How to Raise Your Skeletons

“Huff, huff!”

“Huff, huff!”

The second floor of the workshop was filled with two sounds: the ringing of hammers and my labored breathing.

This is no joke.

This production was completely different from the last one. Using mithril for the first time, Demir was meticulously focused, and I also poured all my concentration into the process.

Jang Daewoong is like a force of nature, like Zhang Fei standing at the Changban Bridge.

I imagined the formidable warrior from The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. One of the greatest generals, Zhang Fei, roared in defiance against tens of thousands of enemies, wielding his mighty spear.

“Wonderful! Your world has warriors as magnificent as you!” Demir shouted.

The gauntlet we were crafting was infused with the fierce spirit of such valor.

—Clang!

Demir struck the mithril with all his might, the hammer channeling a mystical energy that slowly melted and coated the metal.

Golden sparks flew with every hammer strike, and the mithril spread evenly under the force. Little did Demir realize how astonishing this process would be to other production hunters.

Demir worked as if possessed, savoring each strike of the hammer.

“Ho! Zhang Fei, was it? Such a fearless and mighty warrior! Even for a madman’s weapon, courage is always necessary!” Demir grinned widely. “Oh? What is this now?”

He was astonished again as I conjured the image of another warrior.

“Another figure from that place? Ah, Master! The one carrying a child and fighting off tens of thousands—what is his name?”

“That’s Zhao Yun, another legendary figure from our world’s history.”

When I thought of characters who would suit the Berserker, I found myself recalling childhood memories of The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I wasn’t sure whether they were real or fictional, but the courageous impression of these two warriors in my memory was enough. All I needed was to convey the essence of their power.

“Incredible, Master! The resolve of those two warriors reminds me of when Eldrin and I fought against the Giant Magic Dragon!”

“Yeah, that’s about right.”

Demir sang his labor song with each hammer strike, like a farmer singing as they worked the fields.

I chimed in with enthusiasm, cheering him on.

“Good! And if we mix in ten more insane weapons with this? We’ll have the perfect weapon for the most fearless madman in the world!”

[Item: Fist of the Giant Warrior God]

[Rank: A]

[Type: Blueprint]

[Description: A blueprint for crafting the ‘Fist of the Giant Warrior God.’]

[Effect 1: Allows the crafting of the ‘Fist of the Giant Warrior God.’]

[Effect 2: Requires 200 iron ingots, 20 silver ingots, and 2 mithril ingots.]

[Effect 3: Possesses excellent performance due to the complex crafting process.]

The Fist of the Giant Warrior God. I wondered how this creation, reborn through my and Demir’s hands, would turn out to be.

“Master!” Demir shouted triumphantly, delivering one of the final strikes.

“What is it?”

“Just a little more! We’re almost there!”

[Completion rate: 98%]

The status window floating in the air showed 98%. Demir was right. We were nearly finished. After fourteen nights of effort, the end of this long journey was finally in sight.

I focused even more, drawing upon my Great Blue Heart Technique to enhance my concentration.

“Master!”

“Now what?”

“I don’t think this will be called Fist of the Giant Warrior God!”

“Then what?”

“Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God!”

“Huh?”

I froze for a moment, my intense focus interrupted.

What? All of a sudden, its name is going to change to the Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God*? Was this real? It felt like the genre of our work had suddenly shifted.

*TL/N: The original name is ‘거신병(巨神兵)의 주먹’ (Fist of the Giant Warrior God) when Demir decides to change the name to ‘거병신(巨兵神)의 주먹’ (Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God). What changed is that in Korean the 2nd letter and 3rd letter have been swapped, and 병신 means a derogatory term to address the mentally handicapped.

“I don’t know why, but as we near completion, the name appeared on its own. Ha! Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God—a name as crazy as the weapon itself!”

—Thud.

Demir stopped hammering, the process halting because I had stopped channeling my energy.

“Master? Why did you stop?”

“No, is this for real?”

“Is there… something wrong?”

“No, but…” I wiped away the sweat that trickled down my forehead.

Was our second VIP-exclusive weapon going to be called Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God? What would the Berserker think of buying something called that for 30 billion won?

He’ll definitely blow his top.

This was the same Jang Daewoong who had destroyed a building because they requested my assassination. After seeing this item, he might just blow away the entire workshop.

“Man… We can’t just put an insane name on this item just because we’re making an insane item…”

“It’s too late, Master! We can’t stop now after nearly two weeks of effort!”

Demir resumed hammering as if nothing had happened.

[Completion rate: 99%]

“It’s almost done, Master!” he shouted.

“Yeah…”

At this point, there was no turning back. I couldn’t just keep postponing my duties. We’d finish it and check its performance afterward.

[Completion rate: 100%]

[Congratulations!]

[The weapon you created has been imbued with spirit.]

“Huff, huff!”

With a final exhale, I felt a wave of relief. My heart pounded, and I slumped against the wall to catch my breath. My vision spun slightly from exhaustion.

Demir approached me, his expression a mix of excitement and pride. “Master.”

“You did well, Demir.”

“You too, Master. Here.” Demir handed me the gauntlet, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “This is our masterpiece.”

“…”

Ah.

It was a moment of pure emotion. Tingling chills ran through my body.

Who cares what it’s called? Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God or not—this was our creation.

[The weapon’s rank has been upgraded!]

[You have acquired ‘Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God’ (S-rank).]

“Well, Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God, let’s see what you got.”

I carefully took the gauntlet from Demir’s hands. My second fully-fledged S-rank weapon, painstakingly crafted with an A-rank blueprint!

[Item: Fist of the Giant Warriors’ God]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Gauntlet]

[Description: A weapon crafted by the legendary blacksmith Demir and his master, forged in a state of madness! Embodying the keywords ‘valor’ and ‘madman,’ this gauntlet boasts insane performance.]

[Effect 1: Increases strength by 100.]

[Effect 2: Increases attack speed by 200%.]

[Effect 3: When the user is in a frenzied state, the damage increases by 300%.]

[Effect 4: During use, the gauntlet can temporarily grow in size.]

“This is…”

I stared blankly at the weapon’s stats. The performance was incredible, far beyond what I expected. The first two effects were standard for an S-rank weapon but significantly boosted.

“But the third effect…”

That was absolutely crazy. A 300% increase in damage when in a frenzied state? Imagining the Berserker with that much power… It sent shivers down my spine.

It seemed like going berserk would go well with this skill’s effect. Or it could be utilized in a different way. For instance, casting a mind-altering spell to make someone lose their reason and go on a rampage… Something like that…

Of course, I wasn’t sure if Jang Daewoong would like it. And on top of that…

“What does effect four even mean?”

As I muttered to myself, Demir nodded. “Hm, it must have come from its name, the Giant Warriors’ God.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s exactly as it says. It is the fist of the god of all giant warriors! Therefore it must be a massive fist.”

“Huh, really…?”

“It being the god of all giant warriors rather than being a giant martial god himself is a bit strange, however…”

“Haah, I give up. I really don’t know anymore.” I shook my head, bewildered.

On the other hand, this was interesting. I wondered how the system could create something like this.

“Don’t worry too much, Master. A weapon never betrays the effort put into it. With all the effort we put into this, it’ll perform just as it should.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Yes, that is what I like to call the faith of a craftsman! Now look at my growth, Master.”

[‘Demir’ is being adjusted.]

[Proficiency increased by 4.]

[Proficiency increased by 3.]

[Proficiency increased by 4.]

…

[Proficiency increased by 6.]

[Proficiency increased by 7.]

[The skill level of ‘Advanced Item Crafting’ (Lv.1) has increased by 1.]

[All stats have increased by 2!]

“Oh.”

As expected, the crafting had significantly raised my proficiency. However, even after crafting an S-rank weapon, the skill level only increased by 1. The higher the skill, the harder it would be to level up. And it would only get harder from here.

“Anyway, good work. Let’s take a break from crafting S-rank weapons for a while.”

I was utterly exhausted. We could evaluate the Berserker’s feedback later. For now, I needed sleep.

“Haha! Amazing, brother! I’m really impressed!”

Jang Daewoong was thoroughly satisfied—more satisfied than I had expected.

—Clank!

He slipped the gauntlet on and tested it, swinging it around and inspecting it closely. He also rubbed it here and there with his calloused hands.

“It’s a perfect fit. The name and performance match me exactly! Worth the 30 billion won!”

“…Really?”

“Of course! The glowing blue and red design is exactly my style, and the synergy with my skills is incredible. Especially the fourth effect—man, that’s insane! Even I feel blown away. Haha!”

“The fourth effect?”

I was curious about what skill he could possibly possess that made the fourth effect stand out so much, but I didn’t ask. It would have been rude to pry into a ranker’s skills.

But then there was one more thing.

“You like the name, too?” The Giant Warriors’ God?

Either way, it was a relief. As long as the VIP was happy, that was all that mattered.

“You can reveal the weapon’s details or keep them private. But we’ll need to disclose the 30 billion won price for the public record.”

“Of course! I’ll use it a few times and even leave a review! Haha!” Jang Daewoong flexed his bulky arms and laughed heartily.

He may have been really charismatic and terrifying during battle, but he was just a jolly giant in person.

Still.

I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

This feels good.

There was something deeply satisfying about knowing that someone appreciated and cherished a weapon I had crafted.

Smiling warmly, I bowed my head slightly to Jang Daewoong. “Thank you for choosing Demir’s Workshop, Mr. Berserker.”

“Haha, of course, brother. Are there any plans for a third project?”

“That’s… I’ll announce it when the time is right.”

I couldn’t just focus on forging weapons all the time. With five rankers now endorsing me, it was time for me to push forward in my growth.

“Good! The Dungeon Maker is coming up soon, after all.” Jang Daewoong nodded, still grinning.

Then we heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Ah, Berserker! You’re here! And Skeleton Lord, too!”

It was Lee Sunah, ranked 509th.

“Hm? What brings you here, Black Sword?”

“Haha, am I not supposed to visit?”

“Well, that’s not the case, but… Hahaha, anyway, let’s all catch up in two weeks. Don’t forget about Mirage’s event!”

The Dungeon Maker, Delilah, ranked 5th, was also known as Mirage. If I made it through her event, I’d have a chance to rank among the top hunters.

I clenched my fists.

That day is coming soon.

The requirement to participate was to be A-rank. I was still B-rank, which meant I had two weeks to get promoted.

“That’s why I’m here! Skeleton Lord!” Lee Sunah beamed at me. “How about joining the Black Sword Squad for an A-rank dungeon? We’ll complete it within two weeks and set all the conditions to your liking!”