My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 48

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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 48
In the midst of a brutal clash where they melted each other’s bones.
―Whoosh!
An eerie wind swept through.
‘It’s beginning.’
[Two Legendary-tier Skeleton Soldiers collide.]
[The Fortress’s ominous aura resonates.]
[Fear takes hold.]
[Successfully resisted with Overlord’s power!]
‘Here we go again.’
Evern Online had a tendency to gloss over everything with the word “Legendary-tier.”
Why would fear manifest simply because two Legendary-tier Skeleton Soldiers collided?
However.
“Something feels… a bit eerie, doesn’t it?”
It seemed to be working effectively on Ye-jin.
Unlike ordinary status ailments, it appeared no message would display if one failed to resist.
―Kiiiiing!
Meanwhile, a merciless darkness attempted to consume Dercan’s body.
Arulan had begun using the darkness that erupted between them as a weapon.
―Ha… take this!
Dercan scoffed at the act. Managing this situation where they melted each other’s bodies was already difficult enough; utilizing the darkness would only lower his concentration.
However.
‘I can’t be certain.’
From my perspective, Arulan’s choice also had merit. If he had confidence in his own concentration, it could become the right answer.
Ultimately, the right answer was.
‘Whoever wins is right.’
Until a conclusion emerged, there was no way to know.
―Cackackackackack!
Blinding radiance and bone-chilling darkness collided.
The forces of two extremes twisted and unraveled like a Möbius strip.
The Skeleton Soldiers’ power reached its absolute limit.
I felt the resolve of a final stand with no retreat.
Energy beyond all bounds exploded ceaselessly.
Walls and pillars on all sides shattered and crumbled. Massive stones cascaded down.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Watching Ye-jin’s reaction, I could only suspect that this hastily reinforced but fragile durability was also intentional.
And finally, a colossal explosion consumed everything.
A deafening roar that shook heaven and earth erupted.
An intense flash of light blazed so brilliantly that my vision turned pure white.
And the next moment.
―
.
A terrible silence reverberated through the space.
―Chilling!
There was no other way to describe it. The flashes of light, the darkness, the flames—all had vanished, leaving only an oppressive silence that filled the space with a deafening roar.
Even I felt a momentary chill run down my spine at that presence.
[The extreme darkness has created silence.]
[The terror of the void bears down upon you!]
[You successfully resist greatly with the power of Overlord!]
“Gasp—”
Ye-jin collapsed to the ground, barely able to breathe.
And my vision suddenly went black.
Finally.
It’s back.
‘…What?’
My vision returned not long after.
I was about to ask what had happened, but I closed my mouth again.
Where the two skeletal soldiers had collided, nothing remained. Not Arulan, not Dercan, not the pillars or floor of the Training Ground.
“….”
And not even Ye-jin’s consciousness.
‘I wondered why she didn’t scream more.’
* * *
After the two skeletal soldiers had met their glorious end, the sudden commotion brought the Guard Soldiers from the Fortress to the Training Ground.
“So you were… training, then.”
“Yes.”
“The skeletal soldiers fought and transformed like that.”
“That’s correct.”
After hearing the full account of events from me, they looked bewildered for a moment, then nodded.
“Certainly.”
They began making strange sounds again. I quickly opened my mouth before they could continue.
“I apologize. I’ll make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Ah… no, it’s not a problem. The Training Ground is meant for rough work anyway. The damaged areas can be repaired quickly.”
“And,
you’re a guest
after all.”
“Eeeeeek…!”
Ye-jin, now in a state of near-complete mental collapse, could only let out shrill cries while patting her own back repeatedly.
After the Guard Soldiers left, I checked on Ye-jin.
“Are you alright?”
“…Don’t people usually ask if you’re okay?”
Ye-jin muttered in bewilderment at the absurd question.
“You seem calm now. I suppose it’s our turn.”
“…?”
“It’s time for me and Ye-jin to have a match.”
“What? What? Why us?”
“I need to assess my own strength, and I should thoroughly understand Ye-jin’s capabilities as well.”
“Wait. Hold on.”
So I hurried to stop Jae-beom’s actions.
“I’m going in right now.”
But Jae-beom had no intention of stopping.
‘Status window.’
[Player: Stagnant Water][LV: 21]
[Class: (Grade H) Overlord]
[Strength: 39+5]
[Agility: 14+5]
[Mana: 5+12]
[Stamina: 13+9]
[Skills: Skeleton Soldier Summon (2/2)]
[Achievement: Indomitable Hero (Effect: All Stats +3)]
[Achievement: First Wolf Dominator (Effect: Movement Speed +5%)]
[Achievement: First Trial Passer (Effect: Stamina +3)]
[Achievement: Rat Slayer (Effect: +10% Damage vs Rat-type Monsters)]
[Achievement: Contributor to the Next World (Effect: All Title Effects Stack)]
[Achievement: First Title Holder (Effect: Gain 8 Additional Stat Points)]
[Title: Defeater of Count Heltema (Effect: Immunity to All Fear and Pressure Debuffs)]
[Peerage: Baron]
I needed an opportunity to test my newfound strength, having absorbed the Overlord’s power and grown stronger.
* * *
―Whoooosh!
My steel staff flew toward Ye-jin. In that split second, she instinctively sensed the attack threatening her life.
‘Good.’
I had worried whether fear might render her completely useless, but seeing her respond swiftly despite her slight recovery, it seemed she could still be used in combat even if terrified.
―Whooooosh!
Of course, that satisfaction applied only to me.
The sharp metallic screech of the staff cutting through air pierced her ears.
At the gruesome image of her jaw shattering, cold sweat trickled down her spine.
“A-are you really doing this?”
“Yes, I really am.”
“But seriously….”
―Shhhhwick!
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The staff, now moving at even greater speed, didn’t merely cut through the air—it tore it asunder with a piercing shriek.
Ye-jin screamed, her voice nearly a wail, as she retreated desperately backward in rapid succession.
―Whoooosh!
“So agility is your stronger stat?”
“Y-yes, of course!”
Jae-beom’s agility was exceptionally high for his level, but Ye-jin was an archer—a class specialized in agility.
Moreover, among archers of her level, she stood out as particularly gifted, so it was hardly surprising that her agility surpassed Jae-beom’s.
“What’s your agility stat?”
“Why would I—”
―Shriiiiiiek!
“Twenty-two! Twen-ty-twooooo!”
―Whoosh!
At the noticeably slower tempo, Ye-jin felt a brief moment of relief.
But it was only momentary.
The steel staff, swung relentlessly, continued to flash like lightning as it pursued her.
The barrage of attacks felt as though a single moment of hesitation would cleave her in two.
―Crack! Crack! Crack!
Under Jae-beom’s relentless onslaught, Ye-jin threw herself desperately through the air, widening the distance between them.
The metallic whistle of the staff sang past her ears in rapid succession.
The wind from the blade grazing her hair felt as though it might steal her very soul.
Every cell in her body screamed warnings of danger.
“Surely you didn’t invite me here just for this?”
Ye-jin found herself engulfed in confusion as her trusted ally attacked her.
Betrayal and bewilderment tangled together, leaving her unable to form coherent words.
“No.”
Yet Jae-beom remained composed.
“If I’d invited you for this, I would’ve set the condition as ‘do whatever you want’ instead of ‘delete the YouTube recording.'”
His composure and logical reasoning only infuriated her further.
Ye-jin’s lips trembled with rage.
Consumed by fury, she gritted her teeth and activated an archer’s skill.
A shimmering azure radiance climbed her legs and erupted outward.
Powerful energy burst from her lower body as she drove her feet hard against the ground.
―Swoooosh!
Tracing a blue arc, Ye-jin’s lithe form cut across the empty space.
Empowered by the skill’s explosive effect, she gained phenomenal speed, putting more than twenty meters between herself and Jae-beom in an instant.
Thanks to the leap skill, she had managed to create distance in a single bound.
―Thwack! Shwick!
The moment Ye-jin landed, she drew an arrow from the quiver at her back.
Though consumed by rage, her movements remained precise and economical.
With precise movements devoid of even the slightest tremor, I drew back the bowstring.
The arrowhead gleamed with a brilliant blue luminescence against the crimson twilight sky.
“Then…”
―Twang!
“Why are you doing something that wasn’t even part of the conditions!”
Ye-jin’s fingers released the bowstring with fluid grace.
A sharp, piercing sound of air being rent asunder echoed forth, as if the arrow itself were roaring.
Released from the string, the arrow shot forward in a perfectly straight line toward its target, carrying tremendous force.
―Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ye-jin began firing arrows in rapid succession without a moment’s respite.
Like the rotating gears of a machine, her arm spun around like a pinwheel.
In an instant, dozens of arrows erupted from her fingertips in quick succession.
―Whish! Whish! Whish!
‘Impressive.’
Watching the spectacle unfold, I silently admired her skill. Though she usually appeared ridiculous and had shown nothing but fear until recently, she was far from being a trivial opponent.
I concentrated all my senses to evade the incoming arrows.
My heightened nerves detected even the smallest changes.
The subtle vibrations of arrows cutting through the air, each tremor in the atmosphere transmitted through my entire body.
As if a third eye had opened, the trajectory of each arrow became vividly clear.
―Whoosh!
Catching the faint sound grazing my ear, I hurled my body aside with lightning speed.
An arrow passed by in the barest margin, slicing through empty air.
―Ting!
When arrows occasionally flew toward my evasion path, I flicked my steel staff slightly to deflect them.
The way I moved only the tip to parry them was nothing short of admirable.
“What the—”
Ye-jin gasped in astonishment at the sight.
He was an insufferable man who launched a surprise attack and then pretended it was a “duel,” but his movements were undeniably impressive.
‘But why is someone like that wasting their strength like this!’
And because he was so impressive, it only infuriated me further.
“You’re quite skilled, aren’t you.”
―Whooooom!
“Then let’s see you dodge this!”
Toward me, Ye-jin drew out her final card—rapid-fire multi-shot, the very symbol of an archer.

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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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