How to Raise Your Skeletons

Chapter 131: The Dragon Slayer (4)

“Wh-What kind of nonsense is this?” Vladimir swung his staff aimlessly, flustered. “Not being able to use skills for 24 hours? That’s ridiculous! What kind of overpowered skill is this?”

Before he could finish complaining…

“Hoon! Above you!” Olena shouted from behind.

Looking up at the sky, there were dozens of magic circles etched above us all aimed directly at us.

—Rumble!

The resonating force of the swirling mana made everyone flinch in this tense situation where anything could happen.

“Damn it.”

The destructive power of the beams fired from those magic circles couldn’t be ignored. Each shot could penetrate not just the ground but even a dragon’s hide.

“Team leader! What do we do? Our skills are sealed, and we can’t dodge anymore! Are we doomed?”

“Wait and see!”

I transformed my weapon into a simple bracelet form and kicked off the ground. At that moment, Aranballon’s magic exploded like a burst of power.

—Boom! Bang! Boom!

Violent beams rained down behind me. Getting hit by one of those would undoubtedly tear through both skin and bone.

Even so…

While sprinting at full speed, I kept my eyes fixed in the direction of the magic circles.

It’s a relief.

Aranballon’s focus was solely on me, the commander of the skeletons harassing him and the leader of the team. Sealing Vladimir’s skill was all to capture me as well, not because Vladimir was seen as a threat. Because of that, I figured that my teammates would be safe if I could create distance.

—Boom! Bang! Bang!

Dodging the relentless downpour of attacks, I kept running.

At that moment…

—Rumble!

With a booming sound, the ground in front of me collapsed. Aranballon, who had flown closer, smashed the ground with its forepaw.

“Team leader!”

“Hoon! Watch out!”

I heard my teammates’ voices behind me, but I ignored them. I continued running with all my strength. As I was human, fear wasn’t something I could escape. But right now, I believed my judgment was right.

I have to climb on top of that dragon.

The reason Aranballon could keep firing beams was that I was far away. If I got close enough, it wouldn’t be able to use its skills recklessly.

“Huff!”

Even though I had trained until now…

“Huff, huff!”

Moving like this still felt awkward. In fact, everything still felt foreign—dodging the oppressive magic, the rising clouds of dust, this unfamiliar feeling of my body avoiding them. I wasn’t a swordsman or a spearman; I was a necromancer.

And at that moment…n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

—Kaboom!

“Mmph!”

I lurched forward as a heavy force struck me from behind. Could it be that I got hit by a beam? I lost balance and rolled on the ground due to my momentum, but there was no real pain.

“Hah!”

So though I fell, I quickly regained my balance. I steadied myself, stood up, and began running again.

—Bang!

Another beam landed where I had just been.

…Holy shit.

That was a bone-chilling, terrifying moment. I felt the gaze of Aranballon’s yellow eyes fixed on me as the sticky sense of murderous intent surrounded me. If I let my guard down even for a moment, a beam would pierce through me like a skewer.

I couldn’t have been hit by something like that directly and survived.

A ricocheting piece of rock had likely struck me.

[Skill: Pain Resistance]

[Rank: S]

[Effect 1: Resist pain.]

[Effect 2: The more pain, the more numb your senses become.]

Since this was the ultimate skill for enduring pain, minor injuries were no more than an itch. Moreover…

—Bloop!

A foreign sensation flowed around me as the protective force of water surrounded my body.

It must be Olena.

She must have cast a protective spell on me in that brief moment. The water’s protective force played a part in reducing the pain.

If only the Elder were here.

Regrettably, the old man had already disappeared after his summon time expired.

—Rumble!

Aranballon’s leg muscles gradually tensed. As I drew closer, it prepared to leap back into the air.

—Whoosh!

I swung my hand, transforming the bracelet into a spear.

Alright, let’s fight.

So what if I wasn’t a swordsman or a spearman? Before being a necromancer, I was the one who was walking the road of All Techniques!

I focused my gaze with determination.

—Boom!

I evaded a beam that landed directly in front of me and pushed off the ground to leap upward. Simultaneously, Aranballon spread its wings and took flight.

—Whoosh!

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I gripped the spear with both hands and thrust it hard at its clawed foot.

—Shank!

The spear slid smoothly into its flesh.

“My lord! Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

“Master, it’s dangerous! You must come down!”

I faintly heard the shouts of Taeyang and Eldrin fighting nearby, but I had no time to respond. I was exerting all my strength in my arms and back to climb onto its foot.

I’ll keep climbing.

My destination was its head. It was almost impossible to dig into its chest like with the Giant Magic Dragon and pierce its heart. Most creatures’ vital points were located in their heads.

—Ssst!

This time, I split my weapon into two—a pair of daggers of appropriate size.

“Hyaaah!”

Letting out a battle cry, I thrust one dagger after another into its hide.

—Shik.

Once with my left hand.

—Pshkk.

Once with my right hand.

I kept repeating the motion as I began my ascent. Heat surged throughout my body. My grip and forearms felt like they were on fire, and every muscle screamed in pain.

I’ll kill it, no matter what.

I deliberately pushed my mind into a frenzy because this wasn’t the time for rationality. I unleashed the deep-seated rage within me to awaken my primal hunting instincts. This was the only way to survive such a dire situation. Now was the moment to summon superhuman strength.

“You pest.”

Aranballon screeched.

I could feel it violently shaking its body. The ground became the sky, and the sky became the ground. The dragon soared high into the air and rotated 360 degrees.

Huh? Oh, really? Is this how you want to play it?

I didn’t know why, but my body moved on instinct. It just felt right, like this was what I needed to do. I hurled myself into the air. I reshaped the dual daggers into a spear mid-flight and drove it downward.

—Whoosh!

Because I knew this was the exact moment when Aranballon’s head would be closer to me. Instead of slowly climbing the massive creature’s body, I decided to take the shortcut.

“Hyaah!”

Accelerating with my fall, I felt the sharp sensation under my belly. Even at this moment where falling meant instant death, my eyes were locked on the dragon’s head. As expected, when Aranballon’s enormous head came close, I plunged the spear with all my strength.

“Die!”

Even though I was suspended in the air, my form was perfect. It was instinctively the most energy-efficient posture.

—Shank!

It was the sound of my spear piercing flesh.

Propelled by gravity, my body collided against its hide, and the shock felt like all my organs had burst and my bones shattered.

But I didn’t relent. I stabbed with determination. Of course, my small spear alone couldn’t harm Aranballon. However, with the poison mist…

—Drip, drip!

I whispered to the poison mist that had returned to my heart.

Please, this is another playground where you can have fun.

The poison mist was particular. It didn’t move unless the place before it was more entertaining than being inside me. But now, it had already savored the taste of being within the body of the Giant Magic Dragon. It had run rampant, enjoying the sweet moments of destruction earlier.

“Grrr?”

—Drip, drip!

Because of this, it responded to my will. It surged powerfully through the spear.

“Graaaargh!”

Aranballon let out a pained roar. I could feel its hide trembling and radiating with heat.

Good.

This was the evidence that the poison mist was taking effect.

Just as a sense of accomplishment rose from my toes, something struck my left ribcage with a heavy force.

—Boom!

Before I could even process that I’d been hit, I lost my grip on the spear.

“Gah!” Blood spewed from my mouth, and my vision swung wildly up and down.

“You worm! What have you done to my head?!”

Aranballon’s roar echoed.

In my floating vision, dozens—no, hundreds—of magic circles glowed, etched into the sky.

What… What just hit me? Could it be that all those spells are being cast on me alone?

For a moment, an intense pain surged from my toes to the top of my head. I could say with certainty that it hurt more than the old man’s massage.

“Guh!”

Energy from countless magic circles continued to converge on me.

—Boom! Bang! Boom!

“Guh, gah! Gaaah!”

The beam-like blasts kept pounding me. It hurt. The pain was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even speak.

Fuck.

Is this how I die?

Well, it was a dragon, after all—the strongest species in this world, unmatched by anything.

“Graaaargh! Remove this thing from me immediately, or I will tear you apart!”

Of course, the dragon didn’t seem to be in great shape either.

—Boom!

Aranballon stopped mid-air and landed heavily on the ground. What’s more…

—Vwooom!

Some unknown force emanated from the dragon, catching my fall and suspending my body mid-air. As I floated motionless, my vision was filled with the furious yellow eyes of the beast.

Holy fuck…

It was terrifying—terrifying beyond words. I wanted to say something, but the only sound escaping my lungs was the rasp of air slipping through them.

I turned my head to assess the situation. Down below, my skeletons and comrades were still fighting valiantly. Meanwhile, the dragon, now with its head full of the poison mist, was furious—so much so that it held me in its grip, glaring at me with unbridled rage.

“Ugh…”

I tried to move, but I couldn’t. Some invisible force pressed against my entire body, rendering me immobile.

“What are you doing?!”

The dragon bellowed.

“If you do not retract what you have unleashed in my head, I will make sure you neither live nor die and instead endure eternal agony for all time!”

—Rumble!

The sound of its voice was so deafening that it felt as if my eardrums were about to burst.

I forced a voice out of my dry throat and aimed it at the beast’s face. “Go… fuck yourself.”

Honestly, if I were desperate to survive, I might have begged for my life and withdrawn the poison mist. But in hindsight, that would have been the stupidest move. Would Aranballon spare me just because I complied? We were past the point of negotiation. No matter what, the dragon wasn’t going to let us live.

“Heh!” I laughed, blood dripping from the corner of my mouth.

The mist must sure hurt like hell. But the poison mist—like your kind, mighty dragons—is a world-dominating monster in its own right. If you were at full strength, perhaps you could expel it effortlessly.

“Graaahhhh!”

But now, you don’t even seem to have 5% of your strength left. Try removing it if you can.

“That’s it!”

Perhaps sensing my sneer, the dragon’s face contorted further, its fury evident.

“Die, then!”

—Vwooom!

One of the brown magic circles twisted ominously. Among the countless magic circles surrounding me, this one was the largest and darkest. Its target was clear—my heart.

“…”

Cold sweat trickled down my back. I instinctively understood that this one was different. If that beam hit me, I wouldn’t just die—I’d be obliterated.

“Hah…!” I tensed every muscle in my body.

Focus. It wasn’t over ’til it was over.

“Perish.”

At last, the dragon murmured its verdict. With those words, it unleashed its magic with a deafening roar.

—Boom!

As the dark beam shot toward my heart, an unknown force enveloped me.

—Swoosh!

It felt as if I had swapped places. Moments ago, I was suspended mid-air, but now I could see the ground beneath me. Not just the ground, I could see my comrades—Olena, Capu, Zhang Wei, Myoi Hana, and Maximilian.

“Wait…?”

But Vladimir wasn’t there. My instincts kicked in, and I snapped my head upward, my gaze darting to the sky.

And there he was.

“Gah!”

Impaled through the heart, Vladimir’s blood poured from his chest.

What the…?

My heart sank like a stone.

What the hell is happening?

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