The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 7. Awakening from Life ()

The Swinging Randomly skill was at Lv. 8. At first glance, it seemed decent, but it wasn't labeled as swordsmanship because it wasn't a proper skill. Rather, it was just wild, inefficient swinging.

The other skills were similarly lacking: Poorly Blocking, Adequately Digging Holes, and Throwing Whatever Is at Hand—all of them lacked power and effectiveness. To transform these into proper skills, I needed to combine and level them up, but even that wasn't easy.

Gaining skill experience was difficult because it only increased by attacking and killing someone with those actions. However, there were hardly any beings weaker than a Skeleton Soldier. So, if a skeleton soldier were to attempt anything, it often resulted in leveling up the opponent instead. The opportunity to acquire proper skills was incredibly appealing.

Although blunt weapon resistance might have been more practical than dagger skills, my desire to acquire a real attack skill was stronger. After failing to land a proper hit on the man with the hammer, the urge for an attack skill became all the more compelling.

"Option four."

[Death Memorial Option 4: You have acquired Dagger Technique Lv. 10!]

As soon as I chose the option, the message turned into smoke, just like last time. The smoke then seeped into every corner of my skeleton.

So this is how it feels.

I felt like I knew how to handle any type of dagger. Suddenly, my hand felt empty, as if I should've been holding one. The next thing to do was to allocate both remaining points to Agility.

[Agility: 18 —> 20]

I checked the status window.

[Name: None

Skeleton Soldier Lv. 1 (38)

Health: 29

Strength: 23

Agility: 20

Wisdom: 9]

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[Combat Skills:

Dagger Technique Lv. 10 (New!)

Swinging Randomly Lv. 8]

The skills had changed. A new Dagger Technique at Lv. 10 had appeared. It might not seem like a big deal, but I felt a sense of pride, as if my path was beginning to brighten.

Boom! Crash!

Just as I finished checking the status window, thunder roared, and the woman approached me.

"Dead one! I have awakened you! Can you hear me?"

Lightning flashed in the sky.

I locked eyes with the woman again. She had soft, glossy brown eyes, reminiscent of a dog's, and I had failed to protect her each time. Although I had no obligation to protect her, I had already failed twice in a short time span.

The woman had been ravaged by dangerous men, while I had been trampled and broken multiple times. It was an environment that could make even the nonchalant feel determined. The thought of my master being assaulted by the knight made it difficult for me to abandon this human woman.

Clatter.

I rose from the grave before the woman could even bring the ladder.

"Undead! Use this to climb—huh?"

"Dagger," I said bluntly to the woman.

"Ah!"

Thud.

Rubia fell backward, clearly surprised by my response, but I had to hurry. There was no time to be considerate. I was too weak to afford that luxury.

"Give it to me quickly. I need it," I demanded bluntly.

Perhaps overwhelmed by my sternness, Rubia handed over the dagger almost immediately. I took the dagger, turned around, and looked at the road. There was not much time left.

"Hide."

"Wh-what? I am Rubia... I summoned you," she gasped in surprise.

I didn't need an introduction because she was useless right now. I walked forward without looking back.

Whoosh!

The storm had scattered the tree branches. I picked up a long, sturdy-looking one. I had no intention of tidying up the graveyard.

Swoosh!

The storm unleashed dug-up graves and coffins, sending skeletons floating away.

Two new corpses need to be buried to make up for this.

This was a preliminary step for that task.

Clatter!

I quickly ran to the bushes and spotted a tree with a thick trunk just the right size to hide behind. The horses would come this way, and I planned to strike their knees with a branch. The mountain path was steep and slippery, with barely any visibility ahead.

The humans and horses would manage to climb up the mountain, adapting to the darkness, but they wouldn't be prepared for an ambush. I planned to surprise them, knock them off their horses, and ideally send them rolling down the slope. Even a broken bone would make the fight much easier.

Shaa!

Perhaps because I got into position early, it just continued to rain. I did not hear any horses. Fortunately, Rubia didn't come this way.

Did she listen to me?

I waited quietly. It was about time for lightning to strike.

Boom!

Then, they arrived.

"Neigh!"

A blue horse ran up the muddy mountain path. The hunter with the crossbow was at the front, but the target wasn't him. I had to take down the tougher guy first.

I am strong against arrows.

Arrows were deadly for humans, but I wasn't afraid of crossbows. Arrows were most effective when deeply embedded in flesh and muscles because the flesh would rot if the arrowhead was not removed.

Moving with it would be cumbersome. To remove the arrowhead, the person would need to cut the flesh, which would only enlarge the wound, increasing the pain and causing more blood to flow. However, I had no flesh or muscles. There were many empty spaces, making it hard to hit me.

I can deal with the crossbowman later.

Besides, he was the weaker one.

Thud! Thud!

Another horse approached, carrying the tougher hunter wielding the hammer. He was the one who had smashed me, and he was my target.

I sprang out and hit the tougher hunter's horse with all my might.

Clatter! Whack!

"Neigh!" the horse cried, raising its front legs.

"What?"

The horse staggered back in surprise at the pain because it had been hit out of nowhere. The hunter with the hammer also staggered. As I watched the hunter closely, the horse kept crying and bucking wildly.

I wondered, Won't he fall?

Then, the guy with the hammer jumped off the horse.

Damn.

The hunter was more skilled than I had expected. The horse had bucked quite violently, enough to make any decent rider fall. He couldn't have been mentally prepared for that, and it required exceptional riding skills to jump off easily.

I had failed. The crossbowman in front also glanced back at me. There was no other option now, but I couldn't just stand still.

I held the dagger in a reverse grip.

Can I really win?

Without armor, even a scratch would be advantageous. However, they were wearing leather armor. To end their lives, I had to pierce their vital spots.

Clatter!

I rushed at the guy with the hammer before he could properly steady himself.

[Perk: Dagger Technique Lv. 10 has been activated! The high-level dagger technique will aid your movements.]

Swish!

I stepped forward, closing the gap instantly. It wasn't that fast because of my low agility, but the movement was flawless. Even I was surprised.

Is this really me?

My skeleton moved on its own, and I naturally found my balance. My stance was as sharp as a blade, and I did not make any unnecessary movements. I delivered a precisely honed thrust.

Slash!

The dagger was already embedded in his neck. This was the effect of Dagger Technique Lv. 10, a skill I had never possessed before.

Amazing.

"Guh, guh?"

The hammer-wielding man wore a look of disbelief, and his eyelids twitched. I had severed a carotid artery in one strike. Even I was surprised by the result, but it would take three seconds for him to die.

In those three seconds, he did not give up. I was foolish, momentarily intoxicated by the skill's effect and the small victory.

Whoosh!

Even as blood spurted from his neck, he brought his hammer down on my shoulder.

Boom!

It was a desperate act of revenge.

Crack!

My right shoulder instantly dislocated, and my arm flew off. The dagger in my right hand clattered down the mountain path. The hunter followed up with another desperate strike, his blood spraying through the air. I had neither the defense to block nor the agility to dodge the incoming hammer.

Thud.

The man collapsed, blood gushing from his neck.

Thump.

I staggered and fell, unable to withstand the hammer's crushing blow.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

I leveled up four times.

Thud!

Suddenly, a blunt weapon struck the back of my skull.

It's the crossbowman.

The hunter with the crossbow had circled around in the meantime.

***

We struggled for a while.

Thud.

In the end, I fell. It was hard to win with one arm gone. The hunter struck me relentlessly with the club he had seized at his waist, leaving my bones cracked all over.

The crossbowman had a filthy mouth.

As he stomped on me, he cursed, "Damn! It's good that the damn creature is dead... but damn... a skeleton? Really?"

Crack.

He wasn't in good shape either. His face was swollen with bruises, and his body was covered in mud. I grabbed him with my only remaining arm and rolled down the slope. Despite our tumble, his limbs were still intact.

Did I lose again?

I felt somewhat stunned by the situation.

Were my twenty years really worth so little?

I struggled so desperately against just two human hunters. Even in this third encounter, I still couldn't achieve mutual defeat.

Grrrrk.

I ground my teeth in frustration.

At that moment, something rustled.

"Mr. Skeleton!"

It was an all-too-familiar voice. It came from the woman who had summoned me from the grave.

No. She shouldn't come here.

Clatter.

I tried to push myself up, but I couldn't move.

"Oh? The prey has come to us?"

Clatter.

My skeleton wouldn't move.

"Hehe... I was so worried you might slip away. If you jumped off the cliff, finding your body would be a real pain."

The crossbowman grinned. Not long after, I heard terrible screams and unpleasant sounds.

I died again, unable to protect anything. My consciousness faded to black.

***

[Would you like to record your death?]

[You feel B-level misery.]

[Assimilation rate has decreased. 94.8% —> 94.25%]

***

Ding!

[Inheritance complete!]

[Name: None

Skeleton Soldier Lv. 1(42)

Health: 29

Strength: 23

Agility: 20

Wisdom: 9

Unallocated points: 4]

I stared blankly into the void as rain poured into my empty eye sockets.

I felt pathetic for losing consciousness amid the woman's desperate screams and the unpleasant sounds of her being violated. I trembled with helplessness.

Clack.

I gritted my teeth. Raging would change nothing, so I looked forward again. In the pitch-black night, a translucent message floated before me in my status window, reflecting the points I had earned from killing the hammer-wielding hunter. I invested one point in Strength and three in Agility.

[Health: 29

Strength: 24

Agility: 23

Wisdom: 9]

A thought crossed my mind. If I kept dying and my stats kept accumulating like this, I might end up with absurdly high stats.

Suddenly, another notification popped up.

Ding!

[System: Perk Conflict!]

— The Death Memorial slots are full.

— The latest acquired perk and a new perk conflict.

— Both conflicting perks will be removed.

[Unused Dagger slot has been deleted.]

How unfriendly.

I hadn't anticipated the complete lack of guidance.

Am I supposed to learn one step at a time?

I realized once more that there was no time for leisure, so I quickly got up, knowing that what would happen next was already set.