My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 22

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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 22
“Ah, if we include Dercan, we could say there are three of us.”
Yet such words solved nothing. In my mind, the minimum number needed to face Sphinx was four.
However, to obtain the Eye of Insight from Sphinx, either the participants needed to be exceptionally skilled, possess extraordinary luck, or grind through the encounter multiple times.
‘We might get lucky, but….’
Evern Online’s system was not flawed. The reason Mullen had marveled so greatly at the Eye of Insight was because this was the highest-grade Eye of Insight.
‘I’ve seen the Eye of Insight stone that dropped from a lower-tier Sphinx, and it was more than half the size of this one.’
That Eye of Insight had been beautiful too, but compared to what now rested in Mullen’s hand, it was nothing but a pebble.
Yet….
“You’re telling me just two people obtained it?”
Mullen’s eyes had grown even wider than when he first beheld the Eye of Insight.
“Yes. It was somewhat difficult, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.”
Yet Jae-beom nodded calmly, his expression serene.
“….”
Mullen stared at Jae-beom for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words.
Suddenly his gaze shifted to Dercan, who stood quietly behind Jae-beom. The skeletal warrior’s bearing was far more formidable and imposing than when Mullen had last seen him.
“Is that why he’s grown so much stronger….”
Mullen murmured, his eyes gleaming with admiration and astonishment. The Dercan he remembered was nothing but a pathetic, feeble skeleton soldier.
But the Dercan before him now was an entirely different presence.
His frame was so grand and reassuring that the word “skeleton” seemed utterly inadequate. The bones were so thick they possessed the texture of muscle.
Most striking of all were the pair of swords he held in his hands. From those twin blades emanated a sharp, cutting aura as if they could cleave the very wind.
‘Those weapons… they definitely carry the same aura as the sword and shield he possessed before.’
Though his appearance had changed so drastically that the shield had transformed into twin blades, Mullen—a seasoned archaeologist—could discern from subtle traces that they were weapons of the same lineage.
And he reached his conclusion.
‘What in the world happened to him? He’s no longer a mere skeleton soldier… he reminds me of a Death Knight now.’
“Your assessment is correct.”
“Pardon?”
“We could indeed say three people defeated it.”
Moreover, considering his potential for further growth, I could scarcely find a more reliable companion than Dercan.
“Thank you for the praise. But… can we examine the orb now?”
Jae-beom waited patiently for Mullen’s response, though internally he harbored great anticipation.
‘That orb wasn’t on the drop list.’
In truth, “unidentified items” in typical RPG games were often meaningless.
If you couldn’t obtain Item Information in-game, a simple internet search would reveal almost everything. That’s why some players didn’t even bother with appraisals—they simply equipped or consumed items without hesitation.
After all, they already knew the effects.
So when Jae-beom had logged out earlier, he’d searched briefly… but found nothing.
“Ah yes, of course. I’ll do it right away. Just wait a moment.”
That’s why he’d brought Mullen’s Quest without complaint, no matter how difficult it was.
―Tap-tap-tap!
Mullen finished speaking and immediately strode with long steps toward the Warehouse, which was crammed with antiques.
Click!
When Mullen emerged from the Warehouse, something gleamed in his hand—a mysterious helmet fitted with six lenses.
“Oh…”
At first glance, it was an intricate and complex mechanical device.
‘I feel like I’ve seen something like this in a canyon somewhere.’
Six lenses of varying sizes adorned the helmet’s front face. Like the compound eyes of an insect, each lens caught the light and shimmered with vibrant hues.
[Observer’s Helm]
[Grade: Heroic]
[Equip Requirements: Level 20 or higher, Mana 20 or higher]
[Details: Capable of detecting the hidden strength and potential of a target.
However, it remains incomplete and its abilities are significantly diminished.]
[Craftsman: The Sage ‘Iris’ Jeremy]
Silver and gold harmonized in brilliant radiance, while the enigmatic patterns and runic inscriptions spoke of the magical power dwelling within the helm.
“Heh heh… with this helm alone, I could see through anything.”
Mullen murmured with a note of pride, peering into the lenses attached to the helmet.
“There’s one lens missing, isn’t there?”
Indeed, an empty socket gaped where a lens should have been attached, making it abundantly clear the helm was incomplete.
“Right, that’s why we need the Eye of True Sight.”
—Carefully…
Mullen gently took Sphinx’s eye in his hand.
“I knew we’d need the Eye of True Sight, but I never expected to obtain something of such exceptional grade. This helm might become even more magnificent than when it was first crafted.”
Mullen, unable to conceal his tension, brought Sphinx’s eye toward the empty socket of the helm.
With precise movements, he began fitting the eye into the opening. Slowly yet accurately, as if assembling a puzzle, he merged the eye with the helm.
—Click.
The sound of Sphinx’s eye fusing with the helm resonated through the air. In that instant, an intense crimson light blazed from the junction between eye and helm.
—Thump, thump…
A pulse like a beating heart rippled throughout the entire helm.
The patterns and runic inscriptions covering the helm’s surface began to glow crimson. Something dormant was awakening, and a wondrous power surged forth.
—Hummmm…
Soon, a brilliant crimson radiance erupted from Sphinx’s eye, and light burst forth from the other six lenses as well.
Six distinct beams of light were momentarily overwhelmed by the crimson radiance, but they quickly converged and began to resist it.
“…Is that supposed to happen normally?”
“…I’ve never even heard of such a phenomenon.”
Seeing the ominous display, Jaebeom asked, but Mullen had no answer to give.
—Whirrrrr…
Fortunately, the six beams of light soon merged into a single beam and began resonating with the crimson radiance.
The seven beams of light, once seeming to clash with one another, gradually faded until they were finally reabsorbed into their respective lenses.
Yet somehow, each lens now seemed to contain far greater power than before the Eye of True Sight had been installed.
“…Jeremy himself would have been greatly astonished to witness this.”
[Observer’s Helm]
[Grade: Epic]
[Equip Requirement: LV 30 or higher, Mana 25 or higher]
[Details: Capable of sensing the target’s hidden strength and potential. Performance has been enhanced beyond its original state through the addition of premium materials.]
[Craftsman: Sage ‘Eyepiece’ Jeremy]
Watching it all unfold, I couldn’t help but lament inwardly.
‘I should have recorded this beforehand!’
It was rare for me to be so entranced that I forgot about YouTube. If I had captured the moment a Heroic-grade item evolved into an Epic-grade item, I could have easily raked in hundreds of thousands of views!
“Well then, shall we examine the orb?”
And finally, the moment had come to inspect the unidentified item I had obtained.
‘Damn it, even now.’
[Activating recording.]
In any case, I had achieved my primary objective, and the orb’s Item Information could potentially be a jackpot, so I decided to record at least this part.
Mullen carefully placed the evolved Observer’s Helm upon his head.
“Now then, hand me that orb, would you?”
Mullen spoke to me with a voice brimming with anticipation. His hands trembled slightly—the excitement from witnessing the helm’s transformation had yet to subside.
“Of course.”
I retrieved the mysterious orb from my pocket and handed it to Mullen. The sphere, swirled with crimson and black, emanated a peculiar presence even as it rested in my palm.
Mullen accepted the orb and slowly manipulated the Observer’s Helm.
First, he illuminated the sphere with a white lens, and strange light flowed from it. Red and blue hues appeared simultaneously, accompanied by a brilliant golden radiance, yet it emitted no violet, orange, or green light.
“Hmm! This is quite the remarkable object.”
Mullen let out an involuntary gasp of mounting excitement, then skillfully began adjusting the lenses.
With each manipulation of the cyan, silver, and beige lenses, the orb released progressively different colored light.
Witnessing this spectacular display, I became certain.
‘This alone should make for decent YouTube content.’
I had never heard of such dazzling effects occurring during appraisals by professional appraisers.
In the meantime, after emitting light several times, the orb suddenly…
―Whiiiing!
‘The orb’s color!’
Light poured forth—red radiance wrapped in golden lines.
―Click.
Mullen seized the moment and adjusted the lens. The lens containing the Eye of Discernment, which he had never used until now, gazed upon the orb.
“This is…!”
Mullen’s eyes widened dramatically. Through the lens, an astonishing sight unfolded at the orb’s core.
‘What… what is this?’
In that instant, I bolted forward like lightning, seized Mullen’s shoulders, and yanked him backward.
―Shhhhhhhsss…
The orb rattled ominously, as if steam were boiling within it.
―Kabooooom!
It erupted, releasing an intense crimson light.
With a blinding flash as if a miniature sun had been born, the energy enveloping the orb burst forth in all directions.
“W-what is this…!?”
“Step back.”
The crimson aura erupting from the orb spread uncontrollably before beginning to condense once more.
As it grew increasingly concentrated, it radiated the presence of a miniature sun itself, yet at a glance, the transformation seemed far from complete.
“Is that… going to be alright?”
“It doesn’t look like it will be.”
Energy condensing meant that when it finally detonated, it would burst forth with exponentially greater force.
―Kiiiiing!
And the crimson sphere, which had been emitting a sound like scraping metal,
“We need to get out of here!”
―Boooom!
With a deafening roar, it unleashed a pillar of crimson energy. The energy column did not stop at the ceiling but continued upward, ever upward.
It was as though a new pillar connecting earth and sky had been born.
―Uuuuung…
“How could this possibly happen…?”
Mullen gazed upward at the crimson pillar stretching toward the heavens, his breath ragged.
―Piiing!
Within that pillar of light, the orb—still retaining its form—began to undergo yet another transformation.
“Wait—!”
Just as I was about to speak.
―Kwaaaaaaang!
With an explosive roar, the crimson pillar shattered into countless fragments. It was as though a colossal tide of molten lava was boiling up into the sky.
―Puffpuff! Puffpuff!
The shards of the light pillar scattered in all directions, pouring forth their crimson radiance.
‘On a day when fragments rain down endlessly, it is as if…’
‘As if a landscape from a dream, simply endless…’
‘A beautiful sight.’
I recalled a line from an anime from twenty years ago.
Then, naturally, another thought followed.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t the village disappear after that line was delivered?’
In that instant, dozens of messages flooded my vision in rapid succession.
[The final condition has been fulfilled.]
[All conditions have been fulfilled!]
[First condition: Solo hunt a monster 30 levels higher than your own level.]
[Second condition: Discovery of a Demon Gate fragment]
⋮
[Fortieth condition: Observation of the Lord’s Egg with the highest-grade Discerning Eye.]
‘The final condition? The Lord’s Egg?’
Before I could even process that message,
[Evern Online is advancing to the next stage!]
[Game will force shut down in 5 minutes.]
[Move to a safe location and log out.]
―A deafening roar tore through the air.
Along with another message, a violent gust of wind swept across the landscape. Buildings trembled and trees were uprooted, launching skyward.
“Hold on tight!”
Though still inside the building, the pillar of light had originated from within it, leaving Mullen and me unable to maintain our footing against the raging tempest.
‘Gaaaah!’
―A piercing shriek echoed out.
Having witnessed several intense explosions unfold before my eyes, my ears rang with an endless, deafening tinnitus.
Soon, a brilliant crimson light so intense I couldn’t even open my eyes consumed the world.
‘What the hell.’
I clung desperately to a pillar of the building, my mind reeling.
‘All this chaos just because I identified one item from a low-level raid boss?!’
The world—no, the game itself—was conspiring against me. Four minutes remained until logout. I couldn’t afford to die before then and suffer the death penalty.
“What is this?!”
And just as I was desperately holding on.
[Achievement: Contributor to the Next World obtained.]
[Game is ending. See you next season.]
With those two messages, my vision faded to black.

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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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