Arc 1: Exodus Chapter 1: Awake (Human Captain POV) Around the tomb of the Skeleton King were regular soldiers from the Human Kingdoms to keep any stragglers from the battle from escaping. A well-built man was pacing back and forth in front of his tent while he waited for the scout he sent to return. Captain: "Report on the Skeleton King." Scout: "Yes, Sir. Lord Ganz defeated the Skeleton King, and since then, the undead scattered into different directions." Captain: "Sergeant! Quickly lead your forces to hunt them down. We can't have undead hiding in the forests or mountains. They might attack villages later." An average soldier came forward. Nothing different from a regular soldier except for the rank on his badge which says "Vice-Captain." Vice Captain: "Yes, Sir! Men! Move out!" So it's over, huh... and here I thought I would be a hero saving humanity. It seems like clean-up work is all we grunts can do. I'm also part thankful because I'm sure a lot of us would die if we fought in the primary battle. My main army left, but I have a few soldiers and scouts with me. "Sir, We see a group of skeletons trying to make a run for it." "Let's observe them first. The Holy Knights brigade is also there." . . . (Idmon POV) I feel weak. All I see is a bright light. I can’t tell what’s going on. I look around. My comrades were running around, trying to escape from their pursuers. I could see some getting hit in the legs. They were crawling to escape but eventually get smashed under the warhammer of the paladins. I’m now outside the tomb. The situation is just as terrible as it was inside the tomb. Bones and skeletons were scattered. Some of them were still moving but have lost the hatred to fight. The Skeleton King was responsible for enslaving these souls and implanting them with hatred to make them follow his command and fight all living things. With the link severed, most of them kill themselves or rather destroy their bodies. A lot of them were forced to come back as undead, but they did not have any hatred or regret. Some of our common knowledge returned along with our consciousness. Compared to before, this is better. The feeling of constant hatred for all living things is not very good. I am not able to talk. Some of us can speak, and others get by if they have the skill which can only be used by stronger undead. Most of the strong ones are already dead. We’re probably next. Awawawa! The humans are casting huge spells! I try to run away as fast as I can. Rays of light are coming down from the heavens, decimating legions of skeletons. I barely survived the shower of holy spells. Others were not so lucky. I’m not going to wait and die here even though I’m already dead. No. I finally got back my sense, and I ain't going to kick the bucket yet. There was a spear and shield on the ground; I picked it up and started running. I gathered some 15 skeleton soldiers like me by beckoning to them. Humans on horses were cutting my fellow skeletons from afar. I urged my group to hurry. I don't know why but I felt a great urge to save them. They're like brothers to me, somehow. They just followed like tired workers. I don’t want them all to die but these are the only ones that have some will to live or should I say, exist. Luckily, we found a forest to hide nearby. We quickly went in it and held our position. We saw how humans slaughtered my brethren. There was no hatred in me. I don’t recognize this feeling. A bone behemoth was somehow holding out for us. It seems like it was towering over everyone because of its 60-ft. Height, but it can barely block the attacks of the paladins that kept coming for us. It’s a grotesque creature that’s made up of bones, it stands up like a golem but has an image of a four-legged beast(like a bear standing upright). The paladins kept hitting the vital parts, such as the knees. It made huge swings, but the paladins produced massive spell shields that blocked it. Their holy warhammers made the job even easier. It's ultra-thick bones shattered under the pressure of hundreds of warhammers. It only lasted for a few minutes; our greatest force has been put down. After being immobilized, it was smashed again and again until the bone turned into powder. Is this fear? What is this? I want to cling to life so badly. This can’t be the end. Rather than planning my vengeance, I should plan our safe haven. Away from here. A place where overpowered humans don’t live. It’s still not over though; now they are coming for us! We run away from our hiding spot. Wahhhh, I dodge desperately from a holy homing arrow. Countless skeleton soldiers like me were hit and turned into bone powder. Swish, boom. I dodged and dodge. I think I may have gotten the passive skill . (Skills in this Novel can be taught by teachers and can also be learned from personal experience.) What the hell is this! This is outright cheating! Homing arrows! I got scratch by a holy arrow; it burned my right arm, turned it to bone powder. While we were scurrying around going in the directions of the forest. I heard a resounding chant. A vast white spell circle was forming on the side of the humans. I looked at my back, and I saw nothing but light. Breathing was hard. Even though I have nonexistent lungs and my nonexistent heart was beating so fast, but I know this is all just in my nonexistent brain. DODGE!!! MOVE ME!!! I say to my frozen self. This is the part of my life where I really thought I must have done something good before. Everything on the right side of my vision was turned into ash. Luckily, I dodged left. Dodging a huge spell made me get the skill . I should have gotten a title from this no? What am I saying? I stood there for a few seconds — utter destruction. God has forsaken us. Of course, that’s natural. We are Undead. I continued to the forest. Hope is very good at hiding, it seems. My 15 men got away safely and were waiting for me in the forest. We met up and went further in. (Human Captain POV) The undead force was obliterated. Most of them were turned to ash. A small group was able to survive, though. I was wondering where are they going, but it looks like they have some leader to command them. They went into the forest, huh? Vice Captain: "Sir, a small group of skeletons made it past the Holy Knights. Shall we pursue them?" Captain: "No, they're just skeleton soldiers. Even farmers would be able to fight them. Let's go back." Vice Captain: "Yes, sir." In regards to this, an aged farmer is stronger than the underlying skeleton. That is how powerful humans have become. Am I showing mercy to the undead? This is not like me... (Sigh), but it's tiring work to chase them inside the forest, you know? . . . (Idmon POV) We travel at night and hide in caves and forests in the day. When we encounter groups of humans, we’d just lie down and pretend to be corpses. There was a time where we almost got caught. I panicked and told my men to "play dead." Some of them didn't understand, but they mimicked me anyways. I was issuing commands via hand signals, so it was hard for them to comply right away. Random Soldier: "Look at these skeletons! Haha! Kick them kick them!" Random Soldier 2: "Not so tough now, huh!" Officer: "Come on, guys! We got a celebration to go to!" They spit and curse at us. Luckily my group followed my orders not to move an inch. Either there are no more hostile monsters left, or all of them are in hiding. This scene was almost the same everywhere. Monsters and Undead were killed and toyed around without mercy. The humans go around with corpses of beast and bones from their defeated foes. They bring those things into their villages. I wonder why? Fortunately, there’s not a lot of people traveling because everyone was celebrating their recent victory in their towns and villages. I don’t know what the places outside the great tomb is called, but I know there are dead lands far south of this place. We all have a vague recollection of traveling from the south region to here. We kept heading south. We don’t need to rest or eat because we're undead. I tried communicating with my comrades, but there was no luck in getting a response. They all seem to have lost all their reason to live, and they are just following any orders I give to them. There is this one guy though, the one that looks at me when I issue orders or when I’m thinking, well it’s not really looking because you know? He seems to be always facing me, though, like a sign of respect. I named him Bon, even though he doesn’t know. I need to get the Telepathy skill, but I don’t know-how. For, now, I just have to rely on hand signals. Come, Follow, Stop. That's all I can order for now. It was already morning, and we all sit down inside a cave. I look at my soldiers. I was waiting for someone to try and do something, but they all sit there like they were really just skeletons. Is there still a reason for us to exist? I don’t know, but I don’t want to disappear yet. Looking outside the cave, I saw a group of beasts trying to run away. Humans riding horses chase them. The beasts were wounded already, and the humans were just like making fun of them. Skewering their bodies and planting it in the ground. Humans are really powerful. The beasts are nowhere around the level of being called weak, but the humans just let themselves get hit for fun and return powerful counterattacks. The chance of us surviving seems slim, but I won’t let my group and I die or stop here. We had nothing to do in the mornings. I spend most of my time trying to remember all of my memories that are still intact. I don’t even remember how I died. The only memory I have is tripping on the stairs in a castle and falling. Maybe that’s how it happened? Don’t know, don’t care. For now, I should focus on getting us to a safe place and look for clues about my identity later Although I know my name is Idmon. I don’t know who gave it to me. It's just appeared in my head. It was the face of someone. It was blurry, but I felt warm only by staring at the face saying. "Idmon, it's time to wake up."