Chapter 31: Reunion

Thud.

The elevator doors closed.

I stood with my hands on my hips, muttering, “Did I do something wrong?” Seo Yeon-hwa’s retreating figure had looked utterly forlorn.

I had only genuinely complimented Seo Yeon-hwa moments ago.

Originally, Spell Disruption worked by observing a skill, calculating the information and structure embedded within it, and then dispersing the mana to nullify its effects.

When I first activated Spell Disruption, a torrent of complex mathematical symbols and characters mercilessly flooded my mind.

I was supposed to analyze that data myself, identify the formula, and perform the calculations.

“The Status Window’s calculator handled it for me.”

Plus, since the curse had manifested as a monster, I could simply brute-force it with physical attacks.

If I’d had to calculate the formula manually, without the calculator, and manipulate Mana to dispel the curse…

As a true liberal arts major with zero dexterity, that would have been impossible, even in my wildest dreams.

“That’s why I said it with genuine respect…”

Of course, it wasn’t just admiration for Seo Yeon-hwa’s abilities.

A twinge of guilt prompted me to deliberately shower her with praise.

It was an unavoidable outburst of guilt.

And for good reason.

I ended up getting this by accident.

I checked my Status Window:

Seo Yeon-hwa’s Authority Infusion ended the moment I destroyed the Cursed Spirit. Normally, the borrowed Spell Disruption skill should have disappeared at that point as well.

Yet the skill remained.

Of course, it had dropped from S-Rank to C-Rank.

That meant…

Remarkable Growth must have activated.

Remarkable Growth increased the probability of acquiring stats and skills based on accumulated experience.

I checked the skill’s information:

Due to the downgrade to C-Rank, the range of skills I could neutralize had become limited.

It seemed the calculator was handling all the calculations, eliminating the need for me to expend any mana. Thanks to this, I had even gained partial immunity to Mental Corruption-type skills, though it was still incomplete.

Even now, this skill is absurdly good for a C-Rank.

Moreover, the description continued:

The fact that the calculator, at a 90% Synchronization Rate, had disrupted an S-Rank Curse in just 10 seconds clearly demonstrated its potential.

“This makes me feel a little guilty toward Guild Leader Seo Yeon-hwa.”

Clearly, the “wish” Seo Yeon-hwa had hoped for was just the staff’s curse-dispelling ability. Yet I had also obtained her secret weapon as an added bonus.

On top of everything else, I’d even managed to get my hands on a freshly acquired High-grade Essence Stone.

I patted the stone tucked away in my inventory, a grin spreading across my face. “By the way, how many Coins is this thing worth?”

At the current market price of 100 million Coins per stone, I could instantly replenish 1,050 Parsley Coins. Of course, only the Essence Stones I’d personally hunted and harvested could be exchanged for Parsley Coins, making their true value closer to 300 million.

As I calmed my surging excitement, Manager Mi spoke with a resigned tone:

“No, I really do feel guilty,” I replied.

As I said that, I picked up the staff.

It felt like the tail was wagging the dog, but at least obtaining the staff had been my original goal.

I hoped all my hard work would pay off.

The Status Window scanned the staff and activated the Item Analyzer.

Information about the curse-free item appeared before my eyes:

“I’m getting Necromancy?”

This was incredible!

Necromancy was the essential passive skill for anyone wanting to learn undead-related abilities.

It was a form of fundamental mastery.

The problem was that this passive ability only manifested immediately after awakening.

In other words, undead-type skills were truly in the realm of “talent among talents,” accessible only to Chosen Hunters who awakened their Necromancy skill upon awakening.

[ Then what about the people here…? ¢(・ω・ ) ] Manager Mi asked, diligently typing out an emoticon as she took notes.

“Not exactly,” I replied.

Skills like Lich Summoning, which required sacrifices and items as catalysts, were still possible.

However, they were all single-use only.

And their effectiveness paled in comparison to skills rooted in Necromancy.

The only sacrifices required to create it were human bodies, a practice strictly prohibited under international law.

Yet, here was an item that unlocked Necromancy, a domain governed entirely by luck.

“If this had been leaked to the media, it would have caused absolute chaos.”

Even disregarding its S-Rank status, it would have sold for whatever price the buyer was willing to pay. It was priceless.

Of course, I had no intention of selling it or revealing its existence.

Besides, it was a Bound Item, so I couldn’t sell it even if I wanted to.

That left me with one final thing to investigate: the second skill I’d newly acquired.

“Evolving Skeleton Summon?”

Skeleton Summon likely summoned a single skeleton soldier. But what exactly was Evolving Skeleton Summon?

Checking the Skill Window directly revealed the answer:

Summoned through Iratus’s Skull Staff.

A skeleton weakened by the loss of all its power.

A smirk crept across his lips.

For some reason, he felt like he knew the skeleton’s true identity.

“I need to confirm this immediately.”

He activated the skill without hesitation.

Whoosh-

Instantly, a dimensional portal large enough for a person to pass through materialized near the staff.

And from within…

”- Heh heh, hahaha!”

A skeleton emerged, accompanied by a chillingly familiar voice.

So Eres, the God of Death, hasn’t abandoned this body after all.

The skeleton stood about 170 centimeters tall, its frame exceedingly frail. It clutched only a rusty sword in its bony hand. No circlet adorned its skull, no staff graced its grasp, and no overwhelming black aura surrounded it. Even its tattered cloak was gone, leaving the bare skeleton exposed.

“Now, who’s there?” the skeleton rasped, its blue eye-lights blazing with familiar intensity and its voice dripping with edgy melodrama. “Which lowly fool dared summon this body—I, Iratu, the Seeker of Death—to this world…!”

A warm voice replied, “It’s me, you little shit.”

”?!”

Click.

The sound of bone striking bone echoed. It came not from a Lich, but from the jaw of Iratu, now reduced to a mere skeleton.

“Iratu, long time no see?”

I lazily waved a hand at the Skeleton.

It shuddered violently, as if it had fallen into electrically charged water.

“H-how…?”

“Hmm?”

“H-how are you still alive?! You should have twisted into a mangled mess and died the moment you used Iratus’s Skull Staff!”

How kind of you to explain so thoroughly.

I slowly approached the Skeleton.

And then…

“Well, I didn’t die quite as you’d hoped.”

I draped an arm over Iratu’s frail, bony shoulder and smiled.

“Let’s get along from now on. We can have plenty of chats, since we can actually understand each other.”

“This can’t be happening… This can’t be happening…”

The Skeleton muttered, shaking its skull.

Faint trails of spectral light lingered in its eye sockets, like tearstains.

Then, overwhelmed by a wave of despair, it covered its bony face with its hands and began to sob, its shoulders heaving uncontrollably.

“Gah… I, once a seeker of death, reduced to this by a mere thug? In this pathetic state…”

He’s still running his mouth.

Wait, does he really have to cry this much?

Well, I suppose it’s infuriating to be completely helpless with me standing right here.

I checked Iratu’s stat window, which was linked to my Skill Window.

These stats are worse than an average person’s.

Right now, he’d struggle to win a life-or-death battle against a house cat, let alone a goblin.

Watching him sob next to me just makes me feel even more sorry for him.

But the important thing isn’t his current stats.

The key thing was the skill name: Evolving Skeleton Soldier.

This meant Iratu had the potential to evolve into an even stronger monster in the future.

“Iratu, don’t be so sad…”

I stopped myself from comforting the sniffling skeleton. No need to inflate his ego just yet.

Based on his personality, which I had already assessed, knowing he possessed such potential would likely make him arrogant again.

Now that he was officially mine, I couldn’t tolerate his former haughty, aristocratic airs.

So, I tapped his skull with the end of the staff I had picked up earlier.

“Hey.”

Tap.

“Stop crying and get inside now.”

Alright.

For some reason, Iratu’s eyes widened as he stared at me intently.

“Why?”

“Aren’t you going to… punish me?”

“Why would I punish you?”

“Didn’t I try to kill you?”

“Ah.”

That’s why he couldn’t hide his sorrow any longer.

Not only had his plan failed, but he probably thought I’d unleash hell on him the moment he was summoned, burning with vengeance.

Hmm, should I just take care of him now?

I pondered for a moment, then waved my hand dismissively with a bright smile.

“Come on, punish you? There’s no need for that.”

”?”

“You and I are basically in the same boat now. What good would it do for either of us to start off on the wrong foot? Don’t you agree?”

“Th-that’s true.”

“Calling me ‘true’ like that is a bit informal, isn’t it? Since we’re in a master-servant relationship, maybe we should work on that?”

“Y-yes, that’s right…!” Iratu hastily corrected himself. Having been downgraded to a regular Skeleton, he seemed to have no particular aversion to using honorifics.

“R-really? You’re… you’re forgiving me, Master?”

I nodded with a kind smile. “I’m the type to let bygones be bygones. Don’t worry about it and get some rest.”

“M-Master…!”

The light in Iratu’s eye sockets flickered like a trembling amoeba. He had lost much of his malevolent aura, leaving him surprisingly pure. Even aside from that, he seemed deeply moved as a summoned creature.

“Thank you. I, Iratu, will devote my entire being to serving you, Master…!”

“Alright, head back now.”

I dismissed Iratu’s summoning. The skeleton vanished, its eye sockets brimming with unwavering trust until the very end.

The moment the creature left, Manager Mi posted a message in the chat:

“What do you mean?” I replied, a smile still lingering on my lips.

Manager Mi’s message bounced excitedly in the chat window, as if she’d just realized something.

“There’s no need to show him hell right from the start,” I said.

Why bother tormenting him from the outset? It’s better to establish a firm foundation of trust during our first encounter. That way, it’ll be easier to exploit him mercilessly later on.

“I’m Lee Taejun.”

I can coolly overlook past transgressions, but…

“I don’t coolly overlook anyone who tries to take my life.”

I chewed over Manager Mi’s words, stroking the staff in my hand.

Of course, I had no intention of coddling Iratu like a cute pet. Now that the man who had tried to take my life was under my command…

“I’ll use him until he’s died ten thousand deaths, until his bones turn to dust.”