Chapter 9 · 9 min

Chapter 9

An explosion that swallowed the entire space.

The instant I threw myself into the slope, a sound like the end of the world erupted overhead. The shockwave surged down the mine tunnel and hurled my body forward as though snatching me up.

BANG! THUD! CLATTER!

I rolled down the slope, slammed into the wall, bounced over rocks, and rolled again. Every joint in my body rattled.

Then complete silence.

I lay sprawled at the bottom of the slope for a moment without moving.

Dust fell from the ceiling like snow. From above, I could faintly hear embers still crackling.

[You have defeated Mud Golem(Lv.12) x 6.]

[You have defeated Mud Golem(Lv.14) x 3.]

[Your level has increased.]

[You have become Skeleton Soldier Lv.10.]

Still lying on the ground, I blankly stared at the flood of blue system windows appearing before my eyes.

The slope was already a wreck of collapsed earth and debris. It wasn't hard to guess what had happened to the nine Mud Golems buried inside.

Those Mud Golems probably had cores too. But I didn't have time right now—

[First to Reach Level 10!]

[Race Evolution System has been unlocked.]

Huh? An unexpected system window appeared.

[Analyzing the data of your current body and presenting the evolution tree most suitable for you.]

'Evolution?'

Three translucent cards suddenly spun around in front of me, then stopped.

No, I don't have time right now. If I'm going to decide something this important, I should think it through more carefully...

[① Beast-Type Skeleton Fighter]

Redesigns your skeleton into a form specialized for beast instincts and physical structure.

[② Cunning Skeleton Mutant]

Redesigns your skeleton into a form specialized for disruption and deception.

[③ Hybrid Skeleton Soldier]

Strengthens your bizarre survival method of connecting bones from different species.

'Yeah, number 3.'

Fortunately, there was no need to think too deeply.

Options 1 and 2 might give more immediate combat power, but later on I wanted to rip out and use even dragon bones, beast-type or whatever be damned.

[Race evolution begins!]

[Bone restructuring in progress...]

CRACK! CREAK! CRACKCRACKCRACK!

A strange sensation ran through me as every bone in my body twisted and was reassembled.

It was as though someone had taken my body apart and put it back together in a slightly better way, with each joint fitting into place without resistance.

The faint grinding and misalignment in the joints connecting my various bones disappeared, and this patchwork body felt as though it were being integrated into a single completed structure.

[Hybrid Skeleton Soldier(Lv.1)]

[A skeletal structure specialized for cross-species integration. More stably accommodates bones from different species.]

[Excess experience accumulated before evolution will be converted into skill points.]

'Oh, they preserve the excess experience.'

Then one line beneath it caught my eye.

[You have acquired the Unique Skill 'Bone Inheritance(Lv.1)'!]

'Inheritance?'

I thought that when I discarded an old body part, the skill imbued in it disappeared along with it.

Does this mean I can keep it and combine it with a new skill to create something else?

I could have cried at the system's generosity, but the timer remained merciless.

[Remaining activity time: 18 minutes]

Now I really needed to take care of the urgent matter first.

I readjusted my grip on the longsword and headed downward.

After descending another ten meters or so, I found the entrance to the shaft leading to the third underground floor.

An ominous presence flowed out from within.

Thump.

Heavy vibrations.

They were on an entirely different level from the Mud Golems above.

Along with the weighty pulses reverberating through the entire mine, a cold yet powerful blue light leaked from the darkness at the far end of the passage.

[Warning! Powerful mana reaction detected.]

There.

What I'd been looking for.

I carefully peeked around the end of the passage.

Then I stopped breathing.

At the center of a vast cavern.

A king made of stone stood guard.

Its body, composed entirely of pure granite without a trace of mud mixed in, looked to be around five meters tall.

Blue crystals protruded like a crown from its solid shoulders all the way up over its head instead of moss, and the massive arms extending from its enormous upper body radiated overwhelming pressure.

[Crown Stone Golem(Lv.24)]

[Characteristics: Immune to Physical Attacks / Possesses Guardian's Core]

[Status: Alert / Physical Resistance: Maximum]

'So that's the master of this mine.'

Level 24.

A little troublesome for me to deal with in my current state.

And physical resistance on top of that. Using my longsword against it would be like trying to dig through a boulder with a spoon.

[Remaining activity time: 15 minutes]

I pressed myself into the shadows near the entrance and activated [Precise Observation].

A large, magnificent mass of concentrated mana hummed within its chest.

That had to be the golem's core.

'At that size, I could use it as a semi-permanent power source.'

But its density and hardness were on an entirely different level from the soft mud of a Mud Golem. Even the joints were fitted together with such precision that there wasn't the slightest gap.

'It has no weakness.'

No, more precisely, it had a weakness, but there was no way for me to reach it.

Its core was located in the exact center of its chest, surrounded by thick granite.

With a Mud Golem, I could push a blade through the mud, but this was different. The moment I put my worn longsword against that giant rock, the blade would obviously snap.

'If I had my main character, something like this would go down in one hit.'

I'd never tried fighting a golem while made of paper.

But right now, I was nothing more than a skeleton with a few replaced bones. A fragile body needed a fragile body's method.

[Remaining activity time: 13 minutes]

The number flashed at the edge of my vision.

I gritted my teeth and slowly surveyed the cavern.

The Crown Stone Golem stood on a broad circular floor. A flat granite plaza with a radius of about ten meters.

And along the outer edge surrounding that plaza, I spotted a deep pit.

'That is...'

It wasn't an ordinary pit.

I tried looking into it with [Precise Observation], but the bottom didn't even enter my field of vision. It wasn't merely deep. It was truly abyssal.

'Right, there was that mechanic.'

A post from the forum came to mind.

─────────────────────────

Title: Abandoned Mine Crown Stone Golem Mechanic

Don't fall into the pit. Even if you survive the fall, it's a pain. I actually went in and measured it, and it's at least 20 meters deep. Newbies without the right item can't even get back out. The pit itself is there so the golem can shove players into it. Be careful when the golem extends its arms and pushes forward because there's no room to dodge.

└ Dude, this game has no newbies, so this isn't very helpful.

─────────────────────────

It was a mechanic designed so you had to fight the golem while avoiding being knocked into the pit.

But right now, I was thinking about it in reverse.

'What if I can make the golem fall into that pit?'

The bottom of that pit was at least twenty meters down.

What would happen if a five-meter lump of stone fell twenty meters?

No matter how tough granite was, it wouldn't be able to withstand its own weight. There was no material that wasn't equal before gravity.

And if its outer shell shattered, the core inside would almost certainly be exposed.

Because I'd stayed pressed against the passage entrance and kept quiet, the Crown Stone Golem still hadn't noticed me.

Its red eyes, indicating its alert state, slowly swept across the cavern. If I stayed outside that field of vision, I could remain undetected for a while.

The problem was how to lure that massive body toward the pit.

I looked up at the cavern ceiling. Stalactites of various sizes hung densely from above.

'Those should be enough to draw aggro.'

[Remaining activity time: 10 minutes]

There was no time. I stopped thinking and started moving.

[Skill: Beast's Leap(Lv.3) activated!]

FWOOSH.

I sprang upward while minimizing the sound as much as possible. I climbed along the cavern wall until I was near the ceiling, then hid myself among the forest of stalactites.

The Crown Stone Golem's red eyes slowly moved below.

'These legs are agile, but they don't have much strength.'

I chose a stalactite that looked small enough to break and kicked it with all my strength.

The stalactite tore free from its base and fell to the cavern floor.

BOOM!

"KUUOOOO!"

The Crown Stone Golem's red eyes flashed toward the sound as it turned. It began moving.

'Still too far. Come a little closer.'

I moved along the wall and this time positioned myself on the ceiling directly above the pit. Then I kicked down a second stalactite.

BOOM!

"KUUOOR!"

It turned and began walking toward the pit I was targeting.

'Good.'

I dropped down from the ceiling. Then I landed on the opposite side of where it was looking, with my back to the pit.

Thump, thump.

Its footsteps shook the ground, making the entire cavern tremble.

Its red eyes locked onto me.

"KUUOOOOOOO!"

Finally.

I backed toward the edge of the pit, then stopped. The cliff was only ten centimeters behind my heels.

It approached.

At first it raised a fist, but soon it spread both arms and began extending them horizontally.

The mechanic pattern for shoving a player into the pit.

Just as expected.

One step. Two steps.

Its massive palm came right up to me. Granite fingers spread open less than a handspan from my face.

Now.

[Skill: Beast's Leap(Lv.3) activated!]

FWOOSH!

I shot backward, kicked off the wall beyond the pit, and vaulted over the golem's head.

Its gaze followed me straight ahead, and its upper body continued tilting forward with the momentum.

Its outstretched arms were already cutting through empty air.

With the pit directly in front of it.

"Uoooh..."

For the first time, it made a sound that seemed almost startled. Its arms flailed in the air as it tried to regain its balance. But its enormous weight worked against it.

RUMBLE.

Its upper body toppled forward and plunged into the pit.

'Got it!'

But.

RUMMMMMBLE...

The sound stopped.

Its upper body had been sucked about halfway into the pit, then halted.

Its shoulders were caught.

'Shit.'

The pit opening was awkwardly narrower than the bastard's shoulders.

Its trapped arms scraped wildly against the pit walls as it struggled.

[Remaining activity time: 6 minutes]

'Damn it, I need to hurry.'

It would be nice if I could seize the core while it was stuck like this, but there was no way my longsword could pierce that granite.

The golem struggled desperately to pull itself free. At the same time, it kept trying to raise its head and look toward me.

Which meant...

'Its aggro is still firmly locked onto me.'

It would keep trying to chase me until the end.

[Remaining activity time: 5 minutes]

I gritted my teeth and kicked off the ground.

[Skill: Beast's Leap(Lv.3) activated!]

Then I began running along the inside wall of the pit.

Past the narrow entrance, down the sheer vertical cliff.

My reverse-jointed legs clung to the rock as though digging into it, generating propulsion with every step.

'Rockhead! Over here!'

I clacked my jaw as loudly as possible to provoke it. If you want to chase me, come down here!

The golem's red eyes followed me, and its struggling changed direction.

Instead of trying to climb upward, it shifted downward, and the five-meter giant began forcing itself into the hole.

CRRRRRRRAAAACK!

The sound of rock splitting echoed throughout the cavern.

The rim of the pit could no longer withstand the creature's strength and broke away in huge chunks, and its enormous body was sucked straight down into the pit.

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

Telephone:

02-313-7388

Email:

info@jakgadabang.com

ISBN/UCI:

G720:N+A475-20261015075

Publication Date:

October 23, 2026

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