Chapter 62: Guild Admission Duel (2)

“What’s this? It looks like Lee Taejun is trying to summon something too?”

The guild members in the audience leaned forward, their shaved heads gleaming as they buzzed with anticipation.

“He’s summoning a beast instead of using Dark Attribute skills? Right in front of Jo Yongtae?”

“What kind of incredible Undead Summon could he possibly have to reveal his hand right from the start?”

“To face the Vice Guild Leader with a Summoned Beast, it would have to be something truly extraordinary.”

“Quiet, now! It’s starting to materialize.”

As Taejun began to activate his skill, Jo Yongtae across from him narrowed his eyes, his expression tightening with tension.

He hadn’t expected Taejun to reveal his trump card without even probing first.

But his surprise was fleeting.

“Hmm?”

The pitch-black aura surrounding Taejun dissipated.

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

A silhouette materialized beside him, drawing the arena’s attention.

“What the hell is that?”

“No fucking way. Am I seeing this right?”

A wave of bewilderment swept through the vast arena.

Go Geonho felt it too.

And for good reason: Taejun had summoned…

”…A Skeleton Warrior?”

The absolute bottom-tier monster summonable with an Undead Skill. Even a child who had mastered Necromancy could summon this weakest of the undead.

“Hmph.”

Amidst the rising commotion, Go Geonho let out a muffled groan.

A Skeleton?

Not even an archer or mage—a warrior?

Was that his trump card?

The Nine Heavens Bone King, hailed worldwide as an unparalleled Necromancer, found himself bewildered.

Taejun had summoned a single Skeleton and was standing there motionless, doing nothing else.

“Is this for real? He’s trying to take on the Vice Guild Leader with just one Skeleton?”

“What kind of nerve does he have?”

“The outcome is obvious. Maybe I should just quit the Guild.”

Amidst the murmurs of the Guild members, Go Geonho narrowed his eyes once more.

No, this isn’t an ordinary Skeleton.

Taejun’s Skeleton was smaller than the standard Skeleton Warrior, and its eye sockets glowed blue instead of the usual green.

But what truly puzzled Go Geonho was something else entirely.

It’s equipped with an item.

The skeleton carried a longsword with a badly chipped blade and a wooden shield with a gaping hole in it—the standard equipment for the lowest-tier Skeleton Warrior.

But that wasn’t all.

A crossbow and a quiver full of bolts hung on its back.

Leather pouches were strapped to both hips.

And a sheathed longsword dangled from its left hip.

Those weapons aren’t standard equipment for Skeleton Warriors, Go Geonho thought.

Soon, puzzled murmurs began to spread among the Hwiryung Guild members.

“Hey, look closely. That skeleton’s loaded with weapons!”

“Seriously? Is it not a normal Skeleton Warrior?”

“No way. It looks like a total weakling. It’s even smaller than the average skeleton.”

“Don’t tell me you’re actually planning to use Puppet Manipulation on a regular skeleton to fight Jo Yongtae?”

“Puppet Manipulation? Nah, no way.”

Puppet Manipulation.

A technique that completely suppresses the self-awareness of an Undead Summon and allows the caster to control it by expending Mana.

In simpler terms, it’s the difference between semi-automatic and manual control.

With it, every movement can be precisely dictated, even allowing the skeleton to use items beyond its standard equipment.

But still…

“Bullshit. Why would you waste your time on something so inefficient?”

“Exactly. Puppet Manipulation on a mere Skeleton Warrior? It’s not even a Death Knight.”

True.

It was undeniably inefficient.

“Why a skeleton specifically? If you’re saving Puppet Manipulation as your trump card, you must be capable of summoning higher-tier Undead.”

“That’s right. Whether you’re using Puppet Manipulation on a Death Knight or a Skeleton, the Mana cost is practically the same.”

The Guild Members’ conversation echoed in Go Geonho’s mind.

The Mana required for Puppet Manipulation was nearly identical regardless of the Summoned Beast’s rank, be it D-Rank or A-Rank. The difficulty of control was also comparable.

Therefore, using Puppet Manipulation to make a mere Skeleton Warrior wield a different weapon was akin to casting a single Fireball with Meteor-grade Mana—a downright bizarre and wasteful act.

Yet Go Geonho stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Puppet Manipulation was like controlling an Undead Summon as if it were a marionette.

Just as a marionette’s movements depended on the puppeteer’s skill in manipulating the strings connected to its limbs, so too…

The success of controlling an Undead Summon depends entirely on the caster’s mastery of manipulating Mana Links to execute its movements. In other words, the more proficient one is in Necromancy and Dark Attribute Mana, the more complex and advanced movements they can achieve in their Summoned Beasts through Puppet Manipulation.

So, if Hunter Taejun truly defeats Jo Yongtae here using only a Skeleton Warrior and Puppet Manipulation…

Taejun would more than prove his capabilities as a Necromancer, easily demonstrating his worthiness to ascend to the position of Vice Guild Leader Hwiryung.

“Show me, Hunter Lee Taejun,” the Nine Heavens Bone King murmured, his gaze fixed on the diminutive skeleton standing beside Taejun. “Prove you have what it takes to claim my legacy in place of my worthless nephew.”

“Master, what on earth is going on here?” Iratu’s voice cut through the clamor of the arena. His eyes were wide with surprise as he scanned the spectacle before him.

What’s going on?

“I’ve arranged this stage to showcase the results of your training from the past few days,” I replied.

“The results of my training…?”

“Hmph.”

Iratu’s question was drowned out by a thunderous laugh from across the arena.

“Hahaha! What’s this? You revealed your ‘trump card’ right from the start, and it’s just a Skeleton Warrior? Is that your ultimate Undead Skill?”

Jo Yongtae, standing in the distance, channeled mana into his voice to deliver a scathing taunt.

“Hey, show us more! Surely that fragile-looking skeleton isn’t all you’ve got.”

I glanced at the skeleton beside me and replied, channeling mana into my voice, “That’s all.”

“What did you say?”

“This skeleton is the full extent of my Undead Skills.”

I nodded toward Jo Yongtae. “Now it’s your turn to show us what you’ve got. Take your time—I’ll wait.”

The bald necromancer’s eyes widened. The confused murmuring of the Hwiryung Guild members grew louder.

A snort of derision erupted from across the arena. “Ha! This bastard’s got more guts than brains. Fine, I’ll show you.”

At that very moment, a sinister, jet-black aura began to seep into Jo Yongtae’s peripheral vision.

Clang. Clang.

Then, from within the darkness, accompanied by the grating screech of metal on metal, a knight clad in pitch-black iron armor materialized.

Towering over two meters tall, the colossal figure was clad in armor forged from plate and an unknown dimensional metal, its massive bulk resonating with a deafening clang. Adorning the breastplate was a white skull with crimson eyes that glowed with an eerie light.

A Death Knight.

Classified as a B+ threat within dungeons, this high-level monster was the second most powerful undead creature that could be summoned without sacrifice.

The Death Knight’s imposing presence alone was enough to justify Jo Yongtae’s A-Rank abilities.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

He activated his QR Code Reader.

Scanning Jo Yongtae’s Possessed Skills, the screen displayed:

That’s right.

Jo Yongtae possessed a multitude of buffs to enhance his Undead summons.

And when he applied all those buffs, his Death Knight transformed into an A-Rank or higher monster, impervious to most blades, spears, elemental magic, and even Holy Attribute attacks.

Therefore…

I closed the QR Code Reader information window, summoned my Death Knight, and addressed Jo Yongtae, who was gazing at me triumphantly:

“What are you waiting for? Aren’t you going to buff it? Isn’t that your specialty?”

“What?”

A flicker of wariness appeared in Jo Yongtae’s eyes.

“Planning to stab me in the back while I’m buffing you?”

“No,” I replied with a grin. “I’m the type to politely wait until my opponent finishes transforming.”

“Hmph. Whatever, it doesn’t matter anyway,” Jo Yongtae chuckled derisively. “I was worried for nothing. What can your puny skeleton possibly do against me, no matter what I do?”

Swish.

He waved his hand through the air, dark energy swirling from his palm.

Simultaneously, layers of glowing magical effects began to stack upon the Skeleton Knight’s armor.

“You want to lose even more miserably? Your wish is my command.”

With all the buffs applied, Jo Yongtae spat out the words with a vicious grin.

Clang.

The Death Knight drew its longsword from its scabbard, the blade shimmering with violet mana.

Thump!

Heavy footsteps reverberated through the arena.

Buffed to 1.5 times its original size, the Death Knight advanced like a hulking, iron-clad monstrosity.

I folded my arms and spoke.

“Iratu.”

“Can you handle that alone?”

The skeleton scratched its skull with the hand holding the longsword.

The former Lich narrowed his glowing blue eyes, perhaps recalling his glorious past. Indeed, a Lich of his caliber could have effortlessly crushed even an enhanced Death Knight.

But now, he was merely a diminutive skeleton.

“There’s no helping it. I think I understand why Master tasked us with dealing with this pathetic garbage.”

Iratu gestured irritably with his chin toward the crossbow behind me, his tone indifferent.

Then Jo Yongtae shouted, “Looks like you’re finally starting to sweat a little.”

His face was filled with mockery and absolute confidence in his victory. He must have mistaken my terrified muttering for bravado.

“Too late, you bastard. I’ll start by blowing off one of your arms.”

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

With each word Jo Yongtae spoke, the Death Knight’s charge gained momentum.

My eyes locked onto the red glint in the Skeleton Knight’s eye sockets.

“That’s a good idea.”

I smirked.

“Iratu.”

No explicit command was necessary. Five seconds would be more than enough.

Clatter!

The Skeleton Warrior’s “standard equipment” clattered to the ground.

Click.

The skeleton swiftly raised the crossbow slung across its back and aimed at the Death Knight with lightning speed.

Thwack!

A small bolt shot from the crossbow.

Ziiiiing!

The bolt struck the Death Knight squarely in its left shoulder.

?!

Cr-cr-cr-crack!

With a deafening crack of twisted metal, a blinding light erupted.

Instantly, the Skeleton Knight’s massive left arm exploded outward, as if pierced by a high-caliber bullet.

”…Huh?”

The sight of the enhanced Death Knight’s arm shattering like a cheap plastic toy left Jo Yongtae dumbfounded, his jaw hanging slack in stunned disbelief.

Right.

Jo Yongtae’s buffs were all Undead Skills based on the Dark Attribute.

Therefore, the more buffs he cast to strengthen his Summoned Beast, the more powerful and resilient it became.

However, there was one attribute to which it became doubly vulnerable:

Light—the opposite of darkness.

The Holy Attribute.

Thud!

The left arm, sent flying by the explosion, crashed to the arena floor with a cold metallic clang.

A terrifying silence descended beneath the arena.

“Now that we’ve blown off an arm,” I said, my eyes gleaming, “which part should we try next?”

“What the hell is that thing?” Jo Yongtae muttered to himself, his mouth agape in stunned disbelief.

Drip.

A bead of cold sweat trickled down his bald head, now slick with perspiration. He didn’t even think to wipe it away, his eyes fixed on the spectacle unfolding before him.

Boom!

His Death Knight was being mercilessly battered by a diminutive Skeleton Warrior. The explosive light of the Holy Attribute Grenade faded, revealing the Death Knight in a truly pitiful state. Its left arm had been brutally torn off, black Mana oozing like blood. The knight knelt, propped up by its sword, its armor riddled with patches of pure white light spreading like mold.

Grinding his teeth, Jo Yongtae glared at the Skeleton Warrior confronting him.

In one hand, the Skeleton held a crossbow loaded with a Holy Attribute bolt. In the other, it gripped a Holy Attribute Mana Burst Grenade.

What the hell is that thing?

Jo Yongtae couldn’t even muster a hollow laugh. He simply couldn’t fathom where to begin questioning this absurdity.

A mere Skeleton wielding Hunter-grade items with such mastery? Attacking the Death Knight’s weaknesses as if it knew them intimately?

No, wait. Even that he could almost accept, if he had to.

If Taejun is controlling the Skeleton with Puppet Manipulation.

But that would mean Taejun was manually manipulating the Skeleton, using it to toy with his Death Knight.

This meant Jo Yongtae had to acknowledge his mastery of Dark Attribute Mana and Necromancy.

At least, up to that point, he could still grasp the situation.

But then came the crucial question that utterly defied his understanding:

How is an Undead Monster wielding a Holy Attribute item as a weapon?

It was utterly absurd.

The Holy Attribute was the perfect antithesis to the Undead. Normally, merely equipping a Holy Attribute item would inflict fatal damage on a Skeleton, leaving it writhing in agony.

Yet this one wasn’t just wielding it—it was using it to pulverize the Death Knight with a relentless barrage of Holy Attribute attacks, like some deranged hunter!

A Holy Attribute Skeleton? No, such a thing couldn’t exist, could it?

Occasionally, some Hunters developed Skeleton Summon skills that manifested with elemental attributes like fire or ice. Naturally, these skeletons were immune to damage from magic of their corresponding element.

But…

“Holy shit! A Holy Attribute Skeleton? That’s fucking ridiculous!”

Jo Yongtae rolled his eyes, utterly baffled by the absurd situation.

Kreeeek.

Suddenly, the grating sound of rusted metal pierced his ears. His Summoned Beast, the Death Knight, had sustained critical damage. It collapsed, unable to rise, groaning in agony.

The battle had already tilted decisively in favor of his opponent thanks to the preposterous existence of the Holy Attribute Skeleton.

Yet Jo Yongtae, his eyes bloodshot, reached out his hand.

He still had numbers left.