An hour earlier.
"Luck probably follows the law of conservation of energy, too!"
Tylen thought to himself.
He'd struck gold on his card draw two days ago, and then his mentor had given him the Purple Diamond Carving Knife. It seemed his luck had been completely used up today.
Today, several times, he'd spotted suitable corpses, only for someone else to snatch them first.
Especially after rumors of "cutting costs and improving efficiency" started spreading. The apprentices with even a few connections had become like sharks smelling blood, prowling the city in a frenzy.
At nine in the morning, Tylen found the freshly dead body of a young man in a back alley in the slums. The cause of death was sudden overwork-related cardiac arrest, and the corpse was in excellent condition.
But before he could even pull out his Corpse Bag, three apprentices in matching uniforms rushed over.
Their leader was a man with a face full of brutish features, a badge pinned to his chest bearing the insignia of the Brunei Kane faction.
Brunei Kane was a Level 6 Wizard and Markley Kane's cousin. Their relationship was neither good nor bad.
"Finders keepers, Magnus." The leader, a smiling Level 1 apprentice, reached out for a polite handshake.
While he was shaking hands, the two lackeys beside him had already loaded the corpse onto their cart.
Ike was from Thousand Mountain City. They said he had good talent, and unlike Haige, he was easygoing and got along well with everyone.
Tylen sighed. "You guys sure are quick!"
Ike sighed. "Can't be helped. Things are tough for everyone these days. Next time I come across one, I'll let you have it."
Tylen didn't count on there being a next time, but he said nothing. Smiling, he shook Ike's hand. "You're too kind."
Ike lowered his voice. "I'll buy you a meal sometime. You took out Haige, so you did me a huge favor!"
Tylen smiled. "Sounds good! Then I'll make sure to order something nice!"
After exchanging a few words, they went their separate ways.
At eleven in the morning, a carriage accident in the commercial district claimed the life of a vagrant.
Tylen acted quickly this time, but just as he was about to load the body onto his cart, a group of people in gold-trimmed robes appeared.
They were from the Blazing Sun Wizard Tower.
Their leader was a Level 2 apprentice, walking around with his nose in the air. Three burly attendants followed behind him.
"We'll take this corpse."
The Level 2 apprentice held a shoddy Magic Wand without even a gemstone on it, and tapped Tylen on the chest. His tone was as contemptuous as if he were shooing away a fly.
"You trash from Cain Tower. If you don't want to die, get lost."
Tylen looked at the Magic Wand poking his chest. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Then he simply let go, allowing the other party to drag the corpse away like a dead dog.
No arguing. No threats.
Tylen merely took out the little notebook in his mind labeled "Grudges" and made a heavy mark in it.
"Weakness is a sin."
"The wise don't contend with the foolish, and the weak don't contend with the strong."
"You won't be strong forever, and I won't be weak forever!"
After being robbed twice in a row, Tylen realized that the competition for resources within the city had grown fierce.
If he wanted to meet his quota, he'd have to find another way.
"If I can't do it in the city, I'll go outside it."
Tylen turned his horse around and drove toward the public cemetery on the outskirts.
He wasn't planning on robbing graves, though he wouldn't have minded if it came to that.
It was because poor people often secretly abandoned corpses from the criminal underworld there.
Some were spies from other gangs, some were their own people who'd made a mistake, and some were gamblers who'd been killed for failing to repay their loan sharks.
It was the grayest of gray areas.
The cemetery on the outskirts was bleak and desolate.
Dead trees stretched their branches like ghostly claws toward the overcast sky. Crows hopped from tombstone to tombstone, cawing hoarsely.
Tylen left his carriage some distance away and approached on foot.
As soon as he turned past a patch of bushes, a strong stench of blood hit him.
A pack of wild dogs was savagely tearing at something beside a collapsed grave.
It was a corpse that had been hastily buried, then dug back up.
More than a dozen wild dogs, every one of them with patchy fur and gaunt bodies, had a disquieting red glint in their eyes.
"Damn, I'm too late."
Tylen frowned.
"But since I'm already here, I can't leave empty-handed."
"If I drive these dogs off, maybe I can still get away with a whole corpse."
Tylen drew the Bone-Cleaving Knife from his waist. Mana surged through him as he prepared to use Magic Thorn Art to scare off the beasts.
But...
The moment he took a step and shouted at them, the wild dogs, which had been burying their heads in their meal, all raised them in unison.
More than a dozen pairs of scarlet eyes, full of savagery and greed, fixed on Tylen.
There was no fear, no hesitation.
Only the excitement of spotting fresh prey.
Their leader was a huge black dog with one eye missing.
It still held half an arm in its mouth, and a low growl rumbled in its throat.
"Grr—woof!"
At the One-Eyed Dog King's command, the pack scattered at once and closed in on Tylen in a fan-shaped formation.
Their practiced teamwork, their bloodthirsty eyes—
What kind of dogs were these? They were wolves in dog skins!
Tylen instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
He raised both hands and took half a step back, looking utterly sincere.
"Hey, buddy, I'm sorry!"
"Sorry to bother you. Keep eating. I'm leaving."
But these beasts had already tasted human flesh. They had no intention of letting the dessert that had come right to their door get away.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Their frenzied barking rang across the cemetery.
Three wild dogs charged at him at once from the left, right, and center, their foul breath almost blasting him in the face.
"Damn it!"
Tylen cursed inwardly and instinctively prepared to use Magic Thorn Art and fight back.
But the next second, reason took over.
"No! There are too many dogs!"
"A pack of dogs is like a pack of wolves. So that saying is true!"
"Even if I kill these few, the rest will bite me."
"If one of them bites me and I get rabies, I'm dead in a world without vaccines!"
Run!
Tylen turned and ran.
Dead branches snapped beneath his feet.
Wind howled behind him—the sound of fangs slicing through the air.
Just as Tylen nearly fell after sneezing, a spotted dog on his left caught up with him. It bared its teeth and lunged straight for his thigh.
In that instant, life and death hung in the balance.
Tylen's heart rate shot up to 170.
Fortunately, his body had been strengthened by training.
"Get lost!"
Tylen didn't dodge. Instead, he used his forward momentum to twist sharply.
The Bone-Cleaving Knife in his right hand, imbued with Magic Thorn Art, flashed like a striking viper.
The physical training and stretching he'd done over the past few days had brought a qualitative improvement in his coordination.
Before, his stiff movements would have made him miss for sure.
Schhk!
The blade cut precisely through the spotted dog's soft belly.
It was like a hot knife through butter.
The spotted dog let out a piercing wail. Before it even hit the ground, its belly had been slit open.
Blood and colorful entrails spilled everywhere with a wet splatter.
"Working out really does help!"
"With my old, scrawny body, I wouldn't just have failed to fight back. I might not even have gotten away—I'd have been knocked down and killed by these dogs!"
Tylen was ecstatic, but he didn't dare stop. He planned to use the blow to scare them off and escape the fight.
But...
Right then.
A golden system notification suddenly appeared in his field of vision.
[Monster Killed: 1/10] [Weekly Quest Progress Updated]
"Huh!?"
Tylen stared at the words, his mind racing.
"Well, would you look at that..."
"These wild dogs, eating the flesh of the dead and lingering in places thick with yin energy, have actually been classified as monsters by the system?"
Tylen glanced back at the pack of wild dogs in hot pursuit.
His fear vanished in an instant.
In its place was the greed of someone looking at walking experience points.
"These dogs are dangerous, but compared to real monsters, they're downright adorable."
"If you all count as monsters, then I won't hold back."
"I'm farming this weekly quest no matter what!"
Seeing one of their pack killed in a single blow, the remaining wild dogs weren't frightened.
On the contrary, the smell of blood only made them more vicious.
Led by the One-Eyed Dog King, the remaining thirteen dogs charged after him like mad.
They were less than ten meters away.
Tylen wasn't stupid enough to stand his ground and fight them all at once.
He burst into a sprint again, heading for his carriage parked by the roadside.
"Old pal, I'm borrowing your rear end!"
Tylen grabbed the spare Corpse Bag from the carriage and quickly wrapped it around his right arm as protection.
Then he leaped onto the carriage's front rail.
Smack!
He lashed the reins hard against the old horse's rump.
"Hyah!"
The horse cried out in pain and bolted, galloping off on all fours.
Tylen yanked on the reins, steering the carriage through a drift-like turn on the narrow dirt road.
The wild dogs saw the huge thing start moving and were immediately drawn to this bigger, more enticing prey.
"Woof!"
The One-Eyed Dog King charged ahead of the others, lunging straight for the horse's neck.
"You're asking for it!"
Tylen sat high on the front rail, looking down at them.
The old horse instinctively raced forward with the carriage's momentum, and its tremendous impact sent two wild dogs that tried to block it flying.
Just then, two more dogs leaped up. Their blood-covered paws hooked over the edge of the carriage, and they opened their jaws to bite Tylen's legs.
"Down!"
Tylen's eyes were cold. He struck with his knife.
The Corpse Bag wrapped around his right arm blocked one dog's bite, while the Bone-Cleaving Knife in his left hand plunged precisely into the other dog's eye socket.
Pfft!
The blade twisted, bursting its brain. The dog yelped and fell from the carriage.
Immediately afterward, Tylen slashed backhanded, cutting the throat of the dog biting his right arm.
Blood splashed across the carriage rail, making the old horse run even faster.
The next five minutes were a one-sided game of cat and mouse.
Tylen drove the carriage in circles across the wilderness around the cemetery.
Using the carriage's speed and height, he ran the wild dogs ragged.
Any dog that dared to come close was met with a deadly strike of Magic Thorn Art.
Finally.
When Tylen pinned the last One-Eyed Dog King to the ground with a single knife blow, the world fell silent.
Fourteen wild dogs lay scattered across the wasteland, all dead.
Tylen jumped down from the carriage, panting heavily.
Aside from a little dog blood on him, he was practically unscathed.
A few shallow scratches had appeared on the old horse's rump, and it snorted uneasily.
"Nice work, old friend."
Tylen patted the horse's neck, soothing it.
At that moment, the System Panel popped up again.
[Monster Kills: 10/10] [Experience Gained: 500] [Grand Monthly Card Level Up: Lv.5→ Lv.6]
"Awesome!"
Tylen clenched his fist.
Just as he was about to go retrieve the half-eaten human corpse...
Whoosh—
A chill wind suddenly blew from deep within the cemetery.
The temperature around him dropped several degrees in an instant.
The hair all over Tylen's body stood on end. He suddenly felt as if some terrifying being was watching him.
"A Wraith!"
He reacted at once.
The little boy he'd taken in two days ago had been playing near the cemetery when a Wraith possessed him and killed him.
Something unclean was definitely haunting this place, and the stench of blood had drawn it over.
"Time to go!"
Tylen made a snap decision and abandoned the human corpse.
He swiftly tossed the dozen or so dead dogs on the ground into the Corpse Bag, then threw it onto the carriage.
Then he leaped aboard and drove off at full speed without looking back. Only after he reached the city did that icy feeling gradually fade.
Tylen finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, when he checked what he'd gained this time, even more unexpected rewards appeared.
[Corpses Collected: 14] [Daily Quest: Collect three corpses (completed)] [Weekly Quest: Collect a total of 15 corpses (completed)] [Experience Gained: 300+700] [Grand Monthly Card Level Up: Lv.6→ Lv.7]
Tylen stared at the panel, stunned for a second.
Then the corners of his mouth curled uncontrollably upward, until he was actually laughing out loud.
"So that's another way to do it!"
"The system's definition of a 'corpse' isn't limited to human corpses!"
"It just has to be a dead creature!?"
"Man! Why didn't it say so sooner!"
Tylen's mind immediately began racing.
The Grand Monthly Card quest requirements didn't seem nearly as strict as he'd imagined.
6:00 p.m.
Tylen drove his carriage, loaded with his spoils, back to his morgue.
He looked at the pile of dead dogs on the floor, stacked like a little mountain, and his eyes gleamed with the promise of quest grinding.
"Come on, my little darlings."
The Slacker Saint Body's passive ability took effect.
Tylen picked up the Bone-Cleaving Knife and turned into a merciless butcher.
First, he dismembered them and slit open their bellies...
With his efficiency multiplied thirtyfold, his movements were so fast they blurred.
Next, he picked up a needle and thread.
"There's also a weekly quest to [Sew up 10 dismembered corpses]."
"I was worried about where I'd find so many dismembered corpses. Well, problem solved..."
"If there aren't any dismembered corpses, I can make them myself!"
Humming a little tune, Tylen sewed the dog legs he'd just cut off back onto their bodies.
And, with nothing better to do, he even deliberately mixed and matched a few dogs' parts.
It took only two minutes to sew a dismembered dog back together.
Twenty minutes later.
Ten grotesque "Frankenstein Dogs," their bodies covered in dense lines of stitches, had come into being.
[Weekly Quest: Sew up 10 dismembered corpses (completed)] [Experience Gained: 500]
"Just as I thought. A tough guy like me shouldn't wait for difficulties to show up—I should make my own difficulties so I can complete quests!"
After finishing the quest, Tylen quickly tidied up the dogs' bodies and put them in cold storage.
The meat wasn't fit to eat—it might be poisonous—but the bones were excellent practice material, and the hides could be sold to a tanner. Nothing should go to waste.
Then he took off his robe, stained with blood and dirt.
He changed into a fresh set of clothes.
He went over to the washbasin. Laundry speed multiplied thirtyfold—activate!
All his old clothes, along with the dirty ones he'd taken off yesterday, were washed clean in less than two minutes.
His hands churning through the water moved so fast they looked like the agitator of a smoking washing machine.
"Life skills: maxed out."
When everything was done, Tylen felt hungry again.
He went to the cafeteria and got two large bowls of oatmeal and a big bowl of thick bean soup, then grabbed some fuel while he was at it.
Back at the morgue, he lit the stove.
He took the iron pot out of the cold room. It held the pork belly and onions he'd stir-fried yesterday.
As the temperature rose, the solidified grease melted, and that irresistible meaty aroma once again filled the entire basement.
7:00 p.m.
Flap, flap, flap!
The sound of a crow beating its wings came from the window.
Tylen, who'd been holding a bowl and wolfing down his food, hurriedly set down his utensils, stood up, and bowed respectfully.
"Mentor!"
A black crow flew into the room, landed, and transformed into Makley, clad in a black robe.
As soon as he landed, the widely traveled Official Wizard paused in surprise.
His keen nose twitched twice.
"What is this...?"
A distinctive aroma wafted straight into his nostrils.
He could make out the smell of onions and the fatty scent of pork.
But he'd never encountered this combination before: the onions' pungency transformed into a caramel-like fragrance, blending perfectly with the meaty aroma.
Compared to the roasts piled with expensive spices at noble banquets, this seemed to have something more... soulful.
Makley's gaze fell on the stove, still burning.
He saw the half-eaten carrot in Tylen's hand, as well as the remaining onions and pork in the iron pot, golden and enticing.
Unconcealed surprise and curiosity showed on his face.
"I thought you'd take the money I gave you and have a couple of lavish meals at the best tavern in town, to treat yourself."
Makley couldn't help asking with a laugh,
"I didn't expect you to cook for yourself here."
"And... it smells quite good."
Tylen quickly swallowed his food and scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Mentor, the food in town is awful and expensive."
"A decent meal costs two or three Purple Gold Coins, and it doesn't even taste that good."
"I'd be better off buying some ingredients and cooking for myself. It saves money, and I can make it to my taste."
"You know, I grew up in a poor family. Every little bit saved helps."
A hint of approval flashed in Makley's eyes.
This boy knew how to rein in his desires and manage his life.
His character was far better than that of those fools who only knew how to squander their money.
He walked slowly over to the iron pot, his nose twitching again despite himself.
"I didn't know you could cook."
Tylen gave a simple, honest smile.
"There were a lot of kids in my family, and my parents were always busy. Sometimes, when I got hungry, I had to cook for myself. I got the hang of it after doing it enough times."
Makley gave a quiet "Mm" and raised a finger.
He wove Mana into a nimble, invisible hand.
The transparent hand gently pinched a piece of pork belly out of the pot and floated it before him.
Makley examined it closely.
It was streaked with fat and lean meat, its surface glistening red and coated in an enticing mixture of oil and salt.
He didn't eat it. He simply examined it with his Mental Power, then put it back in the pot.
"Is this pork?"
"Yes, Mentor," Tylen replied respectfully.
"You have a good way of cooking it."
Makley nodded, his words carrying a hint of approval.
"To make such an ordinary ingredient look this appetizing is a skill in its own right."
Tylen was quick to pick up on Makley's unspoken interest.
He was curious about the food, but his status made him hesitate to ask to try his student's leftovers.
So Tylen immediately seized the opportunity and said respectfully,
"Mentor, if you don't mind that your student's cooking is crude and the kitchen is filthy..."
"I'd be more than happy to prepare a meal just for you, to show my gratitude and repay your kindness."
"I'll use the freshest ingredients to make a specialty dish from my hometown."
At that, the corners of Makley's mouth lifted slightly. He was clearly in a good mood.
"I'm glad you're willing."
He waved a hand, turning down the offer.
"But not right now. You're already very busy, and you need to focus on your proper work."
"After this period of turmoil has passed, perhaps I'll have a taste of your cooking."
Then his expression turned serious, and he shifted into teaching mode.
"All right, enough small talk."
"How is your practice with carving runes into bones going?"
Tylen immediately turned around, picked up a scapula he'd prepared earlier from the table, and handed it over with both hands.
"I feel... I've probably mastered some of the basic techniques."
Makley took the bone.
When his gaze fell on the [Sturdy] rune etched into it—delicate, evenly carved, with a completely unobstructed Mana circuit—the eyes of the widely traveled Official Wizard instantly lit up with surprise.
"This... did you carve this today?"
He could hardly believe it.
This level of skill usually took an apprentice at least a week of intensive practice to achieve on bone.
And Tylen had done it in just one day!?
Tylen nodded respectfully, offering the excuse he'd prepared long ago without batting an eye.
"Yes, Mentor."
"As you know, my father was a blacksmith."
"After he finished making something, he often carved the craftsman's name or a design onto it."
"I grew up watching him, and sometimes I helped him with that."
"So when it comes to carving things into hard materials, I have a few... little tricks that feel almost like muscle memory."
"And the Purple Diamond Carving Knife you gave me is so good that it practically feels magical."
Makley toyed with the delicate bone shard engraved with the Runic Frame, his fingertips tracing its smooth lines.
After a long while, he exclaimed in admiration:
"It seems this engraving knife really is a good fit for you!"
"Good! Very good!"
"Since your foundation is so solid, we can pick up the pace of today's lesson."
"Tonight, we'll start trying to build the core circuit of Bone Domination!"
Before you continue