A long mana bar, capriciously fluctuating

"They also appeared out of thin air!" Karen shouted.

Just like the previous skeleton soldiers, a large number of skeleton soldiers appeared in Karen's vision without any warning.

A white light flashed in Anyi's hand, and the [Hero's Sword] appeared.

"Not using the slime sword?" Ariana asked.

"The slime sword isn't suitable for this kind of attack," Anyi said calmly.

Especially attacking these bony lumps.

"Swish swish swish——!!"

A volley of arrows flew over.

Ariana summoned the Barrier, blocking the large number of arrows, and at the same time, shot out several Holy Judges.

Only the sounds of shattering skeletons could be heard. Looking at the distant torchlight, they showed no signs of reforming!

Ariana looked behind her. Anyi charged forward, and at the same time, Miruku used her speed advantage to deflect many arrows.

His long sword slashed down; a group of skeleton soldiers were shattered but quickly reassembled.

Looking toward Layton and Karen, a large number of skeleton soldiers also appeared out of thin air there.

Although Layton stood at the front, he didn't see the process of their appearance; they just suddenly appeared in the dark hallway.

After repeatedly smashing several skeleton soldiers, Karen suddenly discovered something.

Or rather, she should have noticed it earlier.

"Their weakness is their heads! As long as you put out the flames in their heads, they won't reform!" Karen shouted.

She had attacked their heads before, but she didn't have a weapon—she could only use her fists.

And the blue flames in the skulls of the skeleton soldiers were protected by the skull itself, and the skeletal structure was loose. A punch would usually knock the skull away, but it was difficult to completely destroy it.

But after Layton smashed several skeleton soldiers with his shield, she discovered that only when the body was smashed would they reform, but if the body and head were smashed together, they couldn't reform.

This was enough to prove that their heads were their weakness.

"My skills can directly kill them!" Ariana shouted, several [Holy Judges] hitting the skeleton soldiers around Anyi and Layton.

In front of them, the skeleton soldiers were merely hit by the Holy Judge; whether or not it hit the head, they all turned into scattered bones.

Ariana seemed to have discovered…

She was their nemesis!

After "knowing" that the skeletons' weakness was their heads, Anyi swung his long sword horizontally, smashing several skeleton soldiers' heads and shoulders to the ground.

He smashed two skulls with a sword and a kick, smashed another skull against the wall, and stepped on the skulls of the surrounding skeleton soldiers to crush them, then swung his sword again to smash several more skulls.

The whole process was smooth and effortless, directly targeting their weakness—a display of skill in dealing with these skeleton soldiers.

But before seeing any more threatening enemies, he had to conserve his mana; it wasn't necessary to use skills on these low-level enemies.

As for Ariana, her mana bar was long and capricious.

After reaching level 10, the experience points gained from these Class 1 monsters were minimal; they would need to kill at least Class 2 monsters for noticeable experience gains.

But Karen was only level 1; killing these skeleton soldiers would give her 10 experience points, just like killing slimes.

Because killing skeleton soldiers wasn't actually more difficult than killing slimes.

Unless they had full Endurance, even a hero with full Durability could use their basic human Strength to wear down their skulls and extinguish the flames.

After a while, all the skeleton soldiers in the hallway were killed.

Based on the experience gained, the total number shouldn't be more than two hundred, because the hallway was narrow, so there were a lot of them.

"Karen, did your level go up?" Ariana asked, nudging a stray bone away with her foot. 

Karen shook her head. "Not yet. I think I've only killed a little over forty skeleton soldiers." 

"Sorry." Layton scratched his head apologetically, the realization that he'd been stealing Karen's experience points dawning on him a little too late. 

"We've barely scratched the surface. This castle is massive, and there are likely many more monsters ahead," Anyi interjected. His tone was matter-of-fact, diffusing the awkward moment. 

Karen gave a small shrug, unbothered. "It's okay. Even if you let me kill them all, the experience wouldn't be that significant. Let's move on." 

Her words carried more confidence now. The skirmish had bolstered her faith in herself. Initially, the thought of fighting monsters with nothing but her fists and feet seemed daunting, but battle had proven otherwise. Each of her strikes landed with devastating impact, thanks to her 14 points in Strength, which far surpassed the skeletons' meager Durability of 3. 

Moreover, with her 10 points in Agility, she had been able to anticipate and avoid nearly every attack. Every movement of the skeleton soldiers was clear to her, as if telegraphed in slow motion. 

Ariana glanced at Karen with a proud smile. "So, where to next?" 

Karen thought for a moment before answering. "The King's throne room. That's where the throne is, and if the leader of these monsters values royal power, it's the most likely place they'll be. They could be commanding the monsters from there." 

"Makes sense!" Layton chimed in eagerly, as though hoping to make up for his earlier blunder. 

"Okay! Let's go!" Ariana declared, raising her staff and pointing forward—then hesitated. She pivoted to the left, then turned to point to the right. "Um... which way should we go?" she admitted with a sheepish laugh. 

Karen smirked. "The castle's layout is complex, with residential and defensive areas. But don't worry, I'll figure it out so we won't get lost." 

Layton, however, raised a hand. "Can't we just go back the way we came and enter from the front?" 

Before Karen could answer, Anyi stepped in. "The enemy would expect that. The main gate was likely sealed during the war." 

"Then should we break it down?" Layton asked, hopeful. 

"The enemy would expect that too," Anyi replied dryly. "And considering the adventurers who came here before us also faced monsters, I'd say these walls were built to withstand more than brute force." 

To emphasize his point, Anyi swung the Hero's Sword at the nearest wall. Sparks flew as the blade met the stone, leaving no mark behind. 

Layton frowned and raised his shield, slamming it against the wall with all his might. The resounding boom echoed through the hallway, but the wall remained unscathed. 

"Too hard!" Layton muttered, shaking out his numbed hand in disbelief. This wall was no ordinary construction—it had withstood the full force of his 28 Strength points, which could obliterate a standard building. 

He glanced at Anyi, who, with his 27 Strength points and the enhanced Hero's Sword, could easily cleave through regular stone. The realization only deepened Layton's awe. 

Karen chuckled at their failed attempts, her voice tinged with amusement. "Okay, let's move on. Follow me." 

As she spoke, she stepped forward, her boot catching on a bone fragment. Before she could steady herself, she slipped, landing squarely in a pile of bones with a soft crash.