How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 113: Tag, You’re It

—Whoosh!

A strong wave erupted in the distance—so intense that the force alone made my hair flutter.

Hm.

I narrowed my eyes.

The poison seemed to have seeped into her, but now the real challenge began. She had to be struggling with the neurotoxin and hallucinatory poison the old man and I concocted. I had to find her before she managed to escape.

I closed my narrowed eyes completely.

—Vwoom!

At the same time, I activated the Great Blue Heart Technique. The energy radiating from my body spread outward, like fish swimming through the sea, navigating the space. As if imbued with life, it sought Floa, trying to find her.

Damn it. It’s so noisy.

Usually, when the Great Blue Heart Technique was used, it was easy to pinpoint the location of an opponent with energy. But Floa’s energy was different from that of regular hunters.

What is she, Robin Hood?

Her presence seemed to scatter in all directions, mocking me with its chaotic movements—as if daring me to guess which was real. And that wasn’t all.

—Kaboom! Krrr-boom!

I started to understand why her title was Thundercry. Even though she was just probing, the deafening roars assaulted my eardrums as if to make them burst. Had this been a direct battle instead of a game of tag, I probably wouldn’t have been able to fight in peak condition due to the noise alone.

“That poison trick of yours was pretty clever, I’ll give you that,” her voice echoed from all directions. “But if you thought that alone would catch me, you’re sorely mistaken.”

—Crash! Kaboom!

Lightning struck from all directions. Everything except the ground directly below me cracked and trembled as if an earthquake had occurred.

“Lad, don’t be scared. You know that girl can’t strike you directly.”

I know. I really do, but…

“Enough whining. It’s 45 degrees to your right. Run, now!”

What? Yes, sir!

I couldn’t find her on my own. I had to admit it—the gap between me and a ranker was incomprehensibly vast.

Honestly, though, none of that mattered since I had the old man standing firm by my side. His strength was also my fortuitous opportunity and my weapon.

“As your teacher, I can’t tolerate you losing after making a bet. You must win at all costs.”

Yes, I’ll definitely win. You’re guiding me after all.

—Whoosh!

I launched myself forward, kicking off the ground with all my might. I sprinted wildly through the cracked rocks and shattered trees.

“Hup!”

Some debris struck me bluntly, and others scraped my skin, but I didn’t slow down. I planted my feet even harder.

I have to go faster. I can heal up later.

It had been a while since I felt this fired up. I was filled with determination. Yeah. I didn’t know why, but overcoming difficult situations like this made me feel alive. My body felt vibrant and energized.

“Hey! She’s veering to the right. Adjust your angle slightly. Good! A bit more! Keep going!”

I didn’t have to think. I just ran in the direction the old man directed.

“That’s it! Keep going! You’re closing the gap!”

I squinted and focused on the path ahead. Dodging obstacles, I concentrated solely on running.

—Thwick!

A sharp stone grazed my cheek, drawing blood.

This feels fascinating.

Was this what they called being in the zone? The sharp debris scattering everywhere moved as if in slow motion, like rewinding a tape. And my body felt as if I were floating in zero gravity. Moments stretched into what felt like an eternity.

Hey, guys, stop treasure hunting and come here.

I swung the staff in my hand and summoned my skeletons.

Come help me out. Surround the area.

“My lord!”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

“Master!”

—Creak!

The skeletons, who had been working in the distance, quickly approached. As if they understood my emotions completely within that short moment, they nodded and spread out in all directions.

“H-How the hell is this bastard tracking me? Did you turn on some kind of map hack?” Floa’s flustered voice rang out. “N-No! This won’t do! What are these skeletons? Why are they so persistent? And why are there so many?”

The voice that had echoed from all directions now came solely from ahead of me. She was just within reach.

The situation was clear now. Honestly, at this point, finishing this was as easy as taking candy from a baby.

“Hehe, do you see now?” the old man chuckled with satisfaction. “She’s helpless because she has no resistance to the poison. Even I struggled greatly against this unique mix back in my prime. It’ll only get worse over time. I bet she’s seeing ten of you by now.”

And that wasn’t all—my skeletons now filled the entire area. All my subordinates minus Demir were summoning even more of their own. The skeletons packed the space tightly, exuding an overwhelming presence. It was as if they’d built a web to ensure that not even an ant could escape. With over 60 skeletons in total, it probably looked like there were over 600 to Floa.

And then…

—Shrrrkk!

The staff in my hand transformed into a spear. As expected of a godslayer-rank weapon, the energy radiating from it was extraordinary.

“Floa!”

Wherever you’re hiding, there’s nowhere left for you to escape. Your only way out is to kill me, but both you and I know there’s no need to go that far.

I can feel it.

Now that I was this close, I could sense Floa’s location. She was overwhelmed by the illusion and neurotoxins, unable to maintain her energy properly.

“Stop struggling and come out,” I called out to her. “I can detoxify you. Why put yourself through this?”

—Zap!

At that moment, electricity crackled in the air.

“Fuck!” Finally, Floa revealed herself, glaring at me. “You… What the hell are you? What have you been doing to yourself to be able to pull something like this…!”

She looked exhausted. Her entire body had turned bluish-green.

“And what’s with this poison? Is this the same stuff you endured inside the poison mist? Ugh! Ptoo! Cough, cough!” She coughed violently, spitting blood.

“Is that even a question? This is far worse. Come here.” I approached her and placed my hand on her shoulder.

—Vwoom!

At the same time, I circulated my ki, releasing the stored detoxifying poison which I received from the poison mist.

“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing?!”

“Shut up. I’m detoxifying you.”

“Urgh!” Floa bit her lip in pain.

Impressive, indeed.

Was it the poison fog that was incredible? Or was it the formula the old man taught me? Honestly, I couldn’t help but be amazed at the fact that the neurotoxin was effective even against a high-ranking ranker.

I’ve really grown stronger.

I could feel it now. Once I fully absorbed the rewards from Delilah’s trials and returned to the world…

I’m 100% guaranteed to become a ranker.

I was confident I could stand on equal ground with those I once thought were as mighty as mountains.

—Vwoom! Vwoom!

The poison I released worked instantly. Floa’s bluish skin gradually returned to normal, and her complexion soon regained its vitality.

“Phew!” she gasped. “Haah… I feel like I can finally breathe.”

“Are you okay?”

“Okay? I almost died, you bastard. Damn it. Is this real? Me? The great Floa? Losing to a participant?”

“It seems so.” I smirked, looking at her. “Remember? The bet?”

“…What the hell.” Floa shuddered.

It seemed she thought I would let it slide.

I smiled faintly. “Don’t worry too much. I don’t need anything right now.”

Later, when the time came, I’d make use of it.

“But surely, as a ranker, you won’t go back on your word? If you plan to, just tell me now.”

“…Damn it. And if I do?”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

It was true—the bet was just a verbal agreement between Floa and me, so there was no legal force nor obligation. Honestly, if she decided to shrug it off and tell me to get lost, there was nothing I could do.

“However, if I become a ranker, every time I think of Floa from Germany, I’ll remember her as a low-class jerk who doesn’t honor her promises. I wouldn’t look at you positively, at the very least.”

“…What?”

That was my way of asserting myself. I was basically telling her, “I’m going to be somebody big, so if you want to make me your enemy now, go ahead and do what you want.”

And surprisingly, it seemed to work.

“…”

Her expression turned serious, unlike anything before. Floa appeared to be genuinely contemplating.

“F-Fine.”

“What?”

“Fine! Later, I’ll take on whatever you request in the future, but only once. Happy now?!”

A request, huh? For now, that was more than enough. Just being able to influence a ranker as high as Rank 84 was a huge gain.

“Anyway, let’s talk about this after you survive the trial! Take your reward, you damn asshole. Ugh, just thinking about the penalties I’ll get because of you…” Grumbling under her breath, Floa waved her hand.

—Ring!

[Judge ‘Floa’ has opened the ‘Shop.’]

[The currency for this shop is trial points.]

[Each item is limited to one per person.]

[Warning!]

[This is the final shop, so make sure to use up all your points.]

The special reward shop opened, just like in Theme 1.

[List – 10/10]

[1. Grade B Distance-Shortening Scroll – 1,000 Points]

[2. Grade A Distance-Shortening Scroll – 3,000 Points]

[3. Grade S Distance-Shortening Scroll – 5,000 Points]

[4. Grade B Distance-Lengthening Scroll – 1,000 Points]

[5. Grade A Distance-Lengthening Scroll – 3,000 Points]

[6. Grade S Distance-Lengthening Scroll – 5,000 Points]

[7. Elixir – 10,000 Points]

[8. Grade S Random Box – 30,000 Points]

[9. Root of the World Tree – 50,000 Points]

[10. Wish-Granting Scroll – 100,000 Points]

“Hm?”

My eyes darted across the list. It was the same 10-item structure as before.

“Distance shortening? Distance-Lengthening Scroll?”

What are those? I furrowed my brows.

“Haah,” Floa sighed. “You’ve already claimed the special reward. At this point, the game’s practically over.”

“What are those?”

“Distance-Shortening Scrolls shorten the remaining distance to the tower by a percentage. Normally, you’d have to uncover clues and treasures to get them. But hey, if you’re strong enough to force a judge to open the shop, does the trial even matter anymore?”

Oh. So that’s what it was? It wasn’t about walking but finding treasures to gain hints and use the Distance-Shortening Scrolls.

“So what’s a Distance-Lengthening Scroll?”

“Distance-Lengthening Scrolls increase the distance for other teams instead. Those ones are only sold in the shop.”

“Huh.”

“Think carefully before buying. One last warning—shops are only available until Theme 2. After that, they’re gone. Hoarding trial points after this is meaningless.”

“…Is that so?”

I glanced at my remaining trial points.

[Current trial points: 1,314,500]

During the walk, the skeletons must have rummaged around and found countless relics. Added to my previous points, I had accumulated a staggering 1.3 million points. In other words, I could afford everything. There was no need to hesitate.

“Alright, give me everything.”

“Of course. I figured you’d say that. This guy.” Floa shook her head.