Bro, I'm not an Undead!

A question had been posed to Skullius that drew upon his brain power to think of a fitting answer. There was no escaping as he was within a Majestic Territory.

All he could do was fess up.

Sause was drawn to the fox’s question as well, as he knew nothing about this creature he had made a Tie of Exchange with.

This didn’t allow him to let down his guard though, as he was well aware of the fact that fox was very much knowledgeable of his presence.

Question after question roiled within his mind because of the appearance of the fox outside the Labyrinth.

‘Did Fulgardt make a deal with this thing? Why would it even agree?’

From the looks of it, it was very well above the tenth Tier which was a very terrifying thing to face.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get his answers by simply thinking about them in his dome.

Skullius’ socket flames flared behind the helmet and he almost sighed out in resignation, the sensation having become something he had been getting used to as a Discount Human.

Naturally, the fox’s statement made him realise that hiding behind a helmet wouldn’t hinder its advanced perception.

‘Did this thing know that I was… this, from the beginning? In that case why would it let me go?’ Skullius thought. ‘Well… since its come to this, there’s only one thing I can do…’

Indeed.

There was only one option left.

One he hadn’t used in a while.

The option left was to tell the truth… with a dash of bullshit._.

Skullius stored his helmet and stood aloof.

“I understand that my appearance may cause some problems but I am not what you think. I am not an undead,” Skullius said with a deep voice, his stature not showing any fumbling like when he had been bullshitting before Azila last time.

The fox grinned, but the action didn’t seem to stem from amusement. It was simply an action that was dictated by its race.

The Grinning Jester Fox.

“That much I’m aware of. Had I sensed that you were an undead from the beginning, you wouldn’t be standing here. I’m interested in what you are. I see fleeting wisps of gold and black from you that are struggling to escape my vision,” the fox said. “I am confident that you have nabbed the legacy of the Immoral…”

…!

Skullius wasn’t really surprised by this as the fact that there were beings with a stronger perception than his had been made abundantly clear by his constant encounters with established powerhouses.

If this fox had seen through [Flesh It Like You Mean It] then it probably would be able to tell such a thing.

Therefore the Penetrator wasn’t surprised.

The one who received the shock in his place was Sause.

‘WHAT?! How did this creature obtain the legacy? ! Isn’t it only for humans?’ he thought, a mash of conflicting emotions pounding against his being.

Even with this thought, he didn’t dare interrupt the conversation between the two in front of him by beginning to bombard Skullius with questions.

‘Is that why Fulgardt let him go?!’ he wondered. His eyes opened wide as a somewhat expected yet chilling realisation struck him. ‘Could it be that Fulgardt had seen through whatever disguise thus creature wore and decided to protect and let him pass anyway?! That bastard wasn’t exactly conventional to begin with!’

This conjecture made Sause slap his forehead.

It was very much possible that even Fulgardt’s corpse would choose to allow such an eccentric character to pass without fighting him like the rest of the humans who were supposed to be the designated race of challengers.

Fulgardt has a strong code when it came to race. He was extremely racist but he was also a being who loved thinking outside the box.

Boredom could very well strike him even after death to the point of allowing a different character a chance at his legacy.

Sause realised that perhaps that was the reason why Fulgardt had protected Skullius from his compulsion. However, there were was nothing much to decipher from a corpse.

Still, the fact that legacy needed to be wielded was abundantly clear.

[Flesh It Like You Mean It] had been what ultimately let Skullius gain the Insurgent Magnus class.

Sause focused on Skullius and the Grinning Jester Fox once more.

“Ahem… I am but the lowly servant of the Great Emperor Bonet. I was on a secret mission until I was captured by those brutes and led here. That much is all I can divulge as my Emperor keeps me from spilling too much. I know the truth in my words is questionable but I have already spoken to the Great Mountain Ape, Azila about this,” Skullius said with confidence.

The fox narrowed its eyes as it heard Skullius’ account.

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

The fox’s orange eye remained fixated on Skullius.

Unfortunately, it was an eye in the end. It couldn’t judge Skullius’ words as that wasn’t part of its ocular jurisdiction as a transcendent ability.

‘He met up with Azila and lived? Could it really be true?’ the fox thought. ‘Interesting. The power to disguise as a human is a rather troublesome one considering that even I needed some time to see through it.’

“I assume that your mention of this… Emperor Bonet, acted a deterrent for further action against you from Azila?”

“Yes.”

“Dumb Ape,” scoffed the fox before it turned to Sause. “I didn’t expect a fine warrior such as you to get ensnared by Fulgardt too. I assume you have this creature to thank.”

Sause smiled sheepishly.

“That’s what we’re going with.”

The fox grinned.

Suddenly, the Majestic Territory space popped like a balloon, space becoming warped as the black was distorted and dissolved to form the image of the valley once more!

The bright sun shone over all things and the image was especially good to see after the long journey in the dark.

Sause took in deep breaths and appreciated the sun on his naked body.

“Ah…”

He felt bits of his strength return and smiled.

“While you too may very well be evils that must be thwarted here and now, I’m not so benevolent as to help the world. You, Dragonsson, I permit you to leave,” the fox said.

The term referred to Sause as it referenced the terrifying history behind his lineage. A title all giants carried from times of old.

‘What?’ Skullius questioned himself dumbly. ‘That’s it?’

Sause was also sceptical but he didn’t have the luxury to doubt and dilly-dally.

He simply nodded with a light smile and picked up Benzard. He gazed at Skullius for what would be the last time in a very long while.

“I wouldn’t mind if you died soon. It would make things a lot easier for me.”

“I’m already dead, large bro. Sort of,” Skullius said before he pulled Sause’s nail that was stored in his armour’s storage and waved it.

The giant shook its head in annoyance and disappeared after a powerful burst of speed.

Skullius watched the giant leave and then refocused on the fox.

“I cannot do you harm even if I wanted to. I was tasked with being a guardian for this Labyrinth and all its treasures until someone managed to take up Fulgardt’s legacy. You are who I have been waiting for. I must reward you by mandate. You have released me from my promise and therefore I shall give you a bit of aid,” the fox said.

The moment the fox said that, it smelt a nasty stench of death and felt an overbearing force try to stomp it into the ground!

The fox frowned, its eyes picking up an ominous energy that coiled around Skullius and stretched up to its large body.

The environment turned dark for a split second before returning to normal.

The feeling didn’t last long as when the fox exerted its own power, the lingering effects of this force disappeared.

Skullius had barely noticed something amiss, as all he saw was the fox shuddering for but a second.

“What happened?” he asked cautiously.

“You have a rather frightening curse upon you. Apparently, it responds to anything that has the overall intent to benefit you. Or rather specifically, anyone with the intent to assist you. This is quite troublesome,” the fox said with its frown becoming deeper. “You are tied to the Undead?”

‘Oh crap!’ Skullius panicked. That curse that he had been wondering what it truly did had finally manifested, showing its true colours.

UNCoddled!

It was trouble!

Before he delved into this, he had to save himself first.

He had to tell more bullshit sprinkled lies!

“That should actually add more truth to my words. I am an enemy to the Undead. They can’t reach me and thus they cursed me. The Great Emperor Bonet helped me to become free from their grasp,” Skullius said giving respectful lows when mentioning Bonet.

The fox narrowed its eyes.

It didn’t buy it, but to be cursed in this manner did give the notion that this fellow was not buddy buddy with the Undead. At least with a particularly powerful undead.

Nevertheless, the fox didn’t read too much into it. He wasn’t a guardian of the Tremur Forest like Azila who needed to pay attention to details such as these that may cause potential tragedies outside of the Undead.

It was merely an excuse to not overthink actually.

He didn’t need to think too much about collective benefit. He had been freed and that was all that mattered.

“It seems I won’t be able to give a specific gift as your reward. Do tell me. What do you wish for?”

Skullius’ socket flames turned serene.

‘Seems like a dodged a bullet. Wait! What’s a bullet?! Gah, whatever! This thing is pretty generous, asking me for anything I want! Well… I guess I should use my head a bit more for this,’ Skullius thought.

He didn’t ask for anything grand. He gave it some thought and after a brief moment, his mind churned out the most reasonable thing to ask for.

Considering that he had this troublesome curse on his non-existent ass, he thought this request would be easier to get as well.

The answer he had come to had been reached after the image of a particularly murderous Bone Boar appeared in Skullius’ mind…

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