Chapter 24. Why I Devour My Kind with Drowsy Eyes (2)

A rather aggressive sound echoed, characteristic of the noise made by skeletons. They were waiting behind the stone wall that opened with the mechanism.

Advanced Skeleton Soldiers.

Four Advanced Skeleton Soldiers stood and stared at me after the stone wall opened. They were a bit different from the other skeletons outside. They were a little bigger and slightly more menacing. Their weapons seemed decent, too.

It reminded me of my three years in this dungeon during my first life. Back then, these guys had seemed truly formidable. I was even afraid of approaching them.

"Hello?"

"

Kuooo

?"

Now, these guys who couldn't even speak yet seemed almost cute. At best, these Skeleton Soldiers ranged between levels 15 to 20. Nominally, my level was not even 10, but in terms of stats, I was already close to level 70.

Twenty years ago, I thought these creatures were terrifying when I wandered around the ossuary.

"

Kuooo

!"

They approached while uttering strange sounds. There was nothing to ridicule. In truth, I also couldn't speak for a very long time. My master taught me how to speak, pouring her heart and soul into the task. She even infused her limited, irreplaceable magical power into me solely for this purpose. She believed it was pitiable to be unable to express oneself, as language shaped perception, which in turn influenced thought. These Skeleton Soldiers who lacked the ability to speak likely suffered from a diminished capacity for precise thought. Their poor fighting skills might not be due to the fact that their abilities were absurdly low.

"

Kuoo

!"

A skeleton wielding a large greatsword charged at me from the front. The greatsword it held looked somewhat usable. Suddenly, a strange thought crossed my mind.

Why are they desperately rushing at me? Were they brainwashed to attack the moment the stone wall opened? There's no necromancer here.

No necromancer hiding in this dungeon would give them orders with intent, only fellow skeletons.

So why are they so eager? What do they hope to achieve by doing this?

While I was lost in such random thoughts, the skeleton came right in front of me. I casually kicked it.

Thud!

It was sent flying quite far and crashed into a stone coffin, dropping the large greatsword it had been holding.

Clang!

The greatsword hit the stone floor with a loud echo that resonated throughout the hall.

"

Ugh!

"

Did I kick it too hard?

Clatter!

Clatter!

The other three skeletons also charged at me with their weapons. The space inside the mechanism's area was a large hall. I only learned about this place after wandering the dungeon for over a year. The hall was somewhat protected from humans as it was less invaded since the mechanism and the stone wall shielded it.

Of course, it wasn't impossible to enter. There were many prepared adventurers, such as those who knew everything about the dungeon beforehand. They would knock down every hidden creature and leave, thrilled with a 100% dungeon conquest rate.

This F-rank dungeon was essentially a beginner's playground. Most humans who ventured here were ill-prepared, and many were unaware of the simple mechanism that operated the wall. Yet, even in this basic setting, a clear separation of privilege was evident.

Those who managed to pass beyond the stone wall were undeniably the privileged ones. Even in this humble dungeon called the Ossuary, a hierarchy existed among its weak inhabitants that human adventurers trampled over like toys.

Ironically, the strongest entities in the Ossuary of the Wraiths hid themselves in the safest area and didn't allow other weaker skeletons to enter.

Crash!

While thinking about all sorts of things, I kicked the charging skeleton away with my foot, sending it flying.

"I told you, I don't want to fight..."

I truly didn't. But letting them hit me without resistance was also troublesome. The armor might protect me, but I couldn't just keep getting hit. I grabbed my sword, and swung it at the three skeletons charging at me. The one-handed sword, which wasn't particularly heavy, struck their weapons three times in succession.

Swoosh!

Clang!

There was a loud clanging sound of metal colliding. At the same time, all three skeletons dropped their weapons. That was unlikely to happen. The weapons they held were much bigger and heavier than mine. My strength was enough to fend off that weight and size.

Clang! Clang! Clatter!

All three weapons flew off simultaneously, rolling across the floor.

"

Kuoo!

"

The skeletons staggered back a few steps.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Then, all three sat down, slumping backward. Not from fear or pain but purely from the physical impact. That was the extent of my current strength.

"Don't bother me. I'm here to catch humans."

"

Ughhhh!

"

But they got back up. They continued to charge at me to the end. Couldn't they distinguish friend from foe? Honestly, I didn't intend to side with them... but if I dealt with the humans, it would be easier for them too.

This dungeon felt comfortable. It might've been because there were skeletons like me clattering around. But there was something oddly inexplicable. It felt more so once I entered the hall. Perhaps something in here made this place a "dungeon."

I planned to stay in this dungeon for a while. It would become exhausting if I had to knock these skeletons down every time they got up.

Maybe I should try taking it off.

Click.

I removed my armor. Then, I placed it carefully inside a stone coffin nearby.

"

Ugh

?"

The charging skeletons stopped. It seemed they recognized me as one of their kind.

Finally

.

Rumble!

A faint tremor suddenly resonated, and a coffin began to open. A figure then stepped out from the large stone coffin.

Boom!

I've never seen a creature like that before.

That skeleton wore different kinds of armor on different parts of its body. Of course, it was hard to call it proper armor. Compared to my armor, which covered me entirely from head to toe, it was vastly inferior. Its armor looked more like a patchwork of iron plates attached here and there.

Was there a creature like this?

I had been in this dungeon for three years. Yet, I had never seen a creature like this before.

Ding!

[Dungeon Boss: The Wraith Ossuary's Leader]

[Rank: F+]

[Player Level: 7]

[Recommended Clear Level: 25]

[Difficulty Rating: Self-Torture!]

[Attempting Solo Play!]

What the hell is this?

As a question mark appeared in my mind, I was more concerned with the message hovering in the air than the creature that had jumped out of the coffin.

"

Skreeeel!

"

The skeleton let out a rather unique scream. Its head was at least twice the size of the other skeletons.

So, this is the boss of the dungeon.

That much was clear.

But what does "Player" and "Difficulty Rating" mean?

I had no idea.

Boom! Boom!

It charged at me, making the ground shake threateningly. To me, it looked pitiful. But instead of amusing me, it annoyed me a bit. If I had seen it before, I would remember it. I was sure this was my first time seeing it.

While all the other skeletons were shattered countless times outside the stone wall, had it just been lying flat in the coffin, quietly hiding?

"

Guoooo!

"

"

Ughhh!

"

As it stood up, the other skeletons lying down tried to charge at me again. The creature that rose from the coffin held a large shield in one hand and an axe in the other. With its left hand, it positioned the shield in front, and with its right hand, it held the axe back, ready to swing at any moment.

Swish!

It jumped at me, then lowered its body almost to a kneeling position with its right knee bent. It blocked above with the shield in its left hand and swung the axe horizontally with its right hand to strike me. I quickly stepped back.

Swish!

The axe sliced through the air.

The leader of the ossuary.

It seemed like this creature was the one preventing the other skeletons outside the stone wall from entering the hall. It appeared to be exerting its command here. Even when I clattered around in this dungeon for three years, I knew how to open the mechanism, but I couldn't enter the hall.

Every time I tried, the other skeletons inside the hall would attack me. It had been hiding all by itself. Maybe it was time to stop going easy on it. I took a step forward out of my defensive stance and swung my sword forcefully downward. The "leader" raised its shield.

Bang!

The force of my strike seemed to be beyond what the creature had imagined.

"

Kuooook

!"

It was a good, reinforced shield. But it could not withstand my speed and force.

The creature wobbled, and sparks flew from the top of the shield. The other skeletons couldn't even get close.

Bang!

I struck the shield again, as my strength and speed alone were enough. The creature dropped its shield, and I kicked it with my foot.

Crack!

The leader rolled around, its bones breaking in several places.

Snap!

I lunged at the other charging skeletons. I kicked them all away at once, separating their bones. Now, the skeletons clattered but dared not resist. They couldn't even lift themselves and groaned.

Clatter!

That one is getting up again.

The leader clattered and stood up again.

Thud, thud.

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

I slowly walked toward it. Despite losing all its allies, the leader charged at me again. I swung my sword again, sending its shield and weapon flying.

Clang!

The shield shook, and the axe fell to the distant stone floor. Judging by its movements, it seemed to be at level 30 at best. So, it was even weaker than I was when I failed to protect my master. Maybe that level was enough to be the leader of these ruins.

Clatter.

On a whim, I handed the creature its weapon back.

"Try again."

Will it understand?

The creature's bones clattered as it charged at me again.

Clang!

Once more, I swung my sword, knocking the axe away and kicking the shield. Then I kicked it.

"Is that all you've got?"

I handed over its axe again.

Clatter!

I knocked it away. I brought it down again. I repeated this several times. Before I knew it, I was standing near the coffin the creature had leaped out of. I placed my hand on the coffin and looked at the creature. At that moment, a message popped up.

Ding!

[Experience increased by 1.]

[You have reached the core of the ossuary.]

[Your species value is confirmed as a skeleton.]

[You will gain 1 experience point every minute until level 30.]

Huh?

I stared quietly at the stone coffin where my hand rested.

Ding!

[Experience increased by 1.]

After a minute, another experience point was added.

This coffin... is the core of the Wraith Ossuary.

Some dungeons had cores, and specific monsters were drawn to the energy emitted by the core. Some dungeons were created without a magical core. I had never thought about it, but surprisingly, the F-rank dungeon, Wraith Ossuary, had a core.

I didn't know such a thing existed.

This creature had been monopolizing it all along even when I was here, always. If shared, everyone could have reached level 30. But it had kept it to itself, using the coffin as its own. It had already reached level 30 but kept everyone else away.

I was annoyed. If not for this foolish creature, everyone in this ossuary could have reached level 30 long ago, including myself.