Blood dripped onto the dungeon floor.
Slow.
Sticky.
Still warm.
The skeleton stopped moving.
His newly reinforced bones sensed it before his mind did—irregular vibrations echoing through the stone corridor ahead. Not the chaotic scurrying of monsters. Not the heavy pressure of a dungeon guardian.
Footsteps.
Human.
Uneven. Desperate.
"…An adventurer."
In Eternal Dominion, beginner dungeons like this were often farmed by low-rank parties. Skeletons, rats, slimes—easy money.
Until something went wrong.
He moved silently toward the corner, extinguishing the faint blue glow of his system weapon by sheer will. The sword dimmed, becoming dull and gray again.
Then he saw her.
A young woman lay slumped against the dungeon wall, one arm hanging uselessly at her side. Leather armor torn open at the shoulder. Blood soaked through the fabric, pooling beneath her.
Her sword lay several meters away.
Broken.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Alive—but barely.
Behind her, the corridor was littered with monster tracks.
Ahead of her…
Fresh boot prints.
Multiple.
Leading away.
The skeleton's empty gaze lingered on those tracks longer than necessary.
"…They ran."
Not just ran.
They had arranged it.
In the novel, this tactic had a name.
Bait drop.
When a party was overwhelmed, they left behind the weakest member—usually injured—to slow the monsters down while the rest escaped.
Cold.
Efficient.
Common.
He had read scenes like this dozens of times.
He had never imagined standing on the other side of it.
The woman groaned softly, trying to push herself up.
Her arm failed her.
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
"…Damn it… damn it…"
Her voice trembled—not with pain, but with realization.
"They really left…"
Her hand reached blindly for her sword.
Her fingers closed on empty stone.
Panic flared in her eyes.
Then—
She felt it.
A presence.
Her head snapped up.
Their gazes met.
The woman froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
A skeleton stood a few meters away, holding a sword made of bone and dim blue light. Its frame was damaged but reinforced, eyes glowing faintly like dying embers.
A monster.
An undead.
Her instincts screamed.
She reached for her belt—
Nothing.
No potions.
No escape.
Her shoulders slumped.
"…So this is it."
She let out a hollow laugh.
"Guess I'm worth about five seconds."
The skeleton didn't move.
Didn't attack.
Didn't raise his weapon.
He simply watched her.
Analyzed.
If I kill her…
XP.
Human adventurers gave a lot of XP to monsters.
Especially intelligent ones.
The system reacted instantly.
[TARGET DETECTED]
Human Adventurer – Rank F]
Potential XP: High
The message lingered.
Waiting.
He looked at her again.
She wasn't crying.
She wasn't begging.
She was staring at the ceiling, jaw clenched, eyes burning with resentment.
Not fear.
Anger.
At her party.
At herself.
"…I know you won't understand this," she muttered weakly, voice shaking, "but if you're going to kill me… just do it fast."
She turned her head slightly, eyes finally locking onto his skull.
"Don't let them use me twice."
Something inside him shifted.
A memory surfaced.
Not from this world.
From asphalt.
Headlights.
A horn blaring too late.
Being nothing more than an inconvenience in someone else's path.
"…Tch."
The sound came out as a hollow rattle.
She flinched.
The skeleton moved.
Not toward her throat.
Toward the corridor behind her.
A shadow lunged from the darkness.
A dungeon hound—its jaws wide, saliva dripping, eyes locked on the helpless human.
The skeleton intercepted it.
Bone met flesh.
The sword slashed.
[KILL CONFIRMED]
Dungeon Hound – Rank F]
XP +8
Blood splattered across the stone.
The woman stared.
Her breath hitched.
"…You… saved me?"
The skeleton turned back to her.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
He lowered his sword.
"I didn't do it for you."
The words didn't come out of his mouth.
They appeared.
[SYSTEM INTERFACE – LIMITED COMMUNICATION ENABLED]
Transmitting intent via system text
Blue text formed in the air between them.
I hate people who leave others behind.
Her eyes widened.
"…You can think?"
Another line appeared.
I was human once.
Silence crashed down harder than any scream.
She forgot the pain.
Forgot the blood.
Forgot the monsters.
"…That's not funny."
I died. Reincarnated. Like this.
She swallowed.
Slowly, she lowered her gaze to his bones.
"…You're serious."
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
"Of course. Of course this would happen to me."
She laughed weakly, then hissed as pain shot through her shoulder.
The skeleton stepped closer.
He knelt.
Examined the wound.
Deep. Bleeding. But survivable.
[OPTION AVAILABLE]
Apply monster materials to external target?
"…I can stabilize you," a new line appeared.
But you don't belong here.
Her expression hardened.
"…I don't have anywhere else to go."
She met his gaze.
"My party abandoned me. My guild will mark me as dead."
"…And if I return alone, they'll ask questions."
Her fists clenched.
"I won't survive that either."
The skeleton processed her words.
Risk.
Danger.
A human partner meant attention.
But also…
Information.
Cover.
Access to the surface.
"…What's your name?" she asked suddenly.
He paused.
Names had power in this world.
Monsters without names were disposable.
"…I don't have one."
She blinked.
"…Then I'll call you something."
Despite everything, she smiled faintly.
"…Bonehead?"
He stared at her.
"…No?"
She laughed—and immediately regretted it.
"Sorry… bad timing."
She took a breath.
"I'm Elena. Rank F adventurer."
Her eyes sharpened.
"And if you save me… really save me…"
"…I'll become your partner."
The system chimed softly.
[UNIQUE CONDITION MET]
Potential Contract: Cross-Race Alliance
The skeleton looked at her.
At the blood.
At the corridor her party had fled through.
"…Fine."
Blue light wrapped around his hand as he pressed monster essence into her wound.
She gasped as warmth spread through her shoulder.
[STABILIZATION COMPLETE]
She exhaled shakily.
"…You really are different."
The skeleton stood.
Extended his hand.
Bone.
Cold.
Steady.
Don't betray me.
She took it.
Her grip was weak—but firm.
"…I already know how that feels."
In the distance, the dungeon growled.
The system whispered.
[PARTNERSHIP ESTABLISHED]
Anomaly Detected
Two outcasts stood together in the dark.
And the dungeon took notice.