After accepting the quest, Lee Shin-Woo left the clearing and approached the top of the sewers. He had gone through the entire dungeon over and over again for several days, so he knew its layout well. There were other routes into the dungeon other than the designated entrance, and the opposite was also true.

Good, as I expected, there's a crack.

He used his Bone of Thunder Lasting to shatter a drain pipe. No matter how sturdy it was, it couldn’t withstand a Power Slash with a hardened Lv3 weapon.

- Kwaaaa

A heap of dirt poured down from above him, but Lee Shin-Woo didn’t let it bother him. It had been a while since the sewers last served their original purpose. He wasn’t going to complain about getting some dirt on him.

There isn’t going to be so much sand that I won't be able to come back, right?

It didn’t matter even if it was completely blocked, though. He would just break his way through and go on his merry way.

Like this! He put his weapon away and dug through the dirt ferociously like a mole, creating a path to the surface. He wouldn’t even dream of doing this were he still human, but since he was an undead that didn't need to breathe now, it was quite a simple task. He was able to get out rather quickly because the sewers weren’t particularly deep.

"Hoo."

Once outside, Lee Shin-Woo sensed something big right in front of him. About 2 minutes of running distance away, close enough for him to see with naked eyes. A black haired Asian girl ran toward him like her life depended on it, and close behind her was a three-meter tall giant undead, chasing her with impressive speed...

[Lv4 Acid Ghoul - Edward L. Baker]

[You have found the target of your revenge. When you initiate battle, the effectiveness of all your abilities will increase by 20%. Flames of Revenge will receive an additional 20% boost.]

"For real?"

It was none other than the Giant Zombie he had encountered and successfully escaped away from! Moreover, it had become a level 4 Ghoul!

[Human...! It's been a long time since I've seen... a human with such appetizing flesh...!]

"Ggyaaaaaaaahk! Save meeeeeeee!"

Although the Ghoul was now noticeably smaller, it was obvious that the monster had leveled up judging from the more potent Acid Poison and its above-average speed. Lee Shin-Woo hadn’t been expecting a regular monster, but why did it have to be a level 4 Ghoul, and why did it have to be the one attacking another hero...

Should I run away? Lee Shin-Woo thought. But he quickly shook his head and dismissed the thought.

It wasn’t about his pity for the girl weeping and running with an injured leg. It wasn’t about his sympathy, contempt, goodwill, or regret. In fact, Lee Shin-Woo didn’t feel anything for the girl. His indifference was so absolute that he almost felt ashamed of himself. He would’ve helped readily had the situation been easier to deal with, but as it was, he didn’t really want to actively offer his help. It dawned on him then that he had become a completely different person.

The only reason he wasn’t going to back down easily despite everything was the quest reward. He wanted it so much that he was ready to sacrifice a life or two.

Moreover, I have Avenger as well as Flames of Revenge...

Avenger would strengthen all of his abilities by 20%, so he was reasonably confident that it would be worth a shot even though the zombie’s stats must have jumped up after reaching level 4. To his surprise, Flames of Revenge would also receive an additional buff, which was a happy accident. He now had a surefire way of hurting the Ghoul.

The fact that his enemy used Acid Poison further emboldened Lee Shin-Woo. He had cleared the Slimes' den and re-emerged with low rank Acid Poison Resistance! He was sure he wouldn't be helpless against its Acid Poison this time.

Now that his mind was made up, there was only one problem left.

Can I take care of this issue without exposing my identity to that girl?

Ideally, he would act as an aloof Skeleton Knight, who had been wandering around following the collapse of the Empire; he would take care of the Acid Ghoul, receive the quest reward, and leave worry free... He wasn't sure if that would actually work, but Lee Shin-Woo decided to run with that for now. Of course, even if he was exposed, it wouldn't be too much of a problem. He was an undead, but it was undeniable that he was also a hero. He had all the evidence in the world to prove that.

"Alright, then..."

With a solid plan in mind, Lee Shin-Woo raised his index finger and summoned mild, black flames to wrap around it, aiming at the Acid Ghoul. Its heavy feet stomped on the floor as it ran with surprising speed. Whether it was a coincidence or the only possibility due to a lack of alternatives, the girl was now running toward him, making it easier for him to aim at the Ghoul.

"Ready... Aim... FIRE!"

His index finger was launched, accompanied by a fleeting stab of powerful pain. The black flame engulfed the index finger, propelling it further and faster like a bullet; it cut through the air, advanced, and burrowed into the Ghoul's shoulder!

Tch.

Lee Shin-Woo briefly clicked his tongue. It should be obvious that he had been aiming for the Ghoul’s head. Even if his attack had landed accurately, however, he wouldn’t have been able to take the Ghoul down in one hit. Still, he was disappointed that it didn’t work out better.

[Guwoooooooh!]

"A-An undead...!? But that attack just now...?"

While Lee Shin-Woo was busy complaining, the Ghoul and the girl were both inspecting him. The Ghoul shrieked with pain and anger, while the girl was incredibly flustered at the unprecedented sight of an undead attacking another undead.

"Oh, ggyaahk!"

Because of that, she sprained her ankle and fell to the floor. That dumbass!

[Human! Eating!]

Rather than punishing the skeleton that had just attacked it, the Ghoul seemed determined to eat the human in front of it first. Feeling the urge to get the girl out of here as soon as possible, Lee Shin-Woo detonated the index finger that had burrowed into the Ghoul’s shoulder.

[Ggaaaaaaaaaaahk!]

"Euguk, Euuk, heuggeuk..."

The effect was amazing! The Ghoul was about to grab the girl's head roughly, but the explosion inflicted such horrific pain that it came to a halt, roaring in pain. Meanwhile, the girl seemed to have realized that she had just narrowly escaped death. Even while crying, she desperately pushed herself to run away from the Ghoul. She had already been hit by its Acid Poison, leaving about half of her clothes melted. Therefore, she was dressed far from decently. Lee Shin-Woo wasn't fazed at all. It might be better if he was affected a little, though...

[Kuwaaaaaaaah! Annoying, a mere skeleton!]

"Jeez, you burn well. It's hot enough to cook a sweet potato!"

The satisfying result of his attack soothed his regret of losing something that was precious to all men. The black flames blazed on over the Ghoul’s injured shoulder joint and gnawed away its flesh. Lee Shin-Woo knew he had come up with an amazing combo, but he hadn’t realized how effective it would be. He could kill anything by repeating the technique no matter if he was facing an Acid Ghoul or anything else.

[Annoying guy, die!]

"Tch."

Reality, however, differed from his ideal plan. There was no way that his opponent would endure the horrific pain without doing anything like an idiot. The Acid Ghoul seemed really pissed, as shown by its ready abandonment of the appetizing human and the way it sprinted at full speed toward Lee Shin-Woo!

After determining the speed and direction of its movement, Lee Shin-Woo aimed at the Ghoul with his flame-imbued index finger and fired.

"Firing again!"

[Kyahak!]

But surprisingly, the Ghoul swiftly swung its arm and parried the shot, as if he had been waiting for it! Of course, Flames of Revenge automatically shifted its target to the Ghoul and clung to it, but Lee Shin-Woo hadn’t gotten the opportunity to detonate his bone. As a result, the finger bone pathetically bounced off before rolling onto the floor. Lee Shin-Woo clucked his tongue even though he had expected something like that to happen.

Tch, at the end of the day, it is a level 4 monster.

Its reflex was much keener than a normal zombie, and its body was more resilient. If he were to fight the Ghoul with Catapult after it had noticed him, he would have to be at least level 5. The fact that he'd gotten the first hit in was a tremendous success.

"Now I have to fight it off myself."

In preparation, he regenerated both of his fingers and tightly gripped the Bone of Thunder Lasting. He activated Harden, applying it to both his sword and his armor, and ignited his sword with Flames of Revenge. Even so, he still had mana to spare.

I would’ve become half tapped out before, but I’m still overflowing with mana at the moment.

Lee Shin-Woo’s magic reached 173 after strengthening himself with Gerrit's sphenoid bone. Moreover, his Low Rank Magic Affinity had risen to level 7, and he had obtained Low Rank Magic Accumulation. Even at this very moment, the two skills were drawing the surrounding mana towards him to replenish his reserve. He was now a changed skeleton in terms of mana if nothing else.

[You are exposed to the Acid Ghoul's strengthened Acid Poison. Low Rank Acid Resistance is mitigating the damage.]

[I'll crush you, Skeleton!]

"Ugh...!"

While he was busy preparing for the battle, the Ghoul had gotten really close. Its Acid Poison had become even more fearsome than before, and Lee Shin-Woo, feeling as though his entire body would melt away, took the initiative to attack. His Acid Resistance had made things bearable, though. Praying that his armor would last until the end of the battle, he activated his skill.

"Power Slash!"

[Dieeeeeeeee!]

The Ghoul's sharp nails and his Bone of Thunder Lasting clashed. Immediately after the Ghoul’s horrific shriek, Lee Shin-Woo was mercilessly pushed back, leaving two deep tracks on the ground.

"Ggeuuuuhk."

[You're weak! Skeleton!]

Lee Shin-Woo couldn’t match the Ghoul’s strength even with Power Slash. It shouldn’t surprise anyone. Even though his strength was buffed by the effect of Avenger, there was no way for him to rival a level 4 monster in raw stats.

Moreover, this asshole seems to have especially high strength...!

Lee Shin-Woo had been holding his sword with both hands, whereas the Ghoul was attacking with only one, so he was even more shocked by the Ghoul’s strength. He grit his teeth and attempted to parry the Ghoul’s arm, but it was as hard as steel. Although the flame on his sword had again shifted to the Ghoul at contact and burned it persistently, the pain wasn’t enough to help him defeat the Ghoul. With the flames clinging to its shoulder expanding overtime, the Ghoul looked like a flame giant.

"Eeek, Power Sla..."

[Not a chance!]

Lee Shin-Woo pushed its arm away and tried to use Power Slash again, but the Ghoul swung his other arm at him like a straw cutter in response. Lee Shin-Woo made a swift retreat with Combat Sprint, pulling his sword back and rolling onto the floor. The Ghoul’s arm hit the ground instead and sank deep. Its destructive power was truly horrific.

[You’re not getting away again! Die. I'm telling you...Die!]

Damn it, now that it’s level 4, it’s much stronger than I am. There seems to be at least a 300 points difference between our stats… How the hell am I supposed to defeat it?

Lee Shin-Woo evaded its next attack and had to consecutively back away. The Ghoul had left small, hollowed craters on the ground simply by swinging its arms. Lee Shin-Woo wasn’t scared, though, but simply astonished. It was a relief that the Ghoul’s attacks weren’t that hard to dodge.

[Kuwaaaaahk! You rat...! A mere skeleton without any flesh...!]

"Then are you that slow due to all that flesh? Oh, boy."

[Kugiaaaaaht!]

The Ghoul truly had tremendous strength and endurance, but it wasn't very fast. The fact that Lee Shin-Woo was able to dodge its attacks was proof of that. However, he couldn't just move around dodging this guy forever...

[You are being exposed to the Acid Ghoul's strengthened Acid Poison.]

[Low Rank Acid Resistance is now Lv2.]

My armor's steadily melting away. I won't last long like this...

He had applied both Harden and Acid Resistance to his armor, yet the condition of his armor had quickly deteriorated. It was already pretty rough after fighting the Great Slime. At this rate, his armor would disintegrate completely in a few more minutes!

Damn it.

After a short moment of bemusement, Lee Shin-Woo put his armor into his inventory. He couldn’t afford to lose it here even if he had to lose a life.

[Kyahak, Kyahahak!]

Seeing Lee Shin-Woo unequip his armor, the Ghoul burst into laughter even as it swung its fists at him. What’s its deal? The Ghoul was actually in a similar state of undress due to Flames of Revenge, but it didn’t seem to be aware of the fact.

We’ve both set a time bomb for the other, and it’s about whose bomb will go off first.

With his nonexistent brows furrowed, Lee Shin-Woo decided to make his next move. He was the one who had decided to take on the quest even at the price of a life. It was time for him to take the risk. He knew the Ghoul’s body was damn tough, and that it was extremely strong, but if he could get one hit in with his sword...

-Kwang!

[Ggueeehk!]

Something hit the Acid Ghoul with great force, causing it to fall onto the ground pathetically. Lee Shin-Woo froze mid-charge.

"I'll help you!"

The one who had appeared out of nowhere and hit the Acid Ghoul was... a Skeleton Horse, its eyes ablaze with blue goblin fire. Its voice was neither low nor high, but simply a charming, beautiful voice. That made Lee Shin-Woo think that they were vastly different from each other, but that wasn’t really the case when he thought about it.

"I can’t believe it! Another undead hero like me...! It's really nice to meet you!"

"..."

Lee Shin-Woo kept his mouth shut, speechless. He had, at some point, heard about a Skeleton Horse in the chatroom. It was said that a horse had been running within the confines of the underground empire; the stories he heard before coursed through his head in a flash.

Yeah, his seniors were right. There was no way that an undead would refrain from attacking humans and opt to run away instead.... If they weren't also a hero, that is.