Chapter 21: Bloody Desperation

Peace’s biggest problem wasn’t even the four skeletons or the fact that the skull had indeed flown into yet another adversary, but his provisions.

Not only had he left his backpack behind farther up the hill, but it had also been mutilated.

Continuing down might have been his best chance of surviving, but without the water, he’d eventually die. There was no natural source in the Bone Plains. He needed to go back up and get it.

The only silver lining was that, even with the gashes in its back, most of the contents had remained inside.

But...

’How?! How in the world am I supposed to win this?!’

Four skeletons remained farther up the hill, clambering down after him while the fifth approached from behind.

Well...

That question was a bit rhetorical. He really only knew one method besides attempting to bash their skulls better than they could bash his in: making them kill one another.

All Peace could do was hope the skeletons behaved like they did in the game. Sadly, since they’d already aggroed onto him — a Diver’s ’Threat Level’ was naturally much higher to them than their Threat Levels toward one another — they wouldn’t switch their targets to each other without substantial damage.

Wiping the blood gushing from his nose, Peace bent down and grabbed the nearest femur just as the group of four reached him.

With his ankle like this, there was no chance he could keep dancing around all four of them.

Keeping the femur in one hand, he snatched up another loose bone with the other and hurled it into the middle of the group, hoping to slow one or two of them even slightly.

Then, he shuffled to the side, dragging his ankle along.

His eyes darted across the endless mess of bones beneath his feet before settling on something thinner than the femur in his hand.

The nearest Skeleton Warrior swiped crosswise at Peace’s head. Peace barely managed to duck in time.

Not that one dodge meant he was safe.

Another skeleton came chopping down at him, forcing Peace to swing the femur into the descending blade. The impact knocked the strike aside, buying him just enough time to throw himself into an awkward roll before another attack could follow.

’Got it!’

Mid-roll, he managed to snatch up a long, thin bone.

Shooting back to his feet, Peace stepped forward and prayed whatever devil had put him here didn’t want his head just yet as the nearest skeleton brought its sword down from overhead.

Peace pivoted around the descending blade, turning with it just enough to slip past the strike. As he came out of the turn, he rammed the long bone through the skeleton’s ribs and threaded it between two vertebrae.

The Skeleton Warrior seized up and began stumbling awkwardly like a robot that had been pushed.

Immediately, the other three in front of him took the opportunity to slash at him.

He had no choice but to jump back.

The instant his bad foot came down, a loose bone rolled beneath it.

Peace slipped and began sliding down the slope, straight toward the last skeleton waiting behind him.

All he could do was watch in horror as momentum carried him right into the bastard’s outstretched sword.

’Guh!’

A sudden pain tore through Peace’s body.

Looking down, he saw the tip of the bone sword poking through his stomach.

[Your health has dropped below 50%]

The bastard had stabbed him clean through from behind.

Knowing he couldn’t allow it to tear through his organs any further, he gripped the protruding blade tightly with one hand.

The skeleton behind him tried to pull its sword free, but Peace’s fingers dug into the edge, refusing to let it slide back through him.

’Hell no!’

Nobody was going to rearrange his guts without consequence.

He only had a small window before the three mobile skeletons above reached him.

With his other arm, Peace angled it and blindly began throwing his elbow back.

He didn’t know what he hit, but the dull ache in his elbow told him he’d hit something.

Again and again, he slammed his elbow back until he heard a loud crack and pop.

Then, a message:

[You have slain a Tier 9 F-Class, Skeleton Warrior]

[+2 EXP]

The skeleton fell back.

However...

[You have acquired Common-ranked: Bone Sword]

’Now it drops?!’

The damn thing stayed lodged in his abdomen.

One could argue that it helped stem the bleeding, but...

Peace began toppling backward with the dead skeleton, its bony fingers still locked around the sword’s hilt. He had no choice but to follow it down as the three bastards above finally caught up and started hacking at him.

’Fuck!’

Peace barely managed to stop his fall with one arm, but the movement caused his grip to loosen and the sword to shift painfully inside his stomach.

The only consolation, if it could be called such, was that he’d managed to rip the hilt from the skeleton’s grasp when he twisted to catch himself. That, and despite being skewered, nothing immediately vital seemed to have been struck. He could still... well, breathe and move.

He crashed onto his side and slid several more feet down the Maw of Hell.

Gripping the tip jutting from his stomach, Peace shoved the sword backward through himself. The blade slid free from the wound in his back and clattered onto the bones beside him.

[You’re bleeding...]

[Your health has dropped below 25%]

Peace rolled toward it, seized the hilt, and swung upward just in time to catch another skeleton’s descending sword.

The impact stopped the blade inches from him.

A second skeleton barreled in immediately afterward, but its foot came down wrong among the loose bones. Its strike went wide, and its body crashed shoulder-first into the skeleton Peace had just blocked.

Both tripped over him and went sliding down the slope, tangling together before slamming into another.

The last of the three mobile skeletons managed to stop itself just above Peace, its bony ankles smashing into his cheek as it fought against the incline.

Then it raised its sword with both hands, positioning the point directly over Peace’s head.

Drawing labored breaths, Peace could tell he was in no position to block the attack.

[Your health has dropped below 15%]

He had to dodge. Roll away.

But...

’Move!’

His body refused to listen.

It seemed more concerned with what had happened to him rather than what was about to.

’Damn it!’

Peace watched the sword reach its apex.

He had nothing left in the tank but sheer desperation.

Peace rolled his head toward its ankles and chomped down on the bone. He tried to somehow trip the skeleton by pulling it with his teeth...

’Huh...?’

Only for the bone to crack between his bite.