Chương 66: No Flesh, Just Bones (1)

The arrival of the system message prompted my friends in the chamber below the deck to rush onto the deck, panting and completely out of breath. Ben, Maya and Cayman were in a dire state; they had just regurgitated all of the contents in their stomach, the pallor on their faces was on full display and they looked ready to double over again and vomit out all their innards.

"Mission?" Ben wheezed.

"Defeat the beasts? In the sea?" It sounded very puzzling to him. Luckily though, it looked like he had nothing more to let out, and the same could be said for Maya, who was wearing an apprehensive look. However, for Cayman, it was completely different. Despite there being a mission window in front of him, he hobbled towards the end of the deck and let out the remaining contents in his stomach.

And during all of that turmoil, I simply pointed at the ship in the vicinity that seemed to be heading towards us gradually. There were a whole host of reasons as to why that ship was here. Could it be other Hoppers, or could there be mana beasts on that ship? It was impossible to deduce when the ship was still so far away.

"That ship has to be full of mana beasts," Theo said, pondering over why a system window had showed up in front of him unannounced.

"If not, then what are we going to be defeating? Sharks?" The mana beasts are going to be on ships like these. Suddenly, I remembered what Cayman had said during the meeting. There was a possibility that mana beasts could be on ships, and since a system window had shown up, maybe a deduction wasn't completely impossible. Thankfully, that meant we wouldn't be dealing with sharks.

"It's mana beasts," I said, actively overcoming my fear of social situations for the millionth time since awakening.

"Cayman said it during the meeting. Mana beasts can come on ships."

"Then who's steering the ships?" Ben added, his face deathly pale.

"If there are wild mana beasts on ships, then how does the ship move? Is it being driven by members of The Leak?"

"Can you actually shut up?" Daniel blurted out.

"That is not important right now. What's more important is defeating the beasts! Wherever they are!" During all of our bickering, the other ship was inching closer towards our ship. Soon, the figures on the ship were discernible. The figures that we could see were standing squarely on two legs; they were as tall as humans. Each figure had some sort of crooked hat on their heads, and it seemed as though they were wielding swords. There was only one possible answer for what they were.

"Pirates?" Ben couldn't suppress his bewilderment anymore. From where we stood, those figures looked eerily like pirates. We might be dealing with pirates! Pirates! That's why they're on boats! So Cayman was right. This really was Pirate Planet.

"Are you serious? Are they really pirates?" Maya, however, was feeling slightly apprehensive, as if she was debating in her head whether the pirates from works of fiction existed or not.

"They might just be other Hoppers thinking that we're their adversaries."

"No, they're definitely pirates," Ben challenged frankly.

"Other Hoppers wouldn't wear hats as obnoxious as those ones." Yes, they were definitely pirates. I averted my gaze from Ben and Maya and turned to face Cayman. He was standing up, but his face was pure white, devoid of any colour, his cadaverous features prominent and on full display. He must have suffered the most from seasickness.

"They're pirates," he said in a hoarse voice.

"No doubt. I've been on this planet before, remember? Of course I know they're pirates. They're the mana beasts we have to defeat."

"Pirates? Mana beasts? Do those two even mix?"

"Why can't they?" Cayman said in response to Maya's sudden outburst.

"Mana beasts can be humans as well. They're not found naturally, but The Leak have created human mana beasts."

"Stop bickering!" Theo shouted.

"They're getting closer. We have to think about defeating them." That was when we all looked up and cast our attention on the pirate ship that was edging closer towards us with each passing second. Before, it might have been at least five to ten kilometres away from us, but now, that distance has narrowed to around two or three. And that basically emphasises how much time we waste as a team through bickering and petty, futile arguments. That was one of the main reasons we struggled to work as a team.

"Theo! Ben! Maya! Robert! Daniel! Be ready to jump on board the ship at any moment! And for those who are brain-dead and wondering how the hell you're getting on that shit, use your skills!!!" My brain instantly clicked. I knew exactly what to do. [Skill, 'Teleportation (advanced)', has been activated.] And just like that, I was on enemy territory. I was on another pirate ship, similar to the one that we had built. The whole ship was made of wood, from the hull to the mast.

The deck I was standing on had a smooth lacquered floor that seemed to eliminate all traces of friction. There was a door leading to the cabin on one side and a wooden steering wheel propped up on a stand on the other. Thankfully, the rest of my friends had also made it on the ship safely. If just one of my friends hadn't made it and ended up falling into the water, it could jeopardise the whole mission, but luckily, that didn't happen. I could finally get a good glimpse of the beasts we were supposed to defeat.

There were several of them on the deck, standing tall and not wavering. I had expected them to be ordinary pirates, but once I saw them up close, I realised I couldn't be any more wrong. Yes, they were pirates, but they were devoid of any flesh. Literally. The best way to describe the pirates we were facing was 'no flesh, just bones'. Because that was literally what we were looking at. Soon, before the mana beasts could notice us, a system window opened with the mission details.

[Mission 2/3: defeat the beasts] Description: defeat all the mana beasts living on this planet. Time limit: none Reward: mana crystals Failure: death [Mission 2/3: defeat the beasts] Beasts to defeat: 1) Skeleton pirate (advanced, 0/125) 2) Skeleton pirate (advanced/legendary, 0/59) 3)??? (?? /??) So this really was a step up from what we usually faced. Cayman wasn't going to make this any easier for us. I hastily closed my system window and looked at the beast's back.

It was in the form of a human skeleton, a beast clad in human bones. Every little bone was melded on to perfection; there were many intricate details, like the features on its spine. I was behind it, and I could see our ship with Cayman, Ellie and Devon still on it in the distance. This was my chance to strike. I wasn't going to get a better opportunity. [Skill, 'Teleportation (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)' has been activated.] Punch!

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Crack! I gave it one good punch on the spine, which created an awful cracking noise, but I didn't expect the following chain of events. First, the skeleton jerked forward, its spine contorting horribly and bending at a weird angle. Then, all the bones seemed to fly and scatter, with some of the bones landing in the water.

The skull was one of the unfortunate bones that tumbled into the clear blue sea, taking the pirate hat with it. One down… still more than a hundred more to go. And there were no signs of mana crystals anywhere. Clack! I turned around instinctively, noticing that the cabin door had just burst open. Out came a party of skeletons, all wielding swords and aiming at our heads. They were just bones. No flesh, no eyes, no ears. They did have teeth, though.

A collection of bones, teeth, a pirate hat, and swords being held on bony fingers.

"Now this is a sight you don't see every day," I heard Theo saying, his voice overflowing with conceit.

"Skeletons wielding swords and wearing pirate hats." Before the skeletons could reach me, I reached into my inventory and pulled out a dagger infused with mana. All of the swords that I had taken on my solo missions were broken; they couldn't withstand the sheer wrath of someone going berserk and being thrown into a human body repeatedly and continuously.

Instead, since I had already learned skill creation, I created a dagger using one of the knives my mother kept in the kitchen and surrounded it with advanced-level mana crystals on the creation grid. And just like in Night Hoppers, the result was a simple dagger that could cut down mana beasts like a sword, something that I tested thoroughly during training. Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack! A clamour of footsteps broke out, originating from the cabin and spreading out in all directions.

Despite the fearful appearance of the skeletons, with their faces devoid of any prominent facial features, I didn't waver; I instantly started displaying all of my moves. [Skill, 'Teleportation (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)', has been activated.] Slash! Slash! Slash! Gripping onto the dagger tightly, I swung the dagger from left to right, chopping the bones of the skeletons into many small parts.

I chopped every bone I could, such as the ribs, the skull and somehow, I even managed to cleave the spine of one of the skeletons, sending the top half of its body into the vast ocean below us. The dagger had served its purpose. Since I had just defeated around five skeletons, and their weapons were still lying on the ground untouched, I picked up the nearest sword, swinging it in preparation for another fight. Let's do this, I said in my head. [Skill, 'Teleportation (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Strength (advanced)', has been activated.] Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash! Despite my ineptitude at wielding the sword, my moves were still elegant and refined, just like they were during my solo mission. At least three other skeletons fell victim to my captivating moves. Some of them were even pushed into the sea; they would be sent to the bottom of the ocean without knowing what had hit them. My mind was brimming with overwhelming confidence. I was getting more and more hubristic as time went by.

This felt too easy. Yes, I was at stage 5, and yes, I was finally at the advanced level, but still, didn't this seem a tad bit too easy? It did. Clang!

"Oh my gosh." Suddenly, I faltered. My unwavering resolve had evaporated; it had been lost to this vast world ahead of me. That was when I realised I shouldn't just be looking forward, because there could also be adversaries stabbing me in the back. I turned around and saw not one, not two, but three skeletons all charging towards me with swords at the ready. I was ready as well, seeming poised to swing the sword and quickly end the lives of three pesky live carcasses. Clang! Clang! Clang!

I swung my sword with determination and pride. Clang! The skeletons, however, even though they didn't seem to have a brain, read my moves like a charm and blocked them with ease. This was going to be a pain in the ass. I didn't have refined swordsmanship, nor did I have a vast array of moves in my arsenal. This was going to be one long fight. Clang! Clang! Clang! Whenever I swung my sword high, it would be blocked. Whenever I went for a low slash, it would be blocked as well.

I tried aiming my sword at the ribs, but still, the move was blocked. Clang! The heavily discordant noises rang in the air, making me extremely tempted to cover my ears. Nevertheless, my moves remained unabated as I tried to find an opening to swing my sword. Clang! It wasn't easy when there were three of them all trying to go for the same thing: my head. It wasn't easy when the goals of my adversaries aligned, prompting them to form a temporary alliance to weaken and kill me.

Dealing with beasts that had more expertise than you wasn't easy when you were just a novice. Clang! Clang! Clang! This isn't working. It had worked initially, but over time, the same moves might lose its effectiveness because the enemies had a brain as well. They weren't completely stupid, after all. It would be folly for someone to believe that the same move would be effective over time regardless of who the opponent was, because the opponent would eventually find a way to block and counter the move.

[Skill, 'Reading Bubble (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Recovery (advanced)', has been activated.] I still had the privilege of resting and catching my breath mid-battle. And since my skill had levelled up, the skeletons should have a hard time trying to break through. Clang! Clang! Clang! Despite that, they still tried, even though it was futile. Clang! Clang! Clang! Trying to fight the skeletons with swords loses its effectiveness over time.

They have seasoned moves whereas I'm just a beginner with the sword. There has to be another way for me to break through. I only had a limited number of moves. The skills that I had gained could only provide a small set of moves, which wasn't helpful in a situation like this where all of my moves had been read and countered. I did gain some new skills, but they seemed useless… Wait.

Along with the strange increased reading speed skill that I had gained after Cayman stole my phone, I had also gained a skill that could increase my speed. It was a skill that I had only used once before, and that was to decrease the time it took to build a ship that could fit eight people. Maybe that could help me defeat these overpowering adversaries. I could definitely give it a try. [You have disengaged skill, 'Reading Bubble (advanced)'.]"Let's try this out." [Skill, 'Speed (advanced)', has been activated.] Slash! Slash slash slash slash slash!

"Holy crap, this is such a useful skill," I muttered to myself. I didn't even know what I did. All my movements were a blur; it would be a challenge to discern my movements when the skill was active. And that also meant my vision was blurred. I had trusted my instincts, picked a direction and wildly swung my sword with a strange sense of proficiency. What was the result? A pile of mangled, pulverised bones that were limp and stationary on the shiny floor.

"Damn," I whispered to myself.

"This skill can come in handy." [Skill, 'Teleportation (advanced)', has been activated.] [Skill, 'Speed (advanced)', has been activated.]"It's time to scare some skeletons until their bones fall apart." Slash slash slash slash slash! Slash slash slash slash slash! Suddenly a torrent of slashes was released from my palm in just a second, with most of them unfortunately making contact with the skeletons.

No blood was shed, however, since the skeletons were just a haphazard collection of bones forming the backbone of a human. That meant there were no visible traces of this fight; no one would ever know that I had defeated a group of skeletons. Slash slash slash slash slash! One of the skeletons in my path was brutally mangled; no bone on its body was left intact. The swift moves from my skill rendered the skeleton immobile long before it could notice what was going on.

Unfortunately, as my sword picked up speed, all that was left of the skeleton was powder. I didn't stop there, however, because my next victim was just half a metre away on the same deck. Slash slash slash slash slash! And soon, that skeleton, too, was turned into nothing but powder that was akin to table salt. If bones really were made of table salt, I would throw a handful of it into my mouth immediately and indulge in its taste. Slash!

With great precision and alacrity, I gripped onto my sword tightly and decapitated the nearest skeleton. I watched as the skull tumbled onto the ground, devoid of any life and emotion, and the rest of the skeleton, which couldn't function without its skull, collapsed, leaving a heap of human bones on the deck. Without thinking twice about it, I kicked all of the bones off the deck, sending them splashing sporadically into the water below. I looked around.

Finally, there were no more skeletons that were able to attack me; they had all gone off to attack the rest of my friends instead.

"That was fun." I sat down near the edge of the deck to try and catch my breath. I constantly scanned the area to ensure that no other skeleton could attack me from out of the blue. However, there were none. That meant I could finally get a brief moment's respite with no interruptions.