[Damage Transfer] redirected the damage Kyle should have taken and distributed it evenly among all of his summons.
It wasn’t until he’d taken a direct attack from the Goblin King just now that Kyle finally realized something.
The skill that had seemed almost capable of making him impossible to kill wasn’t as perfect as he’d thought.
The Goblin King’s blade hadn’t struck any of the skeleton warriors.
Its target had been Kyle.
Yet after the attack landed, the skeleton warriors scattered around the battlefield had all suffered varying degrees of damage.
At first, Kyle had assumed the Goblin King’s Strength was simply high enough to somehow break through the protection of [Damage Transfer].
But after carefully thinking back over what had happened, he quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
The real problem— was Kyle himself.
He glanced at his attributes.
His Constitution was still low.
Compared to an ordinary class holder of the same level, it might not have been particularly bad.
But against a Goblin King with thousands of points in Strength, it was nowhere near enough.
If that blade had actually struck him without [Damage Transfer], the damage would’ve been severe.
And [Damage Transfer] didn’t work by having his summons use their own defenses to block attacks for him.
The attack was calculated against Kyle first.
The amount of damage he should have suffered was determined according to his own defenses.
Only after that was the resulting damage transferred away and divided among all of his summons.
In other words— the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors’ 3,500 Constitution couldn’t help Kyle reduce the initial damage.
If the Goblin King had attacked a Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior directly, the skeleton’s own defenses would have absorbed most of the force.
At worst, the blade would’ve left some damage across its bones.
But the target had been Kyle.
His defense was far lower than theirs.
So the attack first calculated the enormous amount of damage Kyle himself should have taken.
Then [Damage Transfer] divided that damage among his summons.
That was what had caused the situation just now.
Kyle quickly understood the key point.
“So their defense isn’t the problem.” His gaze dropped to his own hand.
“It’s me.” The weakest defense in his entire summoning system— belonged to the summoner himself.
Kyle fell silent for a moment.
Strangely, he didn’t think this was necessarily a bad thing.
At least he’d discovered it now.
If he’d continued relying on [Damage Transfer] without understanding its weakness, only to discover the problem after encountering a truly powerful enemy, that would have been far more dangerous.
Now that he knew where the weakness was, he could find ways to compensate for it.
Increase his Constitution.
Find equipment that improved defense.
If he obtained damage-reduction skills in the future, those could further reduce the amount of damage [Damage Transfer] needed to distribute.
Kyle quickly had a direction in mind.
The harder he was to injure, the less damage his summons would have to endure in his place.
From that perspective— strengthening himself also strengthened his entire summoned army.
Kyle raised his head again.
The battle ahead wasn’t over.
The Goblin King stood more than six meters tall.
Muscles bulged beneath its gray-green skin, but its enormous body was already covered in wounds.
Blood flowed continuously down its chest, shoulders, and back.
A large section of the stone floor beneath it had already been stained dark red.
Eight Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors surrounded it.
Three had climbed directly onto the Goblin King’s body.
One clung to its shoulder.
Another hung from its back.
The third stood on one of its thick arms.
The enormous difference in size didn’t make them hesitate in the slightest.
Bony fingers dug firmly into flesh while the blades in their other hands continued falling.
Slash!
A blade cut into the Goblin King’s shoulder.
The Goblin King roared and reached for the skeleton.
But the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior immediately released its grip.
Its body slid down the Goblin King’s arm, turned half a rotation in midair, and landed steadily on the ground.
Almost at the exact same moment, another skeleton stepped onto the Goblin King’s bent knee and launched itself upward.
Its blade swept horizontally.
Slash!
The edge passed across the side of the Goblin King’s face.
Blood sprayed outward.
The Goblin King staggered half a step backward.
Its enormous foot slammed into the ground, sending loose stones bouncing around it.
It was completely enraged.
“ROOOAR—!” With a deafening roar, the Goblin King suddenly drove its massive blade into the ground.
Kyle’s eyes shifted.
Something was wrong.
It wasn’t preparing another sword attack.
The next second— the Goblin King’s knees bent sharply.
Its massive body actually left the ground.
It leaped several meters into the air.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors clinging to its body immediately tightened their grip.
But the Goblin King made no attempt to throw them off.
Its enormous body hung in the air for a brief instant— then came crashing down.
BOOM!
Both feet slammed into the ground.
The entire mine seemed to shake.
Chunks of rock fell from overhead as a visible shock wave spread outward along the ground.
The two Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors closest to it were hit first.
Their bodies instantly lost balance and were thrown away.
The three clinging to the Goblin King were blasted off as well.
One struck the rock wall, its blue-gray skeleton scraping a clear mark across the stone.
[Quaking Stomp]!
Kyle didn’t immediately order them to charge again.
Because the Goblin King’s attack wasn’t over.
After landing, it suddenly lowered itself and planted both hands against the ground.
Its chest expanded to an unnatural degree.
Kyle immediately sensed danger.
“Scatter!” The moment the order was given, all eight Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors retreated in different directions.
The next instant— WHOOSH!
A torrent of crimson flame erupted from the Goblin King’s mouth.
The flames weren’t directed at a single fixed target.
As the Goblin King turned its head, the stream swept rapidly across the entire area in front of it.
Two Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors had already moved clear.
Another two weren’t fast enough.
The flames struck them head-on.
Blazing fire instantly engulfed their blue-gray frames.
Kyle could clearly sense their vitality falling rapidly.
It wasn’t a single burst of damage.
The flames continued burning.
Kyle didn’t hesitate.
With a thought— the two most heavily injured Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors disappeared from the battlefield and were immediately returned to the summoning space.
The remaining skeleton warriors tried to approach from the sides, outside the range of the flames.
But the Goblin King was clearly prepared for that.
It continued breathing fire while slowly rotating its body, using the sea of flames to keep every Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior at a distance.
This wouldn’t work.
Kyle quickly assessed the situation.
His skeleton warriors could surround the Goblin King from multiple directions, but as long as it maintained that stream of fire, they wouldn’t be able to close the distance again.
In that case— interrupt it.
For the first time in the battle, Kyle actively raised his hand.
Spirit rapidly gathered.
A mass of dark flame silently ignited above his palm.
[Soul Flame]!
There was no explosion.
No whistling through the air.
Not even the slightest trace of heat.
The dark flame simply left Kyle’s palm and disappeared into the Goblin King’s head.
The next instant— “ROAR!” The Goblin King’s enormous body suddenly stiffened.
The stream of fire from its mouth abruptly stopped.
Both hands flew to its head.
It staggered backward, and the sound coming from its throat was no longer a furious roar.
It was a growl of unmistakable pain.
It worked.
Kyle’s eyes shifted slightly.
[Soul Flame] didn’t attack the body.
It attacked the target’s mind and soul.
Ordinary leather armor, muscle, and bone provided almost no defense against it.
And after being enhanced by [Total Amplification], the skill’s actual effect far exceeded that of an ordinary skill at the same level.
No matter how strong the Goblin King’s physical defenses were, thick skin couldn’t protect its soul.
“Go.” The moment Kyle gave the order, the six Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors still capable of fighting rushed forward.
The first approached head-on.
The Goblin King had only just lowered its hands from its head when the skeleton’s blade came down.
It immediately raised its massive weapon to block.
CLANG!
The two weapons collided violently.
Sparks scattered.
The tremendous force pushed the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior half a step backward.
The Goblin King’s movements also stopped for an instant.
That instant was enough.
Two more Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors closed in from the left and right.
The blade on the left cut toward its knee.
The one on the right struck its waist.
Slash!
Slash!
Two wounds appeared simultaneously.
The Goblin King roared in pain and swept its massive blade horizontally.
One skeleton jumped backward.
The other failed to completely avoid the attack.
The flat of the blade slammed heavily into its chest.
Its entire body spun through the air.
BANG!
The skeleton struck the rock wall.
Several cracks immediately spread across its ribs.
Before the Goblin King could pursue it, another Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior stepped onto the lowered surface of its massive blade and leaped upward.
Its own weapon rose high.
[Savage Strike]!
Dark red light erupted across the blade.
It came down hard on the Goblin King’s shoulder.
SLASH!
The attack buried itself deep in the flesh.
The Goblin King’s body tilted violently from the pain.
Its hand reached toward the skeleton on its shoulder.
Kyle raised his hand again.
[Soul Flame]!
A second mass of dark flame disappeared into the Goblin King’s head.
The hand it had just raised suddenly froze.
The intense pain tearing through its soul threw its movements into momentary confusion.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior immediately pulled out its blade and jumped away.
The others moved in at once.
One strike after another.
Kyle didn’t continuously spam [Soul Flame].
The skill was powerful, but his Spirit wasn’t unlimited.
He only interfered when the Goblin King prepared to activate a skill or when one of his skeleton warriors was in obvious danger.
The rest of the time, the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors handled the battle themselves.
With that— the Goblin King’s advantages were gradually stripped away.
It possessed Strength far beyond that of an ordinary monster.
It had an enormous body.
It had an area attack capable of knocking back nearby enemies.
It could continuously breathe fire.
But it wasn’t facing an ordinary party of class holders.
The six Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors constantly exchanged positions.
If the ones in front were injured, they immediately withdrew.
Those still in good condition replaced them.
Whenever the Goblin King prepared a large-scale attack, Kyle used [Soul Flame] to interfere.
Little by little— the rhythm of the entire battle fell firmly under Kyle’s control.
One minute later.
The Goblin King could barely stand.
One leg could no longer properly support its weight.
Crisscrossing blade wounds covered its chest.
Even the right hand gripping its massive weapon had only three fingers left capable of exerting proper force.
Yet it still hadn’t fallen.
The Goblin King suddenly raised its head.
Blackness was rapidly spreading through its originally crimson eyes.
Kyle paused.
The black markings.
Only now did he notice that the same black lines existed beneath the Goblin King’s neck.
Its skin was naturally dark, and its body was covered in blood, so he hadn’t noticed them earlier.
But as its injuries became more severe, the markings rapidly spread upward.
Its neck.
Its jaw.
Its cheeks.
Finally— toward its eyes.
Just like the Goblin Mine Guard from before.
Only far more severe.
The Goblin King’s breathing, which had already begun to weaken, suddenly grew heavy again.
Its right hand tightened around its massive blade.
Kyle didn’t continue watching.
He’d already confirmed that Detection couldn’t properly display the changes caused by those black markings.
There was no reason to risk waiting for the transformation to finish.
“All of you.
Use your skill.” The soul flames in the six Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors’ eyes flickered simultaneously.
Dark red light spread across their blades.
[Savage Strike]!
The Goblin King released one final roar and brought its massive blade down toward the skeleton in front of it.
The Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior didn’t block.
It moved sharply to the side.
The massive blade missed.
BOOM!
The stone floor split apart.
But before the Goblin King could pull its weapon free— six Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors were already closing in from different directions.
The first blade cut into its right leg.
The second struck its waist.
The third tore across its back.
The fourth buried itself in its left shoulder.
Then the fifth Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior stepped onto the Goblin King’s bent knee and launched itself upward.
Its blade swept diagonally from below.
Blood sprayed.
The Goblin King’s enormous body finally lost its balance.
The final Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior was already standing directly in front of it.
Both hands gripped its blade.
The dark red glow suddenly intensified.
The blade swept horizontally.
Slash!
The Goblin King stopped moving.
Its massive weapon slipped from its hand.
BANG!
Then— its body, more than six meters tall, slowly fell backward.
BOOM—!
The enormous corpse crashed heavily onto the mine floor.
Silence finally returned.
System notifications appeared.
[Level 16 Goblin King killed.
EXP +45,000.] [Bronze-Rank Weapon obtained: Goblin King’s Dagger.] [Bronze-Rank Armor obtained: Robe of Knowledge.] [Goblin King Mana Crystal obtained.] At the same time, a soft light rose around Kyle.
[Level increased: Level 12.] Level 12.
Kyle glanced at his status.
His leveling speed had indeed been extremely fast since entering Blackstone Mine.
But the level increase wasn’t what interested him most right now.
His attention returned to the Goblin King’s corpse.
Kyle walked over.
Even after death, the black markings hadn’t disappeared.
If anything, they had become even more obvious.
Several had spread beneath the skin toward its open wounds.
Kyle crouched down.
Using the tip of a blade, he carefully opened one of the wounds.
What lay beneath wasn’t normal dark red flesh.
Several extremely thin black strands— were tangled between the muscles.
For the first time, Kyle’s expression truly changed.
The black markings on the goblins outside the forest had only appeared around their skin and bones.
But inside the Goblin King— whatever this was had already spread into its flesh.
Kyle didn’t touch it with his hands.
Instead, he took out an empty material vial and used the tip of the blade to separate a small piece of the black substance before placing it inside.
Only after finishing did he turn his attention to the loot.
[Goblin King’s Dagger] [Quality: Bronze-Rank] [Strength +15] [Agility +15] [Assassin Skill Power +5%] [Level Requirement: 12] Assassin equipment.
Kyle put it directly into his storage space.
He could sell it later.
The second item was a dark gray robe.
[Robe of Knowledge] [Quality: Bronze-Rank Armor] [Spirit +15] [Constitution +15] [Mage Skill Cooldown -5.5%] [Level Requirement: 12] Kyle’s gaze lingered on [Constitution +15].
If he’d found this before entering the dungeon, the Spirit bonus probably would’ve interested him more.
But after the battle just now, the importance of Constitution had clearly increased.
Fifteen points wasn’t much.
But it was still an improvement.
Kyle didn’t hesitate.
He equipped the Robe of Knowledge.
Only then did he inspect the final item.
The one he’d originally come here for.
[Goblin King Mana Crystal] The crystal was about half the size of a fist.
It was a deep, dark red, and faint warmth could still be felt from within when Kyle held it.
This was exactly what the mission at the Imperial Exchange required.
One hundred thousand gold.
The mission was complete.
Yet Kyle showed no intention of leaving.
Because this wasn’t over.
He looked up.
Under normal circumstances, defeating the final boss should have completed the dungeon.
But no exit portal had appeared.
There was no dungeon-clear notification either.
Kyle stood.
Of the eight Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors, two had suffered heavy damage and had already been returned to the summoning space.
Several of the others had varying degrees of damage but remained capable of fighting.
Kyle didn’t immediately summon replacements.
Instead, his attention shifted toward the place where the Goblin King had fallen.
When its massive body crashed down, part of the rock wall behind it had been revealed.
There was no doorway.
But there was a crack.
A narrow one.
At most, a single adult could squeeze through sideways.
More strangely— cold air continuously flowed from inside.
Kyle could feel it even from several meters away.
And there was something else.
That familiar smell.
Blood.
Far stronger than what he’d smelled when entering the dungeon.
Kyle’s gaze slowly dropped to the ground.
A trail of blood extended from the area where the Goblin King had been standing and disappeared into the crack.
It hadn’t come from the Goblin King.
The blood had already dried.
Kyle immediately thought of the missing six-person party.
Since entering the mine, he’d found a broken staff, a shoulder guard, and several traces of blood belonging to class holders.
Now— those traces had led here.
Kyle didn’t enter immediately.
First, he ordered one of the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors still in good condition to approach the crack.
Clack.
Clack.
The skeleton turned sideways and slowly squeezed into the darkness.
Kyle carefully monitored the area ahead through the connection between them.
Ten meters.
Twenty.
Thirty.
No monsters.
But when the Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warrior continued forward— their connection suddenly weakened.
Kyle’s eyes narrowed.
It wasn’t dead.
He could still sense the skeleton warrior’s existence.
But the normally clear connection between them felt as though something was interfering with it.
Kyle immediately ordered it to stop.
A moment later, the skeleton warrior backed out through the crack.
No injuries.
No signs of an attack.
Kyle stared at the narrow opening.
[Current Status: Unknown Anomaly] Apparently— that warning hadn’t been referring to the Goblin King at all.
The real problem was still ahead.
Kyle didn’t rush inside.
The battle had consumed a significant amount of his Spirit, and several Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors needed time to recover.
Besides, he’d already reached Level 12.
If an unknown danger existed beyond the crack, there was no reason to enter while he wasn’t at full strength.
Kyle found a position nearby where he could watch both the crack and the mine tunnel, then sat down.
The six Bronze-Rank Skeleton Warriors still capable of moving took up positions around him.
As for the Goblin King’s corpse— Kyle didn’t use [Corpse Explosion].
The black substance inside this body was clearly far more severe than what he’d found in the other goblins.
Until he understood what it actually was, detonating the corpse could destroy a valuable clue.
Kyle closed his eyes.
He began to meditate.
The mine became silent once more.
But not long afterward— a faint sound drifted from somewhere beyond the crack.
“Help…” It was weak.
So weak that it could almost have been mistaken for wind passing through the rocks.
Kyle’s eyes snapped open.
That wasn’t a monster.
It was a human voice.
And— they were still alive.