Chapter 1. Awakening from Life (1)
I was dying. Someone might say it was a paradox.
Clatter.
A skeleton represented death itself. It was the remnant of a life that had been terminated. The person's life didn't exist anymore, so it was meaningless.
And I was a skeleton. It was empty where my eyes should have been. I was weathered white and completely devoid of flesh.
Click. Clack.
Yet, my life was far from over, and my memory was still sharp. Twenty years ago, an amateur necromancer awakened me during a thunderstorm. Since then, I'd meticulously recorded everything. Despite being a Skeleton Soldier, I possessed willpower and emotions. My bones clattered, but I was very much alive.
Clatter.
I shook my left arm, which I could move without a problem. I could see and hear, too. I had to admit that my senses were… a little dull. However, I was certainly in pain right now as I watched the succubus, my master and the owner of this dungeon, get killed. I was confident that what seemed paradoxical to me earlier wasn't so contradictory now.
I am dying.
An assailant stabbed a holy sword deep into my master's belly. Then he twisted it out of her, probably targeting her heart next. Maybe because she wanted to spare me from anguish, my master was dying quietly without letting out a single scream.
She's only twenty years old.
I felt terrible that I might be dying, but I should at least protect her since I was a Skeleton Soldier guarding this small dungeon. Yet, I couldn't protect the dungeon at all. Heroes with special engravings had come out of nowhere and raided the dungeon, attacking me and the other creatures. I didn't know if those heroes had emerged from the long-running wars among humans or the demon king's advent. Nevertheless, those things didn't matter.
Clatter.
I must protect.
I was the protector of this dungeon and my master, so I should fulfill my duties. Many parts of me had already fallen off or shattered, but I still moved forward. Both of my legs were broken, and I only had one arm left. But I couldn't just stand by and watch. When I saw my fractured shinbone on the ground, I forced myself to grab it with my left arm, then I threw the bone with all my might.
Whoosh!
The bone flew with great force.
Thud.
It hit a hero's arm. As expected, my final attempt at fighting back didn't cause the hero any damage.
With the corners of his mouth twisted upward, the muscular hero glanced at me.
"You piece of trash!" someone said.
That person, who was not even a hero but a servant, walked slowly toward me. Despite being a servant, he wore a set of full plate armor made of mithril and was two meters tall, looking like a walking battering ram.
Flash!
The servant lifted the tower shield, layered with all sorts of magic.
Crash!
He smashed the bottom of his thick, huge shield onto me.
Snap!
Crackle!
The sound of my bones breaking was deafening. In fact, even without the shield, I would've broken apart if he had just stepped on me forcefully.
Thud.
I met the eyes of my master, who was bleeding out on the floor. I was in great despair for being unable to protect her.
Crash!
Crunch!
Crack!
Even at that moment, my body was shattering into pieces. I couldn't move any part of my body because everything was broken. I was about to be annihilated.
My body was completely broken, with only my head remaining, rolling across the dungeon floor.
I was a mere Skeleton Soldier who could do nothing. I dreamt of peacefully hiding in a small dungeon, and even that dream had been shattered by a mere servant.
My master succubus's eyes were slowly turning white, with life draining away along with her blood.
I experienced mixed emotions, angry that I could not protect her.
With my remaining strength as a mere skull, I rolled across the floor.
"Oh, oh no!" the servant shouted.
He realized I wasn't just rolling away in pieces and that my skull was rolling with intention.
Slam!
The servant smashed his shield toward me, but he narrowly missed, striking the dungeon floor instead.
Success.
I succeeded in approaching the feet of the hero who was killing my master.
There was no chance I could cause him any damage, but I was resentful. This life of mine had been disregarded so much.
I wasn't even allowed to hide. My last treasure was taken away right in front of me. Even if no one would find my life as a Skeleton Soldier meaningful, I had my master, who used to kindle warmth in my empty chest. Every day of my life was filled with small, simple joys.
"Huh?"
The hero looked back, but I was already at his foot.
Chomp!
I bit the hero's heel with all my might as my final struggle.
Crunch!
As the chosen one, this shining hero would have everything, so to him, I was probably just an insignificant ornament that would break and turn into experience points with one slash. However, even for a skeleton like me, I had a right to struggle until the end.
Bite!
Crunch!
It felt like I lost a few of my teeth in the process.
"Aaaaargh!" the hero screamed.
Splash!
Drip.
Blood from his heel splattered on my skull.
Something's wrong, I realized.
I felt a strange sense of incongruity. Something absurd was happening.
After all, this hero had laughed off all the traps and bladed monsters, including my master's final spell.
He had even sneered and taunted us. "Try harder. Don't you have more?"
So, it seemed impossible that he could be bleeding just because a skeleton like me had bitten him.
"You—!"
Crunch! Crunch!
The upset hero stomped on me repeatedly. Nothing was left but my skull, and that broke apart too. My consciousness slowly faded away.
Crunch!
This time, my life came to a complete end.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
I was a nameless Skeleton Soldier from a cozy dungeon managed by an introverted succubus. Today, I was shattered to pieces on the floor of that very dungeon before I could really do anything meaningful.
[All conditions have been met.]
[Changing the player.]
[The compatibility has decreased.]
[97.3% —> 94.8%]
***
Master!
I had met my end. When my skull was crushed, a dark veil descended on my consciousness. Everything went black.
I imagined it would be quiet now. I thought I wouldn't feel or think anymore.
Boom! Crash!
Crackle!
Unexpectedly, I ended up in a really noisy place. My head was ringing from all the noise. There was a vibration from the sky. It hit me like a headache I never had before, I raised both hands and rubbed my head. I felt a smooth skull bumping into hard finger bones.
Tap! Tap!
I heard a sound. I tapped them again.
Tap! Tap!
Then I tapped them once more.
Tap! Tap!
"..."
Something was strange. I raised my skeletal hand and looked up at it. It had five fingers. I bent them and then straightened them again. Everything moved without issue. I could even make a fist.
Tap. Tap.
I tapped my fingers together. The bones made a sound when they touched.
Clatter!
I placed my hand on my shoulder and moved my left arm.
My arms—my right, which had been blown off, and my left, which had been dislocated—were back in place.
I lifted my legs. There were no signs that they had been broken, and all ten toes were moving.
I moved my whole body with force.
Clatter! Clatter!
I began to feel my body. It was a shabby and crude body but definitely familiar. These were the same clattering bones I had been with for twenty years.
My body definitely shattered.
My whole skeleton had been crushed to powder after I failed to protect my master. Yet, I could feel my body again. It wasn't impressive or particularly strong and large, but it was mine. That alone was clear.
I looked up at the sky. I had been too focused on myself, but it turned out that my surroundings were also unusual.
Constant flashes of lightning illuminated the black sky. A blue bolt of lightning split a tree with a loud crack.
Crackle! Crash! Crunch!
There was thunder as well, followed by sounds that were so loud they caused me to shake.
Tudududu!
It was also heavily raining.
Swish! Swoosh!
The wind was heavy, digging into the ground and ripping off branches. The uprooted and torn debris flew through the dark void.
I was slowly figuring out my situation. I had already confirmed that I returned to my original body.
Clatter.
I felt around me.
Tap. Tap.
I could see the sky, but my sides were walled up to form a narrow space.
Tap.
I was lying down. I tried to sit up, but I hit my skull against something.
Thud!
It was a hard piece of wood.
Then when I stretched out my legs and hands, I touched wood again. It appeared there was barely any horizontal space for me either.
I was lying in a narrow box. It was a coffin with a cracked lid that exposed the sky. I realized that I was a skeleton lying in a coffin from an uncovered grave.
Crackle! Crash!
Swoosh...
The mound that should have covered the coffin seemed to have been roughly dug up, but it felt more like the work of nature rather than a person.
In this kind of heavy rain, it makes sense.
At that moment...
Ding!
A frivolous sound, completely out of place with the surroundings, suddenly rang in my head. It echoed as if a giant bell had struck inside my skull. It was a very annoying sound. Then, something translucent appeared in front of my eyes. Even in the pitch-black night, I could see it clearly.
[Succession Complete!]
[Name: None
Skeleton Soldier Lv. 1 (36)
Health: 29
Strength: 23
Agility: 18
Wisdom: 9]
What is this?
As I came back to life, an incomprehensible situation unfolded before me. I was looking at a status window displaying my stats—Health, Strength, Agility, and Wisdom—that had accumulated over twenty years. However, the levels were strange. Previously, I was a Lv. 36 Skeleton Soldier with unimpressive stats barely above the twenties. Now, I was a Lv. 1 Skeleton Soldier. In that case, my stats should have been in single digits, which would make me weaker than a baby goblin. However, my current stats remained the same as before I died.
Clatter!
I was confused.
What's going on?
Ding!
That annoying sound rang again. When that sound rang, it automatically grabbed my attention, and another message appeared.
[Would you like to check your skills?]
[Yes/Yes]
I should.
I moved my hand towards the air. I tapped the word "Yes" on the right.
Ding!
Then, letters appeared in the air. Letters that were clear even in the pitch-black sky.
[Swinging Randomly Lv. 8
Blocking Poorly Lv. 6
Stabbing Clumsily Lv. 4
Digging Appropriately Lv. 5
Rushing Recklessly Lv. 4
Throwing Anything Handy Lv. 6
Rolling Skull Lv. 1 (new!)]
It was a list of skills. Skills were the things I could do, but there were many things I could do that weren't listed as a skill.
Yenmazing's ThoughtsSome of you may have noticed the Skeleton Soldier's options for checking his stats were [Yes/Yes]. This is NOT a typo, I promise! The author was trying to convey is similar to how when, in video game tutorials, there is a pre-set of choices, so the player doesn’t miss any crucial information at the start of the game.
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