Chương 67: No Flesh, Just Bones (2)

"Charge!" Theo, Ben, Maya and Daniel effortlessly ran towards the group of skeletons. And soon, chaos ensued. Skulls went flying, bones were pulverised and body parts were sent crashing into the ocean. It didn't stop; as long as there were beasts to defeat, this carnage was never going to end.

"Maya! Daniel! Run into the cabin and deal with the beasts in there!" Theo shouted, giving orders despite not being the formal leader of the group.

"Ben and I will deal with the beasts on the deck!"

"What about Robert?" Maya screamed, noticing that the group was one short.

"Where's he?"

"He's on the deck," Theo replied.

"He went off to do his own thing, but I can see heads flying and bones being pushed into the water, so I think he's OK." Once Maya heard Theo's reassuring words, she ran off into the cabin, following Daniel before the door could slam shut on her.

"Will they really be OK?" Ben asked, feeling slightly apprehensive and displaying a pensive look on his face.

"These beasts are harder, so I thought-""They'll be fine!" Theo snapped.

"Don't be so pessimistic! Also, when there are so many beasts in the vicinity, stop talking! You're only making yourself more vulnerable if you do! Only open your mouth when you really need to!" And afterwards, Theo charged towards a group of skeletons that had been huddling together near the back of the deck. Despite the skeletons holding swords with their bony hands, one punch was all it took for the bones that had formed the structure of a human to disintegrate and fall into the water. Bang!

Standing near it felt like standing in an earthquake zone. The subtle tremors could be felt all over the boat, making Ben feel slightly uneasy. Chills ran down his spine and goosebumps formed on his arms. Nevertheless, he didn't falter. He charged towards the skeletons that had just left the cabin.

"I've just levelled up to the advanced level, and I can't wait to use my new skills!" he yelled, ignoring Theo's remark about speaking. However, due to his overly rambunctious nature, he didn't give a damn about it.

"Unfortunately for you beasts, you've stumbled upon me, someone who will beat you to death and send you to your grave!" Punch! Punch!

"Oh wait. Since you're all dead anyways, does it really count as sending you to your grave? Oh well, I can't be asked to think about the specific details." Punch! Punch! Punch! Just one punch was able to smash the skeleton's rib cage into smithereens, smashing it into millions of miniscule fragments and sending it flying in the direction of the sea, never to be seen again. Splash!

Although the skeletons were armed with sharp silver swords, that didn't faze Ben, who carried on walking towards the skeletons, aimlessly throwing punches wherever he could in the hopes that one of them would make contact. And sure enough, at least eighty percent of his punches touched the bones of the surprised skeletons, snapping their bones into bits and sending them flying in all directions. There was already a pile of broken glass shards near where he was standing, a testament to his reckless efforts.

The collection of bones formed structures akin to skyscrapers in a city, and the collection of skeletons on the deck formed the city itself. And Ben, who was wildly throwing punches in a myriad of different directions, was the bulldozer ready to demolish the entire city. Punch! Punch! Punch!

"Nothing can stop me! I am the ultimate destroyer! The wrecking ball!!!" Punch! Punch! Punch! Theo, on the other hand, was possibly having even more fun. He was stationed near the edge of the ship, luring the skeletons towards him. Then, with one powerful kick, tantamount to a strike that is bound to hit top bins, he sent the array of bones flying into the night sky, seemingly sending them to the moon.

Staying silent, his punches were intermittent and unwavering; each punch had the same force as a wrecking ball being launched into a building, if not more, ready to break it into a trillion pieces. Punch! Punch! Punch! I need to be careful with these punches, because I might end up breaking the ship with them, Theo thought as he released several more carefully placed punches that ended the lives of three more skeletons. If these punches are enough to kill them all, then 125 skeletons will be a piece of cake.

He needed to be the wrecking ball demolishing old, abandoned skyscrapers.

"Ben!" Theo screamed.

"There's more heading your way! On your right!"

"On it!" Ben shouted back. And soon, Theo could let a smile play on his face, since bones flew in the air, skulls were trampled on and whole skeletons were flung into the sea below. This wasn't fighting, it was domination. This wasn't fighting, it was mischief.

"Get a taste of this!!!" Ben hollered at the top of his voice.

"This is how real Hoppers fight! This is all in a day's work for a typical Hopper!"

"I'll help you. Come on, skeletons! Bring it on!" Punch! Punch! Punch! It was just the two boys with superhuman strength on the deck, minding their own business, punching skeletons like they were children's toys. From afar, with the two being just silhouettes, this would appear to be a harrowing, alarming sight. But the whole story couldn't be told if one watched from several kilometres away; it could only be told if the person had purchased front row seats to watch the spectacle.

Only then could their seemingly inhumane actions be justified.

"How are we doing this?" Ben asked himself, staring at his fists and his pink knuckles, although Theo, who was right next to him, could hear that perfectly.

"How have we gotten this strong in just a month?" That was a self-deprecating remark, but at the same time, it indicated that even the two boys themselves were shocked at their own progress. It was like the progress they had gained in just a month was out of this world, beyond anything a human could fathom. Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Nothing flashy, nothing serious. Nothing interesting to see here.

Just two boys punching skeletons that would normally be hung as Halloween decorations, treating them as though they were tantamount to punching bags. That was all. Punch! Punch! Punch!

"I think that's the last of them," Ben said after a while. Despite the temperature of the area they were at being fairly cool, Ben's forehead was blanketed by a layer of fresh, transparent sweat that trickled down his face and onto the smooth wooden flooring.

"For now, that is," Theo replied, smiling. He had also been sweating, and his already wet hair was glued to his scalp. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"I need a break so bad. How many has that been? Like twenty? Thirty? Come on. It has to be at least twenty-five." Theo chuckled heartily.

"There's no time to count how many you've defeated on a battlefield," he replied with a wry smile on his face.

"When you're in battle and you're fighting against enemy troops, you cannot let your guard down ever. If you do, that makes you susceptible to enemy attacks. If you falter, you could end up losing your life on the grim battlefield." Ben hung his head, wearing a face that was devoid of the usual cheerfulness he usually possessed. Despite acting like an immature toddler, despite being the most annoying person in the group, he still knew the consequences. He knew what would happen if he faltered.

And he was the one who knew it the most, since he had been in that position before and had been on the brink of being transported to the afterlife.

"How do you think Maya and Daniel are holding up?" Ben asked Theo quizzically after a moment of silence.

"They should be fine, right?" Theo nodded.

"They'll be fine. They don't usually give up or surrender easily. Especially Maya. She's basically a walking piñata of unwavering confidence. She might secretly be even more boisterous than you, Ben."

"No one is more boisterous than me. I am the human embodiment of being boisterous." It was Ben's turn to chuckle. To think that they were having a wholesome conversation right in the middle of a fight was unfathomable. But it could be done, since there were no enemies in the vicinity.

"Alright, let's get up," Theo said after another moment of silence.

"There are bound to be beasts showing up soon." He stood up, brushed away the dust from his clothes and beckoned for Ben to do the same. Ben, on the other hand, was looking in a different direction.

"That's probably why we haven't been facing many beasts," he whispered, pointing to a scene at the very tip of the deck.

"They've all gone to Robert." He was suddenly engrossed in what Robert was doing. Although the action was nothing but silhouettes because of the night sky, getting front row seats to a spectacle as fascinating as what Ben was watching felt like nothing but a dream. Bones flew into the air like bouncy balls, whole carcasses were forced into the water, where they would sink to the bottom and be the home of various schools of fish. And in the middle of it all, was the silent but emboldened Robert Ryan.

"My gosh…" Ben's voice trailed off. He seriously couldn't take his eyes off the surreal show unfolding in front of him.

"Stand up!" Theo screamed, making Ben's heart jump and bringing him back to reality.

"If a whole horde of skeletons came out from those doors, what would have happened to you? Were you even listening to what I was saying earlier?" Ben shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Theo's head fell into his hands. Yeah, that's right; Ben never listens. Boom! Suddenly, a group of skeletons, around twenty to thirty of them, burst through the door of the cabin, stepping onto the deck.

With swords in hand and skulls as menacing as one of those abominable snowmen Ben had to defeat during his solo mission, they charged towards Theo and Ben, seeming poised to cut them down into miniscule pieces.

"You take the right. I'll take the left."

"OK!" As soon as those words left Theo's mouth and Ben agreed, the two boys scampered away in different directions, ready to launch their attacks.

"Let's do this." Punch! Clang!

"What?" Ben was certain that his punch had made contact with the nearest skeleton's bones, which would have sent it flying into other skeletons. However, it was haphazardly blocked by the fist of the skeleton, which in reality, was just nothing but a pile of bones. Damn it, Ben cursed in his head. These skeletons are stronger than I thought. He sent another punch in the direction of another skeleton, but that too, was blocked. These guys can truly fight back. Punch! Slash!

"Ouch!" Again, Ben had faltered. HIs punch was sent directly into the blade of one of the skeleton's swords, creating a nasty cut on his left hand. Blood immediately trickled down from the fresh wound and onto the shiny parquet flooring, creating a thin layer of red covering the intricate wooden design.

Although excruciating pain followed, and although the blood leaked out of his finger like a broken pipe, Ben continued, sporadically unleashing unabated punches in random directions in the hopes that one of them could land and kill a carcass.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. But I'm a bit injured, and it hurts quite a bit." A sigh was discernible from the other side of the skeletons. Smash! Then came the punch that caused the formation of the skeletons to go haywire; bones crashed into each other, creating an awful noise reminiscent of a myriad of wooden musical instruments clashing into each other simultaneously. Some skeletons were pushed towards Ben, who flinched and dodged in case bones started flying in his direction.

How can he do that while I'm struggling to get a punch in? He's practically spotless whilst I've got to deal with blood loss again. That feeling made Ben slightly disheartened, but it wasn't enough to completely shatter his unyielding resolve. All of a sudden, he teleported, catching the skeletons around him off-guard. Using his immense strength, his newfound speed and solely his right hand, he grabbed the shining sword in the skeleton's hand and pulled.

Soon, the skeleton was unable to handle Ben's immense strength, and its grip on the sword loosened, causing the sword to fly high in the air. Ben effortlessly and efficiently caught the sword with his right hand, which caused the skeleton who had just lost the sword to flinch and falter. Pointing the sword at the skeleton, Ben stood firm, ready to fight. A look of determination played on his face. He ignored the agonising pain in his left hand. Then he struck. Slash! Slash! Slash!

With all of his attacking skills combined, Ben created a spectacle, something that would truly attract the audience, something that could help him flaunt his overwhelming arrogance. The sword was swung a million times in just a mere second. It was blinding yet effective. One of the skeletons that was struck had its skull sent flying; it and the pirate hat that the skeleton wore landed in the ocean. The only thing it would end up being was treasure for ambitious scuba divers.

Another skeleton that had been struck, unaware of Ben's exceptional speed, had no way to counter Ben's myriad of moves. Unfortunately, it was struck at least a thousand times, leaving its bones pulverised and its body cleaved into ten thousand small bits. Ben's obstinacy was off the charts. He showcased what he had learnt as a skill user to perfection, and unfortunately, the skeletons were the perfect victims to taunt and defeat.

"Theo!" he shouted once all of the skeletons on his side were simply a pile of bones on the deck.

"How's it going on your end?"

"I'm fine!" Boom! The whole ship trembled; Ben could only watch as Theo unleashed punch after punch, not caring about his surroundings. Clang! The metallic noise of two swords making contact could be heard, its sound prominent and lingering around the deck. Soon, however, it would be replaced by a more sonorous sound. Crack! One punch. It was just one punch. In Ben's mind, he heard the sound of a sword's blade cracking and shattering to pieces like glass being dropped on the floor.

It filled his heart with unwavering resolve. That guy's a real monster, he thought to himself, knowing that Theo's punches were at least ten times stronger than his. Theo, on the other hand, was having way too much fun. He didn't care that the skeletons were wielding swords as sharp as kitchen knives. As long as his punches hit, that was all that mattered. Punch! Bang! Clang! Each punch brought tremors to the ship, shaking the ship in the absence of strong, torrential waves.

Each punch was enough to smash the bones entirely in two, akin to a martial artist chopping wood in training. Punch! Punch! Punch!

"Woah." At times, there would be skeletons swinging their swords at Theo. However, with the new skill that he gained which increased his speed, that wasn't an issue either; it made dodging attacks seem effortless and casual. Punch! Punch! Punch! Grab! Crack!

Whenever it was impossible to dodge a sword attack from the skeletons, Theo would face the attack head-on, using brute force to punch the sword they wielded into smithereens, letting it fall to the ground as a million tiny fragments and leaving the skeletons pitifully unarmed and vulnerable to Theo's punches of insanity. Then, it would be back to the usual, with punches being unleashed to vanquish the enemy. Punch! Punch! Punch!

"That's all of them on the deck," Theo said once all of the skeletons on the deck were just a wire mesh of bones and crumpled pirate hats.

"Wait a bit in case some others come charging towards us. If not, we'll join Maya and Daniel inside the cabin." Ben, who was holding a sword in his right hand and inspecting an injury on his left hand, nodded subtly.

"Let me see that injury." Ben held out his left hand, which was still leaking blood like a little chocolate fountain. He had made no attempt to staunch the bleeding, not even thinking about using his healing skill.

"That's nothing," Theo said decisively.

"It'll be completely gone if you use your healing skill on it." Ben nodded again, this time, opening his mouth to speak.

"I've defeated all of these skeleton pirates yet none of them drop mana crystals? Pathetic. I've done all of this work for virtually nothing."

"Well, their bodies are partially see-through, and if you don't see mana crystals on their body, you know they don't carry any mana crystals. Yeah, it's a bit pathetic."

"Defeating 125 beasts and getting no mana crystals is bullshit. Then isn't the system message misleading?"

"Perhaps," Theo replied with a wry smile on his face.

"Or maybe it's just an automated message that's the same for every 'defeat the beasts' mission." Ben hung his head, showing signs of defeat on his face despite contributing to the defeat of the party of mana beasts. He looked ready to slump on the floor and fall asleep. Defeating 125 beasts and not gaining the fruits for your hard work and determination was truly a disheartening reality.

"The battle's not over yet," Theo said, putting a hand on Ben's shoulder.

"We've done our part. Now we have to help Maya and Daniel inside the cabin." Nodding lifelessly, Ben agreed, following Theo to where the cabin was. Theo pushed open the door leading to the cabin with such a force that Ben thought it might break, and the two of them rushed into the cabin, which exuded an aura of mystery.