Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Ancient Desert (2)
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Rain poured down over the desert.
The child stood there in a daze, looking utterly haggard.
Grotesque.
Eyes wounded as if gouged by something, scars etched across its entire body.
And pitch-black wings sprouting from its back.
A monster.
The child's appearance was every bit deserving of the word "monster."
Grrr rumble.
A boiling sound emanated from its throat.
Clench.
Its hands gripped something tightly.
A long, rigid object.
A sharp metal tip at the end.
The child knew instinctively.
The beings before it greatly feared this object.
They called it a spear.
"You hideous monster! Get lost!"
"You lowly, filthy scum!"
"You're half-human, half-beast—how dare you mix with us? Just die!"
"......"
The child said nothing.
It simply sensed the people yelling right in front of it.
The child could not see.
From the moment it first opened its eyes to the world.
It had been forced to lose its sight.
Forced to give its eyes to those who rejected it.
"......"
A world of darkness.
The child thought it might be for the best.
It didn't have to look at those noisy ones.
It didn't have to face the malice directed at it head-on.
Whoosh!
The downpour evaporated the instant it fell.
Swish!
At the same time, spears thrust forward.
The people babbling in front of the child could no longer open their mouths.
Thud!
Because the metal pierced straight through their hearts.
The movements were precise and clean.
In a brief flurry, it tore through dozens of bodies.
Splatter!
Blood sprayed, flesh split open.
The pouring rain washed it all away cleanly.
Silence fell over the once-noisy space.
Quiet. Nice.
"......"
The child wondered.
What am I?
What kind of existence?
Am I really the "monster" they call me?
An existence that can't be loved?
Tears welled up in the child's eyes.
They evaporated the moment they fell.
* * *
"Damn it."
The hopeless situation drew curses from my lips.
But I couldn't just stand there stunned.
I had to judge quickly.
Rumble rumble!
The ground shook, the walls vibrated.
A hundred skeletons charging at me was pure terror incarnate.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Ancient Skeleton Spearman (D-grade) × 100 incoming!]
"First off, Bone4! Move forward!"
Creak! Thud!
In a pinch, I pushed the shieldbearer out front.
The silver lining?
No enemies behind, just ahead.
'Hold here without getting pushed back too much.'
The terrain helped.
In a wide open space, I'd be surrounded in seconds.
But this was a narrow corridor.
Only one entry path for enemies, meaning I could face them a few at a time.
"Everyone, get ready."
I directed them.
Placed Bone1 and Bone2 right beside Bone4.
Bone3 and Bone5 in the rear.
'No rushing. Take them down one by one, slowly.'
Turned into a job-related dungeon?
Normal skeletons max out at E or F-grade.
But these were all D-grade.
Meaning they might be special like my bones.
'Just a possibility, though.'
I had zero doubt.
My kids were aces; those were just monsters—baseless confidence.
'D-grade ain't all the same D-grade.'
My bones were special ones trained by the Thousand Techniques Elder.
And that's not all.
Those guys only had spears.
My bones formed a "team" with their individual weapons.
Balanced offense and defense.
Thud thud!
The vibrations grew closer.
'Come on.'
Gulp.
I swallowed.
Rumble rumble!
Skeletons poured into the corridor.
They thrust spears at Bone4's shield in sequence.
Bone1 and Bone2 beside sliced and stabbed their neck joints.
Skulls rolled across the floor.
['Bone4' uses skill, Lesser Taunt (Lv.6).]
Thanks to Bone4's aggro.
Bone1 and Bone2 hadn't taken direct hits yet.
'But.'
No room for complacency.
Bone4's durability had limits.
Above all, their clustered pressure was intensifying.
"Slowly fall back!"
Clang! Bang! Boom!
Bone4 gripped the violently shaking shield and retreated step by step.
['Bone4' uses 10 stamina.]
['Bone4' uses 10 stamina.]
The heavier the impacts.
The more Bone4's stamina chunked away.
Soon Bone1 and Bone2 clashed metal with them too—
Swish! Swish!
Bone3 diligently loosed arrows from behind.
"One at a time! Smash it for sure! Then pick the next target!"
I shouted.
Concentrated fire, basically.
Gang up in tight space, 1-vs-5.
Take them down reliably.
Less effort for more kills, right?
Creak!
"Hm?"
That was when a spear slipped through Bone4's shield gap, flying at me.
Back then, I'd have flinched, but now.
'Dodgeable.'
I twisted my head and body slightly to evade.
Swish! Boom!
It slammed into the ground behind with a harsh wind.
Creak?
The disarmed one tried to pull back.
"Tch, you think there's room to dodge here?"
Undead and dumb as expected.
Crunch!
Like payback for targeting me.
Bone1's greatsword crushed its skull.
"Good job, Bone1!"
Clack clack!
Was that a smile at my praise? Nah, illusion?
Bone5's eyes gleamed, unwilling to lose.
['Bone5' uses skill, Fireball (Lv.8).]
Fwoosh!
Boom!
Two weeks of training.
Bone5's fireball hit pro level.
Our only splash spell.
Perfect for this.
Rumble...
The intense fireball obliterated the clustered ones in chunks.
Piled up bones like a mountain.
Of course, new skeletons shoved in over them.
Crunch! Crack!
The melee dragged on.
Block attacks.
Then slash, stab, smash.
I snatched their weapons and swung.
Old man's techniques worked, sure.
'Not as strong as I thought, though.'
But numbers.
So my bones' durabilities whittled down inevitably.
['Bone4's' stamina reaches 0.]
['Bone4's' summon is released.]
Sturdiest tank unsummoned.
But.
[Using skill, 'Awakened Skeleton Summon' (D-grade).]
[Uses 10 stamina.]
['Bone4' appears.]
I resummoned it.
'Guess I gotta focus stamina on Bone4 max.'
60 stamina left.
Keep resummoning the tank, doable.
Fewer enemies, less stamina strain.
"Yeah! Keep coming, you bastards!"
I swung the spear with all I had.
Muscles in constant motion.
Snapped spear? Grab another.
Thousand Techniques Elder's skill, 'Pierce' (C-grade).
Crunch crunch!
Gripped with both hands, shoved with full power.
My own style, my own stance.
Body trembled.
Wrists and ankles swelled with veins.
Thighs and calves screamed.
Time passed, my strength faded.
But I raged harder.
Gritted teeth.
"Die already!"
Relentless motion, heart pounding mad.
Come to think, ever fought this fierce before?
Honestly, fun.
Crazy, but enjoyable.
Life-on-line tension.
Hopeless spot, but felt alive.
['Sun Spear' dormant in 'Pyramid' awakens.]
['Sun Spear' gazes upon you.]
"What now? Again."
I halted mid-swing.
Sun Spear.
The being I must face in this stage.
Warrior and absolute ruler who led the ancient desert empire.
['Sun Spear' mocks you.]
['Sun Spear' asks if that pitiful skill can even reach it.]
"What're you saying?"
Sending D-grade skeletons and mocking?
'Sun Spear or whatever.'
Time to show it who's boss.
Grip!
Fist tightened harder on the spear.
Don't know who Sun Spear is.
But I've cleared tougher dungeons.
Convinced the Thousand Techniques Elder even rankers couldn't!
"Bone4, no more retreating from now on. Advance."
I said with steely eyes.
Creak?
It tilted its head, like why the sudden change.
"Sun Spear. That guy's taunting me from ahead."
Dungeon goal: meet it anyway.
Can't keep backing up with unknown monsters ahead.
Stamina ain't infinite.
"Whatever's ahead, gotta crash into it now."
Ditch caution.
Go aggressive.
Like when I got the old man.
Sometimes charge without retreat.
I advanced boldly.
* * *
The fight lasted longer than expected.
And fiercer.
After nearly wiping a hundred skeleton spearmen?
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Ancient Skeleton Spearman (D-grade) × 100 incoming!]
Another hundred surged in.
"You bastards."
My judgment was spot on.
Infinite spawn trick till the goal.
Problem is.
"When the hell do you show, Sun Spear?!"
Swish!
I swung.
Swish! Crunch!
Bone1 and Bone2 beside smashed incoming skulls.
Breath to my throat, muscles drained.
Yet ~40 skeletons left.
Stamina down to 20.
['Sun Spear' looks with unexpected eyes.]
[Thinks you're holding better than expected.]
[But still considers your skill trash-level.]
Damn.
Trash again.
Word I heard endlessly from the old man.
Well, not wrong, no retort.
Compared to my goals, yeah, I'm trash now.
['Sun Spear' says it's almost over.]
[Tells you to hang in a bit more.]
Almost?
I scanned around.
Still just endless corridor.
One difference: widening gradually?
Making it worse.
They started flanking side-by-side.
Checked my bones' status.
Bone1 to Bone5.
None unscathed.
Stamina depleted, teetering on collapse.
'Can cover two more, maybe.'
But this way, no end.
Need quick resolution.
"Bone4."
Creak?
"Give me the shield."
I took it from it.
Bit heavy, but trained with it a few times, manageable.
"Next, Bone5."
Creak!
Bone5, batting away spears with staff, eyed me.
"From now, we break through no matter what. Replenish Air Shield every time it breaks. The rest..."
I lowered into stance, shield forward with both hands.
"Guard my rear at all costs."
Bones formed a wedge back-to-back with me.
Desperate charge toward the Sun King's abode.
Will my feet reach the goal first?
Or collapse before?
Time to roll the dice.