And then, there was light.

“Ugh… Fuck…” I muttered as my head felt like it was about to split open, and just as I began to move around, I tried to swallow some saliva in order to parch my dried throat.

But just as I did, a searing pain erupted from the bottom of my esophagus, as if I had just tried to swallow pure magma instead of my own saliva.

It hurt. It hurt terribly, but it wasn’t as painful as having your neck and windpipe crushed.

“Ah… Wait, that’s right… I can breathe,” I muttered and then took a look around me, noticing I was back at the Wony household, once again in the infirmary.

“You damn suicidal maniac. I want to have a break, and you’re just making my life harder. Taking care of the head is more than enough work, but if you keep getting hurt, then I don’t even get a chance to breathe,” The doctor said as he walked up to the side of the bed and placed his hands around my cheeks.

He moved my head to both sides, and surprisingly, I didn’t feel any pain at all.

“What? Did you not know I’m the best of the best in my field?” He smirked before a green light slowly emitted from his hand.

It was like a massage around my neck as it wrapped around me, inducing drowsiness despite me just waking up from who knows how long of a rest.

“So, I heard the plan succeeded. Congratulations,” The doctor said, bringing up a light note as the present atmosphere was terribly dark.

“Yeah… I killed him… I killed the Bonebloom head… but those **ers betrayed me,” I muttered, straining my neck but quickly getting shoved back down into the pillow by the doctor, who gave me a strong glare.

“Stay still,”

“Y-Yes, sir,” I muttered and tried to relax now.

Damn… Luna was so cool back then… I bet I looked like an absolute pussy being on the brink of death.

“Ah, that’s right. Do you know where Luna is?” I asked the man beside me.

“She’s here, though severely injured. She’s in a different ward where they’re doing surgery on her as her ribs were crushed into hundreds of pieces. We can’t regenerate bits of shards which will just cut her later on,”

“Huh? What happened?”

“From what she said, apparently, as she tried to help you escape, the Bonebloom kids all came out and attacked her. The commanders were forced to follow her orders, but even then, they were just barely able to keep them away… They’re strong. They’re very strong,”

“That’s to be expected,”

“Well, expect more as not only are there the kids now, but their backup from outside Amlas. They’re from several other cities, and though they didn’t send armies, they sent singular people who could be considered one-man armies,”

“I see… interesting. Do we have any information on them?”

And it seems the doctor was expecting me to say this as he quickly took out a tablet and displayed all the information in front of me.

“Oh, it even shows their statuses?” I muttered with a smile.

“Yes. When you join a guild, you must submit your status. Plus, when you evolve, you must be regulated,”

“Then how do we know these aren’t fake?”

“Because it isn’t the adventures who are submitting it but a stone which immediately detects the status caged inside your body. There is no tricking the stone,”

“I see… Okay, thank you very much,” I muttered before swiping up.

『Status』

Name: Lopy

Race: Human

Class: Assassin of Bones

Level: ??

/??

HP: 75

/75 MP: 25

/25 SP: 75

/75 – Above Human

Strength: 35 – Above Human

Defense: 15 – Above Human

Magic: 25 – Above Human

Speed: 55 – Above Human

Skills: Cloak Empower Scout Greater Presence Eraser Bone Formation Bone Crystallization Skeletal Weapon Poison Weapon Coating

Passive Skills: Toxic Immunity Fire Resistance Wind Resistance Water Resistance Explosion Resistance Blood of Bone Shards

…

“This… is a one-man army?” I muttered as she was barely any different from me, maybe even weaker.

“Well, that’s one of the weaker ones, but essentially. Y’know, you’re stronger than pretty much everybody in this household. You’re catching up to the head if you weren’t aware of that,” The doctor said as he took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth.

As he moved over to the window, the sudden realization that all of my hard work was beginning to bear fruit came like a crashing ocean wave.

“Damn… I’ve become strong,”

…

“Alright, there will be a succession battle royale type of free for all thing that Orme will be participating in. We must see it through that he acquires the position of the head,” I said as everybody was gathered at the dining table the very next morning.

Orme was still in a bit of disbelief that I managed to actually kill his father, so he wasn’t talking much.

“If you want to say something, speak up,” Luna said as she slumped down in her chair, still a bit grumpy from the pain meds coursing through her body.

She had successful surgery but needed to stay put for at least a day since the meds she’s been taking were pretty powerful and will make her a bit lucid.

“You got scarring?” I asked as Orme didn’t seem like he was going to be replying any time soon.

“Nah, not really. The armor came in handy as it protected me from being stabbed through the gut, but the impact across my chest completely shattered my ribs… Well, not completely, but you get the point,”

“Sounds like it sucked,” Cy chuckled, and Luna just shot him a death glare.

“It did, asshole… alright, well, we’ll proceed with the next part of the plan, and that is to get Orme into the head position. While this is happening, though, Aisa and I will be on our own little hunting trip,”

As I smiled, everybody cocked their heads to the side in confusion like puppies unable to understand their owner.