Chapter 295

Gleaming armor. A dark green cloak fluttering like wings. Purple ghost fire burning in empty eye sockets.

And then… there was a voice.

“Come. Down. Hu. Man.”

The moment I heard that metallic, scraping voice, I nearly fell out of the tree.

It spoke?

This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened. The Wyvern I’d killed in the past, “One-Eyed Carus,” had been capable of speech too.

But a monster speaking wasn’t something to take lightly.

“A Named Monster…”

The words escaped me like a groan.

That was right. As far as anyone knew, only Named Monsters were capable of speech.

And that very Named Monster had just been born before my eyes.

No—not born.

It had evolved.

System

Level 105 Skeleton Warlord

Evolution?

I had never heard of or seen a Named Monster appearing this way before.

What is this, Digimon?¹

Wait, are monsters that kind of monster? They can evolve too?

I was already about five hundred light-years removed from an ordinary life, and even I was bewildered. The other Guild members’ reactions went without saying.

“What is that?”

“Wait, didn’t it just say something?”

“I’ve never seen anything like that, not even in a monster encyclopedia…”

Of course they hadn’t.

Named Monsters were mutants. Every individual possessed different traits and varied in strength. No one could know what one would be like until it appeared.

But why now, of all times?

I licked my dry lips.

I didn’t know how powerful that Skeleton Warlord was, but it clearly possessed strength worthy of a Named Monster.

And on top of that, there are two A-rank Skeleton Knights.

The remaining hundred and fifty or so were all B-rank Skeleton Mages or Warriors. They were practically an army, which made them extremely troublesome.

Still, if I took on the Warlord and the two Knights—their commander and core fighting force—it was a battle we could win.

We’ve been raiding nonstop.

Only fifty Guild members had entered the Gate.

But more than half of them were Tosa mastiffs² who had endured my whip and survived hellish special training.

They had fought so many Skeletons over the past week that they were sick of the sight of them. As long as they kept their heads, they could handle enemies two or three times their number.

And the new recruits are plenty capable too.

We paid salaries at least as high as the major Guilds, so we had selected only the best.

This time, I had personally taken part in multiple evaluations, including the interviews, and even scored their potential for growth.

To weather the typhoon that was Ares Guild, I had selected the finest saplings and transplanted them into the Peace Guild’s front yard.

We’ll have to accept some risk, but this is a fight worth taking on.

Team Leader Choi and the other three had suspended most of their Guild duties to focus entirely on training the Jin Family’s cultivation technique.

The battle would have been much easier with them here, but even if they had been present, I wouldn’t have sent them in.

A dagger hidden up one’s sleeve was deadly precisely because it remained hidden. I couldn’t reveal it with so many eyes watching.

Having reached a decision, I called out to one person.

“Jinsoo!”

“Yes, sir!”

Kim Jinsoo, who was effectively serving as deputy team leader, answered promptly. I pointed my dagger at the Skeleton Warlord.

The green ghost fire in its hollow eye sockets remained fixed on me.

“That’s a Named Monster.”

A sharp gasp rose from among the Guild members.

Most of them had been Hunters for less than two years. A person could spend twenty years in this field without ever encountering a Named Monster, and now they had to fight one. The tension was plain on their faces.

But Kim Jinsoo was different. His surprise lasted only a moment before he calmly nodded.

“I see.”

“Oh? You’re doing a pretty good job pretending to be calm.”

“I’m a little shaken myself, but we can’t just stand around in a daze and let it kill us.”

Well, look at him.

I’d known from the beginning that he had guts, but this was unusual courage for someone in his first year.

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Kim Jinsoo smiled faintly and added, “If the situation were hopeless, you would’ve given the signal to retreat long ago. Am I right?”

“Hmm.”

“…Uh, did I get that wrong?”

“No.”

I chuckled and shook my head.

“You’re right. This is a fight we can take on.”

“Oh.”

“I’ll handle those three over there. You take the rest. How long can you hold out?”

Kim Jinsoo thought for a moment before answering.

“The new recruits don’t have much experience… but we should still be able to hold out for an hour.”

“An hour?”

“Yes. At least an hour.”

The instant Kim Jinsoo answered confidently, the Skeleton Warlord slowly opened its jaws and released a strange, indescribable resonance.

“GRAAAAAH!”

Beep!

System

Level 105 Skeleton Warlord has used a Special Skill!

Special Skill Commander’s Rally has activated!

The Strength, Agility, and Magic of the monsters under the Skeleton Warlord’s command have been enhanced!

The enemies’ momentum rises sharply!

System

Level 105 Skeleton Warlord has used a Special Skill!

Special Skill Summon the Dead has activated!

The sleeping dead answer their commander’s call!

It was a howl that sent a chill down my spine—and a cry that awakened the cursed dead.

Crack. Crack-crack-crack!

Soil burst upward, and the ground trembled. Piles of pale bones rose all around us, assembled themselves into skeletons, and joined the ranks.

Bone Swords caked with dirt. Wooden shields tangled with fine roots. Among the Skeleton Warriors, I could even see Mages wearing necklaces engraved with skulls.

There were even two more A-rank Skeleton Knights.

Adding the newcomers to the existing Skeleton army brought their numbers to well over three hundred.

“…”

“…”

I watched in silence for a moment before speaking.

“Jinsoo.”

“Yes.”

“Can you still do an hour?”

“Uh, well…”

“Be honest.”

“…I think we can manage about thirty minutes.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The situation has gotten a little worse, but we can probably do it.”

Kim Jinsoo continued, staring uneasily at the Skeleton Warlord.

“As long as that bastard doesn’t pull any more crap.”

“I think it will.”

“No way.”

“GRAAAAAH!”

“See? I was right.”

Kim Jinsoo groaned.

“Oh, come on.”

Beep!

The Skeleton Warlord howled!

The effect was incredible!

“Wow…”

I activated Qi Sense and saw that every single one of them had gained five Levels.

The aura radiating from the Skeleton army of more than three hundred was on an entirely different level from before.

I glanced aside and found Kim Jinsoo staring blankly.

“Thirty minutes. Still possible?”

“…”

The bastard was cursing me with his eyes now.

To be fair, even I thought that was asking too much. Clicking my tongue, I gave my next order without hesitation.

“Fall back slowly. Don’t provoke them.”

“How far should we retreat?”

“To the path right in front of the Gate. Make sure we can get out at any time.”

“The path is narrow, so it should be easier to fight them there.”

“Exactly.”

As Kim Jinsoo had said, the path in front of the Gate was so narrow that five grown men could barely pass shoulder to shoulder.

Even Skeletons, whose frames were naturally thinner, could only fit seven or eight abreast.

However…

“Go straight out.”

There was no head-on battle in my revised plan.

“Huh?”

“Take the kids and get outside the Gate.”

Dismay spread across Kim Jinsoo’s face.

“Then what about you, Senior?”

“Do you think they’ll play tag while you leave? Someone has to buy time.”

“Senior! That’s dangerous!”

“Jinsoo. No—my dear Peace Guild members.”

I looked down solemnly. Fifty Guild members craned their necks like baby birds as they stared up at me.

“I—and the Peace Guild—always put the safety of our Guild members first.”

Several of the Tosa mastiffs² muttered just loudly enough for me to hear.

“That’s the biggest load of bullshit I’ve heard all year.”

“I think I nearly died seven times this week.”

“More like ten for me.”

Meanwhile, the eyes of the day-one pups trembled.

“Senior!”

“Ahh, Lord Fuck!”³

“You’d go this far for us…!”

I continued in a voice thick with emotion.

“I’ll risk any danger for your safety. Even if my arm gets blown off! Even if my leg gets blown off! I will send every one of you back into the arms of those who love you!”

Several of them cried out in a surge of emotion.

“We can fight!”

“Please let us fight alongside you!”

I bit my lip hard and shook my head.

“I can’t! Someone has to make the sacrifice, and in a situation like this, I’m the best one to step forward!”

“But still…!”

Whoooosh! Shrrrk!

Before anyone could continue, an ominous black aura came hurtling toward us.

The Skeleton Warlord sliced horizontally through a massive tree dozens of meters tall⁴ and several meters around,⁵ then shouted in a voice like metal scraping against metal.

“I. Will. Kill. Every. Last. One. Of. You!”

Swish. Tap!

I leaped lightly from the tree and shouted, “Everyone, return to the Gate! I’ll cover the rear!”

This time, no one tried to stop me.

The army of more than three hundred Skeletons had begun to advance.

Clatter. Thud. Clatter. Thud.

The monsters marched in perfect ranks and files, their momentum utterly menacing.

The Warlord’s Special Skill had filled their steps with power, and faint lights flickered within their hollow skulls.

“GRAAAAH!”

When one of the Skeleton Knights, serving as a deputy commander, let out a fierce cry, rusted arrows and attack magic rose from the rear and shot toward the Peace Guild members.

Fwish-fwish-fwish! Whoooosh!

“Block them!”

“Tanks! Keep your shields up! Continue falling back slowly!”

“Covering fire!”

The two forces were about three hundred paces apart. To retreat safely, we needed to widen the distance further.

I swung White Flame and blocked the army’s advance.

“You bastards! How dare you threaten our precious Peace Guild members!”

Sssshhhk! Crack!

The power behind my spear shattered bone, while Spear Energy erupted from its transparent spearhead and slashed in every direction.

The moment I took down ten of them in a single blow, three Skeleton Knights charged me at once.

“GRAAAAH!”

“GRAAAAH!”

Sssshhhk!

Three streams of black aura narrowly grazed different parts of my body.

Blood trickled from my nape where the pressure had sliced it open, and anguished cries erupted from the Guild members who had already reached the narrow path.

“Aah! Senior!”

“Look out!”

Clang-clang-clang!

I deflected the relentless barrage of aura and shouted as if struggling to speak.

“Go! I’ll catch up soon!”

“But…!”

“Jinsoo! Get going!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Kim Jinsoo began leading the Guild members toward the Gate.

“You have to come back!”

I gave him a faint smile and nodded.

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry, Senior!”

“It’s fine. Go!”

“Urgh!”

Kim Jinsoo hesitated until the very end, then disappeared beyond the Gate.

Now only the hundreds of Skeletons packed tightly into the narrow path and I remained.

“F. O. O. L. I. S. H.”

Clatter-clatter-clatter!

The bones parted like the Red Sea, and the Skeleton Warlord emerged through the opening.

“H. A. V. E. Y. O. U. R. E. S. I. G. N. E. D. Y. O. U. R. S. E. L. F. T. O. D. I. E, H. U. M. A. N?”

But I wasn’t listening.

Only after sweeping my gaze over every inch of our surroundings did I finally sigh in relief.

“Phew. They’re finally all gone.”

“…?”

“Those kids are way too sentimental for their own good. When the Team Leader tells you to leave, you’re supposed to run. What do they mean, help? Right?”

I wiped the blood from my nape. I’d tried to keep the cut shallow, but it was deeper than expected.

About 0.2 centimeters?⁶

“Damn. What a waste of blood.”

The purple ghost fire in the Warlord’s eye sockets flickered uneasily.

“W. H. A. T. I. N. T. H. E. W. O. R. L. D. A. R. E. Y. O. U. P. L. O. T. T. I. N. G?”

“Nothing much.”

I smiled with satisfaction at the EXP—no, the Skeleton army—filling the narrow path without a single gap.

“You’re all going to die here. That’s all you need to know.”

“W. H. A. T?”

Instead of answering, I drew a deep breath.

The muscles throughout my body writhed, and the fire dragon coiled inside my dantian began to move according to the formula of the Fire Gate Divine Technique.

Then, in the next instant, I became one with the spear in my hand and shot forward.

“One Annihilation.”

KRAAAAAAASH!