LMS Volume 11+

Volume 13

Chapter 1-5

Skeleton Knight

Ttadadadak.
Weed knocked on his jaw and looked at his body.
The appearance of a perfect bone set devoid of any flesh!
This was all due to the Power to Deny Death that he was able to resurrect as an undead.
The body looked weird with nothing but bones, but comparing to the last time, this set seemed to be thicker and more nutritiously filled with power.
Ding!

Have returned from darkness of the abyss. The skill level of the Power to Deny Death has increased by one. Reached Beginner level 2.Health will gain an extra 3%, 1% derived from the Power of Darkness.Additional effect will be granted by fighting more wickedly.Possibility to raise the Undead increases.After resurrection, the number of available type within the category increases as well as the skill level.

It was impossible to gain experience for the Power to Deny Death any other way.
The only way was to die.

"Character information!"

Character NameWeedAlignmentUndeadLevel354ClassSkeleton KnightReputation7904HP146800MP6400Strength1265Agility1130StaminaInfiniteWisdom70Intelligence65Fighting Spirit922EnduranceInfinitePerseverance665Physical Resistance470Leadership459Guilt96

*Due to the unique characteristic of the Skeleton Knight, You do not
feel fatigue.
*Sword skills +2.
*Due to the power of darkness covering the entire body, add additional
damage and Defense.
*Extremely vulnerable to Holy magic.
*Weakens before the sun and fire.

Weed's original level was 355. Having died, his level dropped by one.
Mastery of skills also dove considerably.
Having already died plenty, he took a deep breath and could somewhat calmly accepted it. Hard work will refill the proficiency once again.

"Skeleton Knight. Been a while since I can move my body, need to get this off my chest."

Weed drew the sword and cut the Ghost Knight that killed him.

"Keueuk!"
"Enemy."

All the Ghost Knights suddenly blocked each and every one of his potential paths.
Still, they had not attacked Weed just yet, because they could not tell whether he was an ally or an enemy.
He was an undead that had a cursed skeleton for a physical body.
But due to Weed's preemptive attack, they all raised their rusty sword, rotten shield, and broken lances towards him.

"Painful, so painful."
"Painful. The suffering came from humans, that skeleton too isn't one of us."
"We were betrayed. This traitor. Unng, I'll kill ya."

Large number of Ghost Knights took place.
To finish the fight and return to their slumber.
As time passed, more and more Ghost Knights and Soldiers spawned from the ground.
These ghosts!
They were those who were betrayer of friends, sinned against their king, and committed treason against their country.
Within a few seconds, 30 or more enemies returned and ready to fight.
Even after having been reborn as a fleshless being by the Power of Darkness, the answer for his resurrection was as clear as day.

"Stone Skin."

Weed's white bones hardened like stones.
The amount of Mana was too small so he could not use his attacking Skills anymore after that.

"You're a traitor, buddy. You'll suffer like us!"

A Ghost Soldier came running in first.
Weed quickly leaned to avoid the oncoming lance, then he stretched his sword toward the assailant's neck.

A fatal blow!

Puseuseu.
The ghost became a blurred smoke then disappeared.
When he was alive, as a fault of the Sculptor class, his stats were evenly distributed matching to his profession. Art, Faith, and Appeal all played a role on his low Strength.
But after having been reborn as a Skeleton Knight, his damage output was incredibly high. Similarly with Agility, his moving speed has gotten noticeably faster.
His base defense had also increased greatly.
Pababababak!
Weed continued to advance while taking a beating from all direction.
There was no need to be cautious of distant enemies.

'I only need to concentrate at this point.'

With multiple attacks coming in at the same time, he countered them by hitting the weapons, and then uses the technique to disarm the lot of entangled weapons.
Still, colleagues of those adversaries did not stop the assault.
Puwak!
Lances pierced through Ghost Soldiers' body as they attacked.
Weed brandished his sword as if he had already anticipated the attack coming from the rear.
He fought as if he was possessed.
He had a constant flow within the battle.
Having already fought for a day or so, the number of them kept growing for at an enormous rate.
Synchronized breathing with the attacks of the enemy and his own movements.
He assimilated himself at this point.
Weed's movements had surpassed his earlier ability with the sword.
The possibility of this was no less owe to the role of the Skeleton Knight.
Because of the physical limitation of being human, commitment made to vigorous movement at every time seems moot. With quicker movements, more stamina is consumed and will soon tire oneself out.
Let's say at the earlier part of the battle, 100% of the damage can be carried out; however, along with the decrease of Stamina, the damage output also decreases.
In the case of Defense, Stamina plays a small role even if it had been severely depleted; but Physical Resistance, Perseverance, Wisdom, and many others all will be greatly affected by Stamina.
However, thanks to the unique characteristic of the Skeleton Knight, he never gets tired. Even an hour of constant battling, Stamina remained as it is without fail.
Furthermore, he doesn't get hungry.
Weed was immersed in the fighting, but he felt so miserable.

"Because of the Sculptor I miss out on the Skeleton Knight!"

Grief and chagrin!
In exchange, he fought vigorously with every bone in his body.
With the countless of combat experiences in here, as well as the learned swordsmanship in real life.
Even with the Skills, he still must confront in direct battles.
As a reward, Weed gained his body perfectly under his control.
Although not akin to that of Geomchi's, his mindset was nothing short of comparatively.
The fourth floor of the Tower of Heroes tests one's sword skills and determination.
If he flinched from the enemy's attacks, more and more of these ghostly adversaries would gather and wouldn't allow him to penetrate.
This stage was not meant to be passed by those with weak heart.

'Give ma flesh and whittle to the bones.'

Whenever Weed's heavy stride stepped forward, huge number of Ghost Knights and Ghost Soldiers falls in its quake.

"Uhaaaaaa!"

From Weed's mouth, shouts of excitement erupted.
During this impossible challenge, he was having fun. Whether it'll be successful or end in failure, he no longer cares!
Chwararara!
In return, Weed's elbow and wrist violently broke.
Spectacular sword wielding. In contrast to the impossibility in reality, it was possible here.
With the usage of Skills, the attacks can be even more bizarre; but without having Mana to use, he mainly fought by brandishing his sword and stabbing.

'The sword should not be stopped; to retain the state of force when cut.'

After acquiring the Heraim Sword Skill, he pretty soon discovered the gist of this since experiencing it.
With the scream of the sword coming down from an attack, the repulsion force of blocking forces him to be in a momentary delay. But now under the same situation, he no longer block but instead attack.
Weed's Swordsmanship Skill was at Intermediate level 4!
Of course, it was not something comparable to the Geomchis' Skill which was at the Advanced levels. Due to the nature of a Sculptor, the growth of the skill was twice as slow as theirs.
But now, the rate lined up due to the fact that he was a Skeleton Knight; and along with this attribute, his power was also flawless.

"Kkirikkkirik!"
"Though a Skeleton Knight, still he's a great knight."

With the ongoing battle, the attitude of the Ghost Knights has changed.

"Our mission is to stop you here."
"Pain, this sucks... In exchange for the betrayal I have to undergo this eternal torment."
"We are of the Knights. So I acknowledge your strength and courage."
"But we cannot allow you to pass here."

Nearing the 8th time he penetrated through the hordes of ghost knights on the fourth floor, they began rushing in more violently.
Weed faithfully relied on just his sword.
There was no other option, and with the given infinite amount of Stamina, the only thing to do was to wield the sword.
Similar to the scarecrows back in Saraborg Castle!
Except for brief breaks in between, he had never wield a sword so tirelessly before.
So neglecting everything, he fought on.
Finally, there wasn't a single Ghost Knight or Ghost Soldier blocking his way any longer.
Before Weed, a white staircase was seen.
He passed the fourth floor challenge!
With one step at a time, he proceeded to the end; climbing the stairs leading to the fifth floor of the Tower of Heroes.

"Keukeukeukeu."
"A great knight."
"It has been an honor."

With that, the ghosts no longer rushed at him, showing proper etiquette. Though having been battered, they acknowledged their defeat.

'Seems like even though they have been ghosts and specters for a long while, they still retained some of their codes even after death.'

Weed checked on the state of his body.
63% remaining HP.
Thanks to the Power to Deny Death, the base health was enormous.
He shed the Talrock Armor and Divine Integral Rings and such; and in their places, he wore the armor made of the dragon's bones as well as the Payrote's Ring, which increases his mana recovery.
Normally, he maintained all of his equipments in their best state by means of repairing. Thanks to his constant care, though having been through a lot just now, their Durability were still above 80%. Now he donned a much harder armor that was made from dragon's bones.
The Durability of the sword was still at 75%.

'It's enough.'

Weed turned away from the stairs in front of him. And from behind, the Ghost Knights rushed with their swords swinging in slow motion.

"It hurts!"
"Wh...why is this plaguing us!?"

The knights and soldiers clamored and struck.
They were barely hanging on and were suffering.
They passed through the gateway after having climbed the stairs in order to pit themselves against Weed.
Weed did not speak of an answer.

'I have never refused any quests, monsters, or challenges to fight.'

Back on Continent of Magic, Weed did not know how to refrain himself.
If it was something obtrusive, whether they were people or monsters, he simply shattered and pierced through all.
Smash everything, crushes all.
Those were the days where he would stand alone amongst all those eradicated.
On the stairs of the fourth floor leading to the top, that disposition of the Jeonshin Weed was resurrected.

***

Jeong Ilhun was staring at the phone.

"The time for the phone to ring is coming."

He was Geom-2-chi in Royal Road!
Jeong Illhun hospitably took care of Orc Seechwi. And yet his feelings deepened as he got to know more about her.
The Jeong Ilhun who would make a complete fool of himself in opposition to a woman, but somehow he could comfortably deal with Seechwi.
Eventually, the two became lovers in Royal Road.
And today, she had said she would call Jeong.

"How long must I wait."

Jeong Ilhun joyously spoke.
The expensive dating service phone call, the old bachelor that was difficult to pull away from the phone call with a woman that would requires a card to talk to.
But he never thought he would have a girlfriend to give him a call!
Ddareuu!
Jeong Ilhun heard the phone rang once and immediately picked it up.

"Yes! I'm Jeong Ilhun!"

His voice tightened to that of a recruit in the service.

'Forgot that I had 7 raw eggs, is my voice gunna be ok?'
He never once been troubled over this fact. But still, being on a call with somebody he loves, anyone would start to care a little.

-Hello, Mr. Ilhun.

Over the line, a melodious voice of a woman was heard.
Jeong forehead began to furrow.

'It's not her voice.'

She was suppose to have strong nasally sound. Groggy like a man, rusty voice.
Her voice was not pretty.
Jeong Ilhun spoke quickly with a harsh tone.

"I don't want to sign up for a card. Don't want to use a loan phone. Don't want to join a high speed communication network. Please disconnect because I urgently need the phone."

For a bachelor on the phone, with calls that comes, it needs to go instead of having being hung up on. He believed the phone call right now was for a lending or some subscription, and told them off!
But this was Joeng Ilhun's mistake.

-I'm guessing you're busy, Mr. Ilhun. I insisted to make a call at this time...well, I guess I'll go. I'll try and call again tomorrow.

"Ah! Wait! Could you be Seechwi?"

-Yes, that's right.

He could hear a light laughter coming from over the phone as she answered.
The call with Orc Seechwi was a bit awkward.
That was her race in Royal Road. So of course, her voice there was not something common. Just like an Orc, she'd chwiichwii, along with a stale and groggy voice.
Because of that, Jeong Ilhun mistook that as her original voice; but still, he did not realize the truth.

'The voice on the phone seems to be in pretty form. Maybe just like me, she ate a few raw eggs.'

However, having received his first call from her, Joeng Ilhun was already happy with that fact alone.
Five minutes of talk!
Even though he could easily hold the heavy metal sword with just one hand; he held the receiver with both.
This was the most intense of time ever in Joeng's life.
His calls always simply to the point; even when he spoke to his apprentices, it never once passed the seventh syllable mark.
Come.
Let's go!
Keep it up.
Get them!
Seal the door shut.
Let's eat.
He primarily spoke in short and concise answers; and this was the most interesting time he ever had on the phone. Though just the talk was about the little stories in Royal Road, what they had for breakfast, and a bit of catching up to some extent, he was happy.

'Free 300 minutes. I can see why they gave out this service.'

Now the call must end.
Hearing her sweet voice was good, but now his heart filled of delight made it hard for him to continue the call.
The lack of topic was another issue.

'Talked about the weather, abusing politicians, military stories, even talks about soccer; I've ran out of things to talk to her.'

He finished all the conversation prepared to talk with a girlfriend already, he figured he should end it neatly and take a rain check for another day. Knowing that he could share a conversation with her at any time, there was no need to be impatient.

"To have shared the dialogue with you, it was an honor, miss Seechwi!"

-No, it was good to hear Ilhun ssi's voice for me too.

"Phone call is good but it'd be nice if we can meet directly."

Without much forethought, Jeong Ilhun spoke clearly unconsciously.
She readily agreed.

-Well, shall we?

"Yes?"

He took in a deep breath as he heard it. It was something incredible that he could listen tens of thousands times over.

-Let's meet tomorrow at around noon. Our first meeting....I would like this very much. I'll pack kimbap and liked to have lunch with you. Is it alright if we meet at the Dojang?

"Ki, kimbap?"

-Why, do you not like kimbap?

"N, n, n, no, no ma'am! I really love kimbap. I look forward to meeting you! If by chance you're late, or something came up tomorrow, and even if you don't come, I'm looking forward to it!"

Jeong Ilhun screams into the handset!
The call got cut off.

"......"

He sat in a daze. After a long while needed to clear his mind, the other instructors came out and the lot of apprentices could be seen.
Choe Jongbeom, Ma Sangbeom, and Lee Indo!
Though not the violent types, they were sturdy guys that deserved to be called monsters of the human species.
Some while after he initially saw his brothers that he could finally hear them.
Rather than a dream, it was his reality.

"Sahyeong!"
"Did the call with Seechwi nim go well?"

At their questions, Jeong Ilhun nodded his head.

"Yea, it went well. Though tomorrow she's coming with kimbap."
"Heok."
"Ki, kimbap..."

An explosive reaction from all the practitioners.
Lee Indo remained the calmest of the lot.

"Did you mean she's coming with bought food from Kimbap Haven or hand-packed one?"
"The latter. She said she'll also put in tuna."
"Including tuna!"

The entire body of people was envious of Jeong Ilhun.

***

The final fifth story!
Ding!