"He was aiming at that demon," someone murmured.
"Oh, I believe that," Li Xiuman replied solemnly, "because I'm the most innocent of them all. Captain Shukodo, even if no one else believes you, I do."
Shukodo had never in his life felt such humiliation and fury.If the demons of hell ever walked the earth, surely they would look exactly like this.
"Enough," Li Xiuman said, his tone light, almost amused. "It's about time to end this. I'll deal with the rest of you together.""From this moment on, I no longer accept surrenders."
Stepping out from the shadows, his form dissolved into a streak of black lightning, darting straight toward the swordsman.
"Blade Aura Slash!"
The swordsman swiftly unleashed two intersecting arcs of sword energy.Li Xiuman deflected them with a casual sweep of his shield, his left arm absorbing the shock like steel.He then raised his staff and drove it into the ground.
"Quagmire!"
The earth gave way, turning to liquid mud in an instant.The swordsman staggered but narrowly evaded the spell's radius.
"The noble elements shimmer with divine brilliance; the spirits of flame dance upon the earth.""First-tier spell — Inferno!"
Flames surged upward, scorching the ground.The quagmire dried in seconds, twisting heat waves engulfing Li Xiuman, threatening to consume him whole.
The swordsman seized the opening — his movements sharp, honed through years of battle — and struck in rapid succession.Li Xiuman deflected a horizontal slash with his shield, but the impact sent him reeling toward the wall of fire.Quickly, he invoked water magic — streams coiled around him like ribbons, shielding him just long enough to withstand the blaze.
The swordsman pressed forward, blade flashing again and again.Finally, an opening appeared at Li Xiuman's chest — a fatal one.
The swordsman did not hesitate. He thrust his blade straight through Li Xiuman's heart.
But there was no resistance — no sensation of flesh or bone.
The blade passed through empty air.
Before he could react, Li Xiuman's hands clamped around his neck like a vice, and with one smooth motion, slit his throat open.
[Ding! Killed Swordsman Lv.17 — Experience +450]
Li Xiuman let the corpse fall, sinking to the ground with it.
"Did they perish together?"From a distance, Shukodo stared in disbelief.That couldn't be it… something felt wrong.
Raising his staff, he aimed at the two fallen bodies."First-tier spell — Fireball!"
The explosion lit the cavern.
Li Xiuman sighed and rose, brushing away the soot. His little act of "playing dead" had failed.Annoyed, he pulled the sword from his chest and hurled it at Shukodo.
The captain, already wary, dodged aside — his eyes widening as he saw the gaping hole in Li Xiuman's chest.
"Pierced through the heart and still walking… You truly are a demon."
"Not a demon," Li Xiuman corrected, smiling faintly. "A skeleton. I said that from the very start."
He blurred into motion again, a shadow racing straight toward Shukodo.
The captain hadn't given up hope yet.He turned sharply toward the priest and shouted, "Run!"Then, as he passed, he shoved the priest violently backward.
Li Xiuman's blade flashed.He drove it through the priest's chest without hesitation.
[Ding! Killed Priest Lv.16 — Experience +350]
Almost immediately, a fireball streaked out from behind the priest's corpse — Shukodo's counterattack — hidden by the falling body.It would have engulfed them both had Li Xiuman not leapt back at the last instant.
The fireball detonated, turning the priest's remains into a crimson mist.For a heartbeat, Li Xiuman's vision was obscured.When he burst through the haze — Shukodo was gone.
"Hmph. Think you can escape?"
Li Xiuman gave chase.
"Die, die, die, die, die, die, DIE!"
Shukodo ran through the tunnels like a madman, his face pale, eyes bloodshot, hair disheveled — every breath a curse spat from hell.His mind had already shattered.
He had killed his own comrades — two by his own hand — and what little sanity remained was slipping fast.Yet even in his madness, one thought burned bright:When I get out of here, I'll make that skeleton suffer — slowly, utterly, until nothing remains.
He imagined killing Tedela, then razing the entire Ruby Trading Company —anyone remotely connected to that cursed skeleton would die.
The fantasies spiraled, dark and endless… until a cold whisper brushed his ear.
"Got you."
"…You truly gathered them all by yourself?"
"This—this is incredible! A miracle!"
Rachel's voice trembled as she stared at the small heap of octahedral fire crystals before her.
"The quality and quantity—are they sufficient?""More than enough!" she exclaimed. "Each one is of exceptional purity — even among fire crystals, these are remarkable."
"If headquarters weren't in urgent need, I'd insist on… thanking you personally."Her tone grew soft, her body leaning subtly over the counter, so close that Li Xiuman could catch the intoxicating scent of her perfume.
He stepped back lightly."Then please, without delay, see that these are delivered to headquarters."
Rachel reluctantly rewrapped the crystals and handed them back to him."Next time you descend, remember — our offer still stands: free lodging and meals for our hero."
"Next time for sure," Li Xiuman replied, taking the parcel.Under Rachel's admiring gaze, he turned and left the shop, heading toward the thirteenth floor.
"Come to think of it," Rachel murmured, "the Hyena Adventurer Team hasn't returned yet… Could something have happened?"
She recalled the faint scent of blood clinging to Li Xiuman and felt a chill creep up her spine.But she quickly shook her head.Impossible. The Hyena Team were seasoned veterans — eight skilled adventurers.No mere skeleton could defeat them all.
She dismissed the thought with a wistful sigh, cupping her face in her hands."But still… that Skeleton Lord is so handsome — walking into the dungeon alone and coming back victorious.""He's just like a hero…"
Ascending through the maze, Li Xiuman moved swiftly now — the monsters weaker, the paths familiar.He killed only those that crossed his way, yet the experience points piled up steadily.
After two days, he reached the first level.At last, the sky — the real sky — greeted him once more.He stood there for a moment, dazed in the sunlight he had long forgotten.
"Mr. Skeleton! Mr. Skeleton!"
A familiar voice called out.He turned to see Tedela's cat-eared maid running toward him.Just the sight of her swept away half the gloom left by the dungeon — her charm was truly disarming.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, surprised.He hadn't told anyone when he'd return.
"My mistress sent me days ago to await you. She's been worried… and so have I."As she spoke, her tail swayed gently behind her.
"Thank you for coming," Li Xiuman said, reaching out to pat her head — only to realize, somewhat sheepishly,that he didn't even know her name.Her feline ears had been far too distracting.
"What's your name?"
"How could I let someone as noble as you, Lord Skeleton, utter the name of a mere slave like me? It would sully your tongue."
"What absurd custom is that? Just tell me."
"R… Ral…"
"Louder."
"Lamentiel Ruby."
"Lamentiel. That's a lovely name. How could such a name ever be unworthy of my ears?"
He patted her head again — disguising his real intent to touch her ears — while passersby gave them curious looks.Lamentiel blushed, shrinking slightly under the attention,but Li Xiuman didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"Come, let's head back. We shouldn't keep Tedela waiting."He adjusted his pack.
"…You actually gathered the fire crystals?" she asked in astonishment.
"Of course."He tossed the bundle to her casually.
When she peeked inside, she gasped, eyes lighting up in wonder.Clutching the package tightly to her chest, her tail shot straight up, trembling."Lord Skeleton, you're far too careless! These are priceless — how could you throw them to me like that?"
"Relax," Li Xiuman said with a smirk. "They're hard as diamonds — you could drop them off a cliff and they wouldn't break.""Besides," he added lightly, "if anyone dares try to take them from you… I'll just kill them."