Yeon-hee immediately summoned Zombie No. 1 and No. 2 along with ‘Chehwa.’
“Guwaaaaah—”
We were now accustomed to the sight of zombies, but what about Noh Ha-yoon?
“Hehe— this is amazing… Hoo-hoo.”
“……?”
Unexpectedly, Noh Ha-yoon showed no disgust towards the zombies; instead, she actively approached them and examined them closely.
Ugh… Having to look at that dripping mess, her stomach must be strong. Of course, I can’t really say anything about that.
Thinking back, Noh Ha-yoon didn’t seem to have any aversion towards me either. Guess it’s because we had some intense physical contact from the start.
“Gu…?!”
Noh Ha-yoon’s enthusiasm seemed to bewilder the zombies, making them retreat awkwardly. They’re not supposed to act like that…
“Is your name Chehwa? How did you come up with such a pretty name? Kyaa!”
She also showed great interest in the specter flickering like smoke; upon being praised by Noh Ha-yoon, Yeon-hee cleared her throat while covering her mouth with her fist.
“Our Chehwa is a bit pretty, isn’t she? Hmm.”
“Really!”
Noh Ha-yoon was behaving quite appropriately for her age.
When I first saw her, she seemed more aggressive and unpredictable, but was there a turning point that changed her personality in the meantime?
– Wow, it’s Noh Ha-yoon. Looks like she’s finally going to the second floor. She’s really cute.
– Huh? This isn’t the usual party. Everyone’s different except for that guy.
– That’s the summoner Lee Yeon-hee, you idiot. She’s probably stronger than the existing members.
– Come on, you’re saying she’s stronger than people who’ve been assistants for years? That’s ridiculous.
As expected, once Ha-yoon joined, the attention level skyrocketed. People began to gather around us, and while it was expected, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant situation.
Boom─!
As the commotion around grew, Yeom Tae-seok drove his thick mace into the ground, glancing around.
The heavy sound made other hunters hesitate to come closer, keeping their distance while gossiping about our party.
“Hmm— shall we head out?”
“Yes!”
Since there was no reason to delay, we set off on the B route, which was the most normal path.
This was a road we decided on beforehand, as it was evaluated to bring out a balanced variety of monsters in this dungeon.
– Ughhhh…
– Clatter, clatter…
About five minutes after departure.
Ear-piercing screams echoed continuously from somewhere, complemented by the sound of bones clattering together, almost like a side effect of the screaming.
“This is like an upgraded version of the old school. Argh— it’s so annoying.”
Joo-ah said with a hint of irritation, and it was statistically known that such sounds gnawed at hunters’ mental strength.
The frequent discord among party members in this place was also due to these effects.
“Even if you’re angry, please bear with it. Words have life in them, and once uttered, they come to life.”
The newly joined Yeom Tae-seok respectfully cautioned Bae Joo-ah. I deeply resonated with his words, and Joo-ah quickly recognized her mistake and apologized with a bow.
Only I noticed the corners of Yeom Tae-seok’s mouth slightly rise at that sight.
“Hehe, even if I’m quite a bit older, we’re on the same level, so you don’t have to treat me like an old man.”
“Same… level? You’re joking.”
Joo-ah smiled wryly and looked at Yeom Tae-seok. He briefly met Noh Ha-yoon’s gaze, and when she raised her eyebrows slightly, he shrugged.
‘… Are we being evaluated?’
It felt like that, but there was no reason for them to judge us. It was puzzling.
Anyway, the first battle approached swiftly.
A squad of ten skeletons. To be precise, it should have been called a squad of forty skeletons.
The mass constituted of forty skeleton soldiers, grouped by type, hastily formed up and stormed towards us without hesitation as soon as they spotted us.
There were some skeleton soldiers wielding swords or spears, while others held swords and shields.
Those carrying only shields were the skeleton infantry, and there were also archers already nocking arrows in the back.
Fortunately, there were no sight of mages, cavalry, or giants.
Boom- Crash!!
The front lines, led by the shield-wielders, collided head-on with the front lines of our summoned creatures, causing sparks to fly everywhere.
Whoosh—
At the moment of impact, Yeon-hee surprisingly summoned additional creatures behind their formation, creating an encirclement.
“Ice Field…!”
Szzzzzzz—!
Noh Ha-yoon’s magic spread, freezing all forty skeletons trapped within our summoned creatures.
Some of them were so completely frozen that they would shatter with just a light touch.
The power was strong, and the range was absurdly wide compared to last time.
‘That artifact is way too OP.’
An artifact that significantly amplifies the power and range of ice-type spells. The effect is straightforward, but it often turns out to be more efficient when it is simple.
Today seemed to be the day we would ride the bus of Noh Ha-yoon.
It was truly overwhelming.
“Wow~ Is she a monster?”
Even Bae Joo-ah, who had experienced dungeons together several times, couldn’t help but marvel at the change in Noh Ha-yoon’s abilities.
Noh Ha-yoon showed a somewhat bitter smile in response to that reaction and didn’t hold back her abilities.
The skeleton soldiers, whose lower bodies were frozen to the ground by the extensive ice magic, flailed their arms, while Yeom Tae-seok and the other hunters quickly battered them down with their blunt weapons.
Crash—!
I moved to the back to focus my attacks primarily on the skeleton archers and spearmen, dealing with them by forcefully stabbing my dagger into the core where the brains are located.
However, due to the nature of the dagger, it wasn’t the most suitable weapon for taking down skeleton-type undead, so it wasn’t very efficient.
There were some that took several strikes to break their heads. It seemed more efficient to smash them with my fists, but that wouldn’t count toward the quest.
‘I heard I have to wait several more days for the great sword…’
In the middle of the battle, I took out the club I had been using since the beginning and swung it once, but surprisingly, the damage was significant.
Crash—!
‘Thanks to the dungeon buff, even this piece-of-junk club can deal some damage.’
Of course, they were relatively weak monsters since we were just starting out, but it was enough to feel the buffs I received.
The only regret was that I would have to switch back to the dagger to complete the quest. The impact of the club lingered in my mind, leaving a bitter taste.
Yeon-hee had been contacting the workshop where she commissioned the great sword every day, asking them to speed up the production. Fortunately, she heard that it could be finished a few days earlier, but it would still take at least three more days.
Since there were still dagger or elemental quests, that much was sufficient.
“Rock Sphere!”
Crunch—!
Bae Joo-ah’s rock magic allowed us to swiftly subdue the thirty skeleton soldiers.
This dungeon was exceptionally efficient for Joo-ah as well. With many skeleton types vulnerable to blunt attacks, rock magic fit that role well.
On the other hand, the orc apprentice sorcerer summoned earlier (Dotti No. 10) was still struggling to grasp its abilities.
Sahara—
It should be able to either raise the ground or manipulate soil to create something. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Plus, there was no one to teach them, so they’d have to go through trial and error for the time being.
The battle was unexpectedly easy, with the summoned creatures tirelessly gathering shattered bone fragments, bringing them to me.
‘Wang-wang will be happy.’
Nowadays, Wang-wang was producing mana stones worth over thirty thousand won a day just from its tail. In a month, that’s nearly ten million won— a golden goose laying golden eggs.
Moreover, it seemed to realize that I was the one feeding it; lately, it even rubbed against me cutely, acting affectionately.
‘What a cute little one.’
If only a few more could be summoned when the low-grade summoning book came out, it would have been much better both materially and mentally. Such a pity.
“Hoh… I can’t believe such a thing is possible. The efficiency seems very good.”
“I told you, it’s no joke.”
“Mm—”
Yeom Tae-seok, forgetting even to tend to his mace, stared at the summoned creatures, chatting with Noh Ha-yoon.
Seeing them talk comfortably, they must be quite close.
Yeom Tae-seok had an expression of deep interest in the summoned creatures tidying up the monsters, and he occasionally met my gaze. No, stop staring at me, you old man.
=====
Lower Skeleton Soldier Bone
– Attack +18
=====
As expected, these low-tier monsters didn’t yield much attack power even if turned into bombs. The bones of the orc low-rank warriors were of better quality.
We quickly gathered the bones and set out again.
“Um, can I stand in the front with this guy?”
“Huh? Uh… What about Ha-yoon?”
“Ha-yoon will manage just fine by herself. Just a few lizardmen beside her will suffice.”
Yeom Tae-seok asked A-rin and Yeon-hee if he could stand at the front with me. Yeon-hee said it was fine, and in the end, we stood side by side at the front.
“Hmm… Skeleton soldiers… I hear they’re a special summon with intellect, is that correct?”
As soon as he came beside me, Yeom Tae-seok started questioning.
I nodded lightly, and he widened his eyes, chuckling heartily. Despite being middle-aged, that laughter carried an innocent youthfulness.
‘I like this old man.’
He was my personal favorite kind— no holier-than-thou attitude, just a person who knows how to uphold what must be upheld.
Moreover, his skills were exceptional, and during battles, he actively looked for ways to enhance our experience points over his own gain, which showed he was dedicated to fulfilling his role as a helper.
“I heard you’re also acting as a guide?”
“Tap, tap, tap.”
“Hahaha, that’s truly impressive. The world doesn’t seem like it’s going to end anytime soon.”
He chatted with me as we moved, and I nodded quietly at times or occasionally clicked my teeth to share conversation with him.
His demeanor didn’t disturb my concentration, allowing me to enjoy the fun of being in a dungeon after becoming a skeleton.
It would have been nice if it proceeded smoothly, but we encountered quite a large group during our second battle.
Cheok—
I spread my arms, and all the summoned creatures and my party came to a halt.
“………”
In a moment where the howling wind and screams held their breath, what caught my senses was a horde of over a hundred ghouls.
Ghouls, known for retaining the advantages of zombies while overcoming their weaknesses, weren’t as slow and had good stamina— plus, they swung their attacks with intention, layering passive paralysis effects, making them quite a hassle to deal with.
