My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 234
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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 234
Kim Jae-beom pointed at the Tower with a single finger. That simple gesture was all it took for the Demon Players to instantly grasp his intent.
Multiple voices erupted simultaneously.
“To the Tower!”
“Extinguish that light!”
“There must be treasure!”
The demons surged toward the Tower’s peak in unison, each employing their own methods of ascent. Those with wings soared skyward, scaling the walls in rapid spirals, while others raced up the Spiral Staircase with fierce determination. Some wielded arcane magic to claw their way up the stone face, and still others exploited teleportation abilities to leap across multiple floors in succession.
The Tower’s interior remained thick with resistance. NPC defenders held fortified positions on every level. Though few in number, they commanded strategic advantage through their placement. The narrow Corridors and Staircases granted them superior tactical positioning.
On the first floor, the Demon Players encountered three Armored Knights. The knights completely blocked the narrow Staircase entrance, their lengthy spears effectively repelling any who dared approach.
“Break through!”
At one demon’s cry, multiple attackers struck simultaneously. As one hurled a fireball to obscure the knights’ vision, others crawled across the ceiling to flank them from behind. Assailed from both directions, the knights crumbled swiftly. Their armor tore, their bodies collapsed to the floor.
The Demon Players systematically eliminated the NPC Armored Knights blocking their path. On the second floor, magical traps awaited them. Runes carved into the ground activated, unleashing lightning that struck the demons with devastating force. Several fell where they stood and logged out forcibly, but the rest quickly destroyed the trap and pressed onward.
The third floor held even more Armored Knights in waiting. These appeared stronger than their predecessors, their armor emanating a faint azure glow. Their blades were infused with holy power—a lethal threat to any demon.
Fierce combat erupted. The demons exploited their numerical superiority, encircling the knights and unleashing their full capabilities. Magician-class demons cast support spells from range while warrior-class demons engaged the knights directly at the front lines. Though some demons fell, their advance never faltered.
The fourth floor presented both traps and knights simultaneously. The ground was treacherously slick, and arrows erupted from the walls. The knights leveraged this environment to mount an effective defense. Yet the demons adapted swiftly. They drove their claws into the walls to overcome the slippery surface and crouched low to evade the projectiles.
Floor after floor, the Demon Players encountered mounting resistance, yet their overwhelming numbers and strength proved decisive. They advanced relentlessly toward the summit, leaving fallen knights in their wake. The Staircases and Corridors became littered with corpses, and the walls bore the scorched marks of battle.
At last, they reached the highest level. The Tower’s peak opened into a vast Circular Chamber. The ceiling was glass, allowing starlight to illuminate the interior, while the floor bore intricate inscriptions. At the chamber’s center stood a dais, and upon it stood a solitary figure.
Upon reaching the summit, they found Karn, the Fortress Master, waiting for them. He was utterly unlike the other NPCs. His presence was overwhelming, and his gaze alone stirred instinctive wariness in the Demon Players.
Karn wore black armor—no ordinary suit. It fit him perfectly, as though fused with his very skin, its surface etched with delicate patterns. Though a helmet obscured his face, the eyes visible through its visor blazed with golden light.
Karn, clad in black armor, fixed his gaze upon the Demon Players. His stare was glacial and razor-sharp. He stood motionless, yet his posture radiated battle-readiness. In his hands he gripped an enormous greatsword.
A faint whistling sound pierced the air.
A moment of absolute silence descended.
The Demon Players hesitated briefly, assessing this new adversary. But their pause was fleeting. One demon moved first, charging toward Karn, and the others swiftly followed.
Karn’s response was instantaneous. He lowered his stance, pushed off the ground, and charged forward. His movement was so swift the eye could scarcely follow it.
Karn plunged through the ranks of Demon Players. Each swing of his blade felled another demon. His attacks were not merely powerful but devastatingly precise. He struck at their weaknesses with surgical accuracy, his sword striking directly at their mana cores.
Dozens of Demon Players fell to Karn’s assault. Their bodies shimmered with blue light before vanishing. They had been forcibly logged out of the game. In mere seconds, more than half the demons atop the Tower had disappeared.
The surviving demons attacked in unison. Spells flew toward him from all directions, and physical attackers assailed him from every side. Yet Karn evaded most attacks with astonishing agility, and those he could not avoid were deflected by his armor.
Then, a transformation began within Karn’s body. Golden patterns emerged across his black armor, one after another. What began as faint lines gradually intensified into brilliant light, evolving into intricate designs. These patterns flowed across his armor as though alive.
Golden patterns erupted from Karn’s form. They were no mere decoration. The patterns flowed across his armor before expanding into the air itself, forming a golden protective barrier around him. The moment the demons’ attacks touched this barrier, they shattered into fragments.
The Empire’s Blessing was aiding Karn. It was a power granted only to the Empire’s highest guardians. Through this blessing, his strength, speed, and defense increased dramatically, and his attacks now carried holy power—devastatingly lethal to demons.
Karn charged once more. This time his movements appeared even more formidable. His blade now blazed completely golden, leaving trails of radiance in his wake. His attacks grew more lethal still, and more Demon Players fell to his sword, logging out forcibly.
Wariness kindled in the eyes of the remaining Demon Players. They now understood that Karn was no ordinary NPC. He was something extraordinary, and defeating him would require an entirely new strategy.
It was then.
Kim Jae-beom’s voice cut clearly through the chaos of the Battlefield.
“Arulan.”
The moment that name resonated through the air, a subtle fracture appeared in the space behind the Demon Players. It expanded in an instant. Purple mist poured from the rift, darkness visible beyond.
As the fracture widened sufficiently, a figure stepped through. It was Arulan, the Undead Magician. His appearance alone made even the Demon Players hold their breath.
Arulan’s form was translucent, his bones and withered organs faintly visible beneath.
The robe he wore gleamed with an eerie radiance. In one skeletal hand he held a staff adorned with a skull, while the other clutched what appeared to be a grimoire.
As Arulan fully emerged through the spatial rift, Kim Jae-beom spoke once more.
“Dercan. Barcode.”
As I spoke the second name, crimson light surged from the ground. It spiraled in a circular pattern, and from within that radiance, a figure ascended.
It was Dercan.
His entire form remained encased in scarlet armor, with a cape of the same hue billowing in the wind. His skeletal visage was half-concealed by the plating, yet through the gaps, flames blazed within his eye sockets. Most striking were the twin blades he wielded—similar in design yet distinctly different. One crackled with fire; the other emanated the essence of ice.
As the third name was called, the shadow beside Arulan suddenly contorted and expanded. It rose from the ground, taking form. It was Barcode.
Barcode’s appearance stood in stark contrast to Dercan’s. He wore armor of black and white.
Thump….
With all three entities manifested, the air atop the Tower grew heavy. Their presence transcended that of mere players or NPCs. The space around them seemed to warp subtly, and fine fractures rippled across the ground beneath their feet.
The Demon Players gazed upon the three beings with astonished eyes. Some appeared to recognize them, while others stood in awe.
Kim Jae-beom raised his hand, pointing toward Karn. His voice was calm, yet it carried an unmistakable command.
“Attack that one.”
The moment those words left his lips, intense power erupted from the bodies of the three entities.
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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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