The Second Key
The dungeon's second underground floor. As everyone prepared for battle with tension etched on their faces,
Petrol watched the skeleton facing them off and felt a twinge of doubt.
"But... doesn't something feel off?"
"What does?"
Petrol, one of the boys who had first discovered the dungeon and sold the info to the wanderers, had ended up as a reluctant guide for one of the parties. Whether he had a knack for it or not, he and his group had outpaced the others and reached the second floor first.
But the skeleton they encountered there looked... strange somehow.
"Anyone can see that skeleton killed the goblins. Why would monsters of the same kind attack each other?"
The moment they opened the door, a foul stench poured out. The floor was covered in goblin blood and chunks of flesh, proof that these had been the original owners of the place. By the look of the surroundings, that skeleton over there was the intruder.
So the question was: why had the skeleton killed the goblins?
Normal undead targeted only the lifeforms under the radiant Platinum Tree's domain. Not fellow monsters.
Petrol decided to think differently this time. Maybe the skeleton had some purpose for attacking the goblins.
And perhaps it was connected to the woman it had just killed.
"Monsters don't think that complicated. Probably just a coincidence."
His doubts were quickly shot down.
Was that true? Monsters had no hearts. The warm emotions that made humans human. Selflessness, caring for and thinking of each other. There was no way a monster in this world could have a heart.
They were predator and prey, natural enemies devouring each other. He figured they must have just had a falling out and fought.
Of course. What emotions could a heartless skeleton even have?
The skeleton staring at them with that weird bone in its grip looked ready for a fight, brimming with intent.
Petrol recalled the skeleton that had killed him not long ago. It wore a shabby helmet on its head. One arm raised a round wooden shield. And no matter how you looked at it, it was identical to the one in front of them.
It had to be that one. His neck still throbbed from where it had slashed him.
Finally, the time for revenge had come. This time, he'd kill it for sure.
Gripping his weapon slowly, Petrol steeled himself once more.
The world is endlessly cruel to the weak.
A world where the strong devour everything as a matter of course.
To survive in such a place, you need power without fail.
And fortunately, I had that power.
The strength to protect what's mine and steal what's theirs. The overwhelming might to crush enemies.
If I'd been some feeble skeleton without any power, I'd have been human chow ages ago.
I remember it well. The way wanderers looked at me like I was some worthless toy, easy pickings.
And it hadn't changed now.
"Die!!"
One wanderer charged at me, bellowing.
Wanderers were always like this, damn it. With all those lives, they had no sense of danger. No caution, no patience.
Even now. Didn't anything seem suspicious?
The goblin corpses scattered around clearly screamed my handiwork. They should've been wary, tightening the encirclement bit by bit. Not leaving me this much space.
Slash!
"Paul!"
Without even moving much, I lopped off his head.
The enraged charger dissolved into blue mist.
"Everyone, stay sharp!"
Too late, they realized I wasn't easy prey. Someone yelled it out.
Now we're talking.
Clack clack.
I knocked my teeth together, eyeing their wary faces.
"Fireball!"
A big shout from the staff-wielding woman.
Whoosh!
The dark room lit up with fierce red flames.
Evasion!
I rolled aside, dodging the fireball with quick judgment.
"No way...!!"
They hadn't expected me to evade like that; shocked voices erupted.
But that wasn't the right reaction.
Charge of Hatred!
With the skill's activation, my body shot forward.
Bam!
"Guh...!"
I severed the staggering wanderer's neck.
Slash!
Two down in an instant. My eyes already hunted the next target.
"S-skills! Dump everything on it!"
The mage who'd fired the fireball first. She was the leader, barking orders like it.
I rushed her without hesitation, slashing any annoyances in my path.
Five wanderers down in a flash.
"Fire Spear!"
Evasion!
I rolled past the point-blank skill too.
Now she had no way to hit me. A swing of bone took her head, blue mist rising.
Dangerous ones cleared. I turned to the last wanderer remaining.
And when I saw his face, I couldn't help but react.
You're that kid I met a while back?
Clack?
Didn't expect to see you again so soon.
The setup felt familiar. The lone survivor at the end. Staring each other down across a barrier.
The nostalgia was brief. I raised my bone.
Humans and monsters can't coexist. That's the law of this world.
"You fucking... shit."
Hey now! Language.
Annoyed, I slashed his neck without mercy. Even in the dark, the blue mist was vivid.
I stared at it a moment, then calmly walked over and picked up my helmet again.
Click.
Due to the item's effect, the skill Craving has been temporarily deactivated.
Helmet on, and the earring's effect deactivated Craving again.
Phew. Finally, I can breathe!
With the pointless thoughts crowding my skull easing up, it felt like a weight lifted.
So this is the key?
Clack clack?
I lifted the key the goblin chief had worn like a necklace, inspecting it closely. Even accounting for its age, it was in great shape. No rust. No scratches.
What the hell was it made of to look this pristine? The wear of time just wasn't there.
Anyway, that made one down out of the three keys needed to open the door.
At this rate, the others would come quick too.
A few meaningless skirmishes had happened, but none posed a real threat.
I brushed the dust off my body and headed straight for the third floor to hunt the next key.
What awaited on the third underground level? Goblins on two, so maybe something stronger.
Half excited, half wary, I descended the stairs carefully.
*
Covered head to toe in dust, I strolled leisurely down the third-floor corridor.
Eh, nothing much.
The third floor was simpler than expected. Just traps scattered here and there in a straightforward layout.
Of course, there were more than I'd anticipated, giving me some trouble, but I dismantled most with Evasion.
It wasn't just traps on three. Signs of someone sneaking in and getting caught—skulls here and there yielded bones as a nice bonus.
The skill re:bone has increased in level.
Skill window.
re:bone had hit level 3 already. Naturally, more body parts were available for replacement.
[Current inheritable parts: Right shin, Left wrist, Ribcage]
Ribcage this time.
Would you like to use the skill re:bone?
[Current replacement part: Ribcage]
[Inherit the skill contained in the soul essence?]
No reason to refuse.
Bone Throw lv. 1
— Rip out one bone from your body and hurl it forward.
The new skill was a ranged thrower. A distance attack at last!
Sure, the "use your own bone" part nagged a bit, but I decided not to overthink it.
I had plenty of bones anyway! Pulling out one or two to toss shouldn't be an issue.
Thrilled with the new skill, I pushed through the traps and reached the end of the third floor.
Found it!
Clack clack!
There sat a small chest. It screamed "reward" to anyone who saw it.
I reached out eagerly—but paused, suddenly wary.
It wouldn't explode or anything, right?
After all those traps on the way here, paranoia had set in.
Nah, that'd be too much.
Clack clack.
No way they'd troll to the very end. Whoever designed this dungeon would be a total bastard if so.
Creeeak!
Thankfully, it wasn't that evil. The chest opened with a groan.
Dust filled the inside, but smack in the center lay a single key.
Two out of three already. I eyed the stairs leading down.
Only one spot left for the final key.
The bottom of this dungeon. The fifth floor.