How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 117: The National Treasure of the Aranballon Kingdom (2)

As the team members cautiously moved, observing their surroundings, I matched their pace and walked slowly.

“U-Uh, over there?”

“Team leader! Look at the floor.”

“The floor is moving!”

I stopped and blinked in surprise.

What? The floor was moving, he says? But I didn’t feel anything like that.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Responding to my startled reaction, Capu stepped forward.

“Hoon, the patterns on the floor moved, to be exact. They shifted in sync with your movements.”

“The patterns?”

“Yeah, can you try moving again?”

“Easily.”

—Step, step.

I took two more steps forward, and a strange feeling washed over me. It felt as if I wasn’t moving me but the entire team.

Ah.

Instinctively, I looked down. Everyone’s eyes were wide, focused on the ground beneath me.

It’s true.

Capu was right. The patterns carved into the floor were somehow moving, centered around me. I couldn’t understand how something engraved could move.

“What could be the reason?”

“Who knows? It seems like understanding the secret behind these patterns is the key to progressing.”

“…”

Everyone rubbed their chins in thought. We were being cautious, so we had to hold our ground without acting rashly.

It’s the pressure.

The atmosphere was physically heavy—a suffocating pressure weighed on us. In fact, it had been like this since we entered the hall. It felt like a colossal presence was watching us. Goosebumps ran down my arms.

“This is giving me the chills.”

“Yeah, it feels like something’s creeping up my spine. It also feels chilly in here.”

Ignoring the anxious murmurs of some team members, I continued analyzing the surroundings. I forced myself to stay calm. After all, I was the team leader.

First.

The patterns formed a circle with a radius of about 10 meters. It felt a bit cramped for ten people to fit inside.

“Team leader!” Myoi Hana’s voice cut through the tension.

“Yes?”

“Look over there!” She pointed into the air.

At the end of her line of sight…

—Boom!

An imposing soldier wielding a crossbow stood tall. It seemed to be made of bones, much like my skeletons. But since it was motionless, I assumed it was just decorative.

“A soldier?”

“There’s one over here too!”

“I see another one, Hoon!”

One by one, team members began spotting more soldiers. The hall was dimly lit, making it hard to see, but once we spotted one, the rest were easier to find. Each soldier wielded a crossbow. They also had scabbards at their waists, housing swords of standard length.

Soldiers, huh?

Since this was the trial of the Aranballon Kingdom, I figured these must be Aranballon soldiers.

—Ring!

[You have discovered the soldiers guarding the treasures of the ‘Ancient Aranballon Kingdom’!]

[Explorers, beware!]

[The kingdom’s soldiers are extremely ferocious and powerful!]

[Avoid them and search for the ‘National Treasure’!]

“Huh?”

“Soldiers guarding the treasure?”

“Are those things going to move?”

—Murmur, murmur.

The team began chattering, reacting to the message.

“They’re not moving though?” James stepped forward. “And come on, they’re just soldiers, right? Not generals or knights in shining armor—just regular soldiers. Here, I’ll go check them out.”

—Clench!

He tightened his fist and stepped outside the pattern.

—Flinch!

At that moment, my Great Blue Heart Technique activated, much like my sixth sense.

—Vwooom!

A warning rang in my head, reverberating through my body. This was a real danger.

“Wait!”

—Whoosh!

I instinctively swung my spear imbued with the fire element, knocking something away with a sharp clang.

“Oomph!”

A heavy impact rippled through my muscles. It felt blunt, like getting hit by a massive hammer. My eyes widened. Clearly, what was fired at me was a bolt from one of the Aranballon Kingdom soldiers.

What kind of crossbow shoots bolts this hard and fast?

—Whoosh! Whoosh!

The soldiers began firing their crossbows from all directions.

“Sunny! Eldrin!” I immediately summoned my skeletons.

“My lord!”

“Yes, Master.”

First, I called on my strongest skeletons to handle the immediate threat.

“Boney 4!”

—Creak! Boom!

I summoned the shield-wielding skeletons to surround and protect the team quickly. But it was too late.

“Urgh!”

“Aaaargh! My thigh! My thigh!”

Even in that brief moment, the bolts had inflicted serious injuries on several team members.

“Wh-What is this?”

“Ugh!”

“This is insane! How are we supposed to stop something like this?”

The team was in shock, and I was equally astonished. Even with my heightened skills, the oppressive force was overwhelming.

“James!”

“Huh? Uh?”

That idiot!

He was still standing outside the pattern, dumbfounded. If stepping outside triggered the soldiers’ attack, he should have hurried back into the circle.

“What are you doing?! Get back inside the pattern now!”

“Ah, got it!”

James quickly dove back into the circle, and the moment he did…

—Clunk!

The crossbow fire ceased. The terrifying sound of bolts raining down disappeared, leaving a deathly silence in the hall.

“…”

No one spoke. Everyone swallowed nervously.

“Huff, huff! Huff!”

“Huff, ugh…!”

“Urgh.”

The only sounds were heavy breathing and faint groans.

I let out a sigh.

I knew it.

Stepping outside the pattern was forbidden. To safely find the treasure, we would all need to move together. That was the challenge of this theme.

“Those of you who are injured, come here. Let’s treat you first.”

The bolts had hit three people—Capu, the middle-aged man, and Kane. I approached Kane first. Grabbing the bolt embedded in his thigh, I tightened my grip.

“Uh, w-wait! What are you—”

“Bite down.”

—Rip!

I yanked the bolt out in one swift motion.

“Aaaargh!” Kane screamed.

I held no malice toward him, but these things hurt less when removed quickly. Besides, a wound of this level could easily be healed by Boney 7.

[Consuming 10 energy.]

[Summoning ‘Bonehead 7.’]

I summoned the healer skeleton and treated Kane. As for the other two…

“You two are lucky. It just so happens that I’m a healer.”

Myoi Hana stepped forward. With holy light emanating from her hands, she carefully healed their wounds.

Huh. She’s a healer?

I was surprised. Now that I thought about it, she had never disclosed her unique ability.

“My name is Myoi Hana, a hunter from Hiroshima, Japan. Since the renowned first-place Skeleton King personally chose me, I will do my utmost to assist you.”

Her introduction had been vague back then.

It made sense. In team-based games, healers were invaluable assets. However, in competitive situations, they were also the most vulnerable targets. It required a certain level of trust to reveal her abilities.

“Damn, why is it always me…”

Watching Myoi Hana’s meticulous healing, Kane wore a resentful expression. But when I glared at him, he clamped his mouth shut. C’mon, dude, how was I supposed to know that?

What now?

I turned my attention back to the soldiers with crossbows. They were just as monstrous as they appeared. If they were unleashed in the middle of Seoul, it would be nothing short of hell.

“Hm.”

“Hey, hold on a second.”

My contemplative sigh was interrupted by someone’s voice. It was Vladimir Rodigin, the spatial mage.

Blinking, he looked at me. “Why did the soldiers attack us, even though James was the one who stepped out of the circle?”

Huh? He’s right.

“Look at James. He’s perfectly fine. It’s like he wasn’t attacked at all.”

“…”

I turned to James. He looked dazed, wearing a blank expression, but his body was unscathed—not a single wound. As far as I knew, it would’ve been impossible for James to dodge all those bolts with his skills.

What the fuck?

In that instant, I realized something. If the first person to step outside the circle gains an advantage… If survival outside the pattern is guaranteed only for them…

I’m the only person to get screwed, aren’t I?

The pattern moved with me as the center. If everyone else stepped out, the soldiers’ attacks would focus solely on me.

—Gulp!

As I swallowed hard, a distant sound echoed.

—Creak! Clunk!

A door opened in the distance, accompanied by a blinding white light.

—Ring!

[Team members may select a ‘treasure’ and escape the Giant Fortress at any time.]

[Escaping team members will pass Theme 2.]

Of course.

Fuck. I should’ve known it wouldn’t be this simple.

The question posed by Theme 2 was straightforward: Will you pass together with your team leader? Or will you abandon them and pass alone?

The Theme 2 was a trial designed to toy with human nature.

“Finally, it begins.”

In front of a hologram, Delilah watched the screen with interest. She held a homemade hamburger in her hand. After all, even she needed to eat while spectating. Beside her, Lucas sipped on a soda.

“This will be interesting. Isn’t this the main theme of the trial?”

For Lucas, Theme 2 was the main event of this entire dungeon, for this was where rankers were truly decided. The remaining trials would continue with those who stayed united as a team. And those who stayed usually became lifelong comrades, like Korea’s Five Stars of Seoul.

And I…

Lucas bit his lip. Back when he was the team leader, all his team members had abandoned him. In the end, he was the sole survivor. He had cleared the remaining themes alone and became a ranker. Because of this, Theme 2 was both the most fascinating and the most terrifying for him.

“How many do you think will make it this time? Five? Six? My guess is six,” Delilah said as she elegantly nibbled on her hamburger.

“I’m betting on four. Olivia and Kane will definitely run. As for the rest, I can’t say. True intentions are revealed only in the face of fear,” Lucas said with conviction.

He had experienced it himself. At first, everyone pretended to care for the team leader. But when one person escaped, the real hell began. The soldiers’ relentless crossbow fire never stopped. Who would risk their life to uphold loyalty?

Not many.

Lucas shook his head. Watching Theme 2 always made him nauseous. The memories of betrayal and trauma stirred up his emotions.

“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” Delilah chuckled.

“Delilah, do you think Joo Donghoon has earned enough trust as a team leader?” Lucas asked, wearing a faint smile.

“Hmm. That, I’m not sure.”

“Then why…?”

“Because from Theme 1, he’s been performing impossible feats. Lucas, did you ever predict that Joo Donghoon would conquer the poison mist by consuming it?”

“But in this game, there’s no such thing as—”

“Why would you assume that?”

“…Pardon?” Lucas tilted his head.

His expression was filled with curiosity, but Delilah remained silent. She simply continued eating her hamburger.

“…”

Well, what’s the point of overthinking? Let’s just watch and wait. After all, just observing Joo Donghoon is entertaining enough. That’s the kind of hunter he is.