Since Pleine was well aware of what Lee Shin-Woo wanted, she didn't waste time and immediately placed the bones of her choice on the counter; this time, there were a total of three bones he could choose from.

"These are the three most expensive level 5 bones. Starting from the left, they cost 290,000, 310,000, and 370,000 Perium respectively. Oh, and for your reference, they're all from named monsters."

Similarly to heroes, monsters also undergo dramatic increases in strength as they level up, and naturally, the karma that they leave behind, namely their bones, would be unimaginably valuable.

Case in point, the most expensive level 4 bone cost around 90,000 Perium, while a bone one level higher cost 200,000 to 300,000 or more. The jump was quite significant even when taking into consideration that they were from named monsters.

"High level monsters are just as few and far between as high level humans. While the Empire still stands, someone over level 4 would see very few rivals. Level 4 was also the starting level for the renowned group of elites called the Empire's Knights."

"So I’m only as good as a knight?"

"That's not what I'm saying. You’re an elite among elites, Dear Customer, so it's difficult to compare you to them simply. If everyone's ability was the same just because they were the same level, no one would pursue special or unique karma… You should already be well aware of how special you are."

He couldn't fool her. Lee Shin-Woo sighed and examined the bones she'd presented to him. For starters, there wasn't a blue bone this time.

Well, the foundation of his mana proficiency, namely Mana Bone, as well as the different applications including Acid Poison Spray and Flames of Revenge had been acquired through achievements, so he didn't really need to pick a blue bone every time; however, he couldn't help but have mixed feelings.

"How about a level 6 bone?" he asked.

"You might be able to buy an ordinary level 6 bone, but...a level 6 elite bone would cost at least 1.5 million Perium."

"Hmm, I see."

Lee Shin-Woo discarded the idea quickly. It was much better to obtain a level 5 elite monster bone than an ordinary level 6 monster bone.

Ultimately, he had to choose amongst these three... He pushed Mana Bone to the limit as he examined the bones before him. Due to his accumulated experience, he was now able to more easily examine them.

The cheapest one increases strength, and the skill within is a powerful strike similar to Power Slash. I don't know how much it would increase my strength, but it's not very appealing to me. The next one increases endurance, but the skill contained within seems similar to Harden.

He didn't really need this one either, since he already possessed Rule of Bone. However... Lee Shin-Woo shifted his eyes to the side and looked at Jin, who was examining the bones with a blank look on his face.

"What is it?" Jin asked, puzzled.

"There's a bone here that you need."

"Me!?"

Jin's agility was monstrously high, but his other stats were lower than Lee Shin-Woo's; not to mention Jin didn't even have a decent skill that wasn't related to running. That was a huge problem.

No matter how specialized Jin was in agility, he still needed strength and endurance to use that agility more effectively, as well as the magic to supplement it. If he only focused on raising his agility, as it raised by a factor of three, the balance of his body would crumble, and he wouldn’t be able to keep himself stable.

It was physically impossible for Jin to wear armor, so a skill that reinforced his body would be essential.

"This is too expensive, though... It feels kind of weird just accepting it."

"It's an investment for my partner,” Lee Shin-Woo said. “I’m not just doing this for your sake, but for the both of us."

"Ugh… Then what about you?"

"I'm picking this one."

Lee Shin-Woo had picked the most expensive bone that cost 370,000 Perium. Judging from the pattern of the mana within, it would undoubtedly increase his agility. He had thought about giving it to Jin, but decided in the end that it would be better for him to take it, as it would balance out his growth.

My stats were pretty balanced except that my magic was higher, but after absorbing my equipment, agility is now lagging behind. Considering my connection to Jin in battles, agility is actually the most important stat...

Contrary to Jin, it was imperative for Lee Shin-Woo to increase his agility, which was significantly lower than his other stats. He had to find a way to bridge the gap between their agility.

"That’s 680,000 Perium in total. It's quite a sizable amount, so it would be difficult for you to buy both bones... Oh my, you have enough?"

"A lot happened. A lot."

Pleine looked extremely curious once again, but ultimately didn't ask. Perhaps it was out of consideration for Jin, who had visited the Secret Shop for the first time. She collected the money and smiled as she stepped back, which made both of them uncomfortable.

"I believe you’ll be level 5 the next time we meet. I'll have level 6 bones prepared for your next visit."

"I don't know whether I'll be able to gather 1.3 million Perium by then, but... I'll see you next time."

Lee Shin-Woo and Jin immediately left the Secret Shop and returned underground. Both the shop and the red-haired beauty were no longer anywhere to be seen. They were back to the plains marked by their intense battle earlier.

Jin took a quick look around before letting out a relieved sigh and saying, "I don't want to visit the shop again. You should go by yourself next time."

"Why?"

"I don't like that woman. It feels like she's looking right through me."

But anyone can already see through the gaps of your bones, Lee Shin-Woo wanted to retort, but he kept his mouth shut since he didn’t want Jin to kick him.

[Four permits to the Goddess’s Secret Shop have been transferred from Jin Taylor, who is contracted to you.]

"Hm, so items can be transferred between us..."

In the past, there had been times when Lee Shin-Woo refrained from using a permit since it felt wasteful, but now he had enough to visit Pleine whenever he was bored. There hadn’t been a moment like that since he arrived at the Empire, though.

"Then let's start with the Bone Reinforcement," said Lee Shin-Woo.

"Do we really have to?"

"I'll give you some time to prepare."

There was no escape for Jin to begin with. The only reason Lee Shin-Woo hadn’t been using Bone Reinforcement on Jin all the time and had allowed him to rest was because Lee Shin-Woo was prioritizing his own growth.

Jin had a few wearisome days to look forward to until their stats became similar. Jin grimaced in anticipation since he had expected as much, but unfortunately, his feelings weren't conveyed to Lee Shin-Woo at all as a skeleton.

[Executing Bone Reinforcement on Jin Taylor by consuming a Lv5 Bone Wall Knight, Predin Eltlesser's rib bone. A portion of the target's experiences and memories is divided and absorbed. Endurance has increased by 3. Proficiency in Rule of Bone has increased.]

[We are the final defense for His Excellency. Show them the results of your training. I'll find the one who dies first and kill them again in Hell. - Predin Eltlesser]

As expected, a level 5 monster's thoughts were indeed different from the average monsters. He only gained a portion of those memories and experiences, but his endurance had increased by 3; not only that, Predin's final moments were transferred to him.

So what must it be like for Jin, whose mind was directly injected with those memories and experiences? The flashbacks were so vivid that Jin’s own sense of identity wavered, albeit briefly.

"Ughhhhhh," Jin yelled in agony and rolled onto the ground.

Lee Shin-Woo petted him and asked, "You alright?"

"I'm not alright..."

"Do you remember my name? I’m—"

"I'm not that damaged!"

Lee Shin-Woo had briefly considered etching their names onto his palms just in case, but fortunately, it didn’t come to that. With a relieved sigh, he grabbed the bone he had bought for himself and executed Bone Reinforcement once again.

[Executing Bone Reinforcement by consuming Lv5 Armored Bone Knight, Ashkiss Von Belita's leg bone. Absorbing the target's experiences and memories in their entirety. Agility has increased by 18. Low Rank Horseback Riding is now Lv8. Agility has increased by 4.]

[You're really disobedient, but you'll warm up to me. There will come a time where we ride into the battlefield together. - Ashkiss Von Belita]

"Mmm..."

The memories that entered his mind were those of a uniformed knight of the Empire as he tamed a violent horse. As expected, it was what he needed the most right now.

It was a bit regrettable that he hadn't gained a new skill, but it wouldn’t serve him well to just blindly acquire more and more. In the meantime, he thought it'd be best to cement the skills he already possessed.

Moreover, while the memories I'd acquired until recently had awakened Horseback Riding, I hadn't been able to attain an expert's memories. The memories and experiences I've just gained should be helpful for a long time to come.

Not only had it immediately increased the skill level of Horseback Riding by one, Lee Shin-Woo was absolutely sure that the memories would help him increase his proficiency in the skill a lot faster. He didn't know how his partner would feel about that, though.

"Do you feel okay now?"

"S-Somewhat..."

Jin didn’t sound fine whatsoever, and the sight of goblin fire spinning in his eye sockets was truly worrying. Concerned, Lee Shin-Woo climbed onto Jin’s back and decided to test what he had just learned. He focused on the connection between them.

"Uh... Huh...?"

"Hoo..."

Something changed. Undead didn’t actually breathe, but Jin let out what sounded like harsh gasps before quickly calming down. The trick was simple. Lee Shin-Woo had focused on a part of Jin’s consciousness through their connection and mitigated the primary cause of confusion while sharing the mental burden.

"Take it one at a time. Just think of it as watching an educational video."

"Easy for you to say...!"

But his connection with Lee Shin-Woo had certainly made the process much easier. Even as Jin complained, he followed Lee Shin-Woo's voice and accepted the memories and experiences gradually. He felt a bit ashamed, but he couldn't tell that to Lee Shin-Woo, so he persisted and endured quietly instead.

"...I'm alright now."

"Good,” Lee Shin-Woo said with a nod. “Shall we go to the highlands? We have to finish what we started."

Jin took several deep breaths before setting out. Lee Shin-Woo was able to maintain their connection even though Jin was now running at a faster pace. It was probably because he had leveled up.

"But I'm not there yet. I want to increase my agility by at least 300 points."

"I've already given up on catching up to your agility."

So long as Jin possessed Child of Light, the disparity between their agility would only continue to grow. Therefore, it was more important to maintain a full connection with Jin while drawing all of his abilities to the surface, rather than trying to thoughtlessly increase his agility. Besides, with Horseback Riding leveling up, Lee Shin-Woo was now able to draw 30% more speed out of Jin!

"We’ve arrived," Jin announced.

"You really are frighteningly fast."

If Lee Shin-Woo were alone, it would've taken him a few hours to get here, but since he was with Jin, they'd arrived before he could even say more than a few sentences! It all felt like a fever dream, but it was reality. The highlands were still filled with Golems, and the tracks they had left behind while letting the Treasure Eater pass were still clear.

[Sensing mana responses from living bodies. Activating.]

[Stopping outside entry. Automatically removing trespassers unless directed otherwise.]

He heard the same lines as a few hours ago while Golems emerged everywhere. There were significantly more of them this time, which might have something to do with their victory against the Treasure Eater earlier.

However, Lee Shin-Woo was the one who had changed the most. He summoned the Melting Bone Double Axe and checked on Jin.

"Where are the level 4 Golems?” Lee Shin-Woo asked.

"We have to go a bit higher to find them. I think we’ll be able to pass by these Golems without fighting given our speed..."

"No, it's fine. I need some sparring partners to get used to my strengthened body, anyway..."

Above all, Lee Shin-Woo realized that he needed to understand the Golems inhabiting the highlands better, so...he gripped the Double Axe with one hand and laughed.

"Shall we begin?"

The everlasting Golems had been protecting the silence of these highlands for ages, yet flames of change[1] were spreading and blazing through the region. It didn't take long before the highlands were devoured entirely.

1. T/N: Not literal flames.