Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"KUOARGH!"

The golem, now unable to use its right knee, let out a death-cry-like roar as it collapsed.

I stepped onto the broad shoulder of the falling creature and leaped upward.

Because the remaining one was gathering mana to smash its fist down onto my back.

Twisting my waist in midair, I reversed my grip on the bastard sword with my left hand, enhanced by the goblin's dexterity. At the same time, the creature's back entered my spinning field of vision.

Mana circuits spread outward like a spiderweb from the core located at its center. And a point where those circuits crossed and momentarily thinned.

'Pickpocketing doesn't necessarily mean you only steal from pockets.'

[Skill: Sneaky Pickpocket(Lv.2) activated!]

The tip of my sword unerringly found the tiny gap in the creature's back where its mana cohesion had loosened and plunged inside.

A precise trajectory, as though drawn in by a magnet.

When I twisted the blade using leverage, there was a pop! and the mana core that served as its power source sprang out.

RUMBLE!

I took the core from the one still struggling on its broken knee as well.

Having lost their power sources in an instant, the two Mud Golems could no longer maintain their forms and collapsed into piles of dirt across the floor. Thick clouds of dust rose and filled the cave.

It had been an overwhelmingly one-sided slaughter that took less than ten seconds.

[You have defeated Mud Golem(Lv.12) x 2.]

[You have gained experience.]

'The skill made hunting easy.'

I landed lightly, shook the dirt from the blade of my bastard sword, and stylishly slid it back into its sheath.

"You alright?"

The boy sat blankly on the ground staring up at me, then jolted in surprise and rose to his feet on trembling legs.

"Th-Thank you! I'm Toby Allen, an apprentice mercenary from the Red Wolves Mercenary Company's 3rd Platoon!"

'...He even gives his affiliation and name properly when introducing himself.'

He looked incredibly naive.

I deliberately cleared my throat and lowered my voice.

A slightly cynical, mysterious expert persona should work.

"I'm just a traveler passing by. No need for thanks."

"N-No! Benefactor! I almost died without even leaving bones behind!"

I nearly flinched at the word 'bones' coming from his mouth, but I looked perfectly human right now, so calm down...

"How did you end up rolling around in the middle of a monster den?"

"W-Well... I was scouting the outskirts of the forest when I suddenly heard this enormous explosion from over here. From inside the abandoned mine. So I thought some kind of accident might've happened and came in to check... and then I ran into the golems and ended up like this."

'...Ah.'

That must've been the explosion from when I ignited the flammable mana gas, huh?

So technically speaking, this naive kid in front of me had nearly died because of me?

I briefly averted my gaze.

'Well, I saved him, so it's fine...'

I was heading out of the mine anyway, so taking him along wouldn't be any trouble.

"Bad luck. If you're going outside, follow me. If you fall behind, I'm not looking after you."

"You're my lifesaver! I swear on the name of the Red Wolves that I'll repay this debt!"

Toby answered in a tearful voice and grabbed the edge of my sleeve.

I subtly removed his hand. Even while polymorphed, the illusion could break if I took an impact, so minimizing contact was the safest option.

"I don't need repayment. Just walk faster."

Any more delay would only eat away at my remaining time.

I led Toby quickly toward the entrance, avoiding collapsed tunnels and abandoned carts.

Various low-level monsters like slimes sprang out along the way, but after I swung my bastard sword a few times, Toby merely gaped and exclaimed in admiration.

"Wow... Benefactor, your swordsmanship is incredible! How do you get that much power from such a bizarre stance?!"

"...Just shut up and watch where you're going."

"Ah, yes! Sorry! I got excited because it reminded me of our platoon leader's swordsmanship!"

My joints just don't line up properly, so I move awkwardly.

I was dumbfounded by the observational skills of someone who mistook that for unconventional swordsmanship.

This tactless apprentice mercenary kept chattering away despite my rebukes.

"Our platoon leader is amazingly skilled too, just like you! But her temper is also incredibly fiery..."

"I'm sure."

"She must be furious that I'm late, right? Ugh, she already grinds her teeth whenever monsters are involved, so if she finds out I almost got killed by a golem..."

"If you're scared, why don't you run away?"

"Huh? Hahaha, Benefactor, you're funny too!"

If she hated monsters that much, was he subordinate to Jerome, who sometimes appeared in hunting quests? If it was Jerome, earning points with him would be useful.

I casually hurried along while mostly tuning out his chatter.

Before long, dry wind swept over us instead of the damp smell of moss.

Faint light poured in from the end of the dark, musty tunnel.

It was the mine's exit.

"Phew, I'm finally alive!"

Toby let out a sigh of relief and ran outside.

I followed him and stepped out of the cave as well.

FLASH-.

A dazzling burst of light struck my eyes.

I instinctively raised a hand to shield them.

'Oh...'

A sensation I could never have felt through the empty eye sockets of a skeleton.

Not simply processing the surroundings as visual data, but brilliant light piercing intensely into my retinas.

And the warmth of sunlight pouring over my skin.

Even the breeze tickling my flesh.

I stopped walking for a moment and lifted my head to look at the sky.

The sun had risen before I knew it, leaving the sky painfully blue.

'...So this is what the color of the sky was like.'

I once again realized, painfully, just how miraculous the ordinary sensations I'd enjoyed as a human had been. Even though it hadn't been long since I'd become a skeleton.

But there was no time to get lost in sentiment.

[Duration: 2 hours 31 minutes]

The time I could maintain the illusion was constantly burning away.

"Huh? Over there! Platoon Leader!!"

Toby bounced up and down beside me, waving wildly toward the hill.

Where Toby was looking.

A group was approaching along the forest path connected to the mine entrance, kicking up clouds of dust.

And at the front.

Red hair blazing even brighter beneath the sunlight.

A female warrior wearing a red wolf pauldron on her shoulder and casually carrying an enormous two-handed greatsword nearly as large as a person.

'No, wait.'

Her sharp eyes were aimed directly at Toby, and then at me standing beside him.

'That hot-tempered platoon leader... was Rena Kassel?'

Rena Kassel was an early-game NPC, but she was famous for her insane reputation.

─────────────────────────

Title: Is Rena Kassel seriously this obsessive?

I accidentally killed one

NPC merchant from the Red Wolves

during a quest, right?

Then this crazy bitch chased me

across three whole maps

└ lololol That obsession is literally how she became platoon leader. She even chases you if you steal something.

└ Doesn't a normal NPC turn back once you leave their range? What's wrong with her?

└ Yeah, happened to me too. She caught me after I crossed 5 quest zones.

└ Once you draw her aggro, she remembers even if you log out and come back.

└ If your favorability hits -20, a unique pursuit event triggers. Killing one of her comrades immediately drops it to -20, so don't mess with them.

└ Dogani bro, why are you only telling us this now?

─────────────────────────

Even I had once gotten caught by her and only managed to get free after providing three straight days of unpaid labor in real time...

It felt as though cold sweat were running down my spine.

Stay calm. I haven't done anything wrong yet...

Actually, that's not true.

The soldier I accidentally killed when I'd just become this skeletal body had definitely been wearing armor marked with the Red Wolves emblem too.

'Was there a witness back then? I'm disguised right now, so I should be fine for the moment...'

Rena strode toward us through the forest path.

Apparently the furious platoon leader had personally gone out searching after one of her subordinates went missing.

"Toby! You idiot! Where the hell have you been crawling around?!"

"P-Platoon Leader!"

The moment Rena's furious shout rang out, Toby, who had been standing beside me, ran forward with tears in his eyes.

"P-Platoon Leader! I'm sorry! I heard an explosion from deeper inside the mine, so I went in to investigate, but I got chased by golems, and this man saved me!"

Rena's gaze naturally shifted toward me.

'Ugh.'

Her sharp eyes swept me from head to toe.

Her stare was full of suspicion and wariness, but I had saved one of Rena's precious subordinates, so I lifted the corners of my mouth and stood confidently.

Then her gaze stopped at my waist.

More precisely, at the sword I'd received from the silver-haired Necromancer earlier.

"...Wait. That sword."

"Ah!"

At Rena's mutter, Toby also looked at my waist, his eyes widening as he shouted.

"That's... the sword that was stolen from me during the scouting mission earlier!"

Toby!

The Skeleton Soldier Is Good at Replacing Bones

Author:

Metdoyo

Publisher:

Jakga Dabang

Publishing Registration:

No. 2025-000022

Address:

3rd Floor, 50-9 Myeongmul-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Telephone:

02-313-7388

Email:

info@jakgadabang.com

ISBN/UCI:

G720:N+A475-20261015075

Publication Date:

October 23, 2026

Copyright © Metdoyo.

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