The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 263: You Are Like Sand (4)
CRACK!
A gorge opened where there hadn't been one. The roar of rocks and soil crashing together echoed like a flood.
Swoosh!
Even the sound of thick branches snapping was drowned out by the howling wind. Lightning clawed at the sky again and again. The entire world was raining. Falling from above, rising from below, rain poured so heavily as though it'd reduce the mountain into a lake.
Shhhhhhaaa...
I couldn't understand why it had to fall this hard. Ripples formed on every puddle endlessly as faster droplets struck the slower ones, creating rings in midair. Even the rain fell at different speeds. The rain poured so heavily, it felt as though even the blood of tens of thousands fallen on the battlefield could be washed away. Except this wasn't a battlefield.
Clatter.
I was entombed in a narrow coffin, sealed tight on all sides. Even if I wanted to run, I couldn't forget where I was. A narrow tomb I hadn't lain in for a long time. Like dreams, the many memories of my previous life drifted through my mind, mixing with the sound of rain.
Each drop shattering against the earth felt like a shard of memory. The mechanized infantry I saw for the first time—the iron men of the Confederation; Count Oscar, Renaud Ridbaren, once a servant of Necron—all lay shattered as they fell.
Some raindrops struck the coffin. Karin Krexar and Louis Claude, the commanders of the Confederation; Yube Jinney, whom I'd met again; Blackberry, the capital's jeweler. They all landed near the coffin and broke apart.
Raindrops shattered against my ribs, my hands, my shoulders. Brody Valdorf, the werewolf I had deceived. Naneow Tropin, founder of T&T, whose Lurium was absorbed by the Ashen Knight... They all struck my bones and shattered painfully.
Some drops didn't break. Rubia, Rena, and Isaac didn't shatter. Marquis Leandro appeared again, split across countless raindrops, just as he had been in his final, replicated form. Every droplet that touched me felt like the melting image of the marquis during my final moments.
"..."
Force Shield. Double cast... Shield.
Without thinking, I cast a spell just to repel those raindrops.
Fzzzt! Fzzzztztzt!
Countless raindrops bounced off the shields all at once. I steadied my thoughts. I had returned. The world had once again shifted, yet I remained unchanged. All perks and magic were still usable.
Lightning tore the sky, but it didn't feel intimidating anymore. I didn't think I'd be in danger even if it hit me directly. There was even a strange sense of familiarity. Perhaps because I'd absorbed the Tower Lord of Lightning's magic, or simply because I'd become stronger.
Status window.
Translucent blue letters floated in the air.
[Succession Complete.]
[68.94%...]
[Assimilation Rate below 70%.]
[Scenario Adjustment Applied.]
[Calculating Shop Permissions.]
[Protection Removed.]
[Apprentice Privilege: You can no longer access Death Memorial.]
[The following perk has been lost: Necromancer's Lover (Hero)]
The words Necromancer's Lover flickered faintly in the air, then vanished like smoke. More messages appeared.
[Name: None
Skeleton Soldier Lv. 1 (259)
Health: 121
Strength: 121
Agility: 121
Wisdom: 121
Bonus Stat Points: 5]
[Achieved Class: Skeleton Knight]
[All perks of the Skeleton Knight have been retained:
— Mobility
— Armored
— Combat Expert
— Junior Commander
— Skeletal Mount
— Designated Protection]
"..."
Isaac's Lurium allowed me to achieve the Skeleton Knight class, and the Lurium-based changes remained intact. However, my job remained as a Skeleton Soldier. The perks and skills were still there, though.
I had gained everything and lost nothing. A second chance at advanced class progression was now open to me. I checked the skill list again.
[Thunder Wave Lv. 5]
[Current traits:
— Paralysis
— Spread
— Chain
— Mana Burn] 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
[Spell Insight Lv. 3]
[Stack Amplification Lv. 2]
[Mana Distortion Lv. 1]
[Magical Alchemy Lv. 3]
[Venomous Eye Lv. 3]
[Plant Material Harvesting Lv. 2]
.
.
.
The tower lords' skills and traits, Isaac's tactics and knowledge of sorcery, and even the powers that had unlocked the Lich's path all remained intact. If I continued to collect Lurium, I could probably advance further down that path.
Even the 20,000 skill Experience Points I'd gained upon classing up to Skeleton Knight were untouched. Unfortunately, I couldn't use them for Essence Absorption or Sword Energy. It seemed they could only be applied to skills that improved through repeated use. I scrolled through my list, examining each one carefully. For now, I decided to hold off on spending Experience Points until I could test each skill's usefulness firsthand.
And next was a screen packed with skills and perks. Overwhelmingly increased stats, yet without any signs of the Darkness perk. Had the contract with Malphas been severed? I found myself relieved.
Judging by the persistent messages before, it seemed the Demon King could observe me while the contract was in effect. Although the crow's blessing was undeniably powerful, I never asked to become an object of surveillance. Besides, the thought of empowering a Demon King every time I fought was unsettling. Better to forgo the perk than be bound by a contract I didn't fully understand.
Tap tap tap tap...!
Rain bounced off the shield, flung far into the distance. The marquis was no longer reflected in the raindrops, but I didn't bother to dispel the magic. A Force Shield at Level 5 was capable of bearing weight, even providing repulsion force. I lay there quietly, lost in thought.
What should I do next?
I wielded a power I once couldn't even imagine. I also had enough arcane spells to pass as a mage anywhere. With soaring stats and minor skills that grew deeper the more I studied them, I could fight in far more complex ways than ever before.
I had lived a long life, but I had grown even stronger than that life allowed. Moreover, thanks to the universal perks of second-class advancement, my stats still increased by two with every level-up. I had double the potential for growth.
In spite of it all, I was far from ready to resist the imperial throne. I thought I'd seen it all. Thirty larva-born clones of the marquis, appearing without warning after the tower lords of Azure? Even if they weren't at the level of the original, they radiated a defensive aura. They surpassed me in pure swordsmanship alone.
How could such creatures exist? By sheer luck, I managed to eliminate two. Even then, I only managed because they came one at a time. If three had attacked together, I'd have been a goner.
I didn't even defeat the two tower lords myself. It was only thanks to Isaac, who sacrificed himself in some absurd twist of fate, manifesting briefly to kill them.
Isaac...
For a moment, I hesitated. Should I go to Grassmere and seek him out first? Tell him everything, ask questions, and act on his advice? Then, it hit me. The fact that he'd thoroughly deceived me from the very beginning.
A surge of anger rose, fading just as quickly, replaced by curiosity. Why would he sacrifice himself for me? Even he called it an absurd causal twist. The Isaac I knew would never willingly give himself up.
Did he place all his bets on me returning? Did he sacrifice himself for his next life? Or maybe he had no other choice at that moment. Maybe he feared the wrath of my returned self. Maybe it was just improvisation.
For now, I decided not to seek him out. If I stayed around Isaac, I'd be swept up in his pace again. He acted shamelessly, and I was just gullible enough to fall for it.
Instead, I calmly assessed the situation on my own. First, the war that would soon break out. The strongest from Ember, the Empire, and the Free Confederation, would all be tied up in Ember early on. Meanwhile, the rest of humanity would clash in a brutal war of attrition across long, scattered fronts.
Due to the wealth of occult knowledge I'd absorbed from Isaac, a strange thought came to me. They were offerings. If I killed them all at once with overwhelming power, I could only harvest fear and despair.
Sure, that flavor had its own appeal, but it lacked richness. In contrast, when similarly matched opponents fought, they created a symphony of emotion: excitement, frenzy, resistance, regret, joy, anxiety, pride, satisfaction, grief, contempt. An endlessly rich feast—a banquet no one would ever tire of.
"..."
In any case, I couldn't reach any final conclusions yet. Secondly, Marquis Leandro would be assassinated. This wouldn't change even if Isabelle hadn't been killed by the Ashen Knight. The imperial court clearly saw him as a threat.
Third, once the empire was pushed back to the capital, the tower lords of Azure would appear. They were wary of the serpent, which likely had something to do with Botis, the Demon King Necron served.
Fourth. Imperial General Renaud Ridbaren, who branded Rubia as a demon-worshipper, was Botis's slave. As he met his death, his bones, blood, and guts turned into black serpents.
After more than ten regressions, everything was converging toward one conclusion: the Empire—one pillar of the human world—was entirely under Demon King Botis's control. Or perhaps, in total collusion.
In the latter case, the imperial family must have had someone capable of negotiating on equal terms with a Demon King. Who could it be? I didn't know. It could be the Ashen Knight, who appeared every time the throne was in danger.
In any case, there was no way to confirm the imperial secrets just yet. I'd have to build strength slowly. After poring over the status screen and thoroughly organizing everything from my past life, I realized something was off.
Shhhhaaaaaa...
It was quiet, yet not silent. The thunder continued to roar. The storm howled loud enough to make it impossible to sleep. And yet, the sound I had expected, one I had always heard, was missing. The familiar, clumsy call.
"..."
Even after waiting, it didn't come.
Clatter.
I tilted my head slightly. Was she gone? But I hadn't done anything related to Lurium. I hadn't handed her eight vials like I had with Rena. I had returned to the beginning. The past wasn't supposed to change.
SHHHAAAA!
Soaked in rain, I leapt out of the grave in a single fluid motion.
