The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

[Adjusting visibility range.]

The darkness receded, and shapes took on form. I was back in the familiar cave where Gith-Za-Rai had lain in ambush.

A cold bead of water fell on my skull.

Drip.

I couldn’t move my neck.

Drip. Drip.

The droplets striking the crown of my skull grew louder and heavier.

Drip... drip... thunk!

Even after waiting for a long time, Gith-Za-Rai didn’t speak. For a moment, I wondered if I’d have to fight other skeletons again, but there was no sign of any movement.

Even if there were, I wouldn’t be able to show any semblance of strength this time.

Still observing me?

Another drop landed on my skull, thick and icy. I fell into thought, because that was all I could do anyway. I recalled how I’d regained a skill after leaving the labyrinth. If lost power could be restored that way, then perhaps even simple meditation would help.

Krrrrik.

All of a sudden, I was lifted off the ground. A long white bone had pierced through my spine, hoisting me upward. I felt weightless, unnaturally so.

It didn’t take long to realize why. My limb bones lay neatly scattered across the floor beneath me. This was nothing like last time.

Clatter!

The white bone embedded in my spine swung my torso side to side, like a marionette on invisible strings.

Rattle, rattle.

I wanted to tell her that I had come to help her, but no words came out.

[Jawbone missing.]

Only then did I notice that my lower jaw was gone. Even if it wasn’t gone, I doubted I’d be able to speak anyway. Soon, I couldn’t even twitch a finger.

”Shh.”

A low, quiet whisper that barely existed was so faint it felt like it scraped the inside of my skull with a spoon.

Unlike before, her voice wasn’t theatrical—no mockery, no playfulness.

”The real horror doesn’t come from death,” she murmured. ”Nor does it come from pain or despair. Fear always begins with the unknown.”

As she waved me around in the air, Gith-Za-Rai said, ”What is this feeble being, I wonder? What kind of creature dares to speak the deepest desires I’ve buried? For the first time in a long while... I’m afraid.”

Her white, bony tendrils brushed over my suspended skeleton. The parts of her covered in pale flesh touched my ribs softly.

”Ah... goosebumps.” She laughed faintly. ”Look.”

Without resistance, my neck turned on its own. My limbs lay dismantled, yet my gaze met hers directly.

The same.

Of course, she looked exactly the same as before, a half-human, half-skeletal being sculpted with unnatural beauty. Her golden-ratio frame, the writhing white tendrils spiraling around her—all of it remained unchanged.

Srrk.

Slowly, she lifted both hands, one bone, one flesh, and laid them upon me.

Ding!

[You have come into contact with a powerful necromantic force!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up...]

[Level Up!]

Why... so many?

I jumped ten levels all at once, just like before. With both hands touching me, the system recognized it as contact with her. However, unlike last time, the stat gain didn’t stop after the second touch. Something was off.

Just like when the labyrinth ended...

Back in the ruins, when those beings drained me, I’d felt it. The world wasn’t recognizing me properly.

Something’s twisted.

I was caught in a dangerous fracture, a warped gap between worlds. But maybe... that could help me recover faster.

Let’s look at the bright side.

Even if ten levels in one go was startling, the next message explained it.

[Special Perk Number of Ruin activated.]

[Distribute your stat points: 60]

Sixty points. It was a massive surge.

So it was a class-unlock bonus...

[Class-Unlocked Perk: Number of Ruin]

[Experience gained: 666%.]

[You gain +6 additional stat points per level.]

[Swordsmanship experience increases by +6.]

[All combat and non-combat skill experience increases by +6.]

Sixfold growth on every level was unbelievable. Magic wasn’t a priority now, because I could raise Wisdom later with Kevin Ashton’s books. For now, I distributed the points evenly.

[Stamina: 21

Strength: 21

Agility: 21

Wisdom: 1]

[Limbs detached.]

[Movement unavailable.]

At this level, I was roughly where I’d been twenty years in, when I first met Rubia at the graveyard. Unfortunately, for now, I couldn’t move at all.

”Huh?”

Even Gith-Za-Rai looked startled. Her eyes darted as she examined me closely, as if she hadn’t expected what had just happened. Another message popped up.

[Initiating EX-Rank Scenario: Rescuing Gith-Za-Rai.]

Finally!

Last time, the requirements hadn’t been met. Now, a translucent window appeared in the air.

[Current Slots: 3/4]

[Ally in the Shadows...]

[Rubia Ray...]

[Rescuing Gith-Za-Rai: In Progress (New!)]

Why did it unlock now?

I thought for a moment. Either clearing the tutorial had given me another slot, or maybe it was related to Assimilation Rate.

Either way, rescuing Gith-Za-Rai?

I wasn’t making someone a lord or appointing a branch head. The word rescuing carried a strange weight.

I have to prevent the assassination, no matter what.

As her name shimmered in the final line, a new status window appeared before my eyes.

[Name: Gith-Za-Rai]

[Necromancer Lv. ??]

[??? Lv. ??]

[?? ??? Lv. ??]

[??? ?? Lv. ??]

[Health: ??

Strength: ??

Agility: ??

Wisdom: ??]

[Affection: ??]

Only static-filled question marks filled the window, flickering in black-and-white distortion. Stats, skills, and even Affection were all unreadable. Titles and special traits didn’t even appear.

At least show me the Affection value...

I’d always known that Gith-Za-Rai’s scenario would start someday.

But an EX-rank scenario?

From what I’d seen with Rena’s and Rubia’s paths, the letter before a scenario name usually marked its difficulty.

I could clear Rena’s story alone if I simply followed her lead. Rubia’s, on the other hand, was filled with constant death threats.

Therefore, Rescuing Gith-Za-Rai was on a whole different level.

Yeah... makes sense, I thought grimly.

The first obstacle had been the Ashen Knight, after all. If that was the starting point, then EX-rank wasn’t exaggerated. Of course, I had no intention of fighting him. All I needed to do was make sure Gith-Za-Rai gave up the assassination.

I can... make her stop, right?

Surely she wouldn’t stubbornly insist on killing the emperor, not if she was still sane...

Crack. Crackle.

Even as unease crawled through me, her white tendrils coiled around my bones. They slithered like spider silk, probing between ribs and along my spine, moving in and out with unnatural precision.

The tendrils glimmered faintly, pulsing with a sinister red aura. Then, they finally loosened and withdrew.

”Even when you’re conscious, I can’t read you... Sir Owain,” she said with a low voice.

Three deep lines stretched from her lips to her earlobes, twitching in what looked like confusion.

Swish.

At her call, a massive Dullahan stepped out from the shadows.

”For now, take care of him.”

”Yes, my lady.”

”No need for training or interrogation. Just keep him with you.”

”Understood.”

”Ah, wait.”

Thunk.

She bent down and pressed a small bone, or my jaw, back into place. I wanted to shout her name, but she had already turned away.

Gith-Za-Rai!

Clatter!

Even with the jaw restored, my voice didn’t come out. She ignored me completely. The giant Dullahan lifted me by the side as if I weighed nothing. My limbs had been reattached, but resistance was out of the question.

I remembered Sir Owain. Even without a head, he stood close to two meters tall. His back was broad and thick, like a fortress wall.

He carried me in one arm, and with the other, he slung a massive sword across his shoulder, engraved with curling sigils. Just from its thickness and weight, I could tell most men would strain just to lift it.

Maybe it was because I was weaker now, but his presence felt overwhelming.

Hey, Owain. Long time no see.

That was not something I could say aloud. He walked away from Gith-Za-Rai and sat down against the cave wall.

Clack.

I shifted slightly, but Owain didn’t so much as glance at me. He just sat there, silent and immovable. It felt like pushing against an iron wall.

Wooong...

From the empty gap of his neck, black energy rippled quietly outward. I assumed it was a Dullahan’s version of meditation.

You’re going to die too, you know.

Not that it mattered. Even if I could talk, it wouldn’t change anything. They had all been mighty warriors once, heroes whose names were sung in life. Now, the only thing left to them was the chance to serve their master one more time. They had no reason to fear death.

Then, a new figure approached, holding a heavy weapon shaped like a sword, its blade indented in four places. Black smoke seeped out from his throat and curled upward in jagged lines.

”Well, well. Owain. Who’s the new guy? Another subordinate?”

Owain said nothing. I recognized the newcomer at once.

Dullahan Gilaut.

This was Gith-Za-Rai’s underground base. It made sense that her loyal Dullahans would gather here. Seeing how relaxed they were, it was safe to assume the assassination wasn’t happening today.

That was good news. At least it meant I had time.

”Mind if I play with him a little?”

He said it lightly, but I knew better. From what I remembered of the assassination, Gilaut had roughly the strength of an imperial guard captain.

Isabelle was a bit stronger, I think...

I wasn’t entirely sure because I’d been overwhelmed before I could really compare. Still, he was nowhere near the level of a swordmaster. So, it was almost insulting to hear him speak to me in that manner.

If I could just raise my level a bit more...

The thought of the Number of Ruin trait fully activating made my bones tingle. For now, I had to face the reality that I didn’t even have Swordsmanship Lv. 1. I was in a pitiful state.

”No,” Owain said flatly. ”Our lady entrusted him to me.”

”Huh? Really? You’re that possessive? Don’t tell me he’s your new lover.”

Whoosh!

Gilaut twirled his weapon lazily, but the gust that followed howled through the cavern. The blunt weapon had been reforged into the shape of a sword—massive, dense, and deadly.

”Nonsense.”

The two Dullahans’ shadows swelled across the walls, distorting into monstrous shapes.

Time passed in heavy silence. I wondered how long Gith-Za-Rai intended to keep me here. Owain hadn’t moved an inch, but Gilaut’s curious gaze never left me. Maybe he’d be more talkative.

Clatter.

I slipped free from Owain’s massive arm. Instantly, I felt the black shadow of his aura shift, watching me closely.

I’m not trying to run.

He didn’t stop me, but I knew that if I made a wrong move, he would. I crouched and picked up a sharp stone from the floor.

”Oh? Planning to fight me with that?” Gilaut chuckled. ”You’re an amusing one.”

”Hmm.”

Owain turned his head slightly but didn’t interfere.

Inventory.

Vrrrrrrr!

The air trembled faintly as I opened it.