Alton didn't wait. While the chief shouted orders and the villagers scrambled to prepare defenses, he descended the wall and stepped out onto the open snowfield. The giant Mountain Skeleton loomed larger with every stride, its frost-covered bones scraping together with a sound like breaking ice. It was taller than the one he had fought before—easily eight meters—but Alton felt strangely calm.
"Kid! What are you doing?!" the chief yelled from above. "Get back here! We fight from the wall!"
Alton ignored him. His eyes stayed locked on the approaching giant. A blue window appeared:
Mountain Giant Skeleton
Level: 6
Weakness: Fire Magic
Same level as him now. But he wasn't the same person who had barely survived the last one. The hours spent reading The Art of Magic last night had given him new ideas—ways to push even low-level spells far beyond their normal limits.
He focused, drawing on the Blue Flame (Ice Punch) skill he had gained from the previous skeleton. Ice formed beneath his boots, smooth and slick. With a small push, he glided forward across the snow at surprising speed, sword gripped tightly in his right hand.
The chief, Rose, and the gathered guards stared in stunned silence.
Alton closed the distance fast. As the giant swung a massive bony arm, he leaned into the glide and slashed low with all his strength. The dark blade cut cleanly through the skeleton's leg with almost no resistance. The giant teetered, arms flailing as it began to fall.
It tried to grab him on the way down. This time, Alton was ready. He planted his hand directly onto the creature's massive palm and poured his focus inward, just as the book had taught.
Get close. Touch it. Let the magic burn from the inside.
Flames erupted violently from within the skeleton's ribcage. Blue fire mixed with bright orange, spreading rapidly through its icy bones. The giant let out a silent, rattling scream as it collapsed in a heap, flames licking across its body and melting snow in a wide circle around it.
The entire village wall fell deathly quiet.
Rose's voice broke the silence first, barely a whisper. "How…?"
The chief stared down at Alton with wide eyes. "Who exactly are you, kid?"
The elder mages arrived just in time to see the giant skeleton defeated, its burning remains slowly sinking into the snow. Their expressions mirrored everyone else's—complete disbelief.
Alton stood beside the fallen monster for a moment, catching his breath. Then he turned and began walking back toward the village gates, snow crunching softly under his boots. A new blue window appeared in front of him:
Level Up! You are now Level 7.
New skills available.
He kept his face neutral, but inside he felt a quiet thrill. Not just because he had grown stronger—but because he had done it in front of people who had been terrified of the same monster. For once, he didn't feel like the ordinary, miserable office worker anymore.
He looked up at the wall as he approached, the weight of dozens of stunned gazes pressing down on him.