Chapter 13: Cleared-Up Misunderstanding and a Herniated Disc Skeleton

“…What?”

—Thwack.

Everyone present—the students, the mage, Yoo Juju, and even Ruah—brought a hand to their forehead.

“What is wrong?”

Himari tilted her head, completely oblivious to the reason for their reaction.

“……”

“I am still a student… and it would be troublesome if I had a baby.”

Himari appealed to Ruah.

“I believe you will understand, teacher. Because you are… the school nurse.”

“I… I don’t even know where to begin….”

Ruah muttered involuntarily.

“You have your work cut out for you, teacher.”

The mage sighed and added her own commentary.

And Yoo Juju—

“Who’s a man?!”

Their face flushed crimson as they clenched their fists. Their usual boisterous manner was gone; they were genuinely flustered.

“I-I’m a girl!”

“…Excuse me?”

Himari’s eyes widened.

“Juju… you? A girl? But your hair is short, your voice is low, and your chest is small—”

“O-okay, that’s enough!”

Ruah quickly covered Himari’s mouth. Yoo Juju, on the verge of tears, covered her chest.

“Himari, I think you’ve got it wrong!”

“Me? …If you are teaching me, I will learn.”

Himari clasped her hands politely.

“First, Juju is a girl, just like you and me. Of course, they are close with the boys, and their… hair is short, but that’s just Juju’s personal style.”

“I-is that so? Such a mistake…!”

Realizing her blunder, Himari covered her mouth in surprise.

“Second, you don’t get pregnant just from holding hands with a boy.”

“What?!”

Himari was shocked. It wasn’t an act.

She lacked common sense due to her father, Hoshikawa Toshio’s, strict upbringing. He only valued Battōjutsu and was excessively conservative about everything else.

He probably told her that to keep his daughter, who was going abroad, on a tight leash.

“Th-then how… do you have a baby?”

“Well, of course—”

“……”

Ruah suddenly looked around. While she had been preoccupied with Himari’s bombshell, all the students were now staring at her.

“Cou—”

“Cou?”

…No, she would rather die than explain the process of childbirth in front of all these students.

“I’ll explain it… when we’re out of the Gate…”

“Understood.”

Ruah took a deep breath and regained her composure.

“So, first, apologize to Juju. Whether you intended to or not, you hurt their feelings.”

“Yes, teacher.”

Himari walked towards the still-shocked Yoo Juju and bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

“Juju, I apologize. I made a mistake.”

“Ugh…”

“I misunderstood you without properly understanding you. From now on, when interacting with others, I will carefully assess, confirm the facts, and act with caution.”

It was a textbook apology. Juju, who had been on the verge of tears, rubbed her face a few times to regain the composure.

“Phew, it’s okay. Please raise your head.”

“……”

“It’s alright. I don’t usually dress up, so it’s not uncommon for people to mistake me.”

‘Juju is quite cute though.’

she had a boyish charm.

Concept playthroughs focused solely on Juju were quite popular in the online community.

“Alright, that’s enough.”

Yoo Juju started putting on she gauntlets.

“Now that the misunderstanding is cleared, let’s get along from now on.”

“Thank you, Juju.”

Himari adjusted the scabbard at her waist.

“I will apologize again formally… when we are out of the Gate.”

—Finally, the time had come.

The four-member party—tank Yoo Juju, damage dealer Hoshikawa Himari, healer Han Ruah, and the professional mage—walked towards the boss room.

———————————

<Personnel Limit: 4/4>

<Moving to the boss’s location.>

———————————-

—Creeeak….

The ominously carved door slowly opened, revealing complete darkness within. Exchanging glances, the four stepped inside.

As a chill swept across her face, Ruah counted in her mind.

‘10, 9, 8, 7….’

She had seen this event hundreds of times. There was no way she would mistime it.

‘2, 1.’

—Flash!

As the countdown ended, the lights came on.

“Ugh!”

The party members groaned at the sudden brightness. Ruah, having closed her eyes in anticipation, was less affected.

The boss room was a large chamber within the cave. Bats flew around the ceiling, and the walls were made of solid rock. It was about half the size of the gymnasium where the entrance ceremony had been held.

‘As expected, it’s exactly the same.’

It was so faithful to the game that Ruah felt a pang of nostalgia.

“What is… that?”

Yoo Juju, at the front, pointed at something with a gauntleted finger. Two rectangular coffins lay in the middle of the chamber. They were clearly objects from which undead would emerge.

“Detection skill….”

“No need.”

Ruah stopped the mage from activating her skill.

“I think they’ll appear soon anyway.”

Her words proved true.

—Crack!

The coffin lids shattered, and two skeletons rose. Juju and Himari tensed, assuming attack stances.

—Clatter, clatter.

The bosses sounded different from the regular mobs. While they were also humanoid, the bones that made up their bodies seemed thicker, and an unknown aura surrounded them. One glowed blue, the other red.

—Kyaaa….

The skeletons raised their swords. At that moment, two skeletal horses emerged from the ground and bowed their backs.

The two skeletons skillfully mounted the horses and donned helmets.

—Ding!

<The boss of the Dance of the Dead, Skeleton Knight (Blue), has appeared!>

<The boss of the Dance of the Dead, Skeleton Knight (Red), has appeared!>

“T-two of them? This won’t be easy…!”

And that wasn’t all.

<Status Effect: Fear accumulating. Current: 1%>

While the accumulation rate was slow in this low-level Gate, it would be difficult to win against these formidable opponents with a status effect, even in perfect condition. They couldn’t afford a prolonged battle.

—Clack, clack.

The Skeleton Knights began approaching Ruah’s group. They started by walking, then gradually increased their speed, charging towards them.

“They’re coming!”

“Himari, how long do you need to charge your Battōjutsu?”

“At least 20 seconds. The longer I prepare, the more powerful it becomes.”

As expected. Ruah nodded.

“Alright, get ready!”

“Yes, teacher.”

Himari placed her hand on the hilt of her sword and lowered her stance. Ruah focused on the approaching skeletons.

—————————————-

<[Diagnosis (Lv.2)] has been activated.>

<Target’s current status: Cervical herniated disc>

<[Diagnosis (Lv.2)] has been activated.>

<Target’s current status: Scoliosis>

—————————————–

‘What? Those are conditions I was diagnosed with!’

Despite the complicated medical terms, thankfully, they were conditions Ruah knew. The blue one had a herniated disc in its neck, and the red one had a curved spine.

“Did you guys also spend all your time sitting in front of computers?”

“What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing!”

Ruah snapped out of it and requested buffs from the mage. The mage, like a true professional, immediately cast attack and defense buffs on Himari and Juju.

“I’ll block their attacks! [Taunt]!”

The Skeleton Knights, charging side-by-side, split up and swung their swords. Sparks flew as Juju’s gauntlets clashed with the swords.

<Status Effect: Fear. Current: 3%>

—Clang!

—Clang!

“Ugh!”

“Juju, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thanks to the buff.”

Juju sustained some damage, but the Skeleton Knights were unharmed. Juju’s gauntlets were made of D-rank Rare Metal.

C-rank monsters could only be harmed by C-rank or higher Rare Metal.

—Kyaaa….

The skeletons retreated and prepared to charge again. This time, they were wielding bone lances instead of swords.

“Teacher, I am… ready!”

Himari, in her lowered stance, spoke. 20 seconds seemed to have passed. She could take down one of them with an immediate Battōjutsu—

“—No, charge it more.”

“Excuse me?”

“Charge it as long as you can, and unleash it when I tell you to. Can you do that?”

“…Understood.”

Ruah had a specific reason for this.

‘The twins must be defeated simultaneously.’

Even if they defeated one, the other would fully revive if it was still alive. This gimmick often frustrated new players, who would rage after seeing their hard work undone.

<Status Effect: Fear. Current: 4%>

“Juju, can you block the next attack?”

“I-I’ll try!”

Blocking the attacks of two C-rank monsters was a considerable burden for Juju, who wasn’t even a fully licensed Hunter. They had to finish this before the status effect accumulated further.

—Clip-clop, clip-clop.

“They’re coming!”

The Skeleton Knights charged with their lances raised.

‘This is it.’

“Himari, get ready!”

“Yes…!”

Himari’s Battōjutsu charge was approaching 40 seconds. One strike, just one strike, would be enough.

—Kyaaa!

—Kyaaa!

The two skeletons let out identical, chilling roars.

<Status Effect: Fear. Current: 5%>

“Juju, one step forward!”

“Huh? Yes!”

Juju quickly took a step forward and crossed their gauntlets in front of their head in a defensive stance.

‘They’ll scatter to the sides after attacking.’

In other words, the only opportunity to attack was the very moment the enemy attacked.

“Himari, cut them down as soon as they’re in range.”

“But teacher, Juju is between me and the enemy.”

“…It doesn’t matter.”

Himari tilted her head momentarily, then resumed her stance.

She had seen the determination in Ruah’s eyes.

“Mage! Defense buff on me!”

“What? Why the healer—”

“Hurry!”

—Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

<Status Effect: Fear. Current: 9%>

As soon as the defense buff was applied, Ruah moved.

—Kyaaaaa!

The moment the two skeletons’ lances were about to strike Juju’s gauntlets,

“Haa!”

Ruah threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Juju’s waist and pulling them both to the ground.

“Whoa?!”

Juju and Ruah tumbled to the floor. And above them—

“Haaa—!”

Himari unleashed her [Hoshikawa-ryu Battōjutsu].

—Boom!

A sonic boom, even stronger than before, shook the entire chamber.

The cave was split in two. The stone walls, the ceiling, the bats flying around, the torch lights,

And the two Skeleton Knights.

—Keeek….

The skeletons crumbled into unsightly piles of bones.

A system message appeared.

—————————————-

<Congratulations! You have guided the bosses of the Dance of the Dead, Skeleton Knight (Blue) and Skeleton Knight (Red), to eternal rest!>

<Gate cleared. Time elapsed: 45:23:22>