The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

When I appeared in front of her, Rena’s eyes widened. ”H-How? I didn’t sense anything at all!”

”I haven’t exactly been slacking off,” I said.

”But still... it’s only been seven days... Master, you really know how to surprise me.”

The stealth level I absorbed from Rayleigh only improved my skill by one level. However, I believed this must be where the gap between common and rare-tier skills became obvious.

Even if Rena had been lost in thought, sighing deeply in serious worry, her assassin-level job class should have made her vigilant. Yet, she hadn’t noticed me.

It’s definitely different now.

However, the moment I recalled seeing Rayleigh’s crushed corpse after I obtained that stealth power, any sense of pride quickly faded.

I waved my hand to change the subject. ”More importantly, let’s talk about your sister.”

Before I could even continue, Rena shook her head slowly. ”That’s... I can’t. I just can’t ask you for something like that.”

”Why not?” I asked, not expecting her refusal.

No one was more suited for the job than me. I was already enemies with Purson’s cult. I knew the area near the orphanage inside and out.

I’ve been there more than a few times.

In terms of trust and experience, no one else could take care of this task better than me, and Rena knew that too.

”Is it because I’m not strong enough?” I asked.

Even if I couldn’t defeat the Slime, I was confident in my ability to at least escape.

Rena waved both hands and strongly denied it. ”Of course not! That’s not it.”

I looked at her quietly, like I was pressing her for an answer. ”Then why?”

Rena lowered her head and whispered softly, ”I... I’ve only ever received from you. I can’t ask you for something this big.”

I could see the emotions written all over her face and in her gestures. Worry, guilt, and a complicated sense of burden were all tangled together.

She’s only ever received? That’s absurd.

Rena might not think much of it, but she’d done more for me than I could count. If she hadn’t helped me, I probably would’ve died five more times before even making it here.

She helped me just a few days ago.

The pendant she had given me was an inheritance item that symbolized clearing her scenario. Thanks to it, I survived another near-death crisis.

Either way, I enjoyed the time I spent watching Rena grow.

A wave of gratitude washed over me again. ”I figured we were close enough to do at least this much for each other.”

Rena’s face flushed. ”Close like that...”

Just then, a white cat sitting on the table let out a cry. ”Meow.”

Click!

Startled, I flinched. Neither of us had noticed it. The blue-eyed cat stared straight at me and lightly flicked its tail. It was a familiar sight.

”You’re... that time...” I said.

The cat twitched its white whiskers. ”Yeah. Been a while.”

The cat was Rena’s direct superior. She was the one who told Rena to pet her and asked her to take over the branch.

So, it wasn’t just the fur that was smooth.

Her stealth ability was so strong that it even bypassed my detection. I was genuinely impressed.

”Director!” Rena shouted sharply.

Oddly enough, she didn’t seem as surprised as when I appeared.

Maybe she’s used to it.

Swish.

The cat soon transformed into a human woman with fluffy white hair.

”Rena? He said he’d do it. Why not just let him?” the director said.

”Director! You’ve got things to do! Didn’t you say you were leaving today?” Rena asked.

The woman bowed slightly and scratched her head. ”Well... I still wanted to see your inauguration ceremony.”

”Director, really now...”

”Why won’t you call me Sharu anymore?”

”Because you only listen when I call you director. You still haven’t left for Ember yet, and that’s a problem.”

I could tell that Rena only used the affectionate nickname when the boss behaved. The way the white-haired woman relied on Rena was easy to read in just a few lines of speech.

”Hrnng...” Sharunian made a weird noise and turned to me again. ”I appreciate it in advance. I’ve heard the story. I’d love to do it myself and earn some points from her, but sadly I’ve got too much on my plate.”

”Haa...” Rena sighed deeply. ”How did you even find out about this?”

”Come on, how could I not know? Lately, half of my attention has been on you,” Sharunian answered.

Rena looked a little flustered. ”Ugh...”

The woman extended her hand to me. ”Consider this an official request. Get her sister out of there. I’ll pay the fee.”

Sharunian seemed to have fallen hard for Rena.

Without hesitation, I nodded. ”Alright. Request accepted.”

”Master!”

Ignoring Rena, I kept talking to Sharunian. ”For payment, help me safely leave the capital.”

Sharunian ran an information guild and was a top executive. I was certain she already knew what kind of chaos I had stirred up recently.

Sure enough, she nodded as if she understood the situation.

”Seems like you’ve been making a lot of noise the past week. You know this isn’t a cheap job, right?” Sharunian asked.

”Well, Rena’s not just anyone,” I countered.

The T&T guild needed Rena, and this was about her sister. That would be the real issue if they didn’t help with this much. It seemed like Sharunian agreed. The wary look on Sharunian’s face faded, and she suddenly chattered with a small smile.

”You know, when Rena first said we should gather alley cats, I thought she was joking. Who would’ve guessed sales would skyrocket tenfold? I never imagined it!”

This whole cat tavern concept must’ve been Rena’s idea.

I added, ”She’s more competent in a crisis. Well, ideally, you wouldn’t end up in a crisis at all if you just listened to her.”

”Sounds like you didn’t listen to her in the past.”

”A few times.”

I recalled ignoring Rena, hiding in a cave, or heading straight into the Purson cult’s altar. Neither ended well.

”Still, that’s how I ended up here,” I said.

For a while, Sharunian and I continued praising Rena right in front of her.

”She’s good at whatever she does. Everything she touches seems to work out.”

Sharunian sounded like she was proud of some priceless treasure. For some reason, her attitude made me feel proud, too. After experiencing multiple lives together and watching her grow, I couldn’t help but feel like I had raised her somehow.

A small voice interrupted us. ”Guys, I’m right here, you know...”

Rena’s face had turned completely red.

Sharunian furrowed her brows and pouted slightly. ”Hey, you didn’t look like this when I praised you earlier. Isn’t that a bit unfair?”

As a cat person, Sharunian’s real age was a mystery. But her human form looked at least five years younger than Rena. The sight of a young girl with twin braids pouting like that made for a comical sight.

I looked at Rena.

”I already accepted the request from your superior. Can’t back out now,” I said quickly, worried she might refuse again.

Yet, Rena didn’t object this time.

Instead, like something was rising from deep inside her, she said with a choked voice, ”Thank you.”

”Thank you.”

I pretended not to hear and turned my skull toward the corner. Something was covered with a cloth.

Feeling awkward about seeing Rena tear up, I asked a question to shift the mood. ”What’s that?”

”Oh... just a moment.”

Rena pulled the cloth off, unveiling a glimmering suit of armor.

”It’s the one you used to wear. It seemed special, so I had it fixed up,” Rena explained.

”Thank you.”

It was the armor Rubia had once bought for me.

It’s gotten repaired a couple of times.

”But...” Rena narrowed her eyes and glanced between me and Sharunian. ”What did you mean by he made a lot of noise this week?”

***

Leaving out anything about the serpent and Essence Absorption, I explained everything else that had happened.

”That’s how it happened. It’s safer for me to lay low for now,” I finally said.

Rena’s expression grew tense. ”Then you really shouldn’t come back to the capital for a while.”

”Guess not.”

She clasped her hands tightly. She must’ve had mixed feelings.

”Director.”

”Yeah?”

”When did you find out?”

”Today. I came here just to tell you.”

”Haaah...” Rena sighed again. ”Please leave my sister in Grassmere. Chandler seems trustworthy, even if he was a bit of a brat.”

Was he?

The way Rena treated Chandler had indeed been a bit odd.

Didn’t she try to kill him at one point?

I couldn’t quite recall.

”Keep your distance if he tries to get too close to you. It’d be bad if there was a misunderstanding,” Rena said.

”Hmm...”

”Please don’t come back here until I contact you.”

I nodded. ”Got it.”

Although I wanted to figure out how the red-badged Necron operatives were working in the capital, staying alive took priority. It was wiser to stay away for now than to cause trouble for Rena by lingering here.

”Director?”

”Go on.”

”Don’t you have anything you could give my master?”

”I was going to let him use the secret passage...”

”That’s not enough.”

”I’ll clean up all traces of his presence in the capital.”

”Still not enough. You’ve got lots of good stuff. I’ll work hard to repay it.”

I tried to cut in. ”That’s not really necessary...”

However, Rena waved her hand as if to tell me not to say anything.

Sharunian let out a small sigh and grumbled in my direction. ”Sigh... Honestly, when will someone ever like me as much as she likes you?”

Sharunian reached into her coat and pulled out a strange bracelet made of twisted wire and paper. ”Take this.”

”What’s this?” I asked.

”A talisman that erases magical traces. Your circuits have a specific engraving on them that makes them easy to track.”

”Hmm...”

”Don’t waste it and use it carefully. It’s super expensive. Everything it’s made of came from across the sea, so it’s hard to find.”

”Is it really okay to give me something like this?”

”You think I’m giving it to you because I like you? I’m giving it to you because you’re going to rescue Rena’s sister.”

I didn’t mind the sulky tone in her voice.

”The paper burns little by little each time you erase a trace, so keep an eye on it.”

Sharunian explained the bracelet to me as she handed it over. It worked by gradually burning the paper threaded through the wire whenever a trace was erased.

”Seems easy enough to understand,” I said.

”You can go all out maybe once with it. But ration it properly. Only use it when you really need to,” Sharunian instructed.

”Got it. Thanks,” I said.

”Thanks, Sharu,” Rena said.

”Well...”

The white-haired cat woman shrugged and looked faintly pleased at Rena’s words. I felt like I could hear a cat purring in the background.

I tucked the talisman bracelet into my coat. The oiled paper was twisted, but despite its flimsy appearance, it didn’t crumple when touched, and it seemed very durable. Maybe it was enchanted with preservation magic.

Truly, there are monsters everywhere.

***

A short while later, I met Acorn, who had been playing alone in the toy room on the second floor.

Clack! Clack!

As soon as I saw him running toward me, I had no choice but to crouch down. He leaped into my arms, wagging his tail wildly. Then he jumped down and leaped back into my arms again. He wagged his tail furiously, then finally jumped down to run in circles around me.

”Hmm... He’s really excited to see you.”

The white-haired cat woman didn’t look thrilled.

”He looks way happier than when he plays with me...”

”Sharu played with Acorn a lot here in cat form. I thought they got pretty close, but I guess he likes master better. You’re not taking him with you, right?”

”Of course not.”

It was a dangerous path ahead. If I said I’d take Acorn, Rena might insist on coming along, too.

After playing with Acorn for a while, it was time for the inauguration ceremony. The ceremony was held in the evening, and it turned out to be surprisingly simple. A very busy-looking Naneow Tropin rushed in, pinned a badge on Rena, and that was it.

”Is everyone that busy?! They couldn’t even come to Rena’s inauguration!”

Sharunian grumbled about how most of the people she’d seen in meetings didn’t show up, but she seemed slightly appeased when she saw the gifts sent by Naneow’s side.

”These are gifts from Ember. First, a ring that dispels illusions and fear.”

”Hmm...”

”This is a necklace that protects your joints. You’ll be fine even jumping from high places.”

”We’ve got Weakness Target Gloves and Footstep Eraser Shoes as well. This should be enough. Everyone’s really swamped, you know.”

Holding an armful of gifts, Rena looked at me and slowly opened her mouth. ”All of this...”

”If you’re going to say you’re giving it to me, I refuse.”

I cut her off before she could say it. I didn’t need anything more. Besides, if she handed off her inauguration gifts to me, it might hurt her reputation within the guild.

”Hmph...”

”Now tell me how to get out of the capital.”

After hearing about my situation, Naneow carefully explained how to use the secret passage.

She showed me a map and pointed out each section. ”The passage you need to go through is...”

I didn’t want to put anyone in danger. I didn’t want to part from Rena and Acorn, but now that I truly had to leave, my heart felt heavy.

Even after sending her sister to Grassmere, I planned to wander far from the capital to continue training. Rena promised to contact me if the capital’s problem was ever resolved.

However, thinking about what lay ahead, it was clear that the capital would soon become a demonic wasteland. Unless I died and returned again, this might be the last time I ever saw Rena. It felt like this moment would never come again. Even if I repeated this life, it felt like I wouldn’t get to meet her again.

”Are you listening? You better pay attention. It’s a bit complicated.”

Naneow snapped me out of my thoughts. After finishing her explanation, she gave me a strange look.

”Now that you’ve seen the truth, how was it?”

”The truth?”

”The breeding facility. Don’t you want to dig deeper?”

”I’ll think about it later.”

”You might not get that chance. If war breaks out, it’s going to be total chaos. Honestly, it already is.”

”Hmm...”

”Well, maybe joining after everything’s blown up would be better. Anyway, say your goodbyes.”

The founder of T&T left Rena and me in front of the secret passage.

”...”

An awkward silence followed for a moment. Then Rena handed me a letter.

”It’s a letter for my sister. She’ll recognize the handwriting immediately, and I wrote a lot of things only the two of us would understand. I included a code, too, so she won’t think I wrote it under threat. The letter is enough.”

”I’ll deliver it well.”

”Most of all... please be careful.”

”Don’t worry. The pendant will protect me in a crisis.”

I lifted the pendant Rena had given me. A translucent timer appeared above it.

[Time until next activation: 28:59:59...]

There was not much time left. It had been nearly six days since I narrowly escaped death like Rayleigh. The pendant’s power would soon be ready again.

”Master, saying something like that—!”

Rena was overwhelmed and teary-eyed. She seemed to take it as a symbolic gesture.

No, seriously, it will protect me...

Rena hugged me tightly, tears welling up in her reddened eyes.

Hmm...

”Master...”

She hugged me, then took a step back to look at me quietly, only to rush in and hug me again, repeating it a few times.

This... has come a long way.

Her Affection and her status.

What kind of person would she be in the next life? Would I meet her in a cave? Or somewhere else? Should I approach her again in the next life?

Each embrace made my thoughts more tangled. If she was living her life well, maybe I should leave her be.

Is it right for me to interfere and stir things up again?

I wanted to gain enough power to defeat even the future Heroes. That path would be full of hardship.

If I can help it... dragging her along won’t end well.

***

Fwoosh!

After a difficult farewell, I ran down the secret passage Naneow had shown me.

This place really is incredible.

If this counted as a dungeon, I couldn’t help but wonder about its difficulty rating. What Naneow had explained with the map turned out to be just part of the path. I had to run for over a full day.

Bzzz...

I felt a soft vibration from the pendant around my neck.

[Pendant power is ready to activate again.]

Already?

I hadn’t faced any crises while inside the secret passage. About thirty minutes later, a tall ladder came into view.

It was the exit.