Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

”You should have thought it through before you decided to kill my brother.” Nolan hissed, tears running down his eyes. ”We have been together for years now. Do you know how much it—!!”

Swish!

Before he could finish his sentence, Isabella split his head apart with her bear heads, sending skull fragments and flesh flying into the air.

Nolan’s headless body fell down to its knees, before it crumpled to the ground.

[Nolan has passed on to the beyond. His game has ended.]

Isabella did not spare him a single glance. With tears streaming down her eyes, she hurried over to Soo-jin, her eyes wide with fear.

She was already in a terrible state after using her transformation, and now that bastard had stabbed her through the abdomen.

Olivia had her hands pushed against the wound to stop it from bleeding, her entire body shaking as she struggled, yet the blood kept gushing out.

Isabella just knelt there, unsure of what to do. She had made a promise to keep Soo-jin safe, that was the least she could do after all she had done for her.

Memories flashed through her mind, visions of far darker days. Days where she would go months without seeing the light, days where she was nothing but a mere disposable tool.

If not for Soo-jin, she would still be locked up in that place... and yet, she had failed to protect her.

The tears continued to flow as she knelt by her, uselessly pouring the last of her potion into the gaping wound.

”O-llllivia...” Isabella’s voice broke. ”W,what do we do?”

Olivia gritted her teeth as she watched the normally aloof girl cry. Although Isabella was younger than her, she had always shown more maturity. To see her break down like this...

’What do we do?’ Olivia racked her mind for an answer.

The healing potion was not doing much, all it was serving as was life support, just barely keeping her away from the brink of death.

That was also their last healing potion, meaning the moment its effects ceased, Soo-jin would die.

The thought of it made her heart feel hollow.

She had never been a dependable person, neither was she very smart. That was why despite her abilities, she was not chosen to be a group leader.

All she knew how to do was fight, and even in that area, she had made a mess of herself countless times that day.

Her junior was looking up to her, hoping that she, the legal adult, would have a solution, and yet her mind was blank.

Olivia bit the insides of her cheeks, staring at her blood coated hands.

’Am I really useless?’

The final wave of worms had crawled up the mountain, and the boss was still looming somewhere in the distance.

What should I do?

Sensing that their party was vulnerable, the worms began to slither even faster towards them, their maws dripping fetid saliva.

’Somebody help us... someone please help!’

Two worms reached them in seconds and rose up, about to swallow them whole when suddenly—

Something sparkled in the air, a ball akin to a shooting star...

FWOOOOOSH—!!

Only when it got closer did Olivia truly see what it was, a ball of fire laced with sparks of electricity. It blew off the head of the first worm, sending hot blood spewing into the air, before consuming the second, turning half of its body to a blackened mess.

’What spell was that??’ Olivia’s eyes widened.

Although it looked like a fire ball, it was far too big to be one. It also had elements of lighting magic!

The remaining worms turned in the direction from which the spell had come from, their sensors vibrating with caution.

Olivia stared as well. Who was it? Judging by the spell, it had to be one of the powerful mages in their class. Maybe the grand mage?

A silhouette stepped through the darkness, and a familiar voice rang through the air.

”Ahh, sorry. Did I interrupt your meal?”

Ark looked as though he had rolled in dirt and blood. The cloak she had given him was sullied beyond recognition, but at the sight of him, Olivia felt her heart race.

’What is this feeling?’

She had initially thought it was the grand mage, one of the most powerful people in their class. Why then... why was she more elated that it was Ark?

The three remaining worms raced toward him, moving in a way that defied physics. But Ark stood still, his crowbar resting calmly in his hands.

Swish!

Two of the worms leaped at him from both sides, trying to trap him between a wall of teeth.

Something flickered in the wind, and Ark vanished.

Bang!

The two worms collided with each other, creating a shockwave that cut through the mountain.

Olivia gasped. How had he managed to escape an attack that quick?! What the hell was his agility??

Skeletons started with an agility of one, harpies were far more agile, and yet, Olivia was sure even she could not have pulled that off so cleanly.

The ball of fire appeared in his hand once more, as the worms shook off the shock and continued their purist.

He had his eyes locked on the two worms, but behind him, another worm was just a few steps away!

Olivia felt her heart twist with worry.

”Ark, behind you!” She screamed louder than she knew she could, it was so loud that she lost her voice.

Ark waited, up until the last moment. Maybe he was out of mana and only had one last spell? Or maybe it was part of whatever plan he had cooking up in that head of his.

The seconds seemed to go on forever, each tense moment filling Olivia with dread. She would have screamed again if she had the voice to.

And then finally, Ark jumped.

It was an unbelievable leap, one that that took him high up into the air, and from Olivia’s point of view, it was almost as though he kissed the moon.

But the three worms raced after him, maws wide open, their large bodies pressed together, rising like pillars.

It was a foolish mistake.

Fwooooosh!

Ark unleashed his magic, the ball of chaotic fire eating up the worms from head down, turning their bodies into charred strips of mangled flesh.

Olivia’s heart had been racing throughout, her mind unable to cope with what had happened.

He was gone for a few minutes. How did he get so fast? How did he get so strong? How did he learn such a powerful spell?

The more surprising part of it was how he killed the worms. He had not charged at them head first and defeated them with brute strength.

Everything was calculated, and each move thoroughly thought out.

The first attack took out two worms at once, and then in the last moment, he conserved his mana, using one stone to kill three birds.

Just who was he, really?

Ark landed atop the gore stained ground and hissed. ”I think... I think I’ll stay off noodles for some time...”