Chapter 32: Crumbled

The Blue Bones charged forward, making the ground rumble like mad.

I was curious how they would fight.

Blue Bones born from Skeleton Mastery.

Even the team members had been shocked by their combat power, so of course I was curious too.

Can they really hold their own against Silver Golems?

There was one thing that worried me, though.

The ten Silver Golems in front were simply too sturdy.

Even the seniors of the Nova team had struggled against them—could Blue Bones alone take them down?

I couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

What if I just ended up missing the timing to retreat?

That was when it happened.

KIIIIIIING!

A terrifying roar erupted from the bone sword of one skeleton soldier charging like a lunatic.

The bone sword shook violently.

It vibrated as if it would explode at any moment, emitting a bizarre sound.

Then,

SHWAAAAA!

It suddenly began to turn blue.

I was startled the moment I saw it.

Aura?

It was definitely aura.

Aura.

The ability to materialize mana and strengthen the body or items.

KIIIIING!

KIIIIING!

KIIIIING!

It wasn’t just that one.

Starting from the skeleton soldier running at the front, blue auras began to form one after another.

Bone swords glowing with a soft blue light, like blue torches.

In an instant, the aura spread to the entire skeleton horde.

“UWOOOOOH!”

“UWOOOOOH!”

“UWOOOOOH!”

At that moment, the Silver Golems detected the charging skeleton soldiers and let out roars.

Ten Silver Golems clad in solid silver.

They raised their fists in response to the skeleton soldiers’ advance, and the two groups collided.

KABOOOOOM!

An explosion erupted between the two forces.

The resulting dust storm and the state of the battle were astonishing.

The Blue Bones are overwhelming them…!

My mouth fell half open in shock.

The reason was simple.

The Blue Bones were mercilessly slicing apart the Silver Golems.

SLASH! SLASH! STAB! SLASH!

Bone swords dyed with blue aura.

Every time they struck the Silver Golems, huge chunks of their sturdy silver bodies were carved away.

Silver Golems collapsing with a crash without even a single scream.

The sight of those famously tough Silver Golems being sliced like soft tofu was nothing short of shocking.

“UWOOOOOH!”

“UWOOOOOH!”

“UWOOOOOH!”

Of course the Silver Golems resisted too.

They swung their gleaming silver arms.

But the Blue Bones either neatly dodged the punches or countered by slicing the arms clean off with their bone swords.

They were literally toying with the Silver Golems that had given the team members so much trouble.

I didn’t do anything.

The most astonishing part was that I hadn’t given them any specific orders.

All I had done was issue the initial attack command: destroy everything.

Yet the Blue Bones were cutting down the Silver Golems with such graceful swordsmanship.

The skeleton mages have gotten insanely strong too.

It wasn’t just the skeleton soldiers.

The skeleton mages standing slightly back were supporting with long-range attacks.

BOOM! BANG! KABOOM!

Fire, ice, lightning, deadly poison.

Magic of all four elements poured out like machine-gun fire.

And their power was far greater than in the previous gate.

Every time a spell landed, huge holes appeared in the heads or torsos of the Silver Golems.

CRASH! THUD! CRAAAASH!

Silver Golems crumbling under the overwhelming assault of the skeleton army.

They fell so easily you’d almost doubt they were the famously tough monsters they were supposed to be.

If anyone else had seen this, they wouldn’t be able to tell whether those were Silver Golems or goblins.

After about one minute of combat.

“UWOOOOOH…!”

One Silver Golem let out a cry.

Just moments ago it had been an intimidating roar.

Now it only sounded pitiful and pathetic.

Because almost all the Silver Golems had fallen, leaving only one.

WHOOSH!

That was when it happened.

One skeleton soldier that had been tearing through enemy lines leapt toward the last Silver Golem.

“UWOOOOOH…!”

The final Silver Golem swung its hammer-like arm horizontally.

But the Blue Bone agilely ducked and closed in on the Silver Golem.

Then,

GRAB!

It suddenly hugged the Silver Golem’s torso.

Because of the massive size difference, it looked like a cicada clinging to a tree, but the Blue Bone had definitely embraced the Silver Golem.

Why isn’t it attacking?

I was puzzled by the Blue Bone’s actions.

But after one second, I understood.

The Blue Bone was signaling to me.

So before the Silver Golem could pry it off, I shouted.

“Bone Explosion.”

In that instant, blinding light burst from the Blue Bone’s body.

KABOOOOOOOOOOM!

An explosion of terrifying power swallowed everything around it.

A light too bright to describe and an immense shockwave.

It engulfed not only the skeletons nearby but also me and the Nova team members quite far away.

“Urgh…!”

I involuntarily squeezed my eyes shut because of the blast.

Groans from the Nova team members came from behind me too.

As the aftermath of the explosion slowly faded, I opened my eyes and looked ahead.

“!”

And I was utterly shocked.

Not because the Silver Golem had vanished completely.

But because the entire area around it had been turned into a wasteland.

It’s like a meteor fell from the sky…

The spot where Bone Explosion had occurred.

The surroundings had been completely devastated by the blast.

It looked exactly like a giant meteor had fallen from the sky and carved a circular crater into the ground.

Anyway, after the battle ended and silence returned, I could feel the Nova team members approaching.

“Seo Juwon Hunter…”

“S-Seo Juwon. What the hell are you?”

“This is insane. Why are you so strong…?”

“Ha… Juwon oppa. What even are you? That was insane…”

“Juwon-ah, man… you’re seriously…”

Cha Jihye and the Nova team members surrounded me.

They weren’t praising me—they were in pure shock.

The Blue Bones’ combat performance had apparently surpassed the level of mere surprise.

“S-Seo Juwon Hunter. Just what are you? How did you take down ten Silver Golems all by yourself…?”

Cha Jihye asked, her lips trembling.

Shock she couldn’t hide was written all over her pretty face.

“Well… I think the Blue Bones are stronger than I expected.”

“Strong is one thing, but ten Silver Golems that the entire team struggled to kill…”

Cha Jihye trailed off.

She seemed too shocked to continue speaking.

I don’t know what’s going on either.

But I was just as shocked.

I had expected some improvement because they were Blue Bones.

I had thought they could at least take down two or three Silver Golems.

But wiping them all out…

To completely annihilate ten Silver Golems.

To slice through those sturdy Silver Golems like scarecrows.

And without a single casualty on the skeleton army’s side.

All of this was just as shocking to me.

That was when it happened.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOOOM!

The ground shook repeatedly, and far away, more Silver Golems began to appear.

Silver golems emerging from every bleak alley.

There were easily more than fifty of them.

“Oh no…!”

Cha Jihye’s face filled with panic.

The Nova team members felt the same.

They hadn’t even had time to celebrate taking down ten before fifty showed up.

“T-Team leader, what do we do?”

“We have to retreat, right?”

“Yes! We really need to retreat now!”

“Team leader, decide quickly! The Silver Golems are coming!”

“Team leader!”

The team members shouted for Cha Jihye to retreat.

Cha Jihye looked back and forth between the Silver Golems and her team, agonizing.

That was when I spoke.

“Team leader.”

“Yes?”

“Let me fight again this time.”

“Are you serious? Against that many?”

I nodded and continued, looking at the silver wave approaching.

“Yes. For some reason…… I have a feeling I can do it right now.”

To be honest, even I was afraid of fifty Silver Golems.

Just looking at the giant Silver Golems rushing like the Chinese army was terrifying.

Still, I said I would do it.

Because I genuinely felt that maybe I could.

Because I had a hopeful expectation that EX-grade Blue Bones could win against fifty Silver Golems.

So I boasted in front of Cha Jihye and the team.

And after the battle,

My boast turned into confidence.

Because the bone swords dyed blue had mercilessly slaughtered the Silver Golems.

It wasn’t an exaggeration.

The deep-blue Blue Bones really did cut down Silver Golems like weeds as they charged.

You couldn’t tell if those things were made of silver or tofu.

Not to mention the skeleton mages’ attacks that turned the enemy lines into ruins.

And the Bone Explosions that turned the battlefield into wasteland went without saying.

Maybe that’s why.

I even started wondering if Silver Golems were actually weak monsters.

But the moment I saw the senior team members struggling against just one, that thought vanished instantly.

Anyway, with me at the front, our Nova team continued advancing through the bleak city field.

Turning every Silver Golem that kept appearing in increasing numbers into nothing more than piles of scrap metal.

“Stop! Everyone stop! Stop right there!”

That was when Cha Jihye, who had been following a few steps behind me, shouted.

At her words, I stopped walking, and the skeleton army stopped as well.

“That guy is the boss monster of this gate…!”

Cha Jihye shouted, staring far ahead.

So the Nova team and I looked where she was pointing.

[Fortress Golem].

A monster as huge as a factory.

A monster you had to crane your neck to see.

Above its head, red letters read “Fortress Golem.”

It really does look like a fortress.

The boss monster, Fortress Golem.

It truly looked gigantic and impregnable, just like a fortress.

You’d almost question whether it could even be called a monster.

“As I said before entering the gate, the Fortress Golem is insanely tough. And its attack power…”

Cha Jihye repeated the briefing from before we entered.

To summarize:

The Fortress Golem boasted monstrous defense, just like its name.

And because it was a fortress, it used unique attack patterns that hunters had to be extremely careful of.

If you recklessly charged in, the hunters could be wiped out instead.

“Hmm, how should we tackle that thing?”

Cha Jihye asked, looking at the team members.

But the senior members simply turned their heads silently and looked at me.

“……?”

Receiving countless gazes, I just blinked.

Then the seniors began to speak one by one.

“Team leader, I think we should leave this gate to Seo Juwon.”

“Sigh… it’s humiliating, but let’s leave it to Seo Juwon.”

“Even if we draw its attention, I believe the core role has to go to Seo Juwon.”

“I agree! It’s embarrassing as a senior, but we can’t even scratch regular Silver Golems, let alone the Fortress Golem!”

The team members voiced their opinions one after another.

They would distract the Fortress Golem, and I should deal the damage.

Cha Jihye frowned in thought for a moment, then spoke to me.

“Seo Juwon Hunter, since the team feels this way… is that okay?”

“Yes, Team leader. It’s fine.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In fact, I’m grateful. You’re giving the most crucial role to the rookie, me.”

At my answer, Cha Jihye fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“I’m sorry. As team leader, I keep pushing the important roles onto you.”

Pushing roles? I just think we’re each doing our part as a team.

Even after my reply, Cha Jihye still looked like she felt terribly sorry.

But she didn’t override the team’s opinion and gave them orders.

“Then as discussed, spread out and draw its aggro. Seo Juwon Hunter, strike the Fortress Golem in the gaps. Understood?”

Cha Jihye added that if my attacks didn’t work, we would retreat and come up with another plan.

After the strategy was set, Cha Jihye and the entire team scattered in all directions.

The moment the scattered team members approached the Fortress Golem from every side.

KIIIIING!

KIIIIING!

KIIIIING!

Automated turrets began popping out all over the gigantic Fortress Golem’s body.

Turrets resembling those on a massive battleship.

They clacked as they loaded, then started spewing fire.

BOOM! BANG! KABOOM! BANG! BOOM!

Explosions of terrifying power blanketed the entire area, as if defending a fortress.

Just as Cha Jihye had said, the Fortress Golem’s attack power was monstrous, not just its defense.

The team members ran around frantically, drawing the turrets’ fire.

“Now it’s my turn.”

Watching the seniors risk their lives, I nodded.

Then I looked at the deep-blue skeleton army and whispered.

“Go, my skeletons.”

In that instant, the skeletons standing around me began rushing toward the Fortress Golem in a massive wave.

To bring down the living fortress.