My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 137

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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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137
Inferno
Kim Jae-beom and Barcode picked their way cautiously through the dense Jungle. The damp earth and tangled undergrowth impeded their progress, yet they pressed forward without hesitation.
The skeletal warriors Arulan and Dercan maintained vigilant watch on either flank, their crimson eyes sweeping the surroundings with unwavering alertness.
After nearly twenty minutes of travel, a massive silhouette emerged slowly between the grass and foliage ahead. It was an enormous serpent.
The creature that slithered across the ground possessed a girth rivaling an adult man’s thigh. Azure scales glimmered in the sunlight, and the flickering of its slender tongue sent shivers down the spine.
“Haaah!”
In that instant, Barcode’s combat instincts ignited. He surged forward with a sharp cry, raising his shield to deflect the creature’s fangs while closing the distance with practiced speed.
A whistling sound cut through the air as Barcode’s greatsword cleaved the void. The blade, wielded with masterful precision, was aimed at the serpent’s neck—and it found its mark with lethal accuracy.
Blood sprayed as the creature’s body fell severed to the ground. Witnessing the monster’s instant demise from such a devastating blow, I couldn’t help but admire the skill displayed.
“Clean work.”
I gave a thumbs up in acknowledgment. As Barcode approached with confident strides, a playful smile graced his features.
“Haha. This much is well within what my master taught me.”
Barcode’s assured tone drew a laugh from me.
―Whoosh.
I turned my gaze toward Arulan, my expression still touched with amusement. After a brief silence, I issued a quiet command.
“Arulan. Convert that serpent into an undead.”
The skeletal mage Arulan nodded at my order. He then approached the severed corpse with measured steps, his dark robes billowing as he positioned himself before the dead creature.
With a sharp sound, dark energy erupted from Arulan’s fingertips. It transformed into black mist that enveloped the serpent’s body.
The sight of shadowy mana seeping into the corpse was beautiful—almost like witnessing art itself.
The serpent’s flesh began to dissolve. Clots of blood dripped to the ground, and damaged scales fell away in cascades.
Gradually revealed was a luminous skeletal frame. Concentrated power breathed new life into it. As Arulan’s incantation reached completion, the undead serpent stirred and rose to its feet.
Its skeletal structure was far more formidable than in life. The slender body was now covered in menacing spines, and its teeth had become sharp as blades.
From its hollow eye sockets blazed a crimson radiance. Its size appeared to have doubled from the original. Barcode made no attempt to hide his sense of wonder.
“An incredible ability. To resurrect such a powerful monster….”
Barcode’s admiration was genuine. He gazed upon the undead serpent with reverent eyes.
I too smiled with satisfaction, patting Arulan’s shoulder. His ability to transform enemies into allies had always proven instrumental in shifting the tide of battle.
“Let’s continue forward.”
“Yes, understood!”
Barcode responded with spirited affirmation to my command.
* * *
We pressed deeper into the Jungle, cutting through the dense vegetation. After wiping sweat from our brows and maintaining a brisk pace for nearly twenty minutes, we came to an abrupt halt before the sight that unfolded before us.
A massive Cave constructed of enormous stone loomed ahead. It resembled a black mountain that had erupted from the heart of the Jungle.
But what caught my attention was the gathering of players assembled at its entrance. About a dozen adventurers clustered in small groups before the Cave, murmuring anxiously. Yet despair was written plainly across their faces.
“How are we supposed to clear that… Everyone who goes in gets wiped out instantly….”
“The boss is too powerful to handle. What do we do?”
The players muttered in sighs of resignation, their gazes drifting toward the Cave’s interior with uncertainty.
At that moment, Barcode and I approached them slowly. The players who had been sitting dejectedly suddenly became aware of our presence. Curious glances and whispers spread among them.
“Who are those people coming over there?”
“Wait… A crimson robe with a skull emblem, and a staff… Could it be?!”
Kim Jae-beom offered a light smile and raised his hand in greeting.
“Hello. What seems to be the trouble?”
At that, one of the players suddenly jumped to his feet and rushed toward Kim Jae-beom. His face brimming with emotion, he cried out.
“Ah! You’re the famous staff-wielding Necromancer, aren’t you? I never thought I’d meet you in person! It’s truly an honor!”
He bowed repeatedly in greeting. At the sight of this, the other players nearby began to slowly gather around.
Kim Jae-beom gave them a light nod and asked.
“So what’s the matter that has you all in such distress?”
The players exchanged glances without speaking, their mouths sealed shut. After a long hesitation, someone finally found their voice.
“The truth is, there’s an incredibly powerful boss monster in this Cave. But it’s not a normal one—it’s a mutated variant, so none of us have been able to face it easily. We’ve challenged it several times, but… as you can see, this is the result.”
The bitter memory of defeat seemed to resurface, twisting the players’ faces. Their shoulders sagged helplessly, embodying their sense of powerlessness.
Watching them, Kim Jae-beom nodded slowly.
“I see. A mutated boss. That’s no easy opponent.”
Then he called out softly toward the back.
“Arulan.”
The skeletal mage Arulan responded swiftly to his master’s call. He stepped forward without hesitation, surveying his surroundings. As if confirming something, Arulan turned his head this way and that, then suddenly spread both arms wide.
With a sharp hiss, pitch-black mist erupted from his fingertips. A dense, violet-tinged aura began to spread outward in all directions.
The darkness swiftly engulfed the Jungle. The sky darkened with ominous clouds, and the earth became shrouded in pitch-black fog.
An eerie, frigid atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. It was when Arulan’s incantation reached its crescendo.
Thud—thud—thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed from all directions. Shadowy figures emerged one by one, parting the mist.
From beyond the Mountain, from beneath the earth, from the far side of the Dark Forest—they came. The Undead Legion had arrived.
Zombie warriors with rotting flesh hanging in tatters. Skeletal soldiers composed of bleached bone fragments. Phantom archers drifting translucently through the air. The terrifying army risen from beyond death had answered Arulan’s summons.
Raaaaaaagh—!
A thunderous roar shook the Jungle. The Undead Legion surged forward toward the Cave, thirsting for blood.
The players gasped in astonishment. Slack-jawed and wide-eyed, they watched the approaching undead. Their gazes—mingling fear with wonder—turned toward Kim Jae-beom.
“This… this can’t be….”
“With forces like that… couldn’t we actually win?”
Excited voices filled the air. Hope for conquering the Cave, which had seemed impossible, began to bloom.
Kim Jae-beom surveyed both the Undead Legion and the players, then spoke with firm resolve.
“It’s too dangerous for everyone to go in together. I’ll go in with just this one and come back out.”
He gestured toward Barcode standing at his side, continuing concisely.
“Let’s go.”
Barcode answered without hesitation.
“Understood!”
The two walked side by side toward the Cave entrance.
* * *
The interior of the Cave was deeper and darker than expected. The sound of trickling water and wind whispered against their ears. As Kim Jae-beom and Barcode walked along the narrow Corridor, a massive gate soon came into view.
A heavy iron door, seemingly forged from ancient metal.
“We’ve finally arrived.”
Kim Jae-beom tapped the door lightly with the end of his staff. A deep, resonant thud echoed through the Cave.
A brief silence fell, and then the door began to move slowly, as if opening of its own accord. With a heavy, resonant boom—*kuuung*—the massive gates swung outward on both sides.
At the sight that unfolded before them, Kim Jae-beom and Barcode couldn’t help but gasp aloud.
“This can’t be….”
A space flickered with a single strand of blue luminescence. And there, towering in the center—or rather, sprawled across the ground—loomed an enormous silhouette.
A colossus of inhuman proportions. It was none other than an Ogre. Yet unlike any Ogre they had encountered before.
Standing at twice the height of a man, its body appeared encased entirely in rippling muscle. Its warped skin looked as hard as stone, and jagged spines jutted from its back.
With its massive jaw gaping wide, the Ogre let out a deep, rumbling roar—*uuugh*—and began to rise sluggishly to its feet. Gripped in its hand was an iron maul, easily large enough to crush a man whole.
“This must be the mutated boss we’ve been warned about.”
Barcode muttered, his voice taut with tension. Kim Jae-beom nodded in acknowledgment and replied.
“Seems like it. The size is incomparable to anything we’ve faced so far.”
Then he continued.
“But… numbers always win the day.”

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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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