Chapter 155

“Kekeke. Did you really think you could survive after turning your back on the venerable Emperor, Your Majesty, and plotting treason?”

“D-damn it!”

Hugo’s expression turned frantic.

Watching him, the Emperor’s soldiers laughed leisurely.

“Tsk, tsk. Everyone else is dead, but you survived like a slippery loach. Where do you think you’re scurrying off to? Do you think you can get away and live?”

“Right? Just die peacefully. You and your family. Your heads will be lopped off soon enough, just like the traitors around you. Why did you let yourself get instigated by such a mindless fool? Tsk.”

Smiling grimly, the Emperor’s soldiers tightened their encirclement.

Backpedaling in panic, trying to flee, was the revolutionary soldier Hugo.

[Choose one of the two groups.]

[1. The Emperor’s Faction]

[2. The Revolutionary Army]

[Help that group and conclude the war.]

A status window flashed repeatedly in my vision.

It was telling me to choose—now.

“Hoo… this is…”

I let out a sigh.

This felt familiar.

Suddenly, a past memory surfaced.

The world of 「Forest and Rock」—Dmir and Eldrin’s world.

Back then, the elves and dwarves were fighting, and I had to choose one side.

I chose the dwarves.

‘Still, the fortunate thing is…’

Back then, if I didn’t choose, a penalty of ‘death’ would appear.

But it wasn’t appearing now.

“By the way, who are you?”

One of the Emperor’s soldiers looked straight at me.

“Hmm. Unfamiliar clothes, a strange appearance. Where are you from? If you’re part of the Empire, state your identity!”

“Uh, I’m…”

I scratched my head.

What should I do?

“Um, I’m just—”

And in that moment, I took a step forward, using the Shadow Shepherd’s stealth.

“A nobody.”

Swish!

At the same time, I wrapped both arms around Hugo’s waist and snatched him up.

“Hup? W-what?”

“Quiet, and relax.”

Before the Emperor’s soldiers’ pupils could even dilate—

Swish!

I fled, riding the shadows that filled the area.

‘My choice is…’

To abstain.

Until I knew for certain where my skeleton belonged, I had no intention of taking sides.

—

Tatadat!

Sunny, who had been summoned beside me at some point, now ran next to me with Hugo slung over his shoulder.

“My lord.”

Even as he ran, Sunny glanced around with curious eyes.

“What kind of world is this? Surprisingly, the sky here has two suns.”

Being able to see the world with his own eyes.

That was one of the reasons he followed me.

“I don’t know either.”

I muttered.

“It’s a world I’m seeing for the first time too. I guess we’ll have to figure it out slowly from now on.”

I kept fleeing, avoiding the Emperor’s faction.

To avoid making them my enemies, I didn’t engage in much conversation.

I vanished from their sight before any conflict could begin.

More precisely, I made a point of seeming like a ghost.

I deliberately let shadows flicker over my whole body.

And as a result—

[Your choice is ambiguous.]

[Please make your intentions clear.]

[Choose one of the two groups.]

The system acknowledged my abstention.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure it would, so I was relieved.

“Hoo… hook!”

I took deep breaths and kept running.

“Uwaaah!”

Hugo looked like he was having a miserable time, but—

“P-please stop for a moment! How is a skeleton so fast? I’m so dizzy I think I’m going to puke!”

That wasn’t my problem.

I had to be firm.

I hadn’t saved Hugo—I’d taken him hostage.

I wasn’t helping the Revolutionary Army. I was just using him to grasp the situation here.

“Be quiet.”

“Uwaaaaargh!”

“You’re certain the commander of the Revolutionary Army you mentioned is in this direction, right?”

“Th-that’s not right! How would a low-ranking soldier like me know the commander’s location?”

“Hey, you’re lying.”

I let out a smirk.

He was the one who, after I saved him earlier, gratefully spilled everything.

“Didn’t you say they would unconditionally welcome an outsider with rare abilities?”

Hugo had answered everything I asked.

From the fact that the commander was in the Imperial Capital—far from here—to the location of that capital.

After that, when my attitude changed, his face became a grotesque mix of three expressions.

Bewilderment.

Disbelief.

And—

Not knowing what to do.

‘Please understand.’

If the commander you spoke of is the person I’m looking for, then I truly will become your strength.

When that happens, the flames of revolution that will change this world will burn even more fiercely.

The Emperor’s faction that tormented you will have to tremble and hold their breath.

So for now, just wait.

“By the way, it’s quite far, isn’t it? Hoo.”

“Of course it is! The Empire is huge, to have the crazy idea of running there on foot…! Uwaaah! Hey! P-please, slow down! I’m a commoner, I’ve never even ridden in a carriage before—bleeech!”

Sunny skillfully scattered Hugo’s vomit aside.

Like that, we ran for a long time along the ridgeline.

[Are you with the Revolutionary Army? Or the Emperor’s Faction?]

[Choose one of the two groups.]

[Please make a quick choice.]

‘Ah, just shut up.’

Even then, the system kept pressuring me.

Had it popped up more than twenty times by now?

But—

‘Do whatever you want.’

I ignored it.

I didn’t even glance at it.

Unless it imposed a penalty like last time, I wasn’t choosing first.

How long had we been running?

[Progression Time – 12:00:10]

Half a day had already passed.

More than enough time to have cleared Stage 5 of Theme 5.

‘Hmm.’

By the way, I was supposed to pass after only five hours, so what happens if the progression time keeps increasing?

Since no other messages appeared, it seemed like it would just keep going up.

‘In any case…’

The fact that twelve hours had passed was incredibly good news.

[Using skill, ‘Legacy of the Ten Thousand Arts’ (SS-Rank).]

[Consuming 20 Energy.]

[The ‘Master of the Ten Thousand Arts’ appears.]

It meant the cooldown to summon the Elder was over.

‘Elder, you’ve arrived?’

– “Indeed.”

The Elder smiled with satisfaction.

– “It certainly is nice that the summoning cycle has shortened. Hoho. By the way, is this another new place?”

‘It is.’

– “Heh heh, this should be fun. I look forward to seeing what kind of absolute being lives here.”

The Elder hummed as he floated beside me.

For some reason, Elder…

It feels like you’re enjoying sightseeing more than resolving your ‘grudge’ by teaching me.

– “Hm? By the way, what is that below the ridgeline?”

‘Pardon?’

And in that moment—

“Waaaaah!”

“Woooooaaaaah!”

A tremendous roar echoed from far below.

“…Is that it?”

I stopped running and observed.

After a few more steps, a massive castle wall came into view across the plain below the ridge.

And beneath it, countless soldiers faced one another in formation.

The Empire’s elite soldiers, wearing luxurious gear.

And the commoner revolutionaries, holding crude weapons of all kinds.

In terms of combat power, the Emperor’s faction clearly held the advantage.

But in sheer numbers, the Revolutionary Army was far superior.

And among those revolutionaries—

– “Heh heh, so you were looking at that one too.”

A single revolutionary soldier stood out, even from this distance.

– “Yes. A crane among a flock of chickens. No matter how many chickens there are, one’s eyes are naturally drawn to the single crane standing tall among them.”

Kooong!

He planted the shield in his right hand into the ground and barked out orders to the Revolutionary Army.

“…”

I didn’t even need Hugo to tell me.

The man holding that massive shield was the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army.

‘Besides, if it’s a shield…’

Could it be?

Are you Bone Four?

“Huuuhng?”

The Elder let out a curious hum.

—

They say seeing is believing.

But sometimes, a hundred sights aren’t worth a single question.

Curious, I immediately slipped into the Revolutionary Army’s side.

To get a closer look at that man.

More precisely—

To confirm whether he was Bone Four.

Leaving Hugo on the ridgeline, I seeped in, riding the shadows.

The Shadow Shepherd’s ‘Silence’ really was incredible.

I slipped past their guards with ease.

Swish!

As I approached the commander—

– “That one. He’s Bone Four, all right.”

The Elder said.

– “There’s no need to look further. His bone structure is identical, and above all, his potential is incredible. He’s no less a fellow than the other skeletons.”

‘Are you certain?’

– “Of course, you brat! Are you ignoring my eye for talent, honed from searching tirelessly for prospects in the past?”

‘Of course not.’

– “Besides, I know the skeletons for certain. I trained them myself, watching them directly—how could I not know? I could draw your skeletons with my eyes closed by now.”

‘That makes sense.’

I nodded.

Honestly, I’d expected it.

How could a man with a shield who practically screamed, ‘I’m important!’ not be Bone Four?

‘But…’

Why did I feel uneasy?

First of all, that man—the commander.

He didn’t look that strong.

To be frank, it felt like I could take him on alone.

‘Isn’t it strange?’

– “What is?”

‘My skeletons have always been the absolute beings of a world—or close to it. Sunny was like that, and so were Eldrin and Dmir. But that commander…’

– “That is also true. His potential is excellent, but he is clearly an under-ripe greenhorn. Just like you.”

‘It’s not just that. The overall atmosphere is like that.’

The Revolutionary Army.

And the Emperor’s faction.

‘Looking at the overall picture of the war, there’s no one who looks strong. Of course, I can occasionally sense the aura of a few big shots who would be tough to deal with, but… how should I put it…’

– “Are you saying it’s a far cry from the special Dungeons you’ve experienced before?”

‘Yes.’

Why?

What’s more, this Dungeon is an even higher A-rank difficulty than those, isn’t it?

Is this really okay?

‘Besides…’

I stared at the burly commander standing right in front of me.

‘His eyes are simple. He’s clearly an amazing person—enough to lead a revolution—but…’

“Are you saying you still don’t believe my words?”

‘No, it’s not that.’

[Choose one of the two groups.]

[1. The Emperor’s Faction]

[2. The Revolutionary Army]

[Help that group and conclude the war.]

Right. You.

This system message was the most suspicious thing.

Normally, it would force a choice with threats like ‘death.’

But now it was just nagging.

No penalty.

I wanted to know why.

[…]

[Failure to choose may result in a great penalty.]

‘See?’

I tightened my grip on the spear shaft.

‘It threatens, but it doesn’t actually impose one.’

“Hmm.”

‘Normally, I would’ve chosen the Revolutionary Army right away. Anyone can see he’s Bone Four. And the item is the Officer Who Cries for Peace, not to mention the Dungeon’s name is Rise and Fall.’

– “Are you saying all of that is a trick? To deliberately make you choose the Revolutionary Army?”

The Elder stroked his beard.

– “Normally, I would have asked what kind of dog-shit nonsense that was… but your instincts has been quite good lately.”

‘That’s why I’m going to confirm it.’

– “Confirm?”

‘Yes. Confirm.’

The Elder, Sunny, Dmir, Eldrin.

There was one thing they all had in common.

They were all dead.

And I had a skill specialized for the dead.

Step.

The moment I moved closer to the revolutionary commander under stealth—

[Activating ‘Memory Reenactment’ (S-Rank).]

‘I knew it!’

I nodded.

A familiar skill had activated automatically.

Just like it always did.

My skill was recognizing that commander as one of the dead.

As Bone Four, to be precise.

– “Kekel, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Yes. You should confirm what needs to be confirmed before moving on.”

The Elder laughed with satisfaction.

And then—

[Reenacting the memories of the ‘cursed’ dead, ‘Defense Master, Kayden’.]

[You will be transported shortly.]

Defense Master?

Kayden?

Just as my pupils widened at the unexpectedly cool title—

A blinding light swallowed my entire body.

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