Showing His Might!

"If we're taking action, let's make it swift," the shield warrior, clearly the group's leader, stated with a furrowed brow. Though he commanded the unit, he was not inclined to stir discord among his ranks over a mere skeleton.

"Don't fret; this will be over in a flash," the priest assured, drawing a short staff from his belt and advancing towards Jason.

Jason, watching the priest clad in white approach with staff in hand, couldn't help but silently reproach their foolhardy valor. "What merit is there in striking down a mere skeleton?" he thought bitterly, signaling for his moose to draw near.

An illusory text then floated before his eyes, outlining the perilous situation he found himself in, discovered by the mercenaries, with particular interest from the wizard and the priest in his soul fragments.

[Mission: Demonstrate the might of a 'mere' skeleton monster.]

- Option 1: The Deceptive Assault: Seize the element of surprise and eliminate all five mercenaries before any reinforcements can be summoned. Difficulty: A, Reward: "Unparalleled Bravery."

- Option 2: The Daring Escape: Launch a surprise attack and make your escape. Difficulty: C, Reward: Experience +100, Strength +0.5.

- Option 3: The Master of Disguise: Maintain your guise as a simple skeleton and escape without revealing your true strength. Difficulty: S, Reward: "Intelligence Aura."

Intrigued by the concept of an "Intelligence Aura," Jason opted for subtlety. As the priest neared, he turned and made a break for it, feigning the clumsiness of a typical skeleton.

"You won't get away!" the priest bellowed, launching a radiant orb of holy light towards Jason, a missile designed to obliterate weak undead with ease.

Yet, Jason, uncharacteristic of the skeletons the priest was accustomed to, dodged with unexpected agility.

"Surprising, isn't it?" Jason thought, narrowly evading the attack.

The priest, taken aback by the skeleton's nimbleness, faced pressure from the shield warrior. "Hurry! You're a priest; you can't be bested by a skeleton, can you?"

"It was merely an oversight!" the priest retorted, flustered. He recited another incantation, releasing a faster, more direct missile aimed at Jason's head.

Jason, anticipating the attack, prepared to dodge once more, his actions challenging the mercenaries' underestimation and setting the stage for a cunning display of his true capabilities.

Jason instinctively ducked, the missile whooshing past where his head had been moments before. His reflexes, honed far beyond mortal capabilities, made the priest's efforts seem amateurish.

"I think it's high time we considered recruiting a new priest," the swordsman quipped with a mocking shrug, his disdain for the priest's obsequious mannerisms now vocalized in scorn.

The archer, silent until now, scrutinized Jason from afar. His sharp gaze detected an anomaly, a sense that this was no ordinary skirmish.

Fueled by frustration and embarrassment, especially in front of the mage he admired, the priest's face flushed a deep crimson. Abandoning his magical assault, he charged at Jason, dagger in hand, determined to confront what he believed to be a mere nuisance.

Jason, seeing the priest abandon caution and charge, decided it was time to drop the facade. The azure flames in his eyes blazed with newfound intensity, signaling the unleashing of his true undead might.

The archer, sensing the shift, attempted to warn his companions, "Wait! That creature..." But his caution came too late.

With a sneer, the priest lunged, thrusting his holy light missile forward in a last-ditch effort. But to Jason, such an attack was now beneath concern.

As he released the full spectrum of his undead energy, an aura of cold, dark power erupted around him, turning the air thick with an otherworldly chill. The holy light missile, upon contact with this aura, dissipated as if it were a mere soap bubble.

The priest, witnessing the true extent of Jason's power, was struck by a visceral fear. Realizing too late the grave mistake he had made, he panicked, his plea for help echoing futilely as he attempted a desperate retreat, flinging his dagger in a feeble attempt to slow Jason.

Jason, unfazed, casually brushed aside the spinning dagger, which failed to leave so much as a scratch on his skeletal form. Advancing with deliberate steps, he closed the distance between them swiftly.

With a single, powerful strike, Jason landed a punch on the back of the priest's head, the impact resonating like a hammer to a bell. The skull cracked under the force, the priest's eyes rolling back as he collapsed, life extinguished in an instant.

The sudden silence that followed was a grim testament to Jason's might, a chilling reminder to those who dared underestimate the undead knight.

Jason stood amidst the chaos, his fists dripping with remnants of the confrontation, his gaze fixed on the mercenaries regrouping in the distance. Their response was swift and furious, driven by vengeance and shock.

"Take him down together!" the archer shouted, his voice laced with fury. In quick succession, he loosed three arrows, aimed with deadly precision at Jason.

Jason, however, remained unfazed. With a gesture, he summoned his magic spider armor from the ether, enveloping himself in its dark, intricate weave. The armor clung to him, shielding even his skull-faced visor from view.

The arrows met their target, but the impact was laughable, akin to pebbles thrown against a fortress wall—no damage was done.

The air around them tensed as the female mage began her incantation, her words slicing through the tension. The winds obeyed her command, coalescing into five formidable air cannons, each pulsating with a fierce light, ready to unleash their fury upon Jason.

Acknowledging the mage's power, Jason prepared his counter. From his armor, he released strands of white spider silk, anchoring them to a distant tree trunk. As the air cannons hurtled towards him, he activated the silk, catapulting himself out of harm's way.

The air bombs detonated upon impact with the ground, leaving a crater as evidence of their might. Amidst the settling dust, the mage caught a glimpse of the retreating silk. "Spider silk?" she murmured, a mix of intrigue and concern coloring her voice.

At that moment, a roar pierced the night. Jason's carrion moose charged forth, its presence commanding and fierce. Mounting the beast, Jason armed himself with his cursed gun, a sight that instilled a deep fear in the mercenaries. They recognized the threat before them—a senior undead not to be trifled with lightly.

"Signal for reinforcements!" one called out as the mage sent a flare skyward, bursting in a display meant to summon aid.

But Jason was already on the move, the mage's attempt to bind him with a control spell proving futile against the cursed gun's power. The wind bindings dissipated like mist under the sun.

Facing the mercenaries head-on, Jason directed his moose into a charge, the cursed Spear aimed with deadly intent.