The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Chapter 350: The Lost World (5)

It happened in an instant. Without warning, Gith-Za-Rai hurled me into the pitch-black abyss below.

"Wha—?!"

There was nothing to grab onto, just open air. She hadn't even lifted a finger; it must have been an invisible force.

[Perk: Transplanted Bone (EX) activated.]

[Skill: Bone Tendril Control Lv. 3 activated.]

Before I could even think, the bone tendrils reacted on their own.

Ssskrrrk!

The white tendrils shot out from the grafted sections Gith-Za-Rai had implanted, latching onto the edge of the pit with startling agility.

What's going on? I didn't even try to use the skill.

There was no time to analyze.

"What... are you... doing...?"

Gith-Za-Rai looked down at me, dangling by my own mutated limbs, and laughed softly.

"Heh. I thought so. Someone like you would instinctively trigger a skill the moment you're thrown. Just as I expected."

"What are you talking about?!"

I glared up at her, hanging from the bone tendrils swaying against the dark.

"Interesting... Shall I give you a little push?"

She raised a hand near the pit's rim. A shadow of crimson mana coalesced, spinning with a force that looked strong enough to pulverize me.

Ssskrrrk...

I quickly pulled myself back. The released tendrils flexed and shifted freely, and I could feel raw energy coursing through every inch of my frame. Maybe that was why the skill had activated automatically.

This is... unexpected.

Then...

Ding!

[Unique skill: Lord of Bones Lv. 1 restored!]

[Skill rank-up effects will now be applied.

— Improves comprehension of bone structure.

— Allows limited control or theft of an opponent's bones during combat.]

That one!

It was the same phenomenon again. Another skill restored.

Let's focus.

Sssk... Crackle...

I steadied my breathing and felt for the rhythm of the tendrils. The ones she had implanted moved more fluidly now, as if they were part of me.

Remember.

I recalled the corridor with Isaac and the endless heaps of bones—what I'd felt back then. I followed the faint, ancient sensation I'd thought erased, tracing it back piece by piece.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[Skill Experience increased.]

[Skill Experience increased.]

[Skill Experience increased.]

Then...

Ding!

[Skill Level Up.]

[Lord of Bones Lv. 1 → Lv. 2.]

So that's the limit for now.

Fwoosh.

Above me, Gith-Za-Rai conjured a glowing orb of light. Her torn lips curved into a sharp smile that nearly split her face in two.

"Good... good. The more I throw you into chaos, the stronger you get."

"That's not exactly..."

"All that pretending to be weak, and yet it takes a crisis to bring out your real strength."

"That's a terrible misunderstanding."

"Oh, please. You'll just come back if you die, won't you?"

That smile, looking down from above, was enough to make my bones creak.

This woman...

"I may come back," I snapped, "but you remain here, don't you? You'll have to live in this world as it is!"

It slipped out hastily, but I meant every word. Even if I died, she would stay behind. Those left here would still have to bear the fate of this world, the Ashen Knight, the Demon King, the Heroes, all of them. However, her reply was not what I expected.

"You're wrong."

Her pupils narrowed into thin, vertical slits.

"Think of it this way. If this world continues after your death, what's stopping me from continuing with it? Besides..." She leaned closer, her voice sharp like the edge of a blade. "Who says the world will continue once you die?"

"That's... ridiculous..."

"Follow me."

[Ring of Submission activated.]

[You are forcibly drawn toward the caster's direction.]

[The power disparity is immeasurable. Resistance is impossible.]

Of course.

She effortlessly suppressed me and descended into the cavern below.

Thud.

The path spiraled downward. Each step carried us deeper, and I could feel the earth's pull tighten around us.

Fwaaash!

One by one, luminous orbs appeared where she gestured, their light washing over the stone walls. The walls were shaped like clustered mushrooms, glistening with moisture.

The rocks were slick, tangled together like living flesh, some of them knotted with coral-like ridges that bore no resemblance to anything found above ground.

"This... is the road to Ember?"

"That's right," she said calmly. "A forgotten underground passage. It was used a thousand years ago..."

A thousand years.

That phrase sparked a memory of something I had heard before.

"Could it be... that this was where humans once hid to escape the Apostles?"

"Wow, how did you know that?"

It was obvious. There were similar tunnels nearby, all with the same purpose, as part of the great network that once linked the six cities.

When I explained the southern passage Isaac had shown me, and the capital's underground route I'd explored with Naneow, Gith-Za-Rai's crimson eyes widened in surprise.

"I had no idea! If you're right... then maybe these tunnels spread beneath the entire continent!"

Ding!

[Scenario causality increased: Dominion of the Underground Empire.]

[Gith-Za-Rai's Affection increased by 6!]

Even the system acknowledged it. Unable to contain her excitement, Gith-Za-Rai wrapped me in her bone tendrils, laughing with delight. The Dullahans were watching, but she seemed utterly unconcerned with dignity or appearances.

"You're that happy?"

"Of course I am! The more I hear, the more fascinating it becomes. I almost want to dig through this path right now. Imagine what we could build if we opened it up!"

Her reaction left me momentarily speechless. Still, the mention of scenario causality made it clear that to this necromancer, this was more than just curiosity. It was something monumental.

Dominion of the Underground Empire, huh...

I took the chance to ask, "Then how did you open this passage in the first place?"

When I'd been here before, not even Rena, sharp-eyed as she was, had sensed anything like a hidden path.

Could this be related to a Demon King?

I had never seen a gate open like that before. A sphere of mana burst apart after a precise ritual, revealing an entrance beneath the ruins.

"Hehe..." Gith-Za-Rai smiled mysteriously. "That's a secret. If we grow closer, maybe I'll tell you someday."

She winked with her half-human, half-skeleton face. The gesture was surreal, almost too unreal to exist in this grim, cavernous setting. Not only her expression, but the whole situation suddenly felt dreamlike, disconnected from reality. The stream of scenario messages still floating before my eyes only deepened that sensation.

Is it because the Assimilation Rate had dropped so low? Or is it because I'd finally crossed a line I was never supposed to reach?

I shook my skull. "If it's a secret, then forget I asked."

While the Dullahans herded the army behind us, Gith-Za-Rai walked far ahead, her steps echoing softly against the stone.

Grgrgrgrg...

The deeper we went, the more the sound of running water filled the cavern. A narrow stream ran through the center, clearer than anything on the surface. Even the patches of mud along the edges seemed alive. Something was moving beneath them.

Gith-Za-Rai strode beside the stream as if she knew every step by heart. The tunnel widened as we advanced, and her army fanned out behind her. What had begun as a single file now marched in five broad lines, stretching deep into the dark.

The slope leveled out, and the sound of water dimmed.

I glanced over my shoulder. "You're taking the whole army?"

"Oh? Why, are you worried my mana won't be enough?"

Her tone was sharp. She'd read my thoughts before I could even finish forming them.

"I was just wondering. I assumed the legion was meant for the imperial guard, not for marching through a cave."

"Fufu... fufufu..."

"Why are you laughing like that?"

An uneasy chill ran through me.

"Oh, nothing. A good observation, that's all. Maybe I am pushing you too hard."

"Pushing... me?"

"Heh. When we're together, I might end up tormenting you before you've grown enough."

I had no idea what that meant.

Still smiling cryptically, she raised a hand. "Knights Owain, Hamelain, Fenrir, Andrei, find open space and assemble the units. The army will rest here."

"At once."

The four Dullahans spread out, searching for clearings where their troops could lie down in formation.

"And Gilaut?"

"Awaiting orders."

"Select twenty from your division." Then she placed a cold hand on my shoulder. "You'll take this one with you. Find a side path and break through it. You'll be the vanguard."

Whoosh!

A semi-transparent map appeared in midair, glowing faintly. Gith-Za-Rai pointed at two paths. There was a broad, straight corridor and a narrow, twisting trail branching away from it.

Twisting, uneven... Why bother with the narrow one when the main passage is right there?

The wide road was clearly marked with explored landmarks, but the smaller path was blank, with no markings or notes.

Gith-Za-Rai said softly, "It'll be rough going. You won't know what you'll run into. If it feels impossible... well, you can always die on the way."

Gilaut brimmed with joy. "Oh! Thank you for the honor, my lord!"

I stammered, "W-Wait, Gith-Za-Rai!"

She turned, grinning from ear to ear, literally. "If you die, come back stronger, regressor. Come find me again, stronger than before!"

Before I could say anything, she flicked her hand, and the map vanished into dust. The army began to settle. The undead lay down one by one, folding their weapons across their chests, entering a state of stillness.

"Good luck, Gilaut."

"Lucky you, working with such an interesting fellow."

The Dullahans left their remarks before following Gith-Za-Rai into the shadows.

Seriously? They're leaving me here? Weren't they supposed to take me to Ember?

"Wait..."

I almost chased after her, but Gilaut grabbed my hand warmly. "Come on, friend. We're the vanguard now. Let's go carry out our special mission!"

What's he so cheerful about?

Behind him, twenty skeletal warriors, trolls, orcs, and ogres rattled their weapons eagerly.

I sighed. As I stared into the darkness where Gith-Za-Rai had vanished, my thoughts churned.

Did she really believe me? What exactly did she want?

Gith-Za-Rai told me to come back stronger. She'd implanted Tendril Control, thrown me into a pit to force activation, and watched as my skills reawakened. She likely believed I only grew stronger when pushed to the edge.

Still, this is excessive.

She could've just trained me directly instead of hurling me into deathtraps. Even if I revived in the same place every time, the experience of being erased was always horrifying.

"Knight Gilaut."

"Mm? Speak, my friend."

One card left to play.

I remembered his fight against the imperial guard. He was a true knight, one worth relying on. More than that, Knight of the East, Gilaut, he was a luxury to have at my side. I was going to survive this.

"Why the look, sorcerer? Nervous? Don't worry. I'll lead the charge..."

"Whatever shows up," I said quietly, "don't kill it."

Whirr.

I slipped my hand free from his grip and drew my sword from my inventory.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"If that's what she wants, then I'll grow stronger."

However, I would not grow as Gith-Za-Rai expected, not through blind risk or reckless death.

Clatter, clatter.

The sword, one of the sacred blades taken from the archives, gleamed faintly as I gripped it tightly. I looked at Gilaut and the twenty undead soldiers behind him.

"Whatever comes out," I ordered, "restrain it. Don't destroy it. Just hold it still, long enough for me to strike once. I'll finish it myself."