My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 228

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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 228
He stood before them in the exact form of the Dark Knight who had collapsed moments before. Gasps of astonishment rippled through the spectators without pause. This ability had never been witnessed within the game before. Transformation skills existed that could alter a player’s appearance, but the notion of perfectly replicating both the form and abilities of a player who had just logged out was utterly inconceivable.
The Spacetime Mage’s eyes widened in disbelief at the impossible sight before him. The magical energy gathered in his hands trembled with instability. He opened his mouth, but at first, no words came. Finally, his voice erupted—a mixture of shock and terror.
“Insane!”
Before that word even hung in the air, I moved. Now I stood fully equipped in the Dark Knight’s armor. Gripping the colossal greatsword, I surged toward the Magician at an incredible velocity. Despite the heavy weight of the Dark Knight’s armor, my movements remained swift and fluid.
The Spacetime Mage reacted instinctively. His fingers danced rapidly through the empty air, tracing patterns. Blue luminous magical runes bloomed in the air, following the path of his fingertips. The moment the incantation completed, a translucent violet barrier materialized around him.
The barrier was no mere wall. It was a ceaseless flow of shifting, dynamic energy—the highest-tier defensive magic of a high-ranked Spacetime Mage.
The barrier’s completion and my arrival occurred nearly simultaneously. The massive blade in my grip descended through the heavens, cleaving the air. The sword, wreathed in black flames, tore through space and struck the Magician’s barrier with devastating force.
The moment blade met barrier, the entire Plaza trembled. The collision of two overwhelming forces unleashed an energy wave that radiated outward in all directions. The spectators instinctively crouched or retreated. Some began fleeing the Plaza entirely.
At the point of contact between blade and barrier, brilliant sparks erupted in all directions. These were no ordinary flames. They were born from the collision of the sword’s black fire and the barrier’s violet energy—a strange, otherworldly conflagration of terrible power. Where the sparks touched the ground, small craters formed, and the acrid stench of burning filled the air.
The barrier barely withstood my assault. Yet fine fractures were already spreading across its surface. The Magician gritted his teeth, pouring more mana into the barrier to sustain it.
“What the hell are you!”
His cry carried far more fear than anger. He had anticipated nothing more than a simple demonstration match in the Training Arena. But the opponent before him now was an entity that completely defied the game’s rules. An ability to replicate a player’s form, to claim the abilities of a logged-out ally as his own—this strange power was certainly not part of any ordinary game system.
The Magician’s barrier was now approaching its absolute limit. Fractures spread across its entire surface, causing it to flicker unstably. Desperation was written plainly across his face.
With a sharp whistle, I withdrew the blade momentarily, then brought it crashing down again with every ounce of my strength. In that instant, it happened.
A deafening crack.
The barrier shattered completely.
Like breaking glass, the violet energy barrier fragmented into thousands of shards. The fragments of the broken barrier glowed in the air before gradually fading away.
The moment the barrier vanished, my attack pattern shifted abruptly. I released the massive greatsword and swiftly drew a dagger from my waist—the same crimson-marked blade I had wielded from the beginning. Before the Magician could even react, I was already standing before him.
The dagger flashed. It pierced directly through the Magician’s chest. Only the hilt remained visible outside his robes; the blade was completely buried within his body.
The Magician’s eyes flew wide open. Shock, terror, and disbelief crossed his face in succession. He stared down at the dagger penetrating his chest. Blood spilled from his lips. He attempted to speak, but only blood emerged.
The Magician’s body twisted backward and collapsed. He fell to the ground in a half-recumbent position, his robes soaking with blood.
His face bore no trace of pain. The game had been designed to prevent the transmission of physical suffering from the virtual world to the player’s consciousness.
The Magician’s body began to glow with blue light, just as the Dark Knight had—a harbinger of forced logout. The luminescence intensified, then suddenly exploded outward before fading entirely. His consciousness had returned to the real world, leaving only the empty shell of his in-game avatar.
Silence enveloped the Plaza. Even the remaining spectators fell into complete stillness. The sight of two high-ranked players being forcibly logged out in succession was unprecedented. Moreover, such a one-sided defeat was profoundly shocking.
I gazed down at the fallen Magician’s body. Then, slowly, I extended my hand toward him. Though clad in the Dark Knight’s armor, my movements retained their distinctly personal quality.
The moment my hand touched the Magician’s chest, an incredible transformation began. Red currents erupted from the Magician’s body. This energy was different from what I had absorbed from the Dark Knight—darker, a deeper crimson, threaded through with what resembled black lightning.
The red currents enveloped the Magician’s entire form. His skin began to change. The pallid complexion gradually took on a grayish hue, finally shifting to a corpse-like, sickly blue. His eyes turned completely black, and a dark, spectral mist rose from his mouth.
The transformation proceeded rapidly. The Magician’s fingers elongated and sharpened; his robes became tattered and torn. The most shocking change was the wound in his chest. The gash from the dagger writhed as if alive, expanding progressively until it formed a gaping hole.
The Magician was no longer a Magician. He had become Undead.
As the transformation completed, the Undead Magician slowly rose to his feet. His movements were awkward at first, but grew increasingly fluid. He examined his transformed appearance briefly. Then, finally, he bowed toward me. It was a gesture of submission.
Dark red light flowed from the Undead Magician’s eyes, and decadent dark power swirled around his body. He was no longer a being possessed of independent will. He had become completely enslaved to my command.
I smiled with satisfaction.
“Excellent.”
I slowly raised my head and surveyed my surroundings. Most of the players had already fled in terror, but a few still remained at the edges of the Plaza.
Among them were some high-ranked players. Judging by their powerful equipment and elaborate skill effects, they were veterans who had invested considerable time and effort within the game.
I did not overlook their gazes. I began walking slowly toward the remaining players. With each step, the ground trembled faintly, and a wisp of pale black mist rose from my armor.
“Everyone. A new hunting ground will soon open.”
My declaration seized the attention of all those remaining in the Plaza. A new hunting ground was always a significant event within the game. It represented an opportunity to obtain new equipment, experience, and in-game renown. Yet my tone carried something distinctly different from a typical game update announcement.
Kim Jae-beom’s declaration captured the attention of everyone remaining in the Plaza. A new hunting ground was always an important event in the game. It meant an opportunity to gain new equipment, experience points, and in-game fame. However, there was something in Kim Jae-beom’s tone that differed from a typical game update announcement.
Kim Jae-beom raised his right hand lightly and flicked his index finger through the air. The sound was faint, yet it reverberated mysteriously across the entire Plaza.
In that instant, everything unfolded. Crimson electricity began flowing from Kim Jae-beom’s body. At first, it was merely a delicate thread of light, but soon it blazed like an intense flame, enveloping his form. The red current ascended skyward along the tips of his fingers.
The current reached the air above.
It began projecting an image within itself. It was a virtual space. Yet it differed completely from ordinary in-game locations.
What unfolded in the image was the Heavenly Realm itself. A golden Fortress rose majestically above endless white clouds. The spires of the Fortress soared toward the heavens, and around it floated countless small islands suspended in the air. Magnificent structures adorned each island, and rainbow bridges connected them to one another.
Most striking were the Guardians who protected the Heavenly Realm. Angels clad in white armor with enormous wings flew throughout the Heavenly Realm. Their armor gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, and the weapons they wielded radiated divine radiance.
At the heart of the Heavenly Realm stood an even more magnificent structure. It was a colossal Fortress composed of seven Towers. Particularly intense light emanated from that place, and even more formidable-looking angels stood guard around the Fortress.
The players who witnessed it understood.
The Heavenly Realm.

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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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