Chương 43: Bowling for Bones

Recap: You convinced the party to avoid the City Guard and head deeper into Floor 4. You encountered three Skeletons. You voted to DROP AND SLAM (JOIN FIGHT). Being carried into battle is for kings and generals. I was neither. I was luggage with an attitude problem. Torin was engaging the first skeleton. Kara was chanting a spell. Renn was holding me like I was a fragile heirloom instead of a 120-pound iron-clad murder box. Put me down, I thought. I need to bowl. I wiggle. Not a subtle wiggle.

A violent, hydraulic shift of weight.

"Whoa!" Renn stumbled. His grip loosened. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Slam Attack Cost: 5 Stamina Current SP: 5/24 Effect: Launch Body + Impact Damage I dropped. Gravity did the rest. But I didn't just fall. I propelled. My base muscles contracted mid-air. I became a cannonball. CRASH. I landed on the lead skeleton. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Calculation: Slam (Strength 7) + Fall Base Damage: 7 Target: Skeleton Warrior (Level 3) HP Remaining: 0 (Shattered) XP Gained: 5 XP Current XP: 135/210 Bone dust exploded.

The skeleton didn't just fall; it pulverized. My iron bands ground the ribs into powder. The other two skeletons froze. Their glowing blue eyes flickered. They turned their skulls toward me. Wait, I thought. Core Touched. They should ignore me. They didn't attack. They… hesitated. Their swords lowered slightly. They were confused. I smelled like the Dungeon Core (literally, I ate a fragment), but I just smashed their friend. Their programming was glitching.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Target: Ally? Target: Enemy? Target: Furniture?

"By the Gods," Torin breathed. He stood over the dust pile.

"It… it crushed him."

"It's one of us now," Kara said. Her voice was shaky. She wasn't looking at me with fear anymore. She was looking at me with… reverence?

"It's a Dungeon Guardian." No, I thought. I'm a Graphic Design Major. The two remaining skeletons shuffled backward. They weren't fleeing. They were… yielding? SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Status Effect: Core Authority (Passive) Effect: Lower-Level Undead Submit to Will Range: 10 ft Oh. Oh. That was new. Eating the Sub-Core Fragment didn't just make me neutral. It made me… management? I vibrated my lid. Buzz. The skeletons stopped moving. They stood at attention. Like guards waiting for orders.

"Did… did you just command them?" Renn whispered. He was hiding behind Torin now. I didn't answer. I couldn't. But I slid toward the skeletons. I nudged one with my base. It stepped aside. It let me pass.

"This changes things," Torin said. He sheathed his sword.

"If the box can control the undead… Floor 4 is safe. We can bypass the Bone Weaver." The Bone Weaver, I thought. Boss of Floor 4. The Core Voice pulsed again.

"Weaver… Obstacle… Remove… Claim… Floor…" It wanted me to kill the boss. To claim the floor. But I was at 5 SP. 13 HP. 3 MP. I was running on fumes again. Controlling skeletons cost… something. Probably MP. I didn't want to spend it yet.

"We rest," Kara said. She looked at the submissive skeletons.

"Here. They won't attack us now."

"They might revert," Torin warned.

"Magic fades."

"Then we move fast," Kara countered. She looked at me.

"Box… can you… keep them calm?" I vibrated. Yes.

"Good." She sat down against the wall.

"Ten minutes. Then we push for the Boss Chamber." Boss Chamber, I thought. Level 4 Boss. Bone Weaver. Rewards: Loot. XP. Evolution progress. Risks: Death. Permadeath. New Game Plus. I settled next to the skeletons. They stood like statues. Guarding me. I checked my stats. I needed to plan. I had 5 SP. I could Bite (2 SP) or Slam (5 SP) once more. I had 3 MP. I could Taunt (3 MP) once. If I fought the Boss, I needed more resources. I needed to eat. The skeletons… were they edible? Bone marrow? XP?

Current Stats (Level 3 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 13/19 (Unchanged) Mana: 3/14 (Unchanged) Stamina: 5/24 (Slam cost) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot). Status: Core Touched, Undead Submitting, Low Stamina. What do you do? A) EAT A SKELETON (FUEL) Consume one of the submissive skeletons. Gain HP/XP. Risk breaking the truce with the others. (Cost: 2 SP (Bite). Gain: +5 HP, XP. Risk: Others might turn hostile.) B) COMMAND SKELETONS (SCOUT) Use Core Authority to send them ahead.

Scout the Boss Chamber. Safe intel gathering. (Cost: 2 MP. Gain: Intel. Risk: They might die/return nothing.) C) REST & REGEN (SAFE) Close lid. Regen SP/MP. Let the party rest. Enter Boss fight with full stats. (Cost: 0 SP. Time Skip: 10 Mins. Gain: Full Stats. Risk: Boss might prepare ambush.) D) DEMAND WEAPON (UPGRADE) Nudge the skeletons to give you their weapons. Eat the metal blades. Progress Ironband Evolution (4/3 Overflow). (Cost: 1 SP. Gain: Mass/Density Boost. Risk: They have no weapons (rusted).) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 42! Option A (Drop & Slam) was brutal! You shattered a skeleton and discovered Core Authority (Undead Submit)! You're now seen as a Dungeon Guardian by the party!