Ace and his two companions, having slain the Strong Bone, slipped away from the battlefield in silence. The rumor they'd spread—that a Dark Crystal lay hidden in River Valley Village—had worked perfectly, luring in two Strong Bones. What they hadn't anticipated was an Imperial Apprentice Mage actually holed up in the village. For three small-time mercenaries—Bone Hunters by trade—offending an Imperial mage, even an apprentice, was a terrible idea. So with two bone souls secured, they vanished from the valley without looking back.
Without Strong Bone commands, the skeleton offensive descended into chaos. Dozens of Battle Bones acted on their own, driven by bloodlust, ordering their subordinates into suicidal charges against River Valley Village.
The black-robed mage was forced to use his second Rock Salamander scroll. Yet even so, he struggled to hold back the tide of self-destructive attacks. Worse—the wound on his shoulder began to tingle and itch. That Strong Bone's horn had been poisonous!
Ryan stared in confusion at the white-bearded old man, whose blood was cooling in the darkness. The "power" flowing from him was dozens of times stronger than what he'd absorbed from Alec or the militiamen. He'd only managed to take in a fraction—most of it dissipated uselessly into the air. 'Why would an old human possess such immense power?'
A approaching stench snapped him from his thoughts. He turned to see a fat peasant woman charging with a hoe, tears streaming down her coarse face. Perhaps one of her sons had died to a Red Bone recently. But Ryan wouldn't let sympathy bring that hoe down on his skull—because if one succeeded, they'd all rush him.
Slish! Ryan raised his right palm. The bloodstained bone needle erupted from his flesh. The peasant woman shrieked, dropped her hoe, and stumbled backward until she fell.
Ryan retracted the needle instantly. On the wall, the black-robed mage heard the scream and glanced back—but saw nothing amiss. After a moment's observation, he returned his attention to the battle.
Ryan exhaled. He didn't dare move, didn't dare harm anyone. One wrong move and those fireballs would fly. He was no match for them. All he could do now was wait.
Unable to chant, the black-robed mage fought with instant fireballs. His aim was true, his range impressive. Between him and the Rock Salamander, the skeleton offensive faltered. But summoning durations were limited. Soon the Rock Salamander solidified into a massive clod of mud and collapsed with a thunderous crash.
The skeletons roared and surged toward the wall.
"Retreat into the village! Set up a defensive circle!" The mage calmly led the apprentices down from the wall, falling back into the village while picking off skeletons that breached the defenses.
He only stopped when they reached Alec's body. The apprentices produced golden powder from their bags and swiftly drew strange lines on the ground around them.
With no eyelids to close, Ryan could only watch the apprentices scurrying past him. If he'd had a heart, it would have burst from terror. Every living, stinking person near him could kill him—but everyone assumed he was dead from the fall, or dying. No one paid him any attention.
"Stay focused! Don't mess up the Elemental Defense Circle's lines!" The mage threw fireballs while directing the apprentices.
They quickly completed the complex circle. At that moment, the mage finally regained his chanting ability. He produced an exquisite emerald glass bottle, smashed it on the ground, and the liquid inside became a cloud of green mist. He inhaled deeply, then chanted: "Graceful Wind, Fierce Fire, Heavy Earth, Gentle Water—awaken..."
Ryan watched in amazement as the green mist moved as if alive, then sank into the golden powder on the ground. The powder itself sank into the earth, transforming into glowing lines. The entire circle blazed to life, and a hazy beam of light shot into the starry sky.
"Good. Inside this circle, spells cost barely any mana. Kill as many bones as you can. Work together if needed. Aim for their cervical spines—that's always their vital point." With that, the mage sat down and began treating his wounded shoulder.
Ryan watched skeletons pour in outside the circle. The villagers had long been torn apart by the enraged horde. Now the only living creatures in River Valley Village were one Apprentice Mage and twenty-odd apprentices huddled inside that glowing barrier.
'Can I survive?' Looking at the mage's calm expression, Ryan's hopes dimmed.
And indeed, the Elemental Defense Circle's power soon plunged him into despair. When the first skeleton approached within ten meters, a massive fireball materialized from nowhere. It circled the barrier like a ghost, then plunged into the skeleton ranks, burning a path dozens of meters deep before expiring. That single fireball consumed hundreds of skeletons. A Battle Bone caught in the blast turned to powder without drama.
Most skeletons knew no fear. Rage and instinctive hatred of humans drove them forward again. This time, the circle's earth element activated. Massive stones materialized around the barrier, crushing the nearest skeletons, then rolled rumbling into the horde, unstoppable.
The apprentices, using the circle in actual combat for the first time, found renewed energy. Fireballs and ice arrows flew methodically. Several approaching Battle Bones died instantly.
If Ryan had sweat glands, he'd be drenched. If all the skeletons died, his fate was sealed. He prayed the circle would fail—but it never did. Every three minutes, the mage smashed another green-solution bottle and chanted once. The circle's light blazed bright as day, and the elemental fury intensified.
Ryan lay motionless on the ground, hollow eye sockets fixed on the glowing barrier. He could feel "power" from dying skeletons drifting in the air—but it was too diffuse, and most was absorbed by the circle itself. Only a trickle reached him, barely enough to maintain his form.
Time crawled. The skeleton horde shrank dramatically. The fierce Battle Bones fell one by one to the apprentices' combined assault. Their hard bones burned to ash or were crushed by boulders. The dark red light in their eye sockets winked out one after another.
Ryan's heart sank with each death. He knew—once the last skeleton fell, the mage would turn on him. That man had lost all patience when Alec died. He'd never let a prince-killing Red Bone survive.
Just as Ryan was contemplating escape, everything changed.
The black-robed mage, still treating his shoulder, suddenly groaned. He clutched the wound, face going pale. The poison from Augustus's horn was spreading!
"Teacher!" The apprentices panicked, dropping their spells to rush to his side. The circle flickered, its attacks weakening.
This was Ryan's chance!
He quietly flexed his fingers, feeling the meager "power" within him. The bone needle in his palm remained sharp, stained with Alec's dried blood. Slowly, he raised his head, searching for a gap in the circle. The barrier centered on the mage and apprentices—its edge lay only meters away.
The mage pushed the apprentices away, voice hoarse: "Don't stop... Keep fighting! The skeletons are almost done... Don't let them break through!" He produced another medicine bottle and drank, but his hands shook, most of it spilling on his robe.
The apprentices hesitated, then returned to casting. But their focus was shattered; their spells slowed. The remaining Battle Bones seized the opportunity, roaring as they charged, slamming bone weapons against the light barrier.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The barrier shuddered violently. Cracks appeared in the glowing lines on the ground. The mage coughed black blood—the circle's light dimmed sharply.
Ryan's hollow eyes blazed. He crawled backward silently, then turned and sprinted toward the village edge. The villagers were dead; houses lay in ruins. He could hide in the debris and wait for his moment.
But just as he neared the village gate, a cold voice stopped him cold.
"Where do you think you're going, little Red Bone?"
Ryan froze. He turned slowly.
A magic apprentice stood not far behind him, staff glowing blue. One of those who'd cheered for Alec earlier. The youth's face burned with anger and hatred—Alec had been his idol. Now he would have revenge.
"You killed Lord Alec. I'll burn you to ashes!" The apprentice chanted rapidly. A small ice arrow shot toward Ryan's chest. Weak, but fast—too fast to dodge.
CLANG! The ice arrow struck Ryan's rib, shattering a small piece of bone. Agony lanced through him—but Ryan didn't retreat. He roared, raised his right palm, and the bone needle shot forth straight at the apprentice's throat!
Shock flashed across the apprentice's face. He hadn't expected such speed and accuracy from a Red Bone. He raised his staff to block—but the needle was too sharp. It pierced through the staff, grazing his neck, leaving a shallow bloody line.
"AHH!" The apprentice screamed, stumbling backward and tripping over debris. He crashed to the ground, staff spinning away.
Ryan didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, raised his bony fist, and smashed it down on the apprentice's head.
CRACK.
The skull shattered. A faint white light drifted from the body—the "power" of a magic apprentice, far stronger than any militiaman's.
The power flooded into Ryan. His broken rib mended instantly. His bone needle grew sharper, longer. He felt his strength surge again—and the hum within his bones grew louder, deeper.
"NO! What have you done?!" The black-robed mage's roar was pure fury. He struggled to rise, raising a hand to summon fire—but the poison had spread to his chest. He couldn't gather enough mana. The fireball flickered weakly and died.
Ryan knew he couldn't stay. He glanced at the mage, at the panicking apprentices, then turned and sprinted through the village gate.
Outside, a few scattered Gray Bones wandered aimlessly. They didn't attack—perhaps sensing his higher rank.
Ryan ran wildly through the valley, wind whistling through his hollow eye sockets. He didn't know where he was going—only that if he kept running, he would survive.
The feeling of growing stronger after killing the apprentice still thrummed through him. And in that moment, a bold thought crystallized in his mind:
He would not remain humble skeleton cannon fodder forever.
He would keep killing. Keep growing. And one day—he would stand at the pinnacle of the undead.
Behind him, in the village, the black-robed mage collapsed, breath shallow. The magic circle died completely. The remaining Battle Bones poured in, roaring, tearing into the panicking apprentices. Screams and the crash of bones echoed through the valley.
Ryan didn't look back.
He just kept running—toward the unknown darkness, toward a future where he alone controlled his fate.