In the desolate wilderness, the sound of clattering footsteps echoed as a squad of skeleton soldiers marched forward with unwavering determination. Leading them was a particularly tall skeleton soldier, brandishing a makeshift flag—a piece of ragged cloth with a large black "Grim" symbol scrawled on it.
This "banner bearer" was none other than Grim's newly appointed captain, Skeleton No. 1! His primary mission was to march at the front, holding the Lord's banner to attract any enemy fire, creating a safer path for Grim—a decoy disguised as Grim himself.
But where was the real Grim? Hidden amidst the formation of identical skeleton soldiers was Grim himself, shuffling along with the group. Surrounded by his skeletal minions, he finally felt a semblance of security. This expedition was Grim's first attempt to lead his troops out in search of living creatures to hunt, hoping to harvest enough souls to power up his Lord's Talent.
Ideally, this sort of hazardous, front-line work should have had nothing to do with someone of his exalted rank. After all, only the lowly grunts would take on direct combat. Which noble lord ever risked life and limb by charging into battle themselves? His job, as he imagined it, was to guard the base, sipping tea, nibbling on snacks, and basking in his lordly status.
But plans rarely hold up against reality. Leading this group of blundering skeletons, Grim knew he couldn't afford to stay in the shadows. He was genuinely worried these simple-minded skeletons would wander off and get lost.
Leaving fifty skeletons behind to guard the base, Grim led his remaining fifty minions out to hunt for prey. So far, under Grim's guidance, they had managed to take down two pheasants, a slow-witted deer, a sparrow, and even a wild boar. The boar, however, fought back fiercely, shattering three skeletons before Grim's forces finally took it down. Luckily, as long as the ghostly flames in their skulls remained lit, the skeletons could reassemble themselves. Otherwise, they would have lost soldiers by now.
After the wild boar hunt, Grim had identified a glaring weakness in his troops: they had no weapons! His skeleton soldiers were still at a primitive stage, completely unarmed. In battle, they didn't even think to pick up rocks or sticks. Instead, they'd snap off their own ribs with a crack, wielding the bones as makeshift clubs with a wild, reckless abandon.
Watching his soldiers injure themselves before injuring the enemy with what he now called the "self-destruct" style of combat, Grim felt a wave of frustration. There was no way their ribs could be effective weapons. If they were, the boar wouldn't have broken three skeletons and damaged eight others!
So Grim changed his plans on the spot. Instead of hunting for prey, he decided to arm his soldiers. He might not be able to fashion armor, but he could at least equip them with decent weapons.
After walking for miles, Grim finally stopped as he spotted a grove of bamboo trees. The green flames in his eye sockets flared with excitement. This was exactly what he needed—long shafts of bamboo could make ideal spears with just a bit of sharpening!
Grim led his skeletons into the grove and demonstrated how to cut the bamboo. At long last, they managed to copy him, hacking down bamboo stalks. After about an hour, a substantial pile of bamboo lay before them. Removing those that were unsuitable, Grim finally managed to create a stack of crude bamboo spears.
The so-called spears were little more than sharpened sticks. They weren't particularly hard, nor very sharp, but they were certainly long enough, and there were plenty of them! One or two skeletons armed with these might look ridiculous, but a hundred skeletons holding these spears together? That could pose a real threat!
Grim felt he could form his own phalanx and sweep away anything in their path...or so he hoped.
But his next problem quickly became apparent: how was he supposed to get the skeletons to pick up these spears?
"Come on, guys! It's not that hard to switch weapons! Just let go of your rib, grab the bamboo like this, and voilà—you've got a spear!" Grim held up a short bamboo spear, giving it a shake for emphasis.
In return, the skeletons stared blankly at him, completely unmoved. Their empty, uncomprehending gazes left Grim on the verge of collapse. Suppressing his frustration, he tried to keep his composure.
Taking a rib in one hand and a bamboo spear in the other, Grim marched over to one of the skeleton soldiers and growled, "You! Yes, you! Look at these two 'weapons' in front of you. One is less than half a meter long and brittle as a twig, while the other is over two meters long, sharp, and sturdy. Which would you pick?"
The skeleton looked at Grim's outstretched hands, green eye flames flickering. Seeing the two weapons side by side, it slowly raised one hand… and, under Grim's expectant gaze, reached for its own rib and snapped it off!
Crack! Rib club, equipped.
"Why? Why must the universe torment me so? What did I do in a past life to deserve this? Is it really so hard to grab the spear? It's right there, for heaven's sake!"
Flinging his own bamboo spear aside in frustration, Grim stormed over to Skeleton No. 1, who stood nearby holding the flag. This particular skeleton, perhaps due to a slightly higher level of intelligence, had learned to hold the bamboo spear in just three minutes of practice. He was, in fact, the only one who had managed to switch weapons.
Pointing at Skeleton No. 1, Grim's expression twisted with desperation. "I just want you to hold the bamboo like he does. Is that too much to ask? Why can't you understand? You can't even pick up a spear! What am I supposed to do with you all? I might as well break you down for building materials!"
Bang!
Before Grim could finish, a muffled thud drew his attention. It was Skeleton No. 1, who, upon hearing Grim's frustrated rant, had obediently acted. He raised his bamboo spear and brought it down onto a nearby skeleton's head, attempting to break it apart.
The assaulted skeleton staggered in confusion before retaliating with a furious swing of its rib bone. But there was no contest—the rib bone, less than half a meter in length, was no match for the three-meter bamboo spear. After taking four or five strikes, the smaller skeleton finally snapped.
To Grim's utter shock, it finally tossed aside its rib and seized a bamboo spear of its own, raising it in defiance…