The Henchman Was Meant to Be Worked to the Bone

The skeleton was like a seedling infused with life. First, the bones in its right hand twitched. Then the breaks throughout its body seemed to knit back together, accompanied by a teeth-grinding series of creaks.

The skull slowly lifted, and two clusters of eerie green Ghost Fire burst from its eye sockets.

It held its head with one hand and braced the other against the wooden edge, trembling as it got to its feet. From its expressionless skull, Ling Chu could somehow make out confusion.

"Oh, heavens, why is Old Tichy sleeping in a wine barrel?" The skeleton reached down to smack its waist. "My poor back. Why does it feel like it's broken..."

As if it had noticed something was off, the skeleton abruptly pulled its hand back and stared at it, aghast.

"How did my hands..."

"You're dead. I brought you back to life."

Ling Chu said, studying it with curiosity.

The Ghost Fire in the skeleton's eyes flickered at her words, as if it had fallen into its memories. After a moment of silence, it murmured, "That's right. Old Tichy is dead..."

She wasn't worried that the skeleton might do anything to her. The Skill Bar had made it perfectly clear: after Bone Resurrection, the skeleton would become her most loyal servant.

"I remember now. That's right, you brought me back to life and gave me a second chance. My Captain, Old Tichy will be loyal to you forever."

Facing Ling Chu, the skeleton stood with its feet together and bent at the waist. It seemed to want to give her a gentlemanly hat-tip, but after reaching up to its head, it belatedly realized there was nothing on it.

"Huh? Where's my Pirate Hat? And my Revolver, my eyepatch, and my Ring? How come they're all gone?"

"..."

Ling Chu awkwardly cleared her throat. "Um, your hat and gun were damaged. I can give them back once they've been repaired."

In other words, she wasn't giving back the eyepatch or the Ring.

"So the Captain needed them after all. Tichy was afraid those old scraps wouldn't be good enough for you..."

Tichy scratched his skull sheepishly. After all, he'd worn those things himself. They were a bit worn, and he felt embarrassed to offer them to his Captain.

Besides, in his current state, he didn't need an eyepatch or a Ring to look cool...

Scraps?

Ling Chu hadn't expected that, in an NPC's eyes, those legendary pieces of equipment counted as scraps.

"But that Ring..."

Tichy had noticed the Ring of Bones on Ling Chu's right hand too. He hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.

"What about the Ring?" Ling Chu asked.

"That Ring seems to be cursed. After I put it on, I couldn't take it off again," Tichy said, rubbing his chin. "It didn't go with my outfit at all. I even thought about cutting off my index finger so I could get it off after I died. But don't worry, Captain. With your heroic looks, any Ring would look good on you!"

Ling Chu was at a loss for words.

He'd wanted to cut off his finger because the Ring didn't match his outfit? This skeleton was a real tough guy.

"You can call me Captain."

Being called "Master" every other word made Ling Chu uncomfortable. Anyone who heard it might think she had some strange hobby.

"Aye, Captain."

Hearing the familiar title brought back memories of the days when he'd sailed off with his crew. Tichy excitedly asked Ling Chu, "Captain, where's our ship?"

"You're standing on it."

Tichy looked down at the tiny Sailboat, just big enough for two people. Even one more would make it cramped. He figured it must be an emergency backup boat the Captain had brought along, then asked:

"What about the rest of the crew?"

"For now, it's just the two of us."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Tichy burst out laughing. "Ha ha ha! It's quality that counts, not quantity! I'm worth eight men on my own. Captain, Old Tichy's never been wrong about people. I know you'll rule the seas!"

Ling Chu realized that, on top of having a few screws loose, the skeleton was also a master flatterer.

Without another word, she put something in his hand.

"Captain, what's this..."

"An Iron Pickaxe."

"Less talking, more working," Ling Chu said curtly.

Making an Iron Pickaxe required one Iron Ore, five pieces of wood, and one piece of Cloth. She'd had exactly two Iron Ore left, so she'd made two Iron Pickaxes.

Only two hours had passed since she'd left the island. Besides the Island Core she still hadn't found, there was plenty of Iron Ore left to collect.

Ling Chu moored the Sailboat in the shallows again. After dropping anchor, she took her newly acquired Skeleton Henchman and went ashore once more.

Mining didn't take any special skill. It was all about strength.

Tichy swung his Iron Pickaxe with a powerful whoosh.

Sometimes, after mining two pieces of Iron Ore, Ling Chu had to stop and catch her breath. Tichy, on the other hand, swung his pickaxe without stopping, as if he never got tired.

Before long, Iron Ore was scattered all over the ground, and Ling Chu collected every last piece into her Ring Space.

He really was worth eight men.

Skeletons didn't need to eat or rest. What could make better laborers than that?

She'd thought it might take two days to mine all the Iron Ore, but at this rate, they could finish in one.

If only she had a few more skeletons...

Ling Chu thought about it, though these things were genuinely hard to find.

Then a sudden idea struck her. She thought of Sanfuye, who'd just died. Could she resurrect a player's corpse?

Just as she was about to test it, she realized Sanfuye's body was gone.

Ling Chu frowned. She clearly remembered Sanfuye falling beside the Treasure Chest. Could he still be alive?

Impossible. Her strike had killed him instantly, and the system had even given her a Bounty Reward.

Something must have dragged his body away.

Fortunately, the whole island was sandy, so Ling Chu soon found traces of whatever had taken it. There were no footprints, but a very obvious drag mark led toward the woods.

The other half of the island was the part she hadn't explored yet.

"Tichy."

The skeleton, who'd been swinging his pickaxe with great enthusiasm, came trotting over at the sound of her voice.

"Captain, what is it?"

"Follow me."

Ling Chu followed the drag marks until she reached a crooked dead tree. The trail ended there.

Weeds and shrubs grew beneath the tree. Ling Chu pushed them aside and found the entrance to a Sand Cave concealed underneath.

The Cave Entrance was wide enough for two people, but she couldn't see a thing inside. Ling Chu didn't dare go down carelessly, so she said to Tichy, "Go down and scout ahead."

"Sure."

Without a second thought, Tichy hefted his Iron Pickaxe and jumped in.

He'd already died once. What did he have to fear?

Besides, even if he died again, his all-powerful Captain could bring him back to life.

A few seconds later, Ling Chu heard a thud as Tichy landed. His voice came from deep within the cave.

"Captain, it's safe! Come on down!"