My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 19

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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 19
Tap-tap-tap!
[Where is it!]
[Find it! Find it!]
[Vengeance! Vengeance! Avenge our fallen!]
The deeper they ventured into the tomb, the more the Tomb Keepers guarding it became visible.
The movements of the Tomb Keepers consumed by rage were eerily graceful, like a twisted dance, yet the malice blazing from their eyes was far from trivial.
[Slay the humans!]
[Avenge the Tomb Keepers!]
[Avenge the Dual Blade!]
[Avenge the Dual Blades!]
The Tomb Keepers’ voices were saturated with fury.
Finally, Ye-jin could no longer contain herself and cried out.
“Why are you all avenging the Dual Blade when fewer of you were called?”
‘But how did they know?’
The moment they heard her voice and spotted Jae-beom and Ye-jin, they began charging forward like madmen.
[You have successfully entered Sphinx’s Hidden Tomb.]
But Ye-jin hadn’t been careless or made a mistake in speaking.
She had muttered just before entering the highest-ranked Secret Passage among those she had boasted about discovering.
[Seize them!]
[Kill them!]
“No thanks.”
Jae-beom, following behind Ye-jin and Dercan who had entered first, raised his middle finger and leaped into the passage.
[Kyaaaaaaah!]
They shrieked at the sight, but the passage Ye-jin had discovered was too narrow for them to enter.
―Thud!
They easily slipped through the Secret Passage and arrived at the hidden tomb.
Even if Jae-beom had played a larger role in defeating the first Tomb Keeper, Ye-jin had essentially carried him here.
“So this is… the Boss Room.”
Jae-beom surveyed Sphinx’s resting place. The dark, damp space bore traces of ancient civilization scattered throughout.
The walls, adorned with colossal stone statues and bizarre patterns, emanated an aura both mysterious and overwhelming.
‘It’s nothing new, but third-generation games really do have superior implementation.’
On the ceiling, surreal paintings danced brilliantly as if alive, shimmering with ethereal light.
Across the marble floor beneath their feet, intricately woven patterns writhed, emanating an otherworldly glow.
Purple mist filled the space, creating an ominous atmosphere, yet neither the ceiling’s paintings nor the floor’s patterns seemed hindered by the haze obscuring vision.
Warlord Online had often garnered attention for its unique atmosphere and beautiful landscapes. Yet ultimately, they remained merely ‘beautiful places within a game.’
A far cry from Evern Online’s ‘vistas that overwhelm the observer.’
And this Sphinx dungeon wasn’t even renowned for its scenery!
“Are you alright?”
“No, I was just startled. It’s quite an impressive sight.”
“Ah, now that you mention it….”
As Ye-jin nodded, I felt the admiration I’d been holding onto moments before evaporate entirely.
‘Even if I’m strong, she still sees me as a newbie and is pleased about it.’
I set aside my admiration and resumed observing the dungeon’s structure.
In the center of the tomb sat a stone sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus was densely carved with incomprehensible ancient characters, and above it glittered an array of dazzling gemstones set in elaborate patterns.
It was unmistakably the sarcophagus where Sphinx slumbered.
“Ye-jin. Is it possible to take those gemstones?”
“Many have tried, but unfortunately they’re invincible objects. And, please—really, please—could you stop calling me by that nickname?”
“Understood. Ye-jin. I’ll explore a bit more.”
“….”
Evern Online had no nickname change vouchers.
If it did, Ye-jin would have bought one by now, even if it meant going into debt!
“Hmm.”
Surrounding the sarcophagus stood guardian statues protecting Sphinx, and at first glance, they radiated formidable power.
I approached Sphinx with cautious steps.
A massive lion’s body crowned with a human face—Sphinx was a sight both mysterious and awe-inspiring.
Judging by the thick dust blanketing the floor, it seemed no one had ventured into this tomb for a very long time.
After gazing at it for a long while, I voiced my thoughts.
“If it’s like this, why name it Sphinx instead of Sphinx? Is it because it’s a beginner dungeon…?”
There’s a limit to how much you can pull the wool over someone’s eyes.
I muttered to myself.
―Zzzziiing!
Something began to change.
“!”
A vibrating sound echoed through the chamber, and then Sphinx’s eyelids began to tremble faintly before slowly opening.
―Uuuung… uuuuung!
As the eyelids that had been moving sluggishly opened fully, Sphinx’s eyes were revealed. Those eyes, burning with a crimson glow, emanated both majesty and terror. With merely opening its eyes, an overwhelming force made itself felt.
―Kuuung….
As Sphinx rose from slumber, the sleeping world awakened alongside it.
With each movement, the earth trembled, and its heavy breathing became the tomb’s echo. The mist drifting through the air began gathering toward Sphinx as if possessed by life itself.
The vividness and overwhelming sense of reality were so intense that I could hardly believe this was a game. I held my breath and watched the spectacle unfold.
―Whoosh.
Sphinx turned its gaze toward us. The eyes that had burned moments before were still crimson, but now they held only a cold, mineral emotion.
[You will not leave this place alive.]
―Boom!
At that instant, a heavy alarm sound—unlike anything I’d heard before, like a gunshot—blared through my mind.
[The tomb’s master, Sphinx, has awakened!]
[You cannot escape the dungeon until Sphinx is destroyed!]
The system notification appeared.
―Thump… thump-thump-thump!
At last, Sphinx rose to his feet, his colossal body unfurling.
‘Before he stood, he was in that cat loaf position—it was actually kind of cute.’
Yet here I was, watching the spectacle unfold and entertaining such peculiar thoughts.
“Summon Skeletal Soldiers.”
* * *
―Boom!
As Sphinx thrust his front paw forward, a violent shockwave erupted, sending sharp gusts of wind tearing across the arena in all directions.
“Watch out!”
Ye-jin quickly stumbled backward with a cry. But I had already slipped beyond Sphinx’s attack radius before she even spoke—before she even moved.
―Crash! Crash!
Each time Sphinx’s front paw struck the ground, a sandstorm erupted in all directions. While sand wasn’t absent from this place, the sheer volume being displaced now was excessive.
‘Is it a skill that automatically triggers a sandstorm whenever his front paw touches the ground?’
“Ugh!”
No matter how swift Ye-jin and I were, dodging every individual grain of sand caught in the tempest was impossible.
The damage itself was negligible, but the particles scattering through the air obscured our vision—that was the real problem.
Then, the third eye etched upon Sphinx’s forehead began to glow crimson, and soon a torrent of powerful energy erupted forth.
“What is that? What—”
Ye-jin muttered in bewilderment. The latest patch had come four days ago, and she’d already defeated Sphinx in that version. There was no way she’d missed a pattern.
―Boom!
Of course, Sphinx had no obligation to explain himself or justify his skills, regardless of what Ye-jin thought.
The crimson wave split into two, hurtling toward Ye-jin and me. We both hurled ourselves aside, narrowly evading the surging energy.
―Crash!
Where the wave struck, a sound like an explosion rang out, and the earth itself began to crack and splinter. It seemed less like the wave carried raw energy and more like—
‘It’s draining moisture.’
Wherever the wave touched, it seemed to strip away all moisture entirely.
“Danger!”
And the wave wasn’t the only threat. Sphinx continued to swing his front paws relentlessly, conjuring sandstorms with each movement.
As before, the sandstorm itself wasn’t particularly damaging. However—
‘A direct hit from either attack means the end.’
With my stats, I’d be finished in one hit. As for Ye-jin’s specs, I wasn’t entirely certain, but as an archer, she wouldn’t survive more than a few strikes either.
―Boom!
While evading Sphinx’s front paw, I noticed something strange.
‘…He has paw pads?!’
Startled, I instinctively thrust the tip of my staff into the paw pad.
Paw pads were naturally designed to absorb impact, but their structure was vulnerable to sharp objects—
―Clang!
A sound rang out as if to say ‘don’t be ridiculous.’ These were Sphinx’s paw pads, made of stone—they couldn’t possibly be like those of an ordinary dog or cat.
[How presumptuous of you.]
Yet the way he withdrew his paw proved that my attack, however ineffective it seemed, had still struck home.
And the moment Sphinx turned its gaze toward Jae-beom.
—Twing.
Ye-jin’s arrow was flying toward the third eye.
[Screech!]
Instinctively tilting its head back and closing its eye, the arrow grazed the eyelid as Sphinx let out a cry of agony.
[How dare you!]
Just as a red, though slightly unstable, wave began to emanate from the third eye.
—Crack!
This time, Jae-beom’s steel staff drove into Sphinx’s foreleg.
[Gasp!]
The two of them attacked in perfect synchronization, seizing the moment when Sphinx’s attention was diverted.
Sphinx finally seemed to make a decision, and despite taking damage from Jae-beom, it began rushing toward Ye-jin.
“! Stagnant Water!”
Rather than continuing to suffer losses while dividing its attention, it had decided to eliminate Ye-jin first—the one dealing less damage and moving relatively slower.
‘Indeed, Evern Online’s AI is definitely better than it was in Warlord Online.’
Certainly, it would take far too long to defeat Sphinx with only my damage output. If it had considered that, it would be a sound judgment, but….
“Dercan!”
Jae-beom was not a Swordsman—he was an Overlord.
“Stance 2!”
Originally, Stance 2 involved pushing with a shield, but now that the shield had vanished and dual blades had appeared, Dercan’s Stance 2 was.
—Boom!
A body-driven thrust!
As Dercan’s thrust struck the joint of the left foreleg whose claw had shattered, Sphinx hesitated again, but.
[Ugh!]
Gritting its teeth, it tried to rush toward Ye-jin once more.
‘Hmm? At this rate, the aggro should be pulled back to me, shouldn’t it?’
—Whiiiing….
Then, a strange sound echoed from behind Ye-jin, and the air began to distort.
“That is….”
“An escape portal!”
A vast blue-light portal began to open behind Ye-jin.
‘It wasn’t obsessing over Ye-jin at all!’
I couldn’t confirm Sphinx’s exact HP, but it was clear we hadn’t even dealt half its health.
[Get out of the way!!]
Sphinx, the moment it judged that a troublesome opponent had appeared, immediately opened the portal!
‘This thing has no backbone at all!’
“Dercan, Stance 4!”
Jae-beom shouted calmly despite his inner panic.
Stance 4 was….
—Boom!
[This pathetic creature!]
It was ‘blocking with my body’.
With one foot injured and my movements sluggish, Dercan barely caught up to me and positioned himself in front of Sphinx.
Though Dercan’s shield had vanished, leaving only dual blades, my physique had grown strong enough that I could endure even this—at least for a moment.
The instant Sphinx swung his uninjured right leg to strike Dercan.
“Six-four!”
―Clang!
Jae-beom, who had been waiting for this moment, drove his right leg into a powerful strike.
“Nice!”
―Twang!
With a triumphant shout, Ye-jin drew her bowstring, but her arrow’s target was not Sphinx—it was the portal.
―Boom! Boom!
Arrows flew in succession, striking the portal’s vital points. The portal’s blue light began to flicker unstably.
―Crack!
Finally, with a tearing sound, the portal shattered into fragments.
“The portal’s durability is still intact!”
Ye-jin, who had been preparing several more shots, immediately redirected her next arrow toward Sphinx.
[Roooaaarrr!]
At that, Sphinx unleashed a furious roar and charged at Ye-jin.
“Ugh!”
Sphinx had taken considerable damage forcing himself away from Dercan and Jae-beom, but the movement was difficult to predict. Ye-jin couldn’t respond properly.
―Boom!
The massive body of Sphinx crashed down upon the earth. A powerful shockwave swept across the surroundings.
“No!”
Reacting a moment too late, Ye-jin was caught in the shockwave and the ensuing sandstorm. She tried to gracefully evade and dodge the follow-up attack, but.
―Crash! Crash!
Sphinx, unwilling to let her escape, relentlessly pounded the ground, even using his wounded left leg.
“Hngh!”
Ye-jin desperately dodged the direct hits, gasping in pain.
―Whoosh!
In the meantime, Jae-beom caught up to Sphinx and drove his steel staff into the creature’s flank with a powerful swing.
―Thud!
The steel staff struck the waist. With a dull impact, the staff bent as though it might break.
It was clearly a different caliber of attack than before—nearly his full power unleashed.
―Clang!
[Screeeaaagh!]
The effect was undeniable.
A cry of pain distinctly different from before. In that instant, Dercan seized the opening and charged forward.
“Position two!”
Dercan hurled himself forward and thrust his blade into Sphinx’s waist. Though not precisely the same spot Jae-beom had targeted, as the attacks struck consecutively at the waist, an involuntary scream tore from Sphinx’s mouth.
[Damn you wretches!]
Sphinx thrashed about, launching its entire body upward this time, striking the ground with its hind legs in addition to its front paws.
―Boom-boom-boom-boom-crash!
Where the four legs came down, an endless torrent of sand erupted. Now both of them could barely open their eyes.
“Kyaaah!”
Ye-jin couldn’t withstand the intensified sandstorm and was sent flying backward.
Yet as she barely landed, a smile bloomed across her face.
“It’s the final phase!”
[I… I can’t end like this!]
―Shiiiiing….
―Shiiiiing….
―Shiiii….
What “final phase” meant became immediately clear.
Three portals materialized simultaneously.

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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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