My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 16

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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 16
“You’re looking for a two-person party? At level 5?”
The woman, having shaken off her sense of foreboding, found herself surprised in an entirely different way after hearing Jae-beom’s explanation.
“Yes.”
Jae-beom continued smiling brightly, but to the woman who had just heard him propose clearing a dungeon recommended for four players with only two people—one of whom was level 5—that smile felt increasingly ominous.
“What’s your reason?”
“Because running it with two people gives the best experience and rewards.”
“…That’s certainly a simple and rational answer.”
The woman clicked her tongue at Jae-beom’s response.
If he were merely boasting or some clueless newbie, she wouldn’t have been so impressed.
But from Jae-beom, she sensed something like indifference—as if he were thinking, “I could clear this, but nobody’s showing up.”
“I’ve been reconsidering my goals lately, actually. Everyone refuses to do two-person parties, and I’ve also heard that even if it’s not a two-person party, my low level disqualifies me.”
“Because death means a day-long logout penalty. Most players will choose the safer route, even if the rewards are smaller.”
“Well, I understand. If you die without gaining anything, the loss would be substantial.”
I couldn’t fault the other players’ choices as irrational, just as she said.
For them, it was the rational decision.
But.
When the player changes, the same choice in the same situation can transform from irrational to rational.
“However, if I had someone merely providing support, I could clear this dungeon. Of course, without anyone dying.”
Though Dercan might break apart a bit in the process, I didn’t mind.
“Anyone” didn’t include skeletons who weren’t players.
“Hmm.”
She nodded at Jae-beom with an intrigued expression.
“You’re certainly peculiar.”
Just as when they’d first met at the entrance to the Sewers, she sensed an aura emanating from Jae-beom.
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem like a beginner…”
The aura of a seasoned virtual reality game player.
“…”
Jae-beom gazed at her intently.
‘As expected. This woman isn’t normal either.’
One must be careful when observing the abnormal, for they will observe you in return.
The fact that she approached him and struck up conversations every time she saw him was evidence enough that she wasn’t normal.
‘Well, that works better for me anyway.’
It’s difficult for the abnormal to persuade the normal.
But just as heroes recognize heroes, the abnormal recognize the abnormal. Persuading someone equally abnormal was far easier.
As long as I could properly discern what she wanted.
“Well, I plan to search around until I find someone.”
And Jae-beom had already grasped what she wanted to some degree.
“What if you can’t find anyone?”
“I have a friend who plays Evern Online. I’ll ask them for help.”
“Hmm.”
Of course, it was a lie.
Inviting a friend was Jae-beom’s last resort—a final gambit to keep his true identity hidden.
But there was no way for her to know that, was there?
“Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
Jae-beom blinked at the woman staring at him.
“If not, I should be going. I need to find party members.”
Just as he turned to leave, pretending to search for other party members.
“Wait! Wait just a moment!”
The woman grabbed Jae-beom urgently.
‘Caught.’
A soft sound escaped him.
Jae-beom turned back with an expression that said, ‘Do you have more to say?’ He showed not the slightest hint of anticipation.
“Would you… consider teaming up with me?”
And finally.
The words Jae-beom had been waiting for tumbled from her lips.
“Why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why would you want to team up with me?”
But agreeing immediately here would be amateurish.
Wouldn’t it make him look like he’d been waiting for this?
Besides, playing it this way had the added benefit of making her reasons for joining him more certain.
“You seem like an interesting person.”
“Interesting?”
“Yes. Well, how do I put it… You have a different aura than the ordinary beginners I’ve seen so far. That’s what makes you interesting.”
Certainly, hearing her explanation made the woman’s identity clearer.
“So you’re the type whose eyes light up whenever you spot a promising newbie.”
In games, there were always people who enjoyed nurturing newbies like this.
Jae-beom didn’t understand it, but such people were necessary for recruiting new players to the game.
“That’s not it at all!”
The woman burst out at Jae-beom’s last remark. He’d struck a nerve.
Naturally, the gazes of nearby players shifted toward her.
“Ahem. Anyway, I’m offering to help.”
“Fine. Your motives are a bit impure, but since you’re so insistent, I suppose I have no choice.”
“…”
Jae-beom shrugged at the woman, as if he were the one bestowing a favor.
As if. Though, to be fair, it was half true.
“I’ll need your nickname to send a party request.”
But that somewhat relaxed expression on Jae-beom’s face.
“…Ye-jin.”
“What? I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“Y-Ye-jin! That’s me!”
“….”
The moment I heard the woman’s username, I nearly fell apart.
* * *
[You have entered the dungeon with Ye-jin.]
[Warning: The recommended number of players for this dungeon is 4.]
[We recommend re-entering with additional members.]
The warning message appeared the instant Jae-beom and Ye-jin stepped into the dungeon.
By the way, Ye-jin had asked before entering to drop the “Petit” part of her username and just call her Ye-jin.
I was inclined to agree with that request.
I’d rather she didn’t use such an overpowering nickname. It looked ridiculous.
[Warning: Your level is below the dungeon’s recommended level.]
The warning messages weren’t finished yet. With insufficient level, insufficient numbers—everything lacking—the system had no choice.
‘Yeah, I’m not leaving.’
But the system couldn’t calculate errors outside standard deviation, which was precisely why it was a system.
When I faced Count Heltema, didn’t the system spout that nonsense about “survive”?
If I killed him, I could survive—so I hadn’t completely ignored that system message, but still.
“This is your last chance.”
Then Ye-jin, who had entered with me, spoke in a subdued voice. Her tone was far more serious than before we’d entered the dungeon.
“Once you go deeper, you won’t be able to leave. Are you sure you want to continue?”
She was trying to create a serious atmosphere, but it was hard to take it seriously when the speaker was “Ye-jin.”
“Of course. If I was going to turn back, I wouldn’t have come in the first place.”
Of course, even if her username had been perfectly normal, I wouldn’t have hesitated.
“….”
Ye-jin looked at me with an odd glint in her eyes.
“Sigh. What adventure am I getting myself into out of curiosity….”
She muttered to herself and followed after me.
* * *
About three minutes had passed since we entered the dungeon.
Torchlight barely pierced the darkness, but the bizarre patterns on the ceiling of the overall gloomy dungeon emanated an ominous atmosphere.
“Quite ominous, isn’t it?”
I voiced my observation aloud deliberately. From experience, perverts obsessed with newbies wanted to hear their impressions.
If these were ordinary beginners, they wouldn’t just stop at such idle commentary—they’d often cower in fear.
“But that’s all there is to it.”
That didn’t apply to me.
“….”
Ye-jin looked at me as if fascinated.
‘Just as I thought—he’s obsessed with that kind of dialogue. Why are all these perverts obsessed with newbies the same?’
“Ah. There’s one thing I wanted to ask.”
I opened my mouth while expertly concealing my true thoughts.
“Why are you level 20 and still in the beginner region?”
It was a question laden with two meanings. One was the literal interpretation—that Ye-jin’s level was far too high.
“Shouldn’t someone at level 20 have moved to the Second Region instead of staying at Osirius Castle?”
The other meaning, conversely, was that Ye-jin’s level wasn’t high enough to be obsessed with beginners, so why was she already doing something like this?
I could never ask the latter directly, but the former was certainly worth asking about.
Osirius Castle is a zone designed for beginners.
That’s why most players above level 19 leave Osirius Castle.
From that point on, hunting in the Second Region is where Quest and farming efficiency increases.
“That’s a sharp question.”
I flinched inwardly for a moment.
‘Could she have possibly noticed the second meaning behind the question too?’
However.
“But I don’t think I can answer. I have personal circumstances.”
She simply offered a response that could be interpreted either way.
“I see.”
Internally, I adjusted Ye-jin’s ‘newbie perversion rating’ upward by 17 points.
It could be interpreted either way, but regardless of which interpretation, the core remained unchanged—she was far too obsessed with beginners.
The more I conversed with someone like this, the worse it was for me.
“….”
Ye-jin gazed at me with curious eyes, completely unaware of what misunderstanding she was building.
Wasn’t her attitude as if she’d never intended to hear a proper answer in the first place?
“You on the other hand….”
Just as I was about to say something to her.
―Boom… boom-boom!
The ground where Ye-jin and I stood shook violently.
[Those who enter Sphinx’s Tomb shall depart only in death.]
And a skeleton wielding two swords in an X-formation materialized before us.
It was the tomb guardian protecting Sphinx’s Tomb. For Ye-jin, who had already cleared Sphinx’s Tomb before, the appearance was familiar.
“…Huh?”
The appearance alone was familiar, that is.
This tomb guardian’s level adjusts according to the strength of those who enter.
Of course, even so, it was a dungeon in the beginner region.
There was a limit to how high its level could rise, and even accounting for the increased difficulty beyond level 15, it should be at a clearable level.
Yet Ye-jin stepped back with a bewildered expression.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
Even if we came together, or rather because we came together, Sphinx’s level shouldn’t be this high.
“Overwhelming strength?”
[Compared to your current level, this monster’s strength is overwhelmingly superior.]
[Exercise caution in combat.]
Overwhelming strength wasn’t something that appeared from a mere one-level difference. That message only showed up when there was at least a three-level gap or more.
For someone at level 20 like myself to be labeled as facing “overwhelming strength” meant the Tomb Keeper had reached nearly its maximum level.
“I’m also showing up as overwhelming strength.”
Jae-beom stated this matter-of-factly.
Like Ye-jin, two messages were displayed before his eyes as well.
“That’s fortunate.”
However, unlike Ye-jin, Jae-beom was smiling.
Overwhelming strength was merely a numerical value expressed through levels.
The very fact that an enemy of such a level had appeared meant that Sphinx’s “Keen Eye” ability had seen through Jae-beom’s true power, didn’t it?
In other words, it was merely a phenomenon caused by the discrepancy in performance between the game system’s level-based judgment and Sphinx’s Keen Eye ability.
“An appropriate test subject.”
And Jae-beom didn’t rate the level of that Keen Eye ability particularly high either.
‘What’s this thing thinking it can see through everything about me?’
By Jae-beom’s instincts, this was merely a good opportunity to test out Dercan’s new skills.
“…An experiment?”
“Yes.”
Ye-jin, unaware of such thoughts, tilted her head in confusion.
Seeing her like that, Jae-beom let out a soft chuckle.
“Summon Skeleton Soldier.”
[Summoning Skeleton Soldier Dercan.]
―Fwoosh!
A blood-red mist appeared before Jae-beom’s eyes.
“Oh!”
Only then did Ye-jin recall Jae-beom’s class. She had simply forgotten it, distracted by his sharp appearance and commanding presence, and the weapon that resembled a club more than a staff.
Jae-beom had definitely said he was a Necromancer back then.
[Skeleton Soldier Dercan’s summoning is complete.]
Her first impression of Dercan’s appearance was merely that of a skeleton soldier with reasonably decent equipment.
―Master.
That assessment held true only until Dercan spoke.
“Huh? This thing can talk…?”
Jae-beom deliberately didn’t answer. If he revealed his class here, her “newbie perversion level” might just pierce through the heavens.
“How is it able to speak?”
Even without an answer, Ye-jin continued to examine Dercan from every angle.
During the time it took to reach level 20.
No, it was a normal reaction—she had never seen or heard information about skeleton soldiers from any website.
“It just happened to become possible.”
At Jae-beom’s firm response, Ye-jin didn’t ask further questions.
Just as Jae-beom hadn’t pressed further when she gave her own firm answer, she needed to respect the other person’s secrets.
Though lingering curiosity remained in her eyes.
“This one will grab hold of that creature’s ankle. In the meantime, I’ll deal damage from behind with arrows.”
“Is it possible you can only summon one?”
“Yes. This one is all I can manage.”
Jae-beom answered Ye-jin’s question decisively.
“Ah, I see. Since you mentioned it was level 5…”
Necromancers typically summon undead in large quantities only after reaching higher levels.
At level 5, it wasn’t unusual for a Necromancer who had focused on enhancement buffs rather than quantity to summon only a single minion.
“But it’s quite fascinating. Can it even respond to me?”
Rather than asking Jae-beom for an explanation, Ye-jin attempted to address Dercan directly, but Dercan didn’t even meet her gaze.
It was only natural, given that he had no eyes.
“Let’s prepare for combat instead.”
Fortunately or unfortunately, Jae-beom had an excuse ready to break Ye-jin’s focus.
“It’s coming.”
Even as Ye-jin said so, she hadn’t completely torn her attention from the tomb guardian, so she nodded obediently.
“Understood.”
She then nocked an arrow toward the creature advancing toward them.
“Dercan. Attack.”
Jae-beom glanced at Ye-jin briefly before issuing the command.
―Understood.
Clack! Clack-clack!
Unlike Ye-jin, Dercan needed no preparation.
[What a pathetic summoner’s servant!]
The tomb guardian sneered at Dercan with contempt.
―Whoosh!
The moment he swung the twin blades in his hands.
“Dercan! Bone Hardening!”
Dercan unfortunately didn’t respond with his name, but his reaction to the command was instantaneous.
[Dercan’s Bone Hardening skill activates.]
[Mana decreases significantly.]
In that instant, a brilliant light erupted from Dercan’s body.
Clang!
Simultaneously, a clear, ringing sound echoed through the tomb.
“…Huh?”
“Oh.”
Ye-jin and Jae-beom uttered slightly different exclamations upon hearing the sound.
[My… my… my twin blades!]
The confident tomb guardian’s blade had snapped clean in two.
“It broke.”
“Yes. It broke.”
The two murmured leisurely, or with slight admiration, as they observed the sight.
[These were sacred treasures from Sphinx… truly, truly?]
Of course, for the tomb keeper, the situation felt anything but leisurely.
He held the broken blade fragments together repeatedly, as if denying reality itself, but no amount of effort would mend the shattered steel.
[No, no, nooooo!]
A beat too late, the tomb keeper’s anguished wail shook the dungeon.

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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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