My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10
I activated the recording function in Evern Online.
Simultaneously, I scanned the two players who had emerged from the dead-end alley—Kim Tae-wan and Kang San—from top to bottom.
‘The one on the right is the bastard I ran into before… and the one on the left must be his older brother or something.’
And I quickly grasped the relationship between them.
‘The armor the one on the left is wearing is the kind that level 14 warriors typically equip… so his level is probably between 14 and 16.’
And naturally, I deduced their approximate levels from their equipment.
‘One around level 14, and one at level 4.’
I alternated my gaze between Tae-wan and Kang San.
If Kang San had appeared alone, I would have crushed his skull long ago.
However, Tae-wan was in a different league entirely from someone like Kang San.
‘Comparing specs alone, I’m at a disadvantage.’
Though I had gained additional stats, there was no guarantee that Tae-wan—who was level 14 or higher—didn’t have additional stats of his own.
Even if our weapons were comparable, the difference in armor specs made it clear that I was lacking.
And Kang San wouldn’t just be standing idle beside him either, so objectively, I was at a significant disadvantage.
No matter how exceptional I was, this situation was undeniably unfavorable.
“You bring along a level 14 player just to catch one low-level? Aren’t you ashamed?”
I didn’t beg for my life.
Instead, I looked at Kang San and Tae-wan—who had come to catch me—with a contemptuous expression.
“So what? There’s nothing wrong with teaming up with someone stronger for stable PKing.”
Kang San answered my words with a snort, treating my provocation as something beneath him, and this time he was controlling himself not to get excited.
But.
“Fine, if you’re not ashamed, then let’s call it even.”
“Then—”
“But if you’re going to PK stably, bringing someone like that is a problem. What’s the point of bringing along someone who just barely left the beginner stage?”
At my continued words, he furrowed his brow.
“Ha. You’re quite the funny one.”
Then. Tae-wan, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke. He continued while glaring at me.
“Brother. You look quite composed… do you think you can maintain that attitude even as you die?”
“Who’s dying? Me?”
“Yeah. You.”
“Why?”
“…?”
Tae-wan flinched momentarily, not expecting such a question. He had been thinking of some line like “I’ll stab you and kill you…” but dropped it.
It would have sounded too pathetic to say.
Instead, Tae-wan.
Drew his sword while glaring at me as if to kill.
Shring!
The blade sang as it left the scabbard.
Shhik.
Jae-beom flashed a wide grin at the two of them.
“Come on then, you bastards! Try to catch me!”
He raised his middle finger and waved his hand mockingly before—
Splash!
—hurling himself directly into the Sewers.
“…Is that bastard seriously mocking us right now?”
“That’s what it looks like, hyung.”
Kim Tae-wan and Kang San exchanged bewildered glances for a moment before—
“Let’s go. I’m finishing that bastard today.”
—grinding their teeth and charging after Jae-beom.
* * *
“Hey, what are you two doing over there? Sightseeing?”
“Shut up!”
A chase erupted between Jae-beom and the two of them.
Kim Tae-wan and Kang San pursued him through the Sewers, their faces flushed with rage as he darted everywhere.
“How is he so damn fast?”
Kim Tae-wan had initially believed he could catch Jae-beom without much trouble.
After all, there was a ten-level gap between them, so he’d reasoned that even with just a few points invested in agility, he’d be faster.
Yet contrary to his expectations, Jae-beom displayed speed that rivaled his own.
All his stats had been boosted by three points through Achievements, after all.
And beyond that—
“Why are you still back there? Didn’t you say you’d catch me? Come on, you’ve got to run, not walk!”
Jae-beom never stopped talking, continuously needling at their nerves.
“They say a lion doesn’t get killed by a cat, yet here you are running away!”
“A lion gives its all even when catching a single rabbit.”
“That’s not even the right way to use that saying!”
“Damn it! That bastard’s mouth!”
As a result, Kim Tae-wan and Kang San felt their minds spinning.
But then—
‘Finally, a dead end!’
The long chase had found its conclusion.
Jae-beom, who had been weaving through the Sewers to shake them off, had arrived at the Dead-end Alley.
Yet Jae-beom showed no sign of panic.
Grin.
Instead, he smiled brightly at the solid wall blocking his path.
“Huff… Ha!”
“Damn fast… you!”
Just then, Kim Tae-wan and Kang San finally caught up, emerging from behind.
“Now it’s over.”
Kim Tae-wan’s voice cut like a blade as he fixed his gaze on Jae-beom.
At the same time, I drew the greatsword from my back.
“Don’t even entertain the thought of winning. You won’t leave a single scratch on my armor.”
Tae-wan’s words made Jae-beom nod.
“You don’t need to explain. I have eyes too.”
“…This bastard never learns.”
Certainly, the armor he possessed boasted impressive defensive capabilities.
However.
“But here’s the thing. Your opponent isn’t me, is it? And―”
“…What?”
Tae-wan and Kang San were laboring under a single misconception―
I had no intention of fighting them from the start.
Snap!
After finishing my words, I bolted forward.
And I moved in a zigzag pattern toward Tae-wan, who was advancing toward me.
‘What kind of movement is that!’
Tae-wan was greatly flustered by my sudden evasive maneuver.
“And you challenged me to PVP without even knowing this…?”
But I was even more bewildered. This kind of PVP evasion technique was basic fundamentals in Warlord Online.
‘Well, he probably doesn’t know because he’s a novice, right?’
While I was thinking such things,
―Whoosh!
“Yeah. Didn’t land a hit!”
Tae-wan’s blade didn’t even come close to me; it only cleaved through the space where I had already been.
―Tap!
I easily slipped past both Tae-wan and Kang San.
Smirk.
Then I smiled, seeing the two of them now positioned deeper inside than me.
At the same time.
Whoosh!
I threw out a single sheet of paper I had been carefully keeping in my possession. Tae-wan and Kang San flinched, wondering if it was an explosive item.
Unfortunately, it was something far more dreadful.
―Hummmmmm!
“Uh, uh… Uh!”
“No way!”
[Giant Rat Summoning Scroll has been activated.]
They turned around in shock, witnessing the brilliant light pouring from the paper.
But.
―Screeeech! Screeeeeeech!
By then, it was already too late.
“What in the….”
“A giant rat?”
The two of them couldn’t hide their shock.
Jaebum smirked as he watched their expressions.
“Do you think I’ve been standing around in Sewers Level 8 all day doing nothing?”
Before Kang San and Kim Tae-wan discovered me, I had already captured 250 mutated rats through my staff.
And now, the fruits of that effort.
“Since you two barely made it to the dungeon and can’t seem to hunt anything, I specially prepared this for you.”
I opened it specially for Kim Tae-wan and Kang San.
Of course, that was only from my perspective.
“Ha!”
Kim Tae-wan let out an exasperated sigh at my words. But he had no time for anything else.
—Shrieeeek!
The giant rat I had already summoned was charging toward Kim Tae-wan and Kang San, its massive frame heavy enough to brush against the sewers’ ceiling.
“Hyung. Hyung, what do we—!”
The moment Kang San saw the ferocious giant rat and panicked greatly, seeking help from Kim Tae-wan.
—Shrieeeek!
The giant rat’s enormous front paw descended toward Kang San to crush him.
“Kyaaah!”
And that was the end of it.
—Crunch!
The giant rat’s front paw easily crushed Kang San flat.
“Now, let’s see how long you last.”
“Damn it!”
With Kang San dead, the aggro naturally shifted to Kim Tae-wan.
And just as he was about to negotiate with me.
“Look, there’s actually been a lot going on. I was deceived…”
“Let me be clear. The only way you’re leaving here alive is by defeating the giant rat. I don’t make deals with people trying to kill me.”
I cut him off first.
“…”
Kim Tae-wan’s brow furrowed at my words.
Even if Kim Tae-wan was level 14, that only meant he had barely shed his beginner status.
His stats were nowhere near sufficient to defeat the giant rat alone.
—Shrieeeek!
Then, the giant rat, having completely crushed Kang San, raised its front teeth toward Kim Tae-wan.
And.
—Boom!
The next moment, with a thunderous crash, its front teeth pierced through Kim Tae-wan’s torso, armor and all.
“Gack!”
Kim Tae-wan, coughing blood from his body and glaring at me as if to kill me.
Slowly faded away.
Soon after, I was forcibly logged out.
“According to the strategy guide, there are only two patterns.”
I nodded while observing the massive rat that had killed Tae-wan. I wanted to verify whether the guide’s information was accurate, so I was analyzing the patterns using Kang San and Tae-wan as test subjects.
And finally, when I confirmed that the information I possessed was correct.
Whoosh!
I gripped the steel staff with both hands and charged toward the creature.
“Beginning my second solo raid!”
Following Red Wolf.
I was creating another solo raid video.
* * *
…Boom!
The massive rat fell backward with its mouth wide open.
Thud!
I quickly descended from the massive rat’s forehead to solid ground where I could stand on both feet.
“Successfully defeated the massive rat in three minutes.”
I shrugged my shoulders while gazing down at the fallen creature.
Unlike the two who had died without accomplishing anything earlier.
Actually, I didn’t even need three minutes.
With my attack power and a single precise critical strike—Evern Online’s signature mechanic—I could have eliminated the massive rat in one blow.
“That concludes my massive rat solo raid. I hope you’ll look forward to the next video!”
Of course, I had no intention of revealing this element through the video. Raid videos attract the most attention when information is concealed and the boss is defeated with mystery intact.
That’s why I had deliberately wasted over two minutes on meaningless attacks.
[Recording terminated.]
After finishing my closing remarks, I exhaled deeply.
Simultaneously, I disabled the recording function I had activated.
‘I’ve secured three videos now.’
As everything concluded, a smile spread across my face. I had created three videos that would certainly capture attention on YouTube.
‘Once my rank increases, the streaming function will be unlocked.’
Initially, I could only upload videos, but over time, various features would become available.
Streaming was the most prominent among them.
Once I surpassed a certain subscriber count or sponsorship threshold, I would be recognized as a legitimate streamer.
Until then, I would have to rely on videos alone… but I was confident I would climb quickly.
There was no one among the beginners who could surpass me.
‘YouTube prohibits streaming Evern Online.’
The game I was currently playing banned streaming on YouTube.
It was a policy born from their belief that YouTube was completely stealing their profits.
Therefore, to debut as a streamer, I would need to upload more videos with higher quality.
Of course, as I mentioned, that wasn’t difficult for me.
“Hmm!”
I hummed contentedly while waiting for the message.
—Ding!
[You have defeated the Giant Rat.]
[Dercan acquires half of the experience points you obtained.]
[Dercan has absorbed the soul of the Giant Rat.]
[You have acquired additional experience points through the soul.]
Then the message I’d been waiting for appeared.
Even though I had Dercan unsummoned, his soul absorption ability was still activating.
It was an additional effect that emerged when Dercan reached level 4.
“Mm. This is excellent!”
Seeing the message that I was gaining additional experience points without even summoning Dercan filled me with a sense of abundance.
[You have found Arhenna’s material.]
[You have fulfilled all conditions to clear Arhenna’s unique Quest.]
“Perfect. Perfect.”
I’d even obtained the materials needed for the unique Quest.
All that remained was to escape the Sewers.
Just as I was about to head back to Level 1.
—Ding!
A cheerful alarm sounded in my mind.
[You have defeated the Giant Rat with minimal damage.]
[As an additional reward, you obtain the special material: Giant Rat’s Fang.]
“A special material?”
A material with an unusual name fell into my grasp.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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