My heart thumped with anticipation as I waited for the message to arrive.
However, more than ten minutes passed with no sign of the next message.
‘… What gives? Is it possible that there’s no option suitable for me?’
I began to feel a bit anxious.
This was because I had chosen silence as my first action.
‘Hey, Mr. System. When will the message come? Huh?’
– This is a path not recorded in [The Book of Akasha].
– The Skeleton Soldier is walking an unprecedented path.
‘… So it’s taking a long time because it’s an unrecorded path? Guess you’re not perfect after all, huh?’
– ……
It remained stoic as always, but somehow I felt a little amused to have glimpsed a flaw in the system.
And after the same waiting period passed three more times, a meaningful message came up.
– Does [Skeleton Mage Il-wol] have a reason to aim for the pinnacle of all beings?
For a moment, my mind froze at the suddenly grand scale, but I decided to think only of one thing that I had wanted to do since being reborn.
‘…… I’ve never thought of the pinnacle, but I have a reason to become stronger. I want to protect Yeon-hee, who saved me. I don’t care what happens to me for that. I’ll walk any path.’
With my plain and straightforward answer, a message immediately appeared.
– The answer aligns with the question of ‘the final enemy, the sacrifice of companions.’ ‘Consistency’ has been fulfilled. Job change requirements are met.
‘Gasp…’
I hadn’t expected this question to link back to the one about sacrificing companions; I had just answered as it was…
‘What if I had chosen the option to sacrifice everyone and answered like this?’
They talked about consistency and job change requirements.
If I hadn’t been lucky, I might not have been able to change jobs at all.
──
Thinking about it sent a shiver down my spine.
There’s a trap laid out.
‘This system… is more cunning than I thought.’
I stopped pondering just in case and stared at the message hovering in mid-air.
– [Skeleton Mage Il-wol] has walked a path no one has ever walked and will continue to walk. Having stepped away from the roads leading to the Death Knight, Great Sorcerer, Shadow Lord, and Bomb Specialist, you are about to challenge [The King of the Undead] with all possibilities in hand.
– A being born as a Skeleton Soldier enters the path of [The King of the Undead] for the first time.
– You have obtained the achievement [The First Challenger]. In the far future, if another Skeleton Soldier walks this path, the weight of existence will deepen.
‘[The First Challenger]… I thought it was a huge achievement, but it’s useless right now, right?’
Who knows if a skeleton like me will ever appear in the future?
I just wished it would raise my stats, and I clicked my tongue in regret.
– [The King of the Undead] is not a fixed being. It is a path to stand at the peak of seekers bearing the burden of the eternal work where life and death constantly intersect. Few are those who do not lose themselves on this path, so I commend and pay my respects to you, who has made a heavy choice.
– To you who have entered an unprecedented path, I present the unique class [Infernal Boneblade Pyromancer].
‘…… Wow, what a grand name for a class. But whatever, let’s check out what abilities it brings.’
I wasn’t in a hurry, so I started reading the descriptions of the proposed job one by one.
[Infernal Boneblade Pyromancer]
– The fire you carry can burn anything, and your special blade can’t be blocked by anything. Its terrifying momentum can even awaken the ‘Residue of Chaos’ that lies dormant.
‘Wait a minute.’
The first line had a word that snagged my attention.
‘Awakens the Residue of Chaos…?‘
That had a dangerously ominous ring to it.
It sounded like something I shouldn’t awaken; hmm… but I couldn’t just ignore the job change either.
So, I decided to keep reading.
– You become adept at infusing magical power into bone weapons. The bone blades imbued with magical power will significantly enhance your melee combat abilities.
– The flame-imbued blades can leave a flame mark at times over the paths they cut through, scorching the enemy.
‘Whoa?! Yeah! Now that’s what I’m talking about!’
I could inject the energy of fire into the thorns that sprouted from my body and even probabilistically leave behind a flame mark. This is awesome!
‘Isn’t this incredible? Leaving a mark without even using [Flame Cut]? I can be more aggressive in close combat!’
Honestly, this ability alone seemed more than enough reason to change jobs, but there were even more stacked abilities below.
– A ‘Great Being’ has recognized you. The aura of flame will always protect you.
– Your Bone Armor (Rank 4) will upgrade to Flame Armor (Rank 3). When you switch to [Combat type], enemies who approach you will continuously be exposed to flame damage.
‘Wow, this is fantastic too. Just staying close will deal continuous damage? But there’s a specific combat type.’
I nodded with satisfaction, and a rune came to mind that seemed to go well with it.
‘This should pair well with the ‘Rune of Thorns,’ right?’
Since I could get a higher-grade Rune of Thorns as I advance to a C-Rank dungeon, I could already anticipate some exciting developments.
However, it was a bit disappointing that I didn’t have a [Provocation] ability. I couldn’t just carry around a Dotted One or Ddak-ddak-i all the time, hmm… I need [Provocation].
– Your understanding of everything related to fire attributes has greatly increased.
– You acquire the skill [Wall of Fire].
– You acquire the skill [Chain of Flame].
‘The Wall of Fire was expected, but Chain too?’
Among countless binding spells, the fire attribute magic [Chain of Flame] not only restrains the opponent but also inflicts continuous ‘burn’ damage. If its strength and resistance are above a certain level or it possesses powerful magical abilities, they can’t break free alone—it’s a deadly magic!
‘The chain was unexpected, but it still feels like I’m being led down a conventional magical path?’
It truly felt like the claim of having all possibilities was right.
– Your understanding of lightning attributes has surpassed a certain threshold.
– You fully comprehend and accept the skill [Lightning Step].
– You’ve discovered the potential of [Lightning Armor].
‘Lightning Step recognized as a skill, huh? That’ll let me cast it more reliably. But what’s this Lightning Armor? Does it give a [Shock] effect to enemies that get too close?’
It was a capability I had yet to obtain, but it seemed like a very attractive ability. It should synergize well with Flame Armor.
– The potential of [Bonecloak Nightblade] greatly enhances your [Stealth] ability.
– Even a being of a higher rank than you won’t easily notice your [Stealth].
And the answer regarding the enemy had a butterfly effect that led to the enhancement of the [Stealth] ability.
‘How high would “higher rank” even mean?’
I didn’t expect that a single enhancement would allow me to fool something like Jo Gi-man. However, if I can trick at least up to A-rank, that would still be a great help for a while.
– [Forgotten Ancient Swordsmanship] grants you additional potential. The trait [Penetration] is fixed at 15%.
– The experience points required for level-up decrease by 20%.
– The capacity for [Skeleton Bomb] storage is fixed at 100.
‘Whew… this is really amazing.’
From what I’ve experienced so far, Penetration is an ability that allows you to deal a certain amount of damage even against an opponent with higher defense than your attack power.
If I can pierce through their skin or armor and inflict even a small wound, I can stack up a mark.
Additionally, level-ups being faster and the capacity for Skeleton Bombs being drastically increased mean that the painfully slow level-ups will finally get some relief.
‘One hundred Skeleton Bombs. Hmm… well, I suppose I’ll settle for this much for my job change.’
Clink-clink—
Just reading the explanation sent me through the roof with excitement.
– You have accepted the aura of emptiness.
– You are granted entry to the lowest tier ‘Interdimensional Channel.’
– The currently discovered ‘Interdimensional Channel’ is one.
‘…… An Interdimensional Channel? What does that even mean?’
It sounded like an ability gained from the potential of emptiness, but there’s already one channel discovered?
‘What even is that? Hmm… I’m not sure.’
I decided to finish the job change and think about it later.
– Strength +45
– Wisdom +70
– Agility +45
– Health +50
– Magic Power +100
The stats gained from the job change were nearly double compared to my last.
‘Holy… It’s like a B-rank level compared to the stats alone, not C-rank.’
But there was an even more mind-boggling gift waiting.
Special Ability
– Attack hit bonus damage +70%
– Upon the first defeat of a monster, both skills and traits are forcibly stolen.
– You share one ability stat with a connected companion. (Sense and Wisdom are not shared.)
– The blessing of Irmana is permanently activated.
‘Wow! Now I can confirm I steal traits too?!’
This was more than enough to call it a special ability.
Now, when defeating a monster for the first time, I can automatically steal a skill and one trait for sure! Of course, since it’s random, I’ll need some luck, but the benefits are totally worth it, right?
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