My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 44

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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 44
―Master… should we not attack…?
Dercan spoke with a note of bewilderment as he observed the scene.
His tone suggested a question—why were we leaving the creature alone while it transformed?
“Of course we should. Let’s go.”
It was only natural that I had no intention of striking first either. The statue would grow stronger with each passing moment—that much was obvious. Even now, it was actively draining the pool of blood to fuel its enhancement.
―Boom!
“Don’t you dare leisurely strengthen yourself in front of people!”
I shouted those words and lunged forward in perfect synchronization with Dercan.
―Crash!
I swung my steel staff and brought it down hard against the statue’s right arm.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the solid stone, and fragments scattered in all directions.
―Boom!
Dercan’s twin obsidian blades came down in a sweeping arc, severing the left arm.
With a flash of light, the limb separated cleanly from the shoulder.
“What? That was easier than I thought…”
The moment those words left my lips.
The severed arm began to regenerate, drawing in blood from the pool around it.
Its regenerative power was incomparable to even Dercan’s own healing speed.
The wound sealed itself in an instant, and the statue swung its newly restored arm in a wide, vicious arc.
―Whoosh!
Sharp claws tore through the air, creating brilliant flashes of light.
―Clang!
It was an unexpected development, but my response was instantaneous.
My staff met the arm head-on, producing a loud metallic ring.
―Boom!
A moment later, Dercan’s twin blades deflected the claws of the left arm.
The claws shattered against the steel, fragments scattering like dust.
‘He parried that?’
I was genuinely shocked. Though he was slightly slower than I was, that attack should have been impossible to deflect with ordinary reflexes.
It seemed that the ‘combat techniques’ Dercan acquired involved far more than mere physical movement.
We exchanged a quick glance before launching our next assault.
I took the statue’s right side while Dercan handled the left, unleashing a concentrated barrage of attacks.
―Swish, slash slash slash!
Staff and twin blades alternated in rapid succession, battering the statue relentlessly.
Both arms were destroyed and severed repeatedly, only to regenerate.
―Crack! Boom!
The sounds of shattering bone and bursting flesh erupted through the air.
Crimson blood sprayed outward, filling the space around us.
Yet the statue remained relentless.
The severed arm swiftly regenerated, returning to its original form.
“Huff….”
Jae-beom exhaled a heavy sigh upon witnessing this.
‘Does this regeneration have no limits?’
I’d tried slashing at it with everything I had, but the regeneration speed showed no signs of diminishing. If time continued like this, our defeat was inevitable.
‘Is there some method I’m missing?’
While scrutinizing the statue intently, I witnessed its pupils suddenly gleam with an ethereal light.
“Dercan! Target its eyes!”
―Thud!
Before my words even finished, figures rushed in from both sides of the statue at tremendous speed.
―Boom! Boom!
However, the statue appeared to comprehend our intent.
The ground trembled with heavy footfalls.
Dust billowed upward, obscuring our vision.
[Grraaaagh!]
The statue shrieked, sweeping both arms in massive arcs. Colossal pressure raked through the surroundings, spiraling into a vortex.
―Whoosh! Whirrrr!
Jae-beom and Dercan evaded the limbs with nimble movements, leaving afterimages as they closed in on the statue’s face.
“Haaaah!”
I hoisted the steel staff high. The dust obscuring my vision posed no obstacle to my assault.
Crimson radiance infused with demonic power enveloped the staff. I struck with all my might at the statue’s right eye.
―Boom!
Scarlet blood sprayed in all directions.
Blood gushed forth from the shattered eye socket.
[Grraaaaaaagh!]
The statue wailed in agony.
Its right eye exploded, leaving a gaping hole.
―Shhhh!
Between the spurting blood, a black mist-like substance began to seep out.
―Attack…!
Meanwhile, Dercan wielded twin obsidian blades, targeting the statue’s left eye.
With intricate swordplay, I demonstrated swift movements to sever the eyeball.
The blade, imbued with dark power, flashed brilliantly as it made contact with the pupil.
―Splurt!
Blood and flesh spilled from the left eye as the blade carved deep.
The left eye socket was gouged profoundly.
“Grraaaaaaack!”
Deprived of both eyes, the statue unleashed a savage shriek, thrashing wildly.
Consumed by agony, it seemed to have lost all reason.
It was at that very moment.
―A deep, resonant roar!
The statue’s maw gaped wide, and it clamped down on the steel staff.
“Damn!”
Normally, such an act would shatter teeth instantly, but my reinforced staff, despite its enhancement, lacked exceptional physical damage for my level.
Since I’d been amplifying its power through precise striking angles and controlled force, even when I exerted strength, the staff refused to budge.
Instead, I found myself gripping it desperately with both hands to keep it from being torn away.
“Ugh… Grrgh….”
―Screech! Screech! Screech!
As the statue thrashed its jaws violently, the steel staff shook up and down with savage intensity.
The steel rod, which had been swaying side to side, began bending wildly.
It looked perilously close to snapping.
―Ding!
That was when it happened.
[Through Overlord Authority, a special effect activates.]
[The power of the crystal surges momentarily.]
A crimson radiance erupted from my hands.
I was drawing forth the demon beast’s power.
The red aura enveloped the steel staff, bracing it with unyielding strength.
―Screech… Screech….
Steel and dark energy clashed, creating an unbearable tension.
‘So Dercan wasn’t the only one being enhanced!’
―Boom!
The steel staff suddenly unleashed a colossal force.
The demon beast crystal’s power erupted all at once, crushing down on the statue’s jaws.
―Crack! Splinter!
The shattering and splintering of the statue’s mouth echoed deafeningly.
The steel staff tore through the palate, scattering fresh blood and bone fragments in all directions.
[Screeeeeech!]
The statue shrieked as if its flesh were being torn asunder.
Crimson blood gushed from its mouth, now more than half destroyed.
―Splash!
In that instant, the steel staff wrenched free from the statue’s jaws completely.
Drenched in blood, I staggered backward.
But the statue did not stop.
From its shattered mouth, inky black blood poured forth in torrents.
Its eyes, wild with madness, blazed with murderous intent.
The demon’s power was spiraling out of control.
―Thud. Thud. Thud.
Dragging across the blood-soaked Marble Floor, the statue advanced slowly.
The gore coating its entire form exuded an aura of death.
―Screech!
From behind, Ye-jin loosed an arrow that struck the statue’s vital point with precision.
―Thwack!
Her arrow pierced directly through the statue’s heart.
“Where did you lose your nerve?”
As if she’d never been afraid, Ye-jin smiled.
She had been waiting—waiting for the statue’s movements to slow, waiting for its regenerative power to wane.
Crimson blood erupted from its heart.
Scarlet gore began spraying outward from where the arrow was embedded.
[Gaaaahhhhh!]
The statue convulsed violently, its entire body trembling from the shock of its pierced heart.
That was when it happened.
The statue’s body began crumbling, piece by piece.
From its feet upward, it was slowly transforming into dust.
―Crumble, crumble, crumble….
The Marble Floor chunks that composed its body scattered as sand.
Like ash carried on the wind, stone particles swirled through the air.
From feet to knees, from waist to chest.
At last, even the mouth that had been shrieking transformed to ash and vanished.
Soon, the statue had disappeared without a trace.
―Whoooosh….
“Haa… hah!”
Ye-jin’s hands trembled slightly.
Her fingers quivered faintly from the tension.
The smile had been mere bravado against an intelligent statue; fear still lingered in her expression, dark and palpable.
“Phew… phew….”
Ye-jin exhaled deeply.
Then one, two, three. After closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths, she
“Whew….”
finally regained her normal breathing.
Yet caution still lingered. The suspicion remained that another wave of terror might strike at any moment.
“Fortunately, it seems to be over….”
She murmured, her face flushed with adrenaline.
Her heart was still pounding.
“I’m sorry. It took me a moment to collect myself.”
Ye-jin bowed her head apologetically to Jae-beom.
“Honestly, I wanted to hit you.”
“….”
“But since you helped at the end, I’ll let it slide.”
Jae-beom chuckled as he watched Ye-jin.
“Sigh.”
Ye-jin paused, looking bewildered for a moment before nodding in agreement.
“I’m fine with it, but please edit that part out. If it looks like people want to hit someone who looks like me, it’ll just stir up unnecessary controversy.”
“….”
―Crack!
It was precisely when Jae-beom was grappling with confusion about his identity as a professional content creator.
―A fissure suddenly split across the floor where the statue had stood.
Crackle….
Through the widening cracks, a small box emerged into view.
“What is this….”
The box that had revealed itself through the fractured floor emanated an aura of mystery.
Jae-beom spent a long moment turning the box over in his hands from every angle, his expression growing serious.
Ye-jin was just about to marvel at the box’s exquisite patterns when—
“How am I supposed to open this?”
“….”
Jae-beom seemed far more interested in what lay inside the box than its appearance.
Ye-jin started to say something, but upon reflection, decided such an attitude seemed perfectly reasonable and held her tongue.
If a lock was fastened, there should logically be a key somewhere. Yet no matter how thoroughly they searched their surroundings, they found no key capable of opening the lock.
―Master… method… exists.
It was then that Dercan suddenly spoke up.
―Whoosh!
Simultaneously, he swung his twin blades toward the lock.
―Clang!
The twin blades collided with the lock, producing a violent metallic screech.
―Hum!
The moment Dercan drove his twin blades into the lock,
something unexpected occurred.
―Boom!
A massive black barrier erupted from the lock.
The viscous, grotesque aura it emanated writhed and repelled Dercan’s assault.
It thrashed about as though possessed by life itself.
―Shhhk!
Devoid of any hesitation, Dercan drove his blades downward with all his might to cleave through the barrier, yet it refused to yield.
The tenacious membrane enveloped his twin blades and absorbed the impact.
―Grrgh….
Dercan gritted his teeth and poured forth even greater power.
Soon, a crimson radiance blazed forth from his hands.
―Zzzzzing!
Brilliant light flowing along the blade’s edge.
Energy surging like flames set ablaze.
It was a force drawn from the depths of Dercan’s inner being.
―Crack!
Twin blades suffused with crimson energy pierced deep through the barrier.
Then, a massive fissure erupted from its center.
The jagged cracks spread outward like a spider’s web, consuming the entire barrier.
―Boom!
As the fractures spread across the barrier’s expanse, it shattered explosively along with its lock mechanism.
Metal fragments scattered in all directions like a torrential downpour.
―Clang. Clatter.
Dercan, observing the spectacle before him,
―Problem solved.
uttered a brief assessment—a statement that unmistakably radiated a sense of satisfaction.

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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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