Endless Evolution As A Skeleton In A Game-Like World

The players were teleported into a large hall that stretched forward. As expected of a castle, the hall was beautiful and spotless.

The floor was covered in tiles that glittered like gold, polished so thoroughly that they reflected the ornate chandelier that hung above their heads.

But the players could not appreciate the beauty, something about the place filled them with a deep sense of unease.

”Let us move.” Darius instructed, holding his sword firmly as he began to advance through the halls.

They had already organised themselves into formation the moment they arrived. The class tank, a boy who had awakened a D-Rank trait, [Indomitable Form], stood by his side, alongside those with heightened physical capabilities.

In the center were the only two mages left in their group. Daffodil was responsible for healing and buffing the party, while Vanessa was their fire power. But they were not the only ones in the center, there was also an archer, as well as two casters...

Although they were not fully mages, Cain and Olivia stood in the middle because of their effective long ranged capabilities.

Defending the back were a number of skilled warriors. In case there was an ambush from both sides, they would be protecting the mages from behind.

Darius took one glance at them and nodded with approval. It was an efficient and very flexible formation, one that was perfect for their current challenge.

The group continued to advance through the hall that seemed to have no end, their footsteps echoing through the place.

”What’s up Olivia~” a chubby boy whispered from the side.

Olivia glanced at the direction of the voice, about to scold him when she was met with a goofy smile on a familiar face.

The boy’s brown hair was messy as usual, but his ocean blue eyes sparkled with childish innocence. He was holding a shield that was almost as big as him on one hand, and a mace on the other.

She almost smiled, but she clicked her tongue instead.

”Miguel? Is that how you greet your seniors? Don’t you have any decency?”

Miguel and her went far back, they had been friends for as long as she could remember.

”Eh?” Miguel’s face fell. ”You’re older by three months—ek!” He squealed as Olivia grabbed his soft cheeks and pulled it.

”Even if it is a day, I am still older!”

”Yes, yes! I’ve got you madam Olivia!

”Hey!” Olivia twisted his cheeks even harder. ”Who are you calling madam?!”

Although their voices were intense, none of them dared raise their voice but spoke with whispers instead.

”Ehh, I’m sorry!” After Olivia finally let go, the boy rubbed his red cheeks and sighed.

”What do you want, Miguel?” She hissed, folding her hands across her chest.

”Nothing really. The dude in your group, the skeleton...” his voice dropped lower, almost as if he knew something was wrong. ”I made a promise to the guy. What... happened to him?”

Olivia’s face darkened slightly, when the scene replayed in her head like a nightmare. What was she supposed to say? What had actually happened? Or what she was hoping for?

But thankfully, she did not get to answer, because Soo-jin’s voice interrupted their conversation a second later.

”Everyone stop.” It was calm, yet loud enough to stop them dead in their tracks.

Darius raised a hand to stop them and glanced at her. ”What is the problem?”

Soo-jin kept her eyes in front of them, her eyebrows knitted together, and her tails swaying behind her.

Then her tail suddenly turned stiff. ”It is an ambush.”

As though realising their plans had been foiled, a ticking sound reached Darius’ ears, as well as the sound of dragging feet.

In front of them, from behind the large pillars that stood at both sides of the halls, monster began to stagger out of them in throves.

At first glance, they looked like goblins thay they had handled several times in the forest, but it only took a second for Darius to realise that they were diffent.

Unlike the regular goblins, these monsters had hollow eyes and paler skin, but thay was not were the similarities ended.

They all bore one sort of fatal wound or the other. Some had their guts split open, others their necks, while some were even scorched beyond recognition.

”Undead...” He muttered quietly. If not for Soo-jin’s warning then they would have been surrounded at all sides.

[Threat detected! Undead Goblin Soldiers, Level 7 x 100!]

The undead goblins poured out from behind the pillars in troves, and once they laid eyes on them—

Skreeeee!

They charged forward, falling atop each other and stomping on themselves like zombies, bloodthirsty looks in their eyes as they lusted after their flesh.

The sound of their charge was like a stampede that echoed through the hall, and their snarls swallowed every sound in the room. It was a horrifying sight.

”Snap out of it!” Darius screamed at the players, snapping them out of their momentary shock. ”Get ready! Mages!”

FWOOOOSH!

A rainbow colour of flames suddenly burst out from behind them, surfing into the air before washing over the zombies like a flood.

Darius could feel the prickly heat from where he stood, the magnificent fire was burning the goblins as if they were fire wood.

There was only one person capable of unleashing such a spell, their Grand mage, Vanessa.

He turned around and caught her smile, just for a brief second before focusing back on the battle before them.

”Second barrage, keep it coming!”

This time, a large wave of water rose above their heads, and while it was still in the air, yellow lightning gushed into it, converting the already deadly spell into something far more sinister.

Vanessa quenched her flames, just as the spell crashed down, flooding the hall. Lightning raced through the water, electrocuting the undead that had not been crushed to mush.

”Third wave!” Darius screamed, the smile on his face widening.

This time arrows were sent flying, racing through the air like hypersonic missiles. They tore through the undead like a horde of Puranas, reducing their already deplorable bodies to nothing.

Just like that, they had cut down more than half of the undead, and he hadn’t even moved a muscle.

”Tch. I thought this was meant to be a boss fight?” Cain clicked his tongue in annoyance. ”These are just junk food, when will we get the real meat of the dish?”

Darius would have loved to brag as well, but he knew that the boss battle was far from easy. Their success was only due to a series of very fortunate events...

He had not sensed the undead even after getting so close, if not for Soo-jin’s call, they would have been in deeper shit.

And that was not all, their mages had very good synergy with each other. Fire and wind, water and lightning... These were the reasons they had been doing us so far.

But that was the last of their barrage, their mages needed time, so it was time for the fourth phase.

SCREEEE—!!

Without a wall of flame or torrent of water to bar their path, the goblins charged like mad men, the ravenous hunger visible in their hollow eyes. ”How many seconds do you need, Vanessa?”

”Just thirty, I’ll be ready in thirty seconds!”

”Alright! Daffodil, you’re up!” Darius barked out his orders, holding his sword forward.

Daffodil nodded from behind them and raised her staff. She muttered a few words underneath her breath then planted the butt of her staff into the floor.

”Divine Grace.”

A transparent dome-like shield suddenly crawled out of the floor and surrounded them.

Bang—bang—bang!

The goblins began to crash into the shield with their bodies, each hit sending a tremor through the place.

But Darius was not bothered, he knew the shield would hold. ”Attack!”

He swung his blade forward, the sword passing through the shield with ease before decapacitating a nearby undead.

Without wasting a motion, he moved his blade again and again, hacking and slashing, bathing the floor in black blood, and decorating the hall with an abundance of heads.

By his sides the other melee fighters were also doing their best, jabbing spears through, shooting arrows and launching daggers.

Because the shield allowed them to attack from within it, not once did they need to wrap a foot out of the perimeter.

”I’m done!” Vanessa hurriedly said from behind them, her spell already bubbling in her hands.

”Melee fighters, three steps backward, give the mages the space to attack!”

Soo-jin took a step forward and raised her crimson fan. With one casual flick of her wrists a large gale of wind shot forward with a metallic shrill, rushing into the goblins that had gathered at the shield.

A number of them were severed into pieces the instant the wind touched them, while the others were blown back, giving Vanessa the space she needed—

FWOOOOSH!

Her beautiful flames once again bathed the battlefield, swallowing everything in sight.

And then a notification appeared in front of Darius’s eyes.

[Threat detected! Undead Goblin Soldiers, Level 7 x 100!]

”Again?? Isn’t one horde enough?” And then the second notification filled him with dread.

[Threat detected! Undead Goblin Champion, Level 7 x 1!]

In the distance, Darius could see the silhouette of a robust, muscular figure completely covered in black steel armour.

At the sight of it, he felt his throat go dry. It was right amidst the fire, and yet it was acting as though it was in a sauna.

The goblin took a stance, one leg forward and slightly bent, while the other stretched back.

Darisu’s eyes went wide. ”SHIELD, GET THE SHIELD UP NOW!!”

STEP—STEP—STEP!!!

The goblin suddenly charged at them with the grace and form of a hundred meter sprint champion, its footsteps like the beating of war drums.

Daffodil had taken it down for a moment since it was not being used, but at his command the shield buzzed into life.

”Mages!”

Lightning and water rushed through the fire, about to pound into the goblin, but just as it was inches away from it, the goblin leaped into the air.

”Fuck!”

Wreathed in flames that had now torched its skin, but with a determination that could only have been born from madness, it brought its fist together like a sledge hammer as it came down on the shield...

And then with a blow that sounded like thunder, it smashed right through their defences—

Bang!

The explosion caused dust to shoot up into the air. Darius did not know how he found himself on the floor, but he swiftly got to his feet, a ringing sound filling his ears, and once he regained his senses, he saw the goblin champion right next to him.

The monster had grabbed one of his classmates by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

”No, no! Get... get away from me!!”

The boy was screaming, his eyes wide, and his entire body trembling with fear as the goblin eyed him like a burrito.

Darius felt heat rise up in his chest, he was about to charge at the goblin, sword raised. But before he could even take a step forward...

Snap!

The goblin champion bit his head right off his shoulders, causing his blood to spew into the air like a morbid shower.

Darius froze where he stood, a chill running down his bones.

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

[Deborah is bleeding. Her health will continually be depleted over time]

[Jason is bleeding. His health will continually be depleted over time]

[Cross is bleeding. His health will continually be depleted over time]