CHAPTER 30- COPYING SKILLS

The battlefield was eerily quiet, save for the distant crackling of dying flames. The scent of burnt flesh and blood lingered in the air, thick and suffocating.

Pained whispers had long since faded, swallowed by the stillness of the night.

Three massive figures lay lifeless on the ground, their corpses twisted in unnatural angles. Nearby, a lone figure crouched over the bodies, carefully dissecting them—a clone of Maximus, harvesting anything that it see having a value.

A few meters away, the real Maximus stood with three more clones, his golden eyes locked onto the final survivor.

The last boss.

Unlike the others, this one refused to die quietly.

It thrashed and writhed against unseen wounds, its skeletal frame trembling under the weight of despair.

"P-Please… don't kill me!"

The sudden plea broke the silence.

Maximus' brow furrowed slightly.

He understood it.

His gaze sharpened, studying the creature before him—a blackened skeleton, its form wreathed in tattered robes, a cracked wand clutched tightly in its bony grip. Hollow, flickering eyes burned with desperation.

"You can speak the human language?" Maximus asked, his tone neutral yet curious.

"Yes! Yes! I can speak many languages!" the black skeleton stammered, its voice a dry, rasping echo. "Please, spare me! I-I'll teach you anything!"

Maximus' expression remained unreadable, but his thoughts stirred.

A talking skeleton? Is this a unique trait? Or something more?

"System, scan it."

DING!

[TIER 4 BOSS: EBONSHADE LICH – An undead sorcerer with vast knowledge of languages and dark magic. Prefers cunning over brute force in battle.]

So, a Tier 4 boss… no wonder it survived this long.

Maximus folded his arms. "What language did you speak before?"

"The demon language! That's our native tongue!" the skeleton blurted out. "B-But I can translate many others! You see? I'm useful!"

Maximus' mind clicked.

A language-related ability… was this a skill or a talent? If it was a talent, he could copy it.

"Is this a skill?" he asked flatly.

"Yes! Yes, sir! It's a very rare skill!"

Maximus smirked. A rare skill, huh? I haven't copied anything yet tonight… why not start now?

A sudden shudder rippled through the skeleton's body.

Something was wrong.

A nameless dread crawled into its very being, seeping into its hollow bones.

Before it could react, two of Maximus' clones vanished from sight—only to reappear a split second later, one on each side.

Their hands clamped down on its brittle arms, restraining it with terrifying ease.

"You—what are you doing?! I'll kill myself if you try anything!" the skeleton shrieked, its desperation turning to panic.

Unfazed, Maximus took a slow, deliberate step forward. Then another.

The black skeleton struggled harder, but it was useless. Its brittle form lacked the strength to break free.

"P-Please! I have a family! I-I'll do anything! Just don't kill me!"

If it had flesh, it would have been sobbing.

Maximus remained emotionless.

Raising a hand, he placed it firmly atop the skeleton's skull.

"Copy Everything—Copy Talent."

A pulse of energy erupted from his body, condensing into a dense aura of mana then it move towards he's soul seems to be attract then it arrive in he's talent then it change to something different a different energy.Then it surged into his arm, flowing through his fingertips and into the skeleton's very core—its soul, its essence, its talent.

DING!

[MP -500]

Maximus exhaled slowly. Five hundred MP? The cost keeps rising… am I getting nerfed? Heh… doesn't matter.

A new window flashed before his eyes.

[NEW TALENT ACQUIRED: DARK MAGIC (B-RANK)]

[Increases damage of dark-related abilities. Enhances understanding and affinity with dark magic.]

A small grin tugged at his lips. Useful. Very useful.

"Now, for the skills…"

Maximus didn't waste time.

"Copy Everything—Copy Skills."

A second surge of energy erupted. The skeleton tensed violently, its hollow sockets flickering wildly as something was forcefully ripped from it.

DING!

[NEW SKILLS ACQUIRED!]

[THREE NEW SKILLS OBTAINED]

Maximus' golden eyes gleamed. Three skills? This skeleton is a damn treasure trove.

The skeleton shuddered, its entire body visibly trembling. A deep, sickening void had formed within it—a feeling of something stolen, something it could never get back.

"You… w-what did you just do to me?" It stammered, its voice hollow and weak.

Maximus tilted his head slightly. "Hmm? Doesn't matter."

Then, his expression turned cold.

"Unfortunately… I made a promise—to kill anything related to demons."

A long, tense silence followed.

The skeleton froze, its mind racing, searching for some way to escape.

But with two clone holding him he can't

"W-Wait—"

But it was too late.

Maximus' palm ignited, a swirling mass of white-hot flames blooming in his hand.

Then—

BOOM!

A roaring inferno engulfed the skeleton, the intense heat warping the air around them.

The bones blackened, cracked, and shattered under the scorching blaze.

"N-No! YOU MONSTER! YOU D—"

Its final scream was drowned in fire.

Ash scattered into the wind.

Maximus stood silent, watching as the last of the embers flickered out. His expression remained cold, yet beneath the surface, his determination burned hotter than ever.

One day… I will find that Demon Lord.

His fists clenched.

I will step into that demon world myself. And I will kill him with my own hands.

His golden eyes gleamed darkly as he whispered:

"Anyone who shows even a hint of killing intent toward me… I will hunt them to the ends of the earth and erase them from existence."

With that, he turned away from the smoldering remains, his mind already shifting to his next objective.

Looking at the sorrounding corpses then he's eyes landed on he's clone now collecting the crystal on the corpses having a clone is really convenient maximus thought

Now… let's see what I just gained.