Chapter 5: Bone Village
In the only tavern in Bone Village, the air was thick with the smell of cloudy ale and sweat, punctuated by the endless shouts of gamblers from the corner.
Creaaak—BANG!
The tavern fell silent instantly. Everyone's eyes converged on Defant, who stood at the entrance.
The guy's clothes were torn into strips, his face smeared with sweat and mud.
He looked as wretched as someone who had just barely escaped a wild boar's den.
Ignoring the stares, he walked straight to the bar counter.
Slap! He slammed a few copper coins onto the wood.
His voice was hoarse and dry.
"Ale!"
The tavern keeper didn't say a word, just lifted a keg and poured him a full, large mug.
Defant grabbed the mug, his Adam's apple bobbing as he chugged more than half of it in one breath. Gulp, gulp, gulp.
He exhaled heavily, his chest still heaving.
"A Skeleton Mage ran out of the Bone Forest."
That one sentence made the atmosphere in the tavern instantly tense.
In the corner, the gambler who had just been shouting froze, his hand still clutching the dice in mid-air.
By the bar, an old man with graying hair slowly set down his mug.
This was the Village Chief of Bone Village.
"Kid, you can eat carelessly, but you can't speak carelessly."
The old Village Chief's voice wasn't loud.
"A Skeleton Mage? Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
Defant pulled out a segment of arm bone, still stained with dirt, from his chest pocket and placed it on the counter.
"I went to visit my dad, and his grave was dug up! That damn bone rack turned my father into an undead!"
"And it dared to use my dad's bones to threaten me!"
Defant grew angrier as he spoke.
"I chased it all the way, but it ran into the Bone Forest! That speed wasn't something a Novice Skeleton from that forest should have!"
The Village Chief picked up the arm bone, rubbed the fracture point for a moment, and sniffed it.
He lifted his eyelids and looked at Defant calmly.
"The fact that you're standing here alive means that thing was definitely not a Skeleton Mage."
Defant was stunned and asked subconsciously, "Huh?"
The Village Chief put down the arm bone and said indifferently:
"A Skeleton Mage is born at Tier 3. Do you think you could survive even a few seconds against one?"
"But it can create undead! It..."
The Village Chief interrupted him, tapping his index finger on the table. Tap, tap.
"A normal Skeleton Soldier's brain is emptier than your pockets."
"Digging graves. Making threats. And most importantly, it ran away."
The Village Chief's gaze turned grave.
"Undead creatures feel no fear. In their dictionary, the word 'retreat' does not exist."
The tavern keeper's eyes suddenly gleamed with wisdom, as if he had seen through everything.
"Chief, you mean..."
The Village Chief didn't answer. He picked up his mug, weighed it in his hand, and scanned everyone in the tavern.
Everyone subconsciously tensed up, even breathing quietly.
"An Undead Lord has appeared in the Bone Forest."
"Impossible! Isn't that a monster from legends?!"
"Even my grandfather's grandfather never saw one of those!"
"Chief, are you overthinking it? Maybe it's just a mutated skeleton," a young man retorted, trying to be brave.
The Village Chief raised his hand, and the noise stopped abruptly.
He looked calmly at the young man.
"An Undead Lord possesses human intellect. Born as a mere skeleton, it can convert the undead and evolve infinitely."
"They are walking calamities. One man is a legion. It dug graves for materials. It threatened to protect itself. It ran because it is currently still weak."
"Every characteristic matches."
A villager stood up, trembling.
"Then... what do we do? Report it to the Knights at Iron Fortress?"
"Report it?"
He let out a cold laugh.
"By the time those Knight lords at Iron Fortress finish their meetings and leisurely stroll over here, we'll already be meeting God."
The people present began to look at each other.
"We can't gamble on this."
The Village Chief's voice grew lower.
"It is currently right there in the Bone Forest, where new skeletons crawl out from time to time."
"Once it accumulates enough troops, who do you think it will come for first?"
The Village Chief looked around at everyone.
"The entire Bone Village is just reserve rations for its undead army!"
He suddenly turned to the tavern keeper.
"Old Buck, don't just stand there. Notify everyone. Assemble at the village entrance in half an hour!"
The Village Chief grabbed the arm bone and strode toward the door, his voice echoing in the tavern.
"Pack all valuables and food. The entire village is migrating immediately to seek refuge at Iron Fortress!"
"Those who don't want to leave can stay behind as a greeting gift for our new neighbor!"
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the Bone Forest.
Kaito looked at the five Skeleton Soldiers lined up neatly before him, his sense of security thickening by another layer.
The team had grown; discipline must follow.
"Attention! From left to right, count off!"
"Gah!" Skeleton No. 1 looked to its right, its jaw clicking open to emit a loud sound.
Immediately following: "Gah." "Gah." "Gah." "Gah." ... "Gah."
Kaito nodded in satisfaction, about to announce the next move, when he suddenly froze.
Something's wrong.
He only had five soldiers under his command. Why did he hear six "Gahs"?
Kaito whipped his head around, his bony finger almost poking the nasal bone of the rookie at the end of the line.
"Where the hell did you come from?!"
This "No. 6" had bones that were visibly duller than the soldiers he had converted himself, looking like it suffered from long-term malnutrition.
Most critically, in Kaito's soul link, this unit didn't exist at all!
It was a wild one!
No. 6 obviously lacked the high IQ of Kaito's Skeleton Soldiers. It was simply drawn here by instinct, attracted by the aura of its gathered kin.
Facing Kaito's interrogation, it tilted its head and opened its jaw.
"Gah."
"Oho! You dare talk back?!"
Kaito waved his bony hand.
"How can my squad have unauthorized personnel? The discipline is ruined!"
"Dismantle it!"
The order was given. The five Skeleton Soldiers erupted into action instantly, pouncing on the uninvited guest without hesitation.
Bone swords and bone shields rained down. Poor No. 6 didn't even have time to react.
It was beaten into a pile of scattered parts, and the weak Soul Fire in its eye sockets was thoroughly extinguished.
Kaito stepped forward, looking at the scattered pile of bones, when a bold idea suddenly popped into his head.
Can this... be recycled?
He tentatively used his Authority—[Undead Resurrection]—on the pile of bones.
The next second, a miracle happened.
The bones on the ground seemed pulled by invisible threads, clicking and clacking as they reassembled.
When it stood up, it was no longer the loose, rickety wild skeleton from before.
Its bones became smooth as jade, and the Soul Fire in its eyes brightened several times over.
Most importantly, Kaito clearly felt a brand new soul link established in his mind.
This No. 6 was now his soldier!
And...
[Tier 1 Skeleton Soldier]
"Holy sh*t! I just got a free Tier 1 soldier!"
This skipped all the intermediate steps entirely!
He looked around, his gaze sweeping across the deathly silent forest.
The Soul Fire in Kaito's eyes blazed up. He waved his large hand.
"All units! Move out! We're expanding the army!"