The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Skrrtch.

The tip of the blade moved. Isaac, the sorcerer, carved into my bones with a blade wrapped in a faint blue energy. Fine bone dust flaked away like smoke as the blade cut deeper.

What exactly is his goal?

If this led to my death, I would feel relieved. However, it made no sense for him to take over me just to kill himself. My bones and health were being rapidly depleted.

[Health decreased by 0.17%.]

[Health is continuing to decrease...]

Clatter.

After engraving deeply into my ribs, Isaac suddenly stopped. He moved my bones around in front of the mirror to check something.

Is he carving a sigil?

I had lost all control, but my consciousness remained fully intact. I could clearly see my reflection in the mirror, and I saw that Isaac had carved an intricate and unknown design.

At that moment, the sorcerer spoke to my consciousness.

”Interesting. Even as I’m carving into your bones, you don’t resist?”

”Just get on with whatever you’re doing.”

”Unexpected. You remain conscious, yet you don’t fear oblivion at all.”

”Maybe I’m just pretending.”

”I am the master of the Golden Dawn and the high priest who guards the King’s veil. If I say something, it is a fact, you fool.”

Is this guy really the legendary grand sorcerer who ruled the South centuries ago? Why does he talk like this?

Isaac’s absurd arrogance and his growing fascination with me were evident. Yet, I couldn’t sense his memories bleeding into mine. He seemed to be in a similar state as me.

”Now that the veins are drawn...”

”It’s time to pour the blood,” I said aloud.

Blood? That word sounds strangely familiar.

Silver liquid and blood—the two didn’t seem out of place together for some reason.

Where have I heard that before?

I tried to recall.

Clatter.

The sorcerer picked up a glass vial from the floor.

Slosh!

Isaac confidently poured the prepared silver Lurium directly onto my left fingertips. The moment the liquid touched my bone, a searing heat flared up as the luminous liquid streamed into the deep engravings. It felt as though half of my skeleton was burning away.

Ssssssh!Sizzle!

Something bizarre was happening. The Lurium should have spilled onto the floor, yet not a single drop escaped. Instead, it clung to the bone, flowing along the carved channels. Following the engraved lines, the liquid formed a continuous, glowing circuit from the left fingertips to the ribs.

A circuit?

Suddenly, I recalled the glowing red circuits on the Ashen Knight’s armor. Though this felt entirely different, the way it opened and closed and flickered with energy eerily seemed similar.

Thud.

I walked toward the window.

Rattle.

With my right hand, I pushed the window open, and a pitch-black night stretched beyond. There were no stars or the moon, just endless darkness.

”Freeze,” I murmured softly into the abyss.

Crackle!

With that single word, a blue frost flared at my fingertips.

Crack! Crackle!

The air outside the window froze inch by inch around my outstretched hand. Even as I watched, I couldn’t believe it.

I leisurely extended my hand outward, freezing the night itself.

Did I really do that?

The scenery before me remained unchanged except for one thing. With just a wave of my hand, a thin layer of blue frost formed over the autumn night.

Even as I focused my thoughts, the sight remained unchanged. It was not an illusion.

Even if I’m possessed—!

It was still my body.

How did I wield magic without an Arcane Heart, let alone a normal heart?

I recalled the first time I absorbed the Frost skill.

[Absorbing Frost Lv. 1!

An Arcane Heart is required!

You cannot use Frost.]

[Absorbing...

An Arcane Heart is...

Skill cannot be used...]

Even after absorbing a level two essence, which allowed me to acquire magical skills, the system repeatedly denied my ability to use them.

Now, what I witnessed was true magic, a tangible mystic force from my own fingertips. It was the same kind of power that I had seen from the two Azure wizards in violet robes.

I gazed at the deepening frost outside the window and murmured once more. ”Dual Casting.”

Dual Casting was another skill I had absorbed from one of the wizards. I had never been able to test it not because I couldn’t dual cast, but because I couldn’t cast at all.

[Skill fusion is available. Which skills would you like to use?]

Magic fusion too?!

However, Isaac didn’t even glance at the translucent message.

Can’t he see it?

Isaac had not shown a reaction to any of the messages that had appeared so far.

So only I can see them...

The system’s translucent windows remained visible only to me. Although Isaac had taken over my skeletal frame, he did not share my vision. That was a small relief.

Perhaps I could use this to launch a counterattack.

After a moment of hesitation, I flicked my hand forward. ”Thunder Strike.”

Crackle! Crackle!

Bright yellow lightning surged from my fingertips. The electric currents spread like a net across the frozen blue air, branching out into the night sky.

Sizzle! Crackle!

The frost extended dozens of meters forward, and the golden lightning shot up like scattered stars before it finally dissipated in all directions.

Crackle!

A fusion of ice and lightning unleashed a cold explosion of magic. With not a single natural star visible in the dark sky, the artificial display was breathtaking.

A chilling thrill coursed through me.

This—!

Isaac had subjected me to a transformative process, clearly enabling me to use magic without an Arcane Heart. Regret overwhelmed me in an instant.

I should have paid closer attention.

I had witnessed a miracle that enabled anyone to use magic without an Arcane Heart, but I also let the opportunity slip by without closely observing it. This wasn’t simply a skill acquisition, it was a physical transformation.

A circuit had been created inside me, channeling Lurium through my bones. If I were to return through regression, there was no guarantee that this state would persist. I should have studied it more carefully, yet I had been distracted by meaningless conversations with Isaac.

This was something I might regret for a long time. From now on, I resolved to observe every single one of Isaac’s actions closely.

I walked toward my greatsword, grasped the handle, and muttered, ”Sword Energy.”

Vrrr!

A faint blue energy effortlessly enveloped the blade. It was smoother and more refined than when I had done it myself.

Wasn’t he supposed to be a sorcerer?

It wasn’t so much a question as it was a bitter realization. I couldn’t tell whether Isaac had always been this skilled or if he was simply taking advantage of my abilities, but I suspected it to be the former.

I studied the glowing sword carefully and said, ”Blaze.”

Something astonishing happened. The blade energy surrounding the sword ignited into roaring flames.

Fwoosh!

Red fire mixed with the blue sword energy, swelling nearly five times its original size.

Fwoooosh!

The word swordfire surfaced in my mind. If the ceiling had been any lower, the flames would have immediately spread through the room.

Even in my despair, I couldn’t help but think that if I could combine magic and swordsmanship like this, perhaps I could even stand against the marquis.

When I absorbed the marquis’ essence, he hadn’t possessed any magic-related skills.

Could he be vulnerable to magic?

Of course, this was only relevant if I could get rid of this parasite first.

”Dispel,” Isaac said.

Isaac extinguished the flames on the greatsword.

Then, he said, ”Hmm... Hey? You still in there? I modified your useless skeleton so that you could actually use your skills properly. No words of thanks?”

If I had any guarantee that I could escape this situation, I might have actually felt grateful.

Now, I finally have a clue about how to use magic without an Arcane Heart.

Now armed with magic, this skeleton was stronger than ever before. However, it wasn’t mine. Its increased strength only made things worse. This development significantly reduced the odds of dying.

However, if I couldn’t successfully return through regression or reclaim my skeleton, then there was no telling how long I’d be trapped.

”Hey! Are you ignoring me? I can feel you in there. If you keep acting like I don’t exist... I swear I’ll just rip you apart!”

”I’m here. What exactly did you do? How did you use the Lurium—”

”Just call it blood, you idiot.”

I recalled what Isaac had said earlier about drawing the veins and pouring in the blood, but I thought it was merely a symbolic expression. However, from what he said, I could tell he truly believed Lurium was blood.

”Blood?” I asked.

”Yeah. The blood of apostles. The blood of those apostles that Seiron hunted down and killed.”

The sorcerer’s voice was eerily calm but sent a chill down my spine. It was an unfamiliar term.

I had only known Lurium as the power source for magical devices.

Why are apostles involved here? Why did Isaac suddenly mention Seiron, the Empire’s first emperor? The blood of apostles...?

”Yeah. Naneow, that little brat, died three hundred years ago. So why is T&T still collecting this stuff?”

Naneow Tropin was a name I had never encountered before in this lifetime, yet he was one of the two founders of T&T. I had only followed the rulebook he left behind, which guided me in collecting Lurium and Rena.

How does this bastard know about that?

I could have asked him outright, but I had the strong feeling that doing so would only let him take control of the conversation. Instead, I chose a different question.

”Were you acquainted with Naneow?”

”Hah! When I ruled over nine cities, Naneow was a mere eight-year-old brat. Don’t lump me in with that child. Now answer me properly.”

Did they live in the same era?

It seemed that this bastard also had questions of his own. Clearly, it wasn’t out of sympathy that he started talking to me. He wasn’t keeping me company because he felt sorry for me being trapped.

I decided to ask something that had been bothering me.

”What exactly are the apostles? I heard they raised humans like livestock for torture. Are they past Demon Kings who had descended before?”

The sorcerer’s response was completely drained of energy.

”What the hell? You seriously don’t know a damn thing. Do you think apostles were Demon Kings? Ha... I should just melt you down and erase you completely.”

Zap.

Just like that, he cut off the conversation. Rage surged through me. In just a short exchange, I had already seen the true nature of Grand Sorcerer Isaac Bel-Homec.

***

While the sorcerer was checking over the engravings on my bones once again, I quietly muttered to myself to make sure he couldn’t hear me.

Status window.

Ding!

[Lv. 39 (173)

Health: 61

Strength: 73

Agility: 71

Wisdom: 61]

My original skills appeared on a long list. Those were the skills I had painstakingly earned after dying over ten times. However, new, unfamiliar skills appeared beneath them.

As expected!

I recalled how Isaac had used Hypnosis and Allusion on my party in the barrier. Of course, I never had those skills myself. But the moment his soul entered my skeleton, his powers had transferred as well.

[Hypnosis Lv. 15 (Soul-Bound)

— Greatly amplifies the hypnotizability of a subject, as long as it does not strongly contradict their personal values.

— Duration: 4 hours.]

[Allusion Lv. 15 (Soul-Bound)

— Guides the thoughts of the subject.

— When combined with Hypnosis, high-level Allusion can even influence physical conditions.

— Duration: 4 hours.

— Effectiveness depends heavily on the subject’s mental resilience.]

I had already seen Isaac use these abilities, so this wasn’t entirely unexpected. However, I did not know that they had a twenty-four-hour cooldown and a four-hour duration.

The skills are powerful, yet still restricted.

Without my status window, I would never have known about these weaknesses. Isaac sure as hell wouldn’t tell me.

So... he’s not invincible.

If Rena and Chandler weren’t subjected to his abilities again, they would likely return to normal by morning.

A faint sense of hope flickered in my mind. I scrolled further down, searching for more weaknesses.

[Barrier Construction Lv. 15 (Soul-Bound)

— Creates an absolute domain where the user gains overwhelming advantages.

— Within the barrier, skill effectiveness is greatly enhanced.]

[Sacrifice Lv. 20 (Soul-Bound)

— Burn offerings to restore strength.

— The more painful the sacrifice, the greater the power obtained.

— Sacrificial Affiliation: High Priest of Malphas

— Rejoice! You are the most favored High Priest of Malphas.

— The sigil of Malphas has been engraved upon your soul.

— All sacrifices you conduct are offered to Malphas.

— Malphas’ followers will have their Affection toward you increased by 25.

— Beware of the followers of Leraje, the Demon King Bird-Hunter. They see you as an enemy and will attempt to nail you to death.]

Leraje was the Demon King of archery, pleasure, and corruption. They were also a green-clad archer and a sweet hunter.

I had never encountered them personally, but I knew of their existence.

So... they’re enemies, huh? Maybe it’d be better if I ran into them.

However, with my party still here, that would be problematic. I needed to find a way to separate from Rena. Then, I needed to die.

There were other miscellaneous skills as well, but every single one of them was soul-bound to Isaac.

This is... depressing.

Even if I died and returned, there was no guarantee that I would be able to use any of these abilities. Additionally, I did not find any additional weaknesses.

What bothered me the most was the Sacrifice skill for burning offerings and sacrificing live beings for power.

How many atrocities is Isaac about to commit by using me?

Even now, I could almost smell the sulfur. The stench of burning flesh and the scent of human sacrifices. It felt as though it was already filling the room.