My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 124

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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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124
Inferno
With a sweeping gaze, Kim Jae-beom began to explore the Department Store. He wandered through its corridors with leisurely steps, passing between shops adorned in lavish interiors. Setting aside the fierce battles within the game and the memories of the Undead Legion, he moved slowly, savoring the sweetness of reality like a connoisseur.
In the first boutique, his eyes were captured by gleaming luxury watches. Elegant leather bands harmonized with intricate dials—timepieces that resembled works of art. Behind glass displays, each watch emanated its own distinct luminescence, creating an almost mystical effect.
The second shop drew his attention with meticulously arranged shoes. Refined designs crafted with meticulous handiwork and dignified color palettes. Exquisite footwear lined the shelves, each pair promising to add grace to one’s gait.
My eyes delighted in the spectacle, yet my heart remained unmoved. Not a single item stirred any desire to purchase. Only a vague emptiness filled a corner of my chest.
‘Nothing really appeals to me.’
I murmured with an awkward expression. Now I understood—the magnitude of achievement and pleasure I had savored within the game. In comparison, these ornate objects were mere shells. There existed something that material satisfaction in reality could never fulfill.
Soon I stepped away from the first floor and boarded an escalator. As I ascended slowly, the landscape of the first floor visible through the glass grew progressively smaller. I felt as though I were departing from the chaos of the world, ascending toward a tranquil sanctuary.
Upon descending to the Second Floor, my eyes fell upon a dining district. A space brimming with subtle aromas and meticulously prepared cuisine. Among these establishments, one stood out distinctly—the Steakhouse.
I stepped into the shop, where a red neon sign gleamed softly. The savory aroma of perfectly seared meat wafted through the air. The delicate chime of wine glasses meeting. Servers moving with refined grace and practiced efficiency. It was a space infused with leisure and sophistication.
Seated at a small table, I perused the menu. From premium cuts of sirloin to tender filet mignon. Various cuts of steak were listed enticingly. My order was placed promptly, and soon a perfectly seared steak arrived on my plate.
I took up my knife and began to cut. The exterior was crisp, the interior tender. Rich juices coated my tongue. The sweet and slightly bitter notes of wine harmonized with the meat, spreading across my palate. A moment devoted entirely to the meal. This was happiness in reality—a pleasure that never grew tiresome.
* * *
Satiated, I exited the Department Store. With a lightened heart, I pushed through the glass doors. A gentle breeze caressed my face. The glittering urban landscape beneath the brilliant sun. My steps became naturally brisk.
At that moment, my smartphone erupted with a loud notification. A vibration accompanied by an alert tone. Sensing something significant, I hastily activated the screen. A new text message.
[Deposit Received: 50,000,000 Won]
My breath caught. The text before my eyes blurred, then sharpened. A tremor coursed through my entire body. The lingering satisfaction of my meal evaporated instantly, and the embers of desire ignited into roaring flames.
‘With this money….’
A smile flickered across my lips. What crossed my mind was something dazzling and magnificent. Gleaming steel armor and the primal urge to dash at incredible speeds. All these images converged into a single vision.
‘Should I visit a Car Showroom?’
I grinned widely. My bulging wallet and bank balance urged my feet forward with renewed vigor. As I departed the ornate Department Store and crossed the sidewalk, I resembled a hunter pursuing a dream.
I came to a halt at the roadside and slowly raised my arm. Against the backdrop of yellowish asphalt, a taxi—faintly wreathed in cigarette smoke—glided to a stop. Its body was old and weathered metal. Yet to me now, it felt like a chariot carrying dreams at full gallop.
Sinking into the plush seat, I gazed out the window. In the glass’s reflection, my face radiated confidence. I could sense with every fiber of my being that the day of acquiring real-world pleasure was drawing near.
Colorful buildings streamed past the window. Aged walls, broken windowpanes, creaking signs, and heaps of refuse. The shabby landscapes adorning the city’s underbelly. Yet all of this paled in comparison to the dazzling something that awaited me.
How much time had elapsed? The taxi came to a stop before a massive Car Showroom. Brilliant light poured from within the glass-enclosed showroom. An array of automobiles in countless designs. The brilliance was almost blinding.
I strode purposefully into the showroom. My silhouette cast upon the smooth Marble Floor. I wandered between the rows of vehicles like a visitor, admiring them. Gleaming finishes and functional designs came alive. Some machines appeared sleek, others imposing.
Yet one vehicle unquestionably captured my attention—a brilliant red sports car. Sharp headlights and dynamic body lines. It was a work of art that embodied speed itself. From its raised hood to every button, the scent of high performance emanated.
I stood before the automobile. Extending my hand, I caressed its smooth metal surface. The cool sensation sent a thrill through me. Like stroking a wild horse’s mane, coveting the muscular frame of cutting-edge machinery. The urge to possess this speed burned within me.
Upon seeing the price tag affixed to the vehicle, I burst into laughter. The value—tens of millions of won—far exceeded the deposit that had arrived on my phone.
Yet there was no need for concern. I could generate this sum again within the game. Like drawing water endlessly, I could accumulate wealth and convert it to real-world riches. With that conviction alone, the machine before me was already as good as mine.
* * *
A red Ferrari appeared on the road. Its gleaming finish and dynamic design left a striking impression. The moment the engine ignited, the eight-cylinder roared like a beast. The thunderous sound made the air tremble, and the road seemed to vibrate.
I pressed the accelerator slowly. The weighty chassis surged forward as if stretching. The ultra-high-performance engine forcefully accelerated. In an instant, the speedometer’s needle shot upward, and the surrounding landscape blurred past.
The Ferrari merged onto the Highway and began its true sprint. A red arrow cutting through asphalt. Beyond the window, shimmering heat created undulating mirages. Vehicles around me were rapidly overtaken.
100 kilometers per hour. Streetlights and palm trees flashed by like arrows. The fierce roar of wind assaulted my ears. The landscape unfolding before me became a fleeting blur, vanishing in an instant. Only the distant horizon ahead remained sharp and clear.
Within that spectacle, the eight-cylinder engine sang like a symphony. A weighty mechanism that alternated between low growls and high-pitched wails. That fierce roar resembled a drum beating the earth itself, a pure surge of exhilaration that made my heart pound.
My foot pressed deeply on the accelerator. My firm grip controlled the thrilling rush. My gaze remained unwavering despite the velocity. A sharp thrill bloomed across my hardened features. The sensation of my body merging with the machine, carving through the world. This was the moment when primal instinct toward speed manifested.
The Ferrari entered a winding road, becoming a nimble red serpent that writhed. The chassis turned with agility, the line flowing in an S-curve. The centrifugal force created by gravity seemed to squeeze my organs. High-performance tires, gripping the earth as they rotated, raced as if clutching the road itself.
The procession of vehicles in the opposite lane passed like a panorama. Faces of people visible through the window. Expressions mingling admiration, envy, and awe. I felt their gazes and smiled with satisfaction. Now that my dreamed reality was within my grasp, the world was mine.
At the horizon’s edge, a crimson sunset was descending. Dusk settled across the land as the sky transformed into deep indigo. The car’s chassis gleamed in the fading light. The silhouette of a Ferrari danced across the road like a living thing. Cheerful jazz melodies flowed from within the vehicle, resonating through the night sky.
* * *
Kim Jae-beom had finished his rare outing and logged back into the game.
As I opened my eyes, I was met with gazes brimming with infinite loyalty. The blue luminescence of skeletal soldiers and the grotesque forms of corpse golems. Those who had once been enemies now faced their sovereign with absolute obedience.
“Let us hunt once more.”
A soft utterance. Yet it descended like a thunderbolt—a command that pierced through the legion. The absolute power of a supreme being resonated through their very bones.
The Undead Legion stirred and surged with restless energy. The sound of crumbling bones mingled with heavy footsteps. A grotesque and eerie sight, yet perfectly ordered. A knight clad in ruby-bright armor commanded the charge. A cry of terror shook the earth.
The legion swept through the City and traversed the Dark Forest. A crimson moon visible between leaves swaying in the wind. Undead warriors pressed forward through cascading blue mist. A chilling spectacle, yet one that stirred an exhilarating sense of purpose.
‘They said there were monsters in that Lake.’
Soon, a glimmering Lake came into view in the distance. A tranquil and mystical landscape. Shadows wavering across the water’s surface. A deathly chill enveloped the shoreline. Threatening gazes emanated from between the aquatic plants and sunken ancient trees.
But it mattered not.
I would use the Undead Legion to eliminate them all.

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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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