“Hey? You came back quickly!”
Yeon-hee said, sounding surprised, but her lips were curving upward in a smile.
It really didn’t take long to go and come back. If I hadn’t waited for the contaminated breath to spread, it would have taken less than 20 minutes.
“Clap, Clap, Clap!”
After answering, when I looked at her with eyes that asked what she was doing awake, Yeon-hee hurriedly replied.
“I! I just couldn’t sleep, so I was playing with Ran!”
‘Looks like things are back to normal.’
The adult version of Yeon-hee, which had somehow looked dangerous, had disappeared without a trace.
My eyes naturally drifted to the small bird flopped down on her palm.
Ran, who was supposed to educate the Lizard Squad, had her wings a complete mess. There seemed to be some blood too. It looked like she had received education from Lizardman 1 instead… I felt uneasy since the moment she started flapping her lips.
(Master… I am no longer worthy of living! Ugh… All I got was a few words of encouragement, and yet I was ruthlessly trampled on.)
“Don’t cry, Ran. Are you hurt badly? Lizardman 1! Why are you hitting the poor thing?”
*Chururur…(It’s a fair battle…)*
“You dare talk back again?”
*Churup…*
“Is this the hurt spot, Ran?”
(Yes, it’s right there. The inside of my wing. Master, if you could just pour a little of Goddess Irmana’s water on it, I would be truly grateful… Ugh…)
‘……’
I shook my head and settled into my designated seat in the corner of the living room, ready for a satisfying bomb-making session.
‘Making bombs, practicing swordsmanship, training magic, and now even digging soil. I actually have quite a few fun things to do, huh?’
It was an infinitely satisfying skeleton life. I wish I could keep living like this.
‘With so many garbage humans like Nam Yong-seok within a 500-meter radius, is that even possible…?’
As I thought about needing to escape this crazy neighborhood quickly, I suddenly became curious about how the world was turning.
‘I’ve been too focused on our growth.’
I quickly let out waves of sensory perception, eavesdropping on the sounds coming from other houses. I needed to find a house watching news on a dedicated channel… Oh? There seem to be quite a few.
As luck would have it, the news was broadcasting concerns about the emergence of a new monster.
「······ Breaking news. A monster of a previously unconfirmed form, first discovered off the coast of Phuket, Thailand, has appeared on land, causing hundreds of casualties.
Many witnesses reported that it was a massive creature with black scales and red wings, sharp teeth, unlike mermaids.
The Thai government has immediately issued evacuation orders for all residents and has begun an investigation.
Experts express concern that this may not just be a new ‘monster’ given the scale of the damage inflicted in such a short time…」
‘… Thailand… black scales, red wings… Wasn’t it called Ironclad Colossus? Yeah, that was its name. A monster that’s nearly impossible to scratch with an average skill. It’s not at ‘Great Beast’ level but is still tough enough… I didn’t expect it to show up this early, though…?’
The news of hundreds of lives lost due to just one monster. But that thing wasn’t just a single entity. It should be regarded as a scout.
‘… Well, there are many strong people in Thailand. They should handle it themselves.’
Then, another news report from a different house caught my ear.
「······ Recently, the emergence of powerful mutants in dungeons has been increasing, causing authorities considerable stress. Reports from academia suggest that mutants are appearing frequently in both high and medium-low level dungeons…」
‘Hmm, thinking about it, meeting orcs in Lizard Swamp can be considered an encounter with mutants, I suppose. The sheer number of them was the only thing different…’
It seems wise to increase my minimum stock of skeleton bombs. Just like when I detonated 30 at once on the boss of the ‘Abandoned School’, I should always have enough bombs on hand to at least give me a chance at escaping when a strong one appears.
It feels insufficient to have only 10. Let’s stockpile up to 30. In return, let’s increase the proportion of Fireballs… For that, it might be good to insert a couple of Rune of Magic too.
=====
Skeleton Bomb Lv.9
– Bones of monsters defeated directly are processed into magic bombs and stored, causing damage (380% of attack power) when thrown as needed.
– Higher graded processed bones result in additional damage.
– Storage: 0/66
=====
Before I knew it, the Skeleton Bomb had reached Level 9. I had been using it continuously, yet its growth rate was significantly faster than all other skills. Perhaps it’s because it holds my identity as a skeleton.
Despite being Level 9, the quantity I can store still felt lacking. Would reaching Level 10 bring about any changes? At the very least, I hope it greatly increases the number of bombs I can store.
Next, the news regarding North Korea started playing.
「······ The erosion of North Korea is rapidly advancing. It has been 6 months since the Great Beast Devouring Creeper emerged near Deokcheon in South Pyongan Province, yet no significant solutions have been found to slow the erosion. Experts analyze that North Korea may officially seek help from the international community soon…」
‘Hah… Devouring Creeper? This shouldn’t be appearing right now. Why is everything speeding up?’
I recalled the memory of that Great Beast rapidly expanding its territory and ultimately swallowing up northern Pyongyang, at which point our country finally realized the severity of the situation and hurriedly dispatched top-tier hunters.
‘This is really bad… Those things are not even something early awakened ones or S-rank hunters like Jo Gi-man can handle.’
Monsters referred to as ‘Great Beasts’. Some even call them divine beasts (神獸) due to their overwhelming power.
Only awakened ones with their own ‘unique space’ can inflict meaningful damage on them, making them extremely difficult to deal with.
Of course, it’s not that the attacks of ordinary hunters are completely negated, but dealing 1 point of damage to a monster with 10 billion health would be like spitting in the ocean.
Whether it’s due to their inherent physical superiority, as exemplified, that they possess health in the tens, or their immense magic power that they can wield freely, one thing was clear: they are incredibly tough and resilient.
But even if they are robust, you might think that early awakened ones can just gather together and take them down one by one, yet there are two challenges to this.
The first is the penalty that early awakened ones carry.
While they gained monstrosity-like abilities during the ‘First Wave’, each of them also carries an issue that limits their activities. There are side effects stemming from gaining massive power without any conditions, and regardless, they are individuals that cannot move freely.
The second is the finiteness of ‘unique space’. That space, which one creates and nurtures, consumes resources the more it’s used. A considerable amount of power is expended when taking down a ‘Great Beast’ level monster, and even after using it once, one cannot recover, making the cost one incurs to use such abilities insufficient.
That’s why even when these things show up in the world and wreak havoc, there are few who actively step forward. They have no certainty about whom they may be targeted while their power is depleted, and regardless, as long as they are within their space, no one can invade it, providing them with safety.
‘Given how the clock is speeding up… our growth might be lacking…’
The world is rapidly falling apart. No wonder I feel the need to hurry.
But…
‘What’s the point of rushing? Can I really save the world?’
I shake my head involuntarily. It’s impossible. A despairingly distant thought for me, someone who’s scared that Jo Gi-man might move a finger.
The sound of bomb-making felt pitiful today. While becoming a skeleton has greatly reduced my emotional fluctuations, moments of anxiety and worry still come uninvited.
‘… It’s pointless. What are the chances that 5% of things I worried about in my past life actually came true? Let’s focus on what I can do now. Nothing will change by being impatient.’
“……”
“Tap?”
Yeon-hee, who had approached without me noticing, was staring at me with her big eyes, chin resting on her hand.
Is she still awake? What are you planning to do tomorrow like this? I shouldn’t put too much faith in Irmana’s water.
“… Are you worried about something? Is it because of me?”
‘Hah… Can she really tell that I’m troubled? Hmm… Seems like summoned creatures can sense emotions.’
I shook my head vigorously. Even then, she looked at me as if still worried.
Swoosh-
“Yeah…”
I gently stroked her soft hair, telling her that everything was really okay.
“By the way, I forgot to give you a massage today!”
*Thud…*
“Hehe- I can’t sleep anyway, so just touch me a little.”
I gazed down at her as she rested her head on my knee. Suddenly I felt new fuel igniting in my otherwise settled heart.
‘Think back to when I met Jo Gi-man in this room. I advanced a few weeks ahead of the presumed situation. Let’s think positively.’
Gently- Gently-
“Ah… That’s nice…”
So I comforted myself while pampering her. Just a few minutes later, Yeon-hee fell into a deep sleep. Seeing her asleep like a baby, I couldn’t help but wonder if that playful girl from earlier was the same child.
‘I want to protect you no matter what…’
I made that promise as I carefully picked her up and moved her to the room.
Hoping that one day I would be able to keep her safely in my own space…
* * *
The next day, we entered Orc-D-177 dungeon.
‘I don’t feel anything special.’
Morning. The squishy substance that Yeon-hee wrapped around my neck before leaving. I touched the defense barrier, now faintly green. Is this really going to help?
‘I don’t think I’ll get hurt in this dungeon anymore… Should I intentionally try to get hit?’
“Ow… My back. Let’s hurry up and get into battle.”
“You just want to waste magic power so you can drink water fast, right?”
“Ah, no way!”
“That won’t get rid of your hangover, you know? Seriously, you’re persistent.”
“… Well, it might help a little…”
“You’ll find out pretty quickly since you’ll be drinking it soon.”
“Hehe…”
‘I can’t believe I’m using Irmana’s lake water as a hangover cure…’
Unable to resist Yeon-hee’s wishes, I handed each of my party members two bottles of Irmana’s lake water before stepping into the dungeon. Thanks to that, I got to see Arin and Joo-ah smiling brightly right from the start. It’s pathetic how a single item makes them feel like they own the world. Kids really are kids.
‘Apex… isn’t here?’
Maybe they’re taking a break today to recover from yesterday’s events?
Whatever the case, we were able to start our dungeon exploration with light hearts.
“Shall we go…? Today, let’s arrive about 30 minutes earlier than yesterday!”
Nodding-
At Arin’s signal, we stepped forward, proceeding with even more caution than yesterday.
Despite that, our movement speed was significantly faster than yesterday. This clearly showed that the levels of my party members and summoned creatures had increased considerably after the boss battle from yesterday.
*
Seven hours later, we arrived at the location where the boss battle was taking place.
“Alright! We definitely arrived faster than yesterday!”
“See? Using items makes everything so much easier, right? Il-wol, did you see?”
*Thump…*
Joo-ah, feeling great for some reason, tapped on the thorns on my shoulder with her staff as she spoke again.
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