how she performs against the Devouring Creeper. If she displays remarkable growth compared to what she showed in the tournament… After reviewing the documents, I’ll handle it personally.”
“?!”
Jung Joo-in was slightly surprised by the clone’s words.
It usually confined itself to the shadow role of Jo Gi-man, showing unprecedented initiative.
‘That means Lee Yeon-hee’s potential must be great… Is this her limit?’
Jo Gi-man’s clone.
Although Jung Joo-in hadn’t witnessed its true power, he had knowledge of all its past missions, allowing him to roughly gauge its strength.
‘A monster having inherited 30% or so of the master’s power.’
If the clone decided to act, there wouldn’t be anyone stronger than Kang Yeon-su to hold it back.
“However, the documentation must be robust. If she learns that I’ve killed her, the main body might go into a frenzy. It must be credible evidence.”
“Understood.”
“Go ahead.”
“Then…”
Bowing deeply, Jung Joo-in responded to Jo Gi-man’s clone before immediately leaving the office.
The clone stared silently at the spot Jung Joo-in had occupied.
“Still, Jung Joo-in does his job well. He comprehends things really well, considering he hasn’t reincarnated.”
The fact that Jung Joo-in didn’t acknowledge his own clone deeply troubled him, but such feelings seemed trivial now.
“… Did you think I’d always remain just a clone…?”
Gazing at the messages floating in the air, he wore a distinctive smirk.
* * *
“Did you bring it?”
“Yeah, here it is.”
The very next morning, the ‘White Alliance’ gathered at my house, and we set off on Ilseom’s main path riding ‘Sword Dragon’.
Of course, being a zone where the Ilseom Guild’s main base was located, countless barriers had been set up.
We avoided those and landed at quite a distance from the gate.
“Il-wol will be unsealing the barriers one by one.”
Combining magic and sense allows for such feats.
“Ooh… Even barrier unsealing! What did you eat to be so skillful?”
“Every time I see you, I’m just amazed at how incredible your summoned creature is.”
“Clap, Clap, Clap.”
I led the way, while Ah-rin was on guard at the rear as we began our march.
With the map in my head, as long as I didn’t make any mistakes, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
Soon, I spotted the guards at the target point.
‘This time it’s three, huh.’
It didn’t matter how many there were. As long as I had this.
[Symbaroum]
– A mysterious material acquired accidentally by the Vision Guild from the treasure vault of the ‘Blue Mushroom’ race.
– It boasts a strong sleep effect and a memory-erasing effect. Anyone who consumes Symbaroum forgets even the fact that they fell asleep.
The finely powdered blue substance was neatly packed in a transparent bottle.
An astonishing item that prevents recognizing even the state of being affected by the abnormal state [Sleep].
I raised my fist high to signal, and my companions came to an abrupt halt.
And ten minutes later.
As I returned running forward and gestured, my companions started moving again.
Kuul- Cool-
Three sleeping hunters had plunged into a deep slumber.
They were all snoring peacefully, surrounded by a soft blue light.
“I wonder if they know they’re facing life and death.”
“With the map, we managed to reach here. Normally, not even an ant would be able to approach. They must be complacent.”
We gently shoved them aside and threw ourselves toward the unmistakably red gate.
*
“Wooah─ The air is so fresh! It feels like my insides are cleared out.”
“Seriously. But everything here is overwhelmingly massive.”
– Entering the ‘Origin of the Parasitic Bloodline’ dungeon.
– The Red Moon is rising. All stats decrease by 20%.
“Whaaa?! Are you kidding me? Why such a 20% nerf?!”
“Ugh… My body feels so heavy all of a sudden.”
“Azraelon, are you okay?”
(Hmph, all this fuss over such a little thing.)
The companions whose stats had drastically dropped wore expressions of tension rather than the refreshing expressions they had before.
Azraelon acted like it was nothing, but melted down like cheese on Eun-young’s shoulder.
“Il-wol’s detection range has already caught ‘Blood Mosquitoes’.”
“Haah- But we’re flying, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”
“Yeah, yeah, I want to look around, but we don’t have time. Let’s hit the temple first and then come out. Just follow the map Il-wol obtained.”
“Okay! Then let’s go!”
“Sword Dragon, take us again.”
Yeon-hee summoned the Shadow Drake, and we rode Sword Dragon, heading straight toward the temple.
– Kyaaaaooo!!
“Wow! It’s gigantic?!”
While flying, we encountered a massive flock of flying creatures like wyverns, but they were only roaring and showed no hostility towards us.
Swish-
I secretly took one of them down, but they indeed weren’t recognized as monsters.
[Krreeerr…]
Feeling increasingly like a mere mount, Sword Dragon dropped us off near the temple before soaring into the sky.
A few minutes of flying around like that would alleviate its stress, so I asked Yeon-hee to be patient for a while.
“But there’s nothing here. Is this an invisible dungeon?”
“That’s right. But something definitely exists here.”
While my companions chatted and looked around, I was on the lookout for traces of another being.
‘As expected, Skull isn’t here. It must have gone deep into the center by now.’
My second trace, and the first to receive a name, ‘Skull’.
Finding the traces left as it contemplated wasn’t hard, and I inserted my old great sword right in front of the temple’s entrance.
=====
Unnamed Kadinite Great Sword
– A product from a blacksmith yet to earn fame. Born from rare materials and budding talent, this great sword boasts performance far exceeding its mana stone grade.
– Attack Power: 68
– Durability: 1050/1050
– Enhancement Count: 2/2
=====
A great sword fully reinforced with lower-grade enhancement stones.
I didn’t know if it would suit it well, but it’s better to be prepared just in case.
Planning for a scenario where it couldn’t handle the size, I also stuck a few bone daggers in.
My companions looked at me curiously, seeing me suddenly sticking weapons neatly into the ground, but they seemed to accept it as Yeon-hee explained it was a ritual to enter a hidden dungeon.
‘This is about all I can do. If I were alone, I might have gone to meet it, but there’s no way.’
Wishing good fortune to ‘Skull’, who must be somewhere in this dungeon, I reached out to the temple’s boundary.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
