Chương 63: Cutting and Explosion

On the other side, Grey's fighting style was far less overwhelming. Facing a Skeleton Soldier charging at him with a bone blade raised high, Grey didn't choose to clash head-on. Instead, he smoothly shifted his body aside, narrowly avoiding the attack. The moment they passed each other, Grey twisted his wrist. His longsword flashed toward the connection point between the skeleton's spine and vertebrae. The razor-sharp blade slipped into the gaps between the bones.

With just a little force— The skeleton was cut cleanly in half. Crack! The Skeleton Soldier was severed at the waist. But even that wasn't enough to kill it. Supporting itself with both arms, the undead creature continued crawling toward Grey with relentless persistence.

"Seriously troublesome…" Grey cursed under his breath. He stomped down hard, crushing the skull beneath his boot until it warped, then followed up with a sword strike that shattered it completely. Without stopping, he turned toward the next Skeleton Soldier. While Marcus and Grey held the front line, the ranged support from behind had already joined the battlefield. Vaelis pulled back Luna's Edge, his heirloom longbow. Against monsters of this level, ordinary arrows were practically useless.

Their piercing power simply wasn't enough. However, using a Thunderstrike Arrow infused with a large amount of Qi would be overkill. So Vaelis chose a middle ground. He only poured a small amount of Qi into the arrowhead. An arrow empowered this way had far greater destructive force than a normal arrow, while also carrying his lightning affinity, allowing it to create a small explosive effect.

"Whoosh!" The arrow tore through the air. Faint sparks of electricity danced around the feathers, and beneath the moonlight, the arrow's trajectory looked like a silver thread. Direct hit. The Qi-infused arrow was unstoppable. It pierced straight through the Skeleton Soldier's hardened skull. Then— The lightning-infused Qi erupted. BOOM! The entire skull exploded. Bone fragments scattered everywhere. The Skeleton Soldier died instantly. Meanwhile, Zelier raised his staff and began charging his own spell.

Wind Blade! Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. An invisible blade of compressed wind sliced diagonally through the air and struck the Skeleton Soldier's skull. The creature's head jerked sideways. A deep cut appeared across its skull. Under normal circumstances, an ordinary monster would have died instantly. But Skeleton Soldiers were undead. That wasn't enough. The creature merely twisted its damaged neck and continued moving. Seeing this, Zelier narrowed his eyes.

"Bones are tougher than I expected…" Against this kind of enemy, Wind Blade—which focused purely on cutting—wasn't very effective. It was difficult to achieve a one-hit kill. Then he would simply change his approach. Zelier quickly constructed another spell circuit inside his mind. Moisture in the surrounding air began gathering toward the tip of his staff. The already cold atmosphere grew even colder. Soon, a gleaming ice shard materialized. Ice Lance! Whoosh! The sharp projectile screamed through the air.

It pierced directly through the Skeleton Soldier's skull and became lodged inside. Then— Bang! The Ice Lance exploded inside the creature's head. Frostburst! The Skeleton Soldier's skull shattered from within. Once its core was destroyed, the undead body immediately lost all ability to move and collapsed into a pile of scattered bones. As expected. Zelier smiled slightly. The piercing impact followed by an internal explosion made Ice Lance far more suitable against Skeleton Soldiers than Wind Blade.

He raised his hand. Another Ice Lance shot forward. Another Skeleton Soldier fell. Under the moonlit sky, Zelier and Vaelis alternated their attacks, efficiently picking off the undead one after another. Skeleton Soldiers had no intelligence. Their movement speed was also slow. To ranged attackers, they were practically walking targets. At the center of the graveyard, Marcus let out a thunderous roar. His voice echoed clearly through the silent night.

At the same time, he struck his battle blade against his shield, creating a loud metallic clash. Something strange happened. The Skeleton Soldiers actually turned toward him. Several undead creatures that had been surrounding Grey immediately changed direction and began moving toward Marcus. Zelier watched the scene with interest.

"Is that… a taunt skill?"

"Frontline warriors naturally possess this kind of provoking trait through their Qi." Vaelis narrowed one eye while drawing another arrow.

"They can use roars and intimidation to force enemies to focus their attacks or make them hesitate."

"However, this level of effect has already exceeded what a Low-tier Warrior should be capable of." He released the bowstring.

"I imagine Marcus will advance soon."

"That would be great." Zelier smiled. Having another Mid-tier Warrior in the team—especially a frontline defender—would greatly improve the safety of everyone behind him. They could focus on dealing damage without worrying as much. Marcus became like a magnet. The majority of the Skeleton Soldiers immediately surrounded him. Pale bone blades fell like rain. Clang! Clang! Clang! Sparks erupted as attacks crashed against his shield.

Although the Skeleton Soldiers couldn't break through Marcus' defensive stance, their overwhelming numbers prevented him from counterattacking. For the moment, he could only block and retreat while holding his ground.

"Marcus!" Zelier's voice came from behind. Marcus glanced backward. Zelier stood there with his white ash staff raised. At the tip of the staff, countless strands of light gathered together, forming a crystal-like shape. Power surged within it, ready to erupt. The moment Marcus saw this, he immediately understood what Zelier intended. Their repeated teamwork had created perfect coordination. He stopped defending in place and began retreating toward Zelier.

The mindless Skeleton Soldiers failed to realize death was approaching. They simply followed Marcus. Their formation became tighter and tighter. This was the moment.

"Zelier, fire!" Marcus shouted. At the same time, he threw himself sideways, narrowly avoiding the skeletons' attacks. Almost at the exact instant he moved— A brilliant blue flash crossed the battlefield. Arcane Missile! A highly compressed sphere of magical energy surged forward. The moment it struck— The stored mana erupted.

"BOOM!!!" The Arcane Missile pierced through the Skeleton Soldier at the front and reduced it to fragments. But it didn't stop. The remaining force continued forward, carrying a violent shockwave of magic. One after another— Five more Skeleton Soldiers behind it were shattered. Bone dust filled the air. Blue arcane energy spread outward. The crowded battlefield instantly became an empty space. Marcus stared at the scene. Once again, he couldn't help but feel amazed. Zelier's magic was terrifying.

No wonder Drake, despite reaching the Mid-tier Warrior rank, couldn't withstand it. One Arcane Missile had destroyed both his shield and his arm. The extermination continued smoothly. The Skeleton Soldiers were quickly reduced by more than half. At the same time, Zelier's experience continued increasing. However, these low-level Skeleton Soldiers provided very little experience. They were still far from enough to push him toward his next level. While casting spells, Zelier's eyes continued scanning the battlefield.

The quest description had mentioned possible Vile Skeletal Amalgams… Where were they? Could it be that none would appear?