Chapter 15, Can You Win a Fistfight Against Bones?

Translator: Lizz

 

Just because the opponent had become unarmed didn’t mean it had turned into a fair fistfight.

 

The skeleton, boasting infinite stamina, attacked without rest using its long arms. Masato avoided the left arm swinging down from above with a backstep, but as he landed, the right hand almost grabbed him. When he ducked to evade, he lost a few strands of his hair.

 

He tried to get back into the skeleton’s reach, but a fierce soccer-ball kick, a front kick aimed at his head, came at him.

 

“Guhhh!”

 

He barely deflected it with his right arm, but he could not completely nullify the impact. He was blown backward, and their distance widened again.

 

Compared to when it was using the poleaxe, the power was weaker, and Masato’s technique was superior. Yet the skeleton’s height and strength, more than double that of an adult man, overturned everything. Any slight difference in skill meant nothing.

 

His whole body, especially his left arm, hurt badly. For a moment, Masato thought it would be easier if he just lost consciousness. But when he remembered Rika and the younger brothers he had left on the surface, he summoned the last of his willpower and rejected the temptation.

 

He stood up, supporting himself against the wall, and looked at the skeleton. Its eyes had taken on a reddish tint. The color deepened with time. It was a sign it was about to use a fireball.

 

“Like hell I’d let you!”

 

His stamina and willpower were already near their limits. A long battle was impossible. Masato ran at full speed to win.

 

His movements were sluggish, slower than usual. But he still advanced steadily, rolled to avoid the stomping foot, and headed toward the skeleton’s feet. There, he picked up the knife that had been knocked away by the large shield.

 

He ran straight past and looked back. At that moment, his movement stopped.

 

The skeleton was never going to miss that opening.

 

Its eyes glowed red, and a fireball floated in the air above. There was only one, but its heat was more than double the previous ones. The instant Masato gulped, it was released.

 

The scorching heat closed in, burning his skin. The brightness made him feel as if he had stepped outside. The air warped and charred, yet the momentum did not stop.

 

It was too hot to knock down with his arm. Even dungeon iron seemed like it might melt. Only one choice remained.

 

“Uooooohhh!!”

 

He shouted and ran with all his strength.

 

He leapt sideways and thought he had barely avoided it, but then the blast struck his back.

 

“Guh!”

 

He was slammed against the wall, and a flying rock hit his chest directly. His chestplate caved in, blood spilled from his mouth, and his vision blurred.

 

Since he had begun exploring the dungeon, death had never felt so close.

 

His body barely moved, but his spirit was on the verge of breaking first.

 

No one would blame him if he gave up on living here. He had tried to survive. He could accept that luck had failed him. He could excuse himself by saying the pain kept him from moving.

 

In truth, if he had been only a part-time explorer, he would never have survived this far.

 

Masato had the resolve to resist death and a strong attachment to life. There was no doubt he had tried with all his strength to survive.

 

Yet even his heart was about to lose to reality.

 

The skeleton approached. Masato closed his eyes, ready to accept everything.

 

“…No, that wasn’t right.”

 

The faces of Haru and Rekka appeared in his mind.

 

If Masato died here, then his younger brothers would be next to become explorers. They would walk the same path, and the ending would not change.

 

That, and only that, could never be allowed.

 

Gathering the scraps of his remaining willpower, he slowly forced strength into his body and stood up.

 

Suddenly, Masato wondered why no attack had come. He had taken so much time that it would not have been strange if he had already become a crushed corpse like a frog underfoot.

 

He lifted his face. He saw Rika running around the skeleton.

 

“Masato-san, please wake upーーー!!”

 

She cried out with a tearful voice.

 

Ironically, that drew the skeleton’s attention and interrupted its attack on Masato.

 

If defeat against the skeleton had seemed certain, abandoning him would have been an option. They had only met recently. Normally, anyone would have chosen that.

 

But Rika was different. She had been helped when she needed, and she would surely repay that debt. That was her pride. That was why she could not run away.

 

“The best partner.”

 

Now having support, Masato took a throwing stance.

 

He forcibly suppressed the urge to rush in and save her, waiting for the right moment.

 

Rika, who had been running desperately, finally lost strength in her legs and fell to her knees. The skeleton raised its foot to crush her.

 

*—Shhh*

 

Slicing through the air with a sharp sound, the knife flew true. In the next instant, the bone of the skeleton’s knee shattered.

 

Without understanding what had happened, the skeleton lost its support and fell backward. It was no accident. It was exactly as intended.

 

Masato gathered every last bit of strength, climbed up the bones, and reached its left chest. He thrust in his right hand and gripped the magic stone. He tore it out.

 

“――――!!”

 

With a final roar of resistance, the skeleton blew Masato away. He rolled across the ground, clutching the stone. He no longer had the strength to stand, but he didn’t need to.

 

The skeleton, stripped of its power source, began to fade and disappeared, returning to pure magic.

 

At the same time, Masato felt an intense heat rising from within his body. The sensation of burning from his core continued, forcing him to curl up and endure, or he would have lost consciousness. Rika noticed the strange change and rushed over, calling out to him, but Masato could not understand her words. His awareness was entirely consumed by what was happening inside him.

 

However, that dangerous state did not last long. Just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended the same way. The heat that had consumed him vanished rapidly, as if it had been an illusion.

 

In its place, the magic stored within his body grew stronger, and he confirmed that he had risen one rank higher as a living being. When he looked at the back of his hand, the vertical lines had increased to two.

 

“My level… went up.”

 

He had fought and defeated a powerful enemy. A battle where he had staked his life was a fitting trial, and his body had been remade as though in blessing. Before he realized it, the pain throughout his body had gone. He was not completely restored, but he was in good enough condition to fight goblins without issue.

 

“And this… is a skill…?”

 

“Level and even a skill!?”

 

Rika was as surprised as Masato. It was possible to learn a skill upon leveling up, but the probability was low, and experiencing it was nearly impossible. Yet the skills gained through leveling were always powerful. The one he had obtained this time was no exception.

 

“What kind of skill is it?”

 

Rika asked in an excited voice.

 

“Skill Sublimation… this one’s usable.”

 

The name and usage of a skill were engraved into the mind the moment it was learned.

 

It felt like it was forcibly installed into his brain.

 

“Experience turns into skills. That’s what this ability seemed to be.”

 

“That means…”

 

“No need for skill cards or leveling up. It automatically became a skill.”

 

Even top explorers only possessed a few skills. Skill cards were that rare, and having skills at all was proof of talent and ability.

 

But Masato now gained them simply through experience. It was an extraordinary ability. Moreover, he had already acquired several skills from his past experiences.

 

“I obtained Mana Vision, Stealth, Detection, Dagger Technique, and Throwing Technique.”

 

“You’re joking… right?”

 

“That’s what you’d think… but let’s test it.”

 

He picked up the knife that had shattered the skeleton’s knee. When he focused on the Dagger Technique skill, the blade glowed blue. As he swung the knife, his body felt lighter and smoother than ever before. When he drove it into the ground, there was no resistance—it sank in as if being absorbed.

 

Using a skill granted the blessing of magic. The effects varied: for combat techniques, it could mean sharper edges, greater power, enhanced durability, or assisted movements. It was even possible to cut through rock like tofu.

 

“Waaah… the skill really activated.”

 

“I’m surprised myself.”

 

Though it still felt unreal, Masato continued testing the skills he had gained. With Mana Vision, he could see the flow of magic. With Stealth, his presence thinned so much that Rika momentarily lost sight of him even though he was right in front of her. Detection worked like a radar, revealing the positions of living beings. When he scanned the surroundings, he confirmed that only the two of them were present.

 

The two of them, excited by the skill testing, eventually calmed down after a while.

 

They then turned their attention to what they had postponed: the drop items left behind by the skeleton.