How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 119: The National Treasure of the Aranballon Kingdom (4)

—Screeeech! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The moment I regained my wits about me, a barrage of bolts was already raining down. The air sounded like it was being ripped apart, and the heavy thud as they embedded themselves into the shields of the skeletal legion led by Boney 4 echoed.

The enemies’ eyes glowed red, and one by one, they began advancing, executing precise shots. The situation was already in motion—all that was left was how to deal with it.

“Everyone, get behind me for now!”

—Shrrrk!

I transformed my weapon into a shield and joined Boney 4’s squad.

“Boney 4’s legion, form a line! Position yourselves on either side of me!”

—Creaaak!

—Rumble!

The skeletons slammed their shields into the ground as if to acknowledge my command.

“And!” I shouted back to the team, “If anyone wants to run, now’s your chance!”

“What? What did you say?”

“We can run?”

“Hoon?”

“What do you mean?”

The team members tilted their heads in confusion, but my expression didn’t change.

“Yes, I’ll be fine! So anyone who wants to leave, go!”

To survive as a hunter in this world, it was better to always be prepared to get stabbed in the back. If you thought that way from the start, there was no need to feel wronged.

Besides…

I’d never solved any of the so-called impossible dungeons together with someone before. Whether it was passing the old man’s trial, clearing the medium dungeon, or solving Theme 1, I’d always been alone. To be honest, there was a certain comfort in being alone. And I’d gotten used to these kinds of dangers.

“Hmm, so you’re saying it’s better to betray you now than cause chaos later? Very fitting decision of a team leader.” Vladimir nodded. Then he shook his head. “But I’m not running. I’ll hold out as long as I can. I don’t want to become a cowardly ranker by abandoning the team.” He swung his staff.

—Vwoom!

A circular barrier formed in the air, diverting the incoming bolts in other directions. The ability to manipulate space was truly impressive.

“I’m not leaving either. Separating from Hoon once during Theme 1 was enough.” Olena reinforced the skeletal shields with her water shield.

“Hehe, if anyone gets hurt, just let me know! I’ll heal you right away!” Myoi Hana emitted light from her hands.

Surprisingly, not a single person moved.

The Spear of Judgment, Olena, Capu, Myoi Hana, the middle-aged man, Vladimir, and I—a total of seven hunters chose to overcome this crisis together. They chose to fight.

I nodded. “Good.”

—Whoosh!

At that moment, a stray bolt from a distance barely got past the shield. Instinctively, I turned my head, but it grazed my cheek.

—Drip!

Blood trickled down.

As expected, they’re no joke.

Each bolt carried unimaginable power. A moment’s lapse in focus would undoubtedly result in a hole in my neck or heart.

“Are you okay?!”

Myoi Hana immediately approached me, but I raised my hand to indicate that I was fine. This kind of wound was nothing.

“First off! Everyone! Move outside the circle while I’m holding them off!”

“Outside the circle?”

“Those soldiers don’t attack hunters outside the circle anyway, right?”

I sent out the skeletons, excluding Boney 4’s legion that was protecting me.

“Oh, you’re right! So while you hold them off, we can go outside and take care of them?”

“But are you sure you can hold out on your own?” The team members asked.

“Don’t you see me holding out right now?!” I shouted back.

—Bang! Boom!

My shield was godslayer rank—it was indestructible. However, the impact of each bolt felt like giant boulders colliding, shaking my internal organs.

“Ugh!”

Still, I gritted my teeth and endured. I might not have looked it, but I had S-rank pain resistance. This was nothing compared to the extreme massages the old man gave; this was child’s play.

“Everyone, go!”

“Understood!”

The Spear of Judgment immediately dashed out. Sunny and Boney 2 stuck to his flanks. The remaining hunters also positioned themselves and began sprinting.

—Click!

That was when the kingdom’s soldiers’ eyes started to glow.

—Shink! Shink!

As the hunters got closer, the soldiers lowered their crossbows and drew their swords from their waists. Their target was the Spear of Judgment. They blocked his thrust with their sword blades, twisting their bodies to counter. Using that momentum, they aimed for his lower abdomen with a speed beyond imagination.

“Mmph?” The startled Spear of Judgment stepped back.

“Be careful!” Vladimir shouted from behind. “If you get too close, they attack regardless of the circle!”

“Damn it, this won’t be easy.”

“Still, at least they don’t shoot their crossbows at you here! It’s better to stay outside!”

Even if the soldiers drew their swords, it was still better than being hit by bolts inside the circle. That was the team’s decision.

Zhang Wei repositioned himself and bit his lip. “We need to coordinate. Everyone, get into position.”

“Yes!”

With the team leader at a distance, the vice leader took charge of the battlefield. The team members naturally followed the Spear of Judgment’s orders.

“Focus on one target at a time.”

“Roger that!”

—Whoosh!

A soldier at the front charged at Zhang Wei. Narrowing his eyes, the Spear of Judgment read the trajectory perfectly. Deflecting the sword with his spear, he aimed for the heart.

—Clang!

A harsh metallic sound echoed. The spear vibrated, and the pain in his hand made his expression distort.

“Keep up the pressure!”

—Flash!

Sunny’s flashy spear strikes rained down along with arrows from Eldrin and magic from Olena, covering the battlefield.

The soldier’s solid body began to crack, and Eldrin didn’t miss the opportunity.

[‘Eldrin’ used the skill ‘Advanced Rapid Shot’ (Lv.3).]

—Thwack, thwack, thwack!

Arrows pierced precisely through the gaps.

—Screeeech!

The soldier’s body began to falter as if overloaded.

—Thud!

The Spear of Judgment drove his weapon into the opening with a cold expression. The struggling soldier lost its strength and collapsed—it was dead.

“One down!”

“Whoa! Nice!”

“So they can be taken down?”

The team cheered, but it was short-lived.

“Hey, keep it down.” Vladimir poured cold water on the mood. “Look around before you celebrate. Is this the time to cheer after taking down just one? If you’ve got the energy to cheer, use it to take down another one!”

He was right. Celebrating one kill was premature; there were too many soldiers left.

—Gulp!

The team stopped cheering and refocused. Still, the flow of the battle had changed. Seeing one of those overwhelming soldiers fall gave them hope. The team moved in unison. Courage became the oil that loosened their tense muscles, allowing for more cohesive hunting.

“The spacial mage is right! Don’t let your guard down and stay focused! Keep luring them in one by one! Start moving!” the Spear of Judgment also gave orders.

“Hey, I’m continuously moving untargeted soldiers away, so don’t worry!” Vladimir Rodygin assured them.

“You’re all doing great! This teamwork is something else!” Olena swung her staff.

Everyone worked seamlessly. Each fulfilled their role as they took down the soldiers one by one.

The problem was…

“Huff, huff!”

How long I could hold out against the barrage of bolts.

Even though the team was dealing with the soldiers, the soldiers’ main target was me. Not to mention that they were still pouring in from a distance. To be precise, the rate of incoming soldiers exceeded the rate at which the team could eliminate them.

At this rate, there’s no end in sight… Should I use it?

The item I bought from the shop suddenly came to mind.

[Item: Wish-Granting Scroll]

[Rank: S]

[Type: Scroll]

[Description: Use in moments of crisis, and it will provide exactly what you need.]

[Effect1: Ancient magic aids you in critical moments.]

I had two of these scrolls. It was said to be for moments of crisis. Honestly, wasn’t this a moment of crisis?

No. Let’s save it.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

I could still manage. Thanks to my weapon, I had plenty of energy, and Boney 4’s shields were surprisingly durable.

—Whoosh! Whoosh!

Bolts continued to rain down.

—Thunk!

Another one of the Boney 4’s subordinates became a pincushion and crumbled into sand. I would resummon Boney 4 when all its subordinates were gone.

[Using skill ‘Summon Skeleton Knight (A-rank).]

[Consuming 10 energy.]

[Summoning ‘Boney 4.’]

—Creak!

Interestingly, when resummoned, it had full energy again! Ten more subordinates reappeared.

[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]

[Alias: Skeleton King]

[Energy: 1,020/1,220]

The new godslayer-level weapon I obtained had an absurd energy-pumping effect. Thanks to that, I could summon Boney 4 over a hundred more times.

[Item: Sealed Spirit of the Seven Elements (1/7)]

[Rank: Godslayer]

[Type: Weapon]

[Description: A fragment of the Seven Elements feared by even the primordial gods. Unlock all attributes to break its seal. Currently contains the Element of Fire.]

[Effect 1: Transforms into any desired shape.]

[Effect 2: This item cannot be destroyed.]

[Effect 3: Grants the power of the collected elements.]

[Effect 4: Increases energy by 1,000.]

If not for this, there was no way I could have endured.

As I desperately deflected the bolts…

“Master.” Eldrin, who had been busy fighting, approached me.

“What? What is it!” I shouted while blocking an incoming bolt. I wondered why Eldrin called out to me.

“May I offer a hypothesis?”

“A hypothesis?”

“Yes, about this dungeon. It feels familiar.”

“Familiar?”

“I can’t be certain, but it feels… not unfamiliar,” Eldrin murmured. “In a bad way, of course.”

“Can you explain further?”

“I think there’s a dragon here.”

“What?”

“A dragon. A species similar to the Giant Magic Dragon that once dominated our world…”

I frowned as I couldn’t keep up with her conversation. We were in Theme 2, and she was talking about a dragon.

“Did you know? Dragons like to collect rare treasures for their lairs.”

“Treasures, huh…?”

—Sparkle!

There was indeed glimmering treasure everywhere around us.

“Also, like how the Giant Magic Dragon claimed to be a dwarven chief or a high elf, dragons can transform their bodies at any time using a technique called polymorph.”

“So are you saying this grand fortress of the Aranballon Kingdom is actually a dragon’s lair?”

“Yes, and there’s one more thing.”

“Another thing?”

—Boom!

I endured another impact from an incoming bolt.

“Those kingdom soldiers. They feel like spartoi*. I fought them for decades with Demir… Those dragon fangs. I know them all too well.”

*Spartoi – warriors in Greek mythology who sprang from the ground after the teeth of a dragon were sown into the earth

“Ha, are you serious?” I was dumbfounded.

No wonder they were absurdly strong. So this was a dragon’s lair, and those soldiers protecting the treasures were spartoi.

“Master, is there any logical reason why a royal palace built for humans would be so enormous? Besides, it was only ever referred to as a royal palace. Nowhere was it specified that it belonged to humans or a similar species.”

“Wait…” I blinked. “That’s true, you’re right.”

Forget everything else. If a palace was this massive, it couldn’t serve as a proper palace, even for an ancient kingdom.

“Then… what am I supposed to do now?”

Whether the dungeon boss was a dragon or a king, for now we had to deal with those damned soldiers.

“Hey!”

That’s when it happened. Capu, who had been muttering to himself without doing anything, shouted from outside the circle.

“Hoon! I have something to show you!”

Capu? What’s he on about now?

His voice was so loud that even the other hunters stopped and turned to him.

“Actually, when James was running away earlier, I attached a video tracker to him! Guide’s law no. 5! If someone runs away, use them for reconnaissance!” he exclaimed, raising his arm. “And I saw something shocking!”

Something shocking?

—Vwoom!

At the same time, a holographic video began to appear in the air.