Chapter 78. You'll Be Able to Do Something Fun (4)

Facing barehanded combat was inevitable. Once again, a fist came flying toward me.

I hastily raised my arm to block it.

Whoosh! Thwack!

I had no time to think carefully. Although I did not feel any pain, the force of the blow sent my arm flying back. Another punch came my way, and I blocked it with the same arm. My shoulder felt stiff as if it were about to give out.

Clack, clack! Clack, clack!

The skeleton gnashed its teeth fiercely. Its large jaw snapped loudly, creating an intimidating presence. From an objective perspective, this skeleton was on par with a gatekeeper of the Ossuary of Wraiths—a low-level enemy.

Yet here I was, overwhelmed by something so basic.

What happened to me?

I wondered if this supposed ability-suppressing barrier could truly exist. The always truthful translucent blue system window had never lied to me. Just as it described, my bones were in shambles, and my abilities had drastically diminished.

Whoosh! Crack!

Lost in thought, I failed to dodge, and the skeleton struck my skull again.

Thud!

[Warning! Health has dropped below 75%.]

My back slammed into the wall. My movements felt even more sluggish. The skeleton's attack power was pitiful, but so was my current health. With 25% already gone, another series of blows could shatter my skull entirely.

I couldn't afford to keep taking hits. It wasn't as though this was an opponent I could reason with.

I've figured out its pattern.

When the skeleton drew back its tightly clenched right fist, I stepped forward without hesitation, thrusting my left fist directly at the skeleton's large nasal bone.

A small

thunk

echoed as I punched it. The skeleton found itself in an awkward position, unable to follow through with its punch. Our arm lengths were about the same, and with its arm pulled back, it couldn't reach me. Instead, it leaned forward, attempting to push my fist away with its face.

Thud!

However, my back was pressed firmly against the wall. Using the wall as leverage, I retracted my left fist and threw a right hook at the skeleton's eye socket.

Crack!

A satisfying sound rang out as the skeleton toppled over. For the first time, I had executed a proper offensive move.

***

I tore the arms and legs off the skeleton that had attacked me and tossed the pieces onto the ground. But I wasn't unharmed either. Both my arms rattled ominously, and fractures lined the joints of my finger bones. My cervical spine creaked, and several of my ribs were cracked.

It had been a brutal struggle—against what amounted to a mere gatekeeper skeleton. I thought it was pathetic, but I couldn't help but feel exhilarated. I reflected on my previous life. I had meticulously planned every step, carefully guided by the slime's generosity. I always fought prepared and always ensured an easy win. But this raw, desperate battle sent shivers through my bones.

Not long after, something strange occurred.

Rattle! Rattle! Click! Clack!

The skeleton’s dismembered bones reassembled themselves.

What's going on?

The skeleton didn't attack me again. Instead, it shuffled off into the darkness. At the same time, I noticed something odd about myself. Looking at my hand, I saw that the fractures and cracks had already healed.

Before I could fully process the situation, three more skeletons approached me simultaneously.

Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!

This is exhausting.

Each skeleton held a rusted sword and an old wooden shield in one hand as they creaked toward me. Under normal circumstances, I would have considered them laughable threats, incapable of standing against me. However, in my current state, trapped in this incomprehensible barrier, these shambling skeletons were as menacing as three trolls.

***

After a grueling battle that left my bones scattered everywhere, I managed to take them down.

Boom! Boom!

Suddenly, a new challenger arrived. It stomped heavily as it approached, towering over me. Its skull was twice the size of mine, and its massive jaw looked four times stronger than mine too. It was built entirely differently.

An orc skeleton?

Orcs were warriors who lived by a code of honor. They didn't just know the code—they lived and breathed for battle and glory. Even in the face of human invasions, they never retreated, considering it shameful to hide. They fought to the end, refusing to surrender their lands, always at the forefront of battle. No wonder orcs had been driven to near extinction by the human world.

The towering skeleton swung its massive fist and slammed it into my skull.

Crack!

Whoosh!

The force lifted me off the ground. Before I could react, another punch followed.

Swoosh!

I barely managed to roll away from its attack. There was no time to think. I grabbed its ankle with both hands, attempting to dismantle it. But I was far too weak.

The orc skeleton grabbed my arm.

With a sickening

snap

, it cleanly broke my arm off and tossed the loose bone aside. Then, using my arm as a weapon to pummel the ground, it swung my dismembered arm wildly.

Rattle! Rattle!

The sound of bones clattering against the cold stone floor echoed. As I faced off against the orc skeleton, I thought—

Is this my true self? Everything I experienced with Rubia and Rena—was it all just a fleeting dream? Is this reality?

Thud!

The orc used my left arm to strike my right arm, all while wielding both as weapons. I rolled sideways across the floor in desperation. The orc hurled my left arm to the ground as if intending to finish the fight.

I have to grab that.

Driven by sheer determination, I rolled again, desperately reaching for my severed left arm.

[Swordsmanship Lv.5 activated.

Weapon compatibility is low. Efficiency reduced by 70%.]

I would end it with my Swordsmanship.

Whoosh!

I spotted a gap in the skeleton orc's skull—a gap wide enough for my hand to fit. I wedged my finger bones into it and twisted with all my might.

The sound of bone tearing echoed as the orc skeleton collapsed on the spot.

Crack!

Thud.

I sank backward, exhausted. Grabbing my dislocated left arm, I forcibly reattached it to my body. The arm was partially shattered.

Will this... recover too?

As the thought crossed my mind, a corner of the ground began to shift.

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Boom!

The movement ceased, and light spread from that spot. The glow hovered in the air, forming letters.

[Choose for yourself.]

What is this?

This wasn't the familiar translucent blue system window that guided me with hero points or stat updates.

Magic?

The glowing letters floating mid-air were an unfamiliar phenomenon. I had little experience with this kind of magic because I rarely encountered spellcasters. However, faint shapes emerged below the letters—shapes I recognized instantly.

Weapons. Each weapon lay embedded in the newly risen platform: a heavy iron mace requiring two hands, a finely forged small iron shield, a one-handed sword and a mace, a steel-coated great shield, long two-handed swords, halberds, lances, and even a zweihander.

So I'm supposed to choose?

Someone was clearly watching me. A carefully crafted stage like this wouldn't exist without an audience. I was a trapped beast, and beasts that performed well lived longer. I had no intention of dying here.

I cautiously picked up the one-handed sword. While I had often wielded a bastard sword in past lives, this blade type felt the most familiar.

I paused to consider what else to take. My other hand was free. Two-handed weapons were out of the question. Torn between the mace and the shield, I decided that a shield was the better choice in this trap-filled cave. I picked up a large shield from the ground.

At that moment, a message appeared.

[Omnipotence suppression lifted.

Vision restrictions removed.]

Bang!

With those messages, the glowing letters shattered, and the darkness dissipated. Light flooded the area, revealing what lay around me.

Bones.

Bones. Bones. Bones. Everywhere.

Scattered across the ground were bones of horses, humans, orcs, trolls, ogres, and creatures I couldn't even identify. Within this sea of bones, something began to take shape, piece by piece.

One, two, three...

From the pile of bones, hulking orc skeletons wielding massive hammers emerged.

Damn it.

I stood on the stage in the vast cavern, surrounded by a 20-meter-wide ring of bone piles. Someone—or something—was taking perverse delight in this spectacle.

***

Clatter.

Round after round, the enemy numbers grew. Five more came after the first three skeletons. Then seven. After seven orc skeletons, troll skeletons entered the fray. One wielded an enormous axe, which effortlessly split my large shield in half. I hurled my sword to buy time and scavenged a small iron shield from the ground.

The troll skeleton howled, "

Roar!

"

Two more troll skeletons emerged from either side.

This is it. I'm done for.

There was no way I could handle three troll skeletons at once. Normally, skeletons lacked the vitality and strength of their living counterparts, but these were enchanted. They rivaled live trolls in every way.

Even with my full abilities restored, I had to fight an uphill battle. The skeletons were fast, their glowing bones radiating an eerie white light, and their weapons were unnervingly sharp.

Whistle!

An axe came crashing down. I hastily raised my shield to protect my skull.

Clang!

The force of the blow overwhelmed me, and I dropped the shield.

Clatter!

The dented shield rolled across the ground. I hadn't managed to take down a single troll. Two more axes swung at me from both sides, leaving me completely defenseless.

If my skull shatters... I'll meet Rena again, won't I?

However, I had no time to hope for miracles. The power disparity was overwhelming. I was trapped in an unknown cave, where skeletal foes kept emerging from piles of bones. I fought desperately, but annihilation loomed.

Is this really what the observer wants?

I dove toward the discarded shield and rolled across the ground.

I won't die here.

But my hope dwindled.

Boom!

The fastest troll skeleton kicked the battered iron shield far away. I wondered if I was going to truly die in this strange, incomprehensible place.