[Successfully killed Level 10 Goblin Patrolman.] [Experience gained.] [Goblin Bone Fragment obtained.] [Successfully killed Level 11 Goblin Warrior.] [Experience gained.] …
Notifications appeared one after another before Kyle’s eyes.
After entering the forest, the number of monsters had increased noticeably compared to the open wasteland outside.
Goblin Patrolmen, Goblin Warriors, and various low-level magical beasts that lived among the trees were discovered one after another by his skeleton warriors.
Most of the fights didn’t last long.
Before long, another monster corpse would hit the ground.
Kyle followed from behind and rarely needed to fight personally.
Leveling wasn’t the only reason he’d entered the forest today.
After reaching Level 10, [Summon Skeleton Warrior] had undergone its first advancement.
Newly summoned skeleton warriors were no longer Black-Iron Rank.
They were Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors with 3,500 points in all four attributes and the skill [Savage Strike].
As for the forty Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors already inside his summoning space, they hadn’t automatically advanced along with the skill.
They still looked exactly the same.
Gray-white bones.
Skeletons covered in cracks.
And battered blades that looked more like scrap metal than actual weapons.
The newly summoned Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors were clearly in much better condition.
Their blue-gray bones carried a faint metallic sheen beneath the forest light, while the blades in their hands were sharper and far more complete.
Even so, Kyle hadn’t put the old Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors away.
At least in this forest, they still possessed more than enough combat power.
Ordinary monsters could be handled by the Black-Iron Skeleton Warriors.
Stronger targets could be left to the Bronze-Rank ones.
That also gave Kyle a much clearer way to judge the actual difference between the two ranks.
And as it turned out, that difference was even greater than he’d expected.
A Level 10 Goblin Patrolman had barely emerged from behind a bush when the nearest Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior moved to intercept it.
Its blade rose.
The goblin instinctively lifted its weapon to block.
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang through the forest.
The next instant, the short blade in the goblin’s hand was sent flying.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior didn’t pause.
Its blade continued downward.
Slash!
The Goblin Patrolman collapsed.
From the moment the fight began to the moment it ended, only a few seconds had passed.
Kyle glanced at the corpse, then at the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior standing beside it.
Three thousand five hundred Strength.
An ordinary Level 10 monster had no ability to fight it head-on.
If it used [Savage Strike], the resulting burst of power would only become more excessive.
Kyle quickly came to a conclusion.
Against ordinary monsters below Level 12, there was no need for the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors to use their skill.
It would be a waste.
As his Spirit recovered along the way, Kyle continued summoning new undead.
Forty-one.
Forty-two.
Forty-three.
Forty-four.
By the time the sky began to darken, Kyle had forty-four skeleton warriors under his command.
Forty Black-Iron Rank.
Four Bronze Rank.
They were spread throughout the forest, searching for monsters while maintaining a constant watch over their surroundings.
Kyle’s storage space had also accumulated quite a few materials.
Animal bones, teeth, pelts, and various goblin materials that could be sold back at the Exchange.
The most common were bone fragments.
Kyle hadn’t paid much attention to them at first.
But when he picked up another Goblin Bone Fragment, his hand suddenly stopped.
This one looked different from the others.
Its color was darker.
A faint black stain covered part of its surface.
Kyle rubbed it with his finger.
Nothing came off.
It wasn’t dirt.
He took several of the Goblin Bone Fragments he’d collected earlier from his storage space and compared them.
It didn’t take long for him to notice that three of them had similar black marks.
And all three had come from goblins encountered later in the afternoon.
Kyle frowned slightly.
Goblins weren’t rare monsters.
Scattered tribes had always lived throughout the forests surrounding Westport, but under normal circumstances, their bones shouldn’t have looked like this.
At least, none of the monster records he’d studied had ever mentioned anything similar.
Kyle put the fragments away again.
There wasn’t enough information to determine the cause yet.
It might simply be an unusual trait belonging to a particular goblin tribe.
Or perhaps it had something to do with the environment they’d been living in.
He would know more if he kept moving forward.
Kyle didn’t change his route.
From that point onward, however, he began paying closer attention to the goblins they encountered.
The deeper he traveled into the forest, the more goblins appeared.
At first, there had only been one or two patrolmen at a time.
Later, groups of three or four began appearing together.
There were even Level 12 Goblin Spear Throwers mixed among them.
That was unusual.
Goblins preferred living in groups, but they rarely sent so many combat units away from their nests to roam the same area at once.
Unless something had happened nearby.
Or— they were spreading outward from somewhere.
Kyle raised his head and looked deeper into the forest.
The sky was growing darker.
Continuing the investigation tonight wasn’t a good idea.
He ordered his skeleton warriors to expand their scouting range.
Once he was certain there were no unusually high-level monsters nearby, he stopped in a relatively open clearing.
A raised rock wall stood behind the area, while the surrounding undergrowth was sparse enough to give him a much better view than he would have had deeper among the trees.
If anything approached, the skeleton warriors patrolling the perimeter would notice it in advance.
Kyle gathered some dry branches.
Before long, a campfire was burning in the clearing.
Warm orange light pushed back a small circle of darkness.
Kyle sat beside the fire and took out the food he’d prepared earlier.
Roasted sweet potato.
Water.
Nothing impressive, but more than enough to fill his stomach.
As he ate, Kyle took out the Goblin Bone Fragments with the strange black marks again.
Under the firelight, the discoloration was even more obvious.
Kyle studied them for a while.
Then he remembered the mission he’d seen at the Imperial Exchange earlier that day.
Blackstone Mine.
A Level 14 official dungeon.
The mission required a Goblin King Mana Crystal obtained from Nightmare difficulty or higher.
The reward was one hundred thousand gold.
Blackstone Mine wasn’t particularly far from this forest.
And the surrounding region was known to have some of the highest concentrations of goblins near Westport.
Kyle had originally remembered the mission only because of its enormous reward.
But now, the goblins he’d encountered today might have some connection to the tribes around Blackstone Mine.
Of course, that was only a guess.
A few strangely colored bone fragments weren’t enough to prove anything.
Still, he was already planning to remain active in this area.
There was no harm in going there tomorrow to take a look.
If nothing was wrong, he could at least see what a Level 14 official dungeon looked like.
If there really was something unusual happening— then these bone fragments might actually mean something.
Kyle returned the materials to his storage space.
“Blackstone Mine tomorrow.” Just like that, his route was decided.
Whether he could complete the one-hundred-thousand-gold mission was a separate matter.
A Nightmare-difficulty official dungeon wasn’t the same as an ordinary wilderness area.
Even though the attributes of his Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors were already far beyond those of ordinary monsters at the same level, Kyle had no intention of charging into a dungeon he knew nothing about.
Look first.
Then decide.
Night soon settled completely over the forest.
The temperature dropped with it.
Low growls from magical beasts occasionally echoed in the distance, while the wind passed through the trees and stirred the leaves with a constant rustling sound.
Closer to the campfire, another sound could occasionally be heard.
Clack.
Clack.
The sound came from the bones of the skeleton warriors as they moved.
More than forty of them had spread throughout the surrounding area according to Kyle’s orders.
Some remained closer to the camp.
The rest guarded the outer perimeter.
The four Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors had been positioned in different directions.
No matter where danger came from, it would have to get past at least one Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior first.
If an ordinary person saw this place in the middle of the night, sleep would probably be the last thing on their mind.
A pitch-black forest.
One lonely campfire.
Dozens of skeletons silently wandering through the darkness.
It hardly looked like a comfortable place to spend the night.
Kyle didn’t feel that way at all.
To other people, the skeleton warriors might look eerie and unsettling.
To him, they were more dependable than ordinary guards.
They didn’t get tired.
They didn’t lose focus.
They didn’t abandon their posts.
And they certainly wouldn’t become careless just because the night was dark.
Kyle added two more pieces of wood to the fire, then sat down cross-legged.
Instead of sleeping immediately, he closed his eyes and began to meditate.
There were still more than fifty empty slots in his summoning space.
Since he might be approaching Blackstone Mine tomorrow, he naturally wanted to prepare as much as possible tonight.
Recover his Spirit.
Summon another skeleton warrior.
Meditate again.
He wouldn’t be able to fill his entire summoning space in a single night, but he could at least increase the number of Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors under his command.
Time slowly passed.
The campfire gradually burned lower, but the forest never became completely silent.
Every so often, a monster wandered into the outer perimeter.
Before it could get anywhere near Kyle, the skeleton warriors dealt with it.
Several kill notifications appeared during the night.
Kyle never opened his eyes.
Until sometime after midnight— A warning suddenly came through his connection with one of the skeleton warriors on the outer perimeter.
Kyle opened his eyes almost immediately.
Something was approaching.
But it wasn’t a monster.
The information transmitted by the skeleton warrior was clear.
A person.
Only one.
And whoever it was, they were deliberately moving toward the campfire.
Kyle didn’t stand up.
He remained seated and looked in that direction.
It wasn’t impossible for a class holder to still be moving through the forest this late at night.
But finding someone alone out here was still a little unusual.
The footsteps drew closer.
Several nearby skeleton warriors silently shifted their positions.
Kyle gave no order to attack.
This was the wilderness.
Not everyone who approached was necessarily an enemy.
Before long, a bush ahead rustled softly.
A figure slowly emerged from between the trees.
Black light armor.
A black face covering.
Two short blades at her waist.
Kyle recognized her.
The girl in black from that afternoon.
She clearly recognized him too.
Her steps paused the moment she saw him.
The two stared at each other across a dozen meters.
Neither spoke.
The girl looked at Kyle first.
Then at the campfire.
Finally, her gaze moved toward the skeleton warriors barely visible in the darkness around them.
She hesitated.
But after standing there for a few seconds, she slowly walked closer.
Only when she reached the light did Kyle notice that she looked more exhausted than she had that afternoon.
Dirt covered parts of her black armor, and there was a fresh scrape across one shoulder.
Her steps were still steady, but the fatigue in her eyes was obvious.
She stopped a few steps away from the campfire.
“Um…” She hesitated.
Her voice didn’t match her dark appearance at all.
It was clear, youthful, and surprisingly light.
“Do you…” Her eyes drifted toward the unfinished sweet potato beside Kyle.
“Do you have anything to eat?” Kyle stared at her.
“…” He had assumed she’d approached him because she needed something important.
Apparently, she was just hungry.
Without asking any questions, Kyle reached into his storage space, took out an untouched sweet potato, and held it toward her.
“Here.” The girl’s eyes immediately brightened.
“Thank you!” She took the sweet potato and sat down on the other side of the fire.
She really did seem hungry.
The moment she settled down, she took a huge bite.
And one second later— “Cough!” “Cough, cough—!” Kyle looked up.
The girl had one hand over her mouth and the other against her chest.
Her entire face was turning red.
She was choking.
Kyle remained silent for two seconds before taking a bottle of water from his storage space and handing it over.
She quickly grabbed it and drank several mouthfuls before finally swallowing the food stuck in her throat.
“Haa…” She let out a long breath.
Then she looked at the water in her hand.
Then at Kyle.
Her expression turned visibly awkward.
“Thank you.” At least she managed to finish the sentence this time.
“Mm.” Kyle turned his attention back to the fire.
The girl didn’t immediately continue eating.
Instead, she stared at him for several seconds.
Kyle noticed.
He looked up.
“What?” “You really don’t talk much, do you?” Kyle didn’t answer.
The girl stared at him.
“…” Right.
He really didn’t.
She lowered her head and started eating again.
This time, at least, she remembered to slow down.
Silence soon settled between them once more, broken only by the occasional crackle of burning wood.
Halfway through the sweet potato, the girl finally couldn’t resist asking another question.
“What’s your name?” Kyle glanced at her.
“Kyle.” She waited.
“And?” “Kyle Gray.” “Oh.” The girl nodded.
“I’m Nia.” After a brief pause, she gave him the rest.
“Nia Vale.” Kyle gave a slight nod to show that he’d heard her.
Nia looked at his reaction and almost laughed.
She’d spent half the afternoon being chased, wandered through the forest alone for most of the night, and finally found another living person.
Yet Kyle had probably spoken fewer words than she’d taken bites of the sweet potato.
Her attention soon shifted back toward the skeleton warriors nearby.
“I wanted to ask you this earlier.” Nia glanced around.
“Are all of these your summons?” “Yeah.” “All of them?” “Yeah.” Nia peered into the darkness again.
She couldn’t even tell how many skeleton warriors were out there.
Every so often, pairs of blue soul flames drifted between the trees before disappearing again.
“Undead-type class?” “Necromancer.” Nia froze.
“Necromancer?” She clearly hadn’t heard of the class before.
“Hidden Class?” Kyle glanced at her.
“Yeah.” Nia immediately became interested.
“That explains it.” “I was wondering what kind of normal summoner could have this many skeletons.” Remembering what had happened that afternoon, she couldn’t resist asking another question.
“And those two guys earlier…
they saw all your summons and still didn’t fight you?” “Almost.” Nia blinked.
Then she laughed.
“Guess they got lucky.” Kyle gave her another look.
Apparently, even though she’d already escaped by then, she hadn’t been completely unaware of what happened afterward.
He didn’t ask about it.
Every class holder had their own secrets.
They had only just met.
There was no reason for either of them to explain everything.
Nia seemed to understand that too.
She didn’t say why she’d been chased earlier.
After finishing the last of the sweet potato, she brushed her hands off.
Then she seemed to remember something.
“Oh, right.” “Want to use Detection on each other?” Kyle looked at her.
Nia pointed at herself.
“I know you’re a Necromancer, but all you know about me is my name.” “Seems a little unfair.” Kyle didn’t particularly care whether it was fair, but since she’d suggested it herself, he had no reason to refuse.
“Sure.” They raised their hands almost simultaneously.
A faint glow from Detection appeared.
The next second— Nothing appeared in front of Kyle.
Detection failed.
His brow moved slightly.
Across the fire, however, Nia had successfully read his basic information.
[Name: Kyle Gray] [Level: 10] [Class: Necromancer] Nia stared at the information for two seconds.
Then she looked up.
“You’re only Level 10?” Her first reaction wasn’t to his class.
It was his level.
Kyle didn’t answer.
Nia looked around at the skeleton warriors again.
This many summons.
Alone in a forest this far from Westport.
Not even nervous that afternoon when facing two class holders who were clearly higher level than him.
And yet— Level 10?
Nia’s expression became strange.
“Is there something wrong with your Level 10?” Kyle stared at her.
“…” He glanced down at his own Detection result.
Still nothing.
Only then did Nia realize what had happened.
“Oh, right.” She reached beneath the collar of her armor and pulled out a thin chain.
A small silver badge hung from the end.
“This.” “Detection-Blocking Badge.” Nia gave it a little shake.
“It’s difficult for Detection to read my information while I’m wearing it.” “Almost forgot.” She removed the badge.
“Try now.” Kyle used Detection again.
This time, the information appeared normally.
[Name: Nia Vale] [Level: 19] [Class: Shadow Assassin] Level 19.
Kyle wasn’t particularly surprised.
The speed Nia had displayed that afternoon already made it obvious that she wasn’t an ordinary low-level class holder.
Shadow Assassin also fit her fighting style perfectly.
What interested Kyle more was the Detection-Blocking Badge.
Equipment capable of interfering with Detection wasn’t particularly common.
And it certainly wasn’t cheap.
Nia clearly had no intention of explaining where it had come from.
She quickly put the badge back on.
“Now we’re even.” Kyle nodded.
Nia continued staring at him.
“I still think it’s strange, though.” “What?” “You’re only Level 10.” “Yeah.” “A Level 10 Necromancer sitting alone in a forest in the middle of the night, surrounded by skeletons.” Nia started counting on her fingers.
“And this afternoon, you almost got into a fight with two class holders above Level 10.” She looked up.
“Are you really not afraid of dying?” Kyle looked at her for two seconds.
“I am.” Nia clearly hadn’t expected that answer.
“Then you still dared to come out here alone?” Kyle’s voice remained calm.
“Because they can’t beat me.” Nia stared at him.
“…” After a moment of silence, she suddenly burst out laughing.
“You’re actually pretty interesting.” Kyle didn’t respond.
Nia had already expected that and didn’t mind.
She was just about to say something else when the smile suddenly disappeared from her face.
At almost the exact same moment, Kyle turned his head.
A warning came through his connection with one of the skeleton warriors on the outer perimeter.
Someone was approaching.
More than one person.
And they were moving fast.
Nia’s hand was already resting on one of the daggers at her waist.
The relaxed look in her eyes vanished instantly.
Kyle didn’t ask whether it was the same two people from that afternoon.
There was no need.
From somewhere deep in the darkness came the faint sound of a dry branch snapping beneath someone’s foot.
Once.
Then again.
Closer each time.
The campfire continued to burn quietly.
But the skeleton warriors scattered throughout the surrounding forest had already begun shifting positions at Kyle’s command.
One pair of blue soul flames appeared in the darkness.
Then another.
And another.
Kyle remained seated beside the fire.
He didn’t stand.
He simply looked calmly toward the direction of the approaching footsteps.
Nia tightened her grip on her dagger and stared into the trees as well.
Beneath the darkness of the forest— someone was coming.