My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 39

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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 39
“Is this right?”
I could gauge the Minotaur’s strength at a glance.
He wasn’t as formidable as Dalikssor. However—
“He’s far stronger than the Beast Bear!”
At this rate, I should have changed the name. Something like ‘the Primordial Ancient Crystal that the Beast Bear secretly stole and ate.’
The spirits that appeared before the Minotaur showed up would all raid together to take down the Beast Bear, but the Minotaur went one step further.
An opponent who could handle all the undead that had appeared so far and the Beast Bear attacking together single-handedly!
“Hey, Dercan.”
—Master…
Dercan answered with resolute determination as if awaiting orders, but—
“Try to buy me some time, somehow.”
—M… Master…?
At Dercan’s voice, which clearly expressed doubt, I shook my head.
“Some things just can’t be done.”
I was beginning to have fundamental doubts about whether Evern Online was truly a masterpiece game.
“If this is like this, what’s better about it compared to Warlord Online… well, maybe that’s not it.”
But as seven years from Warlord Online flashed through my mind, my thoughts changed.
‘I defeated the final boss, then defeated the true final boss, then when I defeated that one, they fused together in a Grand Fusion, and when that had 12 phases of desperation, I genuinely wanted to set the company building on fire.’
It was the video with the highest view count among all my videos.
The title was
‘The Final Boss… I Cleaved It.’ —Warlord Online, where you cleave absurdity with absurdity.
While I was lost in such fantasies—
—Kwaaaahhh…!! Ye-jin…! Arhenna…! Master!!!!
Dercan, the ‘Warrior Who Knows No Pain,’ screamed as his entire body shattered.
Seeing this, Arhenna and Ye-jin tried to help.
“Don’t help! You’ll pull aggro!”
I shouted and stopped them both. If Dercan dies, I just wait a day, but if either of them dies, it’s truly unmanageable.
‘At least Ye-jin and I get penalized when we die and can rest for a day, so that’s better…?’
“…I just felt a chill run down my spine. What were you thinking?”
Just as I was formulating a plan in my mind—
“If it’s just suppression, that’s one thing…!”
Valerot’s eyes blazed like fire.
The golden radiance that had poured from the golden gauntlets now engulfed Valerot’s entire body.
“I, Valerot, a 1st-class Alchemist… do you think I can’t even control this?!”
Soon, a golden wall began to grow above the hole in the crystal.
[Kwurk?]
At the same time, the Minotaur’s abdomen seemed to glow with golden light. No—golden fabric was wrapping around the Minotaur.
‘Suppressing flames with gold is a matter of mana quantity. But… filling empty space is more a matter of mana control than raw mana.’
Then—
“Just one crystal, and yet….”
―Kiiiiiiing!
Through the crystal’s black darkness, every surface of the crystal began wrapping itself in golden light.
[Crwaaaargh!]
Golden light engulfed the Minotaur’s entire body, and with a pitiful scream, he froze as if his entire form was bound.
―Valerot…!
Dercan’s voice, brimming with exhilaration, echoed through the Engraving Chamber.
―Shiiik.
Now the crystal, which had shone golden, began glowing red once more.
“Light transmutation… No, materialization?!”
Arhenna cried out at the sight.
What Valerot was doing was drawing forth golden light through mana and transforming it into an object with the exact same properties as the crystal.
With only a few additional steps, it was an act no different from creation itself!
―Crackle, crackle.
Perhaps this was the price for humanity daring to trespass into the divine realm—fine cracks began forming across the surface of the delicately patterned gloves.
Slowly, yet surely, the gloves were shattering.
―Tink, tink, tink, tink, ting!
Lightning flowed from the fractured sections.
As if the mana was running wild, electricity began raging in all directions.
Unable to withstand the backlash of mana originating from her hands, Valerot was coughing up blood.
―Boom, crash!
Yet Valerot did not retreat.
Gritting her teeth, she poured even more force into the gloves.
She paid no heed to the blood welling from her hands or the bones shattering within.
‘Maintaining material transmutation permanently is truly creation—something even I cannot do….’
Valerot’s eyes fixed upon one location.
“Find your position!”
With a tremendous cry, Valerot drove the gloves down into the steel staff.
―Clang, crash!
With a deafening sound, the golden gloves shattered into fragments.
Molten metal shards scattered through the air.
The burst fragments rained down upon Valerot.
“Valerot!”
“I’m… cough.”
Valerot gritted her teeth against the rising nausea as she tried to stop Arhenna.
―Shiiiiing….
As the explosion subsided, the steel staff revealed itself from the darkness.
Deep within the staff’s center, the crystal had been engraved.
Emitting a fiery red glow, the steel staff pulsed as if it had gained life.
And.
“Done!”
Jae-beom cheered as he watched the Minotaur vanish from sight.
“Don’t you understand the concept of a lesson?!”
Ye-jin cried out in exasperation, though the situation was different from before. The Minotaur had disappeared without leaving a trace.
[You have successfully completed the Quest.]
[The favorability of NPCs affiliated with Arhenna’s Smithy increases significantly.]
Moreover, with the quest completion message displayed, there could be no clearer proof than this.
―Stagger, stumble.
Valerot, who had successfully engraved the crystal, swayed and collapsed.
Unable to support her body against extreme pain and exhaustion, she lost consciousness.
Her pristine white dress was being stained crimson with blood.
―Are you… alright?
And it was Dercan, not Jae-beom or Ye-jin, who expressed concern first at the sight.
Ye-jin, as if remembering belatedly, rushed toward Valerot.
“Valerot… good heavens!”
Arhenna was already cradling the collapsed Valerot in her arms, chanting several incantations.
“Is Valerot going to be alright?”
“She’s quite exhausted, but…”
Yet Arhenna seemed somewhat relieved for some reason.
“Compared to the injuries she usually sustains during experiments…”
“…?”
If this was better than usual, what condition was she normally in during those experiments?
Ye-jin forcibly swallowed that question.
“Well, I’m glad she’s alright then.”
Jae-beom murmured with a somewhat embarrassed expression. Though Ye-jin and Dercan wore serious faces, Jae-beom could tell.
‘Most of the attacks didn’t penetrate beneath the skin.’
Though fragments had rained down across her entire body, it appeared some protective measure had been applied to her skin—aside from abrasions, there were truly no deep wounds at all.
And.
[The true name and power of the Beast Crystal is revealed.]
[True Name: First Fragment of the Shadow Region]
[First Fragment of the Shadow Region is engraved into Arhenna’s Steel Staff.]
[Performance: Attack Power +20%]
[Additional Effect upon Enchant Engraving: All Overload Authority increased by 15%]
[Mana +5]
It was the moment when the power of Overload grew stronger still.
* * *
Valerot awoke thirty minutes later. During that time, Jae-beom and Ye-jin had to remain in the special Engraving Chamber with Arhenna.
“If you leave now, you’ll attract considerable attention from many customers. If you don’t mind, you’re welcome to do so, but… otherwise, I’d recommend staying here for a while.”
Even after the incident ended, Jae-beom and Ye-jin couldn’t show their faces outside. The commotion had been so significant that other players had noticed.
―What? What on earth?
―This is YouTube material!
―From now on, I’m staying put until the cause of this incident comes to light.
Thanks to that, an enormous commotion could be heard from outside the door.
“Sigh… This is why I hate customers.”
Valerot pressed her forehead against the noise drifting in from outside. Her face looked considerably exhausted, likely from having just regained consciousness.
―Mmm….
But for her, what mattered most was that the engraving work on the steel staff had been completed successfully.
Valerot stood up and examined Jae-beom’s newly forged staff. A confident smile crossed her face.
“Are you satisfied with the staff?”
“Yes, of course.”
Where the dull gray staff had been, a vibrant crimson aura now radiated with life.
Centered around the section where the crystal—or rather, the first fragment of the Shadow Region—had been embedded, an intense scarlet brilliance flowed outward in all directions.
‘…The Shadow Region, huh.’
Even as I admired it, my mind churned with questions. Why would the crystal from the Beast Bear mention the Shadow Region, my Quest area?
I paused in thought for a moment….
‘Well, the result turned out well anyway, so that’s what matters.’
I gave up on thinking further.
Without sufficient evidence, attempting to theorize would only waste time. For now, I could simply rejoice that ‘the options came out excellently.’
Besides, the more closely I examined the staff, the more beautiful even its patterns appeared.
Complex and mysterious engravings shimmered faintly across the staff’s surface.
Inscriptions that seemed to be written in an ancient language rippled rhythmically as they caught the light. The crimson glow pulsed as if the staff had grown a heart of its own.
―Whoosh!
Intense heat radiated from the crimson gem at the staff’s tip.
In truth, I wasn’t someone who placed great importance on the appearance of items I used….
‘But when I sell it later, aesthetics like this affect the price too.’
Thinking of it as an item I’d eventually sell made all the difference.
Just then, I felt an intense gaze from beside me. It was Ye-jin, smiling brightly for some reason.
A conversation suddenly came to mind.
“That’s fortunate. I’ll settle with you proportionally based on the appraiser’s valuation. If the performance is mediocre after appraisal, I can just sell it to the shop and settle immediately.”
And.
[Steel Staff Imbued with the Power of the First Fragment.]
[Grade: Epic]
[Equip Requirement: Class: Overlord]
[Attack Power: 144]
[Mana +5]
[Current Durability: 100%]
[Detailed Information: A staff crafted by Arhenna specifically for mages who prioritize raw power. It is characterized by exceptional durability and attack power, and magic can be used with it.]
[Special Options: 【Hardens with Each Strike】, 【Magic Usable】, 【First Fragment of the Shadow Region】.]
[Option Effect of 【Hardens with Each Strike】: Attack power increases as your proficiency with the staff grows.]
[Option Effect of 【Magic Usable】: You can utilize magic skills.]
[Option effect of 【First Fragment of the Shadow Region】: All Overload abilities increased by 15%]
“….”
Arhenna’s Steel Staff, once a Hero-grade item, had instantly ascended to Epic-grade status.
If Arhenna’s Steel Staff weren’t an item a level 3 character could possess….
‘This isn’t an item a level 20 mage should have either.’
To begin with, there were only a handful of Epic-grade items among level 20 equipment. Considering Evern Online’s popularity, the saying that the seller’s price was the true value was hardly an exaggeration.
―Shing.
“That’s unfortunate….”
“Pardon?”
Ye-jin’s expression turned puzzled. However, it wasn’t that she truly didn’t understand what I meant.
‘You’re not making excuses because you don’t want to pay, are you?’
Her face was brimming with that implication. But I was sincere.
“Everything else is fine, but the equip requirements are too restrictive. I’m not sure if I can even sell this.”
Ye-jin smiled back at me.
“But if we go by appraisal price….”
And she glanced subtly toward Valerot and Arhenna.
“….”
I swallowed a bitter laugh inwardly. Of all places, I’d ended up with the one who calculated prices most accurately.
If I asked Valerot for a price, she would inflate it without hesitation—never lower it.
“Say.”
Just then, Valerot interjected into our conversation.
“If you need money… would you like to take on a commission?”
―Ding!
“Just gather one herb for me from outside.”
[Title: 【Alchemist’s Trial – Chain Quest】]
[Description: You have saved Valerot from crisis. She trusts you and wishes to entrust you with a commission.]
[Objective: Gather the herb for Valerot.]
[Reward: ???]
The moment another chain quest following the Alchemist’s Protection had been triggered.

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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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