Chasing the Stars - Kin in the Dungeon's Hidden Space
In the hidden space of the dungeon, I came face to face with one of my own kind.
"I am Gular."
Gular's dwelling was cozier than I'd expected. For a skeleton's lair, it was surprisingly decent. The interior was neatly arranged in its own way—impossibly tidy for a place where your average skeleton might live.
I'm a knight!
"Clack clack!"
I had no name. Well, I must have had one once, but I couldn't recall it. Not that it mattered much now that I was a skeleton. I introduced myself boldly anyway.
"Hmph! A knight, you say?"
He snorted in derision. Fair enough—I didn't exactly look the part. No fancy armor. And certainly no noble steed. All I had was this shabby helmet perched on my skull and my trusty bone club. I awkwardly deflated my puffed-up chest.
"Whether you're a knight or whatever, I don't care. Just fix my door right now!"
"......Clack clack."
I scratched at my skull as Gular glared at me in irritation. Breaking things? That I could do. Fixing them? Not so much. The door I'd just smashed through to get in here was now in splinters. Suddenly, I was the intruder who'd wrecked someone's home, and all I could do was stand there flustered.
"...Ugh, hopeless! Move aside right now!"
When I just stood there dumbly, Gular waved me away in frustration.
"Restore!"
His shout made the air around us rumble. What the—? Was he casting a spell? I watched without much thought at first, but then the result left me stunned. The door was reverting to its original form, as if time itself were flowing backward. In seconds, it stood solid and sturdy once more. It wasn't magic so much as something mystical. Seeing it, I was certain.
That's definitely a skill.
I gaped at Gular in shock.
Did you just use a skill?
"Clack clack?"
Gular adjusted his glasses and replied to my unspoken question.
"Hm? And how do you know that's a skill?"
It was obvious at a glance! It felt exactly like the skills I'd used countless times—something slightly alien, not entirely natural.
I have skills too!
"Clack clack!"
Only after blurting it out did I realize my mistake. In my excitement, I'd spilled something I shouldn't have to someone whose allegiance I didn't even know. Damn! Rookie error!
But the fallout wasn't as bad as I'd feared.
"Oh ho... So you have potential too, then."
Potential? What was that supposed to mean? I tilted my head with a rattle, and Gular extended his hand toward me. A handshake? Without overthinking it, I grasped it.
Gular☆ Lv.12
Info on Gular popped up before my eyes. The most striking thing was his level. Why so low? I didn't know exactly how deep in the dungeon this was yet, but the random mobs wandering the maze outside were over level 30. For someone who'd likely been holed up here a while like Gular, level 12 was way below mine. At that level, even a wanderer from the outside might give him trouble.
"Just as I thought. You have a star too."
I looked up at his words. His massive skull loomed several times larger than mine. But his gaze wasn't on me—it was fixed somewhere farther off, as if reading something.
No way...?
Suddenly, it hit me. Did Gular have the ability to read others' info like I did? And from the context, yeah, that seemed right.
"Fallen Knight, huh... So you really were a knight."
A name I'd never told anyone. Couldn't tell anyone. Hearing him say it so casually confirmed it for me. This guy was like me. Same skeleton. Same ability. The main difference? He didn't seem built for combat. We were both just bones, but where I felt like a scrappy athlete, Gular gave off frail scholar vibes. Not dangerous at all.
Of course, that didn't mean I'd drop my guard!
Keeping my tension up, I checked Gular's status again.
Gular☆ Lv.12
Sparse info. But now, something new caught my eye: the star next to his name. Mine had one too. Emilia's did as well. Regular dumb mobs? No stars. So why did some status windows have them?
I'd always wondered. Back in the skeleton factory before I came to this world, I was the only one with that star among a horde of them. At first, I thought it was some defect. But seeing Gular changed my mind. He was no ordinary skeleton either.
Hey! Gular!
"What?"
What does that star next to the name mean?
"Clack clack?"
I clacked my teeth furiously to get the point across. Thankfully, he got it and pondered for a moment. What, was it some big secret that needed that much thought? Just spill it already! My impatience built until my legs started shaking.
Rattle.
Shake shake.
Rattle.
Shake shake.
Hello? My patience was at its limit when he finally spoke.
"You want to know?"
Yes! I nodded vigorously. Was my long-standing curiosity finally getting answered?
"I'll tell you. And I'll throw in a separate reward. But in exchange, grant me one request?"
A deal, huh? I thought it over. He was definitely about to dump some annoying chore on me. Was the info worth the hassle?
Of course!
"Clack clack!"
No question. Wandering around these past few days had taught me one thing: info was valuable. If I'd known about inheritance sooner, I'd be even stronger now. If I'd known the stairs to floor 2 would collapse, I wouldn't have fallen here. And there was more. Info was key—especially when I knew so little.
"Good! My request is simple: bring me 100 ghoul fangs."
Not too bad. Tough head-on, but I could pick them off one by one. I had my Slash skill, after all. I nodded, accepting the deal.
Now hand over the info.
"Clack clack."
In a lawless world like this, upfront payment was a must. He'd promised a separate reward, so the info could come first. I shot him an intense look, and Gular nodded readily.
"Very well, I'll tell you."
I plopped down right there. Ready!
I perked up my sockets (no eyeballs) and listened intently.
"This world is founded on three trees."
Trees? The word came out of nowhere, but I kept quiet and focused. He'd explain it all anyway.
"The Platinum Tree governs the laws of life. The Shadow Tree governs the laws of order. And finally, the Nameless Tree, which merely observes the world without interfering."
His explanation started making sense. So the trees were like gods? Metaphors for transcendent beings.
"Monsters like us are chosen by the Nameless Tree. Though its observing nature means we get no blessings."
The reason humans kept respawning? Blessing from the Platinum Tree. Gular said a select few humans who contracted with it were called Wanderers.
So we get nothing?
"Clack clack?"
Humans got resurrection. Even the Shadow Tree gave some blessings. Wasn't this blatant discrimination, even if the Nameless Tree was our overseer?
"That's why we have the stars. Sometimes called 'potential.' Certain monsters are born with them."
So, what did they do?
"They grant the privilege of evolution."
The reason I could inherit from that skeleton knight. Soul Stone. The one gift the Nameless Tree gave monsters.
"And monsters with stars like us can even choose our own names."
A name. I hadn't cared until now. But names mattered. I couldn't stay a skeleton forever. Inheritance made me stronger, and eventually, I'd evolve. After a moment's thought, I voiced the name that came to mind.
Chiron.
"Clack clack."
Chiron☆ Lv.25
That was my name.
While Chiron took another step toward understanding the world...
"Hey, you sure this place is really okay?"
A pair of newbie wanderers prowled the plains in front of the Starting Village.
"I told you not to worry. I've checked a bunch of times. Even the Hero of Iron Blood came here himself to take down that rumored skeleton, remember?"
The Hero of Iron Blood had personally come to exterminate the infamous skeleton. But days later, he'd returned to the village empty-handed. After loafing around for a few more days, he'd grumbled his way back to the admin office.
Matthew saw this as the perfect opportunity. With the skeleton suddenly vanished and other wanderers holing up in the village out of fear, now was their chance. The skeleton must've fled before the hero arrived.
"Time to hog all the monsters for ourselves."
Wanderers made their living off monster byproducts. That was basic survival. Other areas had dungeons and such, but around the Starting Village? Nothing like that. Just safe, low-level mobs. With no competition today, the two had snuck out to monopolize the plains.
No one around. All theirs.
They hunted excitedly until...
"Huh? What's this?"
They stopped before a small hole that should have been hidden by brush. A pitch-black entrance stretched into darkness. After peering in, realization dawned.
This was a dungeon.
A real dungeon, right near the Starting Village—just like the rumors. Shock faded quickly.
"Wanna be the first to go in?"
"No way! It's dangerous!"
"There might be treasure inside."
"......"
Petrol shut his mouth at that. Treasure. The dream word for any man—or wanderer. Snag some, get rich, quit the dangerous life, and live out your days in a mansion with beautiful women and endless booze!
In the end, Petrol caved to temptation.
"...We'll just check what kind of dungeon it is."
"Obviously! I don't wanna die either!"
An untouched, unknown dungeon. But they didn't know a certain skeleton they'd feared was already prowling inside.
Oblivious that they were stepping into the abyss, the two ventured into the dark depths.