The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Status window.

[Name: None

Skeleton Soldier Lv. 15 (149)

Health: 61

Strength: 68 (New!)

Agility: 69 (New!)

Wisdom: 50]

It wasn’t just my stats that were impressive. My high-level swordsmanship and martial arts complemented each other, creating a synergy that amplified their effectiveness. Moreover, the three skills I had absorbed from the Ashen Knight functioned separately, further enhancing my attacks.

Stealth.

I concealed myself between the rocks and crept toward the massive pit. With my Detection skill fully activated, I monitored my opponent’s every movement.

[Dungeon Boss: Webslinger

Rank: D+

Player Level: 15

Recommended Clear Level: 55

Difficulty: Despair

Due to difficulty assessment, Hero Points are increased by 200%.

You are challenging the dungeon solo!]

This situation was far from despair-inducing. If anything, it was laughable. Even with Stealth Lv. 5, the four-meter-long spider hadn’t noticed my presence.

At Lv. 10, it’d be ridiculous.

At that level, I could probably pluck a few hairs off of the spider while it was awake. It wouldn’t even notice, though it wasn’t like I had any interest in spider hairs. I had a simple goal: kill it quickly.

I aimed my sword at a vital point—the spot where crimson gemstones had once spilled out, likely to be its heart.

Farewell.

[Activating Sprint Lv. 4!]

[Activating Iaijutsu Lv. 5!]

[Applying Acid Lv. 5 to your sword!]

[Activating Cleave Lv. 1!

— Cleave Lv. 1 significantly ignores the target’s defense.]

[Activating Slash Lv. 1!

—- Slash Lv. 1 crushes the cells along the sword’s path.]

[Due to a surprise attack, a critical hit is triggered with 300% damage!]

Slash! Squelch! Clang!

I swung my sword at full speed, boosted by Sprint, and rolled away immediately after striking. Not a single drop of the green venom splattered onto me. Ironically, the Webslinger couldn’t even spin webs. Its real threat lay not only in its twelve legs and massive fangs but also in its deadly venom. The Webinger’s venom had a toxin potent enough to easily melt steel armor.

A direct hit wouldn’t kill me instantly, but I had no reason to test my resistance.

The venom splattered onto a rock, hissing loudly as it corroded the surface.

Sizzle!

I stepped back, preparing for my next strike.

At that moment, messages popped up.

Ding!

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[...Achieved!]

What? Is it over already?

[Clear!]

[You have defeated the dungeon boss.]

[Webslinger

Rank: D+

Difficulty Rating: Despair

Due to difficulty assessment, Hero Points are increased by 200%.

You solo-cleared the dungeon.

Hero Points are increased by an additional 100%]

[D+ Rank Clear: 54 Points

Difficulty Bonus: 108 Points

Solo Play Bonus: 54 Points

Total Hero Points Earned: 216]

Ding!

[Calculating store access privileges]

[You have been granted access as a Low Apprentice]

[Next rank requirement: 943/1024]

It had been a while since I’d seen this status window.

It’s about time I leveled up again...

I had been accumulating points steadily from the various dungeons I visited with Rena.

[You may select one of the following three abilities.]

[Scanning abilities...]

[Scanning player...]

A blue light flickered before me.

[1. Giant Slayer Lv. 1

— You have slain a massive foe with a critical hit. Choosing this perk increases your critical hit rate by +5% when attacking large monsters. Critical hit damage scales with your Swordsmanship level.]

[2. Sprint Lv. 5

— You have defeated a multi-legged opponent. The points you absorb will be efficiently converted into this skill.

—- Sprint Lv. 5: Increases speed by 400% for 20 minutes.

—- Cooldown: 50 minutes

—- Maximum uses per day: 3]

[3. Bonus Stats +5]

Hmm...

I pondered my options. Unlike before, when my bones had been engulfed in flames, I had plenty of time to decide this time. I could take all night if I wanted.

The choices were critical hit, speed, or stats. Taking bonus stats was a safe choice because they were invaluable. They provided guaranteed improvements and had the broadest applications.

I frequently used Sprint not just for travel but also for combat. The skill was extremely useful.

Critical hits, though...

I’d never paid much attention to critical hits before. An additional 5% critical rate, however, was a significant boost. It meant one in twenty attacks would land as a guaranteed critical hit. While the critical hits were limited to large monsters, among the inhuman creatures I faced, the strongest ones tended to be massive.

Besides, who knows when I’ll get another chance to acquire this perk?

”Option 1. Giant Slayer.”

[Selection confirmed!]

[Acquired Giant Slayer Lv. 1]

[Critical hit rate against large monsters increased by +5%!]

Clatter!

A dull, gleaming red gemstone rolled out precisely from the spot I had sliced the spider in half.

[Webslinger’s Crimson Gem]

Do I need to get this appraised?

I had no desire to visit a slime. The memory of my bones dissolving in its searing mucus was still painfully vivid.

I wish I had an appraisal skill.

I shoved the gemstone into my pouch, knowing it was likely a monster-exclusive evolution item, but I had no idea how to use it.

No more notifications appeared.

I gazed down at the slain spider, lost in thought. I had struggled so much to hunt that creature before, but now, I had taken it down with a single strike.

It’s almost too easy now.

A faint sense of unease flickered in my mind.

”Huh?”

I gleaned around the pit, but nothing seemed out of place.

What was that?

[Activating Detection Lv. 5!]

[Skill efficiency increased by 1,000%!]

[Current health cost: 0.0024% per second]

When I activated Detection, I was drawn to an old spider statue in the corner. At first glance, it looked no different from the other web-covered statuses surrounding it, but something about it felt off.

Clank!

I pushed against the statue with all my strength.

Huh? It won’t budge?

I grabbed it firmly with both hands and pushed harder.

Fwoosh.

Yet, only a small cloud of dust fell from the statue’s surface. It didn’t move an inch.

Did I miscalculate?

No, that wasn’t possible because the Detection skill was precise. There had to be a reason this statue felt suspicious when I activated the skill.

Am I just not strong enough to push it?

Clank! Clank!

I tried to shove the statue with all my might.

Rumble!

As I exerted more force, the spider statue suddenly slid inward.

I stumbled forward from the unexpected shift.

Rattle!

Even though I had pushed it, I was still startled. The bones inside my armor clattered from the sudden movement. The statue had shifted nearly ten meters into the cave, revealing a hidden stairway leading downward.

I hesitated at the top of the dark staircase. ”What the hell is this?”

This was unusual for a D+ rank dungeon. Even its so-called boss had fallen to a single slash from my sword. Yet, here was a hidden passage I struggled to reveal. That was undeniably suspicious. I hadn’t even broken through it either—I merely pushed it open. However, now that I had unlocked it, I couldn’t just leave. Besides, I had no idea how to return the statue to its original position.

What should I do?

After a moment’s hesitation, I decided to go in.

Tap.

I cautiously placed one foot forward. My footsteps echoed loudly in the narrow passage.

Stealth.

[Stealth Lv. 5 activated!]

The sound of my footsteps vanished. As I descended the stairs, a faint light began to appear. Luminescent stones were embedded inside. The deeper I went, the more spacious and illuminated the passage.

There’s... nothing here?

Not a single spiderweb, living spider, or insect was there. After a few more steps, I reached a massive circular chamber. At its center was a colossal, obsidian altar shaped like the top half of a sliced-off pyramid. A statue stood on top of the altar.

A spider?

It was no ordinary spider. Its midsection was disproportionately larger compared to its legs. Moreover, its torso was split down the middle.

I paused before approaching and focused my senses, but there were no signs of movement. As I cautiously stepped closer, the dim light revealed the full details of the statue.

Clatter!

I froze in place, staring at it in shock. A human head was wearing a crown. There, a massive spider was attached beneath it. Eight long legs extended outward in different directions. I recognized this figure instantly. It was one of the most infamous, well-known forms.

It was a Demon King. or the First Throne, Devourer of Offerings, the Butcher of Angels, the ruler of an unparalleled force, commanding sixty-six legions.

Baal!

This place was a long-abandoned temple of Baal. The statue had its mouth wide open, as if it was designed to hold a gemstone.

Could it be?

I reached into my pouch and pulled out the Crimson Gem.

It looks like a perfect fit.

As soon as I realized that, a chill ran down my spine. This was the altar of Demon King Baal, and the Crimson Gem was a crystallization of human suffering and agony.

Was the Crimson Gem, formed inside Webslinger’s body after devouring countless humans, originally meant to be offered to Baal’s statue at regular intervals?

Hmm...

I hesitated briefly, then tucked the gem back into my pouch.

I’m not giving it up.

During the ancient war between humanity and the demon realm, I once served under Baal as my superior. Of course, he was a Demon King, and I was nothing more than a lowly, disposable soldier. He never showed me any kindness.

I was treated as expendable. He threw me into the front lines, forced to break apart before anyone else. I was never properly trained, nor was I ever given decent equipment.

Therefore, I had no intention of offering anything to his altar.

Who knows what will happen if I place the Crimson Gem into the statue’s mouth?

Memories of my previous life’s suffering flashed through my mind, but I pushed them aside and simply scanned my surroundings.

Silence.

Nothing remained but the remnants of shattered Black Unicorn statues encircling the altar from a distance.

Seriously...

It seemed like Demon King resurrection sites were scattered everywhere.

T&T had traces of Bots, while I had stumbled upon the First Demon King Baal’s altar in a nearby dungeon.

There’s no stopping this Demon King’s return, is there?

I searched around, hoping to find a useful artifact, but found nothing.

Hmph...

I briefly considered kicking Baal’s grotesquely open mouth, but then I thought better of it.

Who knows what kind of mechanism I might trigger?

I took one last look around before slowly backing away. After climbing the stairs and returning outside, I gazed at the spider statue I had shoved aside earlier.

Should I... put this back?

I shook my skull.

Clatter.

”Eh... the humans will figure it out.”

Whether the Order of the Ashen Church stormed in with weapons and smashed everything, or whether Bifron and Yemera’s priests declared a purification ritual on the entire dungeon, none of that was my concern. After all, Baal had never cared about what happened to the disposable Skeleton Soldiers in his army.

After collecting the silver ingots and the Crimson Gem, my level rose significantly.

Feeling lighter on my feet, I left the Spider Den and headed toward the inn in Yublam where I had promised to meet Rena.