Chapter 28: Twisted Fate (2)  

A pitch-black shadow emerging from beyond the emergency exit.  

STEP STEP STEP STEP-  

It looked exactly like Jeanne in her Death Knight days.  

‘No, wait. Something feels a bit different?’  

The Death Knight walking into the aquarium.  

Under the flickering lights, the Death Knight’s form began to reveal itself.  

The knuckles gripping the sword, the limbs visible through armor gaps, even the neck exposed beneath the helmet.  

……Bones?  

Every part of its body except the face was composed of pure white bone.  

-DING DONG!  

<Skeleton Queen>

– Danger Level: A

– Discovery Location: Sincheon-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul Special City ‘Stairway of Sighs’  

A queen of skeletons possessed by a powerful vengeful spirit. 

Once a knight known as the ‘Shadow of Ravianglily’, she now wanders the afterlife having lost her ego.  

A deceased soldier whose flesh collapsed during the process of becoming a Death Knight.  

Such beings are said to be reborn as ‘Skeleton King’ or ‘Skeleton Queen’.  

Yet one word in the system window particularly caught my eye.  

Ravianglily?  

Jeanne nodded.  

[Sen Hybaren, Vice-Captain of the First Knight Order of Ravianglily. She was a strong knight who fought alongside me on the battlefield… and a dear comrade.]  

An explanation ending in the past tense.  

Jeanne’s expression somehow carried resignation.  

But at that moment.  

-FLASH!  

The dark blue crystal embedded in the center of the Skeleton Queen’s helmet caught my eye.  

“That’s……!”  

The Soul-Binding Fetters.  

The cursed artifact that had turned Death Knight Jeanne into a puppet, sealing her ego.  

‘Then destroying that should do it, right?’  

As if reading my thoughts, Jeanne shook her head and said.  

[Even if the Soul-Binding Fetters are destroyed, Hybaren’s ego will not return. The body is the vessel for the soul. Since her vessel is completely shattered… she can no longer remain in this world.]  

Jeanne’s voice was flat.  

But her tightly closed lips and white pupils trembled faintly.  

Jeanne looked at the Skeleton Queen and said.  

[Hybaren, do not forgive me.]  

With those words, Jeanne kicked off the ground and charged.  

Her longsword surged forward like a massive fang.  

But.  

CLANG-!  

The Skeleton Queen parried the attack with a blade seemingly made of vertebrae.  

Sawtooth-shaped shockwaves spread around the clashing swords.  

KWADUK! KWADUK! KWAK!  

They ruthlessly carved the aquarium glass, engraving dozens of sword marks.  

CRACK- CRACK- CRACK- PFFFFFT-!  

Water streams jetted out in multiple directions from the cracked tank.  

At that moment, two flashes collided, slicing through the water spray.  

CLANG-! CLING!  

Jeanne’s sword traced crescent arcs, carving rough vortices again and again.  

CLAAAANG! CLANG! CLING!  

A storm-like barrage.  

Sharp and precise blades pressed the enemy without giving a moment to breathe.  

But the Skeleton Queen blocked every single attack.  

This top-tier skeleton soldier was holding its own against the superior Death Knight.  

At that moment.  

……TAP!  

Jeanne flashed like lightning into the opponent’s flank.  

The longsword blade surged upward from below.  

SLASH-!  

The Skeleton Queen’s left arm bone fell cleanly to the floor along a perfect cut.  

Jeanne rotated fluidly and immediately thrust toward the opponent’s head.  

The sharp blade tip was about to pierce the Skeleton Queen’s forehead when.  

WHOOOOOSH WHOOOOOSH WHOOOOOSH WHOOOOOSH…….  

The Skeleton Queen wavered like a mirage.  

Then vanished from sight.  

……!?  

I quickly scanned the surroundings.  

All I could see were water streams flowing from the broken tank.  

No footsteps, no clanking of armor—nothing.  

Then Jeanne spoke.  

[Hybaren was exceptionally skilled at concealing presence and energy even in life. Her specialty, ‘Hidden Intent’, was so effective even allies couldn’t detect her.]  

Now it made sense.  

Why Jeanne was struggling against a creature a rank below her.  

‘Stealth skills are a pain even for A+ veteran hunters.’  

High-level stealth hides not just appearance but presence, killing intent, even scent.  

But.  

‘Well, this works out perfectly.’  

I was just itching to test a new skill.  

I activated the skill window.  

DING DONG!  

[Skills]  

▶ Expand  

▶ Collapse  

『Oilfield Skin <A> 

The Gigasnail’s skin is like an oilfield, capable of spewing vast amounts of oil endlessly.  

I immediately activated Oilfield Skin obtained from the Gigasnail.  

A slippery sensation coursed through my veins.  

Soon.  

GLUG GLUG GLUG GLUG GLUG GLUG-  

Black oil mucus gushed like a waterfall from my outstretched palm.  

In the blink of an eye, a black river of oil covered the aquarium floor.  

At that moment, a sharp sound came from somewhere.  

SKREEECH-SKREESKREE-  

Clear footprints appeared sliding across the oil.  

“There you are?”  

I pulled an artifact from my inventory.  

Oilfield Skin alone is a bit ambiguous to use solo.  

At best, it can immobilize or trip an opponent.  

‘……But what if this joins the party?’  

A crimson leather cloak pulled from inventory.  

Sulfurous flames flickered along the hem, releasing the signature stench of hell.  

-<Cape of Sulfurous Hell> / Cloak / A

A cloak crafted from the hide of Cerberus, guardian of the gates of hell.  

Since the leather once contained sulfur flames, it easily repels most fire. 

-Defense +1350, Fire Resistance +50% 

-Skill ‘Flame Sprint (A)’ available  

Flame Sprint: Movement speed increases by 50% for 30 seconds. Sulfur flames are generated where the wearer passes. (Cooldown 5 min)  

“Oil skills pair best with fire skills—that’s the meta.”  

DING DONG!  

<Activating item skill ‘Flame Sprint’ from 『Cape of Sulfurous Hell』!>  

The Brackish Boots glowed red-hot, and sulfur embers DRIP DRIP fell from the soles.  

The moment I stepped onto the oil mucus.  

FWOOOOOOOSH!  

A pillar of fire erupted, flames spreading like wildfire.  

A fire demon galloping across the oil like a wild horse.  

KWARRRRRRRRRRR!  

A tidal wave of flames greedily swallowed the stealthed Skeleton Queen.  

In the center of the oil mucus, a skeletal figure burned fiercely.  

It resembled a knight of hell rising from the depths of purgatory.  

[…….]  

The Skeleton Queen uttered no scream.  

Regardless, damage was clearly accumulating.  

PLINK- PLINK PLINK- PLINK-  

Charred bone fragments fell CRUMBLE CRUMBLE.  

Gigasnail’s ‘Oilfield Skin’ and Cerberus’s ‘Flame Sprint’.  

The combo unleashed firepower rivaling A+ rank magic.  

Then.  

HISS HISS  

Even while burning, the Skeleton Queen’s joints slowly regenerated.  

Soon, it began walking toward me.  

‘……As expected from an undead.’  

Pouring oil-flame combos endlessly would be pointless.  

The Skeleton Queen would simply burn and regenerate repeatedly.  

What I needed now was a single overwhelming strike.  

Destructive power surpassing the Skeleton Queen’s regeneration.  

‘Well, I happen to have an abundance of that.’  

I leaped toward the aquarium wall.  

At the same time.  

-DING DONG!  

<Activating item skill ‘Mucus Secretion’ from 『Gloves of the Brackish』!> 

<Activating item skill ‘Mucus Secretion’ from 『Brackish Boots』!>  

<Set effect activated; ‘Mucus Secretion’ skill cooldown reset!>  

Milky mucus began flowing from the gloves and boots on my hands and feet.  

STICK! STICK! STICK! STICK!  

My limbs adhered to the wall like instant glue.  

They detached effortlessly when I moved.  

I quickly climbed the wall and flattened myself against the ceiling.  

Meanwhile, the Skeleton Queen was still wading through the oil mucus.  

Its severed left arm and burned joints had fully regenerated.  

But it didn’t matter.  

From the start, the goal was only to pinpoint the stealthed enemy’s location.  

The one to finish it was someone else.  

Then.  

[Seven Demon First Strike.]  

A single phrase rang out, cutting through the silence.  

At the same time, wind began converging in one spot.  

Ripples spread across the oil puddle, and the burning flames flared wildly.  

Black currents swirled into a vortex.  

At its center stood Jeanne, longsword raised high.  

[….Gluttony Slash, Beelzebub.]  

The final blow.