Chapter 102
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Skeleton Rush
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They kept walking the same path over and over.
It was nothing but walking, but the stamina drain was anything but light.
Simply keeping a Gigant in constant motion was on a whole different level from walking on foot.
On top of that, they couldn't let their guard down for even a second, since enemies could ambush them at any moment.
Two hours after entering Red Hole, sweat was already pouring down Abel's forehead.
He wiped it away as he thought to himself.
‘The Jackal Mercenaries were the right call.’
Right now, they had been trudging along the same route for a full two hours.
From the Jackal captain and vice-captain's perspective, it must have felt grueling and utterly pointless.
And yet, they hadn't voiced a single complaint or question.
They simply carried out Abel's orders in silence.
‘I should spread some subtle word after we get back.’
Reliable mercenaries were rare as hen's teeth, so they'd grow fast if nothing went wrong.
With those thoughts swirling in his head, Abel walked on in silence.
How much time had passed like that?
-A passage up ahead.
The vice-captain, scouting at the front, called back in a flustered voice.
It was a route they'd passed countless times, but a brand-new passage had appeared.
Abel pushed forward the moment he heard.
-I'll check it out.
-Yes, sir.
Up close, he could see a new tunnel smack in the middle of what should have been a fork.
It wasn't so narrow that they could've overlooked it.
‘Found it.’
Abel's eyes lit up as he turned his Gigant around.
-As planned, I'll explore this alone.
-You sure?
Jackal's voice carried a subtle note of concern.
It was only natural.
Even if they'd agreed on it beforehand, heading into a suspicious tunnel solo looked risky as hell.
But Abel replied in a calm tone.
-Yeah. If I'm not back by the deadline, pull out immediately and report to the knights.
-Understood. We'll wait somewhere a bit removed from Red Hole, then.
Jackal acknowledged and began prepping to withdraw with his vice-captain.
Only then did Abel swing his Gigant back toward the passage.
“Whew.”
Staring into it stirred a mix of excitement and tension.
It would be great if what he was hoping for lay beyond, but it might not.
Either way, backing out now was off the table.
Abel steeled himself and slowly advanced into the tunnel.
Thud. Thud.
The Gigant's footfalls echoed loudly.
Moving alone after traveling in a group made the sound feel even louder.
Eyes fixed ahead, Abel asked Lupus.
“Anything out of the ordinary?”
-Nope. Nothing different from the other passages so far.
“Got it.”
Abel wasn't sensing anything unusual either.
If he hadn't known better, he'd have pegged it as just another ordinary tunnel.
‘No forks either.’
Since entering the new passage, no branches had appeared.
It was a straight shot, nothing more.
Abel had no clue how long it went on.
Even in the game, its exact length wasn't shown.
‘In the game, it just flashed by on a loading screen.’
Back then, three seconds was all it took.
Not so in reality.
‘Hope it's not too damn long.’
Abel just hoped he could walk to the end and back without issue.
Miss this chance, and getting the giant's remains would be a pipe dream.
Red Hole would be fully sealed off five months from now—not just barred, but filled in with dirt.
That's why he'd come at this exact time.
Wishing the tunnel would end soon, Abel picked up the pace.
About twenty minutes later.
-The air's getting hot all of a sudden.
Lupus spoke up.
Abel narrowed his eyes.
“You sure?”
-Yeah. If you were outside the Gigant, you'd feel it too.
His heart pounded at that.
Heat meant they were almost at the goal.
Gripping his greatsword tighter, Abel said.
“Could be a fight anytime. Get ready.”
-I'm always ready.
Lupus sounded heated too, despite his words.
Five minutes after Lupus first mentioned it, a new sight appeared ahead—unlike anything before.
The first thing he noticed was the blood-red floor.
Red Hole and its surroundings were already reddish, but this was on another level.
A color that couldn't exist naturally.
-Incredible mana coming from deep inside.
Abel just nodded at Lupus's words.
He clutched his weapon and stepped from the tunnel into a vast cavern.
“There it is.”
He knew the instant he entered.
The source of the mana.
In the cavern's center lay an enormous skeleton.
Even from Abel's height in the Gigant—which wasn't low—he had to crane his neck up to see it fully.
‘This thing was originally...’
Abel imagined it briefly, then shook his head.
He'd once clashed with a Gigadeus, but taking on one this size? No chance.
Not yet, anyway.
-Mana's pouring out from this remains. The unnatural heat seems tied to it too.
“Some Gigadeus have mana with special properties.”
Abel circled the remains as he spoke.
“If this place wasn't sealed off specially, the whole area would've turned to desert.”
-Makes sense. So, what's next? Just grab it and go?
“As if.”
If it were that easy, he wouldn't have been so tense coming here.
“Only one thing to take: the essence left in the heart of the Gigadeus remains.”
-Essence?
“Yeah. Separate from the core—it's where its unique traits are concentrated.”
Abel kept talking as he reached the ribcage.
The gaps between ribs were wide, but not enough for a Gigant, so he swung his sword.
Scraaaape!
He put his all into it, but the rib didn't break.
Three more full swings finally snapped it, opening a gap big enough to enter.
-But if it's like you said, can't we just grab the essence and bounce?
“Grabbing it is easy. The problem's after.”
-After?
“This Gigadeus was special.”
The inside was dark, but Abel spotted his target easily.
Something inside gave off a faint glow.
Approaching, he found a large, orange-tinted orb.
As he drew near, Lupus asked again.
-How was it special?
“Insanely greedy. Even in death, it didn't want anyone taking what was its.”
-Hmm.
“Get ready.”
Abel snatched the essence and stowed it in a prepared container.
Without hesitation, he bolted back the way he'd come.
Just as he emerged from the ribs.
Ruuuuumble!
A massive roar shook the ground violently.
Grimacing, Abel veered not toward the entrance tunnel, but the opposite way.
Lupus didn't ask why.
He'd seen the entry tunnel collapse when the roar hit.
But there was a bigger issue right now.
-There! Enemies!
Lupus's voice sharpened in warning.
Abel whipped his head around and spotted skeletons rising from the floor.
‘Knew they'd show.’
In the game, what happened after grabbing the essence was random.
Luck out, and nothing occurred—but that was rare.
Abel had seen it once, and that was it.
More often, something did happen.
This was the classic ‘Skeleton Rush.’
-Suddenly sensing it. Tons of corpses buried underground.
“Yeah. Warriors who died fighting the Gigadeus.”
The reason was simple.
Stealing the essence had unleashed the suppressed energies.
This world had no standard undead, so it had to be the Gigadeus's power.
‘Ancient Gigadeus—figures it has more than one trick.’
This scenario was on the milder side.
Sometimes the whole space turned into a sea of fire, or the cavern collapsed.
Worst case: the remains itself revived, and the only way out was returning the essence in time.
-Their numbers are swelling!
Even while running, more skeletons kept rising.
-We're about to clash.
“Yeah.”
No avoiding the fight, just as Lupus said.
The collapsed entry had opened a new path, but it was far off.
And skeletons lined the route between.
Skeletons were usually pushovers, but these? Different story.
Tatta-tat!
As distance closed, they formed ranks, bracing for impact.
They looked pros at fighting bigger foes.
‘Wouldn't expect less.’
They were warriors who'd battled a house-sized Gigadeus.
“Full throttle from the start.”
-Good.
The moment Abel spoke, Lupus unleashed his power.
“Hup.”
Abel activated Overdrive and the Sage's Crown in sync.
Heat surged through his body, raw power flooding in.
Like being reborn.
He swung the greatsword with it all.
Boom!
Five skeletons crumbled in one stroke.
But twenty more waited behind.
Abel recovered and swung again, as if expecting it.
KABOOM!
More collapsed. Even more blocked the way.
Abel and Lupus slashed like mad.
It carved through cleanly at first.
But after some progress, the blade started catching.
Mid-swing, Abel saw dozens of skeletons piling on the floor.
Like a pyramid.
Distracted for a split second wondering what the hell, a few climbed it and leaped high.
Thud!
Skeletons rained from above.
Abel swung, but couldn't block them all.
Scraaaape!
Those that stuck hammered the joints.
‘Not easy, huh.’
Barely halfway to the exit.
Long road ahead.
“Whew.”
Exhaling hot breath, Abel activated all armaments without pause.
KAAAA-BOOM!
Guardian Shields unfurled like wings, forming a barrier.
His feet thrummed with forward momentum, ready to charge.
Fully armed up, a fierce headache and pressure hit.
But Abel didn't stop.
Whirr.
He bent his knees, pulled his arm back to the limit.
KAAAAA-BOOOOOM!
And charged.
Straight at the enemy.