Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: The Gravekeeper and the Key
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“Guh... guh...”
The spearman had already lost all will to fight after watching his comrade's face cave in and get blown away right in front of him.
He collapsed to his knees, his legs giving out, trembling uncontrollably.
Thwack!
The coward was swiftly finished off with a side kick. Now only the archer leader remained.
“Y-you crazy bastard... Stay back! I said stay back!”
He screamed, trying to nock another arrow.
But his hands shook violently from terror.
It was already over in terms of momentum.
The moment a hunter feels fear toward its prey, victory and defeat are decided.
Click.
I snatched the bowstring before he could even raise the bow.
Then, with my other hand, I lightly struck his solar plexus.
Thud!
“Kuhk!”
“Hey, it's not over yet! You deserve one more hit, you punk.”
Thwack!
I delivered a soccer kick straight to the face of the guy writhing on the ground, clutching his stomach.
I won't describe what he looked like after that.
He wasn't dead. Just knocked out cold, eyes rolled back.
Clean finish.
“Whew.”
I started rummaging through the bags dropped on the ground.
Of course, I grabbed the [Wind Bone Bow (Rare)] they had first.
The smooth bone texture fit perfectly in my hand.
'This'll come in handy. Just in case we run into those damn elves here too.'
I also picked up a few potions and a useful dagger they had.
Ah, I left the clothes.
Too much hassle to strip them.
I considered killing them cleanly to see if any cards dropped, but...
I glanced back.
Park Yumin was clasping her hands together, eyes sparkling as she watched me.
“Wow...! Big Brother, you're so merciful!”
“Huh?”
“Letting those bad guys live instead of killing them... Heroes really are different!”
“...Yeah, sure, let's say that.”
I shrugged.
No need to explain.
In this brutal dungeon, being left unconscious without gear—especially injured—is worse than death.
I turned away, leaving them as monster bait.
“Let's go. We're done here.”
“Yes! Big Brother is the best!”
We continued patrolling the graveyard around the central ossuary.
The fog was still thick, and the clattering of bones echoed from all around.
“Big Brother, why are we just circling this area?”
“Still got some business to take care of.”
I positioned myself in the section with the weathered tombstones clustered together.
Then I deliberately made noise to lure the surrounding skeletons.
“Keeek!”
“Yumin, climb up on that safe rock over there and stay put. Don't come down; you'll get in the way.”
“Got it!”
The hunt began again.
I massacred the skeletons like a madman.
Krunch! Thud!
Skulls shattered, bone dust scattering everywhere.
Not for experience.
To trigger this area's hidden condition.
[Skeletons Defeated: 98/100]
'Two left.'
I sliced through the necks of the two charging skulls at once.
[Condition Met!]
[The ossuary guardian, hidden boss 'Gravekeeper' awakens.]
Rumble...!
The ground shook violently.
The massive tombstone in the center of the graveyard split in two, and a gigantic hand burst from the earth.
An undead giant at least three meters tall, clad in patchwork rusted plate armor.
In one hand, it gripped a shovel as big as a person.
“Eek! W-what is that?!”
Park Yumin screamed and hid behind the rock.
I licked my lips in delight.
“There you are, treasure chest.”
“Grraaaargh!”
The Gravekeeper roared and swung its massive shovel.
A heavy gust tearing through the air.
Instant death if it hit.
But.
'Slow.'
I was making full use of [Speed Up].
The moment the shovel whistled past my head, I was already inside its guard.
-Boom!
The shovel slammed into the ground, the earth quaking.
The brief stun from the recoil.
I didn't miss the opening.
I swung the Wraithblade at the joint in its knee armor, where the plating didn't cover.
Crunch!
A heavy slash backed by unique-grade power.
Its knee shattered, the giant staggering.
“Groooar!”
It flailed its arm wildly, but didn't even graze my clothes.
I climbed onto its back and thrust my spear into the bluish glow peeking from its helmet.
-Stab!
[Hidden boss 'Gravekeeper' defeated.]
[Experience gained based on party contribution.]
Thud!
The massive monster collapsed, kicking up dust.
At the same time, brilliant pillars of light shot up from me and Park Yumin.
“Kyaa! Big Brother, I leveled up again! I'm already level 4!”
Park Yumin bounced excitedly on the rock.
I leveled up too, but more importantly, the items it dropped.
Two items gleamed where the corpse vanished.
One was the skill card [Cursed Flame (Rare)].
And the other: [Gravekeeper's Keyring].
'I wanted the keyring, but a rare skill card drops out of nowhere?'
I picked up the keyring first.
A master key for unlocking the barred doors and chests scattered across the map.
Next, the skill card.
'Was gonna give it to her from the start since it's useless to me, but a rare card of all things...'
With my speed build and unique-grade power investment, magic skills have poor efficiency.
Plus, learning magic as your first skill forces [Magic Power Up] options instead of [Power Up] on future level-ups.
So I planned to have her learn it and test things out, but...
What a shame it's rare...
“Yumin, take this.”
I handed it to her without hesitation.
“Huh? This is...?”
“Register it right now.”
“A mage? For real?”
Her trembling hands activated the card.
Red flames enveloped her body and seeped in.
[Party member Park Yumin has acquired the 'Cursed Flame' skill.]
“Whoa...? Big Brother! A new [Magic Power] option popped up in my level-up choices!”
“Good. You're a mage now, so dump all your stats into Magic Power from here on. Got it?”
“Yes! Am I a magical girl now? Hehe... Big Brother's flame-wielding magical girl...”
She's interpreting it weirdly again, but anyway, party firepower boosted successfully.
'It's not free, though. You're my firepower slave now.'
With the [Gravekeeper's Key] secured, no more business in the graveyard or ossuary.
Time for serious farming.
I picked every locked gate and chest across the map.
Click. Creak.
“Bingo.”
Usable gear spilled from the chest.
[Shadow Boots], [Black Iron Chain Pauldrons], [Steel Helmet].
I ditched the remaining tutorial gear and equipped the map's top-tier items from head to toe.
Finally felt like a fantasy game protagonist.
“Big Brother, can I wear this?”
Park Yumin eyed the [Apprentice Mage's Robe] I'd pulled out.
Paper-thin defense, but boosts Magic Power a bit.
“Put it on. I don't get hit anyway.”
“Yay! Thank you!”
She started stripping off her leather armor right there.
Riiip.
The tight leather peeled away, unleashing her suppressed pale skin and voluptuous curves like a spring.
Wearing only a thin scrap of cloth like underwear, she changed clothes casually in front of me.
'...No sense of caution, or does she trust me that much?'
Most women would freak out and hide from a guy.
Regardless of gender, she sees my side as an absolute safe zone.
Her white shoulder line and smooth legs contrasted eerily with the grim backdrop, stirring something odd.
“Hehe, how's it look? Suits me?”
She spun around in the robe.
The loose fabric fluttered, but the volume underneath stayed unhidden.
“Try casting a spell.”
“Oh, okay! On that skeleton over there?”
She extended her hand toward a lurking skeleton in the distance.
“Cursed Flame!”
Whoosh!
A dark red fireball shot from her fingertips, engulfing the skull.
Boom!
“Ooh...!”
The skeleton was instantly wreathed in flames, exploding into bone shards everywhere.
Rare skill—insane power even on first try.
And she'd only invested once in Magic Power.
At normal rank, no less.
'This is why I hate mages. Total balance breaker.'
“Big Brother! Did you see? I did great, right? Huh? Why the face? Did I mess up?”
She ran over like a puppy begging for praise.
I forced a smile and patted her head.
“N-no, it's good. Pretty decent. Now... you'll earn your keep.”
“Hehehe... First praise ever.”
Almost fully geared up, Yumin's level decently raised.
We left the graveyard entirely, heading to the fog forest entrance.
The trees were withered and twisted, the air even chillier.
But in the middle of the forest path, something out of place lay there.
“Huh...? Isn't that a person?”
Park Yumin pointed.
A man sprawled in the bushes.
I went on guard and approached cautiously.
“......”
Dead.
But the condition was off.
No monster bite marks.
From the crown of his head to under his chin.
A clean circular hole about 5cm in diameter.
“Ughk...”
Park Yumin covered her mouth and turned away.
Brain matter leaking out—gruesome.
But what caught my eye was the power, not the brutality.
'Not an arrow.'
Arrows don't make wounds like this.
Something much heavier, more destructive.
Like a javelin.
Hurled with insane strength, punching through skull like tofu and out the other side.
'Not a monster.'
No javelin-using monsters in this stage.
Only one answer.
I scanned the deep forest, shadows between the trees.
My instincts screamed warning.
A real threat nearby, leagues beyond the thugs we'd faced.
“Yumin.”
I murmured low.
“From now on, don't leave my back.”