Skeleton Master Chapter 037

Everyone else was focused solely on their own opponents.

However, two people - the Guardian Guild Master and Phoenix Guild Master - were watching the overall battle situation, so Moo-hyeok's movements couldn't escape their notice.

It's fine. The distance is quite far.

What needs attention are those positioned at the dungeon entrance.

Three people.

When the distance had closed sufficiently.

"Skeleton Summon."

He summoned sword skeletons and bow skeletons.

Bow skeletons, rapid-fire all.

Sword skeletons, charge all.

The three people at the entrance showed startled expressions.

"W-what?"

"Block it for now!"

Moo-hyeok smiled faintly.

If they're the reconnaissance team, their level should be 38.

With the skeletons by his side now, he was confident they wouldn't be able to stop him.

Pang!

The bone arrow sliced through the air.

One knight crouched down, covering his entire body with his shield.

"Ugh!"

He was pushed back by the impact.

"H-heal!"

His urgent expression.

And tone.

But the priest tilted their head.

After all, it was just an arrow.

And one shot by a skeleton at that.

"What? Why?"

"First, the heal..."

He couldn't continue speaking.

This was because the sword skeleton, having already closed the distance sufficiently, brought its sword down from above toward his shield.

Following that, the remaining sword skeletons surrounded the knight and thrust their swords.

Currently, the sword skeletons' attack power was evenly distributed from the mid-100s to the late 120s.

With eight of them, even blocking with a shield would surely drain HP at a frightening rate.

"This is, insane..."

There was nothing he could do.

Just endure.

Though healing came in during that time, it wasn't enough.

In an instant, his entire body turned silver before fading away and disappearing.

Literally melted away.

The priest and mage watching where he had vanished couldn't hide their bewildered expressions.

"W-what just happened...?"

At that moment, a bone arrow pierced the priest's left chest.

[Critical Hit triggered.]

[You take 186 damage.]

The priest just stared blankly at the message that appeared.

186...?

Not even a user but just a skeleton. Taking 186 HP damage from an arrow shot by such a creature.

Kirik, kiririk.

The clattering sword-wielding skeleton approaching felt terrifyingly real.

"Fire Wall!"

A massive wall of flames spread out at that moment. It was an attack launched by the mage who had somehow maintained their composure.

But the skeleton ignored it and passed through the wall of flames.

Though its HP dropped significantly, there were only two users left anyway. They just needed to deal with them.

"T-this is!"

The two people stepped back in surprise.

The dungeon entrance was revealed.

Moo-hyeok's eyes widened.

There was no need to deal with the two people - he just needed to enter through the entrance.

Sword skeletons, charge.

While the sword skeletons approached the two users, Moo-hyeok kicked off the ground and dashed forward.

Pabat.

The distance to the dungeon entrance rapidly closed.

Flinch.

At the same time, he felt an ominous presence.

As he turned his head, he caught sight of something tiny like a dot in the distance.

It rapidly grew larger until it became a sharp arrowhead.

Ignore it.

Moo-hyeok faced forward again and increased his speed.

The dungeon was just a few steps away.

He thought he just needed to take the incoming arrow and enter.

Thunk.

Right then, an arrow pierced his back.

[You have been hit by the skill 'One-Hit Kill'.]

[Critical Hit triggered.]

[You take 928 damage.]

['Slow Poison' has been applied.]

[HP is continuously decreasing.]

[Movement speed is reduced.]

However, an unexpected number entered his view.

928...?

Even with a critical hit and being struck by the notoriously powerful One-Hit Kill skill, he never imagined losing nearly 60 percent of his HP.

This is too much!

Moo-hyeok's pupils shook violently.

No, he couldn't panic.

The dungeon was right in front of him.

Just a few more steps...!

At that moment, he heard another whoosh through the air.

If he took the same amount of damage again, he would definitely die. He had to dodge, but even that wasn't easy. The Slow Poison had reduced his movement speed.

Damn it...!

There was only one way.

"Haaaaaah!"

Gritting his teeth, Moo-hyeok threw his body forward.

Just before passing through the dungeon entrance.

Thwip.

The arrow, as if by cruel fate, found its mark in Moo-hyeok's chest.

Right where his heart was.

*

Guardian Guild Master, Kim Bada.

He frowned as he watched a user rushing toward the dungeon just as the Phoenix Guild's search party was emerging from it.

A Phoenix Guild member?

From the looks of it, that wasn't the case.

He's trying to take advantage of the situation.

Given that he's trying to enter the dungeon, he must be level 38.

He summoned skeletons, so he's a Necromancer.

In that case, he was confident he could kill him in one shot. Still, he prepared thoroughly just in case. First, applying the Slow Poison.

"Yura."

"Yes."

"Cast Enhancement Magic."

After increasing the damage with Enhancement Magic, he nocked a magic arrow with penetration effect on his bow that he had purchased for 2,000 gold.

On top of that, he used the 'One-Hit Kill' skill he had learned upon reaching level 55.

His stats and weapon alone gave him over 200 damage.

With enhancement, One-Hit Kill, and if a critical hit lands?

He could easily deal close to 1,000 overwhelming damage.

Got to take care of this pest.

He aimed at his target and released the bowstring.

Twang!

The arrow struck its target's back precisely.

The critical hit notification appeared.

However.

"Hmm?"

The guy didn't die.

Kim Bada's eyebrow twitched as he nocked another arrow.

Over 1,000 HP?

A level 38 Necromancer?

It made no sense.

This time he'll surely die.

Rapid fire.

The One-Hit Kill skill couldn't be used due to cooldown.

Instead, he fired three arrows using the Rapid Fire skill. They flew in perfect alignment as if they were one.

The target had just reached the dungeon entrance.

But he couldn't dodge the arrows.

Thunk.

One arrow pierced his chest.

Another critical hit.

It dealt over 400 damage. Unfortunately, the remaining two arrows from Rapid Fire cut through empty air.

The target had disappeared into the dungeon just before they could hit.

But having dealt over 1,300 HP damage with just two attacks, there's no way a Necromancer could survive.

Even if he wasn't a Necromancer but an ordinary Knight, at just level 38, losing that much HP would be fatal nine times out of ten.

Kim Bada was certain of his death, knowing there was no way a Necromancer could have the same HP as a Knight.

Swish.

He shifted his gaze from the dungeon to the battlefield.

"Yuhwan."

"Yes, Guild Master."

"Go over there and block the entrance."

"Yes!"

Once they clear the battlefield, the dungeon would be theirs.

Moo-hyeok rolled on the ground and let out a rough laugh.

"Heh, heheh..."

His remaining HP was around 250.

If he had been an ordinary Necromancer, he would have died instantly from the first arrow.

But Moo-hyeok was far from an ordinary Necromancer.

His strength was far superior to that of a regular Knight, and his vitality and agility were just as impressive.

Of course, he wasn't laughing just because he had survived. It was because of the message that appeared the moment he fell here.

[You have entered a Level 38 Unique Dungeon.]

[Experience gain (50%) and item drop rate (20%) are increased inside the dungeon.]

It was actually a Unique dungeon.

That's why he couldn't hold back his laughter.

To think such luck would come his way.

Of course, it was rather pathetic that he had nearly died from just two attacks.

But the Guardian Guild Master Kim Bada was level 55, so it was only natural.

When the time comes and their levels are equal, he was confident he could overwhelm him.

So for now, he would endure.

He needed to be patient and grow stronger.

That was what mattered most.

"Phew."

He rested against the wall.

Enough time had passed.

Honestly, MP wasn't an issue anymore. The MP recovery rate now exceeded the consumption rate, thanks to his title and Groian's Ring.

However, as time passes and his summoning skills level up, the MP consumption per second would increase uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, his Intelligence and Wisdom stats would gradually become fixed. Though there was a solution.

The Groian Set Items.

But would he be able to obtain them?

He shook off these idle thoughts.

His HP had fully recovered by now.

He got up and moved forward.

Thump.

His heart was already racing with excitement.

What would the reward be?

What would he get for clearing it?

What would the dungeon look like?

What about the monsters?

How far had he walked?

Chi-chi-chik.

A strange sound reached his ears.

Something was coming.

It wasn't visible yet.

Moo-hyeok summoned all his skeletons first.

Defense mode.

Then he waited behind the skeletons for whatever was approaching to reveal itself.

But no matter how long he waited, nothing appeared.

Though the sound was getting louder...

Suddenly, something burst from the ground, cleverly weaving through the gaps between the skeletons.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Moo-hyeok twisted his body sharply and blocked the incoming object with his staff.

Clang!

With the harsh metallic sound, its true identity was revealed.

It was a Mole King, a mole-type monster standing one meter tall.

With its long mouth and sharp crescent-shaped claws, it was not only agile but also difficult to kill as it would burrow underground when threatened.

Of all things...

Moo-hyeok's brow furrowed.

Then his eyes lit up.

Wait, if that thing is here...

It meant that its paired monster would soon appear.

Moo-hyeok's eyes gleamed as he hurriedly pulled out four items from his inventory.

Paralysis Poison, Hallucination Poison, Hemorrhage Tears, and Weakening Paralysis.

He applied them evenly to his summons' weapons.

Grrrr...

The sound he'd been waiting for finally came.

Red Bear.

It was the monster paired with Mole King - while Mole King made things difficult by moving through the ground, Red Bear's style was to overwhelm with its massive body and crush its opponents.

The priority was clear.

Bone Archer, rapid fire.

Once Red Bear dies, Mole King would flee.

For Moo-hyeok as a Necromancer, it was much easier to take down Red Bear with its slower movements than to try catching the elusive Mole King.

Sword Bones, forward.

Of course, Mole King wouldn't just stand by and watch.

It targeted only Moo-hyeok.

Chi-chi-chi-chik!

It came flying from all directions, above and below.

Unpleasant sounds rang out as its claws clashed with the Skull Staff.

Even as the clanging echoes continued in succession, Moo-hyeok commanded his skeletons in his mind.

Grooooar!

Kirik, kiririk!

Red Bear's reckless charge and the skeletons facing it.

Mole King's interference and Moo-hyeok keeping watch.

The battle continued with an peculiar atmosphere that was hard to describe in words.

Clang-gang!

After several clashes with Mole King, Moo-hyeok was certain.

Its strength was quite weak, but...

Its movements were honestly hard to keep up with.

It seemed like there'd be a chance if he could just knock it down, but that wasn't as easy as he thought.

At that moment, an eerie presence from behind.

Moo-hyeok's eyes gleamed.