Chapter 23
I pushed off the ground.
“Hyahh!”
With a battle cry, I sprinted forward.
The skeletons launched into motion alongside me.
‘Don’t think of this as a crisis.’
I braced myself mentally.
The corridor had widened, and the skeletons were surrounding us from all sides—
But that also meant the wall I had to break through had gotten thinner.
“I don’t have much energy left! We’ve got to keep fighting to push through! If your left arm breaks, use your right!”
While running, I scanned my surroundings.
Bone Four was blocking spears with his bare arms—no shield in sight.
“That’s it! Just hang in there a bit longer, guys!”
I ran up beside him, shoved my shield sideways, and swung it outward.
One of the skeletons lost balance and toppled over.
Crack!
I slammed the edge of the shield down on its skull.
“Whew.”
I’d just taken down a D-rank monster myself—
But I had no time to savor it.
The enemy kept attacking relentlessly.
‘I can’t just run through. I’ll have to fight as I go.’
I wasn’t some stat-dumped brute with all my points in Strength.
I couldn’t bulldoze my way through them.
At the very least, I had to remove the ones blocking my path.
‘It’d be nice if he just showed himself already.’
[Break through the defenders and reach ‘Sun Spear.’]
This dungeon’s goal wasn’t to defeat all the skeletons.
It was to reach that being called ‘Sun Spear.’
Tap tap tap tap!
I dashed past the enemies rushing toward me.
I slipped through using techniques I’d learned from the old man.
Like a rugby player sprinting for the end zone, eyes only on the touchdown.
“Bone Five!”
Clang!
“Replenish the shield quickly before it breaks!”
All the attacks raining down behind the shield were absorbed by Bone Five’s Air Shield.
As expected—
The Lv.8 version was tougher and more durable than before.
[‘Sun Spear’ says you are cowardly.]
[He claims a true warrior does not run from battle.]
Shut up.
That’s your standard.
In our world, survival is strength.
[‘Sun Spear’ is disappointed.]
[He says anyone who avoids the trial has no right to challenge him.]
I ignored him.
Only four or five enemies were left up ahead.
If I got past them, I’d reach an open space.
‘Know this.’
Knowing your enemy is important—but knowing yourself is just as vital.
And the ‘me’ I know can’t survive weaving through those skeletons with the energy I have left.
No matter how reckless or bold I am—
I don’t fight battles I can’t win.
[‘Sun Spear’ says humans truly are pitiful.]
Slip.
I finally passed the remaining skeletons.
“Huff, huff.”
Sweat poured from my forehead.
I wiped it away with my sleeve, but fresh sweat quickly soaked it again.
“When the hell are you showing yourself?”
My mouth tasted bitter from exhaustion, but I didn’t stop running.
I felt weak, but my muscles held on like stretched mochi.
I guess the stamina training I’d done was paying off.
“Haa… haa…”
I wanted to summon the old man for advice—
But that wasn’t possible.
Never mind the lack of energy, the cooldown hadn’t reset yet.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Behind me, the skeletons I’d passed were now chasing me in full force.
“Damn it.”
I was hitting my limit.
Thud!
I tossed aside my shield.
And my gear bag—I flung that too.
Fighting now meant death.
I had to lower my weight.
Focus everything on running.
[‘Bone Four’ uses skill: Low-Level Block (Lv.8).]
Boom!
Apparently he picked up the shield I’d thrown.
Bone Four turned around, seemingly to buy me time.
‘Thanks, buddy.’
Awakened skeletons were fascinating.
Even without commands—
They instinctively understood their master’s intentions.
[‘Bone Four’ has been unsummoned.]
Thud.
Bone Four didn’t last long.
His bones scattered in all directions.
Grit.
I clenched my teeth and kept running.
I had to make the most of the time he bought me.
After about a minute of sprinting—
“Huh?”
Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.
Something felt wrong.
[‘Sun Spear’ says pathetic humans must be punished.]
“……!”
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.
Ahead of me in the corridor—
Piles of bones stacked like a mountain.
‘Those bones…’
They weren’t unfamiliar.
I’d seen this scene before.
“Huff… huff…”
I came to a stop.
My arms drooped from exhaustion.
I took a deep, shaky breath.
‘Shit, no wonder it looked familiar.’
These were the remains of the enemies I’d first encountered when I was sucked into the pyramid.
“……”
Come to think of it—
The corridor that had widened was now narrowing again.
Which meant—
The place I’d run toward, thinking it was the destination, wasn’t Sun Spear’s chamber.
I’d just been circling the same space.
[‘Sun Spear’ scoffs.]
[He says stupid humans never fail to disappoint.]
“……”
I felt empty.
This was a pyramid.
If I’d truly run in a straight line, I should’ve hit a turn by now.
‘Wait. Was it circular all along?’
Whether I moved forward or backward—
I would’ve ended up here anyway.
Crack.
I bit my lip in frustration.
I tasted blood.
Rumble…
Skeletons surged in behind me.
‘What do I do now?’
Should I fight again?
Or give up?
Creak.
Bone One was limping—probably a joint issue.
Bone Two’s spear was falling apart.
Bone Three and Bone Five—
Both were barely capable of continuing.
[Hunter: Joo Donghoon]
[Energy: 20/120]
Only 20 energy left.
And around 30 skeletons remained.
“No choice. I’ll just have to hold out as long as I can. Everyone, get up here!”
I didn’t even have the strength to run anymore.
But I didn’t want to give up either.
‘What would Ki Soyul do?’
She’d keep fighting, no matter what.
Even if it cost her life.
That’s the kind of mental fortitude a Ranker has.
‘Hold onto hope.’
Who knows?
Maybe those 100 skeletons summoned earlier were the final wave!
“Follow me!”
I climbed the pile of bones.
Creak! Crack!
Dozens of skeletons swarmed toward me.
Slice! Slash!
Bone One swung his sword a few times.
Two heads rolled clean off.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Bone Three backed up, firing in support.
“Bone Five! Use Fireball, even if it drains you completely!”
I climbed the mountain of bones.
Pushed myself with every last bit of energy.
“Huff, huff!”
At the top, I grabbed a bone spear.
Secure the high ground.
Then strike down on anything that approaches.
That was my plan.
“Die!”
I hurled the spear with all my might.
There were spears everywhere anyway—not like I’d miss one.
“Die!”
I skewered a skeleton in the skull with another spear.
Blood ran between the taut muscles of my arm.
Must’ve gotten cut climbing over the bones.
[‘Bone One’ has been unsummoned.]
[‘Bone Two’ has been unsummoned.]
At last, my two faithful fighters had fallen.
With the last 20 energy I had—
I summoned Bone One and the tank, Bone Four.
[Using skill: Awakening Skeleton Summon (D-rank).]
[Consumes 10 Energy.]
[‘Bone One’ is summoned.]
[Using skill: Awakening Skeleton Summon (D-rank).]
[Consumes 10 Energy.]
[‘Bone Four’ is summoned.]
“That’s it. I’m spent.”
I used up the last of my energy.
[All energy has been depleted.]
[Tip: Want to regain energy? Try taking a rest!]
“Screw you.”
I tilted my head back and let out a laugh.
This reminded me of when I faced that orc.
Scrambling like a bug to survive.
‘No.’
This was different.
Back then, it wasn’t my choice.
Now, it was.
The difference was my mindset.
If becoming stronger meant facing harsher trials—so be it.
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said:
What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.
‘Get a grip, Joo Donghoon.’
*Smack!*
I slapped my cheek hard.
The fog in my mind cleared instantly.
‘There’s no dungeon that can’t be cleared.’
Even that brutal stage with the “Old Man of Deep Grudge” had a solution.
I started thinking.
Strategizing nonstop.
[Break through the defenders and reach ‘Sun Spear.’]
The quest clearly wanted me to meet Sun Spear.
But the guy kept insisting I “climb the ranks.”
Felt like he was mocking me.
‘So what is this trial he’s talking about?’
Even if I kept circling this place—
How was I supposed to find him?
“Huh?”
It was then that I noticed something above.
On the wide ceiling of the open area—
A dark, writhing mass.
“What the hell is that?”
It squirmed like it was watching me.
[‘Sun Spear’ asks if I’ve only just now realized.]
[He says stupid humans are hopeless.]
“Oh?”
I smirked.
I couldn’t help it.
In this vast desert of a dungeon, I’d found a single oasis.
“So that’s where you’ve been hiding?”
The dungeon’s trick was simple.
Too simple, really—but once missed, it was hard to catch.
Sun Spear’s chamber wasn’t ahead of me.
It had been on the ceiling from the start.
‘Right above the entrance, no less.’
[‘Sun Spear’ nods.]
As if we made eye contact—
A message popped up from Sun Spear himself.
Crack! Crunch!
Watching the skeletons still fighting desperately, I murmured,
“Bone Four.”
The one who lifted the heaviest shield of all my skeletons.
“Stop fighting. Grab me.”
Creak?
“Then throw me. As hard and fast as you can—straight up.”
There were still enemies left, but it didn’t matter.
This stage’s clear condition was simply to reach him.
[‘Sun Spear’ says come, if you dare.]
[He vows to reduce the insolent human to ashes.]
“Sure.”
I locked eyes with the black mass above.
I didn’t know why it hated humans so much—
But if that was the dungeon’s quest…
“Here I come.”
In the open chamber of the pyramid—
Standing atop a pile of shattered bones—
I launched myself like an arrow.
Fwoooosh!
Wind slammed against my face.
As the distance between us closed rapidly—
[Congratulations!]
[You have reached ‘Sun Spear.’]
[Ancient Skeleton Spearmen (D-rank) have vanished.]
The bones below faded like a mirage.
‘Finally.’
Just as that indescribable feeling tingled across my entire nervous system—
[Warning!]
[‘Sun Spear’ has appeared!]
The black mass unraveled and spread in all directions.
Like a broken hologram, it fragmented, then reformed into a single point.
[Using skill: Memory Reenactment (S-rank).]
[Reenacting the memory of the ‘Cursed’ dead—‘Sun Spear.’]
[Transferring shortly.]
Flash!
My vision flared white.