Stop, Friendly Fire!

<Chapter 1. Reinforcement Hero - 4>

[You have defeated a Lv2 Treasure Eater. You have achieved a feat of defeating an enemy with a higher level than you. Your Strength and Health permanently increase by 2.]

[As a reward for your achievement, the proficiency of your combat-related skills have been increased. The Beginner Sprint skill has become Lv4.]

[Quest complete! Please check the treasure that the Treasure Eater left behind.]

[You have gained the minimap. If you close your eyes, you will be able to see the minimap.]

[We won...]

[We defeated the monster. I need rest...]

There were only two Pauls... or Skeleton Soldiers that had survived until the end of the battle. Lee Shin Woo hadn't tried to save them, but they had managed to survive. However, all their bones were cracked in the aftermath of the fierce battle, and it was difficult for them to even stand!

"Paul, I'll never forget the time we spent together."

[Ugh!?]

[What are you doing... keuahk!]

Lee Shin Woo forcefully embraced the two skeletons, who had gone through hardship with him. By doing so, he completely broke through the threshold of their health, and they crumbled to pieces.

Silence finally dawned upon the clearing (the passageway had significantly widened and become a clearing), that had been filled with the cries of the Treasure Eater, and the rattling sound of skeleton bones. He was the champion.

[The Acting Skill has become Lv2.]

"That's amazing timing... phew. I'm dying too."

Though he was victorious, Lee Shin Woo had received a lot of physical and mental damage. His bone joints ached, and he even saw a part that was cracked. It hurt so much that he thought it might be better to die once and come back!

However, Lee Shin Woo didn't do that. It would be a waste to use his Invisible Heart like that, and he already knew of a method to restore his bones. That was...

'Now, let's start reinforcing, shall we?'

His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings. The bones and the Bone Spears of the skeletons that had died fighting here were piled in the dozens. There were also dozens of black coins, too.

That wasn't all. There was a distinct bone, compared to the skeletons' bones, that remained in the area where the Treasure Eater had died, as well as something shiny, causing Lee Shin Woo's heart to flutter. It had been worth it to overcome this ordeal (though it was mostly the skeletons)!

"I'll put aside the delicious one for later."

He suppressed his desire to check the Treasure Eater's loot and picked up the nearby skeleton bone first.

They were mixed bones, but it was for the better. Increasing his strength or agility through an arm or leg bone had nearly reached its limit and increasing his health through mixed bones was much more effective right now.

[You have reinforced your tailbone. Health has increased by 1. Absorbing a portion of the Skeleton Soldier's memories and experiences.]

[I-I'm pretty sure my tailbone just broke. Really! - A nameless soldier]

"If these guys knew they could leave behind memories of their life, they wouldn't have left behind such useless memories..."

Lee Shin Woo stroked his tailbone and felt that the cracks had definitely decreased, compared to before the Reinforcement. And he repeated the Reinforcement process.

The more he repeated the Reinforcement, the more his stats and skill proficiency would slightly increase, and simultaneously, the cracks on his entire body began to cleanly disappear, as if they had been erased by an eraser.

"Huh?"

While Reinforcing, Lee Shin Woo found an unexpected item. He had picked up a bone that wasn't an arm bone, a leg bone, or mixed bones.

[Skeleton Soldier's rib bone.]

[A bone left behind by a Skeleton Soldier who had strong bones.]

"So, this kind of thing can happen, too."

Was it a rare drop? Lee Shin Woo was slightly excited and sacrificed it to reinforce his ribs.

[You have reinforced your ribs. Health has increased by 2. Absorbing a portion of the Skeleton Soldier's memories and experience.]

[General Seagald has committed treason...? That's not possible. I'll trust him and follow him to the end. - A nameless soldier.]

"I don't think that's a line a nameless soldier would say, though!?"

What exactly did General Seagald do? He didn't know what he did, but in any case, raising 2 points in Health was awesome. He decided to remember the name, General Seagald, and absorbed the remaining bones one after another. His appearance was akin to a farmer who was harvesting his crops.

"Now, it's time to upgrade the Bone Spear..."

He looked at the mountain of Bone Spears that he had collected while absorbing the bones and looked like he was at a loss. It had been so hard to reinforce the Lv1 Bone Spear, so he couldn't imagine how many Bone Spears would break in the process of reinforcing the Lv2 Bone Spear.

"Phew. But there's no helping it. I gotta do it."

He had realized the importance of weapons several times during his fight with the Treasure Eater. A single attack from his spear had been more effective than 10 attacks from the other Skeleton Soldiers! He took a short, deep breath, and extended his hand towards the mountain of Bone Spears.

[Reinforcement has failed.]

[Reinforcement has failed.]

[Reinforcement has failed.]

[Reinforcement has succeeded!]

"Oh!"

He had succeeded in only 4 tries! He had thought that Lv1 items may be unable to reinforce Lv2 items, but Lee Shin Woo became confident after his single success and began to reinforce, one after another.

[Reinforcement has failed.] x30

"Please no, don't be like that. No!"

[Reinforcement has failed.]

[Reinforcement has failed.]

[Reinforcement has failed.]

...

[Reinforcement has succeeded!]

[Reinforcement has succeeded!]

[Bone Spear +3]

[Lv2]

[Durability: 590/590]

[Attack Power: 33 - 57]

'Ugh, I don't know what the probability is, so I don't know if it went well or not.'

When he was about to run out of Bone Spears, the final two Reinforcements had succeeded, and as a result, the Bone Spear became a Bone Spear +3.

Lee Shin Woo had quickly used up all the Bone Spears, and a part of him felt that it had been a waste but decided to be satisfied with the fact that his Bone Spear had definitely gotten stronger.

"Now, then..."

It was finally time for the main dish he had been saving. His bone joints rattled displeasingly as he approached the place where the Treasure Eater had died. The first thing he saw was a heaping pile of Perium. He extended his hand towards the pile, and a message appeared.

[You have acquired 1,250 Perium.]

"Whew."

Where exactly was this Perium currency used? No, could it even be used? He had picked them up instinctively due to his past game experience, but he couldn't make sense of them. While he was at it, he checked how much money was stored in his pouch; he had gathered 3,340 Perium up until now.

'The money pouch is starting to get heavy. Is there no inventory here?'

Perhaps he would gain an inventory by completing a quest, like how he had received the minimap. Then, he picked up the Treasure Eater's bone next.

As expected, since the Treasure Eater was much larger than those pathetic Skeleton Soldiers, a single one of its bones was larger than Lee Shin Woo.

[Would you like to reinforce your bones with the Treasure Eater's lower jaw bone? You can reinforce your lower jaw bone.]

"This really pisses me off..."

This probably wasn't even its entire lower jaw bone, but just a portion of it. It was the area commonly called the jawbone, and just the thought of sacrificing it to reinforce his bones caused his skin (even though he didn't have any) to feel goosebumps.

However... he didn't really have any other choice. He shrugged his shoulders and proceeded with the Reinforcement.

[The Bone Reinforcement skill has become Lv2. The effectiveness of bone absorption increases.]

[You have reinforced your lower jaw bone. Strength has increased by 1, Health by 1, and Magic by 5. Absorbing a portion of the Treasure Eater's memories and experiences.]

[Kuwaaaaaaaahk! Kuheeeeeeeeeehk! - Treasure Eater]

"..."

Lee Shin Woo, who felt the faint memories seep into his body, was briefly silent. He shivered, as the Treasure Eater's shriek in the message felt slightly, really slightly, affectionate. If he were to somehow meet another Treasure Eater, he felt as though he'd be able to understand what the Treasure Eater was saying, albeit a little.

"In any case, it increased my magic, so let's leave it at that."

He might've gained a skill, but most of the memories and experiences he gained through Bone Reinforcement didn't immediately manifest as skills and would require a bit of time. Most of the time, the skill would only awaken at the right time.

If it was a skill though, he'd like to gain that Roar of Healing for sure... Lee Shin Woo earnestly prayed and extended his hand towards the final item that also doubled as the quest reward.

[Feather Bone Boots +1]

[Lv2]

[Durability: 256/320]

[Defense: 25 - 35]

[Options: Agility +5, Sprint skill +1]

"Wow..."

To think, an item could have both stats and skills. This was truly a treasure that was in a completely different league when compared to the similarly leveled Lv2 Bone Spear!

Lee Shin Woo carefully put the bone boots on his feet. There was a slight problem; since both Lee Shin Woo and the boots were made of bone, it was difficult to figure out whether the boots were an item or the bones of someone with stupidly large feet. But considering the fact that his body felt lighter when he put the boots on, it was definitely the effect of an item.

[Lee Shin Woo]

[Normal Skeleton Blessed by God]

[Lv - 1]

[Strength - 65 Agility - 55 + 5 Health - 48 Magic - 11]

[Passive skills - Invisible Heart Lv2, Beginner Spearmanship Lv4, Acting Lv2]

[Active skills - Bone Reinforcement Lv2, Beginner Sprint Lv4 +1]

"Nice."

Lee Shin Woo grinned as he looked at his stats; it had certainly changed as a result of the battle.

His health, which had been lacking compared to his other stats, had been supplemented to a certain degree, and his magic slightly rose as well. He was sure that he had successfully sublimated the Skeleton Soldiers' battle experience into his own, to a certain degree, in the previous battle.

"Let's see if I die again..."

The moment he died in a car accident flashed through his mind. Lee Shin Woo grit his teeth and shook his head, shaking off the memory. He resolved to never die again. Whether this place was a cursed Underground Empire or the middle of a galactic war, he would survive no matter what.

[A quest has occurred!]

The moment he made his vow, a well-timed quest occurred. It was as though God had been listening and decided to intervene at just the right time.

[Infiltrate the Empire]

[You have remarkably taken down the Treasure Eater and grown. However, this is still just the external passageways, not the Empire. Follow the directions on your minimap, breakthrough the soldiers guarding the Empire's walls, and infiltrate the Underground Empire!]

[Quest rewards: Inventory, use of God's Secret Shop.]

Well, then. The tutorial was coming to an end.