> **[Stage-2: Clear Condition — Defeat Dungeons Level 1 to 5.
> Time Limit — 8 Months.]**
The notification faded from Suho's vision, leaving only silence.
He stood inside the **Stage-2 Safe Room**—a massive, open space enclosed by pale-blue walls.
There was no sky here, only a single portal leading to the outside world.
---
To test something, Suho ordered one **normal skeleton** and a **tamed goblin** to remain behind while he marched out with the rest of his army.
Hours later, when he returned—
they were still there, doing something but still there.
> "So… Safe Rooms really are stable instances," Suho murmured.
> "I can leave part of my army here."
It was a small discovery, but an important one.
---
Days passed.
Suho began testing other possibilities—
ways to help his subordinates **grow stronger without fighting**.
The results were… disappointing.
Among millions of undead and tamed beasts, only a handful possessed any sort of "talent."
And most of those were useless curiosities.
> *[Talent: Shoulder Sketching]*
> *[Talent: Loud Snoring]*
> *[Talent: Digging]*
Suho stared blankly at the reports. "...This can't be real."
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
> "Is this… also a kind of talent? My army is full of artisans of nonsense."
For a moment, he wondered if he was truly going to be okay leading *this* army into the next war.
---
Still, he organized them.
Inside the Safe Room, he divided roles and duties like a general assigning ranks.
The **Goblin Lord skeletons**—and their **tamed respawn versions**—set up a blacksmith's forge near the central flame.
They lit fires, hammered weapons, and repaired armor for their skeletal brethren.
Half of the Goblin Lords joined Suho on field expeditions.
The rest became craftsmen of war.
Meanwhile, the **mages**, with the old books Suho had looted from Stage-1, began studying basic incantations—trying to evolve from their single-tier fireballs to new, untested spells.
---
Suho stood quietly at the edge of the room, watching **Veno** teach **Miho** to control aura.
Each movement was precise, patient.
Suho tried to imitate them—but no matter how hard he focused, aura refused to flow properly through his body.
His balance between *dark mana, aura,* and *holy power* was still unstable.
---
### *Inside the Dungeon — Days Later*
Monsters in Stage-2 were unlike anything before.
Even **normal creatures** possessed **special abilities**—acidic skin, illusions, or mana bursts that shredded weaker undead instantly.
The fights were long, exhausting, and unending.
While resting near a broken altar, Suho's thoughts wandered.
> "My skeletons are changing," he muttered.
> "They're gaining emotions."
With every **Combine**, his subordinates became less like puppets and more like… living beings.
They laughed, hesitated, even argued.
But only a few—mostly his **first creations**—showed genuine emotion.
The others, the **respawned versions**, remained empty.
Functional, loyal… but hollow.
> "Why only them?" he wondered aloud. "What makes the first ones different?"
---
The truth weighed on him.
He had reached another wall.
No matter how hard he trained, his skeletons couldn't rise past **Level 4**.
Combining them reset their level to 1, though their strength barely grew each time.
He was trapped in a loop—progressing without truly advancing.
Even his **aura training** had stalled.
His **magic control** refused to improve.
> *"Is this my limit…?"*
He stared blankly at the darkness of the cave.
All around him were bones—remnants of people who had once lived and died in this world.
Skeletons that had once been human.
> *"If I die here… will I become one of them?"*
A shiver ran through him.
His hands trembled.
Tears blurred his vision.
> "Please, Mom… Dad… my brothers…"
> "If you were caught in this too—please be alive."
> "God, please… protect them."
The words slipped out between clenched teeth, small and broken.
Behind him, **Veno** watched in silence.
The massive skeleton warrior stood motionless, only the faint blue light in his eye sockets flickering.
Suho whispered bitterly,
> "Even if I escape this hell… what meaning is there if they're gone?"
Veno moved forward.
Without a word, he lifted Suho onto his shoulder.
The army fell into formation behind them—
an endless tide of **skeletons**, joined by a **Level-9-boss tamed beast**, the **Venom Cobra**, whose body glowed faintly green with deadly poison.
At the front walked **Hogwords**, the Skeleton Mage, his staff flickering with pale light as he used his newly learned spell.
> *[Skill — Detection (Normal)]*
---
The group reached a small pond.
The water shimmered unnaturally, reflecting faint silver patterns.
Suho frowned.
> "Why are we here?" he asked, looking around.
> "I didn't order anyone to stop."
No one answered.
> "Water is unlimited inside the Safe Room anyway. What's the point of coming to a lake?"
Veno stepped forward, expression unreadable.
> "What are you doing?" Suho said, stepping back. "Hey—let go of me. I can't swim!"
He tried to command him—
> *"Veno, stop!—"*
But Veno didn't stop.
With one firm motion—
he **threw Suho straight into the pond**.
---
The surface exploded in ripples.
Water swallowed Suho's shout.
For a moment, only silence remained—
the reflection of countless skeletons standing at the edge, motionless, their empty eyes staring down at the waves.
---
⚡ **End of Chapter 13**
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