Chapter 98. An Ownerless Room (2)
Number 1 flinched in shock, his hollow sockets meeting Eun-Ho’s eyes. “C-Captain?”
The idea of dismantling bones and then reassembling them was startling enough. However, what truly surprised Eun-Ho was that the bones, once dismantled, were recognized as an item.
Ding!
[You have acquired Skeleton Soldier Number 1’s Skull.]
[Skeleton Soldier Number 1’s Skull]
- The freshly claimed skull of a Skeleton Soldier.
- It might serve as a decorative piece.
“Store,” said Eun-Ho.
[The Skeleton Soldier Number 1’s Skull has been stored!]
The system confirmed that he could actually store the bones as items.
Clatter! Crack! Clatter!
[You have acquired Skeleton Soldier Number 1’s Collarbone.]
[You have acquired Skeleton Soldier Number 1’s Rib Bone.]
Which means I can take them with me wherever I go!
Since they were painstakingly created, their potential uses were enormous. Their stats were still low, and their physique fragile, but they had one overwhelming advantage: immortality.
Even if their limbs broke, they could simply be reattached. With no fear of death, they could fight enemies far stronger than themselves. They required no food or drink either.
Now, as he had just confirmed, their stats could even grow.
If I bring them along, they’ll be a huge asset to my combat power.
There was, however, one problem.
Rattle! Rattle! Crack! Clatter!
They drew far too much attention from ordinary people, and from the Eye above as well. Worse yet, those who inherited Iro’s research could notice and impose sanctions.
It’d be best to hide them somewhere safe until things quiet down.
He was looking for a place without watchful eyes.
For example, like the unused Beginner Swordsmanship classroom.
“Activate,” Eun-Ho commanded.
[You have activated the Beginner Swordsmanship Class audit pass.]
[The Door has opened.]
Fwoosh—!
In the cluttered laboratory, crammed with preserved organs and disordered tools, a door appeared between the display shelves.
The Skeletons Soldiers, startled, twisted their heads with a grinding noise.
“Do you want to leave?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Yes! We’re sick of these experiments!” one cried.
“It might be dangerous out there,” Eun-Ho warned, asking them just in case they wouldn’t regret it later.
“We’ll follow only you, Captain!”
“Until our bones wear away!”
“... Alright then,” Eun-Ho said.
The Skeleton Soldiers clenched their fists in a strangely solemn show of loyalty.
Click.
Eun-Ho turned the cold handle and opened the door. Beyond it stretched a familiar scene, with soft, billowing mist drifting in the air.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“Yes, Captain!” the Skeletons answered.
***
Wooong—! Fwooosh!
Inside the capsule, Eun-Ho spun around violently like clothes tumbling in a washing machine, before vanishing without a trace.
“W-What?! Noonim! He just... Hyungnim just disappeared!” Jae-Hyuk cried, his jaw dropping as he flailed in panic.
However, Ji-Eun remained calm. “He said he’ll be fine.”
Eun-Ho was the kind of person who, if he said he could do something, he did it. Besides, if he couldn’t, he found another way. By now, she knew that if he said it was fine, then it truly was.
“Well, of course! Hyungnim must’ve checked everything before going!” Jae-Hyuk said quickly, nodding furiously.
“Right? I bet he’ll come back with some insane skill or a rare item again,” Ji-Eun answered.
While the two of them indulged in their hopeful speculations, the announcement system crackled to life once more.
Kzzzzt!
[Attention all Northriver survivors.]
“Huh?!”
“Another announcement?"
[An emergency maintenance of the project will begin at midnight today. Please gather at the waiting area near the entrance to Sky Island.]
“Emergency maintenance?!” Jae-Hyuk exclaimed.
“Ah... Maybe it’s because of that monster rampage earlier, don’t you think, Noonim?” he asked nervously.
Ji-Eun froze.
Was this really just an investigation into the monster? Would it end there? Or could it be that they would go after Eun-Ho, who had slain the beast and even fought that ragged-haired man? The thought made her uneasy.
Kzzzt!
[Once again, this is an announcement.]
[An emergency maintenance of the project will begin at midnight.]
[All survivors are required to gather at the entrance waiting area before midnight.]
The brightness drained from Ji-Eun’s face, replaced by a rigid, grim expression. This was bad because it was already past nine. Less than three hours remained until midnight, which meant Eun-Ho also had to return within that time.
“Noonim! What about Hyungnim?” Jae-Hyuk began.
“We have to let him know!” Ji-Eun cut in.
“Right!” he shouted.
There was no time to waste.
***
“Hmmm... So that’s it?” said a clueless student before walking out. “This is too easy.”
[The Basic Swordsmanship Class has ended.]
[The student has left.]
The classroom, now dark, lost its purpose the moment the student disappeared. Alone, the assistant instructor thought to himself.
How tedious...
[Student: Sun Ming (Evaluation: Low)]
- Strength: (Below Average)
- Intelligence: (Low)
- Charm: (Low)
Why are they all so worthless?
Those who could think had no strength. Those who could swing a sword had no brains. Besides, the rare ones who had both thought and muscle only wanted to proclaim themselves rulers of the world.
Every pitiful student only deepened the instructor’s thirst.
When did he begin to sense the flow of time? When did he begin to resent the mediocre students who occasionally wandered in?
Ding!
[A new student has entered.]
[The Beginner Swordsmanship Class is now active.]
“Lee Eun-Ho?”
“It’s been a while,” Eun-Ho murmured.
It made no sense. If the assistant instructor truly fought seriously, the boy would fall in a single exchange. He was but a fleeting existence, destined to vanish in an instant. Then why did the boy seem so significant all of the sudden? And why did the boy’s antics stir not irritation, but expectation?
Thud!
“Hmm?”
Eun-Ho dropped heavily to the dirt floor, then swung down the massive sack he carried on his back.
Thump!
He untied it and began to pour out its contents.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
Piles upon piles of bones spilled across the floor, forming a small mountain.
The assistant instructor froze. “What insane stunt are you trying to do this time?”
***
“Emergency maintenance scheduled. All survivors must gather at the Sky Island entrance waiting area before midnight. Don’t be late!”
Ji-Eun’s message carried a sharp urgency. Eun-Ho could almost picture her frowning slightly, lips pressed tight as she typed. She was probably muttering something like, “There’s less than three hours left!”
However, to him, that was more than enough time.
“There’s still plenty of time,” Eun-Ho said calmly.
After all, three hours out there meant one hundred and eighty hours in here. That meant more than a full week inside the Training Institute.
“Well then, shall we get started?” Eun-Ho muttered.
The words slipped out of habit, but he closed his mouth right after. The Skeleton Soldiers who usually answered him were all tucked away in his inventory.
Click!
He swung the heavy iron door wide open and walked inside, into that warped flow of time.
Fwoosh!
[You have entered the classroom.]
[The Basic Swordsmanship Class has begun.]
The familiar sign floated above the classroom that had become almost like a second home. He barely glanced at it anymore.
[Course Objectives (Lee Eun-Ho)]
1. Eliminate Rooted Enemies (1/100)
2. Eliminate Moving Enemies (19/50)
3. Eliminate Winged Enemies (0/10)
“Skeleton Soldier Number 1, assemble!”
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
A pile of bones poured onto the cold cavern floor, neatly sorted from Number 1 through Number 10.
This one’s a rib. And that’s the sternum.
Eun-Ho arranged the skull, then the cervical vertebrae, then the spine, ribcage, and sternum. Below that, he carefully lined up the limb bones, down to the tiny finger and toe bones.
Having item descriptions really makes this easier.
Then, he began fitting the bones together, piece by piece using his skill.
[You have activated Severing Muscle and Dislocating Bone(Lv. 1)!]
[You may dismantle the target’s bones and muscles at will.]
Click. Click. Click.
“Attach the pelvis to the spine... Then next up is...” Eun-Ho murmured.
“Captain! You can do it!” Number 1 rattled in encouragement.
Click, click, click, click...
“Femur’s in place. Where’s the kneecap?” Eun-Ho asked.
“Over here!”
“Ah, thanks. Alright, then tibia, fibula, ankle, and metatarsals...”
Click, click, click, click...
At last, he connected the ankle bones with the metatarsals and toes.
“Oooh!”
Number 1 rattled with excitement, as if reborn.
Clack!
“I can move just fine!” he declared, twisting himself.
He bent his knees, raised and lowered his legs, and even managed a few confident steps.
However, something caught Eun-Ho’s eye. “Hmm?”
The alignment was off.
“The legs aren’t even. The right one is shorter,” he said.
“Really?” Number 1 asked.
“Well that’s strange. The pelvis is placed correctly. Maybe you had trouble walking even before death?”
“Possibly...”
Because he had assembled it himself, the asymmetry was glaring. Of course, nothing would ever be perfectly symmetrical like a factory-made product, but it still bothered him.
“Let’s swap it,” Eun-Ho decided.
“What?”
“Severing Muscle and Dislocating Bone!”
[You have activated Severing Muscle and Dislocating Bone(Lv. 1)!]
Clatter! Clatter! Rattle.
Bones tumbled as Eun-Ho rummaged through the piles.
“C-Captain?!” Number 1 yelped in alarm.
Finally, Eun-Ho pulled out another culprit, a mismatched tibia from Soldier Number 9.
“There it is.”
Number 9’s Skull, lying nearby, rattled in protest. “T-that’s my leg!”
“You two switch.”
“Huh?”
Eun-Ho took both tibias, swapped them, and clicked them back into place.
Snap!
“Try running,” Eun-Ho ordered.
Clatter! Clatter!
“Oooh! It’s much better!” Number 1 shouted in excitement.
“Yeah! I-I can’t believe it!” Number 9 muttered.
Then so began an impromptu bone assembly workshop. One by one, Skeleton Soldiers were reassembled on the cavern floor, each moving more smoothly than before.
Crack!
“Number 5, your pelvis was way out of alignment. I fixed it, but don’t you dare lean on one leg again.”
“No more leaning...”
Craaaack! Crack! Clatter!
“Number 7, your rounded shoulders were terrible. Didn’t they hurt?”
“Rounded shoulder... Huh?”
“I straightened them for now, but they’ll slip back. So keep your posture straight.”
“Keep my posture straight... Okay.”
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
What looked less like a battlefield and more like a physical therapy clinic unfolded in the dungeon.
Ding!
Then, another series of system announcements greeted him.
[Congratulations!]
[You have achieved the world’s first milestone, Bone Customization!]
Huh? Bone Customization?
The phrase was so absurd, Eun-Ho thought he’d misheard it. However, it didn’t stop there.
[Achievement reward has been unlocked. You have acquired the title Chiropractor of Death.]
A chiropractor?
[Would you like to check the effects of the title, Chiropractor of Death?]
“Yes.”
[Customized targets feel lighter!]
[Movement Speed has been increased by 10%]
[Fatigue Recovery Speed has been increased by 10%]
[Defense has been increased by 10%]
[Duration: 7 days]
So now I’m even doing chiropractic work.
He exhaled slowly. Just how far did this customization extend? Could it even be applied to the living? He had plenty of questions, but for now he twisted Number 7’s arm sharply into place.
I better finish what I started.
Clatter! Crack! Crack! Crack!
“Gyaaah!” the Skeleton shrieked.
“Hm?” Eun-Ho tilted his head.
It shouldn’t hurt because Skeletons had dulled senses. Even when he used the Severing Muscle and Dislocating Bone skill, they normally didn’t feel pain.
As he wondered why, another message appeared.
[Note: It does, in fact, hurt.]
Eun-Ho froze and Number 7 trembled violently in his grip. A Skeleton that feared neither pain nor death was shivering in terror because of his hands.
He felt a twinge of guilt, but pressed on.
“C-Captain! It hurts too much!” Number 7 wailed.
“Endure it,” Eun-Ho said firmly.
Crack! Clatter! Crack!
“Gyaaaaaah!”
After all, pain was part of growth. It always had been.