Chapter 35: CH 32

Chapter 32
 
[Clack clack clack!]
      I woke up from something hard burrowing into my embrace, jabbing my fleshy body. Its weight pressed down upon my chest, making it hard to breathe.
     Involuntarily, I gave a low groan as I opened my eyes–the previous day’s overwork had led to inevitable muscle pain. Through the narrow slits of my sleep-addled eyes, I saw Seo Dawon staring back at me for who knows how long.
     “Gah!”
     “Did you sleep well?” Seo Dawon said.
     The shock of seeing his face had made me forget that there was something else pressing down upon my body.
     So, I jumped up with little regard to what used to be lying on my chest. Only after seeing a skull rattle across the ground at my feet did I realize Lackey had reappeared.
[Clack Clack….]
     “Gah! Lackey!”
     Finally! The 24-hour cooldown time had passed!
     I lifted up the still sulking Lackey and hugged him like a little puppy. With a sullen expression, Lackey burrowed itself into my arms, clacking its teeth furiously.
     “It’s 3:00 pm now,” Seo Dawon said.
     “Really?”
     “You’ve gotten nearly 20 hours of sleep.”
     I noticed Seo Dawon glancing at Lackey, who was rubbing its face against my comforting arms.
     I had slept long enough that the sun had begun to hang low outside the window–as if evening was slowly bleeding into the sky. “Why didn’t you wake me up…?” I scratched my head in embarrassment.
     Seo Dawon replied, “I was going to….” He stared at Lackey in my arms, “That thing tried to bite me, though?”
“….Lackey?”
     “Yeah.”
     That can’t be right….?
     For the year that we spent together, Lackey was always perfectly calm and quiet unless I ordered an attack. I had even begun to carry it around everywhere because the skeleton was so prone to being chased and bitten by the neighborhood dogs…Is he saying this bullied child would bite someone like Seo Dawon who was so much bigger and stronger?
     “Are you sure you didn’t do something?”
     “–? I just tried to shake you a bit to wake you up?”
     “But Lackey’s someone that can’t even win against a dog smaller than itself.” I said as I stroked Lackey’s smooth skull. At the affectionate touch, Lackey gave a perfunctory [Clack Clack!] while wiggling in joy. As expected, Lackey really is the cutest….
     “Wow, it can even act?” Dawon grumbled.
     His frustrated tone seemed quite sincere, so I looked between the ghost and Lackey, trying to puzzle out their animosity.
     A thought suddenly distracted me, however. I remembered that I obtained the ingredient needed to strengthen it and opened up its status window. Originally, I had intended to skip straight to the strengthening process, but my eyes snagged at the ‘current mood’ section while scrolling.
 
Current Mood: I’ll never forgive you…Master is mine!
 
     Is it….talking about Seo Dawon?
     I looked down at Lackey. Though the skeleton was securely placed within my arms, it would often overtly glare at Seo Dawon.
     Should I say it was similar to my family’s Maltese, Jjong-ie, back home? If there was anything that Jjong-ie hated, it would often glare at it suspiciously. If that hated person drew closer, the indignant Maltese would bark or bite as a last resort. The thought of comparing Lackey to a small dog was so adorable, I couldn’t help the smile that involuntarily grew on my face.
     I kissed its forehead, as if to soothe its riled spirit. Although the [current mood] had not changed, my affections must have pleased Lackey, somewhat. Its feet and body wriggled in happiness, and my smile deepened.
     “What are you doing?” Seo Dawon asked.
     “Hey, so Lackey….It seems that Lackey’s in a bad mood because of you.”
     “Why?”
     “Umm…..I think it’s noticed that you’re another contracted servant.”
     “What about it? Don’t tell me…it’s jealous?”
     “Something like that?”
     Seo Dawon gave me a disbelieving stare, but I paid little attention to him. Instead, I began murmuring words of comfort to the little skeleton, “Cheer up~ Our Lackey is the best~” I supported its bottom and began to twirl Lackey around. After a while, Lackey chattered its teeth together in a simulacrum of giggle; the sound melted my heart.
     Of course, Seo Dawon only scornfully snorted at the heartwarming scene.
     I said to him, defending Lackey, “Hey, think of him like a jealous little puppy….”
     Seo Dawon ignored that and instead changed the subject, “Hey, when are we going out?”
     I suggested we evolve Lackey before leaving the house. As I bled sweat and tears in order to retrieve this precious ingredient, I was impatient to see the fruits of my efforts.
[Clack clack?]
     “You’ve also suffered all this time, serving such a useless master…”
[Clack clack! Clack clack!]
     It shook its head, denying my words, as if it understood everything I had said. I was choked with emotions, recalling the hardships the two of us shared this past year.
     Lackey….I don’t need anything else…Let’s walk the flower path, like an animist’s spirit….Please… 1
 
 
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[Materials needed to evolve ‘Lackey’ are as follows.]

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Low-grade reinforcement stone…….1 (1/1)
Crimson Tail-feather………………..20 (20/20)
Honey from a Tilted Bee…………….1 (1/1)
Dried Frog Skin……………………..10 (10/10)
Contaminated Dark Liquid………….1 (1/1)
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     I double checked to see if all the required materials were gathered and placed Lackey on the floor in front of me, upright. Lackey stood solemnly, not begging for continued hugs unlike its usual behavior–perhaps it noticed the importance of the situation.
     After looking through Lackey’s status window, I pressed the shiny, golden button to begin consolidating power within my servant.
     The ingredients I prepared slowly began to glow; they melted into bright light particles and began to disappear.
     Lackey’s body began to resonate and shine brightly as well, as if it were just another ingredient. My heart was gripped with anxiety when the last material [contaminated dark liquid] disappeared.
     I gritted my teeth while thinking about the effort needed to retrieve it. But….in that process…I also met and revived Seo Dawon. Furthermore, my account balance increased by 22 billion yesterday. In a way, I gained more than I could have possibly lost; perhaps it was a good thing to have suffered through all these hardships. Just a while ago, I felt bone deep pain at parting with 4 million won to pay for Kim Sangyoon’s services.
     But now…
 
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" "
All ingredients needed to strengthen your servant have been prepared.
Your Servant, ‘Lackey,’ is now about to evolve.
Updating….Please wait one moment.
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      Interrupting my thoughts, a magic circle unfolded underneath Lackey’s feet. A strange fog enveloped its body, obscuring all but its hazy silhouette.
     The system message informed us [Evolution will soon be completed. 10….9….8…].
     My eyes closed with the rhythmic countdown, praying to whatever deity exists. ‘Please. Please let it be as strong as an Animist’s spirit. Please….!’
 
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Your servant, ‘Lackey,’ has successfully evolved.
Low-grade skeleton has been promoted into an Intermediate Skeleton (+1).
With the promotion, you can choose to develop your skeleton into one of two types available.
You may choose between ‘Dark Magician’ and ‘Skeleton Solider.’
The ‘Dark Magician’ is a powerful curse caster who can master the skill, returning power attacks back at its enemies. The magician can cause its enemies to experience constant confusion, degradation, and other abnormal effects.
After selecting the ‘Dark Magician,’ the servant can be nurtured and further promoted into these subcategories: Dark Magician –> Phantom Mage –> Lich –> ArchLich.
The ‘Skeleton Soldier’ a close-ranged physical infantryman that uses spears and one-handed swords to protect their summoner. The type boasts immense stamina and attack values. If surrounded by enemies, it can use to break through enemy lines.
After selecting the ‘Skeleton Soldier,’ the servant can be nurtured and further promoted into these subcategories: Skeleton Soldier –> Dark Ranger –> Bloody Expert–> Death Knight.
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      After a deluge of messages, the fog lifted, and Lackey was revealed.
     Previously, it was as large as a very small infant, but now it had grown to almost 160 (cm? the author never said). Its white bones which previously so brittle also thickened and strengthened.
     In addition, a purple jewel formed inside the empty rib cage–right where the heart should be. Fascinatingly, the heart blinked as if it were simulating heart beats.
     Strangely, Lackey’s unique blue, pulsating eyes did not return, so the transformation felt incomplete.
     Out of the corner of my eye, the evolution window flashed again. I realized that the transformation couldn’t continue unless I chose between the two types: Dark Mage and Skeleton Soldier.
     However, it was difficult to choose, considering the pros and cons to such clearly delineated paths: warrior or caster. Eventually, I asked for help from Seo Dawon, who was leaning on the sofa.
     “Seo Dawon.”
     “Yeah?”
     “The evolution succeeded but…the evolution tree is divided into two paths.”
     Seo Dawon replied without a moment’s delay, “Just go for the Skeleton Soldier.”
     “Is the Dark Mage worse?”
     “To put it simply, the Mage position is already filled. You don’t need another because you have me.”
     Convinced, I pressed the [Skeleton Soldier] button.
 
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Are you sure you want to evolve it into a ‘Skeleton Soldier?’ Once selected, the decision cannot be reversed.
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     I pressed [Yes] quickly, and, immediately afterwards, Lackey’s blue eyes shone from the recesses of its skull.
 
 
TL: Mara, my PR, and I kinda die of cuteness every time Lackey’s on the page.
Footnotes Walk the flower path is a common saying in Korea that means having a fortunate, fruitful life.

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