How to Raise Your Skeletons

However, one thing bothered me. That Spear of Judgment fellow probably gobbled up the trial points those Chinese men had, right? But oh well, that was fine. I was okay with him taking them since it probably wasn’t that much anyway. And it was a fair price for not dirtying my hands.

—Swoosh!

So I was about to leave immediately.

There were only two weeks left until the poison mist appeared, and I was still hungry for poison. To achieve the Thousand Poisons Immunity within the remaining time, I couldn’t afford to waste a single moment.

But then…

“Wait. Stop right there.”

The Spear of Judgment blocked my path with his weapon.

“…Why?”

“You must accompany me.”

Huh? So suddenly?

“What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

“You, too, have recently killed someone.”

“…” I frowned.

There was only one person I had killed recently: Shin Jongoh, the grandson of the chairman of the Ohsung Group. He kept attacking me with his privileged sense of superiority as a corporate heir and even hired a ranker to assassinate me. By my standards, he deserved to die.

“Of course, the reason you killed him was ‘self-defense’ and ‘revenge.’ You are not subject to my judgment. However, once someone has killed, it becomes easier to kill again. You are a person of interest.”

“…Haah,” I sighed and shook my head.

This guy. It was obvious he was the stubborn type. He had no empathy and moved solely according to his own rigid standards. Even his tone and manner of speech screamed obstinate.

This is exhausting.

It was already annoying dealing with those four weak Chinese guys. And now a somewhat skilled Chinese man had appeared to disrupt me.

“You seem to not understand, so I’ll be blunt.” The Spear of Judgment, who had been staring at me, opened his mouth. “Many people already know this, but my unique ability is ‘judgment.’ The more I judge evil beings, the more my stats and level increase. That’s why judgment is more important to me than this trial.”

“…I have a question.”

“What is it?”

“What if an evil person stronger than you appears? Will you judge them too?”

The question was simple. Are you perhaps just a bully who picks on the weak?

“…” Hearing my question, the Spear of Judgment’s eyes narrowed. “Are you implying that you are stronger than me?”

Huh? How did it turn into that? Well, I could answer if needed.

“…I don’t know, but in terms of spear technique, I have a subordinate who is quite skilled.” I gestured toward Sunny, who stood beside me.

—Thunk!

Sunny confidently slammed their spear into the ground and puffed out their chest. It was a clear expression of confidence.

“…Don’t make me laugh. I am a hunter who has inherited the spear techniques of the world’s greatest spearman, Chen Ziyi. Frankly, it’s laughable whenever I hear such claims. Do you know how many people have challenged me with trash they called spear techniques?”

“Oh?”

This man—he had unexpected pride. Just like his obsession with judging evil, he seemed to have sky-high pride in his “spear skills.” Well, as a disciple of the 10th-ranked Spear King, it was understandable.

But.

Our Sunny wasn’t just a ranker. They had once been the absolute ruler of a world—someone who could even match the Elder of All Techniques at his peak.

I’m curious, too.

The Sun Spear versus the Spear of Judgment. Who would win?

—Thump.

Hot excitement welled up in my chest. I was a man, after all. Feeling competitive about something like this was natural.

“Then how about we make a bet?”

“A bet?” The Spear of Judgment tilted his head.

“Yes, a bet. A duel with spear techniques alone. No energy, no skills, just pure technique to determine who is superior. What do you think?”

—Whoosh!

As soon as I finished speaking, Sunny elegantly spun their spear and brought it to rest at their waist.

“My lord, thank you for trusting me. I will show you the essence of the Sun Spear.”

“Hmm.” The Spear of Judgment stroked his chin, deliberating. It seemed he was torn between his standards and his pride in his spearmanship.

“The loser must yield completely. If you lose, leave me alone like a man. If you win, I’ll let you stick around without complaint. What do you say?”

—Rumble!

I gathered energy to summon skeletons, arranging them in a circle. It was a makeshift arena.

“Surely, as a disciple of the great Spear King, you won’t decline a challenge, will you?” I subtly prodded at his pride. “I am the Skeleton King, ruler of all skeletons. If you can’t even defeat one of my subordinates, then it’ll be a hit to the Spear King’s reputation, right?”

“…!”

The atmosphere grew heavy, and the Spear of Judgment’s demeanor turned cold. Even if he strictly adhered to his “standards,” he was still a martial artist. There was no way he would ignore someone mocking his spearmanship and his teacher.

—Whoosh!

He adjusted his grip on his spear. “You said you were the Skeleton King?”

“Yes, that’s correct, Zhang Wei, the Spear of Judgment.”

The one who wielded the strongest spear technique in this world stared at Sunny. “Fine, I accept your challenge.”

—Step, step.

He walked to one side of the arena I had prepared. Sunny also stepped to the opposite side. The duel between the two spearmen began.

Zhang Wei spoke first. “What is the name of the spear technique you wield, challenger?”

“…The spear I wield in service to my lord is called the Sun Spear. It was born and bloomed under the blazing sun of the desert.”

“I see.” The Spear of Judgment smiled, seemingly satisfied with Sunny’s respectful demeanor. “My spear technique is called Pear Blossom. It’s as versatile as the falling petals of a pear blossom.”

“I look forward to it. Is that the pinnacle of this world?”

Both seemed to be having a polite conversation, but the atmosphere around them was anything but. I started to feel suffocated as if I had consumed a Grade 1 poison while the air around me began to press down on my shoulders. Even without using energy, the oppressive aura weighed heavily on everyone present.

“Then I’ll go first.”

“By all means. I’m ready whenever you are.”

“Chya-ah!”

“Hut-ta!”

The Sun Spear and the Spear of Judgment sprang into action almost simultaneously.

“The Pear Blossom Spear Technique is divided into six forms.” The Spear of Judgment thrust at Sunny’s heart with precision. “If you can block them all, I will acknowledge you as a spearman in your own right!”

Zhang Wei’s footwork was dazzling. Perhaps because his technique emphasized versatility, his steps were incredibly intricate.

Pear Blossom Spear Technique.

First Form: Poison Dragon Emerges from the Cave.

“A crude trick to dazzle the eyes while aiming for the heart, is it?”

—Flash!

Sunny’s spear erupted with white light.

“Haaa!”

—Boom!

The heat of the sun incinerated the rising Poison Dragon. Simultaneously, Sunny spun and aimed the spear’s shaft at the Spear of Judgment’s face.

“Hm?”

Perhaps surprised or caught off guard, Zhang Wei’s eyes widened, and he quickly retreated.

“Hah,” he exhaled in astonishment. “Impressive.” He nodded. “I admit that I underestimated you. From now on, I’ll face you seriously.”

Sunny initiated the next attack.

—Whoosh!

This time, Sunny’s spear carried the raw, primal ferocity of one who had once skewered the hearts of all their hated foes.

“Truly, the momentum of a demon.”

Pear Blossom Spear Technique.

Second Form: Returning Horse Spear.

The Spear of Judgment swiftly twisted his torso. The Returning Horse Spear was a counterattack technique that used the opponent’s force against them. The stronger the opponent, the more lethal this form became.

However, as the spear approached, Sunny smirked as if they had anticipated it. Then they ducked their head and struck the Spear of Judgment’s planted foot with their fist.

“Wh-What?!”

Caught off guard by the unexpected use of hand-to-hand combat, the Spear of Judgment faltered.

“Why so surprised? Judging by how you fight, it seemed like you would appreciate these kinds of tactics.”

Sunny’s mocking tone made Zhang Wei scowl. “You think I was startled by that?”

“If the eyes my lord bestowed upon me aren’t mistaken, you certainly were.”

“Don’t speak too soon! The fight isn’t over yet!”

Ignoring the pain in his foot, the Spear of Judgment also used his legs. What followed was less a graceful duel and more an all-out brawl between the two.

“Haaargh!” The Spear of Judgment twirled his weapon with finesse.

“Because you focus so much on versatility, your spear’s path becomes obvious.” Sunny, who had fought without sight in the past, was not fooled by the elaborate tricks. “The true strength of your spear technique…”

—Slash!

The tip of Sunny’s spear sliced across Zhang Wei’s thigh. Bright red blood spurted out.

“…Lies in making every variation genuine.” Sunny’s gaze turned cold as they finished their sentence.

—Whoosh! Whoosh!

With a series of spear strikes, Sunny bypassed the Spear of Judgment’s position, ending up behind him in just a second.

“Your spear technique is nowhere near sufficient to face the Sun Spear. Amateur,” Sunny’s low voice echoed.

“…”

The Spear of Judgment clenched his jaw, his eyes widened to show his inability to process what had just happened.

Try to understand it, I silently cheered for Zhang Wei in my mind. Even if I fought them with my spear skills, I wouldn’t be able to win.

Sunny was once the absolute ruler of another world. Maybe only someone like the Spear King could match Sunny in a duel.

Of course…

If they were to fight now, Sunny would lose, but amazingly, Sunny hadn’t even regained 10% of his original power. To fully restore Sunny, I’d need to reach ranker status and continue training and honing my abilities for years to come.

“Incredible…”

—Splurt!

Soon, wounds began to erupt all over the Spear of Judgment’s body.

“I admit it. I still have many techniques left to show… But even without fighting further, the outcome is clear. Your skill is unbelievable.”

He seemed to realize that Sunny had gone easy on him. Had Sunny fought seriously, his techniques wouldn’t have even had a chance to be displayed—his throat would have been pierced and his joints severed.

That was insane.

To be honest, I hadn’t known this before they fought. I thought they were either evenly matched or that Sunny had a slight edge.

But Sunny outclassed him to this extent?

This guy, Sunny. Once again, I realized just how incredible they were.

“…So that’s it. The key is for all the versatile attacks to be completely real. Ah, so that was the issue… That’s what was holding me back…!”

—Thump!

It was then…

The Spear of Judgment sat down where he stood, focusing his energy. He left the bright red wounds all over his body unattended. Without even stopping the bleeding, he entered a state of deep concentration.

Look at this guy, huh?

I could tell what it was. When someone experiences a breakthrough, they enter a state of unity between mind and body. I’d experienced this myself occasionally while forging with Demir.

But he chose to do that in front of me? During such immersion, one became completely defenseless. In other words, if I decided to kill the Spear of Judgment right now, that would be the end of him.

“…”

Tch. But I wasn’t that kind of villain. Besides, if rumors spread that I’d killed him, I’d be hunted for the rest of my life by the Spear King, who was ranked 10th.

“You should consider yourself lucky, Mr. Stubborn.”

I stared quietly at the Spear of Judgment before calmly summoning Boney 7.