I stared blankly in front of me.
There was a blue window floating before me, covered in familiar-looking words. Even though I didn't know why... I could still read them.
[Status]
Name: ----
Race: Skeleton
Level: 1
Class: -----
Sub-Class: ----
Health: 200
Mana: 10
Attribute Points: 0
Attributes: Strength: 5 Agility: 2 Intelligence: 1 Endurance: 3
[Talents][Undead] [Sin of Wrath]
[Skills] --
[Remark: The weakest Undead there is... Although spooky and scary, their strength is rock-bottom! And you're at the bottom of that bottom!]
"Status? Class? Talents? What are all those?"
I tried touching the window, but my hand passed right through it. After toying with it for a while, I found out that I could close it whenever I wanted by focusing my thoughts.
"So this status isn't something physical... What purpose does it serve? It seems to contain information, but what do all these words mean?"
I waved my hand around, poking the empty air. To anyone else, I probably looked insane--a skeleton flailing at nothing--but in the end, I actually found something.
[Status]: Information about the capabilities of a entity.
"So if I focus on a word, a description comes out... let's see. Which one should I start with?"
After thinking for a bit, I decided to check my race.
[Skeleton]: A former living being resurrected through necromancy or by the presence of death mana. One of the weakest Undead in existence
'Why do I feel like it's trying to insult me? Ugh~whatever, Next!'
[Undead]: As one of the Undead, you possess hatred toward the living. Though many call it a curse, others see it as a blessing for the gift of immortality. The Undead Never Hunger, Never Tire.
"This doesn't sound too bad. It says curse and blessing... not sure which one I got." Unsure whether it was good or bad, I moved to the next talent.
[Sin of Wrath]: Of the seven deadly sins, you have been judged to possess Wrath. It amplifies feelings of anger and hatred. When fighting an enemy while angry or hateful, you gain 10% to all attributes. Increases bloodlust by 50%.
'I'm not sure about this one... the strength boost sounds good, but the rest? Not so much. Increasing hatred and anger sounds like a problem. And what even is "bloodlust" supposed to do?'
"Still, it says I've been judged by someone. So someone else gave me this talent?"
'But why wrath, though? Let's see what the others are.'
[Seven Deadly Sins]: The Seven Deadly Sins can only be acquired through specific conditions. They are Pride, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, and Envy.
"So you have to do something specific to get one... but what did I even do to earn it?" I muttered.
Closing the status window, I took a better look around
"How did I end up here? I remember falling into some dark swamp... or was it a lake? Then I..."
My voice trailed off. For a moment, I just stared blankly into nothing.
"I should get out for now."
As I tried to move toward the shore, my foot hit something.
Reaching down, I pulled it out and blinked.
[Rusted Sword]: A blade that has long lost its sharpness. Its edge is pathetically dull, but it can inflict minor poison on anything it cuts...
"This sounds really useless... but it wouldn't hurt taking it anyway."
After confirming just how pathetic the edge was—pathetically dull, to no surprise—I nodded my head and started roaming around the area since there was nothing else to do.
Before long, I stumbled upon what looked like a tunnel.
"Well... there's nowhere else to go but forward," I muttered, sighing inwardly as I stepped into the darkness.
After walking for a while, I noticed a silhouette ahead.
*Crack
At first, I thought I was mistaken, but after hearing the footsteps of the silhouette, I was certain that...it was a real.
Skeleton...just like him!
Excited to see someone else--someone like me--I waved my arm.
"Hey! You! Skeleton friend! Over here! Can I ask a few questions?"
The skeleton, holding a rusted sword, turned and stared at me. It didn't move. After a long, awkward silence, it simply turned back around and started walking away.
...
Rejected.
But still, I decided to follow it--why not? I had nowhere else to go. Being alone reminded me too much of that dark lake, and the thought of it made my bones ache.
So I followed. Like a baby duck following its mother.
But after what felt like hours, I realized something strange.
"...We're walking in circles."
I hurried forward. "Hey, fellow skeleton! Why do we keep taking the same path? Is there a reason?" I asked with a frown.
"..."
No response.
That's when doubt crept in..
'Could it be that he...' I reached out and grabbed his shoulder, activating the status inspection like before.
[Skeleton]: One of the weakest Undead. Either a puppet born from necromancy or a mindless corpse animated by death energy.
"Mindless undead? Wait--the description changed! But why? Aren't we the same race?"
My mind spun. 'It says he's mindless, but I'm clearly not. Is that the difference?'
Unfortunately, my thoughts were interrupted by a shrieking sound from our left. Looking in that direction, I saw three small, awful-looking creatures—one holding a club, and the other two carrying smaller versions of swords.
A strange discomfort welled up inside me--a pulse of something burning through my hollow chest.
I looked down. Nothing there.
"What's going o--" I stopped as the skeleton beside me suddenly stiffened.
"Kghhhh...!" It screeched, a piercing, metallic sound that rattled my skull.
Then, without hesitation, it charged.
Its movements were awkward but fast. The rusted sword slashed across the club-holder's chest, drawing a deep, jagged wound.
I blinked. 'Wait... that rusty thing can cut?! Then why does mine feel like a bent spoon!?'
While I silently cursed the status screen for lying to me, the battle grew fiercer.
After the one with the club was slashed by the skeleton fellow, it started screaming and swinging its club wildly in the air toward the other two figures.
Doing that made the other two start screaming as well, and they began attacking the skeleton fellow with their small swords.
"So the one with the club's the leader... got it."
"I should help Fellow before he gets crushed!" I muttered, though he clearly wasn't interested in teamwork.
"Kghhh..!" Seeing the two green creatures attacking his legs and chest—cracking some of his bones in the process—he started swinging his sword violently at them.
With a swing from the top of his head, he was able to cut halfway through one of the creature's necks.
Seeing this made him laugh sinisterly.
"Gwheheh!"
But before he could remove his sword from the green creature's neck...
"Skeleton Fellow! Behind you!"
Before he could react to my warning, the one with the club jumped from behind him and swung his weapon at Fellow's head, which resulted in breaking his whole head into pieces...
"Fellow!"
With Fellow falling to the ground, the two remaining creatures focused on me... Maybe if I had chosen to run when the small creatures appeared, he might have been able to get away, but now... that's no longer an option!
Dashing toward the one with the small sword, I tried to mimic the attack that Fellow performed, but instead of holding the rusted sword with one hand, I chose to hold it with both. Due to the height difference between our bodies and weapons, I managed to hit the creature's shoulder, while it only grazed my rib bones with the tip of its small sword.
The result was obvious...
"Kghah!"
"With this, there's one down and one remain—" Unfortunately, the feeling of victory faded as fast as it came.
"...ing?" Seeing the one that I hit with my whole strength only have a cut across his shoulder bone, I cursed internally.
'Hey, how crappy is this sword? I know it said it doesn't have an edge and all, but still, the skeleton fellow's sword made a much deeper wound than mine, even when he used only one hand!'
Seeing that the two creatures were approaching me, I cursed inwardly.