Chapter 44: Chapter 44

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Chapter 44: Mock Battle (3)

"Everyone, fall back!"

"Fall bac—!"

"No...!"

A black-bone soldier blocked the way.

Quickly, I raised my right arm and swung the sword.

Slash!

It’s hard to control a longsword like a one-handed sword.

But fortunately, the pitch-black bone was sliced heavily yet sharply.

"Ughhhhhh!"

This time, a skeleton lunged from the side, aiming for the flag in my left hand.

Should I spin around to dodge?

No, then I’d leave the other side exposed.

The others wouldn’t miss the chance.

They’re rattling, ready to pounce the moment they see an opening.

In that case—

Thud!

I grabbed the long flagpole and swung it.

Tingling!

The cold, heavy sensation of the metal pole traveled from my palm up to my shoulder.

"Ughhhhhh-!"

"Argh! Why—!"

Several soldiers trying to charge forward were knocked over by the flagpole.

One next to them, and another beside that, tumbled together in a heap.

Crash-!

Thanks to the cleared space, I pulled myself free.

Crunch!

I stomped over the pile of shattered black bones.

"This way! Hurry!"

At the same time, I waved to the white-bone soldiers fighting diligently in their positions.

These guys dove straight into the enemy ranks, relying only on me.

They knew I was their only escape route, so they shoved aside the skeletons they were fighting and ran straight toward me.

Crash-!

【'The Raven of the Administration Bureau’ shouts to sweep away everything, including the flag!】

…Ignoring the combat-crazed fanatic, I turned and began my retreat.

"Waitttttt! Stop!!!"

A near-screeching cry rang out behind me.

That metallic, grating voice...

"?!"

It was the skeletal commander, staggering toward me.

‘How?’

I had crushed its neck to make sure its head and body couldn’t be reattached.

The proof?

The others I had struck the same way had all turned into lifeless bone heaps.

Why was this one still moving?

"You’re wondering how I can move."

With a sinister smile, it adjusted its helmet.

Ssssssst-!

The horned helmet, carved from the skull of a beast.

Sssss... Sss...

A purple aura flickered over the black helmet.

It seeped into the cracked, severed neck.

"…I think I get it now."

So that helmet is the source of its life force.

I’ll have to take that helmet.

I’ll aim for the middle of its head instead of the neck.

Thinking this, I raised my sword.

"Captain…!"

The commander grabbed a subordinate next to it.

Rattle! Boom-!

"Captaaaain!"

Then it threw the skeleton.

"Detonate it!!!"

Detonate?

"Useless."

It should’ve seen me blocking all those attacks earlier.

Either it had no learning ability, or this was its last desperate struggle.

Either way, I wasn’t about to go easy.

I raised my shield.

"You say it won’t work…?"

The skeletal soldier, its limbs dislocated and sprawled on the ground, began to hum ominously.

A twisted, bent arm.

Its skull, fallen near its knees after being separated from its neck.

Its completely folded spine.

Hum… Hum-!

Each bone glowed a bright red.

Like firewood ready to burst into flames.

And then—

[Enemy skeleton soldier activates the ‘Bone Bomb’ skill!]

[Skill activation expands to the entire body.]

[Special condition fulfilled!]

[‘Bone Bomb’ evolves into ‘Self-Destruct’!]

"Self-destruct?!"

「Bone Bomb (Lv.1): Allows bones to be detonated. The power increases proportionally to the bone’s mass, so beware.」

The ‘Bone Bomb (Lv.1)’ skill varies in power depending on the weight of the bones used.

In earlier tests, the force of 20 rib bones measured about 10.

It wasn’t enough to get through my armor alone, but with my shield, I was fine.

But if it detonates all the bones in its body?

‘Ten times? Twenty times?’

At minimum, it would easily exceed my defense of 30.

This—

I can’t block it.

No way!

‘I have to dodge!’

I can recover the flag later, but if I get hurt now, it’s over.

I’ll use Acceleration to get as far away as possible.

That should do it.

Just as I parted my lips to shout—

"Runn—"

Grab!

Something hard, like claws, grabbed my arm.

Startled, I turned around to see two dark holes staring out from between pale bones.

"Number 1?"

Skeleton soldier Number 1 was pulling me back.

Its four measly fingers rattled as they clutched me.

"It’s… dangerous…!"

It’s not dangerous.

"Commander… let me… instead…"

I can run away.

The Acceleration skill would give me 20 seconds.

Plenty of time to save my own skin.

But…

‘How can I leave him behind when he’s acting like this?’

"Acceleration! Petrification!"

So, instead of using my legs, I moved my hands.

Chzzzzt!

The bone grave swelled up as if ready to burst.

Grabbing recklessly, I felt a tingling heat in my hands despite strengthening them with petrification.

It wouldn't explode in my hand.

There were about 0.1 seconds left until complete detonation; within the slowed time, that translated to 2 seconds.

Whirl! Whoosh!

So, I threw with all my might.

Skulls, shinbones, foot bones, and even torsos that were still intact—everything.

But.

Tick!

As time regained its speed—

Wuuung—!

The protruding dirt mound glowed red.

It seemed there were fragments of bone I hadn’t noticed.

"!!"

Fwaaaah—!

A light so blinding that looking directly at it could cost me my vision poured down from the sky.

Like a rising sun over the dawn sea—slow but instantaneous.

And then.

— Kwooooom!

The explosion erupted just as sluggishly—slow, yet never slow in its impact.

It was too late to dodge.

In that case...

'I’ll block it.'

"Summon! Activate!"

I shouted while holding the green summoning ticket in my hand.

Fwaa—!

A steel door was summoned onto the dirt ground.

The cold, smooth surface of the door took the explosion head-on.

Like a slow-motion scene, it dented, caved in, and was eventually pierced through.

The filtered explosion came rushing at me.

[The impact force negates your defense!]

[‘Wooden Shield’ absorbs part of the impact!]

[‘Shell Breastplate’ absorbs some of the impact!]

'Ugh!'

The heavy shock penetrated the titles, armor, and shield I had equipped.

And simultaneously—

[Warning!]

[‘Wooden Shield’ is destroyed due to consecutive impacts!]

Crack—!

A fracture ran through the center of the shield.

Crunch!

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It shattered.

Psssh! Psssshhh—!

Nearby enemy soldiers crumbled.

Like the fractured shield, they split apart, shattered, and turned to dust.

The steel door could be resummoned with the ticket, good as new.

The shield?

I could just buy another one from the store.

The problem was...

[The black energy infuses the white flag!]

The pure white flag had been stolen by the enemy commander, a massive skeleton clad in pitch-black armor.

The very one who had just killed dozens of his subordinates with his own hands.

[‘Flag of Victory’ has been stolen!]

In an instant, the flag turned black.

"You bastard...!"

I tried to dash forward but stumbled.

Perhaps it was the effect of the explosion; I couldn’t seem to muster any strength in my legs.

"Commander…!"

As my skeletal soldiers rushed to support me, the enemy escaped into the crowd of soldiers with the flagpole in hand.

Damn it…!

Rattle—!

He led the dark skeletons, who were staring at him with eerie eyes.

All that was left now were...

"Ugh…."

"Ah… it hurts…."

Black skeleton soldiers who had lost their legs, arms, or parts of their bodies due to their ally’s self-destruction, collapsing helplessly.

And soon, the white skeleton soldiers came rushing over, panting heavily.

"Are… you okay…?"

[The sacrifice of their commander has greatly increased the skeleton soldiers' loyalty!]

[Current loyalty: 95%]

"Should… we chase them…?"

"If we chase them, we can catch up, but..."

[The skeleton soldiers are eagerly awaiting their commander’s orders!]

"You’ll be in danger."

"!!"

"I can’t save you if they self-destruct again."

If they went unprepared, I’d lose his rewards—no, my precious soldiers.

Think.

There must be a way.

A way to win while minimizing damage.

And then, the system broadcast rang out just in time.

[The skeleton soldiers offer their undying trust to a commander who understands the heart of bones!]

[The loyalty towards the target ‘Lee Eunho’ has reached its peak!]

Huh?

— Ding!

[Congratulations!]

[You can now command the skeleton soldiers to sacrifice themselves.]

[You can now enforce noble rest.]

The sacrifice of bones?

Noble rest?

Moreover—

[The target ‘Lee Eunho’ has triggered rapid data analysis due to his strong influence that transcends races!]

[Data collection for skill unlock complete.]

A new skill, too?

[Congratulations!]

[Based on charisma that leads the lost, influence that transcends races, and imperial qualities, a skill has been unlocked.]

[Leadership (Lv.1) skill unlocked!]

Leadership…?

That was one of the courses he had seen at the academy.

▣ Charismatic Leadership

-In a time of chaos! Who will lead the lost masses? The first step in Imperial Studies for aspiring leaders!

Completion Reward: Leadership (Lv.1) skill unlocked

'Well, I saved a course ticket.'

Back then, I had wondered what on earth this could be used for.

'I didn’t know I’d earn it and use it like this.'

[The influence of the Leadership (Lv.1) skill increases your control over subordinates.]

"Commander…!"

"If you tell us to die… we will die…!"

"Give the order…!"

The Leadership skill.

The sacrifice of bones.

The black bones trembled in agony as they gazed upon their shattered body parts.

And even that thing they had saved, thinking it might be useful someday, was gone.

“It’s done.”

I calculated everything—variables and constants—to arrive at my victory formula.

The math is finished.

* * *

Clatter!

The skeletal knight quivered with ecstasy as the sensation surged from their skull down to their very toe bones.

Every joint clashed together in electrifying bliss!

Clatterrrr—!

It’s the first time since death.

A feeling like this.

“…I have proven it!”

That we are superior to humans!

Though several soldiers and dozens of bones had to return to the ground, it was a sacrifice of the few for the many.

The whole world must know it now.

That insignificant flesh and blood are nothing before death!

“Rejoice, O Great Creator!”

Clatter!

The skeletal knight raised the victory flag high above their head and shouted.

“The end of the human era has come!”

How pleased the Great One would be to see what His humble creations had accomplished.

To witness how far His handcrafted beings had grown!

As the knight shook with joy—

Clatter-!

—a soldier approached, creaking and stumbling.

“What is it, soldier!”

He had ordered them to stop any advancing enemies.

Wait.

Come to think of it—

“Your bones are a mess. Don’t tell me the enemy is so strong that—”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Enough.”

“E-Enough?!”

How dare a mere soldier interrupt their commander!

The insolence!

They would teach this upstart a lesson.

As the skeletal knight clenched their fist—crack!—ready to discipline him…

“Summon.”

The soldier muttered an incomprehensible word.

“?!”

Swish!

With a flick of a shiny blade—

Slash!

—the knight’s head was split cleanly between the eyes and mouth.

The leader’s skull—celebrator of a historic victory—was now bisected.

“W-what the—! Pfft!”

The knight’s upper half, helmet and all, plopped into the dirt.

More precisely, the top half of their helmet.

“Hmm?”

The soldier tilted his skull as if puzzled.

“T-Treason?! Is that what this is?!”

“You’re not dead yet, huh?”

Then, as though uttering the dumbest observation ever made—

“You ignorant…! How dare you, a mere creation, refuse the role the Creator bestowed upon you?!”

The skeletal knight’s rage erupted.

Clatter-!

Their body flailed without a head.

Though it was frustrating to have their seeing hole and talking hole so far apart, they didn’t mind.

They could reattach it soon enough.

But the soldier, shifting his ankle bones, walked toward the knight’s body.

“Petrification.”

The word rang out.

Crash! Crunch!

The soldier shattered the knight’s jaw upward, smashed the ribs, and crushed the shin bones.

He pulverized every bone in the knight’s body.

“M-My body…!”

“Hah, you’re persistent.”

The skeletal knight—now a broken pile of bones—moved their trembling jawbone to cry out.

“This… this mad—!”

Madman!

The Creator must have made a mistake and created a lunatic!

If only they could recover—

“Should I start by removing the helmet?”

“Ah, no! That’s the knight’s mark of honor, bestowed by the Creator!”

The knight’s jawbone cried in desperation.

Without the helmet, they couldn’t recover from this damage.

That must be stopped!

“Stop it! What do you want?! A promotion to Sergeant? No, wait! I’ll give you my lieutenant’s position!”

“Don’t need it.”

Ignoring the opportunity for promotion, the skeletal soldier marched toward the flag.

…Wait.

The flag?

“You fool! What are you up to?!”

Clatter-!

The soldier grabbed the pole holding the flag.

[The flag is imbued with the power of White!]

The beautiful black flag was being tainted with white.

“White?!”

“It’s white.”

[‘Victory Flag’ has been stolen!]

Clatter! Thud!

The skeletal knight was so shocked their jawbone fell off.

“W-Wait! Come to think of it—you’re…!”

“Ah, me? You figured it out?”

If the knight had eyeballs, they surely would’ve popped out, too.

“You—you… who are you?”

Barely able to move their lower jaw, the knight asked.

The mysterious soldier paused to think before replying.

“Hmm…”

Crunch!

The knight—now nothing more than collapsing bone fragments—was stomped underfoot as the soldier said:

“Skeleton Soldier #101?”

…What?

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