Chapter 6. Where’s Waldo?

The next day, Kim Do-Joon continued clearing his way through the labyrinth. A system message called his attention as he swept away another group of Skeletons.

[You will not receive any Experience Points (EXP) from defeating enemies weaker than yourself.]

Is this as far as I can go?

He sighed and opened up his status window.

Compatibility

- 12%

Normally, a Hunter could only raise their Compatibility by defeating monsters of the same or higher rank than themselves. Judging by how the notification only appeared once he had raised his Compatibility by another two percent, the Skeletons must have been of stats equivalent to eleven percent Compatibility. Thus, Kim Do-Joon could no longer farm them for EXP.

It’s time I challenged the boss.

Kim Do-Joon followed his map to make a pit stop at the nearest safe room, resting up and straightening out his belongings. After gorging his fill on some canned food and fully recovering his stamina, he set out.

Having marked out the boss room in advance, he had little trouble locating the correct door, large and seemingly embedded into the wall. Kim Do-Joon promptly opened the door and walked in.

Creak—

Beyond it, a grand scene unfolded before his eyes.

...!

Inside he discovered the largest room thus far—easily of the size to fit several houses. A massive statue of a Skeleton holding a broken sword stood centerpiece, skull adorned with three horns and eyes flickering with blue flames. The cloak draped onto its shoulders featured a drawing of an incomplete crescent moon.

Hundreds of Skeletons squirmed beneath the statue. Kim Do-Joon flinched and instinctively took a step back, only for the door behind him to slam shut with a loud bang and trap him inside.

Damn it.

With nowhere to go but forward, Kim Do-Joon gritted his teeth and gathered his bearings. No matter the risk, the boss room was his final hurdle to jump before he could return home. Between raising his Compatibility, stockpiling all the items he could find, and utilizing his copy-paste ability to the utmost, he had done everything in his power to prepare for it.

This is all that’s left.

He assessed his mettle against the overwhelming number of Skeletons he faced. Kim Do-Joon was plenty confident in lasting through drawn-out group battles, what with his plethora of potions to dope up on.

Moreover, in contrast to the various combinations of warriors, mages, and archers he had faced thus far, the horde of Skeletons inside were all the same: donning armor, cloaks, and broken swords. Lacking any long-range attackers, their movements would be limited.

Kim Do-Joon’s eyes gleamed with motivation.

I guess it’s worth a try.

He decided against impulsively charging through the middle and instead darted into a corner, back against the wall.

"

Kkagaga!

"

"

Kakak!

"

"

Ggugak!

"

The Skeletons inside were unique in having voices, sounding like nails to a chalkboard. Oddly enough, Kim Do-Joon preferred the spine-chilling noise to the muteness of the Skeletons he fought prior, as it made them more monster-like.

Clang—!

Using his axe, Kim Do-Joon aggressively deflected an incoming blow from a Skeleton Knight’s broken sword. The attack activated the buffs on his gear.

[You have gained the Greater Regeneration effect.]

[You have received a Minor Durability Boost.]

[You have received a Minor Vision Boost.]

[You have received a Minor Speed Boost.]

[You have received a Minor Stamina Boost.]

The Skeleton Knight staggered, movements dull and slow to recover from the rebound, and Kim Do-Joon seized the chance to vigorously swing his axe toward it.

Crack!

The Skeleton Knight’s armor and bones alike shattered under the combined force of his level thirteen Strength Rune and the Stamina Boost.

At least one’s down.

Tallying each of the three-hundred-plus Skeletons as they were downed seemed like a meaningless endeavor in the grand scheme of things, but it gave him a sense of purpose nonetheless.

Now onto the second one...

Suddenly, a new system message appeared, putting an abrupt halt to his charge.

[The Skeleton Knight has been resurrected. To prevent its resurrection, you must find and defeat the Summoner.]

...Huh?

With a frown on his face, Kim Do-Joon shot a look towards the fallen Skeleton and found its bones reattached and torn armor restored.

Rising to its feet, the Skeleton Knight made a noise that almost sounded mocking, "

Kkagak!

"

"Oh, fu—"

Kim Do-Joon barely managed to stop the curses from slipping out, realizing in what dire straits he had found himself. No matter how many times he managed to slay the hundreds of Skeleton Knights, as long as their Summoner remained, they would inevitably get back up.

Following the birth of his daughter, Kim Do-Joon had gone to great lengths in order to moderate his language, speaking more kindly and politely. Yet, being incessantly thrown in the wringer so, he seemed to regain his foul mouth—who wouldn’t, in his shoes?

Against his best efforts, he couldn't hold it back: "Fuck..."

"

Kakakkaak!

"

Without giving Kim Do-Joon the chance to recover from his confusion, the Skeleton Knights swarmed him.

Crunch—

Kim Do-Joon gritted his teeth and swung his axe, but it was a move made in vain.

[The Skeleton Knight has been resurrected. To prevent its resurrection, you must find and defeat the Summoner.]

Ha...

Kim Do-Joon evened his breath and scanned the room. His eyes spotted something on the wall some ways away from him, and, keeping his back to the wall, began to head towards it. He defeated a dozen or so Skeleton Knights along his path.

Crack—!

Of course, they recovered in due time and rose like zombies. Fortunately, Kim Do-Joon's own level twelve Vitality rune and the Greater Regeneration effect kept his stamina from depleting too far.

Pushing his way past the Skeleton horde, he followed the wall and reached where he had been eyeing...

"

Hup!

"

He jumped up and grabbed onto a brick protruding from the wall. The Skeleton Knights that followed him swatted their swords at his dangling legs. Managing to knock them away with his swinging legs and axe, he then used his new vantage point to inspect the sea of Skeleton Knights steadily.

Where's the Summoner?

Kim Do-Joon spent the next ten minutes fending off the persistent onslaught of the Skeleton Knights while scanning the room in the short moments of reprieve. However, his efforts bore no fruit—much to his bewilderment, he found no sign of the Summoner.

What if the Summoner isn’t even inside this room?

The possibilities raced through his mind: perhaps there was a secret room, or the Summoner was diminutive enough to be hidden from view beneath the crowd of Skeleton Knights.

It was then that Kim Do-Joon suddenly observed something peculiar.

Huh?

He had initially written off the Skeleton Knights as identical. However, upon closer inspection, he realized that each had small, unique markers setting them apart from the rest: a horn they might’ve had, the pattern on their cloaks, the lengths of their broken swords, and the designs of their armor.

On each of their cloaks was a single lunar symbol, alternating between crescent moons, half-moons, and even full moons. With his observation came a sudden thought.

Wait a second... Could it be that...?

His eyes moved to the statue, and then to the Skeleton horde below.

Am I supposed to find the one that looks exactly like that statue?

It was just a conjecture, but it seemed like a plausible one. It would, after all, explain why the statue existed, and why it looked so different from the Skeleton Knights. It also gave him more to work with the wild goose chase a hypothetical secret room would lead him on.

Still, Kim Do-Joon was none too pleased with his theory. Digging through the manifold Skeletons to find one that mirrored the statue was not exactly his idea of fun.

Ugh... It feels like I’m playing Where’s Waldo.

Grumbling at the thought of it, Kim Do-Joon furrowed his brow.

***

"

Ha... Ha...

"

Kim Do-Joon could not tell how many hours had passed, though his mouth stunk and his eyes had grown sore from concentration. He continued to dart around, checking every which way.

Of course, he hadn’t started out relying on brute force.

What if I just marked the Skeletons instead of killing them?

Making good on the idea, he scratched armor and tore at cloaks, marking away Skeletons that didn't meet the criteria of the statue. However, his plan turned futile as their armor and cloaks were repaired in the blink of an eye.

If that didn't work, how about I latch something onto them instead?

He retrieved a rope from his inventory and tried to tie it around a Skeleton Knight’s head and hands, attempting to mark but not restrain it. This, too, saw no success—managing to loop anything around the Skeletons’ thrashing bodies was itself a herculean task made all the more difficult with their swords easily cutting through the rope.

Kim Do-Joon realized that there was no method to cheese his way out. Throwing in the towel, he settled on facing the horde and meticulously observing the monsters’ every move. A frown was etched onto his face as he dealt with the Skeleton Knights.

At times, he found ones bearing close resemblance to the statue. However, further scrutiny would betray his expectations, minuscule differences making themselves evident.

This one has a different eye shape.

Crack—!

This one has a different cloak pattern.

Snap—!

And this one... the tip of its shoe is different.

Slice!

He vigorously swung his axe to create some distance, then leaned against the wall. Grabbing a water bottle from his inventory, he took a sip.

"

Phew...

" Kim Do-Joon sighed. He dropped the emptied bottle onto the ground and wiped his chin, a trickle of cold water mixing together with his sticky sweat.

Long accustomed to observing the Skeletons, Kim Do-Joon swiftly scanned the center of the room.

There’s nothing in the middle.

He was quick on his feet, unable to loiter while surrounded by hundreds of monsters lest he be locked in. Kim Do-Joon continued to scan the monsters about him as he went, still finding none resembling the statue.

Swoosh!

Kim Do-Joon deflected the sword aiming his way and pushed onward, feeling as if he were running a marathon.

Last but not least, I have to check the west side.

Using the direction that the statue faced as his compass, he had already traversed east, north, and south. Of course, he realized that there was no guarantee he would find the right Skeleton Knight westward, either. It could very well be hiding out where he’s already searched, having narrowly missed his line of sight, or even moving around just as he was.

Regardless, he had no other choice but to stay patient and continue his quest, hoping for some light at the end of the tunnel.

...Let's go.

Kim Do-Joon waited for the right moment and threw himself into the sea of Skeletons.

Thud! Thwack!

He neutralized two nearby Skeleton Knights in an instant. They would resurrect before long, but any time he managed to scrounge up was of value.

Kim Do-Joon continued his search, mechanically fitting each Skeleton’s looks against the statue. It was a process of elimination: starting from their horns, then the shape of their eyes, the form of their teeth, the patterns on their cloaks, the seams of their armor, and finally, their shoes.

Most Skeleton Knights were eliminated by their cloaks. One in ten Skeleton Knights occasionally made it to the final stage, only to fail the shoe examination. Kim Do-Joon didn’t forget to dispatch them nonetheless—after mowing down so many, he was confident he could shatter a Skeleton Knight in a single blow, eyes closed.

Then, in the chaos, his eyes landed upon a single Skeleton Knight.

Huh?

Each and every of its features, down to the length of its broken sword, was a dead ringer for the statue. Without a moment’s hesitation, Kim Do-Joon shot towards it.

I found it!

The Skeleton Knight did not even flinch, boldly facing his charge with its sword at the ready. It swung, sword flashing bright and scoring a shallow hit on Kim Do-Joon’s neck.

He gasped, "

Keugh!

"

The joy of finally discovering the statue’s look-alike caused him to neglect his defenses. Yet, in doing so, he was able to get close to the Skeleton Knight. The wound was also fast to close, leaving not a trace of its short presence.

Eyes aflame, Kim Do-Joon struck at the Skeleton Knight, the blow of his axe like a bolt of lightning upon its skull.

Thwack!

It crumbled under the force; after all, the axe was better suited for smashing and tearing than for smooth cuts. Kim Do-Joon watched white fragments of bone scatter onto the ground, a faint thrill of excitement crept onto his face at the prospect of his labor’s end.

[The Skeleton Knight has been resurrected. To prevent its resurrection, you must find and defeat the Summoner.]

What?

His hopes were dashed as soon as they arrived. Bewildered, Kim Do-Joon racked his brains to figure out what had gone wrong. Had he made the wrong call, or missed something?

Why didn’t that defeat the horde...?

He paused in his confusion, and was summarily swarmed by the Skeleton Knights' relentless assault.

Just then, amidst the chaos, the sight of a lone figure slipping away entered his view. Eyes gleaming, he immediately smashed through the Skeleton Knight in front of him with a gauntlet-clad fist.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Whack!

The next fell to his axe cleaving through its head. Kim Do-Joon relentlessly advanced, killing one after another in his determination to not lose sight of the elusive Skeleton.

"

Kakakakakk!

"

The lone figure made a blatant attempt to flee, its retreat conspicuous against the rest of the horde boxing him in. Though he struggled to close their distance, Kim Do-Joon realized that the runaway was an exact replica of the statue.

"

Tsk!

"

He clicked his tongue and fetched a knife from his inventory. Gripping it firmly, he took aim at the Skeleton’s exposed back and hurled it.

Swish!

The knife spun through the air, making a beeline past the Skeleton Knights charging at Kim Do-Joon. He fended them off, kicking and striking, but his gaze was fixed on the airborne knife.

Thud!

The knife hit the bull's eye, embedding itself into the back of the fleeing Skeleton's skull. When it slumped forward, every other Skeleton in the room flinched. Kim Do-Joon wasted not a second, pushing past them to approach the fallen. Gathering all his remaining strength, he swung his axe.

Crack—!

The Summoner's skull shattered, body disappearing as ashes. The remaining three hundred Skeletons simultaneously froze, likewise turning to dust and vanishing. At last, it was all over.

"

Haah...

" Kim Do-Joon breathed heavily as he slumped to the ground, only to be assailed by a flood of messages.

[You have defeated a monster. You have gained Experience Points(EXP).]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

[Your Compatibility has increased.]

[You have defeated the Skeleton Summoner.]

[You have gained rewards for successfully clearing the labyrinth. ]

[Rewards List]

1. Teleportation Stone

2. Tier 2 Labyrinth Key (Random)

3. Item Box (Random, Rare)

Kim Do-Joon was not prompted to make his choice between the rewards, as all three fell into his hands.

He couldn’t appraise the items in full, but assumed they weren't useless. After all, the value of rare items started in the millions and, if of exceptional merit, could sell for tens of millions of won. A faint smile crept onto Kim Do-Joon’s face.

[You have exhibited outstanding observational skills in detecting the Skeleton Summoner.]

[A hidden quest has been completed! You have gained additional rewards.]

It seemed that there were even more rewards to come.