Levels were an absolute standard by which organic and inorganic beings were ranked. It was also the standard which discriminated between the superior and the inferior… Because of that, those who transcended those standards were given an unconventional reward for their efforts—Karma, the very basis of this world that was more absolute than even levels.

[You succeeded in meting out your revenge against a stronger foe. All stats have increased by 2. Low Rank Avenger is now Lv2. The duration of the skill increases.]

Overcoming the difference of even just one level was extremely difficult. Even if one possessed the Avenger skill, it was a karma that could only be achieved by risking one’s life.

If that was the case, what about fighting an individual two levels higher? Others would call such an act brash and never think about attempting it unless they had several lives. Even if they did have several lives, the fight would be akin to breaking a rock with an egg; very few would risk their precious lives to make the attempt.

[You have defeated a foe two levels higher than you! It is an achievement that has never been seen before in history. All stats have increased by 5. You have acquired the title 'He Who Conquers the Impossible'. Whenever you attempt to challenge the impossible and succeed, you will become stronger.]

However, an egg could still break a rock… What if that egg were extremely tough, and it was filled with explosives instead of the usual egg white and egg yolk within? What if the rock got hammered away and cracked?

Lee Shin-Woo would fulfill each and every one of those conditions to become an extremely tough egg and create a stairway in order to reach that karma step by step. Those rules were everything, and like a video game, as long as he properly utilized the karma he had gathered as well as the skills he had acquired, it would be possible for him to overcome the wall known as levels, and the difficulty wouldn’t be unreasonably high.

Especially since he possessed the ever-changing persona, the Joker's karma!

[You have communed with a higher leveled riding companion, defeated your foe, and showed a glimpse of the qualities of the Dragon Knight foretold in legends. You have acquired the Dragon Knight's karma token. All stats have increased by 5. Low Rank Horseback Riding is now Lv7. Agility has increased by 5.]

"Ah, so many messages."

It wasn’t the first time Lee Shin-Woo thought this way. The lines of text sometimes did pull him away from basking in his victory. It felt like he was reading a biography of what had happened just a little while ago.

But there was nothing better than these messages to verify his achievements. It felt like the goddess or the world at large was whispering to him, 'You have achieved this amazing feat, which makes you this much stronger.'

"W-We survived and won," Jin muttered in disbelief. He must have been reading his messages like Lee Shin-Woo was.

Lee Shin-Woo responded carelessly, "If it wasn't for you, I would've died at least once."

"Shin-Woo...!" Jin seemed to have remembered what had transpired belatedly, and he raised his voice while stomping on the ground a few times, upset. "I can't believe you. It’s totally normal to get scared momentarily in a battle. Why would you say you were gonna fight alone?"

"Well, I thought you might really die at that rate. I have a lot of extra lives, but you only have two."

"Still, how can I help you if I back off whenever it gets dangerous? That doesn't seem like a proper contract!"

He was right. Lee Shin-Woo didn't take Jin in because he needed a simple mount. He believed that he would become stronger through Jin’s help, so he decided to work together with him. They had only managed to survive and kill Steve because of their deepening bond.

"But you’ll be really pissed if you die."

"You don't need to worry about that. This is the path I've chosen, so I'm plenty prepared for the consequences. In the future, just make me move as you please and charge forward even if I freeze in fear. Got it?"

Jin sounded almost like a general when he spoke in such an unwavering manner, but he was basically telling Lee Shin-Woo that he could at least be useful as a horse in battle. Jin seemed embarrassed that he had been temporarily frightened by the enemy.

"If that's what you want, that's what I'll do. I won't tell you to retreat out of consideration in the future."

"Good. Just think about defeating the enemy. Because if you don't, I won't be able to get stronger, either."

Is Jin beginning to understand karma, the concept that dictates this world? Lee Shin-Woo nodded as Jin talked about the core rules of karma without using the word.

But that state of mind would certainly be dangerous for Jin, so Lee Shin-Woo decided that from now on, he would figure out a way for Jin to more actively absorb the curse's magic.

Should he check the Goddess’s Secret Shop? But before that, he'd need to deal with the level up... Wait, the level up?

"Huh?"

Lee Shin-Woo tilted his head and checked his status; he realized that he had already reached the qualifications to level up to level 4.

Now that he thought about it, a few of his skills had leveled up during the battle, and his Combat Sprint was even reborn as Combat Sense, an intermediate level skill! So there was no way his stats hadn't risen over 800!

"But I ignored it all because I was concentrating on the battle," Lee Shin-Woo muttered.

"Was there an easier way to win by any chance?"

"No, there wasn't. If I had acted like I was going to level up, I probably would've been hit and pointlessly died."

Level-ups in this world didn’t work like what was portrayed in manhwa, where it was as easy as changing clothes. As a skeleton, all 206 bones that made up Lee Shin-Woo’s body would be transformed on a fundamental level, and he would be reborn with different constitution and mana as well.

But to do that while fighting an enemy? He’d probably be severely damaged, or his level-up could go wrong. One of the two would definitely have happened.

"Jin, stay back for now."

"Stay back? Why?"

"Hmm... You should be safe, but well..."

If he told Jin he would absorb every piece of bone in his vicinity when leveling up, Jin would’ve thought that he was insane.

Oh well, he’ll figure it out once he sees it himself. Lee Shin-Woo shrugged and inspected the loot the level 5 Treasure Eater had left behind. Even though he had caught a glimpse of the message before… He couldn't believe what it said. There was a particular treasure that required a second inspection.

[Drake Horn Lance Lv5]

[Durability: 2,220/2,220]

[Attack Power: 1,000 - 1,200]

[Options: Strength +30, Endurance + 30, Magic +10, Effectiveness of charge related skills +40%]

"Hoo..." Lee Shin-Woo marveled at the extraordinarily large and long conical lance before him. The level 4 Melting Bone Double Axe was tremendously powerful, but it seemed like a gentle breeze when compared to this lance.

"Wow, that looks way too cool..." Jin said.

"It's dangerous if you get too close," Lee Shin-Woo warned.

Nevertheless, he could understand why Jin would carelessly approach it. The appeal of the weapon was dimensions beyond the other weapons he'd acquired thus far!

Was a single level difference that large a gap? No, that couldn’t be the case. This weapon was special. After all, it was something the Treasure Eater deemed worthy enough to lug around in its body! It might even match up to Lightning Tooth, which was imbued with the goddess’s power.

But if he was to identify a weak point of the weapon, it would be its unwieldy nature. The lance was much too large and lengthy for him to lift and swing around. It was almost 4 meters long, and it was considerably thick as well. Ordinarily, it would be impossible to wield, unless one was a 3-meter-tall Golem.

Not to mention, one of the bonuses the weapon granted was an increase to the effectiveness of charge related skills. In other words, its full potential could only be reached by charging at the enemy and making a single powerful strike; it was a siege weapon made for a particular purpose.

"This should be important in the future since you're with me, Jin."

"...If you’re wielding this weapon, I’ll happily let you ride on my back."

Lee Shin-Woo imagined himself riding atop Jin and charging at a castle wall, lance in hand; he couldn’t help but laugh at the mental image. Apart from the fact that the knight was a skeleton, the horse was also a skeleton, and even the weapons and armor were made of bones, it would be something straight out of a fairy tale.

I hope you stay safely in my inventory until that time comes.

Lee Shin-Woo carefully opened his inventory and put the lance inside. He’d stored his axe, sword, helmet, armor, and lower body armor as well. Jin was appalled by Lee Shin-Woo’s sudden display of nudity.

"Why the hell are you stripping!?" Jin exclaimed.

"Whether I wear them or not, I'm just bones, so who cares?"

"Ugh, this is why being with a guy is..."

"You know you're drooling, right?"

"..."

He placed all his equipment into his inventory and took out Weapon Trickster's Arm Bone. He had failed to use Bone Reinforcement with it in the past, but he might succeed when leveling up. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

"Should I start with Steve's tailbone? Jin, this might be dangerous, truly. So stay back."

"Alright, alright. Let's see how dramatic it gets."

It was extremely difficult to suppress the level-up, Lee Shin-Woo realized. That was to be expected, though, since it was the natural progression for him to accept the karma once he was qualified.

He made sure he was a safe distance away from Jin before nodding and letting loose the mana he had been suppressing. At that moment, a burst of ridiculously powerful mana surged, and he floated into the air!

"Whoa, seriously?!" Jin yelled in astonishment.

Lee Shin-Woo first used the karma tokens he had collected thus far, or more precisely, he absorbed them.

He had to collect 10 tokens before they would come into a single complete karma, but the Joker's karma loved its owner's countless personas, and greedily accepted all the tokens in his possession. Although Lee Shin-Woo didn’t have any other complete karma, he would be able to mimic them almost perfectly!

[You have accepted level 4's karma. The Joker's karma absorbs a portion of the countless tokens you have collected, and an unknown potential was born. All stats have increased by 10. Acting is now Lv7.]

Of course, that was only the beginning. Following the absorption of the karma tokens, Bone Reinforcement absorbed the bone of the recently defeated Treasure Eater.

[Absorbing the Lv5 Treasure Eater's tail bone through Bone Reinforcement. Endurance has increased by 9, and Magic by 18. Absorbing the target's memories and experiences. Resonating with all the memories and experiences, as well as the standardized skills you have acquired accordingly.]

[The Joker's karma has tied all the chaos into one. Low Rank Catapult, Low Rank Harden, and Low Rank Self-Destruct have been absorbed. You have acquired the active skill, Rule of Bone Lv3. All stats have increased by 5.]

[Rule of Bone and Low Rank Mana Bone are resonating. Low Rank Mana Bone is now Lv8. Magic has increased by 4. The mana consumption of Rule of Bone decreases.]

As a result, the Treasure Eater's ability of strengthening and manipulating its blood was transformed into 'Rule of Bone' according to his needs. Lee Shin-Woo could now manipulate a portion of his body, namely his bones, just like the Treasure Eater had with its blood; he even had the ability to strengthen any specific bone on his body.

Catapult, the skill that allowed him to shoot any of his bones freely, had reached its maximum potential. It made sense that the skill would be upgraded as he had absorbed the karma of the level-up… However, it was a surprise that both Harden and Self-Destruct had also been absorbed.

Wait, does that mean Rule of Bone either includes both Harden and Self-Destruct, or would it enable some latent potential of both skills? I believe it’s still possible to use them... and it’ll be more mana-efficient since it resonates with Mana Bone. Does Rule of Bone have no room for growth then....?

There were some unanswered questions. Like Acting, Bone Reinforcement, and Invisible Heart, Rule of Bone didn’t have a rank. It would either have little room for growth, or none at all. He couldn’t think of any other possibility.

In any case, I'm sure it's an amazing skill that exceeds all the skills I’ve gained in the past... Huh?

While Lee Shin-Woo was admiring the yet untapped potential of Rule of Bone, tremendous mana burst forth once more, disorienting him for a brief moment until a message emerged before him.

[Absorbing the Lv6 Weapon Trickster's Arm Bone through Bone Reinforcement.]

It was none other than the Weapon Trickster's arm bone. It glowed brilliantly as it was finally being absorbed.

It had been impossible when he was at level 3, but after acquiring the Joker’s karma, which was greater than the Trickster’s karma, and reaching level 4 tipped him over the threshold!

[All stats have increased by 10. You have learned the active skill, Bone Armory Lv1. Magic has increased by an additional 5.]

As expected, it granted an outrageous stat increase befitting of a level 6 bone! Moreover, he had gained another rankless skill. It must have been Weapon Trickster's core ability!

As soon as his nonexistent eyes gleamed with anticipation, though, something horrifying happened.

[You have acquired the Weapon Trickster's power, and are accepting all the karma you ought to have.]

"...Huh?"

The ominous line seemed awfully familiar. Lee Shin-Woo trembled as his inventory opened on its own above his head. It felt as if all the blood in his body was draining even though he didn’t have any.

"Wait, don't do this. Please don't...!"

[Absorbing all equipment through Bone Reinforcement.]

The Dire Wolf Armor, Acid Ghoul Skull Helm, Grizzly Bone Leg... as well as the Melting Bone Double Axe, the Lightning Tooth, and the recently acquired Drake Horn Lance all dropped to the floor.

And all of them were absorbed by Lee Shin-Woo immediately.