Chapter 14, Skeletons Are Big, Aren’t They?

Translator: Lizz

 

The first to move was the skeleton. It slowly raised its poleaxe and then swung it down with force. The blow carried more than enough power to cut a person in half, but its movement was easy to read. Such a clumsy attack could never land, and Masato leapt sideways to evade.

 

With a loud crash that shook the entire space, a massive crack split the ground. Pebbles scattered from the impact, cutting into Masato’s body.

 

“This is…”

 

The right-angled blade of the poleaxe was buried completely, showing that its power was beyond what he had expected. If this were outside the cave, Masato could have used the trees as cover to confuse his opponent. Escaping would have been easy.

 

But here, in a sealed space with no obstacles, there was nowhere to hide and no way to run.

 

There was more than enough room for the poleaxe to swing freely. The skeleton’s combat ability was fully unleashed, leaving its enemy no escape. It was like an execution ground.

 

The only chance was now, in the brief pause after the attack.

 

Masato decided quickly and dashed toward the magic stone.

 

“――――!”

 

But the skeleton was faster.

 

Its mouth opened, and a silent roar struck Masato like a shockwave, freezing him in place. The poleaxe was lifted from the ground, and the skeleton’s eyes glowed red.

 

Fireballs floated around, lighting the area as bright as day. Each was the size of a soccer ball. There were five in total. A single hit would mean far worse than burns.

 

“So it’s using a skill…”

 

It was the famous skill known as Fireball. Many explorers could use it, and its abilities were well understood. Like the skeleton, one could summon them to hover nearby or even control their movements.

 

“Damn!”

 

Of the five fireballs waiting around the skeleton, two began to move, attacking Masato. He ran in a circle around the skeleton to escape, but as they struck the ground behind him one after another, the earth caught fire.

 

The flames of the fireballs did not die out easily. Like gasoline-fed fire, they continued to scorch the ground.

 

Masato glanced back and felt a moment of relief, but the danger was far from over.

 

One fireball was coming from the front, another from the side.

 

Their paths blocked both his direction forward and his escape route. Simply running would not be enough to avoid them. The flames behind him still burned, so retreat was impossible. He was forced to run along the last remaining path, driven toward the wall.

 

“Daaah!”

 

There was no time to think or plan. He let the fireballs come dangerously close, then leapt, kicking off the wall to gain height.

 

Below him was a sea of fire. The place where he had stood moments ago now blazed red. Had he hesitated even slightly, he would have been roasted alive.

 

His relief at narrowly avoiding disaster was short-lived. The last remaining fireball came at him, targeting Masato in midair where he could not move.

 

—Unavoidable.

 

Instinctively, he thrust his left arm forward and struck the fireball down.

 

Of course, it didn’t end without injury. The gauntlet forged from dungeon iron was burning. Masato tore it off the moment he landed, but his left arm was already scorched red and blistered. Just trying to move his fingers sent waves of pain that nearly made him lose consciousness. He wanted to check the damage more carefully, but there was no time. A shadow loomed overhead.

 

The poleaxe was already swinging down.

 

He rolled aside, and once again the right-angled blade carved a deep wound into the ground.

 

It was a hair’s breadth escape. If his reaction had been even a moment slower, he would have been cleaved in two. He forced down the fear.

 

Leaping, he landed on the poleaxe’s shaft. From there he sprang again, landing on the skeleton’s arm and sprinting upward. With a spinning motion, he launched a third jump, reaching the face, and kicked the temple with all his strength.

 

“――!?”

 

A cracking sound rang out. The skeleton, struck by the fierce roundhouse kick, lost its balance, its massive body swaying.

 

Masato seized the chance. Determined to press the attack, he drew his knife mid-fall and hurled it toward the faintly glowing magic stone.

 

It was the best throw he had ever made. Like a bullet, it shot straight toward the target. Against a motionless foe, it would have been a guaranteed hit.

 

But the opponent was a monster beyond human limits. With impossible speed, it moved its large shield, deflecting the knife. Then, as if swatting away a bothersome insect, it struck Masato down.

 

Fortunately, the blow carried little force. Even so, he was slammed into the ground, bounced once, and tumbled across the floor.

 

“Guhh—”

 

With a cough, a lump of blood was spit out. The pain wracking his body threatened to make him lose consciousness. What had seemed like the perfect chance had flipped into a dire crisis.

 

After two or three more coughs, the surroundings grew bright again. Lifting his head, Masato saw a single fireball above the skeleton.

 

“Am I… hallucinating…?”

 

Through his fading awareness, he noticed a haze rising from the skeleton’s entire body. The mist was being drawn into the fireball overhead. Its size remained the same, but with each passing moment the heat intensified.

 

Because Masato was now exposed to an overwhelming surge of magic power at close range, he had gained the ability to perceive its flow.

 

It was rare, but not unheard of; some explorers did possess similar abilities. Like Masato, they suddenly found themselves able to see it one day. They could sense the signs of a skill being activated… though none had the power to interrupt the process.

 

The skeleton gathered all the magic it could muster, strengthening the fireball, and finally released it.

 

“Damn bastard!!!!”

 

Masato hurled his last remaining knife. It collided with the fireball, and exploded.

 

If it had been ordinary metal, it would never have stood a chance. But iron infused with magic could physically interfere with certain skills. Even so, the skill’s power was greater. Masato’s favorite knife evaporated, sacrificed to protect him.

 

The hot wind stabbed painfully at his body. Coupled with his earlier injuries, his body’s condition at its worst. The environment was no better—flames spread across the ground, making it feel like he had stumbled into hell itself.

 

“I just bought that!!”

 

He shouted to steel his resolve. Forcing his trembling knees to move, he stood. Masato’s eyes still burned with determination.

 

He slipped past the poleaxe’s swing and attacked the shin. His arms lacked strength, so he used his legs instead.

 

When the dungeon-iron boots struck the skeleton’s bone, the clash rang out like metal on metal. Fragments of bone scattered into the air.

 

—Such strikes could bring it down.

 

After two blows, Masato was convinced.

 

The poleaxe was unwieldy once an enemy got inside its reach. The large shield was the same. By continuing to attack the legs, the skeleton had no way to counter. With each kick to the same spot, cracks spread through the bone, damage piling up.

 

“――――!!”

 

The skeleton let out a silent roar, freezing Masato’s movements, then stepped back to gain distance. It dropped the weapons it had been holding.

 

It had learned: until its magic recovered, it could not use fireballs; its poleaxe’s clumsy swings would never land; and once Masato got inside, it was left vulnerable to relentless attacks.

 

“So you want to fight barehanded, huh?”

 

At last, the enemy had chosen the same style of combat. Masato grinned.