Chapter 21
{ Skills!! }
The archers fired from the front to draw the skeletons’ attention.
Ian surrounded them from behind and fired with his bow.
Woosh
Woosh
Woosh
His shots were focused, powerful, and without error…
But because he was shooting at their backs, no damage appeared— even when he aimed at the neck.
What truly stood out, however, was his accuracy… he hit the exact same spot every time.
Still too weak… Ian frowned.
If the training skill he wanted had been researched, he would have been much stronger by now.
But unfortunately this project would take time… he was requesting a powerful skill, not just any training skill— otherwise he would have obtained one long ago.
Ian was playing on many fronts now… and the slightest mistake would send him plunging into the seventh hell…
The human forces launched forward, led by Noa, to flatten the skeletons that had scattered from the arrows coming from both front and back— then Noa’s sword strikes rained down upon them.
The skeletons raised their swords to fight… but they were overwhelmed by numbers and quickly fell.
It took no more than a minute.
The soldiers finished, and Chris stepped forward to gather the loot and present it to Lord Ian, then returned to the troops to speak with them about earlier mistakes.
“Noa, you are their leader… you must strike to break through and take the vanguard to draw all the momentum and hostility— then the blows from those behind you will be strong and lethal,” Chris said.
Noa listened respectfully and did not dare comment.
“Boban… remember the traits of your race… you are fast… maneuvering is your battlefield.”
On the other side—
The loot was different from every previous time.
There was a set of five common swords.
But there were no coins or anything else… only Skill rune.
The Science and Studies Building could research skills— like the trap-making skill for Noa— but Ian ignored that for now and decided to focus on the basics. That’s why he poured all his focus into professions… the only skills he had researched were trap-making, language, and finally the training skill project.
What was special about these stones was that they were all of Normal rank…
Ian smiled and distributed them, starting with Noa and the rest of the troops.
This was an increase in the strength of his forces.
As for why the skeletons did not use them… that was because they had lost consciousness and no longer remembered them… but the stronger skeletons would use their skills…
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Ian felt a renewed brightness toward the future and led his forces onward.
Now he was stronger… the teamwork was improving, which made the following hunts easier.
The skeletons fell under the barrage of the group’s attacks one after another… whether alone or in groups.
Ian acted as the barrier preventing escape… the wolves acted as the lure… the archers distracted them… Noa and the others dealt with them… the level-one forces stood behind, watching in case something went wrong or in case a ranged attacker appeared.
Another group was drawn in…
This time, there was an archer among them.
An arrow reached one of the wolves and pierced its leg.
The wolf howled in pain but did not stop, leading the group toward the ambush.
Raaaaaar!
The skeletal archer pulled another bow and prepared to fire, when it heard the roar of a powerful tiger.
The archer’s hands shook, the arrow slipped from his fingers, and even the bow nearly fell.
Night Arrow.
The arrow shot out like lightning from Porto’s hands toward the archer’s eyes.
The archer tried to flee, but another roar from the White Tiger stopped him.
The mastery of this skill hadn’t increased since the moment Ian obtained the tiger, because the tiger had been injured… but with the strengthening of its bloodline, the effects of this skill grew stronger…
And although the archer was in the first level, he couldn’t use his skill before Porto’s arrow struck him in the eyes.
!@#.
The skeletal archer let out a strange sound as his body ignited with flames that turned into a bow and arrow fired at Porto.
Damn it… “Chris!” Ian shouted.
Chris was already prepared. Immediately he drew his sword and struck— “General’s Blade.”
A bright flash of light formed, launching forward with force against the flaming arrow…
BOOM.
A strong explosion erupted, crushing the flame arrow.
The flash continued its path and split the skeleton in two.
Chris was a legendary general… at his level, he accepted no rival.
The skeleton fell, and the rest soon followed— but the sound was loud and drew in other groups… and this time Ian was at the front…
Ian did not fear them— he leapt back while firing his bow at their eyes.
The White Tiger let out a loud roar and charged into them like a comet.
Woosh.
Ian’s arrow struck the eye of one skeleton, making it stagger backward.
The spark in one of its eyes went out, but it was still alive and eager to fight.
It had longed for flesh, especially human flesh… and now it was right before it— how could it let this chance go?
The second arrow struck its remaining eye and killed it.
**You killed a skeleton.
Sub-class mastery: Archer… +3%**
Ian ignored the notification and kept firing.
Chris and the rest of the troops rushed forward, surrounding Ian as the wolves charged in with furious howls.
Wave after wave of skeletons emerged, forcing Ian’s main force to intervene.
Leo’s duplication ability was still active on Porto… he could switch it and copy Kris’s power, but he preferred to remain an archer to deal with more targets. And there was still the slowdown effect—a whole day.
Every arrow from him and from Porto was a death sentence.
Dozens of skeletons gathered, but they quickly fell.
The White Tiger displayed tremendous courage and overwhelming strength as it crushed them.
It had already been struck by many of their swords, yet its body had grown stronger after the tempering of its bloodline… and now, its regeneration rate was visibly fast, making it nearly unbeatable.
Kris didn’t use the General’s Sword again, choosing instead to fight in the frontlines himself to conserve energy—especially because a powerful enemy was approaching…
The Skeleton General.
BOOOOOOM.
Skills clashed violently, wounds began appearing across Ian’s forces, but the number of skeletons was dropping drastically.
Whoosh.
The sound of heavy, echoing footsteps appeared.
From the distance…
A skeleton slightly larger than the rest emerged.
The ghostly flames in its eyes were brighter and larger.
A sword hung at its waist, and a spear rested on its back.
Its aura was powerful and suffocating.
Raaaaaar!
The White Tiger roared fiercely at it.
RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
The Skeleton General answered with a far more terrifying roar, strong enough to sweep the air around it and form a violent storm.
“Fall back,” Ian ordered.
“Follow me,” Kris commanded the first-level troops, Noa, and a few other selected fighters.
Ten…
Only ten.
They pulled out the formation banner.
“General’s Sword!” Kris shouted, merging the General’s Sword with the formation banner. A flash erupted—ten times stronger than before.
The skeletal general drew its sword and unleashed a brilliant green light—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The explosion shook the area, sending Kris and the others flying back.
The remaining force of the attack slammed into Kris’s armor, hurling him backward as blood sprayed from his mouth.
But the skeleton general’s right arm was completely shattered…
The difference in power is this big… Ian frowned.
“Again!” Kris roared.
Raaaaaaaaar!
The skeleton general screamed, then suddenly turned around—
And ran.
The group was stunned.
