Commander

While the skeletons put on their equipment, I looked at Cedric, who had grown stronger alongside me.

[Cedric]

[Class: Dragon Knight]

[Level: 51]

[Skills: Spear Master (S), Dragon Strike (S)]

[Loyalty: 100]

[Special Notes: Most skills and stats are currently sealed.]

[Strength: 84 (+42)] [Agility: 82 (+41)] [Vitality: 84 (+42)] [Magic Power: 86 (+43)]

As a summon who shared his master's level, Cedric had also reached level 51, unlocking a new skill: Dragon Strike.

Reading the description, I found it was something like a finishing move that increased the damage of a single blow by 700%.

'Now that's what I'm talking about.'

It was in a completely different league from crude skills like Slash or Thrust. An SSS-grade summon really was something else.

“Cedric.”

“Did you call, Master?”

“Why aren't you turning into that golden skeleton you were before? You're missing the style.”

Summons usually changed appearance as they leveled up. Cedric, however, hadn't changed much. His bones hadn't begun to gleam gold, nor had he suddenly grown larger. At most, the spear in his hand had become a little darker.

“... The Death Lord personally crafted that body for me. Leveling up will not restore it. That body disappeared long ago.”

“He made it himself? Out of what?”

“The bones of a Gold Dragon Lord. Those formed its framework.”

“Wow. You really were a silver-spoon skeleton.”

Not just a dragon, but a Dragon Lord. That sounded like a monster that would be hard even to encounter.

“Then he processed and attached the blood vessels of an Abyss Lord, and the feathers of a Seven-Colored Bird...”

“So, basically, he poured all sorts of stuff into you?”

“Correct. By contrast, I am now summoned without any particular medium. Naturally, the body is different.”

I understood.

“Not much I can do about that right now.”

“I understand. You currently lack any undead creation skills, Master. Even if you had them, slaying the monsters I just mentioned would be a distant prospect.”

“All right, then. I'll build you a proper body later. You trust your senior, right?”

“... I do.”

“Put these on.”

I tossed Cedric the Roar of the Barbarian Warrior set. Like the Reaper of Ruin set I wore, it was a Rare equipment set that would serve him very well until the next milestone, level 101.

“... Your equipment looks impressive, Master. Why does mine look like rags?”

Cedric grumbled at the hole-riddled leather armor.

“It's what those fierce barbarian warriors wore. Looks aside, it's top-quality stuff. Hurry up and put it on.”

“...”

Cedric donned the leather barbarian warrior set. With hole-riddled leather gear covering a skeletal body that already had gaps everywhere...

'He looks homeless.'

That was just how shabby he looked.

'As long as it works.'

I wasn't the one wearing it, anyway. Appearances didn't matter.

“Let's go.”

In a clearing deep within the forest...

[The boss of Ulpaulu Forest, Thunder Priest Ulparu, appears!]

“Oooo!”

A giant gorilla stared at the skeleton army. In its hand was a purple staff crackling with electricity.

The Thunder Staff. An item with an extremely low chance of dropping when Ulparu was slain. Its effect amplified the power of lightning magic.

OOO-OOO!

Visibly agitated, Ulparu pointed the Thunder Staff at the skeleton army.

CRACKLE!

Lightning swirled above the staff.

[Ulparu casts Thunder Smash (E)!]

An enormous blast of lightning swept toward the skeletons. The skeletons of before would have been helpless against that barrage.

But things were different now.

[Skeleton Mage 1 activates Shield (F)!]

[Skeleton Mage 2 activates Shield (F)...]

[Skeleton Mage 150 activates Shi...]

A dazzling display of Shield spells cast by no fewer than 150 mages! Thunder Smash struck the overlapping barriers, which shone such an intense blue that it hurt to look at them.

BOOM!

HISSS...

Haze rose into the air.

Even so, only about a third of the shields had shattered; the rest remained strong. The mages were only level 1, but their equipment was top-quality gear good enough to last all the way to level 40. Their magic had grown considerably stronger as well. Blocking the boss monster's attack wasn't particularly difficult.

“Let the hunt begin.”

[Skeleton Mage 151 uses Ice Bolt (F)!]

[Skeleton Mage 157 uses Small Poison Cloud (F)!]

.

.

The remaining 150 mages launched offensive spells. Magic rained in from every direction, striking Ulparu's body.

Cedric charged the flustered gorilla.

“Stab and kill!”

[Cedric uses Dragon Strike (S)!]

His pitch-black spear slammed into Ulparu's body.

BOOM!

“Oooo!”

The tremendous impact drove Ulparu backward in jolts. As the gorilla screamed in pain, skeleton soldiers had already surrounded it.

CLATTER!

The soldiers stabbed and slashed its body. From a distance, spells rained down by the hundreds, whittling away Ulparu's health. Being a boss monster didn't make it invincible.

Ulparu was rapidly being brought down.

'I don't even need to join in.'

It was only an E-rank gate boss. Cedric and the equipped soldiers were more than enough to handle it. Ulparu did fight back with bursts of lightning, but it couldn't turn the tide.

[The gate boss, Ulparu, falls!]

[The skeleton unit's combat experience increases greatly! Level rises to 17...]

[The skeleton mage unit's combat experience increases greatly...]

[Level up...]

I jumped from level 51 to 55 in one go. The skeleton unit reached level 17, while the mages shot straight from level 1 to 10.

“Done.”

Time taken to kill the boss: fifteen minutes.

Auto-battle was a success.

Just then, the staff clutched tightly in Ulparu's hand fell limply to the ground.

'Huh?'

Normally, it would disappear in smoke.

'The staff dropped here?'

It remained on the ground without disappearing.

“Is today seriously my lucky day?”

An item with a 1% drop rate had dropped just like that.

Fucking sweet.

I picked up the Thunder Staff.

[Ulparu's Thunder Staff]

[Grade: Rare]

[Class Restriction: Mage]

[Required Level: 10 or higher]

[Effect 1. Lightning magic damage increased by 20%.]

[Effect 2. Allows use of Static Cloud (E).]

[Effect 3. Magic Power +20, Vitality +10.]

All that performance, with such a low level requirement. Sure enough, there was a reason it cost so much. It was a premium item that was hard to find even if you had the money.

“Mage One. Come here.”

Mage number one, otherwise known as Mage One. At my call, Skeleton Mage 1 came scurrying over.

“Use this from now on. It's expensive, so don't lose it.”

CLATTER!

[You hand over a valuable item!]

[Skeleton Mage 1 rejoices in its master's favor!]

[It can be appointed commander of the skeleton mage corps!]

[Would you like to appoint Mage One as commander?]

“Huh?”

I'd handed out plenty of decent equipment to the skeletons already, but this was the first message of its kind.

“Cedric. I got a message about appointing Mage One as commander. Know anything about that?”

“It was the same with the Death Lord's army. A favored few undead would hold positions.”

“So it pops up if I give them expensive stuff?”

“Not for an ordinary necromancer. Skeletons have no real capacity to learn. Nor do they have much in the way of emotions.”

“Why can't you understand a simple question? I'm asking if it pops up when I give them expensive stuff.”

“... Probably. However, the number of positions you can appoint is limited, so choose carefully.”

I more or less understood. The standard-issue equipment I'd handed out to the skeletons had all been Magic-grade items. This time, however, I'd given out Rare gear—and a premium item worth three billion won at that. That was probably the threshold for 'favor.'

“All right. You're a commander, then.”

[Mage One is appointed commander!]

[Mage One's learning ability increases dramatically!]

At that instant, Mage One snapped off a crisp salute.

'Oh.'

Did it seem a little smarter?

“That's pretty effective.”

I rummaged through my inventory and took out a suitable Rare item.

“Skelly One, you come here too.”

I called Skeleton Soldier 1—skeleton number one, otherwise known as Skelly One—and handed it the Rare item I'd dug out of my inventory.

“I'll give you something nice too.”

[You hand over a valuable item!]

[Skeleton 1 rejoices in its master's favor!]

[It can be appointed commander of the skeleton corps!]

[Would you like to appoint Skelly One as commander?]

“You're a commander too.”

[Skelly One is appointed commander!]

[Skelly One's learning ability increases dramatically!]

CLATTER!

Skelly One gave an energetic salute.

[The unit's command structure is complete!]

[Unit Level: Inexperienced Skeleton Unit]

[Commander-in-Chief: Cedric]

[Commanders: Skelly One, Mage One]

[The unit's movements become slightly more coordinated!]

Skelly One and Mage One promptly ran over to Cedric and saluted.

“Ah. So you are the newly appointed commanders. I look forward to working with you.”

CLATTER!

I let out a disbelieving chuckle at the two skeletons rubbing their palms together at Cedric as though trying to butter him up.

'Well, there's no harm in them getting smarter.'

I called over a few more skeletons and tried giving them Rare items. Unfortunately...

[The unit is very small!]

[You cannot appoint any more commanders!]

I couldn't appoint any more.

'Well, getting those two alone is a win.'

Around the time I'd finished gathering a few miscellaneous drops from Ulparu, messages appeared.

[Gate clear rewards are granted!]

[You have fulfilled a special condition!]

[You possess the Old Necklace!]

[Osiris's Provision is granted!]

Along with the messages came a gem shaped like a dragon.

[Unusual Gem]

[Grade: ??]

[A gem that looks as though it would fit perfectly into a socket.]

[Effect 1. Something special may happen if it is inserted somewhere.]

I had acquired the Unusual Gem. I immediately inserted the little gem into the necklace's socket.

[The Old Necklace begins to activate!]

[Mysterious Necklace]

[Grade: ??]

[A necklace through which a mysterious power has begun to flow.]

[Effect 1. Can open a passage connected to a special gate (D). You may be able to undertake Osiris's Provision there.]

[Effect 2. This gate has an entry limit of one person.]

'It's a hidden gate item?'

Ordinary gates were known to the public and open for entry. Anyone with government permission could enter and leave freely. Some gates, however, were hidden away, inaccessible unless you found something that connected to them.

Those were generally called hidden gates.

“Nice.”

Hidden gates had plenty of advantages. For starters, there was no need to leave an entry record, making them perfect for growing stronger in secret.

'And of course, the rewards are much better too.'

They weren't without drawbacks, though. Unlike ordinary gates, which remained open no matter how many times they were cleared, most hidden gates were one-use only. Clear one, and it closed. Perhaps for that reason, they were considerably harder than other gates of the same rank and had plenty of mechanics.

The problem was not knowing how to clear them. What monsters would appear? What would the map be like? How would the mechanics work?

You were completely in the dark. Charging in blindly with nothing but rewards on your mind was a perfect way to get a taste of hell.

'I'd better prepare first.'

Clearing a hidden gate usually returned you to wherever you'd used its medium. If you used the necklace at home to open a hidden gate and entered it, you would emerge back at home.

What if I used this item here? Naturally, clearing it would bring me back to Ulpaulu Forest. The problem was that I'd killed Lee Seoyun here. Shadow would probably learn of her death before long.

And then? They would search for the culprit. The net would gradually close in.

'I can't stay here too long.'

It wasn't time to let Shadow pick up my trail yet. So, first, I would head back. Activating the gate could wait until afterward.