How to Raise Your Skeletons

No one wouldn’t tremble at the mention of that three-syllable name in South Korea.

> Wow.

> What’s going on?

> I think I just heard a journalist say, “The Berserker.”

> For real?

> Why would the Berserker be here?

> I heard Demir’s Limited Edition No. 2 was handed off to the Berserker. Maybe they became acquainted because of that?

> Yeah, didn’t he fight for Demir’s Workshop last time? He practically demolished Ohsung’s whole building.

The camera was pointed forward, so the scene with Han wasn’t showing. Thus, the viewers had no choice but to speculate and debate amongst themselves.

In the meantime, Han was sweating nervously.

“B-Berserker, what brings you here?”

Despite his many years as a journalist meeting various important figures, the person before him was on a different level—a true heavyweight figure ranked 20th in the world. This person was unlike anyone he’d met before. Not to mention that the Berserker was the legendary madman who would destroy corporations or other rankers if he didn’t like them.

“Hahaha,” the muscular man laughed. “What, am I not supposed to be here?”

“N-No, it’s not that.”

“Well, I wouldn’t normally interfere with recording someone else’s battle scene, but…”

“Y-Yes?”

“I’m asking if you’ve gotten permission from my bro to film this. There’s such a thing as portrait rights, after all.”

It was a barbed statement. In fact, even if Han had ten mouths, he would have nothing to say.

“Well, that’s…” Han stammered, at a loss for words.

—Thud!

Just then, a graceful female figure descended from the sky.

“Whew, Berserker. You’re as fast as ever. I ran my best, but you’re already here…”

It was Lee Sunah, ranked 509th, the leader of the Black Sword Squad. Her trademark was the sleek, dark sword at her hip.

Additionally…

“Wow, everyone’s gathered again? It’s been a while.”

Ranked 828th, Yoo Sangdon the White Swine appeared, his beer belly swaying.

“Um, I’ve actually been watching for a while.”

—Swoosh.

Ranked 379th, Gi Soyul the Dark Empress revealed herself from the darkness. It was as if she had appeared out of nothingness itself.

“Huh? Soyul, when did you get here?” Yoo Sangdon’s eyes widened.

“Dark Empress… I thought you were too busy to answer, but it turns out you were here.”

“Haha, so you’ve been sticking to him like a gum.”

The rankers looked at her, bewildered.

The only reason they had come all the way to this forest to find Joo Donghoon was to discuss the Dungeon Maker. However, Gi Soyul wasn’t a part of the message relay, meaning she’d been here from the start.

“Don’t stare at me like that. The right to watch Donghoon’s training was part of our promise in the first place…” Gi Soyul avoided the rankers’ gaze slightly.

“…”

Han squeezed his eyes shut.

Holy crap… What is all this?

The Berserker, Black Sword, White Swine, and Dark Empress?

His heart pounded… No, it was beyond that. It felt like his heart was beating so hard it might explode and disappear.

> ???

> So what’s happening?

> So frustrating.

> Where’s that journalist who once demanded the right to know?

> Who cares if it’s the Berserker? Just tell us what’s going on!

The frustration of the viewers was understandable. The screen only showed the open clearing that had become a mess, and all sounds were coming from off-screen.

—Tock!

Just then, the crouched journalist, Kim, trembled and accidentally bumped the camera tripod.

Oh, huh?

Kim panicked. All he’d been doing was lying there, holding his breath and bladder to avoid peeing himself.

—Thud, thud! Thud! Thud!

The camera, having lost its balance, began rolling forward.

“…”

Every ranker’s gaze turned to the camera.

The fallen camera positioned itself to capture each ranker to show them all in clear focus. It was as if the god of broadcasting himself had intervened, putting the camera in the perfect position.

> ???

> What is this scene?

> Whoa, it’s really the Berserker!

> Huh, isn’t that the Black Sword and Dark Empress? White Swine as well?

> Wait, is that the Five Stars of Seoul?

> Where is this? Is it some secret hideout?

> So it’s not staged… This is real.

> Whoa, this is a real scoop today.

The viewers were in an uproar.

“…”

And the rankers silently stared at the camera.

“Huh? Wait a second.” Finally, White Swine furrowed his brow. “Don’t tell me you weren’t just recording but you were broadcasting?”

—Crush!

The camera was crushed as Yoo Sangdon approached and stomped on it.

“A broadcast?” Jang Daewoong tilted his head. “You can broadcast with such small cameras like that these days, huh?”

“Wow, Berserker. For your age, you’re such a boomer… Seriously, get with the times, grandpa…”

“Well, I thought it was just a recording, but if it’s a broadcast, this could be a problem.” Lee Sunah chimed in. Simultaneously, she fixed her freezing gaze on Han. “How bold of you. Broadcasting a hunter’s training session live without permission?”

“I wasn’t going to say it, but there’s a reason journalists are called trash sometimes,” Yoo Sangdon added in agreement.

Han flinched, his body trembling. The scene of four rankers, each rumored to have the power of a nation, staring him down was just…

“…”

It felt like an intense energy focused on him as each ranker stared at him coldly with emotionless eyes and murderous glances.

Ah…

Han’s legs went numb.

This must be what it feels like to stand before the king of the underworld, he thought.

“Everyone, it’s fine.”

Just then, someone else appeared.

Han turned his gaze slowly.

Who could it be?

Ah, it was him—the one with the terrifying skeletons at his command, Joo Donghoon.

“I was already aware of someone’s presence. How could I not notice? It was all so loud. I just let it be since Sunny and Eldrin were having an intense battle.”

“…”

Han’s heart thudded wildly. He realized that the only way out of this situation was to seek forgiveness from Joo Donghoon. The live broadcast was already off, and viewers had been cut off from the stream. But social media and the forums were probably buzzing by now.

“I-I’m so sorry, Owner of Demir’s Workshop!” Han quickly bowed at a 90-degree angle. “I didn’t mean to do this. There was just this enormous noise in the mountains while I was hiking… And my instincts as a journalist just kicked in…”

“It’s fine, really, Mr. Journalist.” Joo Donghoon smiled gently and patted Han’s shoulder, reassuring him. “I really mean it. Please head down now. I’d be scared, too, if I were in your situation.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes, yes. In truth, I should be the one thanking you. Oh, and you did make sure to record the battle scene nicely, right?”

“…?”

Unable to understand, Han was dumbfounded. However, it seemed like he’d been forgiven, thankfully.

“While it was wrong to film without my permission, if possible, could you please write favorable articles in the future? You know what I’m saying?”

“O-Of course!” Han shouted involuntarily.

While he didn’t fully grasp the situation, one thing was clear. Joo Donghoon was surprisingly kind. Surely, he already knew why rankers and high-ranking hunters hated revealing their combat capabilities.

I’ll make sure to write only favorable articles about him from now on…

As an experienced journalist, he silently made up his mind about Joo Donghoon. He was an S-rank weapon creator and a necromancer who summoned skeletons of incredible power. Not only that but he had a close relationship with rankers, and those rankers even seemed to heed his words…

I must tread carefully.

One should never mess with someone like him. You could end up dead in no time.

“Th-Then, I’ll be on my way!”

Han and Kim quickly descended the mountain faster than they had ever moved in their lives.

In the quiet open clearing…

After sending the journalists away, Jang Daewoong suddenly asked me, “Brother, are you sure about this? The training footage has already spread everywhere. It seems they even made clips of it or whatever they call it… Your strength has now been exposed nationwide.”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” I shrugged. “I was planning to reveal it eventually.”

“Really?”

Simply put, it was a show of force.

A heads-up to the world: Don’t mess with me because I’m this capable.

That was just how this world operated. If you seemed weak, you’d only attract more pests. They’d think you were easy prey. That was the case with Shin Jongoh from the Ohsung Workshop.

“In a way, it’s like what you do, Mr. Berserker. After making a few crazy moves, nobody dares provoke you anymore. They don’t want to mess with a mad dog.”

“…” Jang Daewoong looked at me, stunned. “…Uh, that isn’t some sort of an insult, right?”

“Oh, come on. If it was a bad thing, why would I copy it?”

I grinned, and Jang Daewoong laughed heartily.

“Gahaha, true. You’re right, brother. Most people are generally weak in front of the strong and strong in front of the weak. I’ve realized that more and more recently.”

“No one would dare act tough in front of the Berserker though, right?” Lee Sunah chuckled as she joined in the conversation. “Anyway, as I said, as of yesterday, the Skeleton King has been promoted to an A-rank hunter. You officially meet the criteria for the Dungeon Maker’s challenge.”

“King?” Jang Daewoong tilted his head.

“Didn’t you know? His alias changed to Skeleton King. It actually has been for a while now,” Lee Sunah answered.

“Skeleton King, huh… A fitting alias for my brother.”

I broke into a cold sweat. Seriously, the title “King”… No matter how often I heard it, it felt weird. It was bound to be an alias I’d never get used to.

Anyway, the reason they had gathered here was obvious.

“The Dungeon Maker… is in about three days, right?”

“Yes. Three days.” Yoo Sangdon nodded. “You’re ready, I assume?”

“Of course.”

I recalled the offer they made to me in the past.

“Ranked 5th in the world, Delilah the Dungeon Maker opens her trial dungeon twice a year.”

There were two conditions for participating in the trial dungeon. First, you had to be an A-rank hunter or higher. Second, you had to bring five rankers’ letters of recommendation.

And the ones who’d gathered here to give me those letters were the Five Stars of Seoul.

“We don’t know the contents of the dungeons. They’re said to change every time. The only sure thing is that if you pass all the trials in that dungeon, you can secure a spot within the three-digit rankings at least.”

“Three years ago, the five of us, now called the Five Stars of Seoul, passed the trial and entered the three-digit ranks. Of course, over time, our rankings have risen.”

I didn’t know much about Delilah. I’d just heard that she could open the path to becoming a ranker, so I accepted.

“…If,” I asked, “If I come back from this, can I really become a ranker? No matter what?”

My lifelong dream was now within reach.

“Yes, definitely.” Gi Soyul stepped forward. “However, as White Swine said, you’d better be prepared.”

“…”

“Well, Black Sword is confident that you’ll become a ranker after what she saw you could do in the recent dungeon…” She looked at me with a concerned expression. “But Delilah is eccentric. Some of her trials can’t be solved by strength alone…”

“Hey, stop right there!” Yoo Sangdon shouted. “Did you forget? Revealing information about the trials we’ve experienced will…”

“Yes, we’ll receive a penalty.” Gi Soyul nodded in acknowledgment and stepped back.

“…”

But how? Just who was Delilah? Wasn’t she just another ranker? How could she impose such conditions like this?

I was puzzled.

“Brother.” Jang Daewoong smirked. “Shall I tell you an interesting story?”

“An interesting story, you say?”

“Yes, something you don’t know… No, something ordinary people would never know about rankers. Especially the high-ranked ones.”

“…”

—Gulp!

I swallowed unconsciously.

Please do.

I nodded slowly. “Yes!”