Chapter 23
Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Ancient Desert (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I kicked off the ground.
“Haaah!”
With a shout, I sprinted forward with all my might.
The skeletons started at the same time as me.
‘Don’t think of it as a crisis.’
I steeled my resolve.
The corridor widening meant the skeletons had surrounded us on all sides.
But it also meant the wall we had to break through was that much thinner.
“There’s hardly any stamina left now! We have to keep fighting to hold them off! If the left arm gets smashed, use the right arm no matter what!”
I checked my surroundings as I ran.
Next to me, the shieldless bonesword was blocking spears with his arms.
“Yeah, like that! Just a little more, guys!”
I stuck right beside him and swung my shield to the side, shoving it aside.
One skeleton lost its balance from the weighted bash and tumbled over.
Crack!
I smashed the edge of my shield down onto its skull.
“Whew.”
I’d taken down a D-rank monster with my own hands.
But there was no time to savor it.
Their attacks kept coming relentlessly.
‘I can’t just run. I have to clear them as I go.’
I wasn’t some giant who’d dumped all my points into strength.
I couldn’t bulldoze through them like a steamroller.
At the very least, I had to eliminate the ones blocking the path.
‘I wish it would show up soon.’
[Break through the obstacles and reach the ‘Sun Spear.’]
The dungeon’s goal wasn’t to wipe out the skeletons anyway.
I just had to touch this thing called the ‘Sun Spear.’
Tadadadah!
I brushed past the approaching ones.
I subtly dodged using the techniques Master had taught me.
Like a rugby player on the field charging toward the touchdown line.
“Boneoh!”
Clang!
“Replenish the shields quick before they break!”
The attacks pouring from behind the shield were all absorbed by Boneoh’s air shield.
As expected.
The Lv.8 air shield was tougher and sturdier than the previous one.
[‘Sun Spear’ calls you cowardly.]
[It says true warriors don’t avoid battle.]
Shut up.
That’s by your standards.
In our world, survival is what makes you strong.
[‘Sun Spear’ is disappointed.]
[It says those who avoid the trials bestowed upon them have no right to challenge it.]
I ignored it.
Only 4 or 5 skeletons left ahead now.
Once I got past these, I could sprint into the empty clearing.
‘Understand.’
Knowing the enemy is important, but knowing myself is too.
And the ‘me’ I know can’t survive among those skeletons with the stamina I have left.
No matter how reckless or challenging I am.
I didn’t want to fight a battle with no chance of winning.
[‘Sun Spear’ says humans are as lowly as can be.]
Swish.
Finally, I passed the remaining skeletons.
“Huff, huff.”
Sweat beaded on my forehead.
I wiped it roughly with my sleeve, but more sweat immediately took its place.
“When the hell is it going to show?”
My breath reeked of acetone, but I didn’t stop running.
My strength was fading, but my muscles held on tenaciously.
The stamina training I’d done was paying off.
“Hahk, hahk!”
I wanted to call the old man for advice.
But it was impossible.
Stamina aside, the cooldown hadn’t ended yet.
Thudududu!
Behind me, the skeletons I’d passed were chasing after me in a frenzy.
“Damn it.”
I was reaching my limit soon.
Clunk!
I tossed my shield aside.
I even flung away the bag of miscellaneous items I’d brought just in case.
Fighting now meant death.
I had to lighten the load.
And focus solely on running.
[‘Bone4’ uses the skill, Basic Block (Lv.8).]
Boom!
He must have picked up the shield I threw.
The bonesword running alongside me turned back.
He stopped our joint escape to buy me time, it seemed.
‘Yeah, thanks. Good job.’
The awakened bones were amazing.
Even without orders.
They clearly grasped their master’s intent and acted.
[‘Bone4’s summon is released.]
Thud.
The bonesword couldn’t hold out long.
The bones making him up scattered in all directions.
Grit.
I clenched my teeth and kept running.
I had to make the most of the time he’d bought me.
After about a minute of running like that.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a chill ran down the back of my neck.
For some reason.
It felt like something was wrong.
[‘Sun Spear’ says lowly humans must be ruled by punishment.]
“……!”
I had no choice but to widen my eyes.
Ahead in the alley I was running down.
A mountain of bone fragments piled up.
‘Those bone fragments…….’
Not the first time seeing them.
A familiar sight, for sure.
“Hahk, hahk.”
I stopped running.
My arms hung limp as if drained of strength.
I took rough, deep breaths.
‘Fuck, of course it’s familiar.’
Just a few hours ago.
When I’d first been sucked into the pyramid, these were the remains of the ones I’d fought.
“…….”
Come to think of it.
The alley that had gradually widened was narrowing again.
Which meant.
The destination I’d run toward with mad hope, the Sun Spear’s lair, wasn’t that at all.
I’d just been circling the same space meaninglessly.
[‘Sun Spear’ sneers.]
[It says foolish humans never betray expectations.]
“…….”
It was all for naught.
Now that I thought about it, this was the pyramid’s interior.
If I’d run straight, there should’ve been a turn somewhere.
‘No way it’s a circular structure?’
No matter forward or backward.
I’d end up meeting eventually.
Crunch.
In frustration, I bit my lip.
The taste of blood hit my tongue tip.
Thududu…….
Skeletons surged from behind.
‘What do I do.’
Fight again?
Or give up?
Creak.
Boneil was limping, some issue with his leg joint.
Bonei’s spear was in tatters.
Bonesam and Boneoh too.
All nearly combat ineffective.
[Hunter: Joo Dong-hoon]
[Stamina: 20/120]
Only 20 stamina left.
Against roughly 30 skeletons remaining.
“No choice. At this point, we hold out as long as we can. Everyone, up here!”
No strength left to run now.
But I didn’t want to give up either.
‘What would Gi So-yul do?’
She’d fight endlessly, even in this situation.
Even if it cost her life.
That’s the mentality of a ‘ranker.’
‘Let’s hold onto hope.’
You never know.
Maybe those last 100 summoned were the final wave!
“Follow me!”
I climbed up the piled bone fragments.
Creak! Creak!
Dozens of skeletons charged toward me.
Slash! Slash!
Boneil swung his blade a couple times.
Two skeletons’ heads cleanly fell and rolled.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bonesam fell back while providing cover fire.
“Boneoh! Use up all your stamina if you have to—unleash fireballs!”
I grabbed the bone fragments and climbed higher and higher.
I squeezed out every last bit of strength.
“Huff, huff!”
Reaching the top, I picked up a scattered bone spear.
Occupy the high ground.
Then smash down on the approaching ones from above.
That was my plan.
“Die!”
I hurled the spear hard.
Plenty of bone spears lying around anyway—no loss.
“Die!”
I put a hole through the skull of a skeleton climbing up with another bone spear.
Blood trickled between my taut arm muscles.
Must’ve gotten cut by a bone fragment while climbing.
[‘Bone1’s summon is released.]
[‘Bone2’s summon is released.]
Soon, the two who’d fought hard fell.
“Ha.”
With the remaining 20 stamina.
I replenished Boneil, the strongest of the five, and the tank bonesword.
[Uses skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-Grade).]
[Uses 10 stamina.]
[‘Bone1’ appears.]
[Uses skill, ‘Awakened Skeleton Summon’ (D-Grade).]
[Uses 10 stamina.]
[‘Bone4’ appears.]
“This is really it now.”
I poured in every last drop of stamina.
[Stamina fully depleted.]
[Tip: Want to recover stamina? Try taking a rest.]
“Bullshit.”
I lifted my head.
A hollow laugh escaped.
Felt like this when I faced the orc before?
Struggling desperately to survive like a wriggling bug.
‘No.’
It was different.
That time, it wasn’t what I wanted.
This time, it was my choice.
This was a difference in mindset.
If it made me stronger, even harsher trials were fine.
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said it.
That which does not kill me makes me stronger.
‘Get it together, Joo Dong-hoon.’
Slap!
I smacked my cheek hard.
My hazy mind sharpened.
‘No dungeon is unsolvable.’
Even in the stage that stumped rankers, ‘The Deep Old Man,’ there was surely an answer.
I thought.
Kept racking my brain.
[Break through the obstacles and reach the ‘Sun Spear.’]
The quest clearly wanted me to meet the ‘Sun Spear.’
But the Sun Spear demanded I follow procedure to approach.
It kept taunting me somehow.
‘So, what’s the procedure?’
Running around the dungeon just looped in circles anyway.
Where the hell do I even meet the guy……
“Huh?”
That’s when something caught my eye as I looked up.
On the wide ceiling above a broad clearing, a dank mass hanging there.
“What’s that?”
It wriggled, as if watching me.
[‘Sun Spear’ asks if you’ve finally noticed.]
[It says foolish humans can’t be helped.]
“Oh ho?”
I grinned.
I couldn’t help but grin.
Like finding a single oasis in an endless desert.
“So that’s where you were hiding, huh? Up there?”
The dungeon’s trick was simple.
Overly simple, but once missed, subtly hard to spot.
The Sun Spear’s lair wasn’t ahead at all—it was on the ceiling.
‘Right at the entrance ceiling, too.’
[‘Sun Spear’ nods.]
As if making eye contact with me.
A message from the so-called Sun Spear appeared.
Crunch! Crunch!
Watching the skeletons still fighting desperately, I murmured.
“ Bonesword.”
The one hefting the heaviest shield among my kids.
“Stop fighting and grab me.”
Creak?
“Then. Hurl me up there as hard as you can. As fast as possible.”
Skeletons remained, but it didn’t matter.
The clear condition for this stage was just meeting the guy.
[‘Sun Spear’ says come if you dare.]
[It says it’ll turn a vile human challenging it into a handful of ash.]
“Yeah.”
I fixed my gaze on the mass.
No idea why it harbored hostility toward humans.
But if that’s the dungeon’s quest.
“Let’s go.”
In one pyramid clearing.
Atop a small mountain of bone debris.
I shot forward like a single arrow.
Shooo!
Fierce headwind battered my face.
The instant the distance to the mass closed rapidly.
[Congratulations!]
[You’ve reached the ‘Sun Spear.’]
[The Ancient Skeleton Spearman (D-Grade) disappears.]
The bone fragments below faded away like a mirage.
‘Finally.’
That indescribable feeling tingled every nerve in my body.
[Caution!]
[‘Sun Spear’ appears!]
The black mass distorted, spreading wide in all directions.
The scattered hologram-like pieces converged in one spot.
[Uses skill, ‘Memory Recreation’ (S-Grade).]
[Recreates the memory of the ‘Cursed’ undead, ‘Sun Spear.’]
[Moving shortly.]
Flash!
My vision flashed.