Mu-hyuk crafted swords at the forge while checking the auction house in his spare moments.
Over the course of three days, he finally gathered all the items he needed.
đĄ EQUIPMENT đĄ Iron Sword of Herculean Strength Attack Power 16 Strength +1
Durability 80/80 Sturdy Shield Defense 7 Shock Absorption 50%
Agility +1
Durability 110/110 Steel Helmet Defense 2 Vitality +1
Durability 60/60
Req: Strength 12 Light Belt Agility +1 Req: Vitality 10
Durability 30/30 Leather Boots Defense 1 Strength +1
Durability 35/35
Req: Strength 10 Blackened Ring Reaction Speed +0.5% Durability 50/50
Req: Strength 10, Vitality 10 Reliable Leather Armor Defense 3 Strength +1
Durability 70/70
Req: Vitality 12 Rising Pants Defense 2 Vitality +1
Durability 65/65
Req: Vitality 11 Alluring Bracers Magic Defense 3 Durability 50/50
Req: Knowledge 7 Earrings of Life HP Recovery +15 per minute Durability 40/40
Req: Wisdom 8 Necklace of Vitality Magic Defense 1 MP +80
Durability 35/35
Req: Knowledge 9 Infinite Scabbard Charged with 10 daggers (Attack Power 5 each). Recharges one every 10 minutes when used. Full recharge takes 24 hours if all are depleted. Req: Agility 9
They weren't perfect, but they were serviceable enough.
Now that he had equipped them all, how much had his stats improved?
Character information.
â STATUS â ⥠Attack Power:85 đĄ Defense:24 â€ïž HP Recovery/min:~40
His HP recovery per minute was now nearly 40. Even at 60 HP, that meant about 1 HP per secondâ a huge boost to his combat endurance.
But above all, the increases to attack speed, movement speed, and reaction speed were incredibly satisfying.
Especially reaction speed.
Finally over 101%.
A mere 1.4% gain.
But that tiny edge would let him live in a slightly different timeline from other players.
In the blink of an eye, that small difference would feel monumental.
On top of that, his Dexterity had broken past 20.
Perfect.
Now for the final piece.
Reinforcing the skeletons.
Mu-hyuk left the kingdom for the first time in a while, heading to the habitat of the giant bears.
A short time later.
He easily dispatched a single bear he encountered in the giant bear habitat.
As it faded to gray, he approached and activated his skill.
"Corpse Dissection."
⥠SKILL ACTIVATED âĄ
Corpse Dissection
A hologram appeared before himâa skeletal outline in the shape of the bear.
He inserted his prepared butchering dagger into the gray form, and one section glowed blue.
Following the light, he maneuvered the dagger this way and that until, at some point, the dissection was complete.
As the gray faded, the giant bear's bones and hide remained.
"Skeleton Summon."
⧠⊠⧠SUMMONING
Skeleton
Basic Warrior
⧠⊠â§
He summoned one skeleton and laid it on the ground.
Then, using Bone Assembly, he removed one of the bones forming the skeleton's body.
â SYSTEM NOTIFICATION â
The skeleton's 'Vitality' decreases.
Influenced by 'Dexterity', it decreases by '0.18'.
This was Dexterity's effect.
Without it, just removing the bone would have cost 0.2 Vitality.
But Dexterity's correction reduced it to 0.18.
With Dexterity in the 20s, that gave a 0.02 correction.
It would be 0.03 in the 30s, 0.04 in the 60s, and 0.05 at 100.
A small difference, but one that accumulated into something massive.
And Dexterity didn't just affect removal.
â SYSTEM NOTIFICATION â
The skeleton's 'Vitality' increases.
Influenced by 'Dexterity', it increases by '0.22'.
As he slotted the giant bear bone into the empty spot, Dexterity's correction kicked in again.
One replacement netted a 0.04 Vitality boost.
Extremely satisfying.
Good.
Was it the thrill? His focus sharpened, and his hands grew steadier with each motion.
Remove a skeleton bone, insert the bear bone. Of course, stats didn't always rise on replacement.
Removal was consistent.
â SYSTEM NOTIFICATION â
The skeleton's 'Agility' decreases.
Influenced by 'Dexterity', it decreases by '0.08'.
The problem was insertion.
If the giant bear bone didn't mesh well with the skeleton's frame:
â SYSTEM NOTIFICATION â
The skeleton's 'Agility' increases.
Influenced by 'Dexterity', it increases by '0.06'.
Stats could even drop.
Just remove it again?
Once removed, a body part couldn't be touched again for exactly 10 days.
A surprisingly long cooldown. But Mu-hyuk's hands didn't hesitate.
He set aside parts where stats dropped for later swaps.
Kept the gains as-is.
Plus, Dexterity meant bigger gains on success, smaller losses on failure.
Repeat enough, and the skeleton's stats would rise overall.
No shortcuts here.
It would take consistent, long-term work for results.
But it would grow strongerâthat was certain.
About 30 minutes later, he finished.
"Stand."
The skeleton slowly rose.
Kiririk?
It twisted its body this way and that. Thanks to the giant bear bones, its frame was noticeably bulkier.
He wanted to check its detailed info.
But summon info windows weren't available yet.
Should be in the next update.
Whateverâhe'd check then. Might as well name it now. Couldn't keep calling it "skeleton" forever.
Mu-hyuk thought for a moment.
He'd summon more in the future.
Nothing complicated.
Simple was best.
"Alright, you're Golgol One from now on."
Second would be Golgoli.
Third, Golgol Three.
And so on.
Kiririk, kiriririk!
Golgol One seemed displeased with the name, letting out its signature sounds repeatedly, but Mu-hyuk ignored it.
*
The work wasn't done yet.
He could currently summon two skeletons.
Thanks to steadily summoning and dismissing them during forge downtime and breaks, raising the skill by one level.
â SKILL STATUS â
Skeleton Summon Lv2 (7%)
Can summon 2 skeletons. Higher levels increase summon count and MP cost per 10 sec.
- MP per 10 sec: 1 per entity
Zombie Summon Lv1 (75%)
Can summon 1 zombie. Higher levels increase summon count and MP cost per 10 sec.
- MP per 10 sec: 1 per entity
So he needed to assemble one more.
Not enough giant bear bones.
Mu-hyuk roamed, hunting dozens of bears, dissecting them, and using the bones to start Bone Assembly on the second skeleton.
â SYSTEM NOTIFICATION â
The skeleton's 'Strength' decreases.
Influenced by 'Dexterity', it decreases by '0.08'.
â SYSTEM NOTIFICATION â
The skeleton's 'Strength' increases.
Influenced by 'Dexterity', it increases by '0.22'.
Another 30 minutes of repetition, and Golgoli's upgrades were done.
Mu-hyuk looked at the two with a curling smirk.
Now all preparations for the special dungeon were complete.
Time to go.
To conserve MP, he reverse-summoned Golgol One and Golgoli.
He passed through the east gate into the kingdom, then out the west gate.
This place was dangerous.
Monsters around level 80.
Even rankers would need at least half a year more to hunt here safely.
Only then could they hit level 80.
He wandered such a place. Risky, but avoid the monsters and he'd be fine.
Encounter one?
Death.
Repeat until he found a safe path.
He knew the dungeon's location anyway.
This was the biggest reason for starting in Arsen Kingdom.
The dungeon was closer than expected, despite the danger.
Over level 15? Can't enter.
Under level 15? Can't enter.
Die inside? Game over.
Accidentally exit?
Still over.
No second chances.
A limited challenge, once only at level 15.
He had to clear it. For Gangster Necromancer survival, at least.
*
Based on seven deaths, Mu-hyuk found a safer route.
This was attempt eight. Exhausting, but he pressed on without quitting.
This time, success.
He stepped forward with resolve.
Swoosh.
Of course, utmost caution. Eyes scanning surroundings without pause.
Even on the pre-scouted safe path, he stayed vigilant.
Thanks to that, he reached near the destination without monster encounters.
Just a bit further.
The thrill of imminent arrival bred impatience.
His mind snapped alert.
No. Stay calm.
He'd died twice to haste like this.
Deep breaths.
Scan surroundings, then step.
A few steps in.
Despite the forest, guiding sunlight vanished.
Dense branches and leaves blocked all space.
Dark.
One step back.
Vision clears.
But ahead? Nothing. Unease stirred.
First time this farâno way he expected this path.
Videos skipped this, starting inside.
Makes sense.
Checked the map again.
Right spot...
Regret hit late.
Should've grabbed something. Anything for light.
He'd planned mentally countless times, yet here he was.
World of difference between reading and doing.
Info made it easy; reality revealed shortages.
But no turning back now.
Only way: conquer the pitch-black terror ahead.
Yeah, it'll be close.
One more step.
Dark.
Utter blindness.
Not reason to fear.
Just a game.
Mind set, steps firm.
No hesitation, forward for 3 minutes.
His naturally swinging hand brushed something.
Cautious touch: a wall.
Left or right? He chose left.
Soon, another dead end.
Right then?
Turned, advanced right a ways.
That instant.
"Whaâ whaaa...!"
Legs dangled in air as his body plunged downward.