Swinging in the Void

No Hayun had charged in without fear, taken a beating from Ilwol, and long since forgotten whatever emotions that had stirred in her. If anything, she now felt a strange sense of honor at having crossed blades with a figure who seemed like a hidden master of the underworld. Why was someone like that traveling with Lee Yeonhee? And why in the world was he cosplaying as a summon?

'Damn it... Seriously, how can I get him to travel with me...? I got an unexpected harvest by attacking him out of nowhere, but because of that, we can't even be together?!'

Grind— grind—

Overcome with impatience, Hayun began biting her nails without realizing it.

"...Miss Yoon, Miss No Hayun!"

"Huh? Yes?!"

"I said we should leave. What on earth are you thinking about?"

"Ah? Ah? Aaaah—? Uh, oh no, this won't do?"

When No Hayun responded like someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who had lost their mind, Helen and Jin-gyeong whispered to each other in genuine alarm.

- Jin-gyeong, something's wrong. She looks completely broken. What do we do?

- Wasn't she already in bad shape before she came to us? What if the Bijeon Guild blames us for whatever happened to her? Should we lay low for a while? Or should we ask Yeonhee to let her stay ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with us for a bit?

"If you're leaving, please do so quickly. There are people waiting behind you."

The dungeon entrance staff urged them with a glare, and only then did No Hayun and Helen finally exit the dungeon together.

Yeonhee, who had been watching them, smiled brightly at me and waved her hand.

(See you later—)

Seeing Yeonhee convey her thoughts with that small mouth made the corners of my mouth twitch upward. She looked like an entirely different species compared to No Hayun, who had been dragged out by Helen.

'No Hayun is no good. I should never party with her again.'

I made that resolution while meeting Yeonhee's gaze.

Woong—

Soon, the familiar sensation pulled me into the Dark Space, and I found myself staring at the now-closed massive gate. A space where even the stars and moon that lit the night sky seemed to have been erased. Whenever I entered this place, I felt I could truly have time to myself, and lately I had even begun to enjoy it.

Hmm—

I sat cross-legged in front of the gate. My only purpose was to organize the countless thoughts swirling in my head.

'Yeonhee's will to continue her hunter life is strong. I can tell she's genuinely enjoying it herself. Her ability to manage her summons has already reached a stable level... So instead of focusing on taking care of Yeonhee, should I start focusing on myself?'

From now on, we could simply share artifacts in the most efficient way possible. As long as we kept hunting in the Lizardman Swamp for a while and used the money to get Yeonhee an orb, we wouldn't face any real danger at our level—unless something like "Fang" appeared again.

'But that's all just small stuff. The real main event coming up is whether I'll be able to change classes again.'

If I kept running the Lizardman Swamp for about ten more days, I'd reach level 40. I had no idea what kind of change might happen then. Hunters usually experienced major shifts every twenty levels—gaining new skills or traits, or like Yeonhee, undergoing a second awakening and transforming into something completely different. But since I was a type ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with no precedent, who knew? Maybe Skeleton Bomber was my final form...

'No! If I think that narrowly, nothing will change...'

Let's assume I will change classes. Which direction should I aim for?

'I'm quite satisfied with bombs. Even if another crisis like the dungeon break happens, it's reassuring to know I have a last resort. Of course, the moment I got eaten was horrifying... but since I'm a blessed(?) skeleton, at least I don't feel physical pain.'

Still, the best option would be dealing damage or defending without dying—or at least having a guaranteed means of retreat. If I could enter this space whenever I wanted, and even bring Yeonhee in with me, that would be perfect.

'This place still gives me nothing. No matter how many times I open and close my inventory... Have I ever felt this lost about any phenomenon before?'

I had always taken pride in my innate senses, but they seemed woefully insufficient for unraveling the secrets of this space.

'Wait, am I only thinking in one direction? It's not like Jo Giman is my only enemy. Why do I keep assuming one-on-one fights?'

The Blue Eye, the Orc Legion Commander, the archmage who created "Fang"—they were all enemies too. Jo Giman's right-hand man, Jeong Ju-in, was another bastard I needed to beat down someday. When I thought about it, enemies were everywhere.

Alright, let's think back to that dangerous moment again. What if the "Fang" monster hadn't been critically wounded by my seven bombs? Would I have stupidly been chewed to death in its mouth while watching Yeonhee die?

'No. I need to find a way to survive and protect her to the very end.'

I had to prepare for the possibility that bombs wouldn't work. As time passed, I would desperately need other means of attack.

I opened my class description again.

Skeleton Bomber — Recognized as the most heterogeneous class among the undead, who focus on close combat. A battlefield slaughterer who leads fights primarily with magic bombs. Possesses extreme attack power and receives positive corrections to all mana-related abilities. However, there are restrictions on strength growth.

Bonus: +30% damage on successful attacks against enemies.

'The positive corrections to mana-related abilities probably refer to recovery speed and damage output. It's definitely several stages above what I had before the class change.'

Reading it carefully again, it didn't perfectly match my current fighting style. While I did use bombs for finishing blows, I usually prioritized close combat first. So why was I doing that?

'Neither the Lizardmen, the Orcs, nor the other summons have enough intelligence to coordinate with me. Except for Ran, maybe.'

At first, I had chosen the Bomber class intending to let the summons take the front line while I delivered a powerful finishing blow. But the more I grew, the more the restrictions on my strength stat hurt.

'If my strength stat had been higher, I could've handled No Hayun's surprise attack more efficiently.'

Ultimately, when unexpected situations arose, the summons were bound to react slowly.

'I have to block it myself. Somehow...'

In a way, meeting No Hayun might have been one of the greatest strokes of luck in my skeleton life. The fact that she made me confront this problem so early was encouraging in itself.

'Strength...'

The stat that affected overall physical power and speed. Compensating with the Rune of Giant had its limits. My current goal was to perfectly protect Yeonhee without relying on the summons.

'If I could be greedy, I'd want to combine the strengths of the Skeleton Heavy Infantry I didn't choose during the class change with my current Skeleton Bomber class...'

...If I wished for it hard enough, wouldn't it come true?

'It's not like I ever got anything I desperately wanted while I was alive, so maybe this time it'll help me out? I don't need to be all-powerful. I just need options that can cover my current weaknesses...'

I awkwardly assumed a praying posture, then immediately grabbed my head.

"Clack clack!!"

Hmm...... Instead of harboring such empty hopes, I should just train.

Whoosh— whoosh—

When my mind was cluttered, moving my body helped. I swung the club with a blank mind. It was training I had continued since the beginning of my summoning, though I had neglected it recently while making bombs. Training, if it could even be called that, was simply swinging the club according to the image in my head.

While I had never been active in combat during my life as a guide, the movements of the hunters I had partied with remained vivid in my memory. Kang Yeonsu and Jo Giman. Though they hated each other, the two had many things in common. They were both physical enhancement-type hunters. They were hot-blooded. And despite pretending otherwise, they were deeply attached to their guild. Among these, physical enhancement hunters each had their own unique abilities, but those were secondary. What mattered was moving faster, dodging attacks more nimbly, and constantly researching and training to land powerful strikes efficiently. Their insane talent and relentless effort had turned them into monsters capable of annihilating most large guilds in twenty minutes.

Human weapons. Their movements, pushed to the extreme, had been so fast that even my dynamic vision couldn't catch their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠afterimages. But my keen senses were more than enough to savor every attack and defense within range.

'Recall it. And imitate even a fragment of it!'

Whoosh— whoosh—

Since my body didn't need sleep, my days had a different density than other hunters. I focused all my nerves into each swing, slashing downward and then striking horizontally. This absolutely silent and dark space had once been deeply hateful to me, but now that I had some breathing room, there was no better training ground. I could focus solely on my own movements. And I could feel my skills improving, even if only slightly. That was truly remarkable.

'Is it because I rested for a few days? The feeling is different...'

The sensation of feeling myself grow in real time sent a thrilling pleasure throughout my entire body. A chill ran down my spine. I distinctly felt something different when I swung. The pleasant sense of immersion made me wish Yeonhee wouldn't summon me for as long as possible today.

Whoosh— whoosh—

How many times had I swung? I had long since given up counting.

'Heh—'

A hollow laugh escaped me. Back when I was a guide, I had always lived envying hunters who fought stylishly with their skills. Now, despite having far more skills than I deserved, I was just repeating simple slashes. Was there ever such a contrarian?

'It feels... really good...'

If I practiced nothing but swinging in this space for hundreds or thousands of years, would I eventually be able to draw those beautiful arcs like Hyeon Jung-gil, the leader of the Ilseom Guild?

'Probably not... but just imagining it is nice...'

I knew it wouldn't happen, but that wasn't a reason to give up. At least not while I was still moving forward.

Time passed, and I began to feel my feet lift off the ground, floating gently. Even so, there was not the slightest tremor in my swings. This was a realm I had never even approached while alive. The Dark Space disappeared, and I found myself in an infinite white expanse. The vast sense of space made my head spin, but my arm never stopped.

Shhh— whoosh—

"There are things you can only obtain by letting go. Remember that."

'Who was it that said that......'

The consciousness that had briefly returned vanished cleanly with the next swing. My mind transcended its limits and drifted somewhere far away.

. . .

'Hah! Hah... Heh... Heh... Phew—!'

Why was I out of breath? What on earth had I done to end up in this state?

'I don't know. This is insane...... What was that really?'

Absurdly enough, I had even acquired a trait I had never seen before.

'Penetration? What's that?'

Was it like the defense-ignoring damage I'd seen in games? Gaining 1% penetration on swings meant it wouldn't apply to bombs, at least. It seemed like a good trait, but the number was far too small no matter how I looked at it.

'Hah! Time! How much time has passed?!'

It felt similar to waking up after drinking, with chunks of memory missing. Cold sweat ran down my back. What if years or even decades had passed?

I anxiously stared at the massive gate, and as if waiting for me, light began to shine from it.

'Whew......'

Creaaak. The gate, which opened more slowly than usual, gently embraced the skeleton, and soon nothing remained in the space.

* * *