Chapter 71: Bone Skills

The event was over—and with it came the quiet. The camp exhaled in relief.

Laughter, improvised music, and the smell of roasting meat filled the air. People walked around without glancing over their shoulders.

Luke understood why: the end of an event meant a pause in the nightmare. For non-combatants, that was everything.

“Blood Demon! Blood Demon!” the archers chanted, dancing around the bonfire.

At the center, a boar was being carved up in a hurry. Mugs were raised, stories retold—each one more exaggerated than the last.

One of the archers passed by Luke, slapped his shoulder, and kept dancing.

Luke sighed, covered in dried blood and half-soaked. “I deserve this…”

“Please hold still, Mister Luke.”

Thiara appeared behind him—and dumped another bucket of water over his head.

Splash.

Luke stood motionless. “You sure this water’s clean?”

“Absolutely!” she said, beaming. “I awakened a purification skill. I can cleanse any water now. That makes me useful, right?”

In this world, that was worth more than gold. Most water had to be boiled—and even then, it wasn’t always safe.

She dipped her hand into the bucket, a soft glow of mana shimmering across the surface, then dumped more over his head.

“I’m also experimenting,” she added. “Turns out I gain a bit of XP when I purify things. Who knows? Maybe I get XP for bathing people, too. I mean, I already get some when people drink my water.”

Luke blinked as another bucket hit him.

“…So I’m the test subject?”

Thiara nodded, perfectly serious. “It’s more common than you think. Farmers get XP planting, carpenters get XP building. Professions are like support classes. They don’t fight—but they’re crucial.”

Luke looked at her with a little more respect.

“Professions sound kind of awesome.”

“They are,” she said with a smile. “I wanted to be a doctor back on Earth. But my family was poor. The System gave me the Healer class… skipped years of school. Now I can do what no doctor ever could.”

She paused, eyes distant.

“…Then I got pulled into this cursed tutorial.”

Luke thought about his own mother.

He said nothing—just nodded.

“Are there combat-oriented professions?” he asked.

“Not directly. But they help you grow. Bonus XP, utility skills, stat boosts… they make you stronger, no doubt.”

She finished with the last of the buckets. Luke gave her a quiet thank-you, then slipped into the forest to finish cleaning up on his own.

Later, back in the tent, he opened his inventory.

Princess Charlie stood nearby, silent as always.

He pulled out the reward: the Captain’s weapon. He held it for a long second… then offered it to her.

[Orcslayer Blade (Rare)

Description: A crimson blade stained with the blood of a fallen Orc Captain. Deals +25% bonus damage against orcs.

[Sharp Fury (Rare)]: +10% damage when the enemy is below 30% HP.

Requirement: Level 8+ in any Fighter class]

“Looks like you’re the only one getting loot these days,” Luke muttered.

Charlie took the sword, expression unreadable behind the helmet.

He sighed, then smiled.

“Not that I mind. I’m not giving up my kukris anyway.”

That’s when footsteps echoed through the camp—stumbling, lightly dragging.

“Look who it is! Our glorious forest psycho—the Blood Demon himself!”

Angelica appeared, visibly drunk, laughing and swaying with a mug of something half-fermented in hand. She handed it to Luke.

“Best we could brew. You’ve earned it. Now come join the party!”

Luke scratched the back of his neck.

“I was just changing…”

Then her eyes landed on Charlie.

“Oh… the knight who saved some of ours. Thanks. Are you still a newbie in the tutorial?”

Luke and Charlie exchanged a look.

She gave a small nod.

Angelica smiled and extended a hand.

“Welcome to the Haven. What’s your name?”

Charlie looked at the hand…

Then at Luke.

Before the silence grew awkward—

Luke stepped in:

“She’s a bit shy,” Luke said, clearing his throat. “Met Charlie out in the Wild Zone. She’s… still trying to process all this crap we call a tutorial. Everyone handles it in their own way, right?”

Angelica nodded, either understanding or just drunk enough not to question it further.

“Yeah. Seen plenty like that around here,” she said, her voice slurring slightly. “They show up thinking they’ll be out in a few weeks. Then reality hits like a warhammer to the face.”

She offered a crooked smile to Charlie and added, “Don’t worry, make yourself at home. Want us to set up a tent for you? I heard you earned it.”

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Charlie shook her head.

“She’s got a hideout in the Safe Zone,” Luke added quickly. “But she still came to help.”

“Well, if you need anything, you come find me,” Angelica replied, nearly spilling her mug as she wandered off, muttering something about orcs and bad drinks.

Luke considered storing Charlie back in his soul inventory…

But before he could, Angelica had looped an arm through his, dragging him toward the campfire to talk about meat, survival, and whatever else popped into her ale-soaked mind.

 

***

 

Charlie was standing behind Luke. That was part of the strategy: act like she was just another quiet survivor.

“Hey,” said a familiar voice. Jonathan stepped up, curious as ever. “So? What did you get?”

Luke opened his system menu, pulled up the sword from Charlie’s inventory, and handed it over.

Jonathan’s eyes lit up. “Any time a Captain dies, the Safe Zone turns into a hive of insane theories the next day. I bet this’ll be all people talk about tomorrow.” He passed the sword back with a low whistle. Even Cecilia wandered over, curiosity visible on her face.

“Are these kinds of attacks normal?” Luke asked, glancing at the archers still dancing around the fire.

“It depends,” said Anna, arms crossed, gaze thoughtful. “The invasions come in waves. Some weak, others brutal. But a Captain? That’s rare.”

“Holy hell!” someone shouted.

Johnny.

His voice rang out over the firelight, full of excitement. “What a tall woman!”

Charlie slowly turned to face him.

“You know, milady… I saw your feats in battle and, honestly? I think I’m in love.” Johnny slicked back his hair with one hand and offered the other with an overly dramatic bow. “Would you honor me with a dance?”

Charlie raised her hand slowly — and pointed at the ring on her finger.

Johnny froze mid-step. “…Oh. Taken. My apologies.”

He withdrew with all the grace of a man shot through the heart.

Princess Charlie is pretty smart; she came up with a great excuse.

 

***

 

The celebration burned on.

Campfires crackled high. The scent of roasted meat mingled with improvised songs and the clink of wooden mugs. Survivors celebrated another day of staying alive.

Allison was nowhere to be seen, but Luke knew where she was — out meditating in the forest. She’d burned through too much mana fighting the bear. Her Race Skill let her recover faster while in deep meditation. Luke envied it — he couldn’t wait to unlock something similar.

He grabbed a skewer, took a bite of meat, chewed thoughtfully — then pulled open Charlie’s system interface.

The first thing that appeared: