My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 43

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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 43
Jae-beom and Ye-jin stepped into the Ancient Tunnel, where the aura of ages past lingered thick and palpable.
Damp, oppressive air assailed their nostrils.
From the weathered stone walls emanated the stench of ancient decay and verdant moss.
The tunnel stretched before them in a narrow, elongated passage.
The roughly hewn rock face was adorned entirely with ominous bas-reliefs.
“That is…”
Ye-jin murmured, pointing toward the symbols etched into the wall.
Goats and rams.
Demonic symbols imbued with malevolent power.
Sharp horns and hooked hooves.
Forms that seemed to glare into the tunnel with sinister, piercing eyes.
These were unmistakably the remnants left by those who worshipped demons.
Jae-beom silently reached out and traced the symbol with his fingertips.
Centuries of accumulated grime slid across the rough texture beneath his touch.
The crumbling wall surface caught against his fingertips, threatening to crumble away.
In the absolute darkness where no light penetrated.
The two of us proceeded cautiously along the tunnel.
The hunched passage seemed to stretch endlessly before us.
When we reached the tunnel’s end, a colossal object came into view.
A massive iron door blocked our path.
“This is supposed to be a door?”
Ye-jin murmured in astonishment.
The iron door, bound by corroded chains, bore a grotesque form.
Countless goat skulls protruded across its surface, and malevolent symbols were densely carved into every inch.
The door handle was fashioned to resemble a serpent’s head—utterly unsettling.
Crimson gemstones gleamed in place of eyes, seeming to glare directly at us.
“There’s something inside there, I think.”
I murmured, placing my hand upon the door.
A weighty force emanated from the gleaming metal. As I imagined the space beyond that pitch-black darkness, tension surged through me unbidden.
―Whoosh…
I raised the steel staff.
[Summoning Dercan using the Overload’s Authority.]
As I drew the steel staff, something extraordinary occurred.
The demonic beast crystal etched upon the staff began to burn with crimson light.
Scarlet radiance dyed the pitch-black space.
A chill permeated the air.
―Hisssss…
Red mist erupted from the staff.
It writhed like a living creature, filling the space around us.
Taking shape within the darkness.
―Thud!
With a heavy footstep, Dercan’s form was revealed.
But he was unmistakably different from before.
His jet-black armor now emanated an even more profound, ethereal radiance.
Crimson patterns blazed with clarity, seeming to channel the very essence of demonic power.
The bone ornaments adorning his shoulders jutted out sharply, their threatening presence aimed at an enemy’s heart like a dagger poised for the kill.
From the hollow eye sockets, a fierce crimson glow blazed forth.
That light burned with such intensity it could pierce through darkness itself.
It was an eerie gaze that seemed to summon the very aura of death.
The twin blades at his waist appeared cruel enough to cleave through darkness in a single stroke.
A vivid crimson aura flowed from the blade edges, evoking the terror of demons themselves.
Moreover, an immense power radiated from his entire being.
Infused with the strength of a demonic beast and grown even mightier, he exuded an overwhelming presence.
“Wow….”
Ye-jin drew in a breath, her voice trembling with awe.
Dercan, now fused with both Overlord and demonic beast power.
His form now appeared formidable enough to strike fear even into demons themselves.
“We are ready to proceed now.”
Jae-beom stood tall before the iron gate alongside Dercan. Ye-jin followed behind, her bow gripped firmly in her hands.
* * *
As the two pushed open the heavy iron gate, a new space revealed itself before them.
It appeared to be a secret altar where demon worshippers gathered.
A small Temple stood within a circular chamber, its walls covered in grotesque patterns and red candles casting an eerie, unsettling glow.
“This place… the atmosphere is rather ominous.”
Ye-jin murmured softly, gazing at the Temple. At its center stood a colossal statue.
It depicted a woman with her hands clasped in prayer.
The intricately carved folds of her garments and her long, flowing hair captured the eye.
Yet despite the statue’s beauty, an inexplicably sinister aura clung to it.
At first glance, it appeared merely to be a smiling sculpture, but upon closer inspection, her eyes held a glimmer of madness, and her smile carried an unmistakably malevolent presence.
Who was this woman to be enshrined in a demon’s Temple?
What connection did she share with Dalikssor?
It was while I pondered these questions, staring at the statue, that it happened.
[I perceive the statue’s power through Overlord strength.]
[The mysterious statue amplifies fear within the hearts of ordinary humans.]
[I remain unaffected by Overlord power.]
‘So that’s why people who were fine in the Sphinx Dungeon seemed so much more frightened here.’
Still, since it said the fear was being ‘amplified’, it seemed Ye-jin herself was naturally prone to fear.
―Screech!
Suddenly, crimson tears of blood began streaming from the statue’s eyes.
Crimson blood droplets streamed down the woman’s cheek, pooling into fresh blood across the marble floor.
“Kyaa!”
Ye-jin shrieked in surprise. The statue weeping blood apparently terrified her.
“…The graphics are impressive.”
However.
Jae-beom, convinced this was merely a virtual reality backdrop, couldn’t fathom why she found it frightening.
If it were Aldric or the training grounds within Dairun Fortress from before, perhaps—but this was merely interior decoration, wasn’t it?
Of course, Ye-jin equally failed to understand Jae-beom’s perspective.
She stared at the statue with terror etched across her face.
Her pallid cheeks resembled blank paper, and cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
“H… hah…”
Ye-jin’s lips trembled as she gasped shallowly, her ragged breathing scattering anxiously through the air.
Her wide-open eyes gradually constricted.
From pupils narrowed to pinpoints, primal terror bloomed.
Her shrunken pupils seemed to suspect and guard against the entire space.
“It… it moved. The statue just now…”
Ye-jin stammered, pointing at the statue.
Her trembling voice dripped with dread.
Even her bow-wielding hand quivered, unable to maintain proper grip.
“Tsk.”
And watching this spectacle, Jae-beom’s gaze gradually shifted from the desolate scenery to Ye-jin herself.
To think only he could witness something this entertaining.
[Recording.]
Of course, he’d eventually upload it all to YouTube anyway.
A thought flashed through Jae-beom’s mind.
“That was… you were reacting because you were filming for YouTube content, right?”
Back then, he’d thought Ye-jin was genuinely skilled at acting, but…
“I’m sorry! Please don’t move!!”
…now it seemed ‘all of it was just reactions.’
‘If all of that were acting, Ye-jin should be pursuing an acting career.’
Had Ye-jin, who began modeling simultaneously and already had her name in ten-million-viewer films, known this was all performance, she would have found it absurd.
Her terror-stricken voice scattered throughout the Temple.
“Ye-jin. Can’t you watch horror films?”
Jae-beom asked matter-of-factly upon witnessing this.
“…No. I can’t even watch films I appeared in. Thrillers are somewhat bearable, but mysteries with blood like this or ghost stories… I simply can’t…”
“? You appeared in films?”
“…Yes.”
Ye-jin clenched her teeth momentarily. Fury surged forth, threatening to overcome even her terror, but—
―Kuuuuung!
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
As the floor thundered loudly and blood sprayed from everywhere, she immediately crouched down and clung to me.
‘Was it truly the right choice to clear the Shadow Region job change quest with this person…?’
Her behavior even sparked fundamental doubts in me.
―Thump, thump, thump….
At that moment, a heavy resonance emanated from the statue’s heart. It sounded like a heartbeat.
A stone heart spewing blood.
Tears of blood poured down even more violently.
A crimson pool instantly covered the Temple floor. The blood writhed and crept toward Ye-jin’s and my feet.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Ye-jin screamed once more.
At the sudden appearance of the blood pool, she instinctively leaped behind me and crouched down.
“…No… Isn’t this all virtual reality? What’s so scary about it….”
“Then you’re not scared watching horror movies either?”
“Right?”
We were speaking the same language, yet nothing we said connected. It was as if the translation function in Evern Online had broken down.
“I get it! You’re a T personality, aren’t you?!”
“Wow, people still use MBTI…?”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying you’re a T!”
“I’ve never met anyone who uses MBTI except my aunt.”
“….”
In 2037, MBTI was treated no differently than blood type personality theory.
Trends were that cruel.
“No, but don’t you see Dercan often?”
“Dercan was actually a bit scared at first too….”
“….”
‘This won’t help either.’
I shook my head at Ye-jin’s answer and completely removed her from my plans.
There was currently no way to help her in her panicked state.
‘I’ll have to strengthen her nerves at an escape room cafe later.’
Thanks to the active use of VR equipment, horror escape rooms in 2037 were notorious for making even the bravest people cry their eyes out.
If I threw Ye-jin into one about ten times to toughen her up, she might actually be useful later.
If she hated being scared, I’d just expose her to it until she became immune to fear.
―Kyaaaah!
Suddenly, an ear-splitting scream erupted from the statue.
A cry of agony filled the surroundings and struck my eardrums.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaah!”
And an even sharper, higher scream assaulted my eardrums from behind me.
“…Hey, could you be a little qui….”
At that moment, the statue began to tremble slightly.
Movement stirred in its rigid limbs.
The statue’s gracefully curved form began to contort and twist.
―Crack, crack….
A sound of something bursting echoed from the crevices in the stone.
It seemed as though something inside was pushing outward with tremendous force.
Then, something extraordinary began to unfold beneath the statue’s feet.
The pool of blood rippled and surged upward along the statue’s legs, drawn toward it as if by an invisible current.
The crimson blood stained the marble, coiling around the ankles.
It climbed past the knees to the thighs, swept across the abdomen, and surged toward the chest.
Deep red blood was consuming the entire statue, coating it completely.
And throughout this entire horrifying spectacle, Ye-jin—who had been effectively attempting to rupture my eardrums with her screaming—I simply lowered the volume in the settings instead.
[You can receive a special reward for defeating the Cursed Statue.]
“Oh, so it was a monster.”
The moment I saw the message, I immediately stopped shouting.
“…Then what else would it be if not a monster?”
“It could be a ghost. Don’t you know the urban legends about Evern Online?”
“I don’t….”
And honestly, I had no desire to know. I declared this in a slightly deflated voice.
“Special reward—fine, just give me something.”
I could only hope that this reward would be truly special. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to tear my gaze away from Ye-jin, whose sincerity I simply couldn’t comprehend—whether she was acting or being genuine.

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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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