The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon
Chapter 84: Long Live the Emperor (3)

Chapter 84: Long Live the Emperor (3)

Whoosh!

A round piece of metal whizzed past my skull. I barely dodged it, pouring all my focus into the movement.

Snap! Crack!

The buckler smashed through several thick branches and struck a large rock behind me, ringing out with a loud clang. Dust burst from the rock's surface. If that had hit me, my bones would have shattered instantly.

"Tch. What a shame," muttered the disheveled man.

The men had launched their first attack before I could even engage them individually.

Skill-wise... we're evenly matched at best.

However, the odds were 3-to-1, which was an undeniably disadvantageous situation for me.

"He dodged two spears. He's quick. Don't underestimate the Skeleton Soldier, and watch out for that dagger," said the man in the center, alerting his comrades.

A cautious and thorough leader—this spells an inevitable defeat.

Then the dagger pressed against my palm with an unnatural force, almost as if it were gripping me. It hummed with a low vibration like it was alive.

Vrrrr.

A voice echoed in my mind.

—Kill.

What is this?

Whoosh!

I was launched forward toward the closest man. I struck with the dagger in a straightforward thrust.

"Hm?"

The disheveled man who had thrown the buckler retreated swiftly. He was fast, and there was still some distance between us.

Swish.

In the end, the dagger only grazed his arm. He might have blocked it if he'd still been holding his buckler, but he'd already used it as a projectile.

Vrrr!

A sound echoed in the air.

A piece of white text hovering around the dagger seeped into the wound it had made. The text wriggled as if alive, burrowing into the man's veins. What happened next was horrifying. The bright red blood flowing from the man's arm turned white in an instant. His veins ruptured, and white blood sprayed upward.

"A-Agh... It hurts! It hurts!"

The long-haired man had seemed so composed, but he was now rolling on the ground with tears streaming freely down his face. And within two full rolls, he stopped breathing. On the third roll, he was just a lifeless body propelled by inertia.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

What... is this?!

It was an absurdly powerful cursed blade—deadly with just a scratch. As I reeled in shock, two spears crossed and impaled me, piercing through my bones and lodging deep into the tree behind me.

Thwack!

The spear shafts quivered as my body was lifted off the ground, my feet dangling in the air.

The two men who had pinned me to the tree with their spears glared at me with tightly clenched jaws, their faces twisted in rage.

One man shouted, "How dare this filth kill one of our scouts!"

Their eyes burned with anger, mingled with disbelief and bloodlust.

Damn.

I could understand their fury at losing a comrade, but that didn't mean I would surrender quietly. I reached out and grabbed the spear shafts, trying to wrench myself free.

Clatter! Clatter!

But it wasn't easy. The men held the spears firmly in place. Even against one, I wouldn't have enough leverage to overpower them while suspended in the air. They were no pushovers.

"Attack it!"

The men gripping the spears suddenly drew their swords. They attacked simultaneously from both sides. Their synchronized assault was the result of countless practice sessions—flawless coordination. I felt the danger. However, there was no way I would die here without seeing what would happen to Gith-Za-Rai. I swung the dagger instinctively.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The spear shafts were severed. Though reinforced with a thin metal layer near the tips, the shafts still split easily as the glowing red text around the dagger flared to life. I quickly ducked.

Whoosh!

Their swords slashed through the air above my head. I rolled to the side and stood up, facing the two men whose faces were contorted in frustration.

However, I was the one who wanted to curse. "Damn it!"

I had survived by cutting the spear shafts but couldn't shake the feeling that the dagger had guided my actions. I noticed a floating message:

[Swordsmanship Lv. 5: Your Swordsmanship skill is operating at 70% effectiveness.]

This skill wasn't meant for daggers. It was optimized for one-handed longswords or greatswords. There was a reason dagger skills existed separately. While the skill provided some benefit, it wasn't enough to handle opponents of this caliber.

I can't win like this.

The men gritted their teeth, their glares full of determination. They weren't going to stop until they destroyed me completely. The forty-something leader gestured to his comrades with three fingers.

"That... will strain you," the younger man hesitated.

"We need to end this quickly."

The younger man bit his lip. Then, the swords came at me, each at a different speed and trajectory. I ducked but couldn't avoid them all. My dagger deflected a sword aiming for my waist, sparks flying into the air. Judging by the weight, the dagger should have been knocked aside instantly. But the man wielding the sword stumbled backward, clearly shaken.

It's the dagger's power.

That's when I noticed the forty-something man aiming for my skull. His eyes glowed faintly with a translucent blue aura.

That's—!

The man's body trembled as if he were forcing himself to draw on unnatural strength. Blood trickled from his mouth and ears as he raised his sword, its blade shimmering with an eerie glow.

I have to block this.

My instincts screamed danger. I felt a destructive force, unlike anything I had encountered before. I raised my dagger to parry, but the other man intercepted me.

"Not so fast!"

His sword collided with my dagger, chipping the blade but blocking my movements. He seemed ready to sacrifice his life to stop me.

"Grahhh!"

Meanwhile, the glowing blade of the forty-something man descended toward my skull. Blood streamed from his eyes as he channeled his remaining strength into the strike.

Swoosh!

It wasn't the sound of something breaking. The blade sliced through my skull as easily as a knife through butter. My consciousness faded into darkness.

Is this my ninth death...?

I couldn't help but resent Gith-Za-Rai for sending me into a reckless battle like this. Or maybe I was just pathetic for failing even with such a powerful dagger in hand.

***

Clatter!

The dimming light of my mind suddenly reignited.

"Guh... guh... ugh!"

A faint sound of dying breath reached my ears. I raised my head. The two men who had so skillfully cut through my skull were now writhing in the air.

Huh?

I wasn't dead. I had awakened again, right at the spot where I had lost consciousness. I alternated my gaze between the men. Something foreign was embedded in their chests—sharp, white bones that had pierced through them like blades.

"Worried I wouldn't step in to help? Finish them off yourself."

It was the necromancer. Gith-Za-Rai held each man impaled on her hands, lifting them into the air. Grinning at me, she winked with her left eye. When I hesitated, she urged me on.

"Go on, finish them. Killing them yourself makes the absorption more effective. Why the delay? Do you want to spare them?"

Vrrr.

My hand trembled. I looked down at the dagger that had somehow ended up in my grip again.

"This dagger..."

"Do you like it?" Gith-Za-Rai asked.

"It feels like it's gripping me, not the other way around. What's the deal with this dagger?"

"Just a little scratch, and the text-worms burrow right into their veins. Don't worry—it's perfectly safe for you. No veins to infect, after all. It's a perfect match."

"..."

"Afraid of the worms? Didn't like using them?"

I nodded.

She smirked, dimples forming as her eyelids lifted slightly. Her expression was mischievous.

"Oh, you were scared."

"..."

My answer to her question had been about disliking the dagger, but I didn't have the energy to argue. I felt completely deflated. This was the result of choosing the Necromancer's Lover perk—being abducted and turned into her plaything. Bound by her magic and controlled by the dagger she had handed me, I felt like a puppet on strings.

I mustered the courage to rebuke her. "For someone to feel motivated..."

"Hmm?"

"They need to first be armed with autonomy. A private sphere, free from the will of others, uninvaded and protected, is essential."

I emphasized the word uninvaded, knowing she was a necromancer from Embermere.

"Binding me with chains and expecting motivation shows a lack of respect. Stop treating me like a doll."

"Hahaha..." Gith-Za-Rai laughed, shaking her head. "No, I haven't invaded your will. The Onyx Ring is a chain that binds you only to what you desire. The dagger merely acts on what you want. All it's done is make you more honest. You wanted to stay bound to me. You wanted to kill them and absorb their essence. How does it feel to be honest with yourself?"

Shame washed over me.

Is this really all I wanted?

As I grappled with those thoughts, the men, whom Gith-Za-Rai had impaled, groaned, and blood spilled from their lips.

"Guh... guh!"

Like broken-necked chickens, they quivered in the air. They couldn't even scream. Blood trickled from their mouths, and their eyes were bloodshot.

Their spasms and gurgling made it clear that their suffering was immense. A quick, clean death would have been preferable, but the shallow depth of the bones impaling them ensured prolonged agony.

"These two, it'd be kinder to kill them quickly. Besides, it's more efficient for absorption if you kill them yourself. Hurry up."

"..."

I picked up a long sword lying on the ground—not because I agreed with her but because I couldn't deny that finishing them off would at least spare them further pain. I didn't want to watch them suffer.

With quick slashes, I severed their carotid arteries, one after the other. The blade was sharp, and human necks were fragile. The sword, a tool steeped in tradition, dutifully ended their lives.

"Guh!"

Their dying cries escaped in faint gasps as they fell silent. I plucked leaves from a nearby tree to wipe the blood splatter on my skull.

"..."

The skull that had been split in half earlier now showed no signs of the damage—it was smooth and intact as if nothing had happened. After killing the two men, a series of level-up messages appeared as usual. My level, which had risen to the early teens after defeating Gith-Za-Rai's minions, was now in the high teens.

I evenly distributed the accumulated stat points without much thought and looked at the corpses of the fallen men. Gradually, a green glow began to rise from them.

[Absorption is possible.

Essence Absorption Level: 1

Essence can be absorbed from a target within 48 hours of death.]

The same messages as when I'd defeated the katana-wielding man appeared, including the limitation of absorbing only general skills. The men's arms glowed green.

"What are you waiting for? Absorb them," Gith-Za-Rai urged.

She claimed it was what I wanted, and I found it hard to deny. I looked at the corpses, blood still trickling from their eyes and ears. The man who had imbued his blade with an ethereal blue energy—his wrist was now emitting that same light.

I made up my mind.

I'll absorb it.

The blue energy surrounding the corpses flowed out, seeping into my bones.

Whoosh!

A tingling sensation surged from my hands to my skull.