My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 32

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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 32
A colossal demon beast bear scraped the earth beneath its feet as it charged toward Dercan.
Despite its massive bulk, it closed the distance with movements as swift as lightning.
—Crash!
A sharp, crisp sound rang out as it shattered the ground, as if merely treading upon air.
—Roooaaarrr!
Murderous intent gleamed in the eyes of the charging demon beast bear.
—Hisssss…
Yet Dercan, being undead, felt no fear before such a creature.
Dercan immediately charged forward to meet the demon beast bear.
—Boom!
Two immense forces collided.
However, despite both being massive, the disparity was unmistakable. There was no way Dercan’s strength could match that of a level-30 hunting ground’s boss monster.
The shockwave rippled outward, and Dercan’s twin blades were driven backward in the next instant.
“Dercan! Stance Six!”
Using the momentum of his retreat, Dercan spun and brought his twin blades down upon the demon beast bear’s arm.
—Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Though not a deep wound, Dercan drove his blades through the thick fur and, spinning along the arm, aimed for the creature’s throat.
—Clang!
But that was the extent of it. While he could force his blades through the arm’s fur, even that penetration was shallow, and the blade refused to bite into the neck at all.
—Whoosh!
The demon beast bear had not failed to track Dercan’s movements. The moment his blade halted, the creature’s foreleg raked across Dercan’s body.
[…!]
Struck by the heavy blow, Dercan was sent flying backward.
A devastating impact powerful enough to shatter even a sturdy skeleton.
Had I possessed organs, it would have been instant death.
Whoooosh!
Like a stone struck by a catapult, Dercan’s form was sent hurtling away—a pitiful sight.
Crash!
With a thunderous sound, Dercan slammed into a tree. The sturdy trunk shook violently, and leaves scattered in all directions.
What scattered was not merely leaves and bark. Bone fragments scattered from where Dercan had been hurled.
—Whooom!
Then Jae-beom charged toward the demon beast bear.
“No! If he dies, it takes an hour to resummon him!”
Gripping his steel staff, he rushed toward the creature.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Jae-beom’s legs cut through the air with unbelievable speed.
[Roooaaarrr!]
The demon beast bear opened its massive jaws and lunged toward Dercan.
No matter how fast Jae-beom moved, it was still difficult to reach the creature in time.
―Whoosh!
In that instant, the sound of wind being cleaved filled the air.
[Screech!]
―Ting!
“Ah!”
Ye-jin exhaled a regretful sigh.
The arrow had been aimed precisely at the demon beast bear’s eye, but as the creature instinctively flinched, the projectile merely grazed its eyelid instead.
However.
―Crash!
[Roooaaaagh!]
In that moment, I managed to create enough space to reach the demon beast bear’s flank.
‘Is this really the sound of striking living flesh?’
Despite my shock at the unbelievable noise from the steel staff scraping across its ribs, I continued my assault.
Fortunately, the blow had connected—the demon beast bear tore its gaze from Dercan and fixed it upon me.
And in that instant, the battle’s outcome was sealed.
―Clang!
[Screeeeech!]
Dercan’s trembling blade pierced the demon beast bear’s hide.
―Thud.
[Screeeeeech!]
This time, Ye-jin’s arrow truly pierced the demon beast bear’s eye. It was only possible because the creature was far more disoriented than before.
―Shriek!
[Roooooaaaaaaagh!]
And with the arrow still embedded, my staff came crashing down upon the demon beast bear’s face.
“Is this a demon beast bear or a squealing pig? You should rename yourself.”
But the demon beast bear seemed unwilling to accept my kind suggestion for a name change. After all, only a traitorous bear would readily agree to such a thing.
“Hmph!”
If that was the case, I had no reason to show mercy either. I began striking the demon beast bear’s entire body as if I were a constable enforcing the law.
―Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
―Whoooosh!
Meanwhile, Ye-jin’s arrows and Dercan’s twin blades never ceased their relentless barrage.
[Screech….]
Finally, the demon beast bear’s movements began to slow as blood streamed from every part of its body.
“Um, stagnant water sir?”
“What?”
“…Don’t you think we’ve become the bad guys?”
“…? Why would defeating a boss monster be wrong?”
It was perfectly logical, yet for some reason, Ye-jin felt as though she were committing an act she shouldn’t….
But as if irrationality belonged only to Ye-jin, Dercan and I continued relentlessly, accumulating damage upon the demon beast bear.
Precise strikes targeting the beast’s weak points—its solar plexus, temples, ribs.
With each heavy impact, steel biting into flesh, the beast’s anguished cries tore through the air.
[Kuaaaaaaagh!]
The blinded demon bear made one final desperate sweep of its claws, but these instinctive thrashes were nothing more than the flailing of a dying creature.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Even so, those convulsions could prove fatal if they connected, yet Jae-beom pressed forward with unshakeable composure, slipping his body into position to continue his assault.
The way he evaded attacks by mere hairsbreadths was nothing short of miraculous.
With each successive strike from the three of us, it became evident that the demon bear was dying before our eyes.
Legs going limp, blood spilling from its mouth, its tail hanging uselessly.
Robbed of its sight and unable to flee, the demon bear had no choice but to—
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, it collapsed to the ground. And it never rose again.
―Hisssss…
Then, a crimson light began to emanate from the corpse of the demon bear.
“Is this Phase 2?”
Ye-jin immediately tensed at the sight.
[You have obtained experience points.]
[Half of the experience points obtained….]
“No, I think it’s actually dead.”
Jae-beom waited calmly for the message to appear before making his declaration.
“What?! Of course I’d know once the message appears!”
“I already knew before that.”
“…How?”
Ye-jin asked in sudden confusion. There was no way to know the death animation of a new area’s boss monster, yet she thought that perhaps Jae-beom might.
“Obviously I’m lying. How would I know that?”
“….”
Jae-beom stubbornly ignored Ye-jin’s gaze and stared at the energy rising from the demon bear.
―Whooooom…
As the flames subsided, a crimson crystal the size of a palm remained in its place.
―Whoosh.
Jae-beom picked up the gem.
Though it was called a gem, it was actually a stone fragment large enough to require both hands to hold, proportional to the demon bear’s massive size.
[You have obtained the Demon Bear’s Crystal.]
[This crystal can be consumed as an enchantment material.]
[An alchemist’s appraisal is required to confirm the crystal’s properties.]
“Enchantment, huh….”
As I picked up the crystal, several messages appeared in the air.
“May I take this?”
Since my steel staff had fallen behind my current level, I had been considering whether to enhance it or acquire a new one.
“Ah… Yes. I’ve already completed all my enchantment inscription work, so I can’t use it anyway.”
“That’s fortunate. I’ll settle up with you later based on the appraiser’s valuation. If the performance turns out mediocre after appraisal, I can just sell it at the shop and settle immediately.”
“I doubt that’s the case. It’s an item that dropped from a boss over level 30 in a new area.”
*Whoosh.*
“Regardless, this seems to be around level 35 standard, yet you’ve already defeated it. That’s impressive.”
Ye-jin spoke with genuine amazement, but Jae-beom remained quite composed.
“Creatures with high stats but no combat technique are easy prey.”
Herman possessed superior stats compared to the Demon Beast, and his combat technique was incomparable. After facing Herman, defeating a creature like this felt almost trivial.
*Crack.*
Then, as the battle concluded, Dercan’s body began to undergo a transformation.
The shattered skull fragments writhed as if alive, before beginning to return to their original positions.
*Click, click.*
Drawn by a mysterious force, the scattered bone fragments converged together.
The broken bones interlocked with one another, and the detached fragments found their proper places. Even the finest gaps were gradually filled.
*Crack, crack.*
As if an invisible hand were assembling a puzzle, every piece locked into place perfectly.
And moreover.
“What… is that?”
*Whoosh, whoosh.*
The same miracle was occurring with the twin blades lying beside Dercan.
The cracked and broken blades were mending themselves, restoring to their original form.
Before long, the tattered skeleton warrior now stood in full, pristine condition once more.
“…That’s insane.”
Ye-jin wasn’t simply marveling at the recovery ability. She was also admiring Dercan’s *judgment*.
Dercan’s recovery ability was certainly remarkable, but judging by its speed, it wasn’t practical for use during combat.
Yet Dercan had refrained from using the recovery ability during battle, instead continuing to attack with his tattered body and half-shattered blades.
Only after all combat had concluded did he employ the recovery ability.
‘His specs seem similar to mine… If I fought Dercan one-on-one, could I win?’
Ye-jin checked Jae-beom’s level out of curiosity and found it had risen by one to 21. Her own level had also increased, so he remained one level below her.
Of course, a one-level difference at this tier wasn’t absolute.
But…
Dercan and Jae-beom sometimes felt like players over level 40.
*Gulp.*
Ye-jin quietly swallowed as she observed Dercan, whose eyes gleamed with an intense light.
In that moment.
*Tap.*
“Eek!”
When Jae-beom placed his hand on Ye-jin’s right shoulder, a rather comical shriek escaped her lips.
“…?”
Jae-beom frowned as he looked at the startled Ye-jin.
“I’m… I’m sorry. I was so focused on Dercan.”
However, Jae-beom shook his head.
‘Shaking my head…?’
“I never asked why you were surprised.”
“….”
Now that I thought about it, I had shaken my head as if answering a question I hadn’t asked.
“Let’s venture deeper. If the outer regions are like this, we should be safe approaching the center.”
‘Right… that makes sense.’
Just as Jae-beom viewed Ye-jin as abnormal, Ye-jin didn’t regard Jae-beom as a normal human either.
After all, no ordinary human could possibly reach level 21 at this point in time!
Of course, to any third party, there were simply two abnormal beings of different varieties.
“Sounds good. But let’s spiral inward gradually rather than rushing ahead too quickly.”
It was the textbook approach to exploration. While the pace might slow somewhat, it would allow them to survey as much as possible, so Jae-beom nodded in agreement.
After approximately forty minutes had passed…
―Boom… boom… boom boom boom!
A tremendous tremor erupted from the Demon Beast Forest Center.
[Humans! The great ruler of the forest, Dalikssor, has awakened!]
Flap… flap!
And a colossal demon with vast wings stirred from its deep slumber.
The moment I witnessed that sight.
‘Wow, bonus rewards!’
Ye-jin felt a wave of self-reproach at the thought that had spontaneously surfaced.
Somewhere along the way, Jae-beom’s way of thinking had seeped into her.

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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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