My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 11

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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 11
[Special Material: Giant Rat’s Incisor][Bound Material]
[Rarity: Rare]
[Details: The incisor of a giant rat from Sewers Level 8. Can only be obtained when the giant rat’s corpse damage rate is below 10%. Can be used as equipment material.]
[Material Effect: When crafting weapons with a giant rat’s incisor, an additional durability cap is granted.]
[Warning: Contains a curse from the giant rat. If a living being uses the incisor, 1% of their life force is consumed every second.]
“…What is this?”
I furrowed my brow as I stared at the information window that had appeared before me, specifically at the warning listed at the very bottom.
“If a living being uses it… they get cursed?”
The penalty was far too severe compared to the incisor’s excellent advantages.
It wasn’t a material I could use myself, nor could anyone else.
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
I’d finally met the conditions, only to get a material that was difficult to equip and impossible to sell.
No, it was a bound material—I couldn’t even sell it.
My frustration was beginning to boil over.
‘This is driving me insane.’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Of course, just because a material was bound didn’t mean any item crafted from it would also be bound. But I questioned whether it was worth making anything from this at all.
“Hmm….”
Even if there were some special class that could ignore this penalty, finding such a craftsman would be like plucking a star from the sky.
‘How am I supposed to deal with this?’
I felt a headache coming on and closed my eyes.
The giant rat’s incisor—a special material that had appeared so suddenly.
‘I can’t just leave it here and go.’
The simplest solution would be to just let this item gather dust forever.
But items obtained in the early game tend to be most valuable when first acquired.
“Hmm….”
If I just held onto it now…
“It’s like a chicken rib.”
Later, it would likely be overshadowed by better materials with superior options, penalty aside.
After thinking for a moment, I suddenly recalled a possibility.
‘It’s not a material for me or anyone else to use.’
A smile spread across my face.
That very instant.
And.
‘Not for any “person”.’
I muttered the words under my breath, then quickened my pace.
* * *
I emerged from the sewers, the giant rat’s incisor in hand.
“To think you’d actually kill that wretched rat for me! I knew you had it in you!”
Then I headed straight to Arhenna’s Blacksmith.
I returned the materials that the giant rat had stolen to Arhenna.
“I’m truly grateful!”
Arhenna approached me with an excited expression and shook my right hand up and down with considerable force.
‘She’s quite strong.’
I felt that grip and clicked my tongue involuntarily.
The blacksmith’s hand strength was formidable—absolutely comparable to that of a seasoned warrior.
“I’m glad I could help.”
I answered Arhenna’s continued gratitude with a smile.
Ding!
[You have successfully completed the quest.]
[Blacksmith Arhenna’s affection has increased significantly.]
Smirk.
I couldn’t help but smile as I read the message that appeared.
The progress was so smooth that others would say it defied logic.
‘At this rate, I haven’t just fastened the first button—I’ve sewn it in place with a sewing machine.’
It hadn’t even been a full day since I started Evern Online. Yet my level had already reached 4, and my stats were overwhelmingly superior compared to others at the same level.
On top of that, I’d made an acquaintance with the notoriously demanding Arhenna.
At this point, calling it cheat-level gameplay wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
Of course.
‘It’s only possible because it’s me.’
The real cheat wasn’t luck—it was my skill. Luck was merely supplementary; most of what others perceived as misfortune was simply an environment I could navigate differently.
Just the fact that I considered a player ten levels higher attacking me as fortunate showed how differently my sense of “luck” operated compared to others.
‘Besides, I’m adapting more with each passing moment.’
Evern’s sensory synchronization system suited me well, though initially I still played somewhat like I did in Warlord Online.
Regardless of how it appeared to others, I continuously discovered more optimized movements even during combat.
Based on these movements, I was destined to become a king in Evern as well.
“If you ever need anything, come find me! I won’t even charge you a service fee.”
Arhenna added this as I was lost in thought.
‘Now I just need to handle the giant rat’s front teeth.’
Hearing that, I promptly produced the giant rat’s front teeth as if I’d been waiting for this moment.
“By the way, could you take a look at this?”
I carefully removed the giant rat’s front teeth from my inventory and set them down gently.
“Hmm. This is….”
Arhenna’s eyes widened as she saw them.
Simultaneously, she carefully ran her fingers over the giant rat’s front teeth.
“The rat bastard’s front teeth?”
“Yes.”
“But why are you showing this to me?”
I shrugged at Arhenna’s question.
After that, I answered in a quiet voice.
“It’s not in a usable state yet.”
“Hmm, the way you’re speaking, it seems you’re aware of the curse placed on this material as well…”
Arhenna spoke with some caution.
She had just told me to visit anytime if I needed anything, so it felt awkward to immediately voice her regrets.
“Unfortunately, even if I refine it, this curse won’t disappear.”
So Arhenna explained in as much detail as possible to avoid hurting my feelings.
“No, I could make it disappear, but then the whole point of using this rat’s incisors vanishes. They’re good material because of their excellent durability, but if I remove the curse, the durability drops too.”
On the other hand, the curse was too strong to use while enduring it. Just as I was about to explain all this.
“Ah. Equipment made from this material isn’t for me to use.”
I spoke first.
I understood it well too.
The giant rat’s incisors would bring more losses than gains for me to use.
“The one who will use equipment made from this material is.”
[Summoning Skeleton Soldier Dercan.]
―Screeeech!
“This one.”
As I finished speaking, I pointed to Dercan.
“Oho!”
At my words, Arhenna’s eyes widened and she looked Dercan up and down.
“He’s in quite a shabby state.”
Then, looking at the worn shield and sword Dercan was holding, she frowned. Covered in rust, they were in such a deteriorated condition that there wasn’t a single usable part.
“So I’d like to replace them.”
“An excellent choice indeed. With this one, the rat’s curse won’t affect him either.”
After briefly examining the giant rat’s incisors and Dercan’s physique, Arhenna.
“Come back in a day. I’ll make him into something absolutely magnificent!”
She readily accepted my request.
* * *
I finished my conversation with Arhenna and returned to the square.
Not because I had other things to do, but to log out of the game.
Logging out in a safe location is one of the fundamental principles every player must follow.
“Phew…”
I took a deep breath.
Then I looked at the people around the square.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
Osirius Square in Evern Online.
Most of the people here still had higher levels than me.
You could tell just by looking at the equipment they were wearing.
‘I’ll surpass them all soon enough.’
To me, they were all competitors.
Those who now stood above me, competing for the same resources and monsters.
Of course, I had no intention of staying here long. This was merely a beginner’s village, after all.
‘But. I can’t just mindlessly sprint forward either.’
I had no intention of overexerting myself in my gameplay. To become a ranker in Evern Online, I would need to move like a marathon runner, pacing myself for the long haul.
“End game.”
I finished my thoughts and spoke in a final, measured tone.
[Do you wish to end your session?]
“Yes, end it.”
I responded in a slightly weary voice.
Despite everything that had happened, my actual playtime was only around twelve hours—not even a full day had passed.
Perhaps this exhaustion was the aftereffect of accomplishing in one sitting what would have taken others days or more.
I suddenly felt fatigue washing over me.
[Your session is ending.]
And with the message I’d been waiting for.
―Whoosh.
My vision darkened in an instant.
* * *
Click. Click.
The sound of mouse clicks echoed through my room.
Click… Click.
After clicking a few more times.
“It’s definitely expensive.”
I muttered in admiration.
What I was looking at now was the Evern Online auction house website.
I’d done some preliminary research, but the prices were on an entirely different scale compared to Warlord Online.
Even accounting for its peak era.
‘Just a bit more and this could become a proper income source.’
Various items were being listed on the auction house. And item prices skyrocketed starting around level 20. So.
‘Leveling up becomes my absolute priority.’
Today had been fulfilling, but the fact remained that my level was still insufficient.
‘I’ll stop browsing the auction house here.’
Click.
As I closed the auction house tab, YouTube’s upload window appeared.
‘Welcome back, my meal ticket!’
I felt my lips curling upward.
YouTube—the lifeline that had sustained me until now, though its income had been disappointingly meager for quite some time.
But.
‘Things will be different now.’
[Would you like to create a new account?]
Instead of entering an ID as usual, I clicked the sign-up button.
True to YouTube’s catchphrase that anyone can upload, Jae-beom’s second account was born in no time.
‘I’ll upload Evern Online videos here.’
The reason Jae-beom created a second account instead of using his original one was simple.
‘There’s no need to expose my identity.’
Though view counts had dropped considerably, my ‘Newbie’ character possessed a reputation rivaling even seasoned rankers.
While still a newcomer in Evern Online, I had no desire to invite unnecessary interference.
Tae-wan was level 14, and I could handle him even without the giant rat. But if a player over level 50 arrived, the situation would change entirely.
‘I should watch how others approach this soon enough.’
It wasn’t leisure that drove me to observe other broadcasts.
Rather, I needed to understand the information obtainable only during live streams and grasp the streaming atmosphere of Evern Online.
‘Just wait. I’m coming.’
My goal was straightforward.
Those rankers who had dismissed me in the interview video.
I would crush their skulls and claim their position for myself.
‘And earn a tremendous amount of money in the process.’
Then wealth would naturally follow.
YouTube would serve as my resource pipeline until I became a ranker, and supplementary income thereafter.
Click. Click.
I moved my mouse diligently.
Then I uploaded three videos to my newly created account.
[Red Wolf Solo Raid.]
[Toying with Two PK Players Alone.]
[Giant Rat Solo Raid.]
The first video showed me defeating the Red Wolf.
The second was footage of me playing with Kang San and Tae-wan, who had tried to capture me.
‘And finally, “Giant Rat Solo Hunt in 3 Minutes”—absolutely perfect!’
Though I hadn’t uploaded the Hell Mode tutorial video, these alone were undeniably spectacular content.
Yet even as I thought it was perfect, I couldn’t smile.
‘Sigh… the view count still won’t spike immediately.’
I had only uploaded three videos to a brand-new channel.
Content like this would almost certainly be buried.
‘If I uploaded even one to my original account, views would climb fast and I’d get promotion… but no, I should stop.
Temptation flickered through my mind as I thought of my bank balance, but I shook my head.
Letting immediate living expenses interfere with my gameplay would be putting the cart before the horse.
‘It’s better to start from scratch, even if it’s frustrating. That way, when I eventually reveal my identity, the impact will be enormous.’
In the end, I held back my tears for the future and clicked the upload button.
Click.
Since faces are automatically pixelated if the user desires, there was no need for separate editing.
Unless I chose to reveal my identity.
[Uploading three videos.]
[Beginning mosaic processing.]
[Once processing is complete, the video will be automatically uploaded.]
“Phew!”
Kang San saw the three messages appear on his monitor and stretched luxuriously.
Crack!
He then rose from his chair and threw himself onto his bed. Perhaps the fatigue accumulated over twelve hours had suddenly crashed down upon him.
“Hrrgh!”
Not long after, Kang San began to snore.
Ding!
And time passed.
About four hours after the video had been uploaded.
[A comment has been posted on your YouTube video.]
[A comment has been posted on your YouTube video.]
[A comment has been posted on your YouTube video.]
[A comment has been posted on your YouTube video.]
Something unexpected was happening—something even Kang San had not anticipated.

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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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