(TN: If you’re reading this on Wednesday, November 2, 2023, or a day near this date, you may have missed chapter 108 of the Skeleton Mage Play Diary, which is a bulletin board chapter. It is totally my fault that I forgot to post it. Sorry about that :(. The good thing is that it isn’t a main chapter, so you wouldn’t notice a difference in the flow of the story.)
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When we explored the ant nest, there wasn’t a single ant left. It seemed that all the adult ants had left the nest.
However, ant eggs, larvae, and pupae were still there. So, we decided to eliminate them swiftly, and something interesting happened.
“The ‘Ant Nest’ has transformed into the ‘Monsters’ Lair’.”
Surprisingly, once we had wiped out all the ants dwelling inside, the location’s name had changed. Presumably, exterminating the creatures that were using that nest was the key to this transformation.
What was even more intriguing was that the moment the location’s name changed, it became our respawn point. The entire room with the ant eggs seemed to have the same effect as a bed, so we could safely log out here.
“Whew, that was rather intense. Those who want to log out here, go ahead and do so. I estimate that the horde of monsters would reach the fortress at around 9 p.m. in real-time. So, let’s regroup by 8:30 p.m. How does that sound? If it seems impossible, just let me know.”
The others might tend to forget, given all the other things we were doing, but our goal in this event was to “stir up the main event”. As the first step of our plan, we would simultaneously attack the fortress located furthest to the west along with the horde of monsters.
The members of the “Persona” guild held the key to the success of the attack. Let’s look forward to their work.
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After logging out, I decided to address my recent lack of exercise by taking a walk to do some grocery shopping. There were no particular issues, and upon returning home, I launched the guild members’ SNS app. Even if we couldn’t communicate in-game, there were plenty of ways to stay in touch outside of it.
“Huh? There’s a message from Iris?”
When I was thinking of updating them about the current situation, I stumbled upon an unfamiliar post from Iris. It read as follows:
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Iris: I’ve made a party with others I met on Aquaria Islands! They’re great people, so I invited them to join the guild!
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Oh, interesting! It seemed she was also recruiting players to our guild, just like me. If the three of them thought these players were a good fit, there shouldn’t be any issues. Perhaps I should write to them about my situation.
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Isam: Reporting in here too. I encountered eight monster players at the event. Seem to be fine personality-wise, so I’ve extended guild invitations to them. It remains to be seen whether everyone will accept, though.
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All right, that’s settled. I’ll check everyone’s reactions the next time I open the app. I’m sure they’ll be fine with the new players. There isn’t a single oddball among them.
Ping!
Oh, there’s a new message on the app. Is that Jigoro?
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Jigoro: We’re in a place teeming with strong guys over here! It’s got a kind of Japanese vibe, you know?
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A Japanese vibe? I wonder what kind of place that is. Let’s ask.
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Isam: Japanese vibe? Can you be more specific?
Jigoro: Yeah, sure. On the Aquaria Islands, there are two big islands called Twin Dragon Island and Heavenly Spirit Island. Iris and the others are on Twin Dragon Island, while me and the old man landed on Heavenly Spirit Island. The residents of Heavenly Spirit Island are all monsters… or rather, they’re all demons (Yokai).
Iris: Twin Dragon Island is home to a prosperous country called “Flower” with a Chinese-style atmosphere. Even the residents have Chinese-inspired names.
Isam: Is that so? The first continent, Luxresia, had an European flair, but it seems customs can vary from place to place. Quite interesting.
Jiro: Indeed. By the way, I and the old man just met the big boss here at the top of Heavenly Spirit Island. The boss’s race is the Great Tengu!
Iris: Ahwaha!? It seems like someone important wants to meet us! I’ll be taking my leave!
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It seems everyone is having their own adventures. I looked forward to their stories.
“Well, it’s time for me to go create some heroic tales that can stand up to theirs. They might turn into funny tales, though; who knows?”
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It was a little past 7:30 when I logged in, and inside the lair, Shiitake was immersed in [Alchemy].
“Hey there, boss~.”
“Boss, huh… well, never mind that. What about the others?”
“Shishu and Wool are not here yet, but the rest have gathered. They mentioned they’re going to do some quick grinding nearby.”
I see. There was still time left, and they were training to increase the success rate of our attack. I was glad that everyone’s enthusiasm was even higher than I expected.
“How’s the [Alchemy] going?”
“It’s going well! Evolution is amazing, you know. I can turn not only my own poison but also poisonous stingers into items.”
Actually, Shiitake turned into a weirdo. She had been able to turn the white bumps growing on her umbrella into poisonous items for a while now. However, with her evolution into a Poisonous Stinging Mushroom, she could now do the same with the poisonous stingers that sprout from her body.
These stingers, shaped like tatami needles, could be shaped by [alchemy] into arrowheads and were just the right size to be used as throwing darts. Well, even though we had time until the attack, item transformation wasn’t unlimited; there was a long cooldown. So, mass production wasn’t possible, but it could serve as her hidden ace… perhaps.
“Hmm… in that case, I think I’ll work hard on production for the first time in a while.”
Lately, I haven’t touched anything related to [Alchemy]. In fact, I’d been quite negligent with item crafting itself. Returning to basics and creating a variety of items might be a good idea.
“Oh my oh my~, what is the boss going to make?”
“Fufufufufu! Of course, Undead!”
One of the [Necromancy] spells was “Create”. Since creating those undead creatures who were given to the Gravekeeper, I haven’t used the spell at all. There were various reasons for this. It was true that custom-made monsters were strong. They grew and evolved with training, so the longer you used them, the stronger they became. In fact, according to the bulletin board, players who encountered the Gravekeeper were reportedly repelled by the undead I created, so their strength could be guaranteed.
However, that’s precisely why it was difficult to manage. The first drawback was the need to gather materials for creation. Without a decent amount and quality, one could only create feeble monsters. I pondered mass production as a solution, but if I was going to create disposable minions, [Summoning Magic] was sufficient.
The second drawback was the pressure it exerted on the party’s slots. Although they held the potential to become incredibly strong with nurturing, they occupied a space in the party just like familiars. Perhaps this was because they were able to grow stronger with training.
For a player playing solo, it might have worked, but for someone with companions, it was nothing but a downside. It was fair to say that [Summoning Magic], which didn’t encroach on slots, was superior. Those undead I previously created were transferred to the gravekeeper; otherwise, things would have been very complicated.
The third drawback was the effort required for nurturing. Frankly, raising an overwhelmingly burdensome creature from scratch was tiresome. It would have been different if they were as charming as Karl… but I didn’t have a penchant for skeletons and decaying flesh. Additionally, I might have developed an attachment once I’d nurtured them, and it would undoubtedly have been disheartening if they were destroyed after painstaking nurturing. I would have hesitated to invest, as the more I nurtured, the more hesitant I would have become, thinking of the possibility of losing the undead minion.
And the fourth and most significant downside was the inability to create Undead that did not possess [Light Weakness]. It was troublesome that they could only act during the day in places like this forest, where trees were densely packed and sunlight didn’t reach. It was almost counterproductive to have my subordinates bound by time constraints in such a situation!
I had been avoiding this “Create” spell for these various reasons, but this time presented a perfect opportunity. It had been a while since I had the chance to create an elaborate monster. As usual, I decided to use bones as a base. I had gathered a sufficient number of them from various beast-like monsters and troll monsters. These would do just fine.
“Just combining them won’t make it interesting, will it? What should I use… I’ve got it!”
I retrieved the exoskeletons of the Lesser Ants, which I had in abundance. Items like these, for which I had no use unless someone could process them, were lying around in surplus. I decided to make use of them.
“While I’m at it, why not use some insect-type materials?”
A skeleton with various insect-like characteristics. I was sure the result would astonish many.
“What is this? What is this? It’s starting to look interesting.”
As I carefully arranged the materials on the ground and devised my plan for the creation of the undead, Shiitake made her way towards me.
“Have you finished your work over there?” I asked.
“Yeah, I was just curious about what the boss was up to~.”
“Well, actually…”
I explained to Shiitake about the undead creature I was planning to create. She rubbed the area where her chin would be if she were human and said, “Interesting… that’s really interesting. Mind if I join you?”
“It’s not a problem at all. In fact, I’d welcome your help.”
Having her assistance was greatly appreciated. Other people’s perspectives sometimes led to unexpected ideas. It was like brainstorming. So, let’s start the work while having various conversations.
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“Oh… it’s complete…!”
“Mhmm~, our talents are quite scary~.”
Shiitake and I spent a good three hours in in-game time crafting the ultimate undead creature using the materials we had on hand. I hate to boast, but it turned out to be a masterpiece and an incredibly powerful monster within its level range.
“What should we name it?” I asked.
“Yeah, you’re right… In terms of its race, it’s an undead, but in terms of appearance, it’s a complete insect creature… Wait a minute? I think I’ve seen a demon (yokai) that looks like that…”
Shiitake pondered with a “Hmm, hmm.” while twisting her umbrella left and right for a while and then exclaimed, “I remembered!”
“It’s Ushi-oni! Yes, that’s it, Ushi-oni!”
“Ah, now that you mention it, you’re right. Then, from today on, you’re Ushi-oni.”
“”””Kotsukotsukotsu…””””
The undead creature named Ushi-oni responded with a gentle clatter of its teeth as if it were somehow pleased. After all the effort put into its creation, I was content not to be just a disposable monster but one that would be of use to me and my guild.
“Alright, let’s take Ushi-oni outside. I’m sure everyone will be surprised.”
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea… Wait, is that Shishu-chan and Wool-kun over there? Hey!”
As Shiitake and I were about to leave the nest, we noticed Shishu standing rigidly and Wool gently poking her head while looking in our direction. Hey, if you logged in, it would be nice if you could at least say hello.
“Y-yeah, Good evening.”
“Evening’! So, what’s that?”
“Hmm? You mean Ushi-oni? This is a collaborative effort between me and Shiitake! What do you think? Looks pretty strong, doesn’t it?” I presented.
“What do you think? What do you think?” Shiitake added.
Shitake and I proudly boasted, but the reaction was not positive. but Ushi-oni didn’t receive a favorable response.
“What do we think…huh?
“Well, honestly… It looks way too sinister.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
Shifune gave a vague response, and Wool expressed her opinions clearly. However, Shiitake and I couldn’t quite grasp why the two of them seemed a bit reluctant. If Ushi-oni’s sinister appearance could instill fear in our enemies, wouldn’t that be a valuable asset?
Furthermore, although it may be hard to say, undoubtedly the closest in appearance to Ushi-oni among our group was Shishu, who was a Big Killer Spider. Why couldn’t they appreciate this guy?
“No, I think everyone will be surprised, right It’s like a creature from a horror movie.”
“Exactly! That’s what’s great about it!”
“Yeah, I bet some people might instinctively attack it too. You never know, right?”
“No, no, I think it’ll be fine. We’re also coming out of the nest.”
The four of us began to make our move, preparing for the attack. As we emerged from the nest, we coincidentally met up with the others who had just returned from leveling up. This marked the beginning of the real operation!
By the way, the others who saw Ushi-oni had all instinctively readied their weapons. It seemed they misunderstood and thought we were about to be ambushed by a monster. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, they all seemed to stay back for some reason. How strange.
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TN: The ushi-oni, or gyūki, is a yōkai from the folklore of western Japan. It basically is a monster with human face and spider body; google it to see its appearance.
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