Skeleton Soldiers

Rhode observed the terrain around him and found himself in a long, narrow space, with clear passageways at both ends. One passage was where the earlier roars had come from; it was long and narrow. The other had only a faint glow, dimmer than the phosphorescence in this long chamber.

"The denser the Death Energy, the faster it transforms corpses into Undead Creatures. These bodies should have been placed as close as possible to the main burial chamber. So this must be the place in the tomb closest to it."

"That apprentice must have stationed some undead in the passage I came through as guards. The passage where I heard the roars leads outside, while the other one must lead to the main burial chamber. That Necromancer Apprentice would never expect anyone to bypass the guards and enter the main chamber directly. It should be safe in there."

"I'll check the main chamber for supplies first. I can't fight the undead in the passage with my bare hands."

With that thought, Rhode got moving. Carefully stepping over the bodies laid out at his feet, he made his way into the burial chamber.

By the chamber's faint light, Rhode surveyed his surroundings. Large quantities of supplies were piled along both sides, including valuables looted from the village, enough dry rations to feed one person for half a month, and several sets of worn leather armor. A few rusty iron swords lay in the corner, presumably meant to arm the Undead Creatures.

At the far end of the chamber stood an intact coffin. Rhode didn't inspect it closely, but the Death Energy radiating from it indicated that a mid- to high-tier undead creature was sleeping inside.

Seeing this, Rhode stepped forward and chose a set of armor that looked relatively intact. He put it on, then picked up a reasonably undamaged iron sword from the corner. He hadn't checked the system's appraisal, but the items' appearance alone told him their attributes weren't much to speak of.

[Worn Leather Armor]

Equipment Requirements: None

Basic Attributes: Armor +3, Durability 13/20

Appraisal: Rather than putting your hopes in this, you'd be better off putting them in your footwork.

[Rusty Iron Sword]

Equipment Requirements: None

Basic Attributes: Damage +3, Durability 4/10

Appraisal: This iron sword has been lying around for who knows how long. Thanks to its once-good maintenance, it can still serve you for a while.

After putting on the best equipment available to him under the circumstances, Rhode prepared to set out. If his attributes panel was still there and equipment could still display its attributes, then he figured the way to gain experience probably hadn't changed much either.

With his gear on, Rhode returned to where the bodies had been laid out, then slowly made his way toward the passage leading out of the tomb.

Once inside, he observed the terrain. The open space had given way to a narrow passage, which was undoubtedly good news: it meant he wouldn't have to face multiple enemies at once.

He continued forward at a slow pace, and soon he could clearly hear a few meaningless roars. Rhode focused, gripped his weapon tightly, and peered into the darkness ahead.

Rhode was certain that his first enemy would be a Skeleton Soldier. He hadn't seen all of it yet, but its skeletal body made its identity unmistakable.

A Skeleton Soldier was a low-tier undead creature. Its attributes, aside from its Constitution, were slightly higher than those of an adult man. It retained only the most basic combat instincts and, without a Necromancer controlling it, couldn't beat a well-trained swordsman. On a larger battlefield, it was useful only for wearing down the enemy's stamina. Together with the Walking Corpse, it was known as one of the two great cannon fodder units on the battlefield.

Players on the forums had always argued over whether Skeleton Soldiers or Walking Corpses were the most useless undead creatures. But that was no use to Rhode right now, because his body was still growing, and its attributes were even below the average for an adult man.

"I'll have to go head-to-head..."

Rhode sighed. To kill a Skeleton Soldier, he had to decapitate it; otherwise, he could only deal damage until the energy in its Soul Fire ran out—in other words, until its health was depleted.

Since he didn't know how many enemies were farther down the passage or whether he might have to face the Necromancer Apprentice, Rhode clearly didn't want to get bogged down fighting the Skeleton Soldier in front of him. With his attributes at a disadvantage, he could only find a way to decapitate it.

Relying entirely on his ability to win a head-on clash was a poor choice. If there were a better option, Rhode certainly wouldn't try to force a decapitation. It was much easier to win a battle when he had the advantage in attributes and other areas.

The main problem was that this body's base attributes were too poor. If he had the attributes of a normal adult man, Rhode was confident he could wear down the Skeleton Soldier with his combat skills. But he wouldn't complain about it. He still had to fight; he just needed to use a different approach.

Rhode's pause to think had cost him more time. No one knew what might happen if the Necromancer Apprentice came back while he was still here.

At that thought, Rhode looked around near his feet, then bent down and picked up a stone about the size of an egg. He immediately hurled it at the Skeleton Soldier ahead.

The poor lighting and his low attributes kept the stone from hitting the Skeleton Soldier's skull as Rhode had intended. Instead, it struck its breastbone. The impact made the Skeleton Soldier stagger back two steps.

The nature of undead creatures meant the Skeleton Soldier wasn't startled by the sudden attack. Once it steadied itself, it raised its blade and charged straight at Rhode.

The Skeleton Soldier rushed up to Rhode and swung its blade at him with all its might.

Ordinarily, to deal with the force of the Skeleton Soldier's attack, Rhode should have retreated and parried while looking for an opening to counterattack. But he did no such thing. Just as the Skeleton Soldier was about to reach him, he moved toward its attack, thrusting his sword diagonally upward as his body bent sideways at an unnatural angle.

If anyone had been watching, they would have seen that Rhode's sword hadn't simply pierced the Skeleton Soldier's cervical vertebrae with the full strength of his arm. It was more as if the Skeleton Soldier had deliberately driven its neck onto the blade—and Rhode's body had avoided its attack by the tiniest margin.

Clang!

With a crisp sound, a skull fell to the ground. The Soul Fire inside it slowly went out. Rhode, meanwhile, was exhausted and weak. He leaned against the wall, catching his breath and calming his pounding heart.

The fight had lasted only an instant, with the outcome decided in a flash, but it had taken a great deal out of him—especially mentally.

It had looked as though Rhode had killed the Skeleton Soldier with a simple thrust, but the move had been fraught with danger.

First, there was the timing. If he got it wrong and his blade missed—or struck without killing the Skeleton Soldier—he would have no way to dodge its next attack and would have to take the hit. Then there was the need to evade the attack it had already committed to after killing it. That took even more concentration.

Perhaps because of the mental strain, Rhode felt that his physical stamina had suffered quite a bit as well.