Twenty minutes into the battle, Lee Shin-Woo decided against using Avenger for the Treasure Eaters. He had tried to flee from the battlefield covertly with Beginner Stealth while the Pauls were fighting the Treasure Eaters, but it was impossible to escape their sight, especially since Bone of Thunder Lasting was their target.

Still, I can't use my weapon as bait to run away. Ultimately, I have to wipe them out before I can proceed...

Lee Shin-Woo sighed and looked up to see four Treasure Eaters tailing him and staring at him without doing anything else. Even being chased by beautiful girls isn't going to get me going now, let alone these caterpillars…

How exactly am I supposed to take care of all of them?

The Pauls were preoccupied with their violent attempt to exterminate the Treasure Eaters even as their shattered bones scattered in the air. It wouldn’t be hard to land a fatal blow with a more powerful weapon. Lee Shin-Woo would use their bones to reinforce himself if he could, but he didn’t have the opportunity to do so while the Treasure Eaters ran amuck, devouring their comrades and the treasures left behind whole. Their avarice was great even when facing their own kind. Moreover, eating each other seemed to be making them stronger, which further exacerbated the madness.

[Kuwoooooooooh!]

[The Treasure Eater used Shriek of the Dead, but it was nullified by Invisible Heart.]

[Beginner Shriek of the Dead is now Lv5.]

The Treasure Eater’s use of the skill improved Lee Shin-Woo’s own skill. He realized for the first time that he didn’t have to personally use the skill to increase his proficiency. Simply being exposed to it was enough.

[Ugh... Traitors of... the Empire...!]

[I'll get my revenge for... General Seagald...!]

Whenever the Treasure Eaters shrieked, more than half of the skeletons he had rallied fought amongst each other; their dwindling numbers genuinely made his bones ache. Hey, they know General Seagald as well! How popular must the general be?

"You idiots, get a hold of yourselves! You're comrades!"

[Over there, too... An enemy...!]

[He's holding... a nice sword...!]

[Execute him... and report...!]

"Ah, shit."

He wondered why his earnest pleas had failed to wake the skeletons. In fact, the skeletons had shifted their targets to him under the influence of Shriek of the Dead. This is why they say kids these days are ruining comics!

"Tsk..."  It wasn't the time to leisurely take on the skeletons right now. Though they had killed two Treasure Eaters, there were still four remaining, and there was even a level 3 Treasure Eater amongst them. Fine, it's time to counterattack! Lee Shin-Woo climbed on top of the building that had been destroyed by the Treasure Eaters' rampage and shrieked.

"Kuaaaaaaaaah!"

[You used Shriek of the Dead! The enemies in the entire area have momentarily fallen into a state of frenzy!]

[The Lv3 Treasure Eater has resisted Shriek of the Dead.]

The few skeletons attacking him calmed, so did the huge caterpillar-like monsters that had been making a mad dash for him. In fact, the Treasure Eaters had come to a sudden halt like they had been stunned.

"...Hmm?"

At that moment, the impossible happened. The Treasure Eaters started to fight amongst themselves! If they weren't cognizant that they were allies anymore, the prey they were most hungry for would obviously be members of their own species.

[Gguaaaaahk, Ggueeeeeeeeeehk!]

The Lv3 Treasure Eater, the only one to have resisted Shriek of the Dead, tried to get between its ravenous peers and broke up their fratricide, but it had the opposite effect. Like how the skeletons had tried to attack Lee Shin-Woo, the Treasure Eaters also started to attack the Lv3 Treasure Eater without fear. 

"Wow, this is huge."

[Kiek!]

While the Treasure Eaters were busy fighting amongst themselves, Lee Shin-Woo swiftly dealt with the skeletons that had lost their minds. He hadn’t expected Shriek of the Dead to work on the level 2 Treasure Eaters since they possessed the skill themselves, but it turned out he had made the wrong assumption. You never know how things will go unless you try it yourself. I’ve learned a valuable lesson today.

[New...bie...?]

"Die... You've recovered, Paul? You dumbass, I was worried about you!"

[Thanks... Joining...]

The moment he was about to shatter the Skeleton Warrior's head with Bursting Thunder, it recovered from the effects of Shriek of the Dead. Lee Shin-Woo quickly withdrew his sword and patted its shoulder. The Skeleton Warrior followed him even though it was still dazed from Lee Shin-Woo’s show of concern.

"Those who have recovered, come over to this side! We can't do anything by ourselves, but if we're with our comrades, we can do anything!"

[I feel strength... from the newbie's voice...!]

[Over here, this way...!]

[Kugegegegek!]

He coaxed the unscathed skeletons nearby and finished cleaning up those that had lost their minds. Amid the mayhem, all of the level 1 skeletons had died, but the level 2 skeletons were fairly intact. He was thus able to gather fifteen Skeleton Warriors.

"Those wicked beings are destroying the empire; let's take them down together! Let's pool our strength into one!"

[Defeat... together...!]

[Energy... is rising!]

[Acting is now Lv3.]

The Skeleton Warriors, compared to the Skeleton Soldiers and Archers, were a lot more resilient. That was especially true of their fighting spirit, which had been ignited by Lee Shin-Woo's speech. Their understanding of the chain of command was a little messed up, though, and they recognized Lee Shin-Woo as their superior simply because he had given them a pep talk. Nevertheless, it was the best thing that could happen to him now..

[Kuook... Kuheeeeeeeeeek!]

While Lee Shin-Woo rallied the Skeleton Warriors, the Treasure Eaters’ bloody battle had come to a sudden end in the most gruesome way possible.

[Kueeeeeeeeeek!]

Above the wreckage of the now ruined building, the Lv3 Treasure Eater cried out and emerged as the sole victor. The other Treasure Eaters were pitifully strewn across the area, half torn and eaten. Lee Shin-Woo wasn't that surprised; he had predicted this conclusion about halfway through their infighting.

"I can get all the treasure if I take care of that one guy. Moreover, it’s greatly injured from the earlier fight..."

[Report to... superiors...!]

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. But we gotta take down that guy first, right?"

Although they didn't even have anyone to report to, the Skeleton Warriors kept talking about their superiors. Lee Shin-Woo humored them before raising his sword high to provoke the Treasure Eater.

The chaotic battle wreaking havoc everywhere had kicked up a thick layer of dust, sliced through by the radiance of his Bone of Thunder Lasting. The gleam gave the sword a truly mystic look.

[Kuhaaaaaaaaaa!]

[The Lv3 Treasure Eater used Shriek of the Dead, but it failed due to its lack of mana!]

"Perfect timing. Let's go, guys!"

[Yes, sir!]

[Protecting the Empire...! That's the will of... General Seagald...!]

What the hell did General Seagald do, exactly!? No wait, wasn’t the asshole plotting treason?

[Kuaaaaaaaaaaah!]

The Treasure Eater seemed unnerved by its failure to use Shriek of the Dead, and it let out a manaless shriek at the Skeleton Warriors rushing at it. Then it charged forward. Its force came close to that of a speeding locomotive! Foolishly, the Skeleton Warriors continued forward to meet the Treasure Eater head-on...

"Dodge to the best of your ability! We'll survive and protect the Empire!"

[Oh, Ooooh...!]

[I'll follow... your order!]

Lee Shin-Woo leaped high into the air with Sprint. His words seemed to have struck a chord in the Skeleton Soldiers, and they changed course to evade the charging Treasure Eater. Of course, some of them weren’t fast enough and ended up taking the brunt of the attack, but luckily, they managed to endure and thrusted their swords into the Treasure Eater’s flesh.

An herring is still an herring even if it’s rotten[1]. They haven’t lived to this point for nothing!

"Bursting Thunder!"

Thanks to the skeletons, the Treasure Eater was blocked mid-charge, and Lee Shin-Woo seized the opening to attack. Since it had raised the front of its body high, Lee Shin-Woo aimed for its head and plummeted down, piercing its flesh and striking down with thunderous force.

[Critical Hit!]

[Gguweeeeeek!]

Although Bursting Thunder was nothing more than a passive skill, the moment he hit an enemy with a melee weapon, it translated the synergy between his physical movement and mana into an explosive force that was so powerful, it would be no exaggeration to describe the skill as mythical. The battle would’ve been all over had Lee Shin-Woo’s Bursting Thunder reached intermediate level. As it was, his sword slash still inflicted devastating injury on the Treasure Eater since he had familiarized himself with the skill as he trudged through the dungeon earlier.

"Here, take one more!"

[Kuwaaaaahk!]

He could also interpret simple words from it now. The Treasure Eater was saying that it was suffering terrifying pain. Lee Shin-Woo dodged the Treasure Eater’s rotten blood while wielding his glowing sword. He used Sprint to jump again and safely landed on the ground. Some Skeleton Warriors had been crushed after failing to evade the Treasure Eater’s rampage.

"Dodge, even if you have to roll on the floor! And thrust your swords into that guy!"

[Ugh... as a warrior, as a soldier...! I'll face it!]

[Avoid it...! You have to avoid its attacks so that you can protect the Empire...!]

[We're the Empire's proud warriors...!]

What he actually meant was, 'It's hard for me to beat this thing alone, so you guys can't die on me already!' However, the Skeleton Warriors took it as encouragement. Whatever his intention, the Skeleton Warriors were in high spirits. Is this what it feels like to be the leader of a pseudo-religion? Lee Shin-Woo mused. If the goddess who turned him into a skeleton was to see this, she might struggle to stay upright with her blood pressure rising.

In any case, I have to finish it before it recovers its mana. We've come more than halfway, more than halfway...!

He checked the Treasure Eater's condition as well as the Skeleton Warriors' before plotting his next move with great focus. If the Treasure Eater seemed distracted by the Skeleton Warriors, he would provoke it by swinging his sword within its sight; if it seemed like a lot of Skeleton Warriors would remain while the Treasure Eater was gradually accumulating damage, he would cold-heartedly lead them to their deaths. He had always been able to make a calculated decision that was best for the situation.

[Kuek, Kuheeeeek...!]

How long did the gruesome battle go on? Through the sacrifice of one of the Skeleton Warriors, Lee Shin-Woo blocked the Treasure Eater's attack and landed a powerful slash. The moment he cleaved its rotten belly, the Treasure Eater coughed intensely and spewed out a lump of blood.

"Now! Let’s gang up on him!"

[Grrraaaah!]

[For the honor... of the Empire!]

They had to rush it while it was dying! Lee Shin-Woo swung his hand as he gave the order, and the Skeleton Warriors charged at the Treasure Eater in unison. The Treasure Eater had become a mess. One by one, the Skeleton Warriors thrusted their swords deep into its flesh.

[Kuhek, Kueeeeek...!]

The Treasure Eater spat out another clot of blood, pained. It was undoubtedly in a critical state! Lee Shin-Woo raised his sword and let out a powerful battlecry. It was time to harvest the fruit of this long and distressing battle! The siege destruction formation⁠—or ganging up, to put it simply⁠—had paid off!

"We're all the way there! Charge, I said charge! Put your back into your attacks!"

[Kill it!]

[If I'm with you... I can go anywhere!]

The Skeleton Warriors followed Lee Shin-Woo into a charge while making some troublesome declarations. Given how things panned out later, this would turn out to be Lee Shin-Woo’s greatest miscalculation in this battle.

[Kik... Kigihiiiiiiiiiiii!]

The Treasure Eater spewed out a mouthful of blood and looked up at them with its rotten eyes. Immediately after, the blood burst into flames.

"Oh, wait a sec..."

The blood exploded in a grand fashion and covered the entire area!