My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 2

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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 2
[You are a foot soldier defending the Fortress, ‘Rehan’.]
[Help your fellow soldiers defend the Fortress from Count Asura’s army.]
A colossal Castle Wall that dwarfed human height materialized before my eyes. At first glance, it was so overwhelmingly massive that it stole my breath away.
“Damn… this thing is ridiculously huge.”
I stood in the very center of that Fortress.
“So I’m Rehan?”
I knew the tutorial’s premise, but the assigned name was randomized.
Whoosh.
I gazed forward.
The helmet protecting my head restricted my peripheral vision on both sides.
“Wow…”
Yet even with such limited sight, I couldn’t help but gasp in wonder.
The scene unfolding before me was impossibly realistic. No—a new reality existed right in front of me.
They’d supposedly solved 3D motion sickness entirely, and at this level, such concerns seemed utterly baseless.
“Fire the trebuchet!”
―BOOM-CRASH!
To my right, a trebuchet roared to life with tremendous force. A massive stone hurtled from its arm, pulverizing the grotesque creatures charging toward the Fortress.
And more than that.
‘Unbelievable. I can even feel the vibrations?’
Each time the trebuchet fired, I felt the ground trembling beneath me.
Across the battlefield, the sounds of soldiers clashing with monsters echoed everywhere. Those sounds reverberated inside my helmet, creating tangible vibrations.
For a moment, I wondered if I’d actually possessed Rehan’s body.
It was a side effect of only playing first-generation games.
“Fire!”
―BOOM!
The trebuchet activated again, and deafening noise erupted directly into my helmet.
―Eeeeeee…
Then came a ringing in my ears.
I marveled once more at this fact.
The tinnitus wasn’t coming from a speaker—it was genuinely resonating deep within my ear canal.
‘My body’s response time is so much faster.’
The surprises didn’t end there.
That subtle ‘lag’ I’d always felt in Warlord Online—the culprit that persisted in second-generation games, causing motion sickness and driving countless players away from virtual reality gaming—
didn’t exist at all in Evern Online.
It didn’t even feel like a game anymore.
‘This is incredible.’
I smiled broadly as I moved my arms and legs.
My senses, once constrained by poor body synchronization, could now flourish without limitation here.
In other words, I could become far stronger than I ever was in Warlord Online.
―Screech!
“A monster!”
“Take it down!”
As I assessed the situation, a monster materialized before my eyes. The soldiers nearby cautiously approached to deal with it.
―Crack!
“Argh!”
But the moment the monster lashed its tail, five soldiers were sent flying backward in an instant.
“So, all I need to do is kill these things, right?”
And then, I began the most crucial preparation.
‘First, I’ll start recording.’
I activated the recording function I’d been using as naturally as breathing since Warlord Online.
[Recording has started.]
A red dot blinked in the corner of my vision. It was confirmation that Evern Online’s recording function was operating properly.
After all, I needed footage to monetize on YouTube.
For me, this preliminary work was absolutely essential.
“Phew.”
I confirmed the blinking red circle and exhaled deeply. Now the tutorial preparations were complete.
Combat readiness? That was always taken care of.
―Shring!
‘Clear this quickly.’
I drew my sword from its sheath. The blade slid free with a subtle friction sound.
I felt that vibration and smiled. My heart even raced at the sensation of my refined physical responses.
The thrill I’d never experienced in Warlord Online was something I could feel from the very tutorial in Evern Online. I felt the corners of my mouth naturally rise.
[A tutorial video for beginners is available.]
[Would you like to watch the video to learn the controls?]
At that moment, time on the battlefield froze, and two messages appeared before my eyes.
“Not necessary.”
Of course, that video was meaningless to me. I already understood how to move in Evern Online.
It was only natural.
Wasn’t I the master of Warlord Online, the first-generation virtual reality game?
Even the most seasoned veterans fell short compared to me. If skill rather than time was the measure, I’d undoubtedly be first.
Learning controls was beneath my notice.
[Skipping control tutorial.]
The control tutorial window disappeared at my response.
And then another message appeared before my eyes.
[Please select the tutorial difficulty.]
[1. Beginner Mode.]
[2. Normal Mode.]
[3. Hard Mode.]
[4. Very Hard Mode.]
[5. Hell Mode.]
“Hell Mode.”
I selected Hell Mode without a shred of hesitation.
The reason was simple.
I’d learned that higher difficulty meant different rewards.
Besides.
‘There’s no satisfaction in beating something easy.’
I’d always preferred challenging games. One of the reasons I couldn’t abandon Warlord Online was its notoriously high difficulty.
The only slight problem was.
[Enemies become significantly stronger and the situation becomes hopeless.]
[Current number of players who have cleared Hell Mode: 0.]
Evern Online became far more difficult than Warlord Online when it got hard, and―
not a single person had ever beaten Hell Mode to completion.
[Additionally. Auxiliary movement functions are restricted.]
[Will you proceed with Hell Mode nonetheless?]
“Proceed.”
But I wasn’t particularly worried.
Warlord Online had no such auxiliary movement functions to begin with.
And harder than Warlord? Something slightly harder than Warlord wasn’t an obstacle for me.
Wasn’t it me who soloed the 48-player raid boss in that supposedly difficult game?
[You have selected Hell Mode.]
[We pray for your survival.]
Two System Messages appeared before my eyes and vanished. The frozen battlefield’s time began flowing once more.
―Kieeeek!
The monster I was targeting let out a horrific shriek.
“Aaaah!”
―Crack!
It tore apart one of the soldiers surrounding it with its teeth. I clicked my tongue at the sight.
According to the tutorial, my role was that of a soldier―my equipment and physical specs were identical to the one who’d just died.
‘One hit and I’m done for.’
Even grazing that monster’s fangs or tail would mean death.
But I wasn’t particularly concerned.
‘As long as I don’t get hit.’
I had confidence in myself.
Confidence I wouldn’t die.
Tap!
I finished my thought and charged toward the beast.
“Move!”
I shouted at the soldiers surrounding it. The confidence in my voice made them instinctively step aside.
―Whoosh!
I raised my sword high into the air.
Simultaneously, I hurled my body upward as if to take flight.
A shrill screech pierced the air!
At that same moment, a grotesque monster opened its maw wide toward me.
It had been lying in wait at the spot where I would land, intending to swallow me whole the instant I fell.
But then—
“Feint!”
I hadn’t simply jumped high to target the creature’s head.
A sharp whoosh echoed through the air!
Just before I descended, I twisted my body to the right. Normally, one would lose their balance, flail helplessly, and crash to the ground.
But I was no ordinary fighter.
Like a sword master from a fantasy novel, I spun my body while thrusting my blade forward.
The notion that one cannot change direction mid-air is merely prejudice. As I extended my sword while rotating, both my landing position and timing warped unpredictably.
The monster froze.
It hesitated, attempting to retreat. If it remained, my blade—once its prey—would pierce it through.
But my sword—
A sickening squelch!
—had already calculated even that desperate backward lunge.
The creature let out a strangled cry, a final desperate wail.
My blade pierced straight through the monster’s brow.
The massive beast twitched, as if attempting to open its jaws once more.
But it was too late.
It crashed to the ground, lifeless.
I exhaled deeply.
A radiant smile spread across my face.
‘The techniques I used in Warlord Online work here too.’
Every skill aside from game abilities had transcended the digital realm and carried over seamlessly.
No—my sensory synchronization was far superior to what Warlord Online offered. Movements I couldn’t execute due to the system’s limitations would now be possible.
A sinister chuckle escaped my lips.
The realization filled me with dark exhilaration.
“Come on then, you wretched monsters!”
And I charged toward the remaining creatures atop the Castle Wall.
The soldiers watched in stunned silence.
“…Who was that again? Rehan?”
Rehan—someone they’d considered nothing more than a fellow soldier moments before.
Yet here he was, wielding the same equipment they carried, moving with such otherworldly prowess it seemed surreal.
Twenty minutes passed.
[You have defeated 54 monsters.]
[Remaining monsters on the Castle Wall: 0.]
The Castle Wall stood clear of threats—no monsters remained to menace the Fortress.
“This is easier than I expected.”
I surveyed the corpses of monsters scattered around me.
At first, their grotesque appearance had made me grimace.
But now they felt less like monsters and more like oversized insects.
Since they posed no threat to me, what did it matter what they looked like or how massive they were?
‘This is supposed to be Hell Mode?’
I couldn’t help but feel bewildered. Hell Mode—a difficulty no one had ever cleared.
For something with such a notorious reputation, it was far too easy. Even accounting for my exceptional skill, this difficulty should have been clearable by someone.
I had even braced myself to lose an arm or a leg.
―A deafening crash echoed from above!
It was in that moment of suspicion that something felt amiss.
A knight clad in black armor plummeted from the sky and crashed onto the Castle Wall.
“It’s Count Heltema, the Demon Earl!”
“Everyone, flee!”
The soldiers resting in the Fortress scattered in all directions the moment they saw him, as if they’d witnessed a calamity.
‘Count Heltema?’
I turned my gaze toward the commotion.
Count Heltema, clad in pitch-black armor, locked eyes with me and offered a sinister smile.
[Death shall consume you all!]
―Ding!
[The special scenario ‘Final Battle’ of Hell Mode has been activated.]
[Survive against Count Heltema.]
‘Ah, I see.’
Everything up until now had been the ‘tutorial of the tutorial.’
So surviving Count Heltema was the true objective of the tutorial….
[Warning: Count Heltema’s attack will begin shortly. Flee.]
“Flee?”
I frowned at the message.
What was all this talk about?
Survive? Flee?
I was the type to die on my feet rather than live on my knees.
Once I committed to a battle, I never surrendered until victory. Besides.
“Go to hell.”
I dismissed the message telling me to flee and gripped my sword as the figure advanced toward me.
‘Bosses exist to be defeated.’
I had one philosophy.
‘There is no boss in this world that cannot be cleared.’
I had no intention of abandoning that philosophy in Evern Online.
Especially not when my opponent was merely a tutorial boss.
―A sharp metallic clash rang out!
I clenched my teeth.
“!”
I charged toward Count Heltema.
* * *
The gap in specs was truly severe enough to justify the term “hell mode.”
Every time Count Heltema swung his weapon, the surroundings were laid to waste.
The railings atop the Castle Wall crumbled as a matter of course, and dozens of massive craters formed in the vicinity.
I, meanwhile, had no skills to devastate the area—only the feeble physical capabilities of a common soldier.
Thus, I had to pour every ounce of my strength into my sword and body alone.
―Clang!
Even when my attacks connected multiple times, they dealt almost no damage.
[What an irritating little insect!]
Whether striking his armor or bare flesh, the sound rang out as if I were striking steel.
How much time had passed?
―Screech!
The impact sounds gradually transformed into friction.
―Slash!
[Noooo!]
At some point, I began to hear the sound of flesh being torn away.
My own condition was far from pristine either.
Despite dodging every attack, the mere shockwaves inflicted wounds upon me, and my stamina was depleting—my lungs felt ragged.
[Indeed… if it is you, then you possess the strength befitting….]
Yet, after this grueling battle, it was not Count Heltema who smiled—it was me.
Thud!
I smiled with the smile of victory.
“Yeah, go well. You’re nothing but a tutorial boss with high specs.”
Then I drove my blade into his chest.
[Ugh… Hak!]
Count Heltema’s breath ceased in an instant.
“Phew.”
Only then did I collapse to the ground.
It seemed he wanted to say something, but if a death throes pattern emerged, it would be dangerous—so I had no intention of listening further.
Though intentional, I had sacrificed my right arm in the process of defeating the boss. To lose an arm to shockwaves—the gap in specs was undeniable.
‘It’s certainly formidable.’
If my gamble of sacrificing my arm hadn’t paid off,
it would have been me lying there, not Count Heltema.
With that thought, I clicked my tongue.
―Ding!
A cheerful notification chimed in my mind.
[You have cleared the Hell Mode Tutorial for the first time.]
[Achievement: Indomitable Hero obtained.]
[Due to the Achievement’s effect, all stats permanently increase by +3.]
And a message appeared confirming the Achievement had been earned.
“Lady Luck smiles upon me.”
I smiled.
Hell Mode or whatever they called it—it was nothing more than a tutorial.
For me, this situation was essentially a free bonus handed to me before the game had even truly begun.
But then.
[Count Heltema’s sealed power, Overlord, has been discovered.]
[Will you absorb this power and advance to the hidden class Overlord?]
[Warning: If you refuse the advancement now, you will never be able to obtain the Overlord class again.]
“A hidden class?”
Contrary to my expectation that the rewards would end with the Achievement, another reward materialized before my eyes.
“Stop recording.”
I immediately ended the recording.
[Recording has ended.]
‘I can’t upload footage of obtaining a hidden class.’
[Overlord possesses abilities from the upper tier of the Necromancer lineage.]
[Furthermore, it is based on dark magic, utilizing mana as its foundation.]
“Hmm… a magic-based class, then.”
I stroked my chin thoughtfully at that information.
‘To become a ranker, an ordinary class won’t cut it.’
I intended to reach first place regardless of which class I chose, but the truth remained that I was a latecomer, starting three months behind the pioneers.
To overtake the top-ranked players, ordinary growth would undoubtedly prove insufficient.
‘And a superior variant of Necromancer at that?
Necromancer is a class that, rather than relying on party play, overwhelms dungeons by summoning an absurd quantity of undead minions.
If this is an upper-tier evolution of that class, there’s no better profession for solo clearing.’
“Then there’s no need to hesitate.”
For me, who had initially planned to solo play without drawing attention in the early stages, this was the optimal choice.
“Excellent. I’ll advance.”
[Advancement to Overlord complete.]
[Tutorial has ended.]
[You obtain a crimson gem infused with the power of Count Heltema as spoils.]
―A brilliant flash erupted.
In that instant, three messages materialized before my eyes.
[Transferring to the starting zone, Osirius Castle.]
And thus, the grueling tutorial came to an end.
* * *
I materialized in the center of the plaza of Osirius Castle, fresh from completing the tutorial.
“Finally, it’s over.”
I exhaled deeply.
After spending several hours in the bustling Fortress, even I felt drained.
Sigh.
I let out a long breath and lifted my head.
―Selling Armenian Dagger!
―Trading Mullen Shoes and Polius Gloves!
Then the scenery of Osirius Square came into view.
From players enthusiastically hawking items to NPCs running shops scattered throughout the square.
The sight was so magnificent that it felt like I’d been possessed by a fantasy world, and my heart raced with excitement.
‘Now I understand why everyone plays thriving online games.’
The vibrant energy that couldn’t be felt in the already-dead Warlord Online was present everywhere in Evern Online.
I realized anew that this alone could be reason enough to play an online game.
‘But then again, that means all of them are my competitors.’
Some of them had fairly high levels.
From my perspective, they were mountains I had to overcome.
To defeat them, I needed to grit my teeth and push forward.
[You can check your status through the Status Window.]
Then a System Message appeared before my eyes.
Seeing it, I called out the status window into the air.
[Player: Stagnant Water][LV: 1]
[Class: (S-Rank) Overlord]
[Strength: 5+3]
[Agility: 5+3]
[Mana: 5+3]
[Vitality: 5+3]
[Possessed Skills: Summon Skeleton Soldier(0/1)]
[Achievement: Indomitable Hero(Effect: All Stats +3)]
A status window that looked rather shabby at first glance appeared.
But if anyone else saw it, it would be nothing short of astonishing.
‘Overlord.’
First, there was the hidden class Overlord and the Achievement I obtained by defeating the tutorial boss.
The mere existence of a hidden class made for an excellent status window, but…
“These are the stats I should have from the start.”
In Evern Online, the base stats were 5.
However, thanks to my Achievement, I gained an additional 3, so all my stats started at 8.
In Evern Online, you gain 2 stats per level up. With 12 stats, I’d already obtained what should have taken 6 level-ups to earn.
I was already starting from a different point than everyone else.
“…Summon Skeleton Soldier?”
I was smiling contentedly at my stats when I tilted my head in confusion at the possessed skill.
For a hidden class skill, the name seemed rather unimpressive.
‘Still, it doesn’t seem like an ordinary skill.’
But I wasn’t entirely disappointed.
Hadn’t the system explained that Overlord was an advanced class derived from Necromancer?
I reminded myself of that fact, swallowed hard, and carefully attempted to activate the skill.
[To activate a skill, you must speak the skill name aloud.]
However, Evern Online was proving to be quite demanding.
‘Here? Now?’
At the message telling me to shout in the middle of a bustling city with so many people passing through, I couldn’t help but frown.
But there was no way around it. Near the starting point of Evern Online, a game that was booming even during the boom, there wasn’t a single quiet area to be found.
“If that’s what it takes, so be it. Summon Skeletal Soldier.”
Then I shook my head and accepted reality.
And the moment I spoke the skill name ‘Summon Skeletal Soldier’ with hopeful anticipation.
―A crimson mist erupted!
Before my eyes, a blood-red fog swirled into existence.
“…!”
And then.
[You can use Count Heltema’s Red Gem as a summoning material.]
[If you use the material, you can summon a Legendary-grade Skeletal Soldier.]
Was this why it wasn’t just a hidden class? Extraordinary descriptors appeared from the very beginning.
I deliberated for just a moment. The red gem was practically my only asset at this point.
‘Legendary-grade? If it’s Legendary-grade, sacrificing the red gem as material doesn’t seem like a bad trade.’
But even if it was my only possession, the flow of events suggested that the red gem’s purpose was ultimately to summon this creature.
I knew all too well that hoarding something like this often led to greater losses in the end.
“Use it as material!”
[Count Heltema’s Red Gem will be used as a summoning material.]
[Count Heltema’s Red Gem has been destroyed.]
[You have summoned the Legendary-grade Skeletal Soldier, Dercan.]
In that instant, a golden message appeared before my eyes.

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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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