Chapter 67: This God Accepts Skeletons As Followers Too

-Lowly...fallen subject...greets...the...great...Supreme...

The Giant Skeleton fell on all fours.

“Hades! What are you doing! Attack him already!” Ko Myeong-Ji yelled in panic, but it refused to budge.

The summoner's command was absolute to the summoned creature, and yet that immutable law was being broken.

“W-what’s going on?”

“

Uhm,

Mister? Did you just subdue Myeong-Ji’s summoned creature? You didn’t even lift a finger... Just how?! What kind of ability is that?!”

The sudden behavior of the Giant Skeleton took all of us present by surprise, but...

“

Kuku

, this skeleton is wise. It recognizes the greatness of Mr. Sword God.”

“

Hehe,

Uncle Sword Demon, I know right? Our teacher is so cool.”

“Mr. Sword God has always been cool.”

Okay, not “all of us,” per se. My fanatic and follower seemed to be more in sync than I thought.

“

Hic!

Hades! Move! Please move!”

Meanwhile, Ko Myeong-Ji was tearfully shaking the Giant Skeleton.

As a matter of course, a girl the size of a pipsqueak couldn’t get the Giant Skeleton to move. I suddenly felt sorry for her. Thus, I attempted telepathy with it.

-How about we pretend to fight?

-How would I dare...to fight the Great Supreme...It may be faint, but...I can sense the power of my master, Mountain-Gnawing Titan, from you. Please retract your words...

Mountain-Gnawing Titan? Come to think of it, it was also mentioned in the special note earlier.

-----

Special note: Once a knight of the Mountain-Gnawing Titan, but has been reduced to bones over the years.

-----

Oh, right.

Back when that eyeball monster was about to descend onto Earth, didn’t I stop it using a broken, humongous divine sword left by the Mountain-Gnawing Titan? So, this Giant Skeleton was his knight? Absent-mindedly, I touched the skeleton, and its memories flooded me like a panorama. They were the same ones I had seen before.

A titan larger than mountains, wielding a sword as tall as himself, faced off against an enemy.

-You are not allowed to step into my world! You Brutal “???”! Get out of here!

The name roared by the titan couldn’t be heard, as if purposefully bleeped out. Then, a thundering roar resounded from the sky.

No, it wasn’t the sky, but an absurdly gigantic mouth, so much so that only a part of it could be seen. Compared to it, even the mountainous titan seemed like a tiny, weak ant. Nevertheless, the titan still took up arms and fought against the catastrophe that was about to devour his world.

The followers of the titan witnessed the battle. The titan’s beloved goddess, the giants who yearned for his strength, and Giant Skeleton.

“O’ Titan. Please return victorious and save our world.”

“

Aarggh

! Protect the Goddess!”

Bam bam bam bam!

The giant knights desperately held up their shields, protecting her from the aftermath of the battle. But ants didn’t stand a chance against the incoming tide with their insignificant force. Eventually, the titan lost, and his sword was broken. The world was plunged into catastrophe.

Giant Skeleton failed to protect its master and the woman he loved.

Grief washed over me and my heart grew cold. Giant Skeleton became a ghost full of resentment, wandering the underworld. After a thousand years, it finally returned to this world at the summoner’s behest.

I sympathized with its crippling grief. Despite its gigantic size, it trembled, reminding me of a poor dog who waited for its deceased owner.

Just then, God-Maker responded.

Ding!

[You possess a small fraction of Mountain-Gnawing Titan’s power.]

[You have met the conditions for “Follower Succession.”]

[Will you accept Mountain-Gnawing Titan’s Fallen Holy Knight? (Yes/No)]

Tzzz!

Then, dazzling white enveloped my body and my mouth moved on its own.

“It’s been a while, My Knight. What is your name?”

The remnants of the Mountain-Gnawing Titan's power still lingered in my body from when I once used the giant sword. It was used to speak to the Giant Skeleton.

-After wandering the underworld for a millennium, I could no longer recall my name. My summoner now calls me Hades.

“I see. From now on, you shall be known as Hades. This young and weak god, Yu Il-Shin, has inherited my will. As you were once my knight, let me ask you this: will you serve as his sword and shield?”

Shaking in excitement, Hades slammed his forehead against the floor.

-Master! The Supreme One! I’m deceased, left with nothing but bones, but please allow me to serve you!

Then, the Mountain-Gnawing Titan vanished, and my consciousness returned. I turned to the knight, who eagerly sought my permission, and said, “I grant you permission.”

Tzzz!

Briefly, an uplifting feeling spread through my entire body, as if we were connected.

[Congratulations! You have succeeded the Mountain-Gnawing Titan.]

[Giant Skeleton Hades has become the third follower in the Earth branch.]

-----

[Giant Skeleton Hades]

Category: Follower

Special note: He lost most of his power due to years of decline, but you can evolve it by consuming your divine power.

-----

It could evolve? I focused on the word evolve, and another window appeared.

[Do you wish to consume your divinity to evolve Giant Skeleton Hades? (Yes/No)]

“Yes.”

[Equipping Malevolent God title Brutal Killer.]

[Equipping Benevolent God title Benevolent Savior.]

Bam bam bam bam!

As both titles activated simultaneously, energies of two contrasting colors—white and black—flowed into Hades. Then, an incredible transformation took place!

Hiss—

Slowly, ash-colored skin wrapped its bone.

Clunk clunk!

At the same time, a dark armor and helmet covered his entire body. A greatsword and a massive shield engraved with a thumbs-up mark appeared in his hands.

He had been reborn into an impeccable knight.

[Congratulations! Giant Skeleton Hades has evolved into Death Knight Hades!]

-----

[Death Knight Hades]

Category: Dark Holy Knight

Special note: Through the mercy and grace of God Yu Il-Shin, he has regained his original power. Has potential for transcendence.

-----

Hades spent a few moments gawking at his own body in bewilderment. Then, he burst into tears, kissing my feet.

“Lord Yu Il-Shin, thank you for your eternal grace! I, Hades, swear upon my soul to be your shield!”

Ko Myeong-Ji looked at Hades, about to faint. “H-Hades transformed? He can talk?!”

Uh-huh, his voice even has bass. I think it’s nice and macho.

I wanted to respond to Hades’ oath kindly, but I was hit by a dizzy spell.

“

Huh?!

Master!”

“Teacher!”

“Mr. Sword God!”

As my consciousness faded, another notification appeared.

Ding!

-----

[Quest: Low-tier God Promotion (In Progress)]

Followers of intelligent beings at S-rank and above with potential for transcendence: 4/10

-----

***

I woke up in a dream.

How did I know that? Well, because it’d been like that for a week.

Swahhh—

Gentle breeze blew across the fields of golden wheat. At the center, stood a statue of a woman, holding a grain in each hand.

“Oh, is it Lady Abundance today?”

Tzzz—

The statue glowed.

[Infinite Abundance protests, her expression stern, saying she isn’t old.]

Her ears are sharp.

“Sure, Abundance noonim.”

[Infinite Abundance smiles benevolently, feeling content.]

Not only did the population of the Holy Nation of Gayami exceed 50 million, but Anty and Il-Ho also had the potential for transcendence. As a result, small changes began occurring to me.

One of them was gaining access to the stalkers. I couldn’t meet them, but I could talk to them in their territory at close range.

[Infinite Abundance praises you for saving the Mountain-Gnawing Titan's follower. She cheers you on, saying you’ll become a great benevolent god if you carry on as you are.]

I don't really want to become a benevolent god, but thank you, Abundance noona.

Regardless, I was glad it was her today. Nightmare was annoying, while Eternal Seeker would always try to put me into training.

[Infinite Abundance says that you should use her territory to recover, especially after consuming a huge amount of your divinity to save a follower.]

As expected, Abundance noona is the best human—no, god amongst the stalkers.

After giving her a thumbs-up, I went to find a suitable place to rest. This place looked awesome. Soft and cushy fields of wheat, with the blue skies as my blanket.

Haa, welcome to paradise.

[Infinite Abundance bestows healing on you.]

Tzzz—

At the same time, the golden field of wheat glowed, sending a wave of a warm, fuzzy feeling into me. I felt safe, as if in a mother’s embrace, and soon fell asleep.

Little did I know, while I was resting in her territory, a dark, malicious being was slowly encroaching upon us in reality.

***

Lick lick—

In the school clinic, Sung Mi-Na enjoyed a huge candy by herself, waiting for Yu Il-Shin and Sung Mi-Ri to return from school.

Although the candy from Choi Eun-Bi was yummy, it was getting boring.

“

Ah

!”

All of the sudden, Sung Mi-Na’s eyes beamed. She took out a long wooden box from her bag. Yu Il-Shin had hidden it in a drawer at home.

Whenever Yu Il-Shin was cooking, it’d rattle noisily, catching her attention. Sung Mi-Na carefully tapped on the box.

“

Knock, knock.

”

The thing inside responded violently.

“Who is it?”

Clatter!

“Want a piece of candy?”

Clatter clatter!

“Just kidding! No candy for you. It's all mine.”

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Clatter clatter clatter!

Seeing the violent responses of the wooden box, Sung Mi-Na couldn’t help but tease it. Glancing at her briefly, Choi Eun-Bi sighed heavily.

“Her original state was much better. What's with that?”

Just how did Sung Mi-Na, nicknamed Ice Queen, become such a cutesy child?

Even so, Choi Eun-Bi didn’t find her child-like state awkward at all, probably because it only made Sung Mi-Na look like a teen. There was no trace of her usual self, covered in thick make up to disguise her age.

Dad and Baek Yoo-Hyun should be fine, right? Had Sung Mi-Na gone with them, I wouldn’t worry so much.

Choi Eun-Bi thought of Choi Kang-San, who was dispatched to catch the monster that killed S-rank Hunter Sergey.

“

Kyaaaak

!” Sung Mi-Na screamed out of the blue.

“What's wrong? Ms. Sung Mi-Na!” Choi Eun-Bi hurriedly looked at the younger girl. The candy that was once in her mouth had shattered into pieces on the ground.

“No, no...”

“Ms. Sung Mi-Na, don't worry. If you're sad about the candy, I have more s....

Kyaaak

!”

Sung Mi-Na trembled, burying herself into Choi Eun-Bi’s arms.

“Scared, scared...”

Sensing that something was unusual, Choi Eun-Bi cautiously asked, “Ms. Sung Mi-Na? Calm down. What are you scared about?”

“M-monster!” Tears welled up in Sung Mi-Na’s eyes. “It's here to eat me...”

Meanwhile, at the gate of the Hunter Academy...

A filthy man in pungent rags had been standing at the gate for a while, staring at the Hunter Academy Buildings.

“Hello, entry is prohibited for ordinary citizens.”

The security guard frowned, approaching him.

“Hey, do you hear me? You're forbidden from entering!”

Perhaps violence was necessary to fend off the man. Thus, the security guard rolled up his sleeves roughly. Despite his profession, he was a D-rank Reinforce-type Hunter. Subduing an average citizen was an easy feat for him.

However, the tattered man didn’t budge an inch.

Hmm?

“

Hiccc!

”

Turning around, the man opened his mouth wide at the security guard.

“What...”

Crunch! Pwooosh! Thud!

That was the last of the security guard. Only his lower body remained, gushing blood like a fountain before collapsing to the ground.

Squelch squelch!

“

Tweh!

”

The man spat out the flesh. The guard wasn’t worth swallowing. A greater harvest awaited him inside the compound.

Craaack! Thud!

Tearing the iron gate with his bare hands, the man headed into the compound. His bloody lips moved, letting out a low growl like a ravaging beast.

“Kujitolea kwa Mungu (Sacrifice to the gods).”