Chương 2: The First Summon

Arthur walked along the empty pavement, leaving the lower residential district behind as he entered the Factory District. He was not a stranger to this area; his father had worked here his entire life, and Arthur himself had taken on several part-time jobs here between his schooling. Currently, the looming threat of the 10, 000 Credit penalty heavily lingered in his mind.

However, that devastating fine would be nothing to worry about if he could just figure out a way to pay the required tribute to finalize the contract for the laborer the System had provided him. Once he fully exited the residential area, Arthur moved toward an isolated spot. He decided to try and bring forth the skeleton he had been given. But there was a problem: his System interface was locked, leaving him with no clear instructions on how to summon the worker into this world.

After thinking for a while, he focused on the name of the skeleton, Coburn. He closed his eyes and poured all of his concentration and intent into summoning the laborer. When his intense focus reached its absolute limit, a glowing diagram composed of strange symbols suddenly formed on the ground just a few feet away from him. Soon, a figure started to slowly emerge from the center of the diagram. Once the figure had fully materialized, the strange symbols immediately dissipated into thin air.

A lone skeleton now stood silently before him. Seeing the skeleton he had successfully brought forth, Arthur felt a strange wave of relief wash over him. Everything that had happened since his Awakening had felt like a bizarre, terrifying dream. But now, seeing the undead worker with his very own eyes, reality finally set in. For the first time all night, he felt somewhat hopeful. However, to his immense surprise, the skeleton looked like a formidable warrior.

It possessed broad skeletal shoulders and a tall, imposing figure. It certainly looked much more like a battle-hardened combatant than a simple laborer. When Arthur first read the title and its specialty, "Jack of all trades," he had assumed a normal, frail skeleton with broken bones would be brought forth. The reality before him was completely different.

"What is your name?" Arthur asked, looking intently at the skeleton. There was absolutely no answer from the undead creature. Can the skeleton not communicate? a worried thought arose in his mind.

"Jump two times," Arthur commanded, testing to see if it could at least listen to him. If it could not understand his basic instructions, it would be a massive problem. Fortunately, the skeleton immediately jumped high into the air two times, exactly as commanded, before returning to a complete standstill.

"At least it listens to my commands, even if there is no communication," Arthur muttered, feeling another wave of relief wash over him upon seeing the skeleton's obedient behavior. Now that he had successfully summoned his worker, he desperately needed to find a job that would pay at least 1, 000 Credits within 48 hours. He needed 500 Credits for the required tribute, plus extra funds to purchase the unrefined iron ore. Arthur stood in that same isolated spot for a long time, deeply pondering where he should go.

Since Coburn was a "Jack of all trades," the skeleton could theoretically do any kind of work. However, Arthur was strictly bound by a ticking 48-hour time limit. Regular temporary jobs paid a very minimal wage, typically around 50 Credits for a full day's work. Even if he somehow managed to force the skeleton to work six back-to-back shifts over the next two days, the total payment wouldn't even come close to being enough.

The only high-paying job in this world right now would be raiding dungeons and harvesting materials from dungeon monsters. Other than that, he could perhaps try toxic mining, but that would be an incredibly dangerous thing to do. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Arthur started to panic as he continuously thought about all the things he couldn't do.

Focusing on his limitations only made the monumental task of earning the money seem infinitely more difficult. Suddenly, Arthur picked up a large, sturdy branch from a nearby dead tree, roughly the length and weight of a standard sword. He walked back and directly handed the heavy piece of wood to the skeleton.

"Perform some sword routine," Arthur commanded. After a long period of contemplation, he had realized that fighting monsters was truly the only viable way to fetch the money he needed in such a short time limit. Since Coburn was listed as a "Jack of all trades," Arthur wanted to test the skeleton's actual combat abilities. This dangerous idea wouldn't have even occurred to him if the skeleton had looked like a regular, fragile laborer.

However, observing the skeleton's towering figure and broad shoulders, Arthur thought the creature must have been a great warrior during its lifetime. Coburn took the dead branch and stood silently for a few seconds. Then, taking a few measured steps back, the skeleton hoisted the makeshift weapon and executed a powerful forward thrust. Whoosh!

The sheer force of the thrust definitively created a sharp impact on the flowing air, generating a strong gust of wind that Arthur could physically feel from where he stood nearby. Swoosh! Then came a downward slash. The skeleton gracefully rotated its body to the other side for another thrust, took two quick steps forward for a second downward slash, and executed a fluid side-step followed by a sweeping horizontal slash.

Suddenly, it leapt high into the air, delivering a rapid, precise thrust aimed squarely at an imaginary opponent's neck. This beautiful, deadly swordplay was orchestrated perfectly in the dead of the darkness. Seeing the skeleton's fluid movements, a wide smile spread across Arthur's face. With combat skills like this, he felt absolutely certain he could easily earn the 500 Credits, as well as the extra funds needed for the unrefined iron ore.

After three minutes of flawless swordplay, the skeleton returned to its original position. It stood completely still, silently gripping the dead branch. A brilliant idea began to form in Arthur's mind. However, to execute this plan, he needed a real weapon, and to get a real weapon, he needed money. This recurring dilemma caused Arthur to frustratedly scratch his head. Realizing he had no other options, he decided he would just have to improvise until he earned enough cash.

With that goal in mind, Arthur changed his route, walking toward the Mining District rather than the Factory District. The skeleton followed closely behind him. After an hour of walking, Arthur and his undead companion left the city limits and entered the Mining District, located just outside the residential zones. Faith City was highly developed, and its massive prosperity primarily stemmed from two main sources: the numerous Dungeons scattered around the region, and the sprawling local mining industry.

Most of the city's wealth was obtained through various types of mining operations. All the raw minerals required by the Factory District were supplied directly from these kind of Mining District. However, the massive wealth generated from these mines went straight into the pockets of the city's upper Sector people, leaving the laborers to scrape by on minimal wages. Just like in the Factory District, working six back-to-back shifts in two days here would not fetch him anywhere near enough money.

But, if a person was strong enough, they could earn an unimaginable amount of wealth. Though Arthur himself was not physically strong, after witnessing his skeleton's masterful swordplay, a glimmer of hope sparked within him. He finally believed he could earn the required funds within his strict time limit. The Mining District was awake 24/7. Laborers worked at all hours, with plenty of active operations extracting gold, silver, various types of ores, gems, and even highly dangerous toxic minerals.

But Arthur was not here to slave away in the mines owned by the elites; he was here to carve out his own path. Due to more than three centuries of continuous excavation, there were plenty of abandoned mines scattered just outside the active zones. This desolate area was known as the Old Mining District. Independent scavengers usually went there to mine leftover minerals and search for overlooked precious items. Currently, Arthur planned to visit this exact location.

However, there was one massive disadvantage: dangerous monsters had taken shelter deep within those abandoned shafts. Anyone who dared to enter those dark tunnels did so entirely at their own risk. If it had been before his Awakening, Arthur would not have even thought of stepping foot near the active Mining District, let alone the abandoned zones. But now, with his skeletal warrior by his side, he walked forward without a shred of fear. Arthur finally reached the entrance of the district.

The area was bustling with activity along a single, crowded street where weary laborers gathered for food, relaxation, and other basic necessities. Currently, Arthur was only here to buy some essential mining equipment. Ordering his skeleton to remain hidden within the shadows, he quickly slipped into the busy street and purchased two medium-quality pickaxes. This single transaction completely drained almost all the Credits he had to his name. But he didn't care about his empty pockets.

Once the purchase was finalized, he retrieved his undead companion from the darkness and walked directly toward the perilous depths of the Old Mining District.