My Skeleton Soldier Is Strange - Chapter 69

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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 69
The tempestuous storm of awakening subsided, and Kim Jae-beom’s transformed figure emerged. A crimson aura radiated from his entire body, enveloping him in its ethereal glow. Demonic blood coursed through his veins, and that overwhelming power had etched itself deep into his flesh.
Massive wings unfurled behind his back. Like a blade cleaving through the pitch-black night sky, wings of pure crimson light materialized. Radiating a beauty both captivating and unsettling, they made his presence utterly undeniable. Those colossal wings, vast enough to swallow shadows themselves, commanded reverence simply by existing.
―Uuuuoooong!
Crimson light poured from his eyes. As if blessed with a demon’s gaze, his irises blazed with scarlet radiance. That breathtakingly intense stare carried power transcending the mortal realm—eyes so eerie they seemed capable of piercing through the very soul of any human who met them.
“Krrgh!”
Yet all these transformations were composed solely of light. Kim Jae-beom’s body itself remained unmistakably human in form. Only the demonic aura shining from within had manifested outwardly. His flesh, spirit, and newly awakened power harmonized perfectly, wrapping around him in perfect unity.
“Is this a hidden class?”
Kim Jae-beom marveled as he examined the wings of light. Never before, playing Evern Online, had he experienced anything this extraordinary.
“A… a hidden class?”
“Yeah. I’m not a Necromancer.”
“What…”
Barcode’s eyes widened dramatically. Confronted with this unexpected revelation, he seemed momentarily at a loss for words. Kim Jae-beom’s confession that he wasn’t a Necromancer left Barcode’s mind momentarily frozen.
“A hidden class… you’re saying such a thing exists?”
Barcode asked cautiously. His voice carried an undertone of disbelief. A truth beyond common knowledge. A secret hidden within the game. As such impossibilities became reality before him, Barcode could only feel bewildered.
“But how…”
Barcode furrowed his brow in confusion, struggling to comprehend. He appeared unable to accept what he was hearing, hesitating before this incomprehensible power. Yet simultaneously, a glimmer of curiosity flickered across his eyes.
“You know Count Heltema from the tutorial?”
“Ah, yes, I do.”
“I defeated him. On the highest difficulty, and when I killed him, he granted me his power.”
“…!”
Barcode’s eyes went wide as saucers. The words that tumbled from Kim Jae-beom’s mouth struck him like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. Count Heltema defeated on the highest difficulty? By a newcomer who’d only just started playing?
“That’s… impossible…”
Barcode’s lips trembled. To solo clear such a formidable boss monster was unimaginable. Even the countless strongest players had challenged that Count Heltema repeatedly, only to fall. Yet Kim Jae-beom had crushed him effortlessly.
“It wasn’t easy.”
“That’s… that’s not something that can be explained so simply, is it?”
“True. But if I say I did it, doesn’t that make it at least somewhat believable?”
“Hmm.”
Barcode nodded at Kim Jae-beom’s words.
He had a point.
As the overwhelmingly dominant ranker of virtual reality gaming, Kim Jae-beom could certainly clear even a tutorial boss on the highest difficulty.
“How many people know about this…”
“No one yet.”
“Why are you telling only me?”
“Because you’re someone I can trust.”
However, Kim Jae-beom had kept this fact hidden until now. Not even from his trustworthy friends, nor from Ye-jin. His reason for telling Barcode was simple.
“Since you’ve received such interesting information, give me your support openly. Preferably in ways others won’t notice.”
“You’re planning to take revenge on the rankers.”
“Exactly.”
Barcode’s eyes wavered. Watching Kim Jae-beom declare his vengeance with such resolve, he found himself swallowing hard without even realizing it.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of seeking revenge on you.”
“Th-that’s a relief.”
“I hear the rankers have moved on to a new continent.”
“That’s correct.”
Barcode affirmed Kim Jae-beom’s words.
“The rankers have moved to the newly opened New Field. Of course, not all of them left, but most have relocated.”
“A New Field… what’s the minimum entry level for that place?”
“There doesn’t seem to be a strict level restriction. However, according to players who’ve been there, you’d need to be at least level 70 to navigate it safely.”
And with that, he provided information about the second field.
‘I need to reach the Shadow Fortress quickly.’
Hearing this, I recalled my Hidden Quest once more. I had to acquire Count Heltema’s legacy at the Shadow Fortress. Only then could I proceed with my first awakening.
“Understood. I need to go now.”
“You’re leaving already?”
“I need to progress my Hidden Quest. I have to head to the Shadow Region and acquire Count Heltema’s power.”
“Huh…”
Barcode’s eyes widened. Acquiring Count Heltema’s power meant Kim Jae-beom would grow even stronger. It was impossible to fathom how far someone who already possessed transcendent strength could ascend.
“Just what are you, Newbie…”
With a murmur filled with awe, Barcode gazed at me. It seemed as though a tremendous wave that would shake all of Evern would emanate from me. A pioneer carving through uncharted territory—that was the perfect title for me.
* * *
In the Shadow Region draped in pitch-black darkness, I arrived with Ye-jin at the place known as the Heart of Darkness. An eerie chill enveloped my skin. The landscape before me was like a nightmare made manifest.
A colossal fortress stood towering, emanating an ominous aura. The Castle Wall shrouded in darkness seemed hostile, as if rejecting human intrusion. The barren wasteland and scattered bones around it spoke of the devastation this place had endured.
A crimson radiance leaked from the fortress’s peak. That light, reminiscent of hellfire, even stirred fear. Cutting through the spine-chilling air, I took my first steps toward the Shadow Fortress.
“Newbie… is it really alright for me to come along?”
Ye-jin’s eyes fixed on the Shadow Fortress, wavering with anxiety. Before the ominous fortress of darkness, she drew closer to my side. Her concern about the unknown horrors we would face was evident.
“Then who else would I take?”
“Pardon?”
“If not you, there’s no one else suitable to accompany me. It’s awkward to recruit someone from the White Guild anyway.”
At that moment, I stared directly at Ye-jin and spoke. She was the most comfortable person for me to be around. Going with Barcode, the White Guild’s master, would draw too much attention. And bringing Kim Ji-min along felt equally awkward.
‘Besides, that person is annoying.’
Ever since Kim Ji-min discovered I was playing Evern Online, she had been sending me endless messages. But I ignored every single one. I had no intention of moving with acquaintances until I became rank one.
“…Huh?”
Various emotions flickered across Ye-jin’s face. Surprise, bewilderment, and something that seemed like joy—a complex expression. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted slightly.
“I… you think of me that way…”
Ye-jin continued speaking hesitantly. The fact that I trusted her seemed to move her deeply. With flushed cheeks, she offered a shy smile.
“Th-thank you so much! It’s truly an honor.”
Her voice was filled with joy. Being able to go with me—this was like a dream come true for her.
At the same time, she felt her shoulders straighten. A reliable companion to face the dangers of an unfamiliar place together. My presence was becoming a great source of strength for her… or so she believed.
“I’ll do my very best to help you!”
Composing herself, Ye-jin spoke with resolute eyes. Her gaze seemed to burn with determination. A firm resolve to trust and follow me. She wanted to show that conviction through action.
‘I think she’s misunderstanding something…’
Kim Jae-beom tilted his head, watching Ye-jin with confusion. He couldn’t understand why she had suddenly ignited with such determination.
But he abandoned any attempt to persuade her.
That wasn’t what mattered right now.
“I suppose it’s time to begin the summoning….”
My voice cut through the desolate air, resonating with an eerie quality. Around me, standing before the Shadow Fortress, darkness swirled in violent eddies.
[Skeleton Soldier Summoning activated.]
Raising the hand that held my staff, I began to recite the forbidden incantation in a low murmur.
Boom!
As the ancient words reverberated through space, the earth trembled faintly. Beneath my feet, a pitch-black fissure tore open, expanding wider with each passing moment.
Crack, crack….
With the sound of splitting earth, two colossal stone coffins emerged from the widening chasms. Suffused with the essence of death, they rose slowly above the ground. The stench of decay drifted on the wind, pulsing through the air.
Whoooosh….
The grotesque patterns carved into the coffins began to glow crimson. The scarlet radiance intensified, gradually engulfing the entire coffins in its hellish hue. It was an unsettling color that evoked the flames of perdition itself.
Boom!
With a heavy explosive sound, the coffin lids were hurled away. Stone fragments scattered in all directions as the lids shattered. A deafening roar, as if awakening death itself, shook the fortress and its surroundings.
Shhhhh….
From within the coffins, skulls with glowing red eyes emerged. Dercan, clad in corroded iron armor; Arulan, draped in robes bearing grotesque runes. Two skeletal soldiers, as if crawled from the netherworld itself, gazed outward with eyes devoid of any spark of life.
Thump, thump….
With slumped shoulders heaving, they slowly stepped from their coffins. The clatter of bone striking bone, the creak of rusted armor. Spine-chilling sounds echoed from all directions.
As I drew upon my power, Dercan and Arulan grew correspondingly stronger, their forms intensifying. Pitch-black auras of darkness coiled around their skulls.
―Uuuoooong!
Malevolent energy radiated from the weapons they wielded. Dercan’s twin blades gleamed with a crimson radiance, as if drenched in fresh blood, while from the tip of Arulan’s staff, a violet mist infused with poison rose into the air.
Rustle….
The anguished wails of tormented spirits rose faintly. Phantoms of anguish-twisted faces circled around the skeletons. As if drawing upon the power of cursed and damned souls, Dercan and Arulan embodied terror itself.
Whoooosh, whoooosh….
Red mist flowed from the mouths of the two skulls. Malevolent energy laden with the chaos of the underworld. A bone-piercing cold enveloped the surroundings.
“Go.”
At my command, Dercan and Arulan came to a halt. With hollow eye sockets, they gazed upon the Shadow Fortress. Two soldiers crawled from hell itself. I intended to advance toward the Shadow Fortress alongside them.

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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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