Chapter 3: Encounter

After a few more days of practicing combat and teaching my men proper formations and specific orders, we made our way out of the forest.

We didn't meet any living things on the way out. Now we are almost out of the forest. I kept my skill on to get us out safely.

The place around here seems to be devoid of life—no living things, and no undead either, aside from us.

I can't be too careful, though.

While I was thinking about that, I suddenly felt weird.

Something inside me tells me to dodge. I just dodged to the right on a whim. A spear landed on the place I was before a few moments ago; I don't see the attacker anywhere. Damn those stealth skills. He can hide even from .

A rogue! I saw a glimpse of him while he was moving around. This guy is slippery. I tried to throw some stones on the branches that I expected him to move to, but no one was there. He was throwing knives here and there, but I blocked them with my wooden shield. He also used throwing spears.

This guy has a lot of weapons. When I looked around properly, this area had a lot of skeletons. Some were soldiers, and some belonged to hunters. That must be where he got his weapons.

Three of my guys tried to attack him at the same time, but he gracefully dodged all of the attacks and even made counterattacks in the process, severely damaging the three. I ordered my brethren to form a small shield wall, covering them from all sides.

I can't have them destroyed here. I also need to make a stand here and show them that I can lead them out of this hell called human territory.

I need to take him down myself.

Wind and scattering leaves. Hint: I need a clue! I opened my eyes or eye sockets as wide as I could to spot even the slightest change in the environment.

When I let my guard down for a bit, I immediately got hit in the right leg, making me kneel because it broke my right leg bones.

Rogue: "Weak, weak, weak. Even though your status says you have a unique skill for your class,

This guy must have analytical skills. What is a unique skill? The ? Even though skills can be earned through training and experience, it must be rare for monsters like me to do that. Human knowledge must deem monsters incapable of training or learning skills other than what they already have.

He closed in the distance and kept on hitting me in the legs as I was dodging his attacks on my upper body, but these attacks were just feints. His real aim is to disable me.

As my knee joints break, I fall. I can only look up to the rogue now and see him gloating.

Rogue: "Your unique skill must've been a fluke. Time to die, you bag of bones."

What? I saw a spear coming from behind.

Rogue: "Hah! Slow, even for a surprise at-Ughh!?"

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I waited for him to dodge the spear throw and hit him in the place he landed after the dodge. He got caught on his left shoulder.

After the attack connected, he was already making a counterattack.

I raised my right shield in response, but a dagger in his other hand was already aiming for my neck.

. I moved quicker than him and backed away. His dagger landed on the ground, and this time, I was able to grab a throwing dagger on the ground and throw it into his legs. I thought he would dodge, but it surprised him.

Rogue: "I-Impossible!"

I quickly moved in and grabbed the dagger that was still stabbed in his legs. He shouted out and made weird noises as I put more pressure on the wound on his legs.

Crack!

He was able to make some space between us after kicking me with his other leg. Although I was not able to finish him, his speed is much slower than before.

Rogue: "Aghhh! You bastard! Die!"

Even with an injury, he felt that the advantage was still his and dashed towards me.

With brute strength, he picked me up forcefully and beheaded me. My body falls to the ground.

Staggering from the pain in his legs, he raised the skull high.

Rogue: "Hahaha! Now, fear me! I have killed your lead."

My headless body reached out for his injured leg and tightened its grip.

"OHAHHHHGGGG!"

While he screamed in pain, I stabbed him with another dagger that was on the ground. It was from the knives that he threw while running around. I stabbed him again and again.

DIE!!!

I was so emotional inside, but it did not show because I was undead. So, it looked like a cold-blooded murder.

After a lot of stabs in the leg, he fell, but I did not stop stabbing him until he stopped breathing.

Die! Die! Die!

Rogue: "M-monster"

There is no room for morals here. It's a battle of survival, and in the end, we're both killers, be it the undead or the living.

My bones were broken, and I don’t know if I can continue like this. There’s no evidence that it will work, but I had an idea.

I took his bones and installed them on my skeletal body. The bones have some skills in them and are well developed. It must be because the guy was a human of the rogue class. An average human skeleton will not have any bonuses. I don't know why I know this and can take advantage of it, but I must take what I can to get stronger.

It must be a unique skill. However, I don't know what it's called.

For humans to have a class is rare. Recently, they discovered a way to make even ordinary villagers become warriors, thus the increase of their army and the start of our demise.

The skills were and for the arm, and as for the leg, . These things will come in handy, so I also picked up his daggers and threw spears. I tried it on the trees. I threw ten knives, and eight of them hit.

I tried the throwing spears, and even though somewhat slow, all of them hit their targets, 5 out of 5.

We're going to need all the help we can get. Getting a few more skills is always welcome. I've got to thank this guy in the afterlife if it's the same for all.

Bon was the one who threw the spear that turned the fight around. I gestured to thank him, but he refused to respond. I tapped him on the shoulder and bowed a little to show that I was grateful.

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(Human Captain POV)

Even though I said I would let them go, I followed them. It turns out that they might cause trouble after all.

Their leader, who I thought was just a weak skeleton soldier, was able to defeat a rogue by using his head. He's not dangerous physically right now, but later if he gets an evolution.

Captain: "This could be bad."

Scout: "Sir?"

A few soldiers were with me. I wasn't going to take the skeleton group on my own, but I could track them and take them down later when I reunited with my forces.

Captain: "Is it possible for a skeleton soldier to beat a rogue?"

Scout: "No, sir. A rogue should be able to take down a skeleton soldier in one hit."

Captain: "Yeah..."

Is he some special type of skeleton? Since this was getting more dangerous than I thought it was, I needed to proceed with caution.

"S-sir!"

Someone suddenly came from behind.

"Wah!"

"Sshhh," the captain said, covering his mouth with a hand.

I thought they would notice us, but the skeleton guys continue to make their way out of the forest.

"What is it, soldier?" Sweat was visible on the captain's face.

It was someone from the main force.

Scout 2: "Captain... our men. They got into a battle with some Dread Knights and were defeated."

Captain: "Did they all die?"

Scout 2: "No, sir. Fortunately, most of us were able to retreat because of the vice captain."

Captain: "I see."

I need to visit his family later. He's been my friend for a few years. We both entered the army at the same time.

Captain: "How were they able to beat an army of 2000 knights?"

The captain thought hard about this, but he couldn't come up with another conclusion other than the Skeleton Duke's involvement.

This "Skeleton Duke" is the most powerful general of the Skeleton King. He was in charge of leading the offensive against the Human Alliance.

His army is made up of more elites than the Skeleton King's royal guard. The most tenacious Paladins in the army kept him busy on purpose, which was the only reason he was not present in the Skeleton King's final battle.

Even though we weren't paladins or holy knights, we are still proud to be men who defend this kingdom. Our strength was not that far from that of a holy knight.

Scout 2: "It's... It was the Duke..."

Captain: "So... it was..."

The Skeleton Duke's Army, huh? They had no chance.

Captain: "Report this to the General and Lord Ganz if possible. Tell them I'm still hunting some monsters, and I need a small group of reinforcements."

Scout 2: "Yes, sir! Right away!"

(sigh)... all these deaths. The captain closed his eyes and thought of the times he drank with the vice captain and mourned their fellow soldiers.