Chương 56: Baron Brawl

It terrifies me. Life-altering pain, arriving without warning. No escape. Forced to experience every single second. Forced to watch my bones snap. To FEEL my bones snap. They reconnect, just to snap again. Muscles writhe and twist under my skin. Like I'm filled with hundreds of parasites. When I was a kid, needles had the same effect. I knew it would only hurt for a minute. I knew it would help me in the long run. But to know it was going to happen with a guarantee. That I couldn't escape it. It made me so scared.

This is so much worse. It has to stop. It needs to stop.

"K-Kevin, ignore trauma and d-d-don't feel pain." The deep, pulsing terror worming through my body fades. My arms release my legs. I unfold from the fetal position, rise to my feet, and take a deep breath. The pain is already fading, and the command erases what's left.

"Damn, that sucked." I stretch, bending backwards. Alright, system, give me some good news. [Reinforced Skeleton (lv. 0) > (lv. 1)] [Optimized Anatomy(lv. 2) > (lv. 3)]"What? Why did-" No way. Did reinforced skeleton level up from optimized anatomy breaking my bones? That's brutal. But if I can nullify pain… My eyes narrow as I look at my arm. Could I break my bones, then heal them to level the skill? It's morbid, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

I quickly reach down and toss the axe over my shoulder before continuing my sprint. Yeah, I'll have to try that when I get back. Hopefully, Brax won't be too freaked out. Yeah, he'll freak out. I can already see it. I'd be freaked out too, seeing my roommate randomly start breaking his own arm. Oh well, I'm sure he'll get used to it after I do it a few times. The thoughts drift away with the wind rushing past my ears. One Mind/Two Bodies My focus immediately goes inwards, checking out the changes.

The inner-exoskeleton is coming along nicely. Should only be a couple more levels in the skill before I get full coverage. In less important parts, like over my arms and legs, the armor is going to take a bit longer. Over my abdomen and neck though, things are looking like a fortification. And I mean that in the best possible way. Plates of bone wrap around so seamlessly that I can't tell they're there. In my abdomen, my large and small intestines are shrinking at an alarming rate.

A spike of fear shoots through my spine at the thought of food not being able to make it through my system. In a world of giant axes and fireballs, being killed by my own skill making me incapable of pooping would be embarrassing. No, the skill said it would only remove parts that I didn't need. But if my large and small intestines disappear… It means I don't need them. Shit. Actually, no, not shit. I'm not going to be able to. Laughter bubbles out of me as I pass the division between wood and stone encampments.

Perfect efficiency in digestion? Sign me up. Looking closer, it actually looks like my stomach is growing alongside my heart and lungs to take up the missing space. I take another deep breath, but I can't tell if it's any easier than before. My diaphragm is also shrinking. I know it has an important role in helping the lungs, but I guess they don't need help anymore? In other places, my muscles are continuing to braid within themselves.

Tendons also seem to be growing in size a bit, but I'm not a hundred percent sure. I sweep through one more time and see something strange. In front of my cheekbones and under my eyebrows, are more bones. One above, one below each eye. Why is it always more bones? I'm not complaining, but why can't I get a cool new organ or something? Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! Sighing, I take my focus and put it into moving well instead of looking inside my body.

It doesn't take long before I pass into the newest area made of stone brick. Even then, I continue. I'm clearly starting to outscale this dungeon, not taking a single injury during the last few fights. In fact, I haven't felt the slightest bit of threat to my life. The encampments grow in size as I move, at a much slower rate than the other two areas. The castle that used to loom so ominously on the horizon is quickly becoming the next step in the dungeon.

Only three or four miles away now, it paints an imposing picture. With a huff of determination, I make my decision. I'll test the closest encampments to the castle, then assault it when I come out next time.

"Kevin, move perfectly." My voice blows away in the wind, but it's impossible not to hear me speaking to myself. I'm confident in sprinting, but I doubt I can perform the landings without the assistance from control tame. After thinking, I curve to the side and let an encampment block my view of the castle. There's no telling what kind of enemies are in the castle. If they have a scouting subtype, it'll likely spot me long before I spot it. About a mile from the castle, encampments are no longer present.

It leaves a long stretch of no-man's land.

"Tch." Looks like sneaking in isn't an option. Without stopping, I jump over the wall of the biggest encampment I can find. At about a hundred-fifty feet in diameter, it's significantly smaller than even the largest cobblestone settlement. I quickly reach the climax of the leap, allowing me to see in. Twenty smaller cabins, which hold two weaker soldiers. One elite cabin, which holds a single enemy. Over a dozen hobgoblins sit around the large campfire in the center.

My eyebrows raise slightly as I notice the lackeys got an upgrade. They don't have completed plate armor, but they do have a chestplate along with shoulder guards and shin guards. The rest of their bodies are covered in high-quality leather. It reminds me of the beginning of the dungeon, when they would assault me with weapons so rusted that they would snap on the first swing. My legs cushion the landing without a mistake and compress before launching me forward. Identity Living Being [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 13] [Highest stat: Endurance] [Lowest stat: Wisdom] [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 13] [Highest stat: Endurance] [Lowest stat: Intelligence] [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 14] [Highest stat: Strength] [Lowest stat: Wisdom] [(II) Hobgoblin lv. 13] [Highest stat: Fortitude] [Lowest stat: Wisdom] Dang, even the cannon fodder is higher level than me now. Along with better equipment and higher levels, it seems as though the hobgoblins get more organized as well. The first to spot me doesn't panic or hesitate at all.

Its eyes widen slightly as it stands and points at me, barking something to its comrades. The ones next to it are already rising, having a similar sightline. Those who have their backs toward me quickly turn in their seats as one. The level of coordination intimidates me a bit.

"Kevin, focus." Less important thoughts like fear leave me, washing away in an instant. One shieldman steps up, wielding no weapon. This one has an actual two-handed tower shield made completely of metal.

"Kevin, hit as hard as you can without injuring yourself." A smile grows as I pull the giant axe back with both hands. The yellow shimmering over the shield tells me that it intends to take the attack head-on. Let's see just how much stronger I've gotten. My arms tense, then explode with power. The head of the large axe swings in a mighty arc, bolstered by my sprint. Screeching metal echoes across the walls as the weapon cuts a few inches into the shield.

The full force of the blow transfers into the shield, blasting both shield and axehead into the hobgoblin behind it. The hobgoblin flies backward and crumples onto the ground. The battlefield freezes as we all watch the shieldman. It stands with its chestplate caved in, blood splattering out of its mouth with every breath. It manages to get to one knee before falling again, wheezing. I place the head of the axe on the ground and press my foot against the tower shield still attached to it.

With another shriek from the shield, I pull the weapon from the wreckage of metal. At the same time, I pull into a stance to continue forward, and the goblin who first spotted me starts barking orders. The soldiers form up, collecting together. Doors fly open as more enemies flood from the cabins, along with the elite exiting from the biggest cabin. A single sound echoes from that direction, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.

Covered in full plate armor and wielding a rapier, the commander steps out of its cabin. It walks with the haughtiness of a baby born on golden sheets. A laugh almost barks from me as I spot its stupid helmet, but the command forces it down. [(II) Hobgoblin Baron lv. 29] [Highest stat: Agility] [Lowest stat: Fortitude] [Identify Living Being(lv. 10) > (lv. 11)] In its presence, the rest of the hobgoblins go from eager to hesitant.

Even the hobgoblin that was barking orders lowers itself into the rest of the soldiers without a word. Silence overtakes as the baron casually walks through the ranks and towards me. The soldiers exchange nervous glances, but say nothing. No, they aren't hesitating. They're scared. A couple of dozen feet away, the baron stops and stares at me. Up and down, it examines me. Its eyes dart to my weapon, the downed shieldman, the shield, then back to me.

A wicked grin full of teeth grows on its face as it looks into my eyes. The message is clear. It thinks I'm weak. A single garbled bark from the baron sends the closest warriors near me scrambling away to form up with their comrades. It gently sets its ugly helmet on the ground before taking a few more steps forward. Confidence oozes from it as it holds its hand out and gestures for me to come closer. There are only two choices here. If I run at the weaker hobgoblins, it's likely to attack me from behind.

So I can either run and jump the wall or do as it asks. A few seconds pass as I consider the viability of running. After making my decision, I grip my axe in both hands before walking to it slowly. It grins a bit wider when it sees me accept. Both arms fold behind its back as I get closer. Fifteen feet. Ten. Five. Both of us stand still. The baron with a sly smile and I with narrowed eyes. As fast as I can, I pull the axe back and swing full force at its chest.

When the swing reaches the baron, it smoothly bends backward. With the command assisting me, I curve the missed swing above my head and swing down. The baron slowly steps to the side in a fluid motion. Dust and pebbles of stone erupt from the cobblestone in an explosion. They clatter harmlessly against the baron's leggings. He nods appreciatively at the action. I step and rip the axe from the ground, swinging at its head. Casually, it bends back. The axe flies over him, and I whip it around, swinging it right back.

I feint the strike, stopping it short and kicking at its groin. He ignores the feint and hops back playfully to dodge the kick. A horrible guttural chuckle emanates from the baron's mouth as it stands and watches me. With both arms still behind its back. My eye narrows. This fucker is a carbon copy of the one I ran away from earlier in the cavern. After another missed swing, I finally abandon the axe and push forward with my fists.