The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

I lifted my head slightly to check the situation. None of the men were looking in our direction. The trap’s damage was no longer their concern. Something that was ”supposed to be caught” in that trap was approaching. All the men were now focused on the massive figure running down the snowy slope toward them.

It was over two meters tall. Its broad shoulders were crudely bound with muscle and tendons, and its arms were as thick as a human’s torso. A snow troll, capable of ripping a human apart with ease, was charging toward us.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

That thing was no joke. The troll charged toward us like artillery fire. She was incredibly angry. If anyone had incurred her wrath, they had definitely made the wrong choice. The problem was that Rubia and I were getting caught up in it.

I grasped Rubia’s trembling hand tightly.

”Kuwooooor!”

The troll ran down the snowy slope, roared, and leaped into the air.

Boom!

The snow where the troll landed exploded outward like fireworks. With a single leap, she covered over ten meters. Before the men could even throw their javelins, she grabbed the nearest man’s neck and bit into it.

Crunch!

The bitten man’s neck tore like paper, left hanging in shreds.

We need to run.

There was no other answer. We had to get out of here quickly.

”Kwooooo!” the troll roared.

The blood spurting from the torn neck created a vivid contrast against the pure white of the snow and the troll’s fur.

I looked around.

This is bad.

There was nowhere to run. To get down the mountain path, we had to go through the place where they were fighting.

”Throw the javelins!” the humans screamed frantically.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Five spears simultaneously sliced through the air toward the troll.

Thud!

But the troll had already moved out of the way. She swung the corpse with the tattered neck like a club to block the incoming javelins. Only one javelin grazed her thigh, but it wasn’t deep enough to sever a tendon. Trolls were formidable masses of high-density muscle, and female trolls were even more powerful than the males.

They’re doomed.

The humans would all die here. The troll kicked the human man with a bow on his back.

Crunch!

A bone-cracking sound echoed. The man hit in the chest by the troll’s massive foot flew through the air, spitting blood.

”Hiyah!”

At that moment, another man in leather armor threw a javelin with his hand. But the troll dodged the javelin with a swift movement.

I need to find the right time to run...

If I made a mistake, we might become targets for both sides. I kept watching the outside.

”Krooo!”

The troll charged at the man who had thrown the javelin. With burning eyes, she grabbed his shoulder.

”Kuwaaack!”

With a grip strong enough to bend iron, the man’s shoulder was crushed like tofu. Flesh was mashed, and white bones shattered and protruded out. The troll grabbed the man’s face with her other hand. She crushed his head with a forceful grip. The man died instantly, splattering yellow fluids on the ground.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three more javelins flew from different angles.

They’re putting up a decent fight.

The hunters threw their javelins despite their trembling legs.

”Kwoooo!”

The troll got hit by one of the javelins. It was a foolish move to try and pull the javelin out. The javelins were hook-shaped. As the troll pulled it out, blue blood gushed out along with a chunk of flesh.

Spurt!

The troll threw the javelin it had pulled from its thigh back at the man.

Whizz! Thud!

The javelin flew like a flash of light, shattering the man’s skull and planting his body into the snow.

Were trolls always this strong?

I had seen trolls before, but this one seemed special. Now, only two humans remained. There was no time to delay. The troll had an extraordinary sense of smell. Even if it didn’t detect me, it would certainly know Rubia was hiding.

I grabbed Rubia’s hand and shouted, ”Let’s run!”

We had to escape while the two remaining humans could still serve as bait, even for a moment. It was a dire situation. I grabbed Rubia and bolted.

One of the men saw me and shrieked, ”Eek, eek!” He fell backward in shock.

Of course, that was unsurprising, as even a prepared hunter would be startled if a skeleton suddenly ran out.

The troll leaped toward that man.

Thud!

I only stayed long enough to see the man raising his shield. Then I ran down the mountain path with Rubia.

Crunch! Crunch!

We were running so frantically that the sound of the snow crunching beneath our feet seemed very loud. Nevertheless, there was no time to worry about such things. I prayed that the remaining human would hold out for as long as possible.

”Aaaaaargh!”

However, we had yet to go far when the dying scream of the last human rang out from behind. How could they call themselves troll hunters with skills like that? Were they really relying on just one trap? They were ludicrously reckless.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Footsteps thudded from behind.

”Kruoooo!”

The troll seemed to be hostile toward anything that was still alive.

Thud!

The snow troll leaped over me as if it were a joke and landed in front of me.

”Run,” I said to Rubia.

Honestly, I didn’t know if she could escape. Even with my speed, I had been quickly overtaken. I stood before the troll. All I held in my hand was a single dagger.

”No, don’t...”

I forcefully pushed Rubia away. But she didn’t run. She stood near the cliff, watching me.

What is she thinking?

I turned my head and gripped the dagger, facing the troll. There were two javelins stuck in the troll. Since it was wounded, I might have a chance of winning. It did look somewhat fatigued.

That turned out to be a mistake, as the troll swung her arm and grabbed mine.

Thud!

The troll had overwhelming strength, and her arm was two meters long, giving her a very long reach.

I tried to hold my ground, but the troll snapped my arm off.

I could see the troll’s eyes, red with rage and madness. She grabbed my skull and split it in half. My consciousness rapidly went dark.

Thud!

Somewhere, something fell and hit with a distant echo.

[Would you like to save the death record? Yes/No]

[Assimilation rate has decreased.]

[93.71% -> 93.54%]

***

Lightning flashed in the sky as if it were taking a bite out of it, and thunder roared.

Rumble! Crash! Boom!

I wasn’t surprised anymore. This was nothing to be startled by. I could see the afterimage of the lightning.

Tap. Tap.

I knocked on both sides, confirming I was indeed in a solid coffin.

Ssshhhh!

A torrential downpour raged madly. I stared at the pitch-black night sky. Rubia would appear soon.

I had died again, and I had returned again. I thought I had escaped, but I died after living just one more night. I died quickly, over and over again...

How did I manage to survive for twenty years the first time?

I started to wonder if maybe all this dying had something to do with the woman named Rubia.

Should I get rid of her?

Clatter.

I shook my head, because getting rid of her wouldn’t solve anything. If fate naturally led us to part ways, that would be one thing, but I didn’t want to harshly abandon the necromancer who had raised me.

I raised my hand and felt my skull to make sure it was still there. It had been split in half, but now it was perfectly intact.

I’ve revived four times now.

This time, I foolishly died to the troll. I had gone up the rough mountain path deliberately to avoid humans, but then I encountered a snow troll.

The wolf cub... it was warning us about the troll, not the trap.

I had felt relieved after finding the trap. I had thought once I disarmed it, there would be no more threats. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, though. In hindsight, it was a place where a snow troll might show up.

However, that troll was unusual. Even among trolls, it was particularly strong. I couldn’t tell how strong I needed to be to defeat it. I would feel uneasy if I were to leave the trap intact, and there was no guarantee I could defeat the six hunters either.

If I have to choose...

Leaving the trap as it was would be better. If I didn’t care about Rubia, I might have a slight chance against six humans, but I could never win against a troll as fearsome as that.

Hmm... Would I even be able to meet my master with a path so treacherous as this one?

Clatter.

I sighed in my own way, moving my spine to lift my rib cage and then letting it drop back down.

Ding!

[Succession Complete!]

[Name: None

Skeleton Soldier Lv.1 (57)

Health: 29

Strength: 30

Agility: 32

Wisdom: 9]

The status window appeared, as if on cue. I looked at it slowly like I was seeing it for the first time. No matter how many times I saw it, I couldn’t help but find it fascinating.

Level 1 again, huh?

The level, which had risen to sixteen, had reset back to one. Nevertheless, my stats were retained as expected, and so were my skills. I confirmed that I had returned with all my stats and skills retained.

Hmm...

Another window appeared.

[Death Memorial]

[You have achieved your fourth death since succession.]

1. For the Necromancer+ (New!)

In your final moments, you sacrificed your life twice consecutively for a necromancer. You start with a base Affection of 20 in relationships with necromancers. You can increase the chosen necromancer’s stat points by 10.

[Remaining points: 10]

That’s different.

The description of For the Necromancer had changed.

It only had the base Affection of twenty before.

Something new had been added. The explanation now included that I could increase the necromancer’s stats by ten points.

Hmm, willthat really work?

Still thinking fuzzily, I looked further down at the list of perks in the Death Memorial. Numbers two and three were the same. Blunt Resistance and Skull Resistance. I’d verified their usefulness through experience. Blunt Resistance was indeed handy, but after choosing them twice in a row, I felt the urge to try something different this time.

[Please select a perk to apply for this round.]

In the darkness, the semi-transparent letters glimmered faintly. There was no need to decide right now. They wouldn’t disappear if I took my time. I could think it over and choose later.

Lightning flashed.

Rumble! Crash!

I could now perfectly time when Rubia would speak. It was right after the second rumble of thunder.

Standing by the grave, I called out to her first. ”I can hear you!”

”Dead—o-oh, hoo-whaaaaa!” Rubia trailed off.

Squelch!

I heard the sound of her collapsing to her knees. I climbed out of the grave, and I felt much lighter than I did after the first return. My bones brimmed with strength, even though I was still vulnerable to the troll’s grasp, which could easily split my skull in half. The world was filled with danger, and despite this newfound strength, it still felt inadequate.

”Hic!”

Rubia looked at me and hiccupped.

Startled again, huh?

She was seeing me for the first time, but for me, this was our fifth meeting. Yet, she still reacted like that.

I impulsively decided to choose the perk I had been hesitant about.

I’ll choose option one.

[Perk: For the Necromancer+ has been applied. All Affection with necromancers increases by 20.]

[You can increase the chosen necromancer’s stat points by 10.]

Well, I wasn’t sure about the stat points yet.

Will she be less surprised now?

I quickly decided to summarize things for her.

”I am a skeleton who understands, speaks, and possesses reasonable knowledge. You might be scared, but I think it’s better to tell you upfront.”