However, there was no such thing as a Skeleton Soldier becoming overpowered.
Whether I'd poured everything into that single shot or it had simply been a stroke of luck, I couldn't say.
Astonishingly, all 43 arrows I fired afterward missed their targets, turning the gray chamber into a hedgehog.
No, honestly, I could understand missing a hundred times over, but how the hell does an arrow turn ninety degrees and embed itself in the wall beside the target?
It was absolutely ridiculous….
[The ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ laughs at you so hard that she can barely breathe.]
You're the most ridiculous one of all, Damn Goddess.
Haah, I don't know anymore.
The woman who called herself a goddess was doing nothing but laughing, and the accuracy of my only weapon, the bow, was absolute garbage.
I hadn't expected to become overpowered, but I should at least be able to hit a stationary target.
At this rate, forget monsters. I felt like I'd lose to an ordinary wolf.
I'd probably be reduced to bone dust before I ever recovered my memories.
Literally, a situation where I couldn't see any future ahead of me.
Frustrated, I lay flat on my back.
I'm a Skeleton Soldier.
A monster in the form of a living, moving skeleton.
That means I can't mingle with people and live peacefully among them.
Besides, I didn't know what it would take to restore the Damn Goddess's power, but it certainly wasn't something I could accomplish with a few words.
‘It's going to be tough….’
Even with the slightest thought, all I could see stretching before me was a bloodstained road littered with blood and chunks of flesh.
Which meant that, in the end, I had no choice but to pick up my bow.
It was the only thing I could do and the only means I had of surviving.
Even if my accuracy was garbage, surely it would improve someday if I kept firing dozens, hundreds, or thousands of arrows.
With that thought, I got back to my feet.
CREAK.
I adjusted my stance and used [Bone Manipulation] to create an arrow.
I nocked the newly grown arrow, drew the bowstring, and released it.
WHOOSH~ THUNK!
Only then did the arrow fly exactly where I wanted it to, shattering along with the arrow that was already embedded there.
“Clack, clack….”
I'd fired 45 arrows, and only two had hit.
An accuracy rate of roughly 4 percent. I suppose the fact that it was higher than the odds of getting something from a game's gacha system was some consolation.
CLATTER!
Just then, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over me, and my skeletal body collapsed into a heap.
I didn't have any internal organs, but I felt as though something had risen all the way to my throat, making me want to vomit.
Is this… Skill Overload?
Skill Overload was a phenomenon that occurred when an Awakened used their skills more times than they could handle in a single day.
For an ordinary person, it was similar to exercising until they reached their limit and collapsed.
I'd never used [Bone Replacement], and passive skills like [Archery] didn't cause Skill Overload, so [Bone Manipulation] had to be the problem.
Although I'd been reduced to a pile of bones, this was something that needed to happen.
Neither the Status Window nor the System told you the limits of skill usage.
So I had no choice but to figure them out through firsthand experience.
…Not that I'd deliberately pushed myself to the point of Skill Overload.
Anyway, the limit of arrows I could create with [Bone Manipulation] was 45.
Considering the bow I'd created at the beginning, I might be able to squeeze out a few more arrows, but it would be safer to assume that 45 was the limit.
Satisfied with having learned that, I closed my eyes.
Of course, I didn't actually have any eyes to close, but I could shut off my vision through a similar sensation.
My body would probably recover by tomorrow.
For now, I just wanted to rest.
***
Time passed endlessly like that.
WHOOSH~ THUNK!
A hit.
I could create 45 arrows a day, and by now, a total of 315 arrows had sliced through the air.
A week had passed.
During that time, I'd gained quite a lot.
First, out of the 45 arrows I could fire each day, I'd become capable of hitting my target with an average of around 32.
I'd gotten the hang of it somewhere along the way, so unlike the first day, my arrows no longer made ridiculous ninety-degree turns in midair. Even the arrows that missed were clustered within a relatively consistent area.
Now that my accuracy had risen above 50 percent, at least I wouldn't find myself in a dangerous situation where every single arrow missed.
I also learned that while the bow created through [Bone Manipulation] was quite sturdy, the arrows tended to splinter and break apart after being fired once, making them difficult to reuse.
…There was no way I could survive in this world with only about 45 arrows a day, so I'd have to find some decent arrows.
Of course, there was no way a Skeleton Soldier could buy or obtain arrows from humans, so I'd have to steal them from other monsters or collect them from corpses.
And finally, I hadn't been able to reproduce the tremendous destructive power of that first shot.
Had it really been a miracle that happened only once?
No matter how hard I tried to recreate that moment, I couldn't produce anything close to the same power.
It was disappointing, but there was nothing I could do about something beyond my control.
“Clack, clack.”
I clicked my bitter-tasting mouth a few times as though shaking off the unpleasant feeling, then stood up.
My preparations seemed more or less complete.
Which meant it was finally time to take a step forward.
I approached a corner of the gray chamber that had become so riddled with arrows that anyone could mistake it for a hedgehog.
Despite the countless arrows I'd fired, not a single one had struck Papi, whom I'd used as a stand to keep the stone target in place.
Was it coincidence or fate?
“Clack, clack.”
I couldn't say for certain, but I quietly offered him a final farewell, filled with gratitude for everything he'd done.
It was finally time to leave this gray chamber.
For a moment, I reflected on the past week.
Create arrows, shoot them, collapse.
Create arrows, shoot them, collapse.
Create arrows….
“Clatter….”
‘That's awfully repetitive….’
Let's stop. It's getting depressing.
Putting an end to my pointless reminiscing, I approached the elaborately carved gray door on the side opposite the wall riddled with arrows.
[Do you wish to leave?]
A translucent System window appeared as I placed my hand against the door.
Since I had no intention of rotting away inside this chamber forever, I put some strength into my arm and slowly pushed the door open.
RUMBLE!
The door opened little by little with a deafening roar, spilling light from the outside into the chamber.
[Once you pass through this door, your contract with the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ will be completed.]
There was no need to think about which contract the System meant.
It had to be that fraudulent contract about becoming her Apostle.
I didn't like it, but I had no intention of complaining about it now.
If recovering my memories meant becoming the Damn Goddess's Apostle or even her slave, then so be it.
Reaffirming the resolve I'd made a week ago, I threw the door wide open with all my strength.
***
RUMBLE!
At last, the door opened completely, and a brilliant white light enveloped me.
It embraced me with the same gentle care and warmth as a mother holding her child for the first time.
Beyond that light, something shimmered indistinctly.
An old bench with its paint completely peeled away, and beside it, a lone streetlamp struggling to illuminate a flickering bulb.
Strangely, the moment I saw that place, I felt something soft and warm beginning to bloom within my chest.
“Welcome, my child.”
As though entranced by something, I approached the bench, and a voice reached my ears.
I turned my head toward the sound and saw a doll sitting on the bench.
A white doll that seemed to be imitating the appearance of a witch.
It was an old doll, with one end of its hat scorched, dirt staining various parts of its body, and its right button eye dangling loosely.
Yet despite its shabby appearance, it exuded an atmosphere of something transcendent.
“‘Goddess of the Doomed’….”
Suddenly, instead of the usual clattering, a familiar voice escaped my mouth.
Unfortunately, when I checked my arm just in case, it was still the arm of a skeleton.
I figured it must be an effect of this strange space.
“You recognized me immediately.”
Of course I did.
I'm not an idiot.
Among all the beings who could be called gods or Constellations, there was only one who had any reason to appear before me.
“Yes, that is correct. I am the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’, and I am your goddess.”
Her beautiful voice seemed to reverberate through my very brain.
Strangely, the moment I heard that voice, even the tiniest doubt that the doll before me might not be the Damn Goddess vanished completely.
“Hehehe, the Damn Goddess, is it…? No matter how many times I hear it, that remains an irreverent title.”
“Urk!”
There was merely the faintest trace of anger in her voice.
Yet that alone was enough for an invisible force to bear down on my shoulders, as though the entire world were pressing down upon me.
“Well, never mind. You are no ordinary child, but one who is to become my Apostle.”
With those words, the pressure vanished completely, as though it had been washed away.
“….”
How should I describe it? The whole situation felt incredibly awkward.
The difference between the Damn Goddess who'd been speaking to me through the System and the goddess who had now appeared directly before me in the form of a doll was simply too great.
“Hehehe, is that what you think? As I expected, watching you is most entertaining… But time is absolute, even for gods, so we must make haste.”
As the Damn Goddess spoke those words, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
THUD!
My body suddenly gave way, and I dropped to my knees.
This was different from the invisible force that had pressed down on my shoulders moments earlier.
It felt as though I'd been pinned inside a coffin lined with needles.
The pressure was so overwhelming that I couldn't help believing that the slightest movement would kill me.
[Now then, let us complete the contract.]
The voice descending from above shook my very soul.
[My child, who are you?]
“I am a skeleton who was once human, one who struggles to recover his lost memories. I am merely a soul that begs to become your servant.”
My mouth moved naturally, regardless of my own will, as though these were the very words I was supposed to speak.
[My child, what is it that you desire?]
“As your Apostle, I seek only to exalt the name of the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ and restore my lost memories.”
[Your wish shall be fulfilled, my child. Now swear your oath.]
“I am your servant. I swear to live always for your sake, never to betray you, and to guard the White Forest for eternity, holding a bow in my left hand and an arrow in my right.”
[To those facing ruin, I grant opportunity. To those who struggle, I bestow qualification. To those who are dying, I grant life. To those who plead, I bestow strength. Those who swear this oath must never stand still. Those who receive this blessing must never grow complacent. Those who become my Apostles shall move forward.]
[I, the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’, command you.]
Always move forward.
Stake your life.
Uphold your convictions.
And thus, your purpose shall be fulfilled.
This shall be the blessing of I, the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’.
[I appoint you as my Apostle.]
With those words, the long ceremony came to an end.
“Gasp! Hah, hah….”
Only then did my breath burst out of me.
Throughout the ceremony, it had felt as though everything had been bleached white.
I couldn't think about anything at all, not even breathing.
It seemed as though harboring even the smallest speck of a stray thought would constitute an enormous act of blasphemy, so my mind had simply remained dyed in pure white.
I steadied my ragged breathing, and when the crushing pressure disappeared, I raised my head.
The doll had vanished from the bench.
‘Hmm….’
Come to think of it, during the ceremony, I felt as though something had touched my shoulder, and I might even have caught a glimpse of something resembling a person's feet… but I couldn't remember clearly.
All that remained was the hollow, lingering sensation that I'd been together with the goddess until just a moment ago.
DING!
[A Gift for Those Who Struggle.]
-All stats +50
-One stat +100
-Skill growth speed ×1.3
[Please select one.]
Just then, a System message appeared before my eyes.
I'd certainly seen System messages so often that I should've been sick of them, yet strangely, it felt as though I hadn't seen one in a long time.
No, this isn't the time to get lost in the lingering afterglow.
The Damn Goddess had presented me with three options through the System.
The first option increased all my stats by 50, effectively raising my physical abilities to the level of a B-Grade Awakened.
The second option increased only a single stat, but by a full 100 points, making that particular stat comparable to an S-Grade Awakened's.
The third and final option accelerated the growth of skills that needed to be developed through repeated use.
In truth, I'd had a rough idea of what to expect from the moment I heard the word ‘blessing’.
A blessing bestowed by the ‘Goddess of the Doomed’ upon those who accepted her offer.
Since there was no clause prohibiting them from telling others, several people who'd accepted the Goddess of the Doomed's offer had revealed that they'd received blessings like these.
Back when people didn't know much about the Damn Goddess, everyone had envied them, calling the blessings absurdly overpowered.
But as they watched those individuals meet their ruin one after another despite receiving such blessings, people began calling the blessings curses.
Those who chose the first option were destroyed by overwhelmingly powerful opponents or by those who had steadfastly pursued a single path.
Those who chose the second option were destroyed because their other, inferior stats remained weaknesses.
Those who chose the third option met their ruin before they even had a chance to grow.
All three were attractive options, yet not a single person had managed to escape ruin.
That was why people mocked them as the Three Choices of Ruin, choices of despair masquerading as hope.
Nevertheless, I had to choose.
Just as the last faint memory of ‘myself’ told me, even if ruin was inevitable, a chance was still a chance.
Rejecting this opportunity wouldn't necessarily prevent the ruin that was coming.
Whether I fell from the edge of a cliff or was stabbed to death by an enemy standing before me….
I'd die either way.
In that case, shouldn't I stake everything on the option that offered even the slightest possibility?
[Are you certain you wish to make this selection?]
The System's message appeared before my eyes.
But I'd already made my decision.